Ready or not, here I come!

What happened to August and September?  It seems like I blinked and all of a sudden it is October.

When I signed up for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walk last March, I thought I would have all the time in the world to prepare.  I thought I would gradually build up not only my walking endurance, but more importantly, my exercise discipline and habit, so that by the time October rolled around I would be well prepared physically and mentally for this event.  I thought that I'd end the event with a new habit of walking on a day to day basis incorporated into my lifestyle, so that I could enjoy a new healthier me.  In fact, this was the primary motivator for joining the walk in the first place - to get into a new habit for the long term.

In reality, as you've perhaps noticed here on my blog, I never really got into the groove of a new habit.   I did get a lot of good training walking in, and I found myself out on a walk way more often than I would have if I had not signed up for the event.  But a regular habit? Not!  Through the early half of the summer, I fit in training as best I could.  But then late summer hit, and with it all the stuff that happens to our family calendar.  School started, I traveled for work, then the fall football season started at our two kid's schools.  My chorus, the Harbor City Music Company, had a busy schedule with our annual show, and my quartet, Lustre, had a busy schedule with coaching and new music.  My work pace picked up.  Etc. etc. etc.  Blah, blah, blah.

Through all of this busy-ness in August and September, I was totally unprepared for the impact this would have on my training. Because I did not have a good habit of fitting training walks into my daily life, my training really suffered.  As my weekends and evenings filled up with other activities, I did not have a plan for setting aside time for walking.    The result?   I've trained for a grand total of 3 miles since September 1st.

This is not good.  This is very not good.

The Washington D.C. Susan G. Koman 3-Day for the Cure begins this Friday.  Like, five days from now. I am so unprepared.

I am anxious about how I'll do, how far will I be able to go.  I am angry with myself for not keeping my promise to myself about the training.  I am disappointed in myself - and oh how I hate that feeling!  That old familiar feeling.   Do you know the one I'm talking about?

I'm counting on the hope that during the event later this week, I'll kick that feeling in the butt, and replace it with feelings of accomplishment and pride.  That I'll push myself past the aches and pains and give it everything I've got.

I honestly don't know if I'll be able to walk all 60 miles.  I had hoped that I would, but the reality of my lack of training might get in the way of that goal.  I know that I will do my very best, and more.  I owe it to my sponsors and donators, I owe it to the cancer patients, survivors and victims - but most of all I owe it to myself - to give wholly and completely.

So, ready or not, here comes the 3-Day.  And 3-Day:  Ready or not, here I come!

Headed out for a training walk...

... even though it's really, really humid and I'll be a stinky, sweaty mess before I get past the bottom of the driveway.

... even though I am tired already.

... even though I have a slight headache.

... even though it will take up all the free time in my Sunday afternoon that I could be using for other things.

... even though my feet and ankles are sore from a short but ill-advised walk in flip flops yesterday.



Because...

... I need to train in heat and humidity, because the real walk might be hot and humid.

... I need to get my bootie up off the couch.

... I have not been training enough lately to be really ready for this event in less than 7 weeks.

... many friends and family have contributed their emotional and financial support for my training and fund raising, and I need to honor that.

... there are people who are battling cancer treatments right now who can't spend their Sunday afternoon walking.

... I am healthy and have never had cancer, and want to honor those who have.

OK, I'm off.  

A little perspective

I can't believe how far I've come in this training program for the 3-day.

When I started, I was struggling to walk 2 miles without fatigue.  I mean, I'll readily admit that I lead a very sedentary lifestyle, and so signing on to the 3-day 60 mile commitment was a big ol' risk for this couch potato.  Back in March when I decided to do this, I had in mind that this would be a way for me to contribute something good to the world while also doing something good for myself.  And boy, is that ever true!

In March, I was tired after walking 2 miles in my neighborhood.

In April I pushed myself to walk 3 miles, 4 times a week.

In May I got up to the 5 mile mark on a single walk, and that was pushing it.

In June I did both a 6 miler and a 7 miler with my HCTC&F team, and was so tired at the end of both of them!

In early July I did an 8 miler, a 9 miler, and then a 10 miler all in the same week.  I was tired but proud of my accomplishments.

In late July I had a hard time fitting in regular training, but still managed to do a 12 miler.  I felt really wiped at the end.

Today, after 3 weeks in which I was only able to do one training walk, I just went out and completed 8 miles with absolutely no trouble at all!  I feel great, and if my "to do" list allows it, I will do more later today.  And tomorrow I plan to do the same thing.

Having never been a "fit" person, I look back at this summer and I am proud.  I mean, I'm still by no means a "fit" person, but at least I'm seeing improvement.  I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, I can really do 60 miles in 3 days.  And that will be really cool.  :-)

I've been a slacker...

