Avon 39: The Recap

Yes, the sign at the finish line says I crushed it. I feel a bit more like I survived it, but either way, it's over!

I did a brief update during the walk, but here’s the long and involved recap of the weekend, including at the bottom tips for other (crazy) people considering taking on this endeavor!

Saturday

Saturday morning the Opening Ceremony began at 6:15 and the walk started at 6:45 at Pier 97 on the West Side of New York. I took a cab over from my hotel and arrived there around 6:30, in time to hear really touching stories from survivors and those who have lost loved ones to breast cancer. The CEO of Avon Products spoke as well, and told us she’d be out there walking with us for her 5th Avon Walk. For those who don’t know, my mom was an “Avon Lady” for most of my childhood so the fact that they sponsor this walk and are so supportive of breast cancer research is actually a nice tie in for me.

 A lot of people who do this walk do it in memory or honor of a specific person in their life who has fought breast cancer. While my motivation was more general, finding a cure and supporting those currently fighting, I did have a number of women in my life who have been impacted and they were on my mind during the walk. Family members, friends, the mother's of two close friends, current and former neighbors, current and former coworkers - women from all aspects of my life. 

the slow, crowded start

There were around 4,000 people participating in the Walk, (my guess is 75-80% women) from 44 states and DC. I ended up talking to a few women on the course who had come from Bermuda to do it, so perhaps there were other countries represented as well! It was amazing to see the big crowds, but less so when we officially kicked off and all had to walk the first three miles along the Hudson River Greenway, a two lane walking/bike path. It was slow going at first and very bottlenecked with people trying to get by. We exited the riverfront walk at 115th street and then started heading south again, still in Riverside Park, but along Riverside Drive until the park ended at 72nd Street.

After exiting the park we zig zagged through the city, mostly staying on the west side on 9th and 10th avenues, down into lower Manhattan to Hudson, then Bleeker, then Lafayette Streets. It’s funny, this is the part of the city I never seem to stay in, but almost always eat in when I’m in New York. It was nice to walk through some neighborhoods I had a tiny bit of familiarity with and be able to remember seeing Ron Pope at the Bitter End with my friend Eleanor as I passed it, or being on the same streets I vividly remember walking with Samantha during our trip to NY a few years back or just blocks from where Nicolette and I had dinner the night before.

crossing the Brooklyn Bridge

From there we did something I had never done before – walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was pretty cool to see it up close and I loved the architectural detail, but it was SO crowded. Not just with the 4,000 walkers doing the Avon Walk, but mobs of other tourists and locals enjoying the gorgeous weather on a Fall day. Near the Brooklyn side of the bridge was the 13 mile mark and the lunch stop at 13.1 was immediately on the other side.

After I took longer than I should have as a lunch break (about 40 minutes) it was back to walking through Brooklyn Heights and onto the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, which afforded some great views of Manhattan! We wound our way back around to the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge and used that to get back over the East River, the second, but not final time I’d cross that body of water on Saturday!

view of lower Manhattan from Brooklyn

View of the Brooklyn Bridge from the Manhattan Bridge

Back in Manhattan it was more zig zagging, all on the East Side trying to make our way north. We walked by Astor Place, Grammercy Park and eventually made our way up to Grand Central Terminal. This was near mile 20 and where my friend Nicolette was waiting to keep me company! She walked with me for about 2 miles and it was so nice to have someone to keep me moving, in addition to the supportive and encouraging texts I was receiving from afar!

The final leg on Saturday was past Gracie Mansion, the mayor's house, and then along the East River to Randall's Island where Basecamp 39 was set up. This was the last time for crossing the East River and involved a steep ramp to get to the top of that bridge and then a short, but steep hill *just* before the actual finish line. Not cool Avon Walk planners! Not cool. 

Mile 26ish. Yes, I walked so long the sun rose and set while I was out there.

I finally crossed the finish line at 6:30 p.m., 11 hours and 45 min after starting. Ugh.

I took a shuttle bus back to the event hotel and then a cab to my hotel where, thanks to Nicolette, I rode the elevator up to my floor with the lovely man delivering our dinner, which was great as there was no way I was venturing out of the room the rest of the evening!

Sunday

Sunday morning started at 5:30 am again, with a complete reverse of Saturday night - cab from my hotel to the event hotel, then shuttle back to Randall's Island. I left the island Saturday night as it was getting dark and returned as it was getting light out! 

Crossing through Time Square

The first two miles on Sunday was a backtrack of Saturday night as well, but then once we got out of the park at 84^th street we started heading north to 110^th and ended up walking along the top of Central Park, back to Columbus Ave and started heading south again, with more zig zagging, over to Central Park West, through Columbus Circle and over to Sixth Ave, across the top of Time Square and then back to Eighth (or possibly Ninth) Ave to 22nd street and then back over to the West Side where we followed the trail along the Hudson, past The Intrepid, and back to Pier 97.

