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!