Day 3 November 7,2010

We started another cold morning with a bus ride to Ursuline Academy in North Dallas. We made our way through Highland Park and Park Cities on a beautiful Sunday morning. There was a huge cheering station at Lovers Lane. A crowd turned out to cheer us on with stickers, candy, drinks, and donuts.



Lunch was at Reverchon Park in the Turtle Creek area. It was beautiful! Bree and I took full advantage to eat, stretch, relax, and take some pictures before finishing the last stretch of our 3 day walk. There was a pink firetruck at the park for us to sign and take pictures with. The Dalmatian inside was a sweetie; although a little camera shy.

After lunch we left the park and began

walking on the Katy Trail into downtown Dallas. We had some great views of the Dallas skyline as well as the American Airlines Center. When we reached the West End, Katie and Chris were there to cheer us on. It was so great to see her and have her support.

Our final miles had us walking by the JFK Memorial, Dealy Plaza, Pioneer Plaza, Dallas City Hall, and historic Deep Ellum. For the walkers not from the area, it was a great site seeing walk. Our journey ended at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park. It was very overwhelming to walk in and see all the people cheering us at the gates.


In the holding area, we received our official 3 Day shirts and a pink rose. The survivors led us into the Cotton Bowl Plaza where family and friends were waiting to congratulate us on our journey. Dallas walkers raised over $7 million ! It was very inspiring to think that one group of people raised that much money in the fight against breast cancer. We were so tired by the end but it was so worth the aches and pains. We are excited about walking again in 2012. For 2011, we are working crew. Such a great cause, such a great experience. Thank you Susan G. Komen 3 Day!

Day 2 November 6,2010

So after hearing veteran walkers talk yesterday about how rough day two is, we were a little leery of how the day would go. We were up early and it was cold. Once again we made our way to the dining tent for breakfast and parked ourselves in front of a heater. It was a great way to warm up our muscles. Today we were better prepared for the cold and had on thermals under our pants. We also wore two shirts and warm hats. We were walking by 6:30 A.M.

We left Brookhaven and made our way through many residential areas in north Dallas. The neighborhoods that day were so amazing. Many had decorated trees or windows with huge pink ribbons. They also were our cheering and offering drinks, candy, candy, and more candy. The support was awesome! During the day we passed 21 private cheering stations; meaning they weren't set up by Komen. Our legs and feet were definitely feeling day 1 , but we were still doing really well. Day 2 brought many supporters and some silly characters. We had Harley bikers, a pink gorilla, and a group of guys in pink tutus.

Lunch on Saturday was at Hockaday in North Dallas. We ate, stretched, refilled water, and Bree taught me a new trick. I learned how to take a pair of pants off without getting completely undressed. It's similar to how women take off a bra through one shirt sleeve, but with pants. It's a great trick when you're dressed in layers. I refused to have my clothes touch the bottom of a Porto Potty as they came off. After lunch, we made our way toward Valley View Mall for our last public cheering station. Wow! The line of people cheering all of us on probably went a mile down Matlock Rd. It was so encouraging and touching to see all of these people out on a Saturday afternoon. Bree's husband, Keith, came out with Grayson and Sophia so they could cheer on their mom.

Next we headed into Addison for our last pit stop of the day and the home stretch. By this time we were tired and ready to be done! Every day around 5:00 we'd have a fit of giggles hit us. It was either that or cry. We cruised into camp that night around 5:30 just in time to hear Candy Coburn sing "Pink Warrior".

One of the funniest parts of the 3 Day was the dance on night two. This seemed like the strangest thing to expect people to want to dance after walking 20 miles all day. The funny thing was that it felt really good. We were able to move our feet and hips in a different way than we had been all day. It was hilarious to see all of the tired people in their PJs dancing. They made a point to have all of the male walkers come up to the stage and dance. There was also a conga line thrown into the mix. It was a great way to end an exhausting day.

Day1 November 5, 2010

We began our 3 Day journey with an emotional opening ceremony at Collin Creek Mall here in Plano. It was very cold, about 37 degrees, and our muscles were getting tight. We probably stood in the cold about an hour before we actually started walking. Bree and I were right by survivors' circle during the ceremony and it was very moving.

