Oookay....

Christmas decorations at the mall. The week before Halloween. Urp. Ok, it's pretty, and I like Christmas decorations a lot. But in OCTOBER?? Yeah, yeah, it's November now but they went up last week. Even I think that's a bit much. Thank goodness they're not playing the music yet. That'd just be too much.

Walked to go vote yesterday. Didn't have nearly the line I thought I was going to. It wasn't half bad. A couple miles there and back. Plus some housework, and up and down the stairs a few times.

Steps: 6982

Back at it

Ok, a month is a long enough break. I'm back at the mall-walking; it's just too darned cold to walk outside, especially since most of my walking pants stop several inches above the ankle (side note - I forsee a trip to the thrift shop in the near future). So...back to the mall it is. Lots of old friends there - several people said hello and a couple actually went so far as to ask my name and give me theirs. Nice.

I've set myself a goal of fifteen miles a week. It's doable. Heck, I did fifteen miles in a DAY on the 3-Day, so I'm good. It's ambitious but not so much that it's not achievable. And if it gets to be too easy, it's a simple thing to add a lap or so a week. One lap is one mile, at the mall. Easy-peasy.

Things to remember:

You didn't get this heavy overnight, you won't get thin overnight.

You feel GOOD when you walk. Keep it up.

When you get out of bed in the morning, put the walking shoes on. Just do it. You'll be more likely to go to the mall if you don't have to go home to get the shoes on.

DON'T LOOK AT THE MANNEQUINS. Nobody looks like that. Even the clothing designers don't think so; the dresses are all pinned up in the back on those things. Nobody's built like the mannequins.

Am I the only one who thinks that's weird???


Steps: 6421

Lessons learned for next year

BRING A JACKET. Mornings are cold, and you don't start to walk (and therefore get warm) right away

Train more. And then some more.

Label. Everything.

Accept help when it's offered.

It's not cheating to ride the sweep van.

It IS possible to limp on both legs.

It is not possible to stretch too often.

Moleskin is a gift from the gods.

Sports medicine doctors and therapists who volunteer for this event should be canonized.

The trick to using the port-a-potties is to back into it - don't look.

A good cheering station is as energizing as a ten-minute rest.

A welcome mat for in front of the tent is a very good thing.

Fifteen miles equals almost 34,000 steps.

What a weekend

Wow. Words just can't describe it. The most amazing weekend I've had in a very long time. This posting is going to be rather stream-of-consciousness, so just read. It's all good.

The sense of community...no, more like family...that I had all weekend was huge. Everyone was so friendly, so warm, so together. Anyone that needed help got it right away. Strangers doing things for each other - grabbing towels for someone who forgot one in the shower, getting drinks when someone's hands were full in the food line, handing out tubes of lip balm that they had brought on purpose just to share, things like that. It was great.

The Romeo high school boys sports teams deserve huge thanks. They came to help set up tents, they carried food for people from the dinner line to the tables after Saturday's walk, they walked around with pitchers of water and gatorade for people, they just generally made themselves so incredibly useful. They're going to get tons of letters from people, I just know it.

The people in the communities we walked through came out in huge numbers. Especially the city of Plymouth. Wow. There was a cheering station in Plymouth that was supposed to be a block long...it was closer to a mile. Solid shoulder-to-shoulder people clapping, cheering, whistling, handing out candy and water and stickers and hugs. It was overwhelming, and I wasn't the only one to be in tears through that stretch.

Silly crazy me, aching feet and sore knees and all, signed up for next year. Wow. Am I nuts? Yep. Crazy bold, crazy beautiful.

Our promise: A world without breast cancer.

Into the home stretch...

...and I'm starting to pack. Walked today with my waist pack packed with the stuff I'm going to walk with next week. And omigosh, if you understood that sentence you must be as sleepy as I am. Yikes.

I've come a long way. Not as much, I'll admit, as I wanted. I thought I would have lost a lot more weight by now. I wasn't as intense as I could be, I admit it. But I already know I want to walk again next year. Which is kind of scary because I know I'll need to fundraise, again...and I haven't gotten everything yet that I need for THIS year's walk and it's only a week away. I've got a few weeks after the walk to raise the difference but it's a little scary, because I've committed to pay the balance if I don't have it by then. More yikes.

