39 Days Til the Avon 39!

I sent the following out to friends and family who have been supporting me in this effort, but I've also gotten a lot of support from my FB friends at large, many of whom I don't have email addresses for so I wanted to post it here as well.

Thanks so much for the support and encouragement!

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Dear Family & Friends -

Today marks 39 days until I will begin the Avon 39 Walk to End Breast Cancer, walking 39 miles in two days, and I wanted to provide an update on my training and fundraising to those who have supported me in this effort. 

First, since announcing I was taking on this challenge back in December I quickly saw that support comes in so many forms! From encouragement and checking in on my progress to going on training walks with me to contributing financially to my fundraising, I've been overwhelmed by the outpouring and I truly appreciate it all. I knew I had a great group of friends, family, neighbors and coworkers but this certainly solidified that. 

Training

I've had my ups and downs with the training program over the past 10 weeks. I've been following the 16 week "advanced" training program, which is geared towards people who have completed (walking or running) at least a 10K. It has me walking set distances 4 days a week with short "recovery walks" or cross training in between. I've been able to stick to the designated schedule for the most part, making a few adjustments and tweaks as my own schedule dictates. Time and weather have been the biggest challenges. My pace for outdoor walking tends to average right around 3 miles per hour. I'm faster at the start of a long walk and when I'm on a trail that eliminates dealing with traffic and street crossing. I'm slower (but more entertained) when walking through the city and in those final few miles of a really long walk. Last weekend I did 17 miles on Saturday and 8 miles on Sunday and was feeling pretty good and only a little sore come Monday morning! I was pretty surprised by that because a few weeks before 14 miles left me hobbly (my word of choice) for days! I'm hoping last week's results continue with my longest two training walks -20 miles this Saturday and 22 miles in mid-April. For the actual event I'll walk 26 miles the first day and 13 miles the second. 

Fundraising

I'm so happy to report I met the minimum fundraising requirement last week! I was fully expecting to still have a ways to go by this 39 day update so reaching the $1800 when I did was a pleasant surprise. However, I decided I'd up my goal and keep going. If I can raise more money to help end breast cancer then that is absolutely what I want to do. My new goal is $2500 and I'm 75% of the way there. 

My friend Mary, who is walking with me, is 85% of the way to her fundraising requirement with more donations coming in daily. We are still welcoming donations to the team, to be split between the two of us, until April 3 and individual donations until May 2. 

When I signed up for the Avon Walk I had two purposes in mind - to challenge myself physically and help make a difference in the fight against breast cancer. Since starting my training I've grown even more dedicated to those two goals. In recent months I've learned of two additional women in my life fighting breast cancer - a former colleague and a family friend, both not much older than I am. They join the more than a dozen other women I know who have also fought this disease. I am happy to be doing something to take action and again, truly appreciate all of your support in helping me with this goal. 

Thanks again, 

Stacy

www.ped-a-cures.blogspot.org

Stacy's Donation page