Since this was our first year doing the walk, we had many unexpected treats along the way. The first surprise was all of the sweep vans. Each one had a theme and played loud music to keep the walkers motivated. One of our favorites was the Scooby Boobie Van. Each day they dressed as different characters from the show. They drove the route all day ready to pick up walkers who might need a ride to a pit stop or to camp. They were awesome! It was so great to see how many people gave up their whole weekend just to follow us around and cheer us on.

All along the way we were met by people cheering at designated cheer stations. Most of these were at schools and churches in the Richardson area. Sandy came to cheer us on at one of the first stops. She had waited cheering other walkers on for 2 hours before Bree and I walked by. It was very sweet of her to come out in the cold and support us. We had lunch at Valley View Park in Richardson. It was nice to sit, stretch, eat, and relax a bit. The mantra of the weekend was drink, drink, pee, pee, and avoid the IV. It was pretty funny to see those signs along the route. After lunch, we left the park and started walking on the White Rock Creek Trail. It was very pretty and took us through some nice parts of Dallas.

We stopped and stretched at every pit stop, refilled water bottles, and usually got a snack. They were about every 3 to 4 miles along the route, sometimes less than that. This made walking 20 miles a day very manageable. Every pit stop also had a full medic tent for the walkers. After the last pit stop on day 1, I started to hit a wall. I was getting tired and just wanted to be done. We learned quickly that a Komen mile is not the same as a real mile. We kept hearing camp is just around the corner, only 1 mile to go. We were starting to lag a little in our pace. We were walking through a neighborhood with about .7 miles left to walk. These two ladies were standing outside their home, both wearing pink, and cheering us on. They were a mother and daughter and were thanking us for saving them. They'd both had bouts with cancer and were calling us heroes for walking. Well, that just about did us in emotionally. We kicked it into gear and finished the day no problem. As we walked across the finish line at Brookhaven College, Bree was leaping in the air with joy.

Camping out in the cold was not really what I had in mind. We had nice, comfy, warm sleeping bags, but when it's in the 30s and you're sleeping outside it doesn't really matter. WE WERE COLD! Not really what your leg muscles want after walking 20 miles. We were fortunate that a nice man put our tent up for us. We quickly got situated and headed for the showers. Now, the showers are in an 18 wheeler truck. You have to wait outside in a line for a shower to open up. It was interesting to say the least. The hot water felt great and putting on comfortable PJs felt even better. Next, it was off to dinner. Dinner the first night consisted of grilled chicken, steamed veggies, brown rice, green salad, and brownies for dessert. Yes, we had the brownie and Bree had a REAL Coke. We certainly burned off enough calories to warrant the extra sugar. We were in bed and passed out by 8:30.

Packing

It's finally time...the 3 Day is upon us this weekend. Bree and I decided to pack together yesterday afternoon after work. We did this for several reasons....
1. We are a little OCD!
2. Two sets of eyes are better than one at spotting a missed item.
3. We're sharing some tent items.
4. We thought it'd be fun.

It only took us about 15 minutes tops. It seemed a little too easy. I've double checked the recommended packing list and I think we have it all. After seeing the weather forecast, I'm adding a few extra cold weather items for bedtime.

Check out our duffels ....EVERYTHING has to fit in the bag. Notice how much room the sleeping bag takes up!

The Countdown is On....

Sunday we walked 13 miles and my ankle seems fine. I think laying off of walking for a solid week helped. We are about a week away from the 3-Day Walk, so I don't want to tempt fate. This walk had sightings of two interesting creatures; no icky bugs this time. We saw an armadillo walking toward the creek. Sadly, most of my armadillo sightings have been road kill situations. Toward the end of our walk we saw a coyote. It was just sitting quietly in the middle of one of the soccer fields. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was a skinny stray dog.

I'm hoping, and I know Bree is too, that the temperatures drop a little more before the fifth. The daytime highs are still in the mid to upper 80s; which is above normal for late October. Keeping my fingers crossed for 70s and no rain!

First Set Back

Well, today Bree and I walked 11 miles. By the time I woke up this morning, my knee and hip soreness had gone away. My ankle was still a little stiff. By the time we reached mile 11, I decided to call it quits. My ankle was in pretty severe pain and I needed to stop. I came home iced it, elevated it, stayed off it for several hours, and applied heat. It felt so much better. I decided to take Coda for a small walk this evening. We did a mile and it was hurting the whole time. I'm not sure what I've done, but this is a bad time to have an injury. Bree is going to tape it up for me tomorrow and I'll see if that helps.