That makes it sound so simple and easy, but it wasn't. Sunday was HARD. The start wasn't bad, and I got through the first three miles in just under an hour, which was great, but the next 10 were sloooowww going. By 6 miles in I was contemplating hopping in the "sweep" van and getting a boost by cutting out a mile or so, and at another point  I seriously considered hailing a cab, but like it or not (I did not) I kept going. In the end it truly was circumstance that I actually completed 39.3 miles and not 35 or 36.

Why was it so hard this time? Last year was hard too, but this time I think being alone did make a big difference. I walked with other groups at times, and chatted with people here and there, but it wasn’t the same as doing the entire walk with a friend and being able to set a pace together and stick with it.

I also didn’t train as diligently as last year. I definitely made sure I got the long walks in, but those were always supposed to be followed by roughly half as long walks the next day and that just didn’t happen nearly as much as it should have this time.

But, as hard as it was, I did finish. And I even ventured out of the hotel Sunday evening to get a yummy dinner at my favorite NYC restaurant (Otto Enoteca) , which involved taking the subway and walking several blocks on either end of the trip.

Surprisingly, considering how bad I felt both Saturday and Sunday evenings, I woke up feeling pretty OK on Monday. I’d say I was at 80% at the start of the day and by evening the only time I really had discomfort was going up and down stairs. Since I had the time I ended up walking the mile and half from my hotel to Penn Station to get my train home. I definitely was surprised by how well I recovered!

And now… some random asides and tips:

• I never got any blisters, during training or the Walk. Amazing, I know. I did buy the expensive, running store socks (both Balega and Feetures – which advertise “No Blisters!” on the packaging) in the high cushion variety. I also changed socks midway through the walk on Saturday and wore different sneakers Saturday and Sunday.
• I’m pretty sure the fact that I kept going, heading out to dinner on Sunday night, walking to Penn Station Monday morning, really did help me recover faster. I wasn’t moving fast during those “keep going” times, but it kept my muscles from just locking up which helped.

It's amazing how many survivors
complete the walk each year

• I can see how people get swept up in the spirit of the event and worthiness of the cause and continue to do the event year after year. There were so many people on the course wearing pins indicating it was their 5th, 7th, 11th Avon Walk. I really really need to remember how time intensive the training was, how bad I felt at times during the event and just how hard it was to walk for so long. I don’t want to do this event again. Twice was definitely enough. But with a little space, and an easy recovery…. I can see why people keep coming back.

This man in the cow suit was one
of several volunteers I remember
from the DC Avon Walk!

• I would consider joining the “Crew” in the future. They have a pretty intense few days as well, but not the same as the walkers. I saw some of the same volunteers in NYC that were on the DC route which was pretty cool. The crew also has a fundraising requirement, though it’s not nearly as much money. That’s the door I’m leaving open for the future. Not the walking door. No, nope, not gonna happen.

And finally, in case anyone is actually still reading this marathon (and a half) of a post…

Thank you!

Your support and encouragement, via FB, texts and phone calls kept me going. You all believed in me
and that I could do it when I had some serious doubts on my end!

Your generosity is reason I was able to raise $4,148 to go towards breast cancer research and support for those currently in treatment. I’m proud of myself for walking the 39.3 miles, but I’m even more proud that I was able to raise those funds and I appreciate each and every donation I received.

13.1

I made it to the halfway point. Yay!

I have a ton of photos but can't seem to post them to the blog from my phone so they'll come later.

The route so far has been scenic for sure, going up the west side of NYC through Riverside Park, then across 72nd street to 9th Avenue and down 9th onto Bleeker, through Chelsea, the meat packing district, soho and then across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Lunch is just past the bridge and that's where I am now. Things are going slower than I expected - big bottlenecks of people at the start and crossing the bridge definitely slow things down!

I feel ok and hope the remaining 13.1 for today goes smoothly!

Thanks for all of the texts and FB posts, I truly appreciate the encouragement and support!!

Logistics & FAQ

As the walk quickly approaches I've had a lot of questions from friends and family about logistics and am happy to answer, as talking logistics is (dorky) one of my favorite things! 

Does the Avon Walk offer tracking like most marathons do these days?

Nope. But, if you have an iPhone and you really want to be able to see how I'm doing I'll turn on the "share my location" service with you for the weekend so you can follow my progress. I learned last time that's not especially helpful, since you won't have the full context of the route, but... the offer is there. 

You can also text me for updates, or check out social media. I'm sure I'll be posting to FB and instagram as I go. Last year I did a blog post at the half way point and then end and I plan to do that again as well. 

What is the route?

They don't tell us the specific route, there is a general map but it is missing lots of detail. We begin and end at West 57th & 12 Street at Hudson River's Park Pier 97. On day one we walk up the west side, along the Hudson up past Columbia University and into Upper Manhattan. Then we head back down, still on the West Side, through mid-town and into Lower Manhattan where we cross the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn and then return on the Manhattan Bridge. From there it's up through the East Side of the city to Randall's Island, in the East River, which is where Base Camp 39 is. We start from Randall's Island on Day two and circuitously make our way back to Pier 97. Here's the link with the map if you 'd like to check it out. 