So...a week from right now I'll be getting back home from taking my son to my mom's for the weekend. I'll fall into bed, because the car WILL be packed and ready to go. I'm getting up at o-dark-thirty next Friday; I have to be all the way across town and ready to go at six a.m. Eep. That's worse than a Yikes.

Steps today: 8,692

Well, so again I fell off the blog-wagon....

...I don't know what'll make me remember this. I was doing so well for a while.

Been walking, that's not the problem. Walked every day last week except Friday. Well, of course I walked on Friday, just not an actual training walk. Going to be picking up some cans 'n' bottles today...I put out flyers on Thursday asking for people's returnables for a fundraiser.

Speaking of which, I think I might have a donor who's going to make up the last bunch of money I need, which would be absolutely HUGE. The way this guy sounded the last time I talked to him, I really think he might make up everything that I don't have. I sure hope so, because I don't have $1500 to donate, that's for sure.

Lots of running around, housework, walking up and down porch steps today, but no training walk. Back to it tomorrow - going to go four miles tomorrow for SURE. I have been able to maintain 18-minute miles during my training walks...which means 20-minute miles all day should be a piece o' cake. Keep your fingers crossed, gentle readers, I'll keep posting.

Busy day...

...but no walking outside. Just what I do in the normal course of day-to-day activity. Which, today, was pretty busy. Housework isn't half-bad when it comes to crosstraining. But oy, is it humid, and tomorrow's supposed to be warmer than today. But then, thank heavens, it's supposed to cool off for a while.

Going to walk in the morning with my sister. She wants to, so I'm not feeling guilty about dragging her out of bed. I'm going to be there at eight. If she's not there by quarter after I'm going to start without her. We've walked this trail before...or, should I say, we've tried. There are more mosquitoes per square inch on that trail than anywhere else in the WORLD, I think. So, I got the heavy-duty, industrial-strength insect repellent. The stuff that hunters use to repel everything from midges to pterodactyls. If this stuff doesn't work, we're finding a new spot, because the skeeters were so bad we couldn't finish last time.

Cross yer fingers. Will report back tomorrow.

New milestone!

SIXTEEN MINUTE mile!!! Omigosh, this is huge.

When I started this venture, way back in February, I was walking a mile in about twenty-five minutes. Today, I walked the first mile in SIXTEEN. Yes, I was pushing it a bit. I can maintain 20-minute miles all day, though, and that's the pace that they recommend for the Walk.

Went about four miles today. Not bad.

On my way back up my block I was greeted by this small-ish black Labrador mutt. She was very friendly, sniffing around my shoes and wagging her tail. I was talking to her owners and they told me she'd had puppies less than a month ago. They brought out a couple of them...they were so cute!! Lab/husky mix...one of the puppies was solid black, and the other was labrador-shaped but had husky markings. Adorable!

Today's steps: 8,691

It's getting easier

I want to be able to maintain 20-minute miles on the Walk. I've been able to manage that for increasingly longer stretches of time - I did it for most of the nine miles I did the other day. So this is good.

Today was pouring rain and warm. Miserable. So out came the yoga DVD. Not half-bad, and really good cross-training.

Progress!

Walked almost nine miles yesterday. Took about three hours, and I don't think I've EVER been so glad to see my car in my entire life. But I toughed it out, and I'm really proud of myself. I have to think of this walk in chunks - if I think of it as sixty miles I'll never be able to face it. But everyone I've met that has done this walk before tells me to think of it in three-mile chunks. That's the space between rest points on the actual event. So I just have to think of it as a whole bunch of three-mile walks.

But the progress is great...A few months ago, if I'd tried to walk nine miles I would have been flattened for a week. Now, less than 24 hours after finishing the walk, my knees don't even hurt. How amazingly cool is that?

And my time is improving. I wouldn't have been able to sustain 20-minute miles, not very long ago. I'm aiming to be able to sustain 20-minute miles for the entire walk. If I can do that, I'll be able to walk the whole thing. I know, I know, use the sweep van if I need to, and I will. I am just trying to train enough to not need to. :)

Nine miles. Wow. Nine. Miles.

