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!
Monday, July 25, 2016
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
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!
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!
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| Of course I'd walk a lot more if these could always be my views! |
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| Both shots are from the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, ME |
Saturday, July 9, 2016
Gearing Up for the 2016 Avon 39
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| Gearing up to take on this challenge again in 2016! |
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!
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
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!
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!
Saturday, May 9, 2015
The Recap
It's taken a full week for me to sit down at the computer and write up the recap of our Avon 39 experience.
I've talked to lots of friends and colleagues about the event over the past week and I think it's best summed up by saying - I was prepared, but it was still hard.
There was never a time where I was truly miserable, or wondering why in the world I was out there doing it, but there were plenty of times where I was uncomfortable and hot and sore and just plain exhausted. Sunday was slower going than Saturday. I felt OK, but the motivation was waning. It definitely makes sense to taper down in mileage, but after achieving the 26.2 miles on Saturday it felt kind of anticlimactic to walk 13.1 more.But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
I wrote about the first half of Saturday at our lunch break. The half took up through Georgetown, past the hospital and up to Reservoir Road past the German Embassy and, the reservoir. People kept talking about a big hill coming up and I thought the incline past the hospital was it. I was wrong. After a few more miles of winding around Northwest we got to Sibley Hospital and discovered the hill.
It was steep. And long. They had a rest stop set up mid-way up the hill, in the hospital parking lot. Then we kept going and got to the top, only to discover it wasn't really the top - it was just a plateau. The road flattened out a bit, then went up again, flattened out a bit, then went up some more. I'd say it was about a mile of hill. It was unfun. After that we kept going, winding our way past American University, back to Wisconsin Ave and into Bethesda. From there we picked up the Capital Crescent Trail, crossed Connecticut Ave and wound through some neighborhoods before getting to Rays Meadow, which was really pretty, and finally ending up in Meadowbrook Park.
We crossed the finish line on our 26.2 at 5:30 pm,, 10 1/2 hours after we started. My FitBit registered 566 active minutes that day. Amazing.
We wandered around Basecamp 39 a bit, and each bought new t shirts to wear for day 2, and then headed to the hotel shuttle. Neither Mary or I camp, and after walking a marathon was not going to be when I decided to start!
Even at 6 pm on a Saturday evening the shuttle ride to the hotel was long and traffic filled. Once we got there we ventured a block away for yummy pizza - of both the regular and dessert varieties. We had planned to go to the hotel pool and jacuzzi, but the lure of our beds was too great and we ended up staying in the room.
Both Mary and I felt pretty good at this point. A little sore, but not really hobbly at all. We each ended the day with just over 60,000 steps on our Fitbits and both earned the "Blue Suede Shoes"badge for the first (and likely last) time.
Sunday morning came early and we boarded the shuttle bus back to Basecamp 39 at 6:30 am. The course re-opened at 7:30 am and we were ready to add 13.1 miles to our totals. We were both feeling ok, Mary had a few blisters causing her problems, but otherwise we were in good spirits and decent walking shape. But it was still slow going. The group stayed pretty bunched together until the first rest stop, and while I was expecting it to be mostly downhill on Sunday we still had more to walk up.
The course took us back through Ray's Meadow and the Capital Crescent Trail and into Bethesda. down Connecticut Avenue and then through some neighborhoods into Cathedral Heights, past the Cathedral and Naval Observatory and then back down Massachusetts Ave into downtown. We wound back through Foggy Bottom and by that point we were moving pretty quickly as we headed back to the Washington Monument and the finish line.
We were both so happy to cross that line. Proud of our accomplishment, and just happy to be finished!
I've talked to lots of friends and colleagues about the event over the past week and I think it's best summed up by saying - I was prepared, but it was still hard.
There was never a time where I was truly miserable, or wondering why in the world I was out there doing it, but there were plenty of times where I was uncomfortable and hot and sore and just plain exhausted. Sunday was slower going than Saturday. I felt OK, but the motivation was waning. It definitely makes sense to taper down in mileage, but after achieving the 26.2 miles on Saturday it felt kind of anticlimactic to walk 13.1 more.But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
I wrote about the first half of Saturday at our lunch break. The half took up through Georgetown, past the hospital and up to Reservoir Road past the German Embassy and, the reservoir. People kept talking about a big hill coming up and I thought the incline past the hospital was it. I was wrong. After a few more miles of winding around Northwest we got to Sibley Hospital and discovered the hill.