Are you doing this alone?

I am. My friend who walked it with me last year thinks I'm crazy to be doing it again. I agree. I do have a wonderful friend and former coworker Nicolette who is traveling to New York with me. She'll meet me at a few of the rest stops and walk along with me a bit, as the course is all open and on public sidewalks. She'll also be at the finish line on Sunday. I know I'll have a lot of support and cheers from far away, but it's SO nice to have someone who is able to be present!

Do you have to carry your own food? Do you take breaks?

As I learned last year, you are definitely well fed during this event. There are rest stops every 2-3 miles, some with just water and others with snacks. They have these great graham cracker pb&j sandwich things they hand out that are SO addictive. Lunch is set up at the half way point on day one and is a sandwich, fruit, chips, cookie bagged lunch. In terms of breaks, last time we did 30 min for lunch and no more than 10 min at any of the other rest stops. That will likely be the plan I try and follow again this time. 

What time do you think you'll finish the 26.2 miles and reach Base Camp 39?

I looked back at my time stamped photos from last year and we finished at 5:30. I'm not sure if I'll be faster or slower since I won't be walking the whole thing with a friend. I do think the fact that NYC isn't hilly will increase my pace some. Those crazy DC hills, especially by Sibley Hospital, certainly slowed me down last year!

What about on Sunday, when will you cross the finish line?

Based on last year I'm expecting to cross the finish line on Sunday between 12:30 and 1. 

Are you camping?

Nope. I don't camp under other circumstances so I'm certainly not going to walk 26 miles and then sleep on the ground. And then get up and walk 13 miles. Nope, nope, nope. I'll be staying at a hotel and taking a shuttle bus back and forth between there and Base Camp on Saturday evening/Sunday morning. 

Will you get to do anything fun in NYC? 

Well, we get into the city on Friday mid-day so I'll have a bit of time to be a tourist, and we are definitely planning for a yummy meal on Friday night. Nicolette leaves on Sunday late afternoon and I'm staying until Monday as I didn't think my muscles would like it very much if I sat on a train for 3 hours shortly after finishing the walk. If, and it's a very very big if, I'm feeling up to it I plan to get last minute tickets to a show Sunday night. It's hard to imagine spending 3 nights in NYC and not seeing a show, but.... sleep and not moving may win out. 

Can you believe you've raised so much money?

No, I am pretty blown away. When I set my stretch goal of $3600 it seemed possible, but still like a stretch. So to have met and exceeded that a few weeks out from the event, and now to be closing in on $4,000 raised. Wow. I'm thrilled. 

And, eager to get to see how much more I can raise between now and Sunday. So, if you haven't given yet, now's your chance... Stacy's Donation Page

Will you do this event again next year?

No. Absolutely not. I am done! I love the cause and raising funds for it, but committing to that much walking... nope. Not happening. Ever again. And I'd really like everyone reading this to hold me to that this time!!

But, you could do it in Chicago! Or Boston! or Santa Barbara! 

Nope. No. Not Happening.


Thanks again for all the love and support!

One Week!

If all goes as planned one week from now I'll be somewhere around mile 14 on the Avon Walk at this point.

I am definitely ready for it to be here, and to conquer it a second time. As of now the weather forecast is looking great, mid 60s, sunny the first day, partly cloudy the second.

And my fundraising has been beyond great. Earlier this week I hit my stretch goal of $3600 and more donations keep coming in. Now $4,000 seems possible, maybe even more.

I've been thinking a lot about where the money goes and how important it is. The Avon Foundation gives significant amounts to research but also to groups who are supporting those currently battling breast cancer. I know I've said it before, but I truly appreciate all of the donations that have come in and am so thankful I've been able to raise a significant amount for such a worthy cause.

I've been getting a lot of logistics questions in the past few days and I'll do another post with logistics answers later in the week so if you have any questions about the event send them my way and I'll include the answers in my post.

7 days to go!

Every Donation Makes a Difference

I'm lucky enough to be "Aunt" Stacy to a bunch of terrific kiddos, the oldest of them being eight year old Annabelle. In her young life she's already had countless fundraisers for school and activities she's apart of and often requests support for those projects.

Last year her grandmother decided to turn the tables and request a donation from Annabelle for a 5k she was participating in. The kiddo rose to the challenge and did extra chores to raise money and donate to her grandmother's walk. I decided to follow in her wise Oma's footsteps and asked Belle for a donation for the Avon Walk as well and when I saw her last weekend she had something to give me.

I've been thankful for and so appreciative of every donation I've received, but I do believe this $3.90 is my favorite.

With the walk just under 2 weeks away I'm $101.60 away from my truly ambitious goal of $3600. I am confident I'll reach that number, and just may exceed it, thanks to your continued generosity and support!