Is it bad to be this proud of myself? :D

thoughts on habits

I've heard that it takes two weeks to replace a habit with a new habit. But what if you had a habit and drop it and then try to get it back? I think it takes longer than two weeks.

Walked again today. Found some nice routes through my neighborhood. Not driving to get to the walking is a good thing, with $4.00/gallon gas, nowhutImean, Vern? Three miles. It doesn't seem like a lot. But when I consider where I started, I know that even if I do nothing but walk three miles every day between now and September I'm going to be a lot better off than if I hadn't.

Short post tonight, it's late and I'm sleepy.

Step count: 7,251

Oh. My. Gosh.

Do my knees ever hurt. But I feel better than I have in quite some time.

I walked my longest training walk yet today - six miles. Yikes. It doesn't sound like a lot, particularly when I realize that the actual event will be ten times that long (talk about yikes), but it's an accomplishment. It was a struggle at first; the first couple of miles were tough. About at the 2.5 mile mark, I hit what's known as "The ZONE"....I felt like I could walk to the moon at that point.

Well, along about the five-mile point, I was fading fast. Running out of gas, big-time. I toughed it out, thanks to the fact that I did have a walking partner today (thanks, Barry!) and had done a proper training walk for the first time. A proper training walk, you ask? I'll tell you: a proper training walk includes pit stops at the same approximate intervals as the actual walk, as well as some resting and stretching and rehydrating. Thanks to the Burger King in Royal Oak I was able to refill the water bottle, and even add some ice. Boy, did that feel nice. Although I had to giggle that I rattled as I walked for the next half-hour or so.

Looking back, I can really see that I've made progress. I've come so far; it hasn't been that long since I would not have been able to walk six miles, let alone feel this good afterwards. Yes, my knees hurt, but they're going to be just fine in the morning. And so will I.

Step count: OMG, 12,010!!!

Probably walking without a parnter for a while...

My previous walking buddy doesn't want to walk inside :( I don't want to walk outside when it's hot and humid; it'll just make me want to quit faster.

So, back to the mall it was today. Did four fast miles, and then went grocery shopping. Took a few minutes to work the kinks out after I had walked four miles then sat in the car for a few minutes.

BUT...compared to the first few days I walked, when I couldn't even get out of the car afterwards, this is a huge improvement. I'm making progress, I can feel it! My knees are getting better and it's even easier to do stairs. I'm not pushing it on the stairs thing. But it's nice to be able to do them when I have to.

Step count: 9251!

No more Slacker

No more excuses. I have to keep this up; that's the whole point. If I don't document this stuff I let myself slide on all of it, so I'm not going to do that anymore.

Been walking outside, which is really great. Great, that is, until it gets to be NINETY degrees outside, which it is going to be today. Ugh. I always say that I'd rather be too warm than too cold, and it's true, but it's kind of like the choice between a sprained ankle and a root canal. I'd really most prefer to not have either extreme. But if it has to be one or the other, I'll take hot. I'm just not going to walk in it; I'll hit the mall again and walk inside.

I suppose I should train some for heat, since odds are fairly good that in September in Michigan it could be pretty warm. I hope it's not, of course, but it could be. I think that just training at all is a good thing, and I'll leave the weather to the gods.

Ok. No step count today, but when I walk again I'll post it. Today's a cross-training day, so out comes the yoga DVD.

GOT to do better than this...

Ten days since my last post. Why do I feel like I should be in a confessional here? I've got to get out and walk around the block, at least. I can't count on being able to walk at the mall every day from now till September; I've kind of got to pay the bills between now and then. Can't walk at the mall when I"m supposed to be at work at eight.

I'll figure it out. Just as soon as I catch up on my sleep.

Slacking, shoes, and childcare, oh my!

Oops. I knew this was going to happen. If I got a day job I'd have a hard time finding time to walk...and it has happened. I want a day job, don't get me wrong, but I really need to figure out a way to do some serious walking. I don't know how long this job is going to last but if they offer me something permanent I'm not going to turn it down. Paying the mortgage is kind of important, yanno?

Since kids under 16 aren't allowed on the walk or on officially sponsored training walks, I'll need to find something to do with him when I do those things. His dad is great about stepping up and helping, but he lives far enough away that I feel a bit funny about asking for his help. But childcare is going to be an issue, because I *am* going to do some official training walks.

