Natural refreshment and cleaning

It’s always handy to know a last minute way to clean up stains. Lemons are a quick and unexpected fix for grease stains and more. Georgia mentions in her post http://fruitforalltest.blogspot.com/2007/11/5-reasons-to-go-green-with-lemons.html

How to use lemons in envionmentally friendly and healthy ways. Lemons are also inexpensive.

The blister that wouldn’t leave

I got a blister on my smallest right toe a couple of weeks ago. It might go away on its own I thought. I was wrong. The blister fluid reabsorbed into my skin (ick) and left an extra layer of thick callused skin. Loose, callused skin. Which gave me another blister this weekend. I finally trimmed off the excess skin, since I knew I had another intact layer of skin below it.

Back to Back

This weekend I’ll be walking 17 miles on Saturday and 18 miles on Sunday. This is what is known as a “back to back” among 3-Day walkers. Saturday is also fund raiser day. I’ll be at the Wal-Mart on the corner of Bells Ferry road and Towne Lake from 11am – 2pm. I think this will be the peak time to promote Breast Cancer awareness. Also, I’ll need that time to recover from my long walk earlier in the morning.

I’m hoping to be out the door walking by 6am.  But wait, you’re saying, that’s only four hours. Well, I may just walk 12 miles (3 hours roughly) and then do the rest later that evening. The walk itself will be at a pretty slow pace. It’s the cumulative miles throughout the day that are important. And not having monster blisters at the end of it.

Sweet 17

Seventeen miles. Whenever I read a book like The Fellowship of the Ring where the characters are walking 10 to 15 miles a day, I never realized how  difficult it would actually be. 15 miles down a city street is a long way. 15 miles cross country through brambles, over roots, and up mountains is much worse.

Most people don’t walk two miles a day. Seventeen is clearly unusual unless you have no other form of transportation and live in a big city. It took me two sessions of about 2 1/2 hours each to walk the miles. The distance I can travel in a car in 17 minutes on a highway took me five hours on foot.

I feel really good about it, it’s a big accomplishment in my training plan. I now know I can handle the 20 miles a day during the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk. I do hope there is plenty of food. I’m just as fond of my ‘elevensies’ and tea-time as any hobbit.

Dusty Shoes

You’ve just walked four grueling miles up and then down a rocky mountain trail. Shoes and socks covered in gritty orange dust, you hobble towards your car, anticipating a big lunch as a reward. The car doesn’t start. The dome light doesn’t even come on. You are 2 miles up a mountain away from a main road, which is again at least 15 miles of asphalt and occasional gravel from the nearest town. Did I mention two children under age 8 and two half empty water bottles?

So you wait for the car batter to charge up enough to start the car, meanwhile hoping that one of the adventurers on Rhinos or 3- wheelers who passed you on the mountain comes back to the parking lot. Huddling in the shade by a National Forest Service sign post, you debate whether to call the auto service to jump start the car or just wait it out.

Eventually a loud, friendly man and his son charge into the clearing on a bright red Rhino. The man smiles as he grabs a pair of jumper cables out of his truck and jump starts the car with the Rhino. You are on your way, vowing to be better prepared in the future.

13 miles and no regrets

This was my first long distance training walk with other 3-Day walkers. I walked with  members of Team Heart & Soul, a group of women out of Marietta, Georgia. I even met one woman who lives in the same town I do. Hopefully we can get together for several training walks in the future.

We walked thirteen miles in a big loop in Acworth. Many of the women were preparing for their first 3-Day. Karin, the walk leader was gearing up for her 6th. They veteran walkers had a lot of great advice to share.

3- Day Tips:

• Bananas & Jiff Peanut Butter to go packs make a great quick snack.
• Stretch at the traffic lights while you wait
• Drink water. Repeat. and Again.
• Stretching in public is not as embarrising in a large group
• Wear clothes that wick unless you want heat rash
• Bring along extra powder, socks, and ointment for feet
• Eat when you’re hungry.
• Talking makes the walk go by faster

I had a great time and met some fun, sincere women on a mission. I feel a lot more confident about the upcoming walk.