... and have not been doing much preparation in the last two weeks for the 3-day. In fact, I've not done much training, have not done any fund raising, not even any blogging. I have not figured out how to fit training walks in on Tuesdays or Thursdays (or any other work day), because of stuff going on in the evenings. Weekends have been hit or miss. I've not yet done the full mileage that the training plan calls for on *any* day. The more I write this paragraph, the more I feel down about what I've not been able to accomplish. (sigh.)

On the bright side, I did walk last night and this morning. Last night I did a 3-mile loop at dusk, and had the pleasure of seeing hundreds of fireflies and a few deer in the woods, plus some butterflies and squirrels here and there. That was very pleasant. This morning my husband and I went out for a bagel, and took the 4.6 mile round trip that I described here. I had a yummy breakfast, a nice walk with my sweetie, and got the walk out of the way early. Which is great, because it's about 91 degrees here today with hot sun and high humidity. Whew!

Now I have to build on this momentum and keep up the good work this week. I'm going to look at the calendar today and make sure I schedule in my walk time. I'll see if I can get some walking dates planned with friends so I have no way to back out. Gotta get back on track. Wish me luck!

Getting past the "same old, same old"

So I've been "training" (yes, I think it counts, even if it's sporadic!) for a couple of months now, with the first few weeks just getting used to the habit and the last few weeks trying to following the 3-day training recommendations. I've not been entirely successful in sticking to the training plan - I've missed quite a few days, and some days I just haven't been able to do the recommended mileage either because of time limitations, or more often, energy limitations. But I've been kinda, sorta on track.

About this time in the training plan, the recommended mileage starts to really pick up. Starting soon, I'll be expected to do 5 miles every Thursday, with more than that on Saturday and Sunday.

Unfortunately, my neighborhood around my home is somewhat isolated, separated from other neighborhoods by two-lane roads with no sidewalks. So if I walk within my neighborhood only, I can only really cover about 2.8 miles without repeat. And THAT means that if I want to get some decent mileage with my home as home base (start and stop), then I MUST repeat. You know, laps.

And THAT gets boring. Really fast. I mean, REALLY fast!

So I've been experimenting with ways to make the same neighborhood streets seem different from walk to walk. To get past the "same old walk" feeling (which for me is very demotivational) and into an eager, motivated frame of mind.

Trick #1: Vary the time of day.
The neighborhood has a completely different vibe when I walk in the early morning before work. And again a different vibe at sunset/dusk. In the morning, the birds are singing, the sun is coming up, the grass is dew-covered and glistening. Sometimes you can hear through people's open windows that they are showering and drying their hair, getting ready for the day. Sometimes you can even smell coffee brewing. In the evening, you can feel that people are settling in, mothers call their kids in from the back yard, charcoal grills are finishing up and burning low. The neighborhood turns grey as dusk settles, and the crickets come out. Mid-day on a Saturday, the streets are very busy with the weekend chores - lawn mowers, hoses, cars, skateboards, swimming pools, bicycles - these all add motion and sound, and give me something to look at and people to talk to.

Trick #2: Add or delete legs of the route
In my development, we have one main street that is 1/2 mile long with a dead end. The other streets come off this main street like branches on a tree - all dead ends too. So my walking route consists of going up the main street, down the branches one at a time, back out to the main street, down the next branch, etc. There are five branches of varying lengths. So sometimes I it them all, sometimes I only do the longest ones, sometimes I do them all going out and all coming back, hitting htem twice, etc. I use different combinatinos of them to get different lengths of walks. The shortest feasible walk is about one mile. The longest, if I hit each branch once, is 2.8 miles. If i hit each branch twice, I can get about 4.6 miles. And so on. Ok, so now that I think about it, this doesn't really make the walks less boring, but it does give me options in my isolate neighborhood.

Trick #3: Vary the music on my iPod

First, for safety I walk with only one ear-bud so that I can hear the traffic and people around me, and i keep the volume low. Safety first!

Some days, I walk with just any music that strikes my mood, and some days I walk with a playlist that I selected specifically for walking. Some days I walk with no music at all.

For my walking playlist, I did some online research to see what tempo (steps per minute) I should be walking for optimum fitness conditioning. I learned that you should warm up slow, then pick up the pace to about 128 beats per minute. You can then do "sprints" at about 140 beats per minute, and then slow down for recovery at 120, etc. Once I knew this, I went through my iTunes collection of music, and I found songs that match the various tempos that I wanted in my walk. I selected songs that have upbeat, positive, even motivational lyrics.

I find that when I use this walking playlist, I get a better workout due to the commitment to the tempo. But when I don't use the playlist, I'm often more relaxed. So there are pros and cons.

Trick #4: Walk with a friend

Whether my husband, kids, quartet mates, or neighborhood friends, I find that the boring route doesn't matter at all if I have someone to walk with. This is a no-brainer!

