There is a lot said about human nature: that we are inherently selfish creatures, mean, insecure, pessimistic. Some days, I tend to agree. There is a lot of ugliness out here in this big world we live in. We fight amongst ourselves like we're the enemies. It is so wrong.
I just spent three days being proven that all of us - every single one of us - can get along when our energy is directed not at each other, but at an outside force. In this case, that force was breast cancer.
I saw people in the last three days that were physically hurt to the point of needing serious medical help stand up and continue walking without a peep of whining. I saw women and men stop and offer assistance when they saw a stranger sitting on the side of the road massaging their feet. I saw women cheering us on with tears in their eyes and a smile on their lips, holding signs saying "Thank you" because they couldn't trust themselves to speak. I saw scars that would normally be hidden from the world displayed proudly. I saw a sea of smiles every where I looked - from the walkers and from the people cheering us on.
No. After these last three days I'm convinced that selflessness is the the rule not the exception.
Everyone I had talked with that had done one of these 3-Day walks in the past told me that after the event, your outlook on life changes. I was skeptical at first, but now I see exactly what they mean. Unfortunately, I can't think of any way to describe it other than a very large, bright smile in the pit of your stomach.
Do you want to know the final numbers for The Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day?
3,200 Walkers walked.
400 Crew Members volunteered.
Seattle raised over $8,700,000.00 dollars. That's almost 9 MILLION dollars, people! We did good.
Over the next few days, I'll be writing about my experience walking. I was going to do it on one gigantic post, but I don't think it would do the walk justice.
More later.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Day Two: Done
I've finished walking for the second day and I actually feel pretty
darn good considering I've walked a total of 41.5 miles. Tomorrow's
the last day and it's supposed to be a little less intensive as we all
have to be at a certain place at a certain time.
darn good considering I've walked a total of 41.5 miles. Tomorrow's
the last day and it's supposed to be a little less intensive as we all
have to be at a certain place at a certain time.
We'll see!
Sent from my iPhone
Just so you know...
It is freaking COLD at 5 o'clock in the morning. Also: very dark.
Sent from my iPhone
Friday, September 12, 2008
Things I've Learned On Day One
1. Always, always, always make sure the seat cover is up on the toilet
before you squat.
before you squat.
2. Moleskin is my friend.
3. Starting with yellow Gatorade, switching to blue then water, then
orange, then purple does not taste all that great at the end of 20.7
miles.
4. Although the brown Gatorade wasn't tasty, it did do the job...
Hardly any swelling at all!
5. After 20.7 miles, nothing feels as good as sitting in your pjs in a
lounge chair.
6. Getting emails at rest stops has got to be the best mood lifter
ever! (please don't stop sending them!)
Emotions are high here... It's an experience like none I've ever had.
More later!
Sent from my iPhone
Camp!
experience coming into camp was... relieving. Good times.
Lunch!
Still felling really good and we're officially half way done with the
day!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Mobile Blogging
Six hours until I have to wake up! Journey starts tomorrow!
See you then!
See you then!
Sent from my iPhone
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Bellevue --> Issaquah
My walking buddy, DeAnn, and I had decided the week before that we needed to push ourselves further. Although DeAnn isn't walking The 3-Day with me, she's been a constant driving force on this journey; she gets me excited to walk even when I'm not feeling 'it'. I honestly don't know how prepared I'd be right now if I didn't have her walking with me on the weekends.
Our journey started at 6:30am on Sunday. I rolled out of bed, threw on my walking clothes, and grabbed my backpack that I had packed the night before. DeAnn was already sitting on the stoop ready to roll.
It was a great morning for a walk; the clouds were high and provided a nice cover from the heat of the sun.
I had forgotten I was going to document this walk. But! I remembered about two miles in.
This is, believe it or not, a bike path/board walk thing. It parallels the I-90 freeway from Seattle -> East.
So, we walked and we walked and we walked some more. I, again, forgot about the documentation thing. Because if I'd remembered, I totally would have taken a picture of the motorized scooter that was just left on the bike path about three miles after the above picture was taken.
OK, so the scooter itself wasn't scary... It was the fact that it was just abandoned in the middle of the path! It spooked us, so we ended up jogging past it. Hey! Don't judge us! It was creepy!
The scooter story is relevant too. I learned a very important lesson by jogging past that scooter: Never walk 5 miles on an empty stomach then jog a few yards. Oy. I felt so so sick for a few minutes after my heart had settled down. Had to stop for a minute so I could eat one of the granola bars I'd stashed in my backpack. You might be asking yourself why I had them in my backpack and hadn't actually eaten one before this. The answer is simple: because I didn't feel like it. Lesson learned.
Moving on!
This picture was taken by DeAnn (unknowingly as the shutter button is very sensitive). I actually like this one best of all the pics taken on our little outing. So, you see me with my pastey legs and unkempt hair, you can see a little bit of the freeway that was our constant (noisey) companion and the freeway signs that denote entrance to Issaquah, all with the sillouette of Tiger Mountain looming in the background.