Ready for the 3 Day!

I'm so ready for our walk. We've been preparing for and talking about it for so long. I'm ready! Today I walked 18 miles!!!! This is a big weekend of back to back training walks. Tomorrow we're aiming for 15 miles. The word on the street with the veteran walkers is that if you can survive this weekend, the 3 day is easy. I've got to remember to stretch a lot tomorrow. Luckily, Bree will be with me and the time with fly by. :)

Walking in Canton

Today we ventured out and decided to do all of our walking at Canton First Monday Trade Days. Bree and I both got a decent start to our Christmas shopping and we walked for 4 1/2 hours. Granted, we were walking slowly but it was still walking. It was fun to change up the scenery and get in some shopping.

So Close....34 days away!

Last Sunday, we changed up our route a bit and walked about 10.5 miles. The weather was very mild so we could have walked more. It was the first walk since probably April that we haven't been covered in sweat. It was a nice change.

Creepy, Crawly Critters

For some reason today the little critters were out on our walk in force. We saw numerous spiders and kept walking into webs. Ewww! We also saw a couple of frogs, a few little lizards, and one very small snake. Even though it was small, it still gave me the creeps.

We walked for 3 hours before it got too hot. We're still dealing with high humidity and temperatures in the 90s. That makes long distances a chore. It was nice today though because we saw some hot air balloons. The Plano Balloon Festival was this weekend and they launched this morning. Several were very close to us and we had a good view. It was a nice treat for our Sunday walk.

We've both reached our minimum fundraising amount!!!! However, I know we'd both be thrilled to reach our ultimate goal of $2500. Six more weeks to go....

Fundraising

Bree and I had a fundraiser at Chick - Fil - A in Murphy in August the week before school started. We were trying to get in before the schools start their spirit nights. We were both so tired after going back to work. It was still very hot and we both just wanted to go to bed. It turned out to be a fun night. We had great support from our staff members. Many of them hit the drive thru and dropped off their receipts and cash donations. Inside we had people spinning a wheel to win prizes. All of those proceeds went straight to us as cash donations. Bree had some former students come up and help with collecting donations. It was great to see some familiar faces and loving support. The pictures are somewhat of an indication what several months of fundraising will do to you.

Bree's mom has donated a case of her homemade red pepper jelly to us so we can sell it for donations. It is so good! They should sell pretty quickly. I know I plan on buying a few jars myself. Any proceeds from the pepper jelly plus what we made from Chick - Fil - A should put us at goal. We have 10 weeks left before the walk and we both hope to meet our goal of $2500.

Still Walkin'

Ok, so once again I've neglected posting for far too long. August has been a beast~ everyday has been a 100+ temperatures. Our morning lows have started in the 80s. Bree and I have still managed to walk every Sunday, but our mileage hasn't been as high as it should be. The last few Sundays we've only walked between 5 and 6 miles.
The weather is finally back to normal temperatures and our morning lows are in the 70s. That makes a huge difference in our weekly walks. Today we got out and walked 10 miles. Feet, hips, knees are feelin' great. I thought I might be a little sore after decreasing miles and then jumping right back into it. So far, so good.
Our next goal is to start walking double digit miles on Saturday and Sunday. We need to get used to walking back - to - back days on long distances.
Today was about a 3 hour walk and it flew by quickly as usual. We can get a lot of talkin' done in that amount of time and never run out of things to say. So glad we're taking this journey together.

I'm Back

This is the first time since I began training that I've taken a whole week off from walking. I was in Phoenix last week and Bree was in Prague. It was entirely too hot for me to walk in Phoenix. I still went to the gym and did classes, but no walking.
Yesterday morning I walked with my Saturday morning group. I walked 8 miles in a little under 2 1/2 hours. The humidity wasn't bad so it wasn't miserable. I could tell I'd taken a week off. My hips and knees were achy. I put on some Arnicare and was good for the rest of the day.
This morning Bree and I met at 6AM and walked 8 miles as well. So two days back to back have gotten me back into the groove. No soreness at all today and I walked in my new Nikes. They were great...no slipping, squeezing of toes, or rubbing.
Several people stopped us on the trail and asked if we're doing the 3 day. Yes, we usually wear a splash of pink but we're not pink freaks. I was wearing my "In Training" shirt with the pink ribbon, but people are usually so involved in their own walk or run they don't notice. Anyway, the people that stopped us said good job or good luck. It was nice and a good feeling for what we're doing.