Remembering the Why

In the spring, after I had already made the commitment to do the Avon Walk to End Breast Cancer a second time one of my teammates at work was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's the second person in my office currently battling the disease, and among double digits of women in my life to be faced with it. 

Shortly after she started treatment my whole team got these bracelets, and got one for her. We all wear them often and as of a few weeks ago I've been making sure to wear it on my training walks as well. 

It's been helpful for me to look down and see the visual reminder of why I'm putting in all of this effort and why you, my generous friends, family and colleagues are donating money to the cause. 

This weekend I'm headed to the mountains and will be taking a break from the structured training schedule, but I'm still feeling so confident that I'll be ready to walk 39 miles on October 15 & 16, with all of the encouragement and support from wonderful people near and far and the reminder on my wrist the whole time of my reason why. 

Pushing On!

Yesterday's plan was to walk 17 miles. But somewhere around mile 14 I got the idea that I should do more and ended up wrapping up the day with 19.

Waking along Rock Creek Parkway

There's something about having to cross one of the bridges into DC that makes the walk mentally more challenging, especially at the end, so I decided to eliminate them from the route altogether this week.

I drove in to the city and parked in East Potomac Park and then headed down around Hains Point, along the Tidal Basin and into Rock Creek Park. I've driven Rock Creek Parkway countless times, but had never been through on foot before. It's a really cool space, and I'm sure the trails that aren't along the busy roadway are even nicer. When I exited the park, along the VERY steep hill onto Calvert Street by Woodley Park I was 7 miles in to my route.

The Ecuadorian Embassy at my
half way point... well, what I
thought was my halfway point.

I stayed along Calvert into Adam's Morgan and then over to Meridian Hill Park. This was another area of the city I hadn't spent time in before and it was nice to walk through. There were hundreds of people doing a work out class in Meridian Hill Park which was also cool to see. From there I headed east on W to 14th Street and then down into Logan Circle, where I shifted to Rhode Island Avenue and walked through Shaw, another DC neighborhood that is new to me. Once I reached 7th I headed south, back to Massachusetts and onto a route pretty similar to last week's.

I went a few blocks further into Capitol Hill this time, and ended up walking past Eastern Market where I did a bit of browsing and came up with a few ideas for holiday presents as I walked by the artisans set up there. Yay for multitasking!

I stopped in the Capitol Hill Starbucks for a snack and to refill my water and ended up taking a decent break and reading a chapter of a book on my phone. Once I snapped out of reading mode and realized I needed to keep moving was when the idea of making the walk even longer came to me.

Last year I followed a 16 week training plan and that had two weeks between the two longest (20 & 22 miles) walks. The 12 week training plan doesn't do that, and has me walking 20 miles next week and 22 the weekend after. I decided if I could push on and do 19 or 20 this week then I could make next week a short walk and give myself a bit of a break. The idea of skipping a crazy long walk next weekend was incredibly appealing, so I did some quick rerouting and decided I could do 19 miles.

Walking by Jefferson during the last LONG mile

Back down Pennsylvania, past the White House and down 17th to Constitution and then on to my bestie Lincoln who I seem to walk by on a very regular basis these days. From there it was just over a mile back along the Tidal Basin to my car.

And yet again, the last mile was ROUGH. I really do think it's completely mental. I'm moving along at a decent pace, with sore feet but not terribly so and then I realize I only have a mile to go and my feet hurt SO much. And my pace slows down. And it's hard. Really hard.

But then I'm done! And back to my air conditioned car where I can sit and not walk.

Once I got home I rested for a few hours, but then actually made it back out later in the evening to visit some friends at their house and then get some errands done at Target. I was happily amazed that I was mobile and not really in pain last night!

Today's plan called for 9 miles, but improptu free Redskins/Cowboys tickets called for a revision! I got up this morning and did a short, 2ish mile walk just to make sure I really could keep walking. My FitBit unfortunately was left behind so I didn't capture how much walking I did today at the game but between the parking lot and the long hike to the upper level I definitely feel like I got a good bit of walking. And again, I feel good. Not even sore!

I am definitely so much more confident about this event now. And I'm really happy it's 2 weeks before I had to attempt another super long training walk!

Nice Day for a Long Walk

This weekend I was supposed to do 15 miles yesterday and eight today. Yesterday I was in Richmond for an Alumni Board meeting and it was NOT a nice day for a a long walk.

I decided early in the week  after seeing the forecast the 15 miles was happening on Sunday and this is the route I ended up settling on:

This time I decided to take the bus to Crystal City and then join the Mt. Vernon Trail there. This was a good way to eliminate some of the boring trail walking! I took the trail to Memorial Bridge and then crossed into DC and basically played tourist. I went past the Lincoln Memorial (twice today!), down Constitution to the White House, over through Chinatown and then down Massachusetts Ave past Union Station and into the Capitol Hill neighborhood. From there I came down Pennsylvania, to Independence and over to L'Enfant Plaza.

