3 Days of My Life

2000 Training Journal

Skip the journal, let’s hear about the Walk!

1-12-00 “I did kind of a crazy thing today,” I said to Dave.

“Does it involve the checkbook?” he asked.

After reassuring him that it involved my credit card (as if that makes a difference), I told him about registering for the Avon 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk. He was excited; in fact, more excited than I was at that point. I’m still figuring out how to get out of it. Let’s see, the actual walk is still 5 months away, I’ve only spent $50 so far on registration, and I can put off training and sending out fundraising letters for at least another month. I’m not going to tell anyone else about it just yet.

1-24 Today I walked for 2 hours! I was thinking about how these next few weeks are my grace period—soon, I’ll have to start fundraising. I feel like this is the time to concentrate on mental conditioning. Gotta start doing some positive visualization to BELIEVE I can do this. The physical stuff needs to start happening, too, tho. I feel like I’m in pretty good shape from aerobics and yoga, but I really need to get in some serious walking. According to the Avon training schedule, I should be doing at least 14 miles a week by now. Oops, okay, so I’m not quite there yet.

2-16 Today I got my information packet from Avon, which includes a newsletter full of advice, training schedules, shoe clinics, names and phone numbers of other walkers, walker consultations, along with the 3-Day T-shirt. I promptly shoved it all into a drawer. Not ready to start thinking about this! Even tho I’m walking more or less regularly, I haven’t really thought of it as training.

Official training will begin as soon as Elma, Candus, Annette, and I can work out some kind of schedule. It’ll be a LOT easier walking with them than by myself. Plus, Elma did the walk last year, and is a font not only of information but motivation. Both she and Annette—both breast cancer survivors—are so incredible and strong. If they can do it, so can I. Elma is also going to give us a little how-to demonstration on what to carry with us, how to pack our duffel bags, etc.

Annette, me, and Candus walking along Evanston lakefront.

2-29 Our first training walk! I was still pumped up from writing my pledge letter the previous day. Met Annette, Elma, and Candus at the Evanston Y at 8:30. I showed them my letter and basked in the glow of their compliments and excitement. We walked 6 blocks to the lake and kind of zig-zagged our way between the lake and the Y. No real game plan yet; just want to get out and WALK. We walked for about an hour and a half and it felt great. I celebrated by stopping at Burger King on my way home and wolfing down 2 of those gross, greasy Croissandwiches and hash browns. Yep, I’ll be losing weight in no time. It was hard to settle down the rest of the day and work, so I didn’t. Did go to Kinko’s to make copies of my pledge form and letter, so I can mail those in the next few days. It’s really happening!

3-6 Went into Uncle Dan’s in Evanston for some 3-Day supplies: towels, socks, sunglasses, pedometer. It was exciting just being in there; the sales clerks all knew about the 3-Day and knew just what I needed. Another walk with just Elma and Annette. Cold and gray and windy. I was feeling crabby and a bit down because I hadn’t been receiving much in the way of pledge money (yes, I mailed out my letter a whole week ago). But the two of them have already received quite a bit; in fact, Annette got one check for $1,000. We walked along the lake to Annette’s house (by Ryan Field) then wound around to McCormick, then back up Church. Not bad! About 2 hours. My afternoon picked up immeasurably when I got home and checked the mail: two pledges: $150 from Dad and $250 from one of my doctors!!!!! I was so happy and excited. Called Dad to thank him, e-mailed my walking buddies, and just basically felt GREAT! Elma had told us that we’d be surprised both by who gave and who didn’t, by who gave a LOT and who gave not quite as much as we’d hoped. Avon told us that “fundraising will teach you to think big...to dwell not on questions but on answers...to be disciplined and to follow through. [Fundraising] will teach you that fear is often not real, but simply a state of mind.” Good advice.

