Snagged a photo with the city of Chicago behind me this weekend during an 11 mile walk from Logan Square to the Magnificent Mile. My legs are feeling it today!! Only a few more weeks til the walk!!
therealcherish
Random thoughts from within my brain…
Category Archives: Fundraising
Komen 60 Mile 3-Day Walk Preparation – Shoe Edition
This year will be my second time participating in the Komen 3-Day 60 Mile walk in Michigan (Metro Detroit area). While many people see the fund raising as the biggest hurdle (you have to raise a minimum of $2300!), there a number of other key preparation items that I probably could have focused more attention on. So for those of you who are also preparing for the 2014 walk in various cities, I will post a few entries with some of my tips, tricks and learnings. Up first – feet preparation.
Shoes are everything!!!
You’re going to be on your feet for HOURS. And not standing still, but actually covering a good amount of ground. It makes sense that you should have some awesome shoes on. I started out in a pair of Brooks Adrenaline that were easily 4+ years old and in “ok” condition. During my training I purchased a pair of super cute gray Nike shoe with pillowy cushioning. Didn’t work, and the biggest problem, not returnable after you try them. First lesson – buy your training shoes from a running store that allows returns. So I logged onto Road Runner Sports and tried:
New Balance – A sponsor for the walk, the sales team was helpful but every recommended style seemed to cut too high up my skinny ankles
Brooks Adrenaline GTS 13 – the new model of my trusty old shoe was a few versions past the ones I already had and the changes to the style left me “in between sizes”
ASICS Women’s GT-2170 – Many other walkers raved about this shoe but a mile into training I got shin splints. Twice.
After no luck, I decided (sadly 2 weeks before the walk) to go to the original Fleet Feet in Chicago and get “fitted” for a running shoe. There was a small line so I pulled a number and waited my turn. Shortly after, an athletic young lady came by and asked me about the event, what I was looking for, and then had me do some high paced walking on a treadmill and on the floor to analyze my gait. In the end, 6 shoes and 20 or so minutes later, we found a perfect pair, and they were PINK! The Nike LunarEclipse 2+ was the perfect shoe. I bought insoles but found it easier to walk without them. On Days 1 and 3 I wore the Nikes and on Day 2 (the shortest day) I wore my old Brooks.
**Bonuses
A – I was given a tube of BodyGlide For Her just before the walk. I used it every morning and again at lunch – completely covering my entire foot with a layer of it.
B – I wore double layered socks each day. These Double Layered socks by Wrightsock aren’t cheap at approx. $11/pair, but they were well worth the investment. I bought 2 pair and washed the first pair after Day 1, wearing them again on Day 3. I have a larger foot (Size 10-10.5 in gym shoes) so I found it very helpful to use my fist and stretch the sock out before putting them on, otherwise they would tend to slide. During my training I tried socks by Nike, Puma, Under Armour (my second fav), Adidas and Wigwam. The Wrighsock won the battle on the longer distances.
At the end of 3 days, I had no blisters and my feet felt great!!
Shoes for the Komen 3-Day 60 Mile Walk
in 2012 I wore the Nike LunarEclispe 2 on Days 2 and 3 of the walk. For Day 1 I wore a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10 that I loved but after many years of wear I didn’t think they would survive Day 1, let alone the whole weekend.
(My shoe pictured on the right)
Reflection on the BEST moment in 2012 – Michigan 3-Day Kids Crew
I’m sitting here at my desk working on my 2012 reflections and came across the following questions:
Describe your favorite day, moment or occasion of 2012 in words & pictures.
The answer came to me IMMEDIATELY and rather than write it on a paper you’ll never see, I wanted to share it with you.
This year I participated in the Susan G Komen 3-Day 60 Mile walk. I was a little nervous leading up to the date – I mean, 60 miles is a lot!!! After the car accident last year I had been taking it easy and slowly building my strength back up through physical therapy sessions. This walk would be my first big attempt at something even remotely athletic and I prayed non-stop that my back and neck wouldn’t give me any pain. Overall, it wasn’t too bad! I’m sure some of that was probably attributed to my numb feet and aching legs taking most of my attention, but we did it!!!
Despite 3 days of amazing people, events and scenic routes through suburban Detroit, there is a single moment that defines the whole weekend for me. I get chills just thinking of it. Where do I start???
For those who have never participated in the 3-Day walk, its a grueling 3 days of approx 20 miles of walking a day. 22-18-20 were the numbers we were given as daily mileage, but most of us agreed that these were “Komen miles” and the actual routes were each a couple of miles longer! So on day 1 – the longest of the days – I was sore, aching and I don’t even know how my feet kept going, but they did.
As we approached the final 1/2 mile I thought of the day’s events. The supporters on the street, the emergency vans and EMTs who were cheering us along, and the 3-Day Kid’s Crew – a father driving around his 2 young daughters in a mini van blaring fun party music, dancing and giving us constant encouragement during the first half of the day… then they sorta disappeared.
Well, lo and behold, in that last 1/2 mile I look at the sidewalk, only to see these young girls used their chalk and wrote every other square, the story of their mom’s best friend “Natalie” – a young woman who had died of breast cancer – and their mom, who made it her mission to help find a cure. As I walked, face to the ground, eagerly awaiting each word, I got choked up. These young girls, surely no older than 11 years old, had such an awareness of the disease, the effects and the impact of the 3-Day event. They thanked us for our efforts and called us their role models for fighting this disease in hopes that there will be a cure when children like them become adults.
In that reality-check moment, only minutes after I questioned why I was putting my body through this, there was no amount of pain that could keep me from finishing Days 2 and 3, no matter how tough it got. I wiped my tears, put on my smile, and gave high fives to those 2 little girls, who were dancing and passing out candy as I turned the corner into the Day 1 finish line! Talk about inspiration!
Susan G Komen 3-Day in Michigan
60 Miles. 3 Days. I can do that. Wait – I did that!!
I have sooooo much to talk about and as soon as I find the time I will have to share all of the amazing stories of my Komen 3 day journey through the Metro Detroit suburbs with hundreds of men and women, all in the name of fighting, stopping and providing education on breast cancer. There are waaaaay to many pics to post in a single blog, so I’m sure it will take a few posts with plenty of fun captions to tell the amazing story of the weekend that helped inspire me to do more!
Come back soon and read all about it!
#the3day
Susan G Komen 3-Day 60 Mile Walk
This August, my step-mom, sister-cousin (the cousin that’s more like a sister) and her friend will all join the thousands of women who have walked 60 miles to raise money for the cure! This is my first time ever doing anything even remotely close to this, so I am just as terrified as I am excited. Initially 60 miles seemed like a bit of a distance… but now I realize that is LONG AS HELL!!!!
I mean, I don’t even like to DRIVE 60 miles to the outlet malls. I can barely ride a bike 5 miles and I hadn’t jogged over a single miles in years until very recently (and by over a mile I literally mean 1.25 miles). My chiropractor and I are observing my training closely, but I am hopeful that on August 17th I will be in the best condition possible.
I have almost hit my minimum goal of $2300 as of today. I still have a little ways to go, but the support has been tremendous so far!! If you have a few bucks to donate to the cause, please click the link below! We are walking in honor and memory of friends, family members, coworkers and colleagues who have been affected by breast cancer, whether directly or through their own circles. Please take a moment to learn about the 3-day, 60 mile walk and all the lives that are touched by this annual fundraiser!
…or go here to donate (and pass the link along!!) – http://www.the3day.org/goto/cherishcherish
therealcherish 