9 Weeks...9/20-9/26

Training gets long and tiring and you have to remind yourself what is driving you to complete the 3 day in the first place. Some do it for the cause and the experience. Others do it for themselves or for a loved one. I not only walk in memory for my aunts, but I walk so that we find a cure now and my nieces won't have to walk for me or any other family member who might be next. My nieces have been down to cheer for me and I can't tell you how much they lifted my spirits! Start rallying your own personal cheerleaders to come down to encourage you to keep walking when it starts to get really tough on the course.






Monday Rest
Tuesday 4 miles Easy walking
Wednesday 30 minutes Moderate cross-training
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 45 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 15 miles Easy walking
Sunday 11 miles Easy walking

10 Weeks...Hiking a Mountain...9/13-19

This weekend I took a break from working on my mileage and focused on some serious cross training. I agreed to meet some friends for my first trip up Iron Mountain. Move over Cowles, this hike kicks some butt!



A big challenge for me was the heat factor. Poway was predicted to hit 85 and we weren't starting the hike until at least 8:00 AM. Usually, I'd want to start that trail by 6:30 or 7:00. But it is much more fun to hike with friends and since we went out for dinner and drinks the night before, a little extra time to sleep was appreciated. Man, though, did it get HOT.




(We all groaned when we saw this and realized it'd only been a mile since leaving the parking lot!)

(Finally, half way!)

I did not go prepared with enough water. Thankfully, the "event coordinator" brought tons of extra water. Still, I'm pretty sure I ended up dehydrated. My legs cramped up afterward in a way I've never experienced even on the 3 day. The view and the fun times shared make the trek more than worth it. Though honestly, I'd rather go up that hill than down it!


(Not really an over-dramatization...we were really wiped out here!)


(Yes! Finally down the hill and back to the cars! Turn on the AC, stat!)

I am glad I've been training on hills so much since moving to Oceanside but really, I'd like to get a bunch more in before conquering that bad boy again!

Monday Rest
Tuesday 4 miles Easy walking
Wednesday 30 minutes Moderate cross-training
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 45 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 14 miles Easy walking
Sunday 10 miles Easy walking

11 Weeks...9/6-12

This is the milestone week. The week of the 13 mile walk. It's a half marathon. And wow, did I really feel like I had accomplished something by completing a half marathon! I made sure to announce it to my co-workers the following Monday. It's quite amazing to realize how kick @ss you do something like that for the first time!

Monday Rest
Tuesday 4 miles Easy walking
Wednesday 30 minutes Moderate cross-training
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 45 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 13 miles Easy walking
Sunday 9 miles Easy walking

12 Weeks...8/30-9/5

I've started getting back into my "Walking with Leslie" DVD's...you remember Leslie, don't you?

Wow, I can feel it just enough the day after I do a walk with Leslie at home as I'm walking up and down the hills in O'side and Carlsbad, to realize that her videos really helped tone and strengthen my legs during my past two training seasons. Read between the lines--I realize how I need to get back into working out my legs by incorporating her vidoes into my workout...stat!

Monday Rest
Tuesday 4 miles Easy walking
Wednesday 30 minutes Moderate cross-training
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 45 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 12 miles Easy walking
Sunday 7 miles Easy walking

13 Weeks...

I've mentioned before, one of the best parts about the process of the 3 day are the cheerleaders. I wish I had them around me all of the time, cheering me on. I've put up some pictures of some of my favorites from the 2008 Three Day








Training for T Minus 13 and counting week!

Monday Rest
Tuesday 3 miles Easy walking
Wednesday 30 mins Moderate cross-training
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 45 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 11 miles Easy walking
Sunday 5 miles Easy walking

14 Weeks...

I remember having so many questions about what my three day experience would be like. I asked as many veteran walkers as I could what to expect and what would make the journey easier. I got so much wonderful feedback, advice and encouragement. I just wondered what it would be like.

It's truly an amazing, life changing experience. There is so much...energy. So much...life. It's grueling and challenging. You are literally never alone for three days. Camp life is no existent for you if you walk 20 miles each day. You go to bed before 8:00 so you might as well just go home and sleep in a real bed but that's just my opinion. LOL Enjoy the journey. you walk away from it a changed person.

Laura and I at opening ceremonies, 3 Day "Virgins"


Week 14 Training:

Monday Rest
Tuesday 3 miles Easy walking
Wednesday 30 mins Moderate cross-training
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 30 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 10 miles Easy walking
Sunday 6 miles Easy walking

15 weeks...

Making it to ten miles for the first time feels pretty good! It's amazing what your body can do with training and an mindset of endurance. Walking the 3 day makes you realize you can accomplish quite a bit more than you ever thought you could if you just set your mind to it. Of course, you do have miles of amazing cheerleaders treating you like a rockstar and some hot bicycle cops keeping you motivated. The hardest part about the 3 day is when it ends and you have to go back to normal life!







Monday Rest
Tuesday 3 miles Easy walking
Wednesday 15 mins Easy cross-training
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 30 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 10 miles Easy walking
Sunday 6 miles Easy walking

16 weeks

By 8-10 mile walks, my feet are telling me what they really think of my shoes. I had major issues picking shoes when I first started walking. I swear by the San Diego Running Institute. They know feet and do a good job of picking out shoes that fit your feet and your walking needs. It's a store/chiropractor's office, headed by Dr. Runco. We, well, I , refer to him as San Diego's own McDreamy. Hee hee. He's easy on the eyes but married, so we just kind of talk and giggle about him. My walking group took it to the next level last year and volunteered me in a clinic he was doing to do a demo of how to stretch the glutes. I was more embarrassed than thrilled but that's what the walking family is for, right? To get you going and have fun along the way!



Monday Rest
Tuesday 3 miles Easy walking
Wednesday 15 minutes Moderate cross-training
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 30 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 8 miles Easy walking
Sunday 6 miles Easy walking

17 Weeks

The walkers training on this schedule will have walked 226,000 steps by this week. Amazing!

I am funny about encouragement on walks. I don't need people counting down for me, telling me how many I have left. That doesn't work for my psyche. Someone held a sign at mile one on day one last year that read, "You only have 59 miles to go." It seemed depressing, actually, but my walking partner Kim and I talked about it and she helped realize that we'd walked dozens and dozens, if not hundreds, of miles in training. Indeed, just 59 left didn't seem that bad!



Monday Rest
Tuesday 3 miles Easy walking
Wednesday 15 minutes Moderate cross-training
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 30 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 4 miles Easy walking
Sunday 3 miles Easy walking

18 Weeks

I personally find as a walker that 6 miles feels easy. My shoes always feel good, I usually don't need to make any stops for the potty (I try to go every four miles on the walk it's self but admittedly, I don't drink quite as much as I should when training because I get annoyed at making multiple stops). But every walked needs to listen to his/her own body and such be careful to hydrate with both water and an electrolyte replacement or you'll end up like...



The training schedule for week 18 is:
Monday Rest
Tuesday 3 miles Easy walking
Wednesday 15 minutes Moderate cross-training
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 30 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 7 miles Easy walking
Sunday 6 miles Easy walking