The weather was SO nice, with a breeze that made it difficult to keep a hat on, but felt great. And while the sun was out it never really felt too hot as I was making my way around the city.


For the first 9 miles I kept myself entertained by tracking what I was listening to starting when I started walking and taking a screen shot of the song playing at each mile mark. Here's my diverse collage of songs:

I was actually feeling great, making good time with very few breaks and with no pain (thanks Advil!) when I reached L'Enfant Plaza, about 9 1/2 miles into my 15 mile walk. But I was still SO happy to have company meet me there to finish the walk! Last night I was pleasantly surprised to get an offer from Mike to join me for the second half. I didn't make him do quite that much, but definitely appreciated the offer as I knew the last few miles were going to drag for me and company would make them so much more tolerable!

Mike and I set out from L'Enfant Plaza over the Case Memorial Bridge (395 by the 12th Street Exit/over the SW Waterfront) and into East Potomac Park. We went along Ohio Drive back towards the Tidal Basin and walked along the water down towards the MLK Memorial and then made my second trip of the day to Lincoln and then down along the reflecting pool to the WWII Memorial. I took a break in the shade on a bench for a few minutes while Mike took in the Memorial, then we continued on, up past the Washington Monument and down Madison Drive along the National Mall.

Still smiling, while the wind whips my hair around, at mile 13 1/2. 

 At this point I was definitely starting to move slower and feeling the effects of the Advil wearing off. We walked to 4th street and then followed it over to Independence and started making our way back to the car. My knee was starting to hurt at that point and my feet were definitely making their presence known. I definitely believe that there's a mental element to the struggle at the end too. Just knowing there's only a few blocks to go tends to make them feel SO much longer.

In the end we returned to L'Enfant at 2:15, exactly 2 hours after Mike met me there and 5 hours and 45 minutes after I set out for my walk. I'm definitely happy with my pace, which was clocking at just under a 20 min mile for the most part, and the limited number of breaks I took (4 total, 2 around 10 minutes, 1 a lot shorter and 1 longer).

And I feel pretty good now, a few hours later. I'm a little hobbly, and my feet hurt a bit, but, I'm about to head out and run some errands and the fact that I can do that feels great!

Last weekend I was feeling pretty apprehensive about the Avon Walk and if I was going to be able to do it again. But today, my confidence is back and so is my optimism!

Goal: 20 miles Reality: Close to 20 miles

This weekend I set out to walk 13 miles on Saturday and 7 today. Reality didn't quite meet those expectations.

Saturday

I set out from home and walked 1.2 miles to the Braddock Road metro where I hopped on and rode for 45 minutes until I ended up in Friendship Heights, MD. Then I walked home. Yup, yesterday's walk took me from Maryland, through DC and back to Virginia.

That's the short version of the story.

The longer version is... I started off walking south on Wisconsin, thinking I was all in the downhill parts, but nope. Between Friendship Heights and the Cathedral there is still plenty of icky hills to go up when heading south! Once I hit Massachusetts I shifted to it and came all the way down Mass Ave, past the Naval Observatory and into Dupont Circle. One of the cool things about this route is that in many parts it was the same path I walked during the Avon Walk last year. I was heading south through Tenleytown where we went North there last year, and the part near the Cathedral had us more on neighborhood streets than I was on, but still, seeing some of the same spots while training for another Avon Walk made me happy. And, a large stretch of Mass Ave was the same as our route on Day 2 last year, heading into downtown so that helped give me some momentum.

Once I hit Dupont Circle I shifted on to Connecticut and took that through Farragut Square and past

the White House. I swung by District Taco to grab a few fish tacos and then headed to my office (around the corner from DT) where I took a 15 minute lunch break and refreshed my water bottle.

Back on foot my route was the same as a few weeks before, down 15th street past the Washington Monument and Tidal Basin and over the 14th Street Bridge to the Mt. Vernon Trail. This time instead of my car waiting for me a mile over the bridge, I still had about 5 miles to go once I crossed.

At various times when I mapped out my route I kept getting slightly different mileage, to the point where the preferred route I had planned would have actually had me doing 14 miles yesterday. I was good with upping things, so that was my intent. Then around mile 7 my hip started to hurt, then shortly after that I realized it was actually my knee that hurt. I'm not sure which was the originating pain and which was the compensating pain, but either way, there was pain. I started shaving the walk back as much as I could, making my route slightly less scenic and slightly more direct and it was going to be 13.5 miles when all was said and done. But by the time I made it back to Alexandria and was a half mile from home I was done. So very done that I took the bus the final 6 blocks. Oh well, I still did make it 13 miles so yay me!

