33 MILES!!!

This weekend was the infamous Back-to-Back training walks. The training schedule builds up during the last few months to this weekend where we walk 18 miles on Saturday followed by 15 miles Sunday. In theory if we survive walking 33 miles this weekend we should be all set to walk 60 miles starting July 24th. It's always exciting and exhausting.....this year was no different!

There were about 15 of us on Saturday and we had great weather ~ warm, a little sunny, and shockingly no rain. Boston has been inundated with rain during the month of June so it's a shame I was busy walking during our rare dry day! Anyway, we started off and I had forewarned everyone that at the 7 mile mark there would be a MONSTER hill. One of the walkers was a repeat from last year so she knew I wasn't exaggerating. If you know Summit Ave in Brookline you know what I'm talking about! If you're not familiar with the road, imagine a steep incline that goes up higher than your eye can see. Not a fun trip on a good day, but after a 7 mile "warm up" and knowing there's still 11 more miles of road ahead of you it's quite daunting!

BUT, I have it on the route for a very good reason. I tell every walker that when they get to the top of Summit Ave, they'll know they can accomplish the 3Day because such a steep hill would never be included in the official 3Day route. So, they curse me for a few moments when they see the hill, and then they thank me after the 3Day! :-)

18 miles covers a ton of ground - we walked through Southie, Chinatown, Back Bay, Fenway, Brookline, Allston, Cambridge (stopped for lunch in Harvard Square) and then headed back to Southie. Not much of the city was missed!

My usual routine after a big walk is a nice long, relaxing bath before taking a shower. But seeing as my new bathroom is a mess baths are out of the question so I had to jump right in the shower. About halfway through rinsing the conditioner out of my hair disaster stuck. Water started shooting out of the TOP of the shower head, over the shower curtain, and soaking every crevice in my bathroom. This is something you'd want to happen on a good day, but to try and deal with it after walking 18 miles is a bit much. Needless to say I hurriedly rinsed my hair and turned off the water. After drying off the bathroom I had to get ready for my friend Gloria to come over so I chose to ignore the bathroom seeing as there was nothing I could do about it at the time.

Fast forward to Sunday morning....

Woke up feeling achy and tired. Swallowed a couple of aspirin and headed out to walk 15 miles.

All of my routes start in Southie because it was uber-convenient when I lived there. Now that I have to get in my car and drive to Southie I'm HATING those routes! Or at least the starting point of them which requires me to wake up earlier.

Sunday was back to our standard June weather: cold (60's), rain, cloudy. I was there bright and early and no one else was around. Just as I was contemplating bailing on the walk because I get bored walking that long by myself I few people showed up. We were a smaller, heartier group - just 6 of the 15 from the day before came back. Usually people wake up feeling sore and decide to bail on the 2nd day of training. Not me though!

I put on my GIANT trash bag-like rain poncho to keep warm and was off for Day 2! The rain isn't great for walking because people tend to concentrate on that and chat a little less. But I was really impressed with this group of 6. They were all in great shape, chatty, and had a great 2nd day of training. We had all walked together a few times already so it also made conversation easy, and I didn't have to answer as many questions about the 3Day which was a nice little break. All of them might have been doing well, but I was exhausted, and just trying my best to keep up with everyone! Luckily I made it to the end of the route, went home and fixed my shower, and was in bed asleep by 9pm!

Interesting things learned on my walks: I met a woman who went to BU about 10 years before me and lived in my same apartment building. There are only about 40 units in that bldg, and BU is a huge school, but somehow it seems like everyone I meet lived there. Case in point - I met another girl on a walk a few weeks ago who graduated about 2-3 years ago and she ALSO lived in "the Leonards bldg". Small world.

Also learned how to fix my shower temporarily with plumbing tape (not duct tape as I had planned to do) from a walker Sunday. Now I just need to walk with someone who's an expert at refinishing furniture and we'll be all set! :-)

The Angel Dressed in Pink

I just came across this poem on the 3Day Message Board. It was written by a teenager still in High School, Karina Rohrdanz, who is trying to walk again in the Boston 3Day walk this year. What an amazing girl to be taking on this physical and emotional challenge for a 2nd time and to be inspiring the rest of us with her writing!

The Angel Dressed in Pink

by Karina Rohrdanz

While skipping down a lone dirt road on a beautiful summer day,

I saw a woman with angel wings, she waved but couldn't stay.

With nothing to do and a curious mind, i decided to follow her feet.

We traveled for miles and became very tired, we just had to take a seat.

What a stunning smile this woman had, and a personality to match.

She soon showed me her battle scars, a chest with no breasts attached.

A triumphant story followed, about her journey to find a cure.

And although she's still a fighter, one day she wont have to fight anymore.

At last i understood this, hugged her, and we cried.

The sun came out from behind the trees and all of our tears dried.

"I wont forget you darling," she said with a wink.

I laughed and shouted back, "i wont forget you either! you're the angel dressed in pink!"

.

MIA

Sorry it's been FOREVER since I posted! Where have I been? Mostly busy trying to do things related to my new condo. I've been wondering......does packing, carrying heavy boxes til your back hurts, and painting count as 3Day cross-training? If not, it should!

I have managed to squeeze in a few long training walks (15 and 13 miles) and met some great new 3Day walkers. It's always nice to have some new friendly faces on my Training Walks ~ it makes the miles go by faster.

One particular 15 mile was jinxed with all sorts of bad visuals but I won't gross you out with the details. (dead rat on sidewalk was one of the tamer things I saw)! Other than that day it's been good weather, nice people, and relatively painless walks. That doesn't mean my legs weren't stiff afterwards, but no major injuries to report and thankfully I continue to be blister-free!

This weekend will be the real test: 17 miles on Sat followed by 13 miles on Sunday. Say a little prayer for me!!! :-)

Walk in the park

My 10 mile walk was actually easy. Is that possible?! Not sure how someone who's way behind on training managed to walk 10 miles and not be in pain afterwards but I'm definitely grateful!!! I wasn't so sure of myself as we set out walking because the group started at a fairly fast pace and I'm more a "slow and steady" kind of walker. It was a bunch of newbies to the 3Day so they definitely slowed down as the mileage increased. You never want to burn out early ~ this is a marathon not a sprint. Actually it's more like 3 consective marathons!


Let's just hope my easy walk last week didn't give me a false sense of security because I have another 10 mile walked planned for tomorrow. We shall see.....wish me luck!


(and yes, we did walk through the Boston Public Garden seen here)

Off to the races!

I've officially started my 3Day Fundraising and Training! OK, so it's A LOT later than normal but at least I finally started! I got my letter in the mail yesterday (finally). and have a 10 mile walk planned for Sunday. Here we go again! :-)

Walking Billboard

Here's my latest 3Day gear.....I ordered this hat and can't wait for it to arrive.

Under the 3Day logo it reads "Walking 60 miles to cure Breast Cancer. Will you Donate?"
Hoping some folks will be inspired to donate when they see me out training for hours on end! :-)

Blessed

Thank You!

The 3 Day community never ceases to amaze me. And I’m lucky for that fact. This will be my 3rd walk and people have supported me beyond my wildest dreams.

I know all of my failures…..
I still haven’t to sent out a 2009 letter or donation request. I have been more than negligent in updating my blog with 3Day news……even though I promised I would be better at doing that this year.

I may have been negligent, but my supporters have not. Without a letter or email requesting a donation, I have received my first donation for 2009! To say I’m shocked is an under-statement, but I am forever grateful for having supportive 3Day fans, and more importantly wonderful people in my life who take care of me without me even asking.

You’re the best!!!