On the other hand...a note about shoes. I had sneakers I was walking in, and they were comfortable. For about four miles. Then my feet would start to hurt and my legs would start to hurt and my back would start to hurt and my...well, you get the picture. I had planned all along to get some serious walking shoes. Actually, the 3-Day organizers recommend running shoes. They're a little lighter, and the "return" is better. The "return" is the "bounce" that you get from the sole...in other words, more "return" is more of the energy of your stride returned to your leg. It made sense when the shoe store employee explained it.

So anyway, I had been looking at shoes. OhmyGOSH are they expensive. I found a pretty great pair at The Walking Company...for two hundred fifty dollars. Since I'm going to buy two pairs for sure and maybe three, that was just out of the question. Talk about yikes. Well, AWSO and I were walking around Traverse City yesterday, when what do I see but a running store. No, the store wasn't going anywhere, silly. We went inside because I'd been wanting to buy some socks - there are actually special socks for distance walking and running. They're made of a material that pulls the moisture away from your feet, and they're cushioned, which help prevent blisters. Some of them even have arch support, which is something I need.

So, we went into this store so I could look for socks. They actually had socks with pink ribbons embroidered on them, which seemed kind of neat, so I looked for a pair or six in my size. No luck, so I picked up a pair of small ones and went to the counter to ask about a different size. Got to chatting with the person who worked there, and I asked about shoes. Long story short (TOO LATE!!) I walked out of there with a pair of the most comfortable walking shoes I have ever worn. And...get this....NINETY BUCKS. Not only that, but she gave me ten percent off because I am a 3-Day participant.

How cool is that?? Pretty cool, I think :)

Problem child...

I know everybody has bad days sometimes but this was just ridiculous. I cut the walk kind of short this morning because I hadn't had anything to eat beforehand and I started to get a bit dizzy. Eek. So I figured I'd stop by the bakery and get a scone and a coffee and figure out what to do with the day...when I get a call from the babysitter. The sprout is being a major PITA so I had to go get him. Argh. So then I had a day of him trying to argue me into letting him use the computer and his DS, when he knows perfectly well that if I have to pick him up from school or the sitter's because he's misbehaving, those are the first things to go. So...spent the day with a headache and not enough steps. Bleh. I try to be patient but it's just not easy sometimes.

I missed Monday's. Not going to post them; AWSO gets a freebie if I forget to post in here. Gotta say, he walked an amazing amount today. In keeping with his wishes not to make this a competition, I won't post how far he went but he definitely deserves a pat on the back :D <3

Steps: 7421

Slacking off

Kind of a lazy weekend, but it was nice. Didn't really concentrate much on walking at all. Back to the grindstone on Monday, for sure.

Took the kid to the zoo on Friday, which was a good walk. We went a few miles, going around the exhibits. I need to walk outside more, and I will once it's not arctic out there anymore. The 3-Day won't be inside, but it also won't be snowing (please, gods). Walking at the zoo will be a great way to train - there are a few hills and the terrain can be varied, at least when they haven't repaired the paths in a while. Besides, it's nice to see the animals. I could watch those prairie dogs for hours :)

Friday's step count: 10,214

Yay! Made it today!

Well, despite being scolded by a near-total stranger at the mall ("You need to go around once more! Your walking partner would have gone around again!"), I made five figures today, yippeee!!

It's surprising how much you can observe about people just from this kind of interaction. I'm sure he was well-intentioned, but it bugs me. There are a few other people that I am sort of getting to know, too - there's a pair of men that argue politics at the tops of their lungs the whole time they're walking. There's another pair of men that talk hockey the whole time. Wonder what they'll do for the two days between seasons. There's a woman who yaks nonstop about her grandchildren, and a couple who just walk way too fast to even talk. I get smiles and nods from most of these people now, and it's nice.

Steps today: 10,165! Yay!

Actually looking forward to this....

I'm actually looking forward to walking tomorrow. Up till now, it's been mainly a chore, although I do enjoy it while I'm actually doing it, and it feels good all day afterward. I'm seeing actual results now. I don't get sore like I did the first few days. The joints are not protesting nearly as much. I have walking acquaintances at the mall that are noticing I'm walking better, too. I didn't expect this much in the way of results this soon, so it's great.