Sunday

For today's walk I was lucky enough to have a friend offer to join me. This was fabulous because without her I'm 75% sure I would have blown it off. I woke up with my legs feeling pretty sore today, but luckily no real pain. After taking some advil I set out with a plan for doing 7 miles. We were walking in Patapsaco State Park along the 2.5 mile Grist Mill Trail. The plan was to start at the west end of it and follow the length of the trail and then keep going heading towards the park entrance another mile and then turn back, bringing the total to 7 miles. Unfortunately my pesky hip/knee issue returned when we completed the first 2.5 mile stretch and I decided I'd be really ok doing 5 miles and not 7. I mapped it when we got home and based on the walk to and from the car we actually got 5.5 so I'm only 1.5 miles off target for the weekend and right about now that feels fine.

Reality

I was completely exhausted when I got home and pretty sore. I'm definitely worried about how things will go for the Avon Walk if only 13 then five miles beat me up this much, Add to that the fact that next Saturday they are calling for it to be back in the high 90s and I'm not sure I can handle the 15 mile training walk I'm supposed to do with those temps. Ugh.

While I still am so incredibly happy about how my fundraising is going, I'm feeling kinda bummed about the walking and how tough it's been this time. Today definitely isn't a high point for me in feeling prepared or optimistic about the Avon Walk.

I'm trying to stay confident, that the weather will get cooler, that the training plan will work and the walks will get easier and all will be well.

And trying is the best I can do right now.

When You Achieve a Goal, It's Time for a New One!

Yesterday I was really feeling the donation love!

It was 45 days from the event and my fundraising total was at $1668, just $132 away from the fundraising requirement for the Avon Walk. I sent a few targeted emails to friends who I knew were planning to give - "Hey, sorry to be a pest, but would it be possible for you to donate today? I'm really close to my goal and want to get there!"

Then when I was at 98%, just $25.10 away I turned to FB and asked who wanted to be the one who got me to 100%. My cousin Allison made that gift, and then immediately after another gift came in and another, and another. They were coming from coworkers, family and long time friends - people from all aspects of my life. Within a few hours of reaching $1800 I was already at $1920. So I returned to FB with another plea, for a few more donations so I could reach $2000.

A few minutes later I got an email alert and was blown away when I opened it and saw a $500 donation had been made. Unbelievable!

A few more additional donations ended up coming in last night, bringing my total up to $2489!

I am completely floored and so happy to have raised so much, this far out from the event. And now am more determined than ever to top last year's fundraising goal. When I did the Avon Walk in DC I raised $3400 and for some crazy reason I was doubtful I could match that this year. All doubt is gone.

In fact, I decided to set my new goal at $3600. Twice the required amount and symbolic as in the Jewish religion the number 18 represents life, and often gifts are given in multiples of 18 to symbolically bless someone with a long life. Raising $3600 to help prevent and cure a terrible disease that has taken too many lives would be more than just symbolic. It would be truly amazing and I thank you all for your part in helping me to achieve this goal.

Expect a walking update post this weekend as I keep "walking forever"

Give and Take

I'm pretty happy the humidity has dropped and temps are lower this week as my continued battle with the heat during training is really getting exhausting. 

Last weekend I did 11 miles on Saturday and while it was not nearly as hot as the Saturday prior, it was still pretty darn hot for being outside and walking for hours. 

I stayed local for that walk, going from my neighborhood into Old Town where I met a friend for breakfast. After catching up with her I headed down King Street to the waterfront and then turned north, on the Mount Vernon trail. I walked along the trail, up to the airport before shifting into Crystal City at Four Mile Run. My initial plan was going to keep me on the trail longer, but I needed to be in a location with more opportunities for shade, water fill ups and A/C breaks. I made my way up Crystal Drive to Long Bridge Park which I had driven by countless times but never walked through before. Then I came back the same route, through Crystal City. That hadn't been my plan either, but I decided I needed to follow the metro way bus route back to give myself an out if needed. I was quite tempted to take the bus home on several occasions, but I kept walking and eventually made it back. 

During the walk I was being pretty hard on myself for the slower than normal pace and my need to take frequent breaks, the weather wasn't nearly as bad as the week before. Then I finally woke up to the fact that while no, it didn't feel like it was 102 degrees, it was still over 90 degrees and my body is not at all acclimated to physical exertion in that kind of weather. 

And that's where the give and take comes in. I've been pushing myself to follow the training plan, even when common sense says otherwise. So I'm going to stop that now. 

This weekend I'm traveling to the beach and don't particularly want to spend my Saturday there walking 12 miles. I was going to get it in Friday night before getting on the road, but again, that's pushing the boundaries of common sense a bit too far. 

Instead I'm going to take advantage of the great weather this week and get longer than normal walks in on Tuesday and Thursday nights, aiming for five miles instead of the three mile walks the training plan calls for. I'm still aiming to do the suggested seven miles I am supposed to on Sunday, but if I decided being a beach bum takes precedence that's ok too. 

I'm adding distance each week and will be ready for the Avon Walk come mid-October. But I don't want to be so focused on sticking to the plan I'm sacrificing either my safety in the heat, or my last beach weekend of the summer. 