It was steep. And long. They had a rest stop set up mid-way up the hill, in the hospital parking lot. Then we kept going and got to the top, only to discover it wasn't really the top - it was just a plateau. The road flattened out a bit, then went up again, flattened out a bit, then went up some more. I'd say it was about a mile of hill. It was unfun. After that we kept going, winding our way past American University, back to Wisconsin Ave and into Bethesda. From there we picked up the Capital Crescent Trail, crossed Connecticut Ave and wound through some neighborhoods before getting to Rays Meadow, which was really pretty, and finally ending up in Meadowbrook Park.
We crossed the finish line on our 26.2 at 5:30 pm,, 10 1/2 hours after we started. My FitBit registered 566 active minutes that day. Amazing.
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| 26.2 Miles Complete! And still smiling! |
 |
| Can you read the fine print? "What's the matter? " You don't want to camp?" You've got that right! |
Even at 6 pm on a Saturday evening the shuttle ride to the hotel was long and traffic filled. Once we got there we ventured a block away for yummy pizza - of both the regular and dessert varieties. We had planned to go to the hotel pool and jacuzzi, but the lure of our beds was too great and we ended up staying in the room.
Both Mary and I felt pretty good at this point. A little sore, but not really hobbly at all. We each ended the day with just over 60,000 steps on our Fitbits and both earned the "Blue Suede Shoes"badge for the first (and likely last) time.
Sunday morning came early and we boarded the shuttle bus back to Basecamp 39 at 6:30 am. The course re-opened at 7:30 am and we were ready to add 13.1 miles to our totals. We were both feeling ok, Mary had a few blisters causing her problems, but otherwise we were in good spirits and decent walking shape. But it was still slow going. The group stayed pretty bunched together until the first rest stop, and while I was expecting it to be mostly downhill on Sunday we still had more to walk up.
The course took us back through Ray's Meadow and the Capital Crescent Trail and into Bethesda. down Connecticut Avenue and then through some neighborhoods into Cathedral Heights, past the Cathedral and Naval Observatory and then back down Massachusetts Ave into downtown. We wound back through Foggy Bottom and by that point we were moving pretty quickly as we headed back to the Washington Monument and the finish line.
We were both so happy to cross that line. Proud of our accomplishment, and just happy to be finished!
Sunday, May 3, 2015
We Crushed It!
A more thorough wrap up will come in the next day or so, but in the meantime....
Two days, 39.3 miles complete! Mary and I raised $5,576 and the event raised $4.6 million!
Thank you, thank, you, thank you for all of the support and encouragement!
Two days, 39.3 miles complete! Mary and I raised $5,576 and the event raised $4.6 million!
Thank you, thank, you, thank you for all of the support and encouragement!
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Woah We're Halfway There!
We've made it to the 13.1 mile point, also known as halfway for today. The weather has been gorgeous - getting a little warm but a nice breeze and sunny.
The route so far took us from the Washington monument, around the Tidal Basin up past the Capitol and into to Capitol Hill neighborhood.
My wonderful friend Katherine came out to cheer us on and walked with us for awhile near union Station. We continued on through Chinatown and Penn Quarter, past the White House and in a roundabout way through Foggy Bottom and DuPont before getting to Georgetown. We've had some big hills already and I know another is coming shortly after lunch.
We are feeling good and will be continuing on our way soon!
The route so far took us from the Washington monument, around the Tidal Basin up past the Capitol and into to Capitol Hill neighborhood.
My wonderful friend Katherine came out to cheer us on and walked with us for awhile near union Station. We continued on through Chinatown and Penn Quarter, past the White House and in a roundabout way through Foggy Bottom and DuPont before getting to Georgetown. We've had some big hills already and I know another is coming shortly after lunch.
We are feeling good and will be continuing on our way soon!
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