Saturday morning walk

I just finished walking 11.5 miles! It's the farthest I have ever knowingly walked and it was not nearly as tough as I would have thought - even when I realized my last mile was up and down hills!

According to my calculations, I burned 1400 calories - that's more than I eat in a day!

I played with a couple of apps on my phone - Walkjogrun and iTreadmill. Both are good individually, but together are just a big mess of annoying.

Maybe most people can rely on just one, but not me. I was following someone's route on Walkjogrun and wasn't familiar with each turn so I had to keep reloading the app to track it - and ended up losing the route. Finally, I just decided to walk by time rather than a tracked route and turned my 10-mile training walk into 11.5 . I need to find an app with a route planner AND a pedometer.

Also, I've discovered that 32 ounces isn't nearly enough water for long walks. I came home and researched Camelbaks only to find they cost $50!

The weather on my walk was perfect - a gentle breeze carried me the entire way and made it so that I barely felt my sweat at all. It was pretty awesome taking my training out of the gym and into the real world.

I saw many urban animals and beautiful homes I've never seen before. I even found a few shops that I plan to visit later! All in all, I'd say it was a lovely way to spend a quiet Saturday morning.

The big brunch that followed was even better!

Don't tread on what?

In order to fit in a five-mile walk today, I had to go to the gym super early. In fact, I was so early the gym wasn't even open yet!

At first I started to panic - I have every minute planned out because things are so busy and I didn't have time to waste 30 minutes. Luckily, logic popped in pretty quickly.

Hello, you're just here to walk. You can do that anywhere!

So I did. For 20 minutes until the gym opened I walked the parking lot and really did enjoy the breeze that surrounded me. Not a fan of the stares, but I was able to block those out.

Then, once the gym opened, I hopped on the treadmill and noticed something immediately. Time drags on the treadmill!

Prior to today, I wasn't really looking forward to tackling Saturday's 10-mile walk sans treadmill, but it's kinda nice to just turn on the iPod (audio books rock!) and not constantly be thinking about how far you've gone or how long the walk has been.

I haven't picked my route yet, but I think it should end somewhere greasy! I know I'll be starving after a ten mile walk!

Why I'm doing this

I've been struggling for months with how to explain why I am participating in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. To stress to friends and family why I have chosen to train for months in order to walk 60 miles for charity and raise money for a wonderful cause. Finally, I've found the words.

Kevin and I have been dating more than two and a half years and we have seen each other through many difficult times. But when Kevin called me and said, "My mother has breast cancer," I was, for the first time in my life, speechless.

What do you say to your boyfriend when he calls with such terrible news? I asked for any information he had and I prayed the right words would come. We talked about what the doctors told his mom and what would happen next.

This was last December. She has had surgery and is undergoing chemotherapy and, although there have been a few setbacks, she is doing well.

The week we found out that Carol was sick, I felt helpless and afraid - I am a fixer, but I couldn't fix her. I don't have a lot of money, and I can't find a cure for cancer, but I found out that there was something that I could do to help. I saw an ad for the Susan G. Komen event and decided that spending 6 months training for the 60-day walk was the least I could do.

There are times when the training is tough - when my feet and ankles hurt so badly I can barely stand it, but then I think about Carol and the sickness she feels after each round of chemotherapy. I think about Kevin and the desolation in his voice as he said those fateful words, "My mother has breast cancer."

I think about others who have heard those words, or said those words, and I find a new stride. I keep walking and praying that someday we can beat this terrible, terrible illness.

It's been tough to fit fundraising and training into my schedule but I'm doing the best I can. Finals set me back a bit, but now that summer is here, I'm back to my training regimen.

I'll be honest, I feel uncomfortable sharing Carol and Kevin's story. Kevin didn't tell many people, and if you are his friend, this is probably news to you. He isn't comfortable with the attention, but it's important that his friends know what he's been dealing with this year. He knows that I have written this and am sharing it.

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure is only 3 months away and I am walking in Carol's name. To do so, I need to raise $2300. It's important to me that I represent Carol and Kevin to the best of my abilities and I need your help.

You can support them and the cause by making a donation. Just go to The3Day.org, click Donate Now, and enter my name to search for my personal fundraising page.

Thank you!

Back on track

Thanks to finals, I had to take a 4-week hiatus from my training - but I'm back on the treadmill, baby!

My summer schedule has really opened up a big time slot for me to train and I was in the gym after classes yesterday, trying to get back on track. I went 3.19 miles to get my muscles used to all the movement again and am going back for 4 miles today. Tomorrow will be 6 miles and I will walk through the weekend too. Next week I hope to jump to the Week 11 recommendation from the 16-week training schedule.

I can't believe the walk is in 3 months!