Speaking of Exercise...

Two days before my aunt passed away, I got to go visit her in the hospital. We talked about my boy cat, Busy Bee. He is well...large in girth. Okay, he's fat. 16.5 lbs, to be exact! Aunt Jil told me that I should play ball with Bee, to keep him active and to get his weight down. I had bought a softball the week she passed away as I was planning to be a part of a softball tournament this month and needed some practice. I had put it up on a high shelf to keep it away from the cats, but I kept finding it on the floor. The day of her funeral, I heard a loud thunk. Bee had gotten the ball down again, and was wrestling with it. Smile. Playing with the ball, just like Aunt Jil said. I haven't seen him do it since. So I am trying to find ways to keep him active...he wasn't interested in toys this week, but got very excited about a fly yesterday. I am seriously contemplating getting crickets and releasing a few in the mornings. Let him jump and chase around after them all day. As long as they are dead by bedtime, I don't care!

Speaking of exercise, I finally got some in today! I got sick at the beginning of last week and went from having the cold to getting flu like symptoms. I saw my general physician at the beginning of this week when the nausea and the vomiting didn't go away. He's given me a vague diagnosis for the stomach ailment, but is concerned about the strain this could put on my gall bladder. Half a life time ago, it seems, I had gall bladder problems. I always figured that the gall stones just got absorbed back into my body. According to my GP, the stones are just sitting there in my gall bladder. Any trouble and my gall bladder could try to pass a stone. When that happens it is very painful. And they do get stuck sometimes, which results in emergency gall bladder removal surgery. Clearly, I don't want that! So I've been following his diet instructions and taking it easy. I didn't want to push it, but I was starting to go crazy not working out. So tonight, I did some pilates and walking. I didn't push it and I still feel good. Hopefully, I can incorporate some exercise into my daily schedule but I will take it nice and slow for this next week. I don't want a relapse...or something worse!

--Bee's Mommy (Jenn)

Hiking Cowles Mountain

I've been sick for a week now and unable to work out. But I thought I'd post about my new favorite work out...hiking Cowles Mountain. It took me a little while to figure out what trail to take and how to even get to the trailhead. I did some research on the web and then went to the visitors center at Mission Trails a few miles away to get a decent map.

There are several ways to get to the peak. I chose the north trail head off of Mesa Road, from Big Rock Park. The views on the way to the top are gorgeous! Big Rock Trail intersects the service road that leads to the towers on top of the mountain. The first time I took the trail, I got to the top of the mountain via the service road. Wow! Is it STEEP! I was pretty amazed that a mountain biker passed me on the way up! Goodness gracious, how can you bike up that steep of a road? It was actually a little scary walking down it on my way back, it is so steep and with loose gravel! Taking the service road cut off a little bit of mileage. I figure my hike was about four miles that morning.

I decided that I'd take the trail the second time around, this time on a Saturday morning. It was definitely a longer route. It joins up with the southern trail and I was surprised to find out how many people were hiking the trail. Literally, dozens and dozens. That route is fairly steep, as well, but not as bad as the service road! On this second trip, I kept hiking onto Pyles Peak. It afforded gorgeous views as well, but boy was I exhausted after that! It was close to eight miles of hiking!

--Jenn the Happy Hiker

Hitting the Lake

Jenn and I hit Lake Murray after work today for a 5 mile walk. It was the premiere of my non-fanny pack. It worked pretty well though when it was loaded up with water bottles I definitely felt like I had a lot of 'junk in the trunk.' It was comfortable though and didn't chafe or cause any other issues so I think it will work well for the big walk.

It was a nice walk - not too hot - and it was great to get outside for a while after being in a hectic office all day.

I also found some work out shirts at good ol' Tar-gey for $10 last night! They involve no evil cotton and are very comfy. Slowly but surely my workout gear supply is getting filled out. =)

Lil' Laura

Putting the X in Cross Training

Last month, a friend of mine was encouraging me to do more "cross training" as I train for the three day. I kept thinking, but I've got to keep walking! Got to get my body ready for the mileage. Then, the blisters happened. Problems with the shoes. (Still in pair #3, they are just a little too big, but it's hard getting over to RoadRunner to try them in a small size.) I resigned myself to taking time to let the blisters heal by doing other activities--I've taken the same amount of time as a long walk, and filled it up with biking, hiking, the eliptical, etc. Cross training.

