20 Weeks...and Frustrated

I'd been planning on going to the Bekki walk this morning. 6 miles and a shoe clinic with San Diego's own Dr. McDreamy. I actually NEED new walking shoes (though I'm thinking about going with the sandals). And while I'm doing everything that I need to be doing, things aren't quite right with my body yet. I talked to my sweet Nurse Practitioner Friday afternoon. A test came back normal and while it's good news, it doesn't explain why my body has been going haywire. She then asked me to take it easy again this weekend.

I'm not very good about following those kind of directions. However, I did flash back to the unfortunate time a few years ago when I insisted to my friends one week post op from sinus surgery that I was just fine to stand in the choir during third service. I made it through half of a song and had to get of the stage before I passed out. My friends had told me that I wasn't looking all that well and after all was said and done, I promised that I would listen to people when they were telling me to take care of myself.

So I stayed home this morning. Actually, I really do need shoes and thought about driving down for the clinic but miracles of all miracles, I actually slept in for once. And when my body started going a little nuts again this morning, I realized I'd done the right thing but not going on the walk.

Sigh. It looks like I'll probably be switching to the 16 week training program...

21 Weeks...and Stalled

My training for this week was supposed to be:

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

I was so pumped after walking with the boob crew, I was ready to tackle the hills that surround the community I live in. Bring on the training! I've been having such a hard time getting motivated. I've been so tired, too. I was actually starting to wonder if I was depressed, though I didn't FEEL depressed. LOL But when walking up the stairs to my apartment with a bunch of stuff in my arms started to leave me winded, I just had a inkling something was wrong physically. Then when my sister pointed out how pale I was in some photos she took of me a few weeks ago, I started to suspect my iron levels were low.

I've been having some...well...female troubles. So much so that I actually made an emergency appointment with the nurse practitioner at my doctor's office on Tuesday. She ordered some blood tests and made some referrals for a follow up with a gynecologist. The blood tests came back and I'm quite anemic. When I heard that, it was like a light went off. The exhaustion, the lack of motivation...being anemic is like being depressed. Your body tries to do everything that it can to conserve energy and you don't want to do anything. And the body doesn't have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to your lungs...it's NO WONDER I've been dragging. (Or however the blood cells and oxygen work together!)

One of the KEY lessons of training for the 3 day is learning to listen to your body! And mine has been screaming at me for a couple of months while I haven't paid it any attention. So instead of walking the hills on El Camino Real this holiday weekend, I'm facing some serious R&R. Again. It's not something that can be healed over a three day weekend but hopefully a few (more) days of purposefully doing nothing, some extra iron tablets and some follow up appointments I have over the next few weeks to help solve the female problems, will hopefully start me on my way back to getting into training shape. It's frustrating to finally WANT to train and not be able to. But at least I have the motivation to feel better as to be able to train! The bed rest, so to speak, has a purpose at least. And I am starting to feel like myself again, though it's kind of ironic that after two months of dragging, I still have to "lay low!" So in the continued downtime, maybe I'll start working on that 3 day scrapbook I've been talking about for two years!

Week 22...and counting down!

I walked around the Del Mar fair this weekend...okay, mostly to walk off the brisket, bloomin' onion, fudge and cookies I shared with my family while I was there!



I did go do a real walk this weekend! Shack called me up on Friday to check to see if I was coming on Saturday. A much needed hair appointment conflicted time-wise (I said goodbye to six inches!) but luckily, Bekki had planned a back to back walk Sunday morning. I really did drive 80 miles to walk with these folks for...4 miles.

It really is worth it to be a part of such an amazing team. I won't be up for it every weekend, but I'll be driving down more times than it's practical to this summer just to be encouraged on in my training and uplifted in my soul. This really is an amazing group of walkerss. I'm sure there are other great training groups, but I already have one that is like family. I can't quite picture, after two years, walking with anyone else!



And in other news...Laura and her mom went to the San Diego Race for the Cure workshop this weekend. They've named the 5K team "Judy's JUGgernauts"! I can't wait to walk with them in the beginning of November. It seems far away, but it won't be long until we're donning our shirts and hats to Walk for the Cure. Wonder what we'll be wearing for it!

23 Weeks (and Count Down!)

I thought I was fighting off allergies but I realized Saturday morning it was probably a head cold. :0( No bueno. I took myself to CVS, bought some generic cold medicine and spent the weekend resting up. Sad to miss seeing the boob crew but there's always next week!

Week 24 (and Counting Down!)

Week 24 (and counting!) ended with the official Komen kick off walk! Ahhh, it was in Encinitas! It was nice to have it near my part of the 'hood! I joined with some of Marcia's teammates at the New Balance store off of the Birmingham exit (just a mile or two from where Aunt Jil's condo was). New Balance did a great job with a shoe and clothing presentation. The presenter was informative but also pretty funny. I loved it when she talked about the process of picking shoes. "You can't just go into the store and say, that is the cutest shoe! I'm so going to wear it on the 3 day!" SO TRUE! I don't even want to think about finding new shoes to deal with my blister issue. I'm actually thinking about getting a pair of walking sandals! I've got to do something; what worked year 1 did NOT work year 2. I didn't want to admit it but I actually got a little blister on Bekki's walk...I hadn't slicked the toes up with body glide and it got hot out there the last half mile. Sweaty toes lead to blisters. :0(



The walk was a quick 3 miles along the coast. It was overcast but beautiful! I'd been more careful with my body glide, so no blisters!



Channel 8 is one of the sponsers for the 3 day. The channel 8 weatherman was there...for years, he's done his weather reports for the 3 day weekend down at the 3 day tent city while his co-worker, Barbara Lee, walked with the troops. This year, he's walking with us, too! Brave man He even showed up in pink...though Marcia speculated that perhaps he'd borrowed his wife's hoodie!

I am a little sad that you can't judge a walking shoe by it's cover...they had some pretty amazing shoes there!

6/5/10 Back in The Saddle--Pre Training Boob Crew Walk!

Training using the 24 week schedule officially begins this coming week. I started getting excited, finally really excited, when I thought about getting to be with the Boob Crew. They are some of the finest people I know and I'm honored to share in their journeys with them. I don't just walk for my family, I walk for their families and loved ones.


This first training walk was a short easy four miler (or was it 3?). Just around part of the lakes and back. It was great to have my long time WP Laura along as well as my friend Marcia from Foothills. I was so excited to see new faces amongst the familiar ones in the Crew...but while I was happy to see Bekki, Mike, Q, Donna, Terri...there were also several missing. Where in the heck was Tim? How can I train without him? LOL


It was just so good to be back with these amazing folks. Sadly, the walk wasn't just a kick off walk, it was a memorial walk. A member of "Bippity, Boppity Boobs", Sherri Wallace, had just lost her fight with breast cancer weeks ago. It's a sad reminder that it's a vicious battle we are fighting. She left behind two teenaged daughters and a husband. She's mourned and missed by us all.

3 Day #3!!

It's admittedly a little hard to get back into the swing of things. Here it is, time to start training and I haven't even written my fundraising letter. Eek! (It's great, it's funny, profound and moving...it's just all in my head still!) I've moved 40+ miles north west so it won't be easy to train with the Boob Crew. But I love those walkers enough to make the drive a couple times a month. Can't wait to keep you all "posted." To give you a sense of the countdown I keep, I'll be posting at least weekly with the proposed training schedule (cough, cough) and how I'm doing. And of course, you KNOW there will be lots of pictures involved! Stay tuned and enjoy the ride!