Common sense and give and take or compromise aren't usually traits I have a problem with. But straying from the plan, well, that's not my strong suit so this whole endeavor is definitely impacting me beyond just miles walked. 

Generous Support

I continue to be surprised by how my fundraising total just keeps going up.

My philosophy for fundraising when I started out was that I basically had to be shameless in asking everyone I know for donations, and be consistent in posting updates on Facebook and Instagram to remind people about the event. And I've been doing that. In fact, at times it feels like I don't post about anything but the Walk on Facebook and I've got to tone it down!

So the fact that my strategy is working, and people are giving shouldn't be surprising, but I'm still taken aback at times when I get the email alert about another gift, especially when they come from old friends who my only current connection with is social media.

And then I remember, how much this isn't about me.

Sure, some people are giving just because they want to be supportive of me personally and the effort I'm putting in to the walk. But breast cancer is so pervasive and impacts so many lives that I know most of the donations have nothing to do with me at all.

Those giving want to support the work of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade to improve breast cancer outcomes and reduce disparities in survival rates at the community and national level. They want to provide support for the individuals and their families going through treatment and fund research to prevent others from facing the same. They want to give in memory and honor of their loved ones who have faced this terrible disease as well. 

Last year when I completed the Avon Walk I had the names of 12 women in my life who battled breast cancer on the sign I wore during the walk. Since that time I have two more names to add to my sign. 

Right now I'm 2/3 of the way to raising the required $1800, but I'm only just over 1/3 of the way to meeting last year's total of $3400 raised. 

I hope if you are able you'll consider donating. This issue is really important to me, and I know to many of you as well and the more money I can raise, the more people can be helped. 

Closing the Loop

Setting out at 7:15 am

Today's training schedule called for an 8 mile walk.

Earlier in the week I mapped out my route and decided I'd get started as early as possible as the heat was going to be brutal today.

The first two parts of that plan were on track, but right around mile 6,  when there was nothing to be done about it, I realized my 8 mile route was actually a 9 mile route. Sigh...

But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

I set out from Gravelly Point, the parking lot right off the GW Parkway by National Airport. My plan was to walk the Mount Vernon trail to the Key bridge and then cross into Georgetown. From there I was going to walk down M Street to Pennsylvania Ave to 15th Street and then back across the bridge to the trail and my car.

Things started off fine, though I was definitely hot. I was slightly questioning my sanity during miles 1-3, but kept pushing along. I had never been on the section of the trail between the Memorial and Key bridges before, so that was nice. There's definitely a lot of shade in the area leading up to Roosevelt Island and I had a nice view of a huge white bird (heron? osprey?) hanging out riverside in the mud. They trail was pretty crowded with bikers, runners and a few others walking like me.

I crossed the Key Bridge into Georgetown and once I got there took my first break, for about 10 minutes in the shade at Francis Scott Key Park. I filled up my water bottle (20 oz consumed) and then made my way through Georgetown to Pennsylvania Ave and past the White House. At this point I veered off my original plan and headed two blocks off route to my office. I needed to grab my FitBit charger and figured cold water and an A/C break would be good too. (60 oz consumed)

When I got into my office I re-mapped my route, just to check and see exactly where things stood and that's when I realized I had a problem.

original route

Actual route

When I finished mapping it I discovered I was pretty much exactly at the 6 mile point (yay!) but instead of 2 miles to go I had 3.1. Um... what? I knew I added four blocks to my total by stopping at the office but that wasn't enough to make a difference of 1.1 miles! Then I pulled up my original route and realized my mistake. When I was drawing it out I had closed the loop, but hadn't kept going in tracking the part I had to walk twice, the distance along the Mt. Vernon trail from the 14th Street Bridge to Gravelly Point. Oops!

With no way to shorten things at that point, I headed back out to wrap up, where the actual temp had reached the high 80s and the feels like was 102. I did a mile and a half to just past the Jefferson Memorial, took one last 10 minute rest in the shade and then headed back into full sun for the walk over the bridge and much of the final stretch back to my car (80 oz consumed).

I returned to my car 3 hours and 55 minutes after I set out. Feeling hot and miserable, but glad I accomplished what I needed to!

Smiling once I was back in the car. Probably
just because the A/C was on full blast!

Touristing & Training

This weekend the training plan called for a six mile walk on Saturday and a five mile walk today.

The weather forecast called for temps that felt like 100 degrees and thunderstorm on Saturday. So, I shifted things and got the six miles in on Friday after work. The weather was pretty perfect - mid 80s with a nice breeze and DC wasn't actually completely overrun with tourists, so that was a plus too!

I left the office and headed towards Union Station and then over to the Capitol Building and down along the National Mall past the Washington Monument, up into Foggy Bottom and then back over to the office past the White House. After living here for 7 1/2 years and working downtown for over 2 years the fact that these are place I can walk by whenever I want still has not gotten old!