OMG!!!

I walked 7 miles this morning in 90% humidity. Not a pretty picture at the end~ I looked as wet as the day we got caught in the rain.

I bought a new pair of tennis shoes yesterday. I tried on numerous pairs of shoes to find a comfy fit. I've read a lot of blogs by people who've walked in the 3 day before. Many of them swear by Asics and New Balance. Neither of those shoes like my feet! The Asics squish my toes on the outer part of my foot. New Balace do weird things to my arches. These worked because they're more rounded at the toe area so I have plenty of room. My Addidas, which I love, are similar and have worked great. I will be breaking in this new pair soon.

Once again I was at the back of the pack, but that's ok. I talked with a really nice lady, Suma, the whole time. She's a doctor as well, so two doctors on the training walk. Anyway, she was really sweet and it made the time go by more quickly then if I just kept to myself. Plus, the walk is about building camaraderie among women. It's nice to have another group to walk with when Bree is out of town.

Branching Out

The last few weeks we've branched out a bit with our walking. Most people have just started training in the past month. The 3 Day sends you a virtual training schedule with the appropriate mileage that you should be walking. Well, because Bree and I started walking in January, we're way ahead of the game. That's good though because the heat slows me down quite a bit.

Well, training walks are now being posted on the message boards left and right. When Bree was in North Carolina, I met with a group and walked 5miles with them. It was very hot but it was good to walk with some veteran walkers. Several of the ladies have done the walk before. So I got to pick their brains for tips and tricks.

Last Saturday, I walked again with the same group of people. We added on an additional mile and there was some light drizzle. I found out that they're all on a team and have trained together before. One of them is a doctor and another lady is an ER nurse. If something were to happen, they'd be good people to know on the walk.

Yesterday morning Bree and I started off our 4th of July with an early morning walk. She found a training walk over on her side of town. We walked from her house to the park where we were meeting everyone. The training walk was only 4 miles and at this point that's a leisurely stroll for us. Our extra walk added on 5 miles, so we ended up walking 9 miles yesterday. We finished in 3 hours which is our normal pace.

Observation from July 4th walk:

Reminded once again that it's a WALK, not a race.

I think it might be time for some new shoes~

Arizona

So I'm here in Arizona visiting my family. I've walked the past two days and plan to walk tomorrow as well. In order to beat the heat here, you have to get up very early. I started my walk at 5:30 this morning and got home around 7:15. By that time it was already pretty warm. It is bright and sunny much earlier here than in Texas. I could walk at 5AM and there'd be plenty of light. The trails are also busy even early in the morning. Everyone is trying to beat the heat and get in some exercise before the triple digits hit.

Memorial Day

We walked 8 miles this morning before it got too hot. We left around 6:30AM and it felt pretty good. I guess a lot of other people had the same idea of beating the heat. The trails were busy with bikers and walkers galore.

Hot, Hot, Hot.....

.....No, I'm not talking about myself and Bree. ;) It is already warm here and it makes training more of a chore.

The last two Sundays we've walked 11 miles. Last week we left around 8:30 and didn't get back until almost 1PM! Luckily, we both wore sunscreen. There were several parts of the trail though that had no shade and we were walking in direct sun. Not fun!

This week we decided to leave an hour earlier to beat the heat. That worked except that it was really humid Sunday morning. There was a little breeze so that made it more bearable. We walked the same distance and mileage. We're getting better about knowing what to wear, when to stretch, and how much to drink. Although, I need to drink more next week if it's still humid.

I know 4 hours seems like a really long time to be walking, but it goes by quickly. We know the trail really well now and I can kind of gage our pace. We're just shy of walking a 3 mph; which is about the right pace. You have to keep in mind we'll be walking behind, in front of, and with THOUSANDS of other walkers. We won't exactly be truckin' it people.

Fundraising is still going on...we both lack donations to meet the minimum. We still have all summer to fundraise. I know we'll make our minimum and hopefully surpass our goal.