One great perk about walking all the time when it's light out for me is my hair starts to lighten up. There are days when I forget that I actually have red hair. This is about 8.5 miles into our walk.
We made it to Issaquah! We're standing on an overpass looking back at the way we'd come. If you squint and tilt your head juuuust right, you can kind of sort of see where the last picture was taken - waaay down at the other end of the freeway.
After all that walking, who couldn't use a little refreshment? I'm pretty sure the baristas thought we'd lost our minds as we both walked in with huge grins on our faces and dripping (it was overcast yes, but it was muggy as hell) wet. (How do you like my wings? Gotta love wispy hair!)
But we weren't done there! Oh no. How could one possibly visit Issaquah and not go to the worlds greatest store?
Wings fixed and walk accomplished!
10.5 miles flew by. It helps when you and your walking partner get along and neither of you shut up. The walk did take us longer than we'd thought it would for 10.5 miles, however. We clocked it at 2.75 hours. Still, though, that's not too shabby considering we stopped a couple times for various reasons. (There was a very cute, very expensive model house along the way and we had peek into the windows to see the floorplan ^.^)
All in all it was a fantastic time and I can't wait to get out and do it again!
Our journey started at 6:30am on Sunday. I rolled out of bed, threw on my walking clothes, and grabbed my backpack that I had packed the night before. DeAnn was already sitting on the stoop ready to roll.
It was a great morning for a walk; the clouds were high and provided a nice cover from the heat of the sun.
I had forgotten I was going to document this walk. But! I remembered about two miles in.
This is, believe it or not, a bike path/board walk thing. It parallels the I-90 freeway from Seattle -> East.
So, we walked and we walked and we walked some more. I, again, forgot about the documentation thing. Because if I'd remembered, I totally would have taken a picture of the motorized scooter that was just left on the bike path about three miles after the above picture was taken.
OK, so the scooter itself wasn't scary... It was the fact that it was just abandoned in the middle of the path! It spooked us, so we ended up jogging past it. Hey! Don't judge us! It was creepy!
The scooter story is relevant too. I learned a very important lesson by jogging past that scooter: Never walk 5 miles on an empty stomach then jog a few yards. Oy. I felt so so sick for a few minutes after my heart had settled down. Had to stop for a minute so I could eat one of the granola bars I'd stashed in my backpack. You might be asking yourself why I had them in my backpack and hadn't actually eaten one before this. The answer is simple: because I didn't feel like it. Lesson learned.
Moving on!
This picture was taken by DeAnn (unknowingly as the shutter button is very sensitive). I actually like this one best of all the pics taken on our little outing. So, you see me with my pastey legs and unkempt hair, you can see a little bit of the freeway that was our constant (noisey) companion and the freeway signs that denote entrance to Issaquah, all with the sillouette of Tiger Mountain looming in the background.
One great perk about walking all the time when it's light out for me is my hair starts to lighten up. There are days when I forget that I actually have red hair. This is about 8.5 miles into our walk.
We made it to Issaquah! We're standing on an overpass looking back at the way we'd come. If you squint and tilt your head juuuust right, you can kind of sort of see where the last picture was taken - waaay down at the other end of the freeway.
After all that walking, who couldn't use a little refreshment? I'm pretty sure the baristas thought we'd lost our minds as we both walked in with huge grins on our faces and dripping (it was overcast yes, but it was muggy as hell) wet. (How do you like my wings? Gotta love wispy hair!)
But we weren't done there! Oh no. How could one possibly visit Issaquah and not go to the worlds greatest store?
Wings fixed and walk accomplished!
10.5 miles flew by. It helps when you and your walking partner get along and neither of you shut up. The walk did take us longer than we'd thought it would for 10.5 miles, however. We clocked it at 2.75 hours. Still, though, that's not too shabby considering we stopped a couple times for various reasons. (There was a very cute, very expensive model house along the way and we had peek into the windows to see the floorplan ^.^)
All in all it was a fantastic time and I can't wait to get out and do it again!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The Girls
Let's talk about boobs, shall we?
Well, that got your attention.
Specifically, let's talk about breast cancer.
You knew that was coming. This site is, after all, dedicated to the Breast Cancer 3-Day... how could you have expected any differently?
One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Based on a two year study, 12% of women born today will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. I don't know about you, but those numbers scare the crap outta me.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure is out to change those numbers. Almost all the money donated to the foundation (85%) goes toward education, research, and preventative measures. The other 15% is divided between administration and fundraising. Doesn't seem too shabby in my book.
This foundation has literally touched every faculty of breast cancer research and education for the last 25 years. They help people stay afloat while in treatment and they help bring awareness to the world that this is disease needs to be stopped.
Komen takes it's role very seriously. How could it not?
Susan G. Komen for the Cure was founded 25 years ago by Susan G. Komen's sister*, Nancy, when she promised her dying sister she would do everything within her power to end breast cancer. *Don't click on that link unless you're ready to cry.