It has really helped my walking. I can walk faster than before and it's exciting to see my performance improve. I actually have a hard time keeping up my heart rate while walking now. I'm adding in more inclines. I'm also jogging a little, just to add a little twist to my time on the treadmill.

I have been trying to get into mountain biking. My first two tries have been sad. The first time, I went on a path at Mission Hills, level 2 (out of 5). Okay, I admit it, I was kind of freaked out going downhill! Loose sand, rocks, gravel--it's just a little more scary than going down hill on a paved path! Then, I went back this past weekend to a level 1 trail. I just had the hardest time. I couldn't seem to adjust to the loose sand, and then when I'd get into a groove, my little purse/keyholder would fall off my handle bars on a good bump. So I'd have to stop, go back and get it, get back on the bike, start up again. Sigh. More frustrating than fun! So I'm not the expert mountain biker. But I'll keep working on it! And in the meantime, I'm having fun cross training. :0)

--Jenn

August 14, 2008

Thursday, August 14th marked "100 days" until the 3 Day walk in San Diego. It is also the day we laid my aunt to rest. A terribly sad, sad day for our family and her friends. Laura and her mom came, as did another friend of mine who had just lost her mom two days before my aunt passed away. Their presence was such a comfort, to me and to my family.

I still can't believe that my aunt is already gone. I know that is a part of how the mind deals with grief and tragedy. Denies it for a while. It doesn't make it an easier knowing that is what my mind is doing. Reality is sinking in, though I'm sure it will take some time to accept what has happened. I read on a blog of a previous walker that cancer survivors line the streets and cheer for us as we walk in the "3 Day", to say "thank you." When I read that, I started crying. I thought, "oh I won't be able to handle that." But maybe by November, I will be able to. I'll probably go hug them all. I am happy, so happy, that we're making some progress in the fight against breast cancer. They are the living proof of that. We just haven't won the war...yet. Someday we will. So, I walk.

Laura and I started this blog with the intent of keeping you informed and entertained. The past couple of blogs have been a big change from the attitude we have striven to maintain. Losing someone to breast cancer is a sad reality of this fight. Smiles and laughter are a little harder to come by these days for me. But thanks for reading and "walking" with us through this journey. And for your love, support and understanding.

--Jenn

Pictures

Top: Auntie Jil and Baby Jenny
Mother's Day 1975

Bottom: Auntie Jil, Jenny, Rachel and Earnie
Christmas Day 1975

In Loving Memory...

Breast cancer runs in my family. That is why I walk. What I haven't shared on this blog is that my aunt's breast cancer came back with a vengeance. Metastasized all over her body. She'd been hospitalized three times in the past month. This last time, things started to go downhill really quickly. My aunt has always been a very private person, and I didn't feel comfortable sharing anything about her health. Though it was hard not to, because more and more, she was the driving force behind my walking, I felt it was the right thing to do.

I still thought we had some time. I knew it was really bad, but she had been fighting so hard and had survived so much already. But I was wrong. This morning, around 9:00 A.M., she suddenly passed away.

I never imagined when I decided to do this in April, that she wouldn't be around for the walk. I thought, I hoped, we had a few more years left. I never thought I'd be walking in her memory. A life cut way too short by breast cancer.

In Loving Memory of: Karen "Jil" Warn. Beloved aunt. Greatly missed already.

--Jenn
June 8, 2008

Socks, Socks, Socks

My "favorite" game to play as a youth group leader in college was "Sock War." It's been a while since I've played, but I believe that the strategy involved two teams: offense and defense. The goal: to find, capture and bring back to your home base a predesignated that had been hidden by the other team. To protect your item, or to attack the defending team, you used socks as weapons. If you got hit with a sock, you had to play dead for a minute. To add to the fun and element of surprise, you played in the dark, or, with a strobe light going. Really, it was a lot of fun! The strategy was to have tons of of socks. The more ammo, the better.

