3 Day Pictures - Part 1

Finally some pics from the walk!

I'm going to wear this EVERYWHERE - our victory tee shirts that we received at the finish line.

Day 1 - Part of Tent City - the big white tent is where they fed the thousands of us! There were 2 people per tent and over 1,000 tents.

Day 2 Start - Only 1 day late for me! It was cold out after a cold night of camping.

Day 3 Start - It didn't rain for long.

Day 3 - Entering Atlanta with Trish!

Some wear their heart on their sleeve, some wear their breasts on their hat.

3 Day Pictures - Part 2

Less than 1 block to go! This woman and her Pink Power Ranger were there to cheer us on at least 3 times per day!

Mom and Mark met me at the entrance to Piedmont Park.

The official finish line inside Piedmont Park!

Mark (my brother) loves Healthy Honkers, too.

Breast Cancer survivors wore pink victory tee shirts. This survivor had a great sense of humor - check out her hat!

2,250 Walkers entering Closing Cermonies.



A one-shoe salute