While The Breast Cancer 3-Day is not an actual Komen event, 85% of the proceeds go directly to the foundation with the remaining 15% going to the National Philanthropic Trust for Breast Cancer.
Need more convincing to donate?
This is the video that actually pushed me over from just thinking about walking to actually signing up to walk 60 miles.
Well, that got your attention.
Specifically, let's talk about breast cancer.
You knew that was coming. This site is, after all, dedicated to the Breast Cancer 3-Day... how could you have expected any differently?
One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Based on a two year study, 12% of women born today will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. I don't know about you, but those numbers scare the crap outta me.
Susan G. Komen for the Cure is out to change those numbers. Almost all the money donated to the foundation (85%) goes toward education, research, and preventative measures. The other 15% is divided between administration and fundraising. Doesn't seem too shabby in my book.
This foundation has literally touched every faculty of breast cancer research and education for the last 25 years. They help people stay afloat while in treatment and they help bring awareness to the world that this is disease needs to be stopped.
Komen takes it's role very seriously. How could it not?
Susan G. Komen for the Cure was founded 25 years ago by Susan G. Komen's sister*, Nancy, when she promised her dying sister she would do everything within her power to end breast cancer. *Don't click on that link unless you're ready to cry.
While The Breast Cancer 3-Day is not an actual Komen event, 85% of the proceeds go directly to the foundation with the remaining 15% going to the National Philanthropic Trust for Breast Cancer.
Need more convincing to donate?
This is the video that actually pushed me over from just thinking about walking to actually signing up to walk 60 miles.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Respite
Boy, I am really very bad about keeping this up-to-date.
Where was I?
Oh yes, last we met, I talked about my shiny new shoes and how I was getting blisters every time I so much as thought about walking. Well, since then I've been trying to figure out a way to eradicate the little buggers from my life.
I cannot happily report their demise, but I can at least offer a silver lining: I have not gotten a new one!
This is what's working for me (for now): new socks (Wigwam) and an anti-chafing smear-on product called Body Glide. Yes, yes, I know it sounds like something shady that can only be picked up at your local sex shop. But it seems to work. What is it exactly? Well, I like to think of it as a cross between Vaseline and deodorant. It's supposed to reduce the friction on trouble areas... OK, you know what? I'm going to stop right there before it starts sounding worse than absolutely necessary.
I took a full two weeks off from walking to give my feet some proper time to heal. And, for the most part, they healed. I still have one pesky blister that refuses to stay away, so every time I walk now it puffs right back up. I might take a friend's advice and lance the fucker (on the side - because that's apparently the best place to do it) and drain it so it goes away.
I'm getting back into walking again now. Though, it makes it hard when it rains and I haven't thought to pack anything in my backpack to cover up with on my walk home. So, when it doesn't rain, and I don't have any pressing engagements, I'm walking home again.
Oh wait, did I mention before that I've started walking home at all?
*checking archives*
OK, yes I did mention it! Phew!
That's it for now. Expect more frequent updates from me from now on! Must get in the habit!
Where was I?
Oh yes, last we met, I talked about my shiny new shoes and how I was getting blisters every time I so much as thought about walking. Well, since then I've been trying to figure out a way to eradicate the little buggers from my life.
I cannot happily report their demise, but I can at least offer a silver lining: I have not gotten a new one!
This is what's working for me (for now): new socks (Wigwam) and an anti-chafing smear-on product called Body Glide. Yes, yes, I know it sounds like something shady that can only be picked up at your local sex shop. But it seems to work. What is it exactly? Well, I like to think of it as a cross between Vaseline and deodorant. It's supposed to reduce the friction on trouble areas... OK, you know what? I'm going to stop right there before it starts sounding worse than absolutely necessary.
I took a full two weeks off from walking to give my feet some proper time to heal. And, for the most part, they healed. I still have one pesky blister that refuses to stay away, so every time I walk now it puffs right back up. I might take a friend's advice and lance the fucker (on the side - because that's apparently the best place to do it) and drain it so it goes away.
I'm getting back into walking again now. Though, it makes it hard when it rains and I haven't thought to pack anything in my backpack to cover up with on my walk home. So, when it doesn't rain, and I don't have any pressing engagements, I'm walking home again.
Oh wait, did I mention before that I've started walking home at all?
*checking archives*
OK, yes I did mention it! Phew!
That's it for now. Expect more frequent updates from me from now on! Must get in the habit!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Pretty, Pretty Shoes
Those of you who know me well, know that I am the world's worst shopper. When my mom and Grammy used to take me school clothes shopping at the end of summer, we all would end up back at home grumpy, tired and a bit weepy. (Well, I would be weepy, the other two would just be pissy.) Mom, you don't have to nod your head so hard, we all get the picture. I was a Bad Shopper. I never knew what I wanted, never knew what looked good on me, and would hate spending the time trying shit on.