Today I ended up breaking up the five miles, doing 3 1/2 in my neighborhood this morning and then getting the rest in while playing tourist again, this time in North East DC at the National Arboretum. It was my first visit there and there is SO much to see! Despite the lower humidity it was still pretty toasty in the sun, so the visit to the Arboretum was a mix of exploring on foot and by car but I have no doubt I got another 1 1/2 miles in. 

While sometimes I'm still questioning why in the world I'm doing the Avon Walk again, I am enjoying the opportunity it provides to get me out of the house exploring the great things the DC area has to offer!

Plans Are Coming Together

The fact that I'm doing the AVON Walk in New York City this year instead of DC means there are some added logistics that have to be taken care of.

First up, and most exciting, I found a friend willing to tag along and cheer for me during the walk! My friend Nicolette is going to travel to NY with me which makes me very happy. I don't mind doing the walk on my own, but I really like the idea of having a familiar face at some of the rest stops and at the finish line! Also, in the worst case scenario of rain she can meet me with dry gear to change in to. (Yes, I'm me, so of course I already have a rain plan worked out.)

Once that was decided, Nicolette and I both booked our train tickets and I booked the hotel. Well get to New York City midday on Friday, October 14 (and hopefully see a show that night) and then I'll walk and walk and walk Saturday and Sunday. Nicolette heads home late Sunday afternoon and I'm staying on until Monday so I don't have to get on a train just after finishing a very long walk!

The other thing that happened this week in terms of preparation is I got new sneakers. It's recommended you get new sneakers every 300-500 miles and I'll put 295 miles on mine just during training. The AVON Walk also recommends you wear different shoes Saturday and Sunday, so I'll begin to break in this pair now and at the beginning of September I'll get another new pair and then keep rotating them during my walks and for the big walk.

And, that's where things stand. This weekend will bring a six then five mile walk and hopefully cooler temperatures to complete them in!

Summer Training Woes

DC's heat wave meant my 12 week training plan got off to a slow start this Sunday. And by slow, I mean non-existent. :(

I started the day with paddleboarding at the beach instead of the 3 mile walk I was supposed to do and the temperatures never dropped enough for me to make an outdoor walk feasible once I got back to town.

But, I'm not letting the rocky start be a precursor of things to come! Paddleboarding counts as cross training and that's good for me too, right? :)

My plan for this week's Tuesday and Thursday training walks is most definitely going to be on the treadmill before work!

I'm hoping Saturday and Sunday's 4 mile walks can be done outdoors, perhaps early in the morning both days.

I'm also looking at my travel plans over the next few months and figuring out how I'm going to bend the training plan to work for me. Heading out of town on a Saturday that's supposed to have a 12 mile walk means I guess I'll be spending that Friday evening strolling through DC. I'm also scheming times when I'll end up leaving super early and walking to meet friends when we have plans, or taking a long stroll back to the house from the beach late this summer as well.

This time of year it seems harder to get the training in - between the heat and a busier schedule - but I know how important it is, and that following the plan last time led to success so I'm committed to making it work!

Wish me luck! And please, support my fundraising efforts if you can!

Playing Tourist = Lots of Steps!

Training officially kicks off this Sunday (7/24), but I got a head start getting back into lots of walking last weekend when I went to New England.

Between wandering downtown Boston and exploring small towns along the southern coast of Maine, my FitBit tracked me at 12,000 - 16,000 steps each day of my 4 day trip. Those are daily numbers I haven't seen in ages. Numbers I'm sure to start seeing more frequently pretty soon!

In fundraising news, I am a lucky girl with generous friends! My first fundraising goal was to be at 12% of my needed total by the time my 12 week training program begins. As of today I'm at 20%.

Thanks so much to everyone who has donated so far!

Of course I'd walk a lot more if these could always be my views!

Both shots are from the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, ME

Gearing Up for the 2016 Avon 39

Gearing up to take on this challenge again in 2016!

With the Avon 39 just over 3 months away it's time to kick things into high gear and get my fundraising going!

This time I'll be doing the event in New York City, October 15 & 16. I was in NYC last week and it was hard to imagine that in just a few short months I'll be returning and seeing so much more of the city and in a very different way than I ever have before!

Last year to prepare for my inaugural Avon 39 in DC I diligently followed a 16 week training program. Since I have some experience under my belt, and it's completely gross hot out of these days, I'm going with a 12 week plan.

Just like last year I'll have training walks on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, with the Saturday and Sunday distances gradually ramping up to get me ready to walk 26.2 miles on day 1 and 13.1 on day 2 of the big event.

My training plan kicks off in 15 days, which is 12 weeks out from the event and I'd love to have 12% of my required funds ($216) raised by then. 

Donations of any amount would be greatly appreciated and can be made on my personal fundraising page.

Like last year I'll be tracking my progress during training and fundraising with this blog and hope you'll follow along as I prepare for this huge challenge a second time!

That thing I said was never happening again....

is happening again.

Officially registered to walk 39 miles again in 2016, this time in NYC this October.

Much more to come this Spring and Summer as I kick off training and fundraising!