Training

Wow! It's been a while since I've posted. I've still been walking, but they've been smaller walks. Bree and I have each had family in town or been out of town, so our Sunday walks are a little out of sync. Next week we should get back on track and get in a nice long walk.

Today was mother's day and Bree was out of town. So, I trained yesterday and today with my four legged training buddy. Coda once again was a great training partner. She kept up with me and didn't try to chase any squirrels. It was only in the 60s today and very cool after some early morning rain. The whole trail smelled like honeysuckle; which I love. We had a nice walk, although it was shorter than I would've liked. Oh well, life happens. I'm planning to get in a few miles each day this week. We have quite a few things going on after school this week so my gym schedule will be off. On those days I still plan to walk, walk, walk.

Soggy Sunday

Last night it rained all night and into the early morning. I was really hoping it would stop so we could get in our miles today. I still haven't invested in a poncho and didn't really want to hold an umbrella the whole time. Luckily by the time we were ready to leave, the rain had moved on. It was still damp, but nice and cool without being muggy.

We added on an additional loop today in order to up our mileage. We walked a total of 12 miles. It took us just a little over 3 hours; which I thought was a pretty good pace. We made our usual pit stop at Starbucks.

The added 2 miles was nothin'. We talked the miles away like usual. I'm very fortunate that Bree knows me so well and understands/accepts me for me. I'm not a morning person. So it takes a few minutes into our walk before I open my mouth. She never questions me or asks me what's wrong. She might be wondering how long it will be before I start communicating like a "normal" person, but she never says anything. I really appreciate her tolerance of that personality quirk. Love ya, Bree.

Milage Update

I know......it's only Monday. I got in 6 miles today; which puts me at 22 miles since Saturday. Who Hoo!!!!

I might need to replace my tennis shoes sooner than expected. :)

I'm a walkin' fool

This weekend was filled with walks. When I wasn't doing a "training walk", I was still walking. Yesterday morning, Bree and I got in another 10 mile walk. This time our pit stop was at Barnes and Noble. We browsed through the books for a few minutes and then got a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

Once I got home Jeff and I decided to head down to Dallas. We had lunch at a great vegan cafe and then went to the farmers' market. It's been awhile since we've been there and it was a nice way to spend an afternoon. We got some yummy fruits and veggies, met a nice rancher to buy meat from, bought some new flowers, and you guessed it WALKED all over the place.

This morning I went walking with Coda for a nice, leisurely 3 miles. She was a good girl as usual. Later in the day Jeff and I went walking for an additional 3 miles. We plan on walking tomorrow after work as well. He's really trying to walk with me as much as possible during the week.

Miles walked this weekend: 16

Soup and Salad Help Save the Tatas!

Today, Good Friday, we had a staff development day at school. A lot of people were bummed because it was initially a day off. Bree and I thought it would be a good idea to provide lunch for anyone who wished to donate. That way they could have a working lunch and avoid the long lines at restaurants. Well, our principal gave a nice little incentive to help us out with our fundraising. She "strongly suggested" that people donate and eat our lunch so they could leave early at 1PM. We were pretty excited about the unexpected plug and our RSVPs doubled.

Bree and I both made soup and salad. Our wonderful teammates made desserts and decorated our table area with a pink tata theme. Everyone was very appreciate of the lunch and seemed to enjoy our cooking. Many people donated more than the requested $5 and that was a GREAT surprise. A lot of the staff members have been super supportive and encouraging. Hopefully some of them will be able to come out when we walk to the cheering stations. It would be nice to see some friendly faces.

10 Miles!

I know that by the time I reach November, ten miles will seem like no biggie. However, today it feels like a great accomplishment! We completed our first ten mile walk today. Feeling great right now.....my hips are a little tight, but nothing painful. No signs of blisters or any chaffing.

We also had a pit stop at Einstein's Bagels. We sat for about 30 minutes, ate a snack, had a potty break, and then finished our walk. Plus, the weather today is gorgeous. Looking forward to adding to our miles in the coming weeks.

Winter Blast to end Spring Break!

Today Bree and I had planned to walk 10 miles and have a pit stop. On the actual walk, you walk about 4 to 5 miles and then have a pit stop. We're trying to get used to doing that as well. Yesterday was in the 30s all day and it's going to be cold again today. We've walked in the cold before; not a big deal. However, this morning I woke up to about 5 inches of snow on the ground.