Trick #5: Spy on my neighbors

OK, I'm kind of only kidding. I don't actually spy on them. But I do enjoy looking at everyone's lawns and gardens, and I do like to see what I can see inside at night when their curtains are open - sometimes you can get good ideas for decorating. That's not spying, is it????

Daily Affirmation

Some days, I feel overwhelmed, don't you? Like it's just too hard to do everything I want to do. Like the world is against me and what I'm trying to accomplish. Some days it's tough to give myself the pep-talk I need to get past the roadblock-du-jour.

But this little girl has found a way to feel good about herself. Maybe we can all take a lesson from her? :-)

Back in the Saddle!

I'm really happy to report that whatever was plaguing me last night has passed. After last night's discouraging training walk, I was eager to get back out there and try again. I'm so glad I did! I walked this morning out in the neighborhood and had a glorious time. The weather is beautiful - clear blue sky, low humidity, slight breeze, and temps in the mid 70's. I called in to work and got the day off, and have been enjoying myself to no end!

I walked for an hour, and ventured just a tiny bit into the state park that is near my neighborhood. Those 15 minutes in the woods on this picture-perfect day were just enough to bring me a sense of calm that was just what I needed. After I got home, I mapped the route and was happy to discover that it was 2.85 miles long - about a half mile longer than I expected. This gives me another easy, local option for a quick route, with the added benefit of an easy nature walk as part of it.

I know that this journey toward the 3-day event is going to be filled with starts and stops, highs and lows, ups and downs. Anytime you embark on an aggressive plan, you have to expect bumps along the way. Knowing that I've never been a "fit" person, training for a 60 mile walk is setting a high expectation, to say the least. Those of you reading this blog who exercise regularly might wonder "what's the big deal?" But to me, this is definitely a big deal! Just getting up out of a chair is a feat in itself for me some days!

So this morning I'm so happy to know that I've made it through a low moment and have regained momentum. I feel able. I feel eager. I feel motivated. I'm ready to keep going.

This feeling is definitely a keeper!

From High to Low

Darn it.

I was doing so well.

I walked all of my first week's worth of training walks with energy to spare. I got my first walk in last Tuesday despite the day getting away from me. I walked on Thursday last week after work, enjoying the great neighborhood and cool evening air. I walked on Saturday morning bright and early with my team friends. I walked Sunday morning with my husband despite the hot and humid morning. It was going so well, everything as planned.

But then today came. And the day was busy. And I was tired. And I was not focused. So by 9:15pm when I finally made it downstairs to the treadmill, things did not go as I wanted. I started off ok, at a steady 3.0mph pace. But for some reason, for the first time, I got shin splints. I don't know why - I never have had that problem before, especially at such an regular and easy pace. But after only 15 minutes, my legs were really, really hurting.

I decided to stop and stretch for a few minutes. I had stretched before starting, but I guess it was not enough. So I stretched some more. Then I walked again. But still my left leg kept cramping up, on my shins and on my hip. My knees were also screaming at me. That was a first too.

I pushed through it for a little while longer. I tried to motivate myself with thoughts of others who are fighting much harder battles than a few leg cramps. But then I gave up.

I hate that.

I hate that feeling.

Darn it.

I know, I know -- this is not the end of the world by any means. I'll come back at it next time and give it another go. And again. And again.

What motivates you go keep going when you feel like giving up?

Feeling Inspired and Motivated Today

So today is my first official day of the 24-week training program for the Washington DC 3-Day walk in October. And while I've been slowly getting ready in the past few weeks by fitting in two or three walks per week, this is the first real week where I'm expecting to really stick to a training routine.

I didn't start the day off feeling inspired. Rather, I slept too late to get in a walk in the morning, and had no time to walk at work. When I got home, I had a free evening (the first in a few months, it seems), and so I hoped to do a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. But things happened, and it got late and dark, and the walk didn't happen.

But, I didn't want to give up on my first real training day.

So, I asked my wonderful husband to pull the old treadmill out of the back storage room and set it up for me in front of the TV. Then I turned on the Biggest Loser (my favorite show!) and walked 3 miles on the treadmill while I watched. This particular episode was especially motivating, showing the contestants encouraging overweight Texans to complete their first 5K run/walk, and encouraging them to begin a weight loss and fitness journey.

I walked and considered the fact that I'm so much more healthy than some of those people on the show, but that I still have a long way to go to be really healthy. I walked and considered the fact that I'm fortunate to have a treadmill at home, so that I can still get my walks in even if the weather is bad or the day gets away from me and it's too late to walk outside safely. I walked and considered the fact that I'm blessed to have a team of friends with whom to walk on this 3-day journey. I walked and reflected on that fact that part of me wanted to just get off the treadmill and sit down -- what was that all about? Where was that coming from? I pushed through those feelings, and kept going until I'd reached the 3-mile mark. I took my motivation from the thought that if the contestants on the Biggest Loser could do it, then I knew could too.