You know the saying 'things change over time'? It's a load of crap when it comes to me and shopping. As an example: I was forced, FORCED to get a new pair of flip flops yesterday because I'd worn my only pair threadbare --literally, the thingy that is sewn into the shoe that sits between your big toe and the one next to it? Hanging on by a thread.
A few weeks ago, I decided it was high time I got an actual pair of walking shoes. Ones that weren't 4 years old and had some cushion in them. So I walked my fanny up to the mall and into a Lady Footlocker.
Beforehand, I'd gone over exactly what I needed to tell the salesperson about what I needed in a shoe for this event. I needed something that would breathe, that could withstand 20 miles in a single day, something that would not make me want to take them off and walk barefoot across Western Washington.
I rehearsed my little speech over and over as I walked into the store. But once inside, I could do no more than stand and stare at the, seemingly, thousands of shoes lining the walls. And then I sat down and stared some more.
A saleslady came over to me and asked if she could help me find something and I mumbled something about 60 miles, walking, and help without ever taking my eyes off the immense amount of shoes. Lucky for me, her mom had done The Breast Cancer 3-Day a few years before so she understood what I needed. In a matter of minutes, she had my measurements (my foot is now an 8... I swear they're shrinking.) and I have a tendency to walk on the outside of my feet, thus causing all my shoes to wear more along the outside edge.
She pulled out four different shoes and had me walk around the store in each of them. We then narrowed it down to two and I walked around in one of each of those. They were both very comfortable and bouncy and supportive and... very expensive. At the end, I told her I'd have to think about it and had her write down the shoes I'd liked the best.
Two days later, I'd thought long and hard and decided I really did need to get the shoes, but I could not justify spending so much money on just one pair of shoes. I mean, you're reading a story from a girl who can't remember the last time she bought a new outfit. A girl who bought her last pair of walking shoes FOUR years ago and is just now replacing them because the padding in the heel has started disintegrating and causing blisters.
So, I did what every red-blooded American does and shopped around. I ended up finding the shoes cheaper at a Sports Authority and bought them from a crappy salesman who didn't even look twice at the shoes. I feel guilty as hell that I didn't go back and buy from the lady at Lady Footlocker. I'm thinking for my second pair of shoes, I'll end up going back to her so she can at least get a little bit of commission off of me. Because, seriously. She helped me more than I could have asked for.
The shoes? They are pretty. They still give me blisters (my god, are you sick of hearing about my blisters yet? because I am.), but I think it's more of a combo of my thick socks/new shoes thing than anything else.
This week, I'm off to find some thin socks and moleskin to see if I can keep from getting the you-know-whats on my you-know-wheres. Wish me luck!
You know the saying 'things change over time'? It's a load of crap when it comes to me and shopping. As an example: I was forced, FORCED to get a new pair of flip flops yesterday because I'd worn my only pair threadbare --literally, the thingy that is sewn into the shoe that sits between your big toe and the one next to it? Hanging on by a thread.
A few weeks ago, I decided it was high time I got an actual pair of walking shoes. Ones that weren't 4 years old and had some cushion in them. So I walked my fanny up to the mall and into a Lady Footlocker.
Beforehand, I'd gone over exactly what I needed to tell the salesperson about what I needed in a shoe for this event. I needed something that would breathe, that could withstand 20 miles in a single day, something that would not make me want to take them off and walk barefoot across Western Washington.
I rehearsed my little speech over and over as I walked into the store. But once inside, I could do no more than stand and stare at the, seemingly, thousands of shoes lining the walls. And then I sat down and stared some more.
A saleslady came over to me and asked if she could help me find something and I mumbled something about 60 miles, walking, and help without ever taking my eyes off the immense amount of shoes. Lucky for me, her mom had done The Breast Cancer 3-Day a few years before so she understood what I needed. In a matter of minutes, she had my measurements (my foot is now an 8... I swear they're shrinking.) and I have a tendency to walk on the outside of my feet, thus causing all my shoes to wear more along the outside edge.
She pulled out four different shoes and had me walk around the store in each of them. We then narrowed it down to two and I walked around in one of each of those. They were both very comfortable and bouncy and supportive and... very expensive. At the end, I told her I'd have to think about it and had her write down the shoes I'd liked the best.
Two days later, I'd thought long and hard and decided I really did need to get the shoes, but I could not justify spending so much money on just one pair of shoes. I mean, you're reading a story from a girl who can't remember the last time she bought a new outfit. A girl who bought her last pair of walking shoes FOUR years ago and is just now replacing them because the padding in the heel has started disintegrating and causing blisters.
So, I did what every red-blooded American does and shopped around. I ended up finding the shoes cheaper at a Sports Authority and bought them from a crappy salesman who didn't even look twice at the shoes. I feel guilty as hell that I didn't go back and buy from the lady at Lady Footlocker. I'm thinking for my second pair of shoes, I'll end up going back to her so she can at least get a little bit of commission off of me. Because, seriously. She helped me more than I could have asked for.