Took Wednesday off, as usual. Dumb computer went wonky as I was posting Tuesday night's blog, but the step count was 9585. I'm going to do 10K tomorrow if I have to keep walking all day.

Catching up from the weekend

Walked with AWSO at the mall on his side of town on Saturday. No need to post step count for him to match; when we walk together he matches distance instead. Besides, I forgot to look so I don't know what it is.

Sunday was kind of a slow day, at least in the morning. No walking, at least nothing official. I walked around Ann Arbor after meeting some friends, which was great. I was noticing that I walked for blocks and blocks and didn't get tired or footsore. That's a terrific change - it's nice to see improvements like that. I can't really see a difference yet, but I can sure feel one.

Three quick hard laps of my mall today. It's getting nicer outside, so soon it'll be walking outside. Which is a good thing; the 3-Day won't be indoors, so I need to be used to walking outside on different kinds of terrain and in different kinds of weather. This is Michigan, after all; I could experience anything from 30 degrees to 90 degrees when walking at the end of September...anything from rain to snow to brilliant sunshine. And all in one day, most likely.

Step count: 9886 (so close!)
Pounds lost: 6 (10 total!! Yay! Double digits!!)
Inches lost: nothing noticeable this week (.5 total)

Don't know why...

...there's no sun up in the...oh, sorry, got off on a tangent there.

Happy Pi day! (3.14)

No, what I don't know is why I can't seem to get back up to that magic 10,000 step mark. Today's was close, but no banana.

Step count: 9767

Getting there...

Love walking to Gershwin. That five bucks was probably the best I've spent on a CD in a while. "Rhapsody in Blue" and "An American in Paris" together total thirty-four minutes, which is enough for a full lap around the mall and about a quarter of the next.

I'm starting to see results, too. Not just on the scale and the measuring tape, but I *feel* different. I'm not getting as sore after the walks, and my knee is really starting to improve. Five miles is still a challenge. When five miles gets to be a walk in the park, that'll be a milestone. But the "activity-avoidance" mindset I was in for so long is slowly going away. I look forward to situations where I can add a few steps. I don't mind parking at the far end of the lot and walking. It's really rather nifty.

Step count: 9872. Five figures tomorrow, for sure.

MP3 player

Wow, what a great invention. And $5 CDs with my favorite music...bonus! Spent fifteen minutes ripping the music from the CDs and loading it on my player, and I have company for my walk. My erstwhile walking partner seems to have deserted me. *shrug* Oh well, he's not required to check in with me.

Step count: 9436 (got to get back up to five figures....)

Outta my Monday moanin' mind...

Wonky computer + sleepy me = late post. Monday's stats:

Step count: 9214

Ugh, birthday cake

It's been my downfall this weekend. Thank goodness "cake" birthdays only come around every few years. We have parties only for milestone birthdays - one, five (heaven only knows how this got to be a milestone but it's a tradition in my family), ten, thirteen, sixteen, and twenty-one. After twenty-one, he's on his own (the child for whom the birthday party was tossed this weekend).

I suppose that a couple of hours of chasing after five tweens at Dave & Busters counts as a workout. I sure hope so, because I took it easy today. Saturday was the party, and I was exhausted after we got home. Thanks again to AWSO for putting up with that - I know it's not your favorite thing, love, so I really appreciate it. I bet you're as thankful as I am that it's a rare thing.

Going to count Saturday's step count, since I wore the pedometer. Didn't even so much as put on a pair of socks today, let alone shoes, so this is my day off. Looks like that's going to be the schedule - Wednesdays and Sundays off. I think I'll try to resurrect my yoga DVDs on at least one of those days.

Step count for Saturday: 4,215

Just the stats, Ma'am

Too tired to write...

Steps taken: 11,981

Best day yet!

Nice long walk today! Four times around the mall - all the way around this time, none of this "nope, not going up those stairs again". Four full laps, for what I think might just be the first time.

Got a great waist pack. I've been walking with it the last few days. It's nice to have the water with me, and not feel like I'm slowing my walking partner(s) down by stopping at the drinking fountain.

