Cheerleaders Wanted!

Laura and I can't tell you HOW encouraging it is for people to cheer us on. Walking with bigger groups of people where everyone is wearing something pink attracts attention. I love how people drive by and honk their horns...some of them just hold it while they pass the entire group. One lady just drove up and down this one street on Saturday, honking and waving, blaring her music. It was great. I don't know what the people in the neighborhood thought about it, but it was just what the walkers needed!

On Sunday, Laura and I went walking with our regular group. I think that the leader had to cut short her walk (she has bad back problems), so she went to the last quarter to half mile of the route and started leaving us funny messages in chalk. It was amazing how much it perked us up!

The 3 Day sets up cheering stations along the route and emails the locations of them about two weeks before the 3 Day. We are recruiting YOU to come out and cheer us on! Not only the two of us, but all of the walkers. Mark November 21-23 on your calendars. We expect to see you out there, cheering us on!

It's 3 Day or Bust!

Laura and I had a GREAT weekend of walking. I made a total of 28 miles and Laura did all 30! Woohoo! The Prep Rally, and the training walk held before it, were good opportunities to see what the 3 Day is really going to be like. We got a lot of good tips from the seminar hosts. The group that led the discussion on how to pack, and not to pack, were hilarious! Laura and I also found out about an "underground" 3 day handbook that gives tips and advice on surviving the 3 day. Between the seminars, the manual and advice from other veteran walkers, we learned a lot.

We also experienced how disorganized the 3 Day might be at times. Yikes! I hope that the people in charge of organizing the registration for the training walk are not in charge of the registration for the official 3 Day on Day 1! We were also surprised by the nature of some of the walkers during the training walk. People have not been training on hills! And I have to admit, I don't understand why walkers with a slower pace insisted on getting in front of everyone at the beginning of the walk. The first few miles with the group were frustrating with the slower walkers in front and the faster walks trying to maneuver their way to get ahead of the slower walkers to get to their faster pace. But after around 2.5 to 3 miles, Laura and I ended up with people that we basically walked near the rest of the time. Some of whom were from our training walk group. I guess we're picking up the same pace!

I do remember a woman from our training group saying that the walking crowd is pretty congested on Day 1 for about the first three miles. Then you get to Torrey Pines Grade! The group really spreads out after that. The stronger, more experienced walkers take the lead and the rest follow at their own pace. On Day 2 and 3, the start time will be spread out over at least a half hour which hopefully helps prevent that congestion of several thousand people starting the walk at the same time. Good! It was a little frustrating some moments to be stuck with such a large group, walking so slow. But, it made for good experience, I guess!

Laura and I were greatly encouraged by the people who drove by honking and cheering the pink walkers on! We are also pretty excited about the pre-packaged peanut butter and graham cracker snacks that are apparently the stable of the 3 Day pit stops. They were pretty good!

In all we are doing a great job. The minimum amount they want first timers to hit is 38 miles in a weekend. We are keeping up with the training schedule pace and are keeping a good pace when we are out walking (our training leader even said so!). With 59 days and counting, it's 3 Day or Bust!

3 Day Expo - Prep Rally!

Jenn and I walked 10 miles this morning and then attended the 3 Day Expo. We met the Expo walking group in La Jolla. There were about 200 of us I would guess. It was tough at first starting out a walk with that many people - its crowded and slow! After a few miles things stretched out a bit though and it was easier. We walked around the UTC area, La Jolla Colony and UCSD. 3 Day crew members and volunteers were stationed along the walk route to cheer us on. They had a nice pit stop set up at mile 6 - complete with graham cracker PB&J sandwiches! Yum!

Once we finished up the walk we changed to clean clothes and headed into the Expo. We went to a talk about the 3 day that went over the daily schedule and what to expect each day. Then we went to a talk about what to pack and how to pack it. Definitely an eye opener! Essentially everything must be entombed in plastic to prevent moisture from ruining your weekend.

Vendors were set up in the gym so we got to poke around and see what type of gear is available. SDRI had a booth there so we both picked up some Triglide to help prevent blisters. We got to watch a tent being set up so hopefully we can do it ourselves when the time comes. Got some suggestions on how to decorate your tent so you can find it amongst the sea of pink tents when you're coming back from the bathroom in the middle of the night.

The Komen organization is very good about sharing information to help you be prepared as possible and as first-time walkers Jenn and I are taking advantage of it!

So far we're 20 miles down for the weekend. 10 more to go!