3-15 Today we walked to the Bahá’í Temple. It’s one thing to just kind of meander around the neighborhood and realize you’ve walked 4 or 5 miles, but when you set out to walk somewhere you’d normally drive to—then it really sinks in how far you’ve gone. But it was a nice day, and it was good to have a goal to reach. It took about 3˝ hours, there and back. We’re not adhering to Avon’s training schedule (to do so we would’ve had to have started training in November), but we’re going to try to gradually increase our distance/time with each walk. We figured with aerobics, we’re already in pretty good shape, but we have no intention of ignoring the serious warning about being prepared. According to Avon, a good pace is about 3.3 miles per hour, and we figured we were doing about that.

3-18 Pledges are rolling in. It’s so fun checking the mail every day. Mom had made a little display at work with my letters, self-addressed envelopes, and pink tissue paper. I got 7 individual pledges from her office plus $100 from the company. Hooray!

3-21 Finally bought some new shoes to train in. We’re supposed to have at least one pair to train in, then 1 or 2 new (but not brand-new) pairs for the walk. With shoes as expensive as they are, it’s tempting to just go with what I have, but my feet have been bothering me, so I know I need new shoes. Luckily most of the official 3-Day outfitters (including Uncle Dan’s and Murphy’s Fit) will let you wear the shoes for a week or so, as long as you stay inside. So I went to the Y over the weekend to try ’em out on the treadmill. Boy, am I glad I did. OW! They fit fine in the store, but once I’d walked for about 15 minutes: PAIN! Still, I stubbornly did 6 miles. It’s funny how my focus has changed from mental to physical. Just one sore toe is making me a basketcase.

I’m not used to all this drinking while walking. Today, we walked all the way to Rogers Park and couldn’t find a public bathroom. Even at a sleazy gas station. “Well, then where do you go?” we demanded of the smug clerks. Elma assured us this would not be a problem on the walk. We found a public polling place that just happened to be open and they kindly let us use the facilities. I was eyeing their donuts but didn’t want to push my luck. It was only a 2-hour walk. Elma and I each have pedometers, but haven’t quite figured out how to set them, so we end up with different mileage counts. So for now we’re just going by time.

3-23 Almost 4-hour walk with Annette and Elma!!! VERY concerned about my poor feet. Even with a new pair of shoes, they are very sore. I can’t keep buying shoes if the problem is my feet. As soon as I got home, I plopped my feet on top of a bag of ice, got out the phonebook, and made an appointment with a podiatrist. Never paid so much attention to form, posture, socks, shoes. Everything hurts. I’ve been treating myself to acupuncture and massage from Annette’s wonderful friend, Connie.

3-25 Unbelievably, I am gaining weight. If one more person tells me I’m gaining muscle, I’ll hurl something at them. Probably myself, since I would be the heaviest thing around.

3-31 Ugh. Don’t feel like doing much of anything, except, surprisingly, walking! It’s been another good week. 2 good walks with Annette and Elma and MUCH better feet. An excellent yoga session on Wednesday, which seemed to cure my sore back .

Trying some audio books for my solo walking. Got P.J. Wodehouse and James Herriot. Don’t know. I really prefer music. No walkmans on the 3-Day, unfortunately.

4-6 Saw Dr. Ross today. I was sure he’d say all my feet problems are from scoliosis, but the X-ray actually showed the problem to be hereditary. The first metatarsil of each foot is lower than it should be, which prevents my big toe from bending back all the way. Result: pain. Also discovered a bunion and some bone spurs. Thanks, Dr. Ross! He recommended insoles, orthotics—tho it’s too late to get fitted for those in time for the walk—told me about what to look for in a walking shoe, and other foot-related wisdom. He said if the toe pain gets too bad, I can come in for a shot of cortisone. I feel better knowing what the problem is—especially knowing I’m not a walking stress fracture.

4-14 On Sunday, walked with Elma for 2 hours. She called me at 8:30 just as I was leaving to walk by myself. I’m so lucky to have these 3 friends to walk with. We never run out of things to talk about. And Elma is such a great source of information and inspiration. Every time she talkes about last year’s walk, I’m motivated. Toe not too bad today.