Other progress too....I remembered to post here while I was in the shower, instead of waiting till 3:30 a.m.! Yay.

Steps taken: 12,811!

I think I need more than two days between days off...

Took today off. The snow was nearly hip-deep, and the kidlet had a snow day. Wasn't going anywhere today.

We had an orientation meeting last night. There were about fifteen or so women there - which is in no way indicative of the number of people who will be at the walk. They gave some statistics. Over the six years that the walk has been held, there has been something like $295,000,000 (yes, two hundred ninety-five MILLION dollars) raised for breast cancer research. There have been 92,000 people who have walked a total of 4.9 million miles for this.

There are two different kinds of volunteers - walkers and crew. The crew are the people who make the whole thing happen; picking up trash and handing out water and manning the sweep buses and helping pitch tents. It takes about four hundred crew members to put one of these things together. Crew members, unlike walkers (who commit to raising $2,200 each) do not have to raise anything. Well, the Michigan crew, last year, collectively raised $110,000. How cool is that?

The Better Business Bureau has a standard that they set for charities to meet in order to receive a nod of approval from the BBB. The charity must use no more than 35% of the money collected for administrative purposes - in other words, 65 cents out of every dollar must go directly to the beneficiaries of the charity. The Susan G. Komen for the Cure has its own internal standard of no more than 25% of the money going for administrative costs. This is just the standard - in practice, the Foundation does even better than that. Over the last few years, the organization has maintained a level of eighty-two cents out of every dollar going directly to the beneficiaries. Most of the money funds research, although there are some local organizations that benefit.

The meeting was terrific. They talked about how the walk would work - opening ceremonies, and the walk itself, and the pit stops, and cheering stations. There was a video that they showed of people on the walk and in camp and at the opening and closing ceremonies...there was not a dry eye in the place.

I'm really excited about all of this, and I can't wait to meet more of these people. Some of the walkers are men. About 1-2% of breast cancer cases also occur in men - it is not exclusive to women. One of the people at the meeting last night, in fact, lost her grandfather to the disease.

It hasn't always been easy, even so far. There have been a couple of times when I said to myself, "Ok, who am I kidding? There's no way I'll ever be able to do this." This is by far the biggest physical undertaking I've ever attempted. I'm not a runner, not a marathoner (in fact, I've met marathoners who say that people who do the 3-Day are nuts). But sitting there in that meeting last night, I knew I wasn't going to give up. I'm going to see this through, if I don't walk again afterward for a month.

But hey, if anyone knows a massage therapist in the Detroit area that would be willing to donate a couple hours' massage on the day after I finish this, I sure wouldn't turn it down

Step count today: Nothing. Not counting it.

Yesterday's was 7415

Took Sunday off

And felt pretty good walking today. Not sure what that means.

The official 3-Day training schedule - which starts 24 weeks before the event - lists walking on four days of the week: Tuesday, Thursday, and both weekend days. Crosstraining on Weds & Fri, and Mondays off. The only trouble with that is, I'm not sure that only walking four days a week will give me sufficient endurance. I'm not going really hard yet. Four miles today, and I still got the knee pain. I'm not going to give up on this; it hasn't been long enough yet to really make a difference. I think this is one of those days where I just feel like I'm fooling myself, and I'll never be able to do this. Can't let it get me down, though. I knew days like this would happen. It's ok, I'll get a good night's sleep and attack it again tomorrow.

Steps taken: 10,762
Pounds lost 2 (4)
Inches lost .5 (.5)

Numbers in parentheses are running totals.

Am I just a creature of habit?

Or was there something different about today? Walked a different mall and it seemed SO much longer. It wasn't the company - I'd rather walk with AWSO than anyone else. Maybe it was because it was all one level, and not broken up into different stages like my usual spot. In my usual spot, there are three different sections to go through to make up a mile. Maybe that's why something that's all one level seemed like so much more.

Didn't need any motrin today, yay!

Oh, and big thanks to the wonderful folks at Marr Haven sheep farm in Allegan, Michigan. She gave me a discount on supplies to make items to sell for my fundraising! If you spin, knit, felt, crochet, or locker-hook, check out her website (www.marrhaven.com) - she's got a great selection and she ships!