Laura

Mission: Regroup

My alarm was set for 2:45 this morning. 2:45!!! In time to get up, get dressed, get breakfast, feed the cats, deal with my feet (i.e. put my anti-blister measures on and then my socks and shoes), grab my prepacked gym bag and work clothes, drive to the gym closest to work, walk 10 miles, get ready for work, and grab a breakfast burrito to go...and make it to work on time. But it was not meant to be.

I did get up at 2:45...well, 2:50 or so. Got out the door at 3:35. Got to the gym around 4:00 and got on a treadmill by about 4:05. With a brisk pace and a few breaks for the bathroom and a sock change, I was good to go. But within the first few miles, I started feeling some discomfort in my left foot. In an area that was really sore after the last walk. I was two miles into a 30 mile weekend. Time to slow down and lower the incline to preserve my walking ability for the rest of the weekend. I found it hard to keep going on the treadmill. I've done 10 miles on a treadmill, several times since I started training. But I've adjusted to walking outside, with people. I was getting a little depressed at how slow my heart rate was and how few calories I was burning. I reminded myself that I had the week days to work out. This was a training walk. 

I had learned over the weekend that I just wasn't drinking enough. I was starting to get small cramps from dehydration. But the more you drink, the more you have to stop. By mile six, I figured it was time to change socks and get some padding on the back of my heels. I found that my blister preventing bandaging just wasn't going to work and I thought I could feel a pre-blister irritation spot on one of my toes. By the time I got to mile 7.5, the spinning class music was blaring and the instructor was at her screaming. I've walked there during her class. She was extra loud today. There's a reason I didn't join the military. A few, actually, but one of them had to do with the fact that for me, being screamed at does the opposite of motivate me. I made an unusual move. I stopped. I quit at 8 miles. Got off the treadmill, stretched, showered and left.

The rest of the world is cheering me on, awed and amazed that I'd get up at 2:45 AM to work out. And I'm upset that I stopped at mile 8. Go figure! I guess I just really wanted all of the walking to be done before work, so that after work, I could just relax and gear up the weekend. And heck, I'd have slept for another half hour before getting up if I'd known I was only going to do 8 miles!

But when all is said and done, I just have to regroup, refocus, and move on. It could very well be like this on the 3 Day. Unmet expectations, disappointments, weird pain, frustrating setbacks. I might even have to, for some unexplainable reason, have to take the sweeper van for one of the legs of the walks. (I didn't start training back in April just to get on a sweeper van, if you know what I mean!) But I did do eight miles today. I can finish up with a walking video at home tonight or go home, go to bed and get up a half hour early and make up the miles then. I did a pretty good job, and I even went ahead and got the breakfast burrito this morning. Why not?! It was pretty yummy, I must say! Got into work early. Got to blog, and sit and relax. The morning didn't go as planned, but it still went pretty well. I got UP, for goodness, made it to the gym and walked towards finding a cure for breast cancer. Actually, it's not too bad of a start to the day, at all!

Regrouping for a cure...Jenn

Gearing Up for Our Mini Three Day

My gym bag is packed! I think I've got what I need for tomorrow morning. I'll pound out as many miles as I can before work on the treadmill. It makes for a long tiring day, but I need to get to bed early tomorrow night (I don't have the time to walk ten miles after work!), and Saturday night, too. Our training is really starting to eat into our free time, especially on the weekends. Laura and I joked around mile 2 on Sunday...why hadn't I got the bug to do the Avon 2 Day?! It's only 40 miles!

I learned a lot of really good information this weekend. One thing that sticks out in my mind was how our long break went on Saturday's walk. We had to wait for the trolley and then take about a 15 minute trolley ride to get close to our cars. The break came after about 12.5 miles of walking. I hadn't calculated the trolley stop location correctly, and I was really dreading the last segment of our walk back to the cars. We were both pretty pooped out.

I've been afraid that if I stopped, I wouldn't be able to get back up again. But now that we are past 10 miles, the breaks actually come in handy. We'll have to stop for lunch on the 3 day. That is what our walking leader wanted to simulate. Breaking up the walk with a significant stop for "lunch." And in our case, the break was just what we needed! Laura got a bagel, we both did some stretching. We got on the trolley, and even though there was some soreness and stiffness once we got off, the walk back to the cars was not bad at all. I felt renewed, like I could have kept walking if I needed to. I was glad that I didn't have to walk long, though. The stop was much closer to our cars than I thought!

Okay, my beauty rest awaits. We'll let you know how the Expo goes...and how we feel after 30 miles!

Jenn

20 Miles in One Weekend

We did it! On Sunday Jenn and I walked 7 miles after having completed 13.5 on Saturday. We met up with the group at San Diego Running Institute. The shop is owned by a chiropractor that runs ultramarathons. He has worked the Komen 3 day for 10 years. Starting off at the shop's parking lot we walked 7 miles around the college area - including a mega hill! We started off a bit slower than our pace had been the day before since we were still a bit stiff but we made it.