I know I've walked in the snow before with Coda, but not 10 miles. So, I called Bree and we decided to postpone our first LONG walk until next week.

Over spring break, I did manage to walk most days even if it was only a few miles. The weather was nice and Coda enjoyed it too. So, I did log some miles. Tomorrow is supposed to be 65, so Jeff and I should be able to walk after work.

Singing in the Rain and some walking too....

This morning was overcast and dreary looking, but I set out to Bree's with a mindset to get in a long walk. The weather forecasters all said the rain would be in the afternoon and evening. As soon as we stepped out of Bree's garage, it started to sprinkle. Yep, it's raining. I shrugged it off and kept saying it'll move on or it's just a light sprinkle. For awhile it was a light sprinkle, then it started to pick up quite a bit. We weren't soaked but we definitely had wet spots on our clothes. I'm sure people driving by thought we were crazy. Not once did either of us ever say, "Hey, let's turn back." We just kept walking.

Today we stuck to neighborhoods and sidewalks that went along the major roads. We knew the mileage was still pretty accurate and we didn't have to worry about becoming road kill. Eight miles in the rain with Bree occasionally singing the "Rocky" theme when we went up hills = priceless.

Observations from our walk:

1. The road kill we saw today was brutal.

2. Packing a snack helped a lot!

3. We both need to invest in a poncho.

Miles Logged and Donation Update

Well, this week I didn't walk as many miles as I would've liked. I hurt my hip last Friday and it wasn't feeling back to normal until Wednesday. I only managed to walk 15 miles this week.

Donations have passed the $1,500 mark! I now need to raise less than $1,000 to reach my goal. People have been so generous with their donations!

Today was a beautiful day and nice temperatures. It looks like we might be done with our cold weather walks. Jeff got out and walked with me today. We logged 4 miles and about 500 calories burned. Tomorrow morning I'll be walking with Bree for our normal Sunday walk.

Sunny Sunday Morning

This is the first nice weekend we've had in quite a few weeks. The weather all weekend has been sunny and in the 60s. Yesterday, Jeff and I went walking for about 3 miles. I was hoping to log more miles but had to get home so I could get ready for girls' night out. :)

It was nice not to dress in too many layers this morning. We walked around Bree's side of town and mapped out a pretty good route. It was definitely the most challenging walk we've done to date. We walked 7.6 miles which is the most we've walked at one time. The route also had some hills which was nice to get some cardio going for us. It was probably most like what we'll actually be doing during the real walk as far as traffic, inclines, paved paths, unpaved, etc......

I also learned some lessons today:

1. If we're walking over 6 miles at a time, I need to pack a snack.

2. I need to keep my big toe nails trimmed. My feet feel fine, but my nail rubbed a bit against my shoe.

3. Champion Sports Bras are the best! No rubbing or chaffing even with sweat..... I know that sounds weird, but you have to think about that when you're walking long distances.

4. I need to stretch more before, during, and after our walks. My quads are glutes are very tight. Partly because during Friday's Body Pump class I went down a little too far during squats.

5. People are really in a hurry on Sunday mornings and don't mind getting a little too close to pedestrians!!! Note to those drivers: God doesn't mind if you're a few minutes late to church.

Walking/Window Shopping

Well, another Sunday has rolled around and it's time to walk with Bree. Today was not cold, but it was raining. We decided to go walking in the mall. I know we might have to walk in the rain during the 3 day, but right now I don't want to walk in the rain. So while I have a choice, I think I'd rather walk indoors. Bree met me at Collin Creek along with little Sophia.

The first mall entrance we tried, was locked and the lights were off. Not a great start. We walked up and around the other side of the mall. Luckily the next entrance we tried was open because it was starting to sprinkle quite a bit. It was really weird. We were the only people in the whole mall. It was very quiet and somewhat eerie. Some stores had people inside getting displays set up for the day, but other than that it was just us three girls strollin' in the mall. As we walked we talked, of course, but also did some window shopping. Apparently dresses at some stores are now as short as a long shirt.

Sophia did really well in her stroller and fell asleep after about 20 minutes of Bree and I gabbing. Toward the end she woke up and started getting a little wiggly. She's not too big at this age on staying in the stroller. She'd much rather walk on her own or push the stroller. As usual, Sophia was happy to see me and gave me one of her sweet smiles.