Steps today: 9505 (uhoh, slacking off!)

Now I know why I walk so early at the mall...

Because it's hard to walk when there are a million people just standing around. Getting to the mall to walk before it opens is a great thing. No distracting shops (the windows can be a bit diverting, though) and all the other people that are there are also there to walk. Everybody goes the same direction (wonder who decided it should be counterclockwise? I wonder if it's just instinctive to go to the right?) and it works really well.

Today, though, there was a big event at the mall that started before it opened for business. A local radio talk show host has a "radiothon" that benefits the Salvation Army. It's a terrific cause and I support the Salvation Army, so I'm not really complaining. It's once a year, and it's not like the walkers have exclusive rights to the mall before ten a.m.

Steps taken: 11,405

Another milestone!

Yay, my first ten-thousand-step day! Four laps around the mall is almost ten thousand all by itself, and then I went grocery shopping.

Way sore in the knees after these long hard walks, but it's the only way that I'm going to get in shape for sixty miles of it. The more I do it, the better it'll feel. And I do feel good right after. Got an endorphin rush today that was unbelievable. But a little *more* after, the muscles lock up. Gotta figure out a way around that. Motrin is my very best friend right now.

Steps taken: 10,673!

Gotta set a reminder...

...to post in here. I remembered that I hadn't done Tuesday's post at about 3:30 in the morning, when I woke up. I poked my nose out from under the covers, realized it was kinda cold and dark out there, and turned over to think about whether I wanted to get up and go post. Next thing I knew, the alarm was going off. Sheesh.

Tuesday's step count: 7595

Wednesday's: 6150 (didn't mall-walk but still had a fairly active day...which is kind of a bummer because I was trying to stay off of the massive BLISTER I've developed...owch...

I'm going to the mall tomorrow, though, if I have to limp the whole three miles.....

Monday's stats...

Steps taken: 7653
Pounds lost: 2!
Inches lost: 0 (wasn't expecting anything visible here yet)

Hmmm...weekends could be a problem...

...but only if I let it. No more days off - even if I don't go for an actual walk at the mall (or outside, once it gets nicer), I'm still walking, and still need to keep track. The only trouble with that is, I don't like wearing shoes at home, and the pedometer is on the shoe. Have to figure out a way around that.

No more days off from posting, either. Even if it's just a step count, I'm going to do this every day. A day off is just too far down the slippery slope of "meh, never mind, I'm just not in the mood." I have a feeling that it's going to happen. There will be a day when I'm just feeling rotten, and not going to feel like walking, and I'm going to have to tough it out. I know me - if I give in to that feeling once, it's going to be very difficult (if not impossible) to get back on track. I've done it before.

So...Friday's total was just a few steps more than the day before. 7468.

Didn't keep track on Saturday or Sunday. Not going to do that again, but for now there's no step count to post.

Today's been good so far. The mall where I walk has multiple levels, so there are stairs, which is good. Last week it was just one trip up and down the stairs. Today it was two. Going to keep that up, and add one each week.

Met a new walking buddy today. Saw a woman at the mall walking toward me, and she was wearing something familiar around her neck - the 3-Day milestone badge. It's a little card that they send you, along with a sheet of stickers for milestones (first training walk, first donation, first 10-mile training walk, that sort of thing) to keep track of your progress. So I struck up a conversation with her and we ended up walking together for an hour. It was great!

Mentioned to both walking buddies that I want to hit five miles by the end of this week or the beginning of next. I know that one of them at least will hold me to it.

It's supposed to snow four inches tonight. Ugh. I can't let it stop me.

Will post today's step count at the end of the day.

Mindset changing already...

Not quite a week into this process, I'm noticing a lot of little mental changes. The way I approach food is one of them. Everything that I pick up with the intent of eating is now considered - which, let me tell you, is a vast improvement on the previous approach. This walking is hard, and I imagine there will be times when I really don't want to do it. So, adding to the problem by eating things I shouldn't (and no doubt too much of what I should) is incredibly counterproductive.

The attitude toward physical exertion in general - which I tended to avoid before - is also changing. Sixty miles in three days is going to be an awesome challenge. The more I move now, the more active I get quickly, the better off I will be.