The shoes? They are pretty. They still give me blisters (my god, are you sick of hearing about my blisters yet? because I am.), but I think it's more of a combo of my thick socks/new shoes thing than anything else.
This week, I'm off to find some thin socks and moleskin to see if I can keep from getting the you-know-whats on my you-know-wheres. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Over Done It *Updated w/ Pic!*
I knew it would happen eventually. I get so obsessed over things sometimes I just do, do, do until one day I've done done it to the point I: a.) hurt myself or b.) burn myself out. The kicker is, I knew I was doing something wrong from the beginning, but I was hoping for, what? My body to become invincible? When will I ever learn?
Maybe I should back up a bit...
Three weeks ago, I started walking home from work a few times a week. I live about 5.5 miles away, so I figured this would be a great jumping off point for my more lengthier training sessions: 5.5 miles a day times 5 days a week equals 27.5 miles plus what I'd do on the weekends. Perfect plan! Right? Right.
Believe it or not, this is not where I had problems. It seems that no matter what I do, I can't seem to get walking home more than three times a week. Appointments keep popping up where I need to be home earlier than 6:30 (takes me about 1.5 hours to walk home, btw).
The walking was going great! Until this past Monday.
My lovely apartment building only has two sets of washer/dryers for the 26 apartments contained therein. Since summer has finally hit the Great Pacific Northwest, these machines have been in a constant state of washing and drying. I haven't been able to wash anything since last week. On Sunday, I wore my last clean pair of workout socks. So Monday, I just grabbed a pair of my regular short socks and figured there couldn't be that much of a difference. Right? Yeeaah, right.
This is where you all shake your heads, sigh, and tell me there is a reason workout socks are twice as padded as regular socks. If I had thought to take pictures before writing this, I'd show you the difference. In fact, when my camera batteries get done charging, I'll post pictures.
Here are the socks:
(I have NO idea why the photo is turned sideways... it's not on my computer, just happens when I upload it. /sigh)
Add the thin sock situation with the fact that I'm still breaking in my New! Shoes! (which I still haven't blogged about... damn, I'm behind) and you get... Anyone? Yes. Blisters! I haven't worn anything on my feet but flip flops for two days now. The sides of my heels are blistered.
So, feet? Blistered. But that's not all! Oh, no.
I've been trying to drink more water when I walk. This is kind of a new concept for me because I think carrying a water bottle is a big old pain in the ass.
This is where you shake your head again.
I've made it a point to carry water with me while I walk home and have done so, drinking every time I stop at a light for the last two weeks. It hasn't been that bad, actually, as I've been carrying a backpack full of my work clothes and it has side pockets especially for water bottles.
Monday, however, was hotter than the other days I've walked. I followed my plan, and pulled out my water bottle at every stoplight and sipped while I waited my turn to cross streets. I didn't feel anything different (aside from the growing blisters I mentioned earlier) until I got home and took off my shoes and crappy socks. Then my legs started to ache. From my hips down to my ankles, it felt like they were swelling.
At first I thought, "hmm... weird!" And I propped up my legs with pillows to get the swelling to abate. Nothin' doin'. They ached and ached until finally around midnight, I caved and took some Ibuprophin to get some relief. (Yes, I know I should have started it earlier. I was just hoping it would go away on it's own.)
By morning, my legs no longer ached, but my ankles still did. I went into work and spoke with some of the exercisers we have, and it seems that I need to drink drinks with electrolytes in them when I'm walking (especially in the heat) and my legs were swelling to try to keep some of the fluid. This all seems so simple and intuitive, doesn't it? This is stuff I should know!
And yet...
Here I am on Wednesday. I haven't walked since Monday. My legs, for the most part, feel back to normal. The blisters, save one gigantic one, are all gone. So, I think tomorrow I'll be back in the swing of things. I hope tomorrow I'll be back in the swing of things and I'll walk home again.
With workout socks.
And a sports drink.
Maybe I should back up a bit...
Three weeks ago, I started walking home from work a few times a week. I live about 5.5 miles away, so I figured this would be a great jumping off point for my more lengthier training sessions: 5.5 miles a day times 5 days a week equals 27.5 miles plus what I'd do on the weekends. Perfect plan! Right? Right.
Believe it or not, this is not where I had problems. It seems that no matter what I do, I can't seem to get walking home more than three times a week. Appointments keep popping up where I need to be home earlier than 6:30 (takes me about 1.5 hours to walk home, btw).
The walking was going great! Until this past Monday.
My lovely apartment building only has two sets of washer/dryers for the 26 apartments contained therein. Since summer has finally hit the Great Pacific Northwest, these machines have been in a constant state of washing and drying. I haven't been able to wash anything since last week. On Sunday, I wore my last clean pair of workout socks. So Monday, I just grabbed a pair of my regular short socks and figured there couldn't be that much of a difference. Right? Yeeaah, right.