The unbearable lightness of reaching a fund raising goal

It’s official! My fund raising goal of $2200 for the Breast Cancer 3-Day has been reached. I had a yard sale this weekend, which gave me a great excuse to get rid of a lot of stuff cluttering up my house. I didn’t do much advertising, several online sites including the fantabulous Craigslist. I made a huge pink sign to go near my mailbox, since I live on main street in a small town.

The turn out was really good. Even my husband was amazed. I was surprised that more people didn’t jump at the kids clothes and shoes. The kid’s movies and novels were snapped up pretty quick though. I met several people who had family members also in the 3-Day, and/or were survivors of Breast Cancer.

It is a great feeling to know I have really reached my goal and can now focus on training. It has been really hard the last couple of weekends to be motivated to do any walking at all. The heat and humidity are horrible. I managed a short walk this afternoon, not anywhere near my goal of 13 miles, but I decided since I walk several miles a day anyway, it would be OK. There is a walker who has training walks early on Saturday mornings. I may try to join her next Saturday. My husband asked me was I really going to get up at 5am to walk. Hey, at least it will be cooler and I’ll get the walking done first thing, so it isn’t over my head all day.

On Stretching

When training to walk 20 miles a day over 3 days, the actual walking is very important. Preparing your body by stretching is just as important. There are many simple stretches that can be done to increase flexibility, stretch warm muscles, and soothe sore muscles. Many stretches take their cues from yoga.

It is best to stretch with warm muscles, but there are several stretches that can be done before any physical activity.

Full body stretch: Lay down on the ground with your feet together and arms stretched above your head, also together. Pull your belly button in and breathe in and out for 20 seconds.

Evil leg stretch: Stand up, legs together, and bend your knees as if about to sit down. lean over and grab the tips of your toes with your hands. Now try to straighten your legs. You will feel the pull on the back of the legs. Unless you are very flexible, you probably won’t be able to completely straighten your legs.

Arms as the sun: Stand up, raise your arms above your head, and weave your fingers together, turning your palms up skyward. Press upward for 20 seconds.

Hangdog: Stand up, then bend over at the waist, letting your arms drop as far as they will go towards your toes. This will stretch your back.

Please consult your doctor before any exercise.

Too Darn Hot

The heat index has been over 100 for the past week. The combined high temperatures and humidity make training outdoors completely miserable. I have been working out as much as possible during lunch. I am hoping extra milage on the stationary bike will help make up for my lack of walking miles over the weekend.

Heat exaustion builds and can affect people very quickly. When your face feels very hot, and your heart rate goes up, it is time to take a break, stretch, and drink some water. Walk with a buddy when temperatures are high, and in public places if possible. Alternatives to the outdoors include indoor environments like the ever popular Mall. Walking in the early evening or even after dusk with a buddy are also alternatives to walking outside during the day.

Drink well. Drink at least one bottle of water every mile, alternate that with a sports drink if walking more than 2 miles. Make sure there is a restroom on the route for frequent breaks from drinking all that water. The mall is looking better and better, huh?

Almost at the goal

It is a great feeling to be almost at my fund raising goal. I am planning to continue fund raising up to the date of the walk. The next big fund raiser will be at the Bell’s Ferry Wal-Mart in Woodstock, Georgia. I will have pink rubber bracelets and key chains as well as free educational materials.

Fund raising takes a lot of time. The organizing, making calls, filing paperwork, preparing signs and materials… all this work has to be done above and beyond any time actually spent talking to the public.  I do not get paid or reimbursed for my expenses. It is all part of sharing and creating awareness of Breast Cancer.

Now I will be able to focus more of my attention on training. My mileage for weekend walks is increasing steadily. It typically takes about 2 hours on a Saturday for me to reach my walking goal for the day. Soon it will be three, then four hours.  If I had to spend more time focused solely on fund raising, I would be in bad shape for the walk. So, if you are doing a walk or other athletic activity for a charity, get as much of the fund raising done as early as possible.