Had a walking buddy today. Someone who has walked in every single 3-Day for the last two years, and plans to do it again this year. Talk about amazing. He's so inspiring, and it's nice to have someone who knows the ins and outs of this experience so well. He says that the Michigan crew is the best, and camping is fun. I sure hope so, because I hate camping. To me, roughing it is no white gloves on the waiters when they bring room service. But I think this is going to be different. For one thing, the sense of community that I'm getting from this is already really great. I think that being there in a campground full of people who have been through the same thing is going to be great. Everything I've read says this will be the most amazing life-changing experience I could have. We'll see.

But having a walking buddy really made the time go faster. I walked a little harder and farther than I have before. Also addressed the pedometer malfunction - tied it into my shoelaces so it registers every step. Yesterday, I walked all the way around the mall one time, which is supposed to be a mile, or somewhere around two thousand steps for me. Well, I looked after the first mile and it said....ninety-seven. Oops.

I figured it was the positioning, so I put it on my shoe today. It registered every step. By the time I left the mall at nine o'clock this morning, I had already exceeded yesterday's total for the whole day. At this rate I'll get to ten thousand steps by early next week, which will be great.

Steps taken: 7,126!

Trekking 'round the mall....

It's a darned good thing I go to the mall before it opens. I'd be in big trouble if that wasn't the case.

Had a bit of a pedometer malfunction, but the following is the best guess given my stride length and the number of inches in a mile....Went a little farther today - 2.2 miles. Which equates to:

Steps taken: 6,763

Wow, better today!

Went to the mall. It was great - a mile and a half, with stairs in there, both up and down. Definitely better stats than yesterday, hooray!

Steps taken: 3622!!

Today's Stats

Wow...REALLY slow day. Spent most of it on the computer - which, while I had a good reason, happens far too often.

Ah well...lots of room for improvement. I've done some research and found a local mall that opens at 7:00 a.m. for walkers. I'm so there in the morning.

Steps taken: 900

Training...looks like I'm on my own for a bit

Almost everyone I talk to says that they're going to start training "when the weather breaks." Ummm...hello, this is Michigan. It could be MAY before that happens.

So...time to charge up - and load up - the MP3 player and head for the mall. My terrific sister said she would train with me, but she is so NOT a morning person. I'll find a way to take her up on that but it's not going to be first thing in the morning. I'll do those walks alone or with someone else walking in the 3-day...I'm not so cruel as to drag my sister out of her bed several hours before she wants to be out of it ;)

No pedometer yesterday. Started that today, and I'll update the blog every night just before bed with the steps taken. Weight and inches will be updated weekly.

Who I am, why I'm here

The title of my blog refers to a quote from Will Rodgers: "I represent what is left of a vanishing race, and that is the pedestrian.... That I am still able to be here, I owe to a keen eye and a nimble pair of legs. But I know they'll get me someday." And so will I be vanishing. Pound by pound, inch by inch...step by step.

I am not by nature an exhibitionist; I'm normally rather private. But I have set myself an ambitious goal, and that is to complete the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Sixty miles in three days. Blogging my progress will keep me honest - that is, if I know I've got people out here that are going to ask me "So, how's that walking thing working out for you?" I know I'll keep it up, if only because I know I'll feel dumb if I have to say, "Oh, I gave up on that."

I'll be honest with you all - I'm overweight. By a large enough margin that I'm not comfortable posting the number. I am not, at this moment, capable of walking sixty miles in ten days, let alone in three. So, training it is. And whatever it takes - no excuses. Not the weather, the time it takes, the obligations at home will keep me from this. I'm stubborn, and I'm determined. I'll find a partner, walk in the mall, run up and down my basement steps a couple hundred times if I have to.

My absolutely wonderful significant other has given me further incentive. He presented me with a pedometer yesterday, and said that he would match me step-for-step. So that's one of the things I'll be keeping track of here, along with weight lost and inches around my waist that have vanished. Since we live some distance apart, this is the best way we know of to work out together.

So...come on along, if you like, and live vicariously as I walk, train, sweat, swear, blister, complain, rise above, and overcome. Feel free to let me know how you react to my story - I'll be looking forward to seeing what you all think.

Steps taken: 0
Weight lost: 0 lbs
Inches lost: 0 in.