T-minus 4 days

Long time no blog.

Work has had me hopping lately, so I've been less than motivated to come home and plug back in to my computer.

But with just four days left until the walk, I decided to pop in to note that Mother Nature has evidently decided to grace us with sunshine for the weekend.

A lot of it, from the look of things.

Let's hear it for proper hydration, people, and thank all that is holy and good that the only people around to smell me will smell as bad as I do.

Slacker

So it's been an interesting couple of weeks.

Training for Week 13 went pretty well. The weather was decent for the most part, and I even tackled one more mile than anticipated. Go me!

Suggested Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 Miles Easy Walk
Wednesday - 30 Minutes Moderate Cross-Training
Thursday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - 45 Minutes Easy Cross-Training
Saturday - 11 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 24

Actual Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 Miles Moderate Walk
Wednesday - 30 Minutes Strength Training
Thursday - Rest
Friday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Saturday - 11 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 6 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 25

Things went a little downhill for Training Week 12, mostly because we were attending a wedding, as well as a 90th birthday in Illinois. Knowing that festivities would win out over walking, I tried to jam-pack all of my miles into Tuesday through Friday.

It was a valiant attempt, but a failed one.

Suggested Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 4 Miles Easy Walk
Wednesday - 15 Minutes Moderate Cross-Training
Thursday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - 30 Minutes Easy Cross-Training
Saturday - 12 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 7 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 28

Actual Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Wednesday - 7 Miles Moderate Walk
Thursday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk followed by rehearsal dinner
Saturday - Much Merriment (consistently mainly of drinking, eating, and dancing)
Sunday - Brunch, lots of driving, and yet more wine
Total Mileage - 22

I do give myself some credit for going for a 5-mile walk on the Constitution Trail in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois shortly after we arrived in the state. It was a lovely route.

And although I did not walk on Saturday, something must be said about my willingness to embrace both the Electric Slide and the Cha Cha Slide, as well as do a shot of whiskey with the boys. I can totally still hang, you guys.

In a stunning fall from training glory, this past week - Training Week 11 - was a dismal failure.

This is what I was supposed to do:

Suggested Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 4 Miles Easy Walk
Wednesday - 30 Minutes Moderate Cross-Training
Thursday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - 30 Minutes Easy Cross-Training
Saturday - 13 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 9 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 31

Aaanddd, this is what I did!

Actual Training
Monday - Recuperate from weekend spent with wine glass permanently attached to lips
Tuesday - Worked late to prepare for board meeting. Plus more recuperating.
Wednesday - Clearly more recuperation necessary. Am getting a cold, to boot.
Thursday - Dinner over at aunt's and uncle's and visiting grandparents. No walking, but there is more wine! Score!
Friday - Long week. Exhausted. Feeling crappy. Rest.
Saturday - Head out with intention of walking 13 miles. Head home after 2 miles. Still not feeling great, but am still up for a night of terrific food, more wine, and art.
Sunday - Hungover and sleep deprived. Really congested. Couch - 1; New Balance shoes - 0.
Total Mileage - 2

Do you see that people? Two. I walked two miles this week. T-w-o.

This is not ideal.

Luckily for me, I believe in cutting myself some slack. An off-week was not planned, but if my body felt like it needed it, I am not going to argue.

There are just 10 weeks left of training until the walk, however. No more slacking allowed!

Hello, My Old Nemesis

So I've come to the conclusion that I can no longer discuss the weather on my blog. It is now apparent to me that Mother Nature is reading it and has a highly evolved sense of humor. Consider this: I post an enthusiastic ode to spring, and the weather takes a U-turn back into winter. I blog about enjoying walking in the rain, and I am gifted with a dreary, cold Saturday that forces me to eat my words and hop back onto the treadmill. Coincidence?

I think not.

There was no way I was doing 10 miles indoors, so I flip-flopped my Saturday and Sunday walks and did 6 yesterday and 10 today. This week was pretty much identical to last week in terms of mileage, but things really start ramping up the week after next.

Bring it.

Suggested Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 Miles Easy Walk
Wednesday - 15 Minutes Moderate Cross-Training
Thursday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - 30 Minutes Easy Cross-Training
Saturday - 10 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 6 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 24

Actual Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Wednesday - 20 Minutes Strength Training
Thursday - 3 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 6 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 10 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 24

It's raining; It's pouring; But I ain't complaining; 'Cause I love the rain

So, you're supposed to train in all kinds of weather to make sure you're ready for the 3-Day.

With this thought in mind, I walked in the rain yesterday and it wasn't so bad. I only had a 3-miler to tackle and it was just gray and chilly for the first two miles. I was thinking I might escape getting wet, but it started to drizzle during my last two laps. Grateful it didn't get too heavy, I finished my walk with a spring in my step, and not too much water in my socks.

Anyway, I'm continuing to train over at the outdoor shopping plaza behind our apartment during the week, as well as for some of my longer walks. Although I'd prefer something more interesting, I'm comfortable with knowing exactly how far I've walked in the event my Garmin dies. Plus - and those of you who know me well will really get this - the ability to dash into the bathroom if necessary just cannot be undervalued. Also, it's pretty much impossible for me to get lost. That being said, I'm ready to suck it up and drive 20 or 30 miles to find a group to walk with because 19 laps is about my maximum, I think, in terms of my tedium threshold.

I did have to laugh, though. Last Saturday during my 10-miler, a woman stopped me outside of the Apple store and said, "I have to ask... how far do you walk? I had everyone in the store watching you the other day. You're here all the time and we're all so curious!"