Snow Dog

My dog, Coda, loves the snow. If she could walk in several inches of snow everyday, she would. So, this morning we woke up to a rare seven inches of snow on the ground. That may not seem like much, but at 35 years of age that's the most snow I've seen here in Texas. I bundled up and set out for a walk with Coda. Many places had untouched snow and she was happy to bite at it and then run through it. It was very peaceful and white. We walked a couple of miles and headed home. I'm hoping to get out again tomorrow and walk before it all melts away. Oddly, it wasn't that cold. It was colder three weeks ago when Bree and I walked our first training walk.

Training Week 3

Another chilly Sunday morning, but we got out and walked anyway. This morning, in addition to Bree and myself, Coda joined us. She's a pretty good walkin' buddy when she's in the mood. For a border collie she can be very lazy at times. When the weather is cold, she will walk pretty much however far you want to go. She was glad to have another voice praising her today and would get super excited when she heard Bree's voice. She would take off running and wait for us to catch up to her. Once again, the six miles passed very quickly while we gabbed away. Next week I think it's time to bump it up to eight miles.

Walking, walking, not so much.......

This week has not been very good for walking. It's only the second week of training and already I'm letting things bring me down that shouldn't. That will be something for me to work on and hopefully get past as I continue to train. This week I won't meet my training goal due to rainy weather, work stress, and my bad attitude. :(

Donation Status.......

I passed the $1000 mark today!!!!!!!! So, I've raised that much in a little over a week. My goal was to raise the required amount by the end of February. Anything over the $2300 is just extra money to be spent on research and is above and beyond my goal. Yes, people can be very generous indeed.

Bakin' for the Boobs

I had this bright idea that I would bake cookies for Valentine's Day treats and sell them at school. In theory, this is a GREAT idea! However, now I'm thinking, "Crap, I have to bake at least 12 dozen cookies." Oh well, the money is going to a great cause. It looks like I'll raise close to $100 in donations from the cookies. I bought cute little treats bags at Dollar Tree today to package them in. I think it will be well worth the money.

Frozen Buns

This morning I met Bree at 8:30 to go on a training walk together. We planned on being out about 2 hours; which is not long compared to what we'll be walking later. However, the temperature this morning was 31 degrees with a wind chill in the mid 20s.

We wore several layers of clothes and set off on our walk. It was cold, but after awhile we warmed up. It wasn't really that bad and we chatted the whole time. All in all, we logged 6 miles in two hours.

Walking with Bree

I'm not participating in this walk alone. I'm going to be walking with "my person", Bree. She and I have talked about doing this walk for several years. When I first mentioned it, I wasn't really in the physical shape I wanted to be in to do something like this. When she mentioned it as a goal, she had recently had her first child. Fast forward about 5 years............. Sixty pounds are gone from me and she now has 2 kids and 4 canine kids.

As you can imagine, her training schedule is going to be a lot more challenging than mine. I can basically walk out the door and walk whenever I want. So, this past Tuesday I told her we should walk together before going to body pump class at the gym. She explained that it wouldn't be relaxing and we wouldn't walk very far. I assured her this was fine and I could help wrangle the kids with her.

We left her house with Grayson ( age 5) on his bike and Sophia ( age 2) pushing her baby in a buggy. Well, it was evident pretty quickly that this was going to be a slow walk. Sophia kept pushing her buggy up in people's yards and driveways. On two separate occasions she lost control of the baby buggy and it went into the street as cars were coming. Bree had to stop traffic before the buggy and baby were flattened.

Needless to say, we walk .6 miles in 40 minutes. However, along the way we laughed a lot at the situation and ourselves. That's going to be very important when we're tired, have blisters on our feet, and don't think we can take another step. I'm so GLAD she's going on this journey with me.

1st week of training

Well, this week wrapped up the first week of training and fundraising. The first week was a great start for both. I met my goal of walking 20 miles and I've raised $825. The generosity of people has been overwhelming. That's what will be so great about this journey....seeing the kindness in others and paying it forward.

The Journey Begins........

This whole blogging thing is completely new to me. I wanted a place to document the journey I'll be taking as I prepare for the 3 day walk. I'll be posting about training walks, progress with donations, and other fun tidbits.