This is where you all shake your heads, sigh, and tell me there is a reason workout socks are twice as padded as regular socks. If I had thought to take pictures before writing this, I'd show you the difference. In fact, when my camera batteries get done charging, I'll post pictures.
Here are the socks:
(I have NO idea why the photo is turned sideways... it's not on my computer, just happens when I upload it. /sigh)Add the thin sock situation with the fact that I'm still breaking in my New! Shoes! (which I still haven't blogged about... damn, I'm behind) and you get... Anyone? Yes. Blisters! I haven't worn anything on my feet but flip flops for two days now. The sides of my heels are blistered.
So, feet? Blistered. But that's not all! Oh, no.
I've been trying to drink more water when I walk. This is kind of a new concept for me because I think carrying a water bottle is a big old pain in the ass.
This is where you shake your head again.
I've made it a point to carry water with me while I walk home and have done so, drinking every time I stop at a light for the last two weeks. It hasn't been that bad, actually, as I've been carrying a backpack full of my work clothes and it has side pockets especially for water bottles.
Monday, however, was hotter than the other days I've walked. I followed my plan, and pulled out my water bottle at every stoplight and sipped while I waited my turn to cross streets. I didn't feel anything different (aside from the growing blisters I mentioned earlier) until I got home and took off my shoes and crappy socks. Then my legs started to ache. From my hips down to my ankles, it felt like they were swelling.
At first I thought, "hmm... weird!" And I propped up my legs with pillows to get the swelling to abate. Nothin' doin'. They ached and ached until finally around midnight, I caved and took some Ibuprophin to get some relief. (Yes, I know I should have started it earlier. I was just hoping it would go away on it's own.)
By morning, my legs no longer ached, but my ankles still did. I went into work and spoke with some of the exercisers we have, and it seems that I need to drink drinks with electrolytes in them when I'm walking (especially in the heat) and my legs were swelling to try to keep some of the fluid. This all seems so simple and intuitive, doesn't it? This is stuff I should know!
And yet...
Here I am on Wednesday. I haven't walked since Monday. My legs, for the most part, feel back to normal. The blisters, save one gigantic one, are all gone. So, I think tomorrow I'll be back in the swing of things. I hope tomorrow I'll be back in the swing of things and I'll walk home again.
With workout socks.
And a sports drink.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Things I've Learned So Far While Walking
- It doesn't matter how sweaty, sloppy, red-faced, or smelly you are, if you're a female, you will be honked at by some pervert.
- Some bikers are nice and let you know when they're coming up behind you. Others are assholes that will fly by you, scaring the be-jezus out of you and THEN turn around to give you a dirty look for swerving a bit. Is it really that difficult to say: "On your left!" while riding past a walker??
- New, well fitting shoes make all the difference in the world!
- Try to get clothes with as few seams as possible to lessen the chafing that can occur in unfortunate areas.
- Spandex will be your best friend... no matter how dumb it looks.
- Sun block, sun block, sun block and chapstick, chapstick, chapstick
- When you stop walking at a light, do not be alarmed by the sensation of water being poured down your back... yeah, it's gross, but it freaked me out!
- Always carry something that can be misconstrued for a weapon. There are crazies out there!
- Carry band-aids, and when you start to feel something hurting on your ankle/heel, stop and apply it!
That's all I have time for! I'm sure this list'll grow as time goes on.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Seattle Expo & Training Walk
On June 14th (a Saturday), my alarm went off at 5am.
No, I didn't accidentally set it the night before. This was intentional.
I rolled myself out of bed, took a very quick shower, got dressed and headed out the door. I was due in North Seattle by 6:30 and I did not want to be late. Clutching my Yahoo!maps directions in one hand, I drove my (borrowed) car down the freeway, hoping I wouldn't get lost.
I don't drive to North Seattle all that often. In fact, I've only been in the neighborhood I was heading twice before. But, I think I did pretty good... only one wrong turn!
I neared the high school where the Seattle 3-Day Expo was being held and my jaw just dropped. Aside from four vacant spots, the entire parking lot and surrounding streets were crammed with cars. At 6:15 in the morning. On a Saturday.
Our 10-mile training walk before the Expo was scheduled to start at 7:00am on the dot and everyone who'd signed up took that very seriously. 500 of us took it seriously, I should say.
I was very nervous when I got out of the car. I didn't know one person in the sea of people spreading out before my eyes. What exactly, I thought to myself, had I signed myself up for? But then I saw the look in some of the other people edging their way to the sign-in table and recognized the same fear in their eyes. I wasn't alone in being alone. And that made me relax.
I signed in, grabbed a name tag, stretched, and waited for instructions. This would be both my first time walking 10 miles in one stretch AND attending an official 3-Day training walk, so I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before I headed out.