The walk ended back at SDRI where the Doc had bagels and juice waiting for us. He then gave a talk for us about choosing the correct gear and how to prevent blisters. He showed us some different stretches to help with various muscle pain issues and let us test out a variety of products that you can use on your feet to help prevent blisters from happening. Jenn and I were definitely interested in those! The Doc will have a booth at the Breast Cancer Expo that we are attending this weekend so we will likely stop by check out some of the products further.

On Tuesday Jenn and I did a light day with a 4 mile walk....it did include a big hill though. A new accessory made its walking debut on this walk. My mom got me a very cute pink glittery ribbon pin. I put it on my hat so it will be joining me on all our walks. =) After we finished we came back to my house and watched the premiere of The Biggest Loser. If you ever need any inspiration in your efforts to get moving and eat healthy that show is it!

Our goal this weekend is to do a mini-three-day. We're going to try to do 10 miles each day Friday-Sunday. Saturday is also the Komen Breast Cancer Expo! We get to met all sorts of walkers, vendors, coaches and get a lot of great information. So wish us luck on what will be our biggest walking weekend yet - 30 miles!

Laura

13.5 miles down!

We did it! Jenn and I completed a 13.5 mile walk this morning. We met the training group in La Mesa at 5 am (waaaay toooo early). There were about 20 or so ladies in the group. We walked from La Mesa to Santee pretty much. Once we got to the Target shopping center in Santee we got on the trolley back to the Amaya trolley stop in La Mesa. Then we finished off the walk with a bit of a hill back to where the cars were parked.

Lessons learned: 1) For this length of walk at least 2 snacks are definitely needed. 2) The break of getting on the trolley at about mile 12 was a big help. We'll have to plan in a couple of decent length rest stops as our walks get longer. 3) The little sticky cushions for the feet aren't going to cut it for the longer walks. They lose their sticky and start roaming around in your sock - not comfy. So I'm going to have to switch to moleskin or New Skin to protect the tender spots on my feet.

Jenn got her non-fanny pack this week so this was her first big walk with her official pack. She looked ever so suave.

This is our longest walk yet and we are feeling pretty proud that we completed it and managed to do it with very little whining! =)

My feet are pretty tired and the front of my thighs are feeling pretty stiff but overall its really not too bad. We've got a 7 mile walk tomorrow morning so hopefully the stiffness will wear off before then!

Laura

It's going to be another flip flop fall!

Fall is the perfect time to buy flip flops on clearance! I figure that as soon as we get back to camp each day, the walking shoes are coming off and I won't get anything back on my feet for hours, they will be so swollen! Laura found some cute pink flip flops on clearance at Target in Santee. But by the time I got to mine at Grossmont, almost all of their flip flops were gone. I did find a good pair for showering in, both at the gym and for at the three day--with good tread so I won't slip. But I was disappointed. I really wanted a pair in pink! (The ones I found were white and blue.) Yesterday, I stopped at the CVS in Mira Mesa to get moleskin on my way home from work. NO MORE BLISTERS is my goal! CVS was out of moleskin. So I drove down to the Longs right by the 15 and found some. They also had flip flops on sale! And wouldn't you know, but they had pink ones. Pink with a little bling (okay, sequin-like stuff) on the thongs. YES! I'm going to be walking in style in camp!

Aren't you pink with envy?

Jenn

I'm Scared!!!!

Jenn and I are going to attempt to walk 13.5 miles on Saturday. I'm a little scared but I'm sure we'll manage it. We are then going to do 7 miles on Sunday so that will give us good practice at doing long walks back to back. Wish us luck!

Laura

We're getting closer!!

Sunday. It was another early morning of getting up and getting going when I just wanted to putz around. It wasn't light yet. And it was foggy, too. I got ready and planned to just pound out the miles on the treadmill at the gym, but I was in the mood to go to the Lake. Where I realized that I would walk a little slower. Hmmmh. Church starts at 10:30, what do I have time to do?

I have to admit, that most of the time, I just want to pound out the miles. Prove I can do it, and then go on my merry way. But, my body needs the practice of what walking in the 3 day will really be like. We are getting closer every week to the Big 3 Day! I'd like to walk at a 13 minute pace to get my miles done. But in reality, the 3 Day is going to be three, all-day, days. More like a 20 minute mile or close to it. With lots of stops, bathroom breaks, food breaks, sock changing breaks. And I realized that I need to get out on the streets more often. Get used to having to stop at cross walks, having to slow down for slower pedestrians in front of me, dealing with whatever normal walking obstacle comes my way...that don't happen on the treadmill. So I resolved as I drove away from the house that I'd do as much as I can outside of the gym. And while the Lake is nice, it certainly doesn't have any stoplights. I need to make some more walking routes on city streets and walk the routes!