When I was at RoadRunner, another shopper overheard my conversation with Rick the marathon running shoe guy. She and I started talking and she mentioned getting double layered socks. I told her Rick had given me a pair to try. She then told me her secret to being blister free. Keep your feet dry. And change your socks often! I found out that this lady walks/runs races where you do a marathon one day and a half marathon day the next. She told me that the years she changed her socks every couple hours (up to five times in a day), she didn't get any blisters. She also mentioned that if the opening ceremonies or the beginning of the walks take place on grass, make sure to put plastic bags over my socks and tuck the bag ends into my shoes. There'll be dew on the grass and therefore, dew on my socks unless I safeguard against moisture. I was pretty excited to get the tip. Then I started calculating how many pairs it would take at $7.00 a pair. Maybe I need to get a second, part time job or something to afford all of those socks! Well, I do recycle cans...but can I recycle that many by November?? LOL. I'm sure things will work themselves out! But the next time you think about throwing your aluminum can away, would you save it for me?

--Jenn

My Mom Has Always Said...

...that I have my dad's feet. She claims that the first thing she noticed when the doctor held me up for her to see me when I was born, was that my feet look just like my dad's. Well, I'm on my third pair of walking shoes and they almost are my dad's shoes....

I have continued to get blisters after six to eight miles of walking. I went back to RoadRunner for the third time to get some help and advice. Luckily, I got Rick the retired Navy marathon runner to be my shoe guide. He was very knowledgeable about feet. He said that while some people do get blisters even with good shoes, they should not be bigger than a dime. Mine are definitely bigger than that! He checked my tread wear and confirmed that I am NOT pronating, even though I am getting the blisters on the insides of my feet. He thinks that perhaps my feet are just rubbing on the sides of the shoe down by my heel. He also thinks my feet are a little wider than a normal shoe, though maybe not wide enough for wide width. And, he commented that my big toe is well, big and that's causing some problems. (Yep, sometimes after a walk, my big toes are really hurting.) So, he switched me over to men's shoes. A size 10, at that! That's an 11 1/2 women's! My dad is a 14 wide, so my shoes aren't as big as his, but bigger than I've ever worn! They are wide and have a high "toe well."

Rick suggested an instep, which is helping to give my high arches some extra cushioning without added support that I don't need. My arches don't really have much bend, so the first set of anti-pronating shoes were definitely the wrong diagnosis. He also gave me a pair of nylon socks to try. I'd bought some last month but this pair, while being thin, is double layered inside. So they rub up against each other, not my feet. Socks are expensive. My other pair were about $21 bucks for a set of three. $3.50 a sock! You better believe that I make sure these socks don't get lost in the dryer!

I was really getting discouraged with my constant problems with blisters. It's kept me from trying to go any further than 12 miles. I've decided to make the best of the situation and do a lot of cross training instead of just walking. Biking, short hikes, eliptical, aerobics, even some yoga. I just try to make sure I work out for at least two and half hours several times a week to keep up my stamina (an hour and a half here, another hour there). It's actually helping quite a bit. I did ten miles on the treadmill before work on Friday and did a 14 minute mile for the first six! With intervals of inclines! So I'm definitely seeing some improvement, overall.

I am still on my way to finding the perfect shoe. But unlike these gals in Russia, I'm staying away from working out in high heels. What a CRAZY competition! A dash in stiletto es ...insane! I have enough problems working out in walking shoes! LOL! I will let you know how this week goes!

--Jenn

10 Miles

Jenn and I walked around Santee Lakes today. We got a little lost walking from my house to the lake so our route was a little different than expected but we still got the mileage we wanted done...10 miles! We did pretty well if I do say so myself. I was feeling pretty good until the last mile. That last bit was tough. Now I'm sore and hobbling around the house like a little old lady but hopefully that will pass soon.

I'm feeling pretty proud of us overall! =)

Laura