I laughed and told her I was training for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure and then explained that my training was ramping up every week so it's different every day. I could have kicked myself for not making those little pink business cards SGK suggests to hand out to strangers. Everyone is a potential donor! Oh well. It's on my to-do list, but in the meantime the fact that she asked why I was walking put a smile on my face and made me feel sort of like I should wave at all of the people selling iPads every time I walked by.

As always, last week was a success in the walking department, but not so much in the cross-training department. Just 10-minutes of push-ups and crunches.

Suggested Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 Miles Easy Walk
Wednesday - 15 Minutes Moderate Cross-Training
Thursday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - 30 Minutes Easy Cross-Training
Saturday - 10 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 6 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 24

Actual Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Wednesday - 10 minutes push-ups and crunches
Thursday - 3 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 10 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 6 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 24

The Power of Positive Thinking

I was supposed to walk three miles tonight.

I didn't want to do it. I was tired. A little cranky. I really did not want to walk three miles tonight.

So I went out and did five instead.

The end.

3-Day for the Cure: Training Week Sixteen

• 29,046 = the number of steps I took this weekend during my 8- and 6-mile training walks.
• 114.75 = the number of miles I have walked so far during training.
• 1 = the number of days this week I finally implemented cross-training (!!)
• $1,855 = the total dollar amount I have raised so far for Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.
• $645 = the amount I have left to raise before meeting my goal of $2,500.

It's been a week of milestones!

Here's another one for you:

• 1 = the number of apartments we cleaned today. Our apartment is clean and we are totally motivated and AWESOME!

Yes, I realize most people do not boast about cleaning their homes. But when you take into consideration - a) our housekeeping skills suck and b) No. You don't get it. Our housekeeping skills really, REALLY suck - you will understand our urge to be singing this from the proverbial rooftop.

This also means that I am exhausted (and, quite honestly, inspires the question why a self-cleaning toilet has yet to be invented) so a more elaborate post will have to wait.

But in the meantime, I want to send out a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has helped me get so close to my fundraising goal. Y'all rock. Seriously.

And for those of you who haven't donated, there's still plenty time (103 days, in fact), but why not make a donation today?

Suggested Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 Miles Easy Walk
Wednesday - 15 Minutes Moderate Cross-Training
Thursday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - 30 Minutes Easy Cross-Training
Saturday - 8 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 6 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 22

Actual Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 Miles Moderate Walk
Wednesday - 20 minutes Strength Training
Thursday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 8 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 6 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 22

I Got to Move It, Move It

These past two weeks, my motivation level to both walk - and blog - has been pretty low.

But not so low that I didn't get in my miles!

If I'm honest, though, sometimes I have to be a bit of a... (now, how can I say this nicely?)... hardass task master with myself. I have found that if I sit down after work, it's much harder to convince myself that my feet were meant to do anything other than get propped up on the coffee table. So I simply don't allow myself to get comfy. Immediately after I come in the door after work, I feed the cats and change into my workout clothes. And once I have those shoes on, there is no doubt in my mind. I am going to walk.

It helps to have company. Last weekend, I had the chance to meet up with some fellow 3-Dayers out in Hudson for a 7-mile walk along the Assabet River Rail Trail. It was great to meet some people who have also committed to raise money and walk 60 miles in 3 days in support of breast cancer research and programming.

Although it was only 28 degrees when we started out, it was still a beautiful day and I thoroughly enjoyed the walk. It was, however, a bit of a drive to get there and it made me wish that we had a rail trail closer to where we live. (Yeeahhh, the shopping-plaza walking is getting a bit old.) Thus I was inspired to pick out some of the places I'd like to walk this spring. Cape Cod is at the top of a fairly long list. Although also not super close, something tells me the view would be worth it.

So, motivation issues aside, the week before last went pretty well.

TRAINING WEEK 18

Suggested Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 Miles Easy Walk
Wednesday - 15 Minutes Moderate Cross-Training
Thursday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - 30 Minutes Easy Cross-Training
Saturday - 7 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 6 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 21

Actual Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 Miles Moderate Walk
Wednesday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 7 Miles Moderate Walk on the Assabet Trail
Sunday - 6 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 21

You will note that I still am not bringing my cross-training game. These past two weeks have featured sleet and snow. (Yup. Mother Nature is still on my sh*t list). Since I've had to move my walks around a bit to avoid nasty weather conditions, I haven't felt inspired to do anything beyond meet my mileage goals. That will change this week! (I think!)

This past week went fairly well, but this morning I woke up with a bad headache and wound up missing the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Training Kickoff. Initially kind of a bummer. But I'm ultimately glad I missed it because it meant that Ryan and I had a lovely mid-afternoon 3-mile jaunt through one of the neighborhoods in our community. My husband is definitely my favorite walking partner. As the walks get longer, I have a feeling he'll be less enthusiastic about joining me, so I was thrilled I was able to entice him into coming along.

Low mileage and sunshine, people. It inspires us all.

TRAINING WEEK 17

Suggested Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 Miles Easy Walk
Wednesday - 15 Minutes Moderate Cross-Training
Thursday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Friday - 30 Minutes Easy Cross-Training
Saturday - 4 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 3 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 15

Actual Training
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 3 Miles Moderate Walk
Wednesday - 5 Miles Moderate Walk
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 4 Miles Moderate Walk
Sunday - 3.25 Miles Moderate Walk
Total Mileage - 15.25