At that moment it was still too dark to go to the lake. I decided I'd walk at the gym for about four miles, then do a loop at the lake. But I'd forgotten my sweat towel. And my iPod had completely died. And there wasn't a good movie playing for me to watch as I walked. Sigh. I think I just wanted to go back to bed! Less than two miles into it and I knew I needed to make a change or it was back to home and to the bed that was calling my name. I drove over to the Lake and got a really good walk going. Made it 10.5 miles in all for the morning. And my feet were feeling pretty decent, even.

I am going to make an effort to walk less at the gym and the lake, and as often as possible, hit the streets and pavement to train. Though if its the gym or nothing, I'll hit the gym and not think twice about it. This Saturday, I'm planning to walk around Mira Mesa. Should be some good training with that awesome hill on Sorrento Valley Parkway. And did I mention that I'm going to be walking right by some restaurants that are reported to have really good breakfast burritos???

Happy streets and trails!
Jenn

11.5 Miles, Baby!

Laura and I walked 11.5 miles this morning! We walked a similar route as to what we did on Monday, only we walked it from Laura's house and added the hill on Carlton Hills. We did a great job and enjoyed breakfast burritos from Estradas around mile 5. I've been subscribing to an online training guide from the 3 day site. The suggested walking for this week advised a 13 mile walk followed by a 7 mile walk the next day. I'm planning walk again tomorrow, somewhere between 8 to 12 miles, depending on how much time I give myself to get up and walk before church. We're definitely in line with what we need to be doing. We both have a little stiffness in our ankles but feel better than we did on Monday. We are getting better with mile and are getting excited that we have 11 more weeks before the big walk! Woohoo! We rock!

A Very Cool Website

If you too are a walker or want to start walking more for exercise this is a great website to help you out: http://www.mapmywalk.com/

You can map out walking routes and it will tell you the exact mileage. You can save routes, email them to others, etc. It also offers lots of tips and information about walking for exercise.

Check it out and find new walking routes in your neighborhood!

Laura

My Glamorous Walking Belt...In Home Use Only!!!

I bought a "walking DVD" about a month ago. It was slightly risky, as I'd never done any workouts by the instructor. But I've actually enjoyed doing it and now use it a couple times a week. You do more than just walk in place during the workout. "She" (Leslie Sansone) has you do aerobic moves intermixed with walking, working all sorts of leg muscles. Side steps. Kicks. Kickbacks (squats). She even lets you walk up and down your living room, if you so desire. It's 45 minutes in length and you walk approximately three miles. The DVD I bought came with the ever so glamorous "walking belt" pictured above. Using it on and off during the workout, it tones your upper body, mostly the arms.
It's fairly effective...but not something I'd wear unless I was in the comfort of my own home!

At first, I wasn't sure if an at-home walking video would be a very good workout. But I found that I actually work up a sweat! Leslie can be perky to the point of being annoying, but she's not that bad. I can handle her. I might even buy another one of her workout DVD's!

Walking for a Cause...Jenn

"I Survived East County's Boob Camp Bekki!"

Laura found a training walk for us to go on with a larger team. They actually had a "mini" 3 day event...they walked 10 miles each day of the three day weekend. We only participated on the last day. Bekki's Boob Camp was a well-planned, highly motivating event! She even fed us on a pit stop! Super yummy breakfast burritos, juice, mini muffins, oranges, bagels, Gatorade. She takes care of her ladies (and her dudes--there were several men there, as well).

We walked, in a round about way, from the Target in Santee, to the Santee Lakes and around, and back. Bekki was awesome. She drove around, her county music blaring, waving and encouraging us on. Other drivers even got into the show and started waving at us. We walked ten great miles. Our pace was definitely slower than normal, at first. You can only walk as fast as the thirty or so people ahead of you! But it confirmed to us that we're training well and that our stamina is good. We were among the first ten or so to finish, as we didn't linger any longer than we needed to at the pit stop.

Laura and I are definitely planning to stop at the Mexican food place Bekki got the burritos from on our next walk around Santee! We're taking long enough walks that a food break is necessary...our theory is not to sit down, though! But to keep stretching and stay standing. I know that I'm afraid if I sit down, I might not get back up! Feet and ankles are a little sore, and we both took a nap when we got home, but we are both feeling pretty good!



Happy Walking!
Jenn