I came upstairs after my walk, feeling very satisfied and motivated.

Then I sat down to my computer to find that I'd received another donation for my 3-day fundraising goals. Thanks very much, Kate! So that put a really nice finish on the happy motivational evening!

What inspired or motivated you today?

A World Full of Sisters

My Sisters

I am so lucky in life to have three sisters, Suzie, Kathy and Vicky. Growing up, we played together and fought together, as all sisters do. We stuck together when we moved to a new town. We borrowed clothes (sometimes without asking first, which doesn't truly count as borrowing so much as sneaking). We shared bedrooms. We shared a single bathroom (which was fine until those teenaged years when it became quite a challenge!) We annoyed each other. We helped each other. We loved each other. With the exception of living together, we still do all these things. It's what sisters do!

Now, we've all grown into women. We've created our own new families, our own new lives. We live far apart from each other, spread across the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic and the heartland in between. We don't see each other very often at all, and very rarely all at once. But we are still sisters. We are bound together by a family thread that won't be broken no matter what life throws our way.

My Lustre Sisters

I am also blessed to have three "sisters" of a different sort. I am lucky enough to sing in a barbershop quartet called Lustre. For the past five years, we have met weekly to rehearse and perfect our songs, and have had the opportunity to give performances together all throughout each year. We have gone through highs and lows together, and have celebrated so many wonderful moments together, and supported each other through life's challenges. Lori, Lori and Laura are like adopted sisters to me.

My Sweet Adelines Sisters

I am so fortunate to not only have the sisters mentioned above, but also to have 60 other "sisters" in my Sweet Adelines chorus, the Harbor City Music Company (HCMC). There is nothing quite like belonging to an organization of women - the sharing, the caring is like no other experience. We gather weekly for chorus rehearsal where we learn to sing and perform. But during those rehearsals, over the course of the weeks, months, years, we form bonds. We work together toward a goal. We share the workload of running a large volunteer organization. We share creativity and inspiration. We get to know each other, and we include each other in our circle of care, becoming "sisters" and forging lifelong friendships.

It is through HCMC that I met some of the women who are inspiring me to do the 3-day walk: Nancy D., Eve S., and Alta P. Through HCMC, I met the sisters and teammates for the Harbor City Titty Committee. HCMC has become my extended family, with as many substitute mothers, aunts, and sisters as as girl could imagine.

Beyond HCMC, there are all the other women in the Region 19 Sweet Adelines organization with whom I share these bonds. I just returned from the annual Region 19 convention, where the overwhelming feeling was one of sharing and sisterhood. I am so lucky that I have a hobby that brings me close to thousands of women, in spirit and in song.

With all of these amazing sisters in my life, the urge to contribute to the fight against breast cancer is too strong to ignore. All of these women matter to me. Every one. Each and every one of these women deserve to have a full lifetime. And so I'm walking to help find a cure for this disease. So that we can change the statistics, to go from 1 in 8 women, to 1 in 800, then 1 in 8,000,000, then finally, eradicate the disease forever. So that we can find better treatments, provide better support systems for our cancer warrior sisters, and find a cure.

Won't you please join the fight against breast cancer? Please donate today.

Random Thought Thursday

Wow, less than one week after adding Google AdSense to my blog, I've already earned $43 for the cure! Thanks to all of you out there who are visiting the advertised websites, thereby earning easy money for Breast Cancer research. Please keep it up! It's a win-win!

In other news, I had a great walk tonight. I went on the new 3-mile loop that I discovered last Saturday and chronicled in this post, wearing the new shoes that I wrote about in this post. The shoes felt pretty good. Yay! I was strolling through the nearby private school grounds, and came upon a herd of deer. There were about 15 of them, including some new fawns and lots of yearlings and older does. They were beautiful, and I'm so glad I saw them. Also tonight as I walked, I enjoyed dusk falling over the neighborhood, and the sliver of a crescent moon in the evening sky. And the smell of flowering shrubs throughout the neighborhood. And the cool evening air. And the calming effect of a nice walk after a stressful day. :-)

Finally, to wrap up Random Thought Thursday, please check out this article from the 60 Mile Thoughts blog. This is a very thoughtful and inspirational essay, reminding me why the 3-day is important, and why I'm walking.

Best of intentions

So, it's day two of my walking blog, and still no walking. Bummer! Changing my routine and finding time to fit in all this training is going to be hard.

But not as hard as battling the disease, like one woman in 9 has to do. Not as hard as facing the doctor's diagnosis. Not as hard as waiting for pathology reports, or going through surgery, or reconstruction, or radiation, or chemotherapy.

Not as hard as wondering what the future holds, and whether I'm in it.

I can't even imagine.

So yes, this training thing will be hard to fit in, hard to stay motivated. But I'm going to do it. Because we need a cure.

Will you help? Please donate today.