4-19 On Tuesday we walked from Elma’s house to my house, and back! Woo-hoo! More than 10 miles. Again, if we had just set out to walk along the lake and did 10 miles, it wouldn’t seem as monumental as walking from Judson Street in Evanston to Lincoln Avenue in Skokie. Quite an accomplishment. Feet hurt, but bearable. I think knowing what’s wrong makes a difference.

4-25 Saturday walked alone for an hour and a half, ran some errands, met Mom for lunch, then came home and walked another hour and a half. Boy, did I feel it the second time. That’s good practice, tho. The times we’ve stopped for lunch during a walk, then gotten back up again...GROAN! And that’s what we’ll be doing on the 3-Day.

5-7 Tuesday was our farthest walk yet-14 miles! Stopped for lunch at Panera. A little discouraged at how much my back hurts, but feet have improved greatly. I used to be really sore in my hip flexors, but that’s disappeared. Came home and took a bubble bath. On walk days, I just don’t feel like working in the afternoon.

On Sunday, Candus invited us all over to her house for a plant-digging party. They’re moving into a new house and having the entire backyard dug up. That means tons of precious perennials will be lost, unless we go over there like scavengers and dig them up. Mom, Elma, and I dug and lugged hosta, lilies, peonies, ferns, and whatever else we could get our hands on. Good exercise! I have to start thinking about my garden pretty soon.

5-9 3-hour walk today. Humid. Yuck. Still, it’s good practice. That’s what we say about everything now. Another favorite phrase is “Good idea!” whenever anyone says anything. I’ll say one thing for us: we may complain a lot, but we’ve all been upbeat and supportive.

5-11 Walked for 10+ miles, most of it in the rain. Hey, it’s (all together now): “Good Practice!” We sang as many rain-related songs as we could think of (2) and then whatever seemed most obnoxious (Good Morning, Starshine was a clear favorite in this category). A very giddy, very fun walk, despite mud puddles. Avon cautions walkers against becoming dehydrated and “bonking” during the walk, and we joked about how we would know if we’re really dehydrated, since we’re so silly all the time.

5-18 Walk cancelled due to rain. Having walked in the rain exactly one time, we decided we’d had enough practice. We know how to do it now. Went to the Y and did the treadmill for 2 hours. Ho hum. These audiobooks aren’t doing the trick.

5-19 Wrote thank-you notes to all our aerobics classmates from the Y who contributed. Walked on my own for an hour ˝.

5-25 An absolutely gorgeous day. Days like these don’t come along every...er, day. We walked to Plaza del Lago in Wilmette and got takeout from Convito Italiano. Then we cut through a mysterious pathway only to find ourselves on what may have been a private beach—but there were no signs. Anyway, there was no one in sight. Such a treat to walk on this beautiful beach. Walked to Gilson Park and had a little picnic, taking time out to powder our feet. Not too bad on the way back, but tired. Great mood.

5-28 Tonight was our get-together at Elma’s—a chance for the husbands to meet. We had a great time.

5-30 Good walk. Did 12 ˝ miles—again, from Elma’s house to my house, then down Skokie Avenue to Old Orchard, where we pigged out at the food court. I was so hungry! Little bit of rain on the way back.

6-9 An 8-mile walk on Thursday: humid, warm, not too bad but did kinda bother me. We had another little picnic in Gilson Park. On our way back, the humidity was really getting to me, so I caught a ride back to Elma’s from Annette’s with Candus instead of walking. Good call. The humidity was kind of worrisome. I WILL BE FINE! Please, no humidity on the walk! I’ve got myself psyched out about humidity, and I’ve got to stop. I’m in good shape! Friday again was HOT! And HUMID! Blew off class and yoga and everything.

6-14 VERY excited about walk, and so good to share it with Elma, Candus, and Annette in aerobics class today. We’ve got lots of supporters in our fellow class members. I am a bit nervous (especially with thinking about walking in humid weather and whether my toes will hold up) but mostly excited and really ready. I feel good about all I’ve done. I want to try to focus on enjoying myself and remembering what I’m doing—not just for me but for others. It doesn’t have to be a life-changing experience; I just want to be open to it and get whatever I can from it.

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Keep on walking!