As 7:00am rolled around, our walk leader stood up on a table and addressed the masses. According to the online sign-up, there were only supposed to be about 150 of us, so the 500 that actually showed was a bit of a surprise. We were all given a pocket map of the route we were walking and asked to keep our voices to a dull roar when we walked through the neighborhoods along the way. Then, she addressed me and my ilk of solo walkers. She told us if we were interested in joining a team, there were pink leis at the start and to please pick one up and wear it so team captains could approach us about maybe joining theirs.
And then we took off. I grabbed my lei, hoping to find some walkers in my area, and almost immediately a group approached me.
Two ladies from West Seattle (a neighborhood about 15 miles away from where I live) sidled up next to me and started asking me questions: Where did I live? Why was I walking? Would I consider joining a group so far away from my home? They were both very nice when I explained to them that I would prefer to join a group a bit closer to me as I would like to train with my group, not just show up and walk the 3-Day with them. They walked with me the entire 10 miles anyway.
Alex, the group captain, kept assuring me that if I didn't find another group that it would be great if I joined them anyway. She also gave me a bunch of pointers along the way: what to wear, what not to pack, what to carry on the road... all great advice that I'm still - two weeks later - sifting through and compiling for the walk.
The 10 miles turned out to be so not a big deal that I felt like I could go do the whole loop over again without worrying about it. I was assured that it was very similar on the actual walk (only 10 miles longer each day, of course) and I was told over and over, so long as you can walk three miles without a break, you can do the 60 miles easy. There are, apparently, rest stops all along the way.
Needless to say, it was the slowest I've walked in a very long time. You get 500 people out walking down sidewalks on busy streets, having to wait for lights, it doesn't really make for fast walking. I did 10 miles in 3.5 hours. If you apply your (my) math skills to that, potentially during the 3-Day, I will be spending 7 hours a day walking. Yeehaw! That sounds like so long! Still daunting, even if totally doable.
The expo itself was a bit underwhelming. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I got in any case. The main exhibition hall had some vendors selling socks, gear, and measuring for proper footwear. They also had a mock-up of one of the tents they provide us to sleep in (hot pink!) and a basic map of how camp will be set up. I've heard from some past walkers that the first night in camp is just wild when all the tents are set up. "A sea of pink," is how it was put to me.
In some of the other rooms, there were speakers. I sat in on a demonstration of what/how to pack for the event. Have I mentioned we're only allowed one bag? And in that bag must fit our sleeping bag and everything else? And that one bag that we are allowed to bring must weigh 35 pounds or under? Yeah. I'm not even thinking about that yet. It makes my brain hurt. And the last time I used a sleeping bag, I believe it had My Little Ponies on it, and it definitely wouldn't fit inside another bag. I did pick up some pointers, though, about how to pack, so I'll be applying that when I figure out what I'm packing.
I think what I got most out of the Seattle Expo and Training Walk is, I'm no longer afraid to do this walk solo. I went there hoping to find a team, but realized it would be totally ok if I ended up not finding a team. I met a ton of great people throughout the day, and I realized that no matter what, I wouldn't be doing this alone. That doesn't mean that I won't still be searching for a group. It just means that it won't be the end of the world if I show up for Opening Ceremonies on September 12th alone.
I know that I'll make friends along the way. I know that we're all doing this for a great cause, and that -in itself- will bring us all closer together.
Thank you all for supporting me so much!
And thanks for making it to the end of this post! You see? Give the girl a platform and a keyboard and she just can't shut up!
No, I didn't accidentally set it the night before. This was intentional.
I rolled myself out of bed, took a very quick shower, got dressed and headed out the door. I was due in North Seattle by 6:30 and I did not want to be late. Clutching my Yahoo!maps directions in one hand, I drove my (borrowed) car down the freeway, hoping I wouldn't get lost.
I don't drive to North Seattle all that often. In fact, I've only been in the neighborhood I was heading twice before. But, I think I did pretty good... only one wrong turn!
I neared the high school where the Seattle 3-Day Expo was being held and my jaw just dropped. Aside from four vacant spots, the entire parking lot and surrounding streets were crammed with cars. At 6:15 in the morning. On a Saturday.
Our 10-mile training walk before the Expo was scheduled to start at 7:00am on the dot and everyone who'd signed up took that very seriously. 500 of us took it seriously, I should say.
I was very nervous when I got out of the car. I didn't know one person in the sea of people spreading out before my eyes. What exactly, I thought to myself, had I signed myself up for? But then I saw the look in some of the other people edging their way to the sign-in table and recognized the same fear in their eyes. I wasn't alone in being alone. And that made me relax.
I signed in, grabbed a name tag, stretched, and waited for instructions. This would be both my first time walking 10 miles in one stretch AND attending an official 3-Day training walk, so I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing before I headed out.
As 7:00am rolled around, our walk leader stood up on a table and addressed the masses. According to the online sign-up, there were only supposed to be about 150 of us, so the 500 that actually showed was a bit of a surprise. We were all given a pocket map of the route we were walking and asked to keep our voices to a dull roar when we walked through the neighborhoods along the way. Then, she addressed me and my ilk of solo walkers. She told us if we were interested in joining a team, there were pink leis at the start and to please pick one up and wear it so team captains could approach us about maybe joining theirs.
And then we took off. I grabbed my lei, hoping to find some walkers in my area, and almost immediately a group approached me.
Two ladies from West Seattle (a neighborhood about 15 miles away from where I live) sidled up next to me and started asking me questions: Where did I live? Why was I walking? Would I consider joining a group so far away from my home? They were both very nice when I explained to them that I would prefer to join a group a bit closer to me as I would like to train with my group, not just show up and walk the 3-Day with them. They walked with me the entire 10 miles anyway.
Alex, the group captain, kept assuring me that if I didn't find another group that it would be great if I joined them anyway. She also gave me a bunch of pointers along the way: what to wear, what not to pack, what to carry on the road... all great advice that I'm still - two weeks later - sifting through and compiling for the walk.
The 10 miles turned out to be so not a big deal that I felt like I could go do the whole loop over again without worrying about it. I was assured that it was very similar on the actual walk (only 10 miles longer each day, of course) and I was told over and over, so long as you can walk three miles without a break, you can do the 60 miles easy. There are, apparently, rest stops all along the way.
Needless to say, it was the slowest I've walked in a very long time. You get 500 people out walking down sidewalks on busy streets, having to wait for lights, it doesn't really make for fast walking. I did 10 miles in 3.5 hours. If you apply your (my) math skills to that, potentially during the 3-Day, I will be spending 7 hours a day walking. Yeehaw! That sounds like so long! Still daunting, even if totally doable.
The expo itself was a bit underwhelming. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't what I got in any case. The main exhibition hall had some vendors selling socks, gear, and measuring for proper footwear. They also had a mock-up of one of the tents they provide us to sleep in (hot pink!) and a basic map of how camp will be set up. I've heard from some past walkers that the first night in camp is just wild when all the tents are set up. "A sea of pink," is how it was put to me.
In some of the other rooms, there were speakers. I sat in on a demonstration of what/how to pack for the event. Have I mentioned we're only allowed one bag? And in that bag must fit our sleeping bag and everything else? And that one bag that we are allowed to bring must weigh 35 pounds or under? Yeah. I'm not even thinking about that yet. It makes my brain hurt. And the last time I used a sleeping bag, I believe it had My Little Ponies on it, and it definitely wouldn't fit inside another bag. I did pick up some pointers, though, about how to pack, so I'll be applying that when I figure out what I'm packing.
I think what I got most out of the Seattle Expo and Training Walk is, I'm no longer afraid to do this walk solo. I went there hoping to find a team, but realized it would be totally ok if I ended up not finding a team. I met a ton of great people throughout the day, and I realized that no matter what, I wouldn't be doing this alone. That doesn't mean that I won't still be searching for a group. It just means that it won't be the end of the world if I show up for Opening Ceremonies on September 12th alone.
I know that I'll make friends along the way. I know that we're all doing this for a great cause, and that -in itself- will bring us all closer together.
Thank you all for supporting me so much!
And thanks for making it to the end of this post! You see? Give the girl a platform and a keyboard and she just can't shut up!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Welcome!
Hello everyone!
OK, I couldn't take the Breast Cancer 3 Day's user interface any more... at least for posting stories and such. So, I decided to come on over here to Blogger (where I can do unusual things like make spaces between paragraphs! and highlight! and ... well, you get the idea) for sharing stories about my journey in preparing to walk 60 miles in three days and raising a minimum of $2200.00. I'm not dogging The 3-Day people, I know they have much more important things to do (like, you know, raise money to abolish this horrible disease), I'm just saying I'm picky about my formatting.
Please feel free to stop by any time! I plan on posting at least a couple times a week as well as other helpful and (probably) not so helpful advice from time to time. I'll also still be sending out my (almost)bi-weekly newsletters, but they will be more of synopsis than full detail reports, so if you'd rather just get those you still will.
But here is where you'll find the good stuff. :)
Make yourselves at home, and feel free to comment when the mood strikes!
OK, I couldn't take the Breast Cancer 3 Day's user interface any more... at least for posting stories and such. So, I decided to come on over here to Blogger (where I can do unusual things like make spaces between paragraphs! and highlight! and ... well, you get the idea) for sharing stories about my journey in preparing to walk 60 miles in three days and raising a minimum of $2200.00. I'm not dogging The 3-Day people, I know they have much more important things to do (like, you know, raise money to abolish this horrible disease), I'm just saying I'm picky about my formatting.
Please feel free to stop by any time! I plan on posting at least a couple times a week as well as other helpful and (probably) not so helpful advice from time to time. I'll also still be sending out my (almost)bi-weekly newsletters, but they will be more of synopsis than full detail reports, so if you'd rather just get those you still will.
But here is where you'll find the good stuff. :)
Make yourselves at home, and feel free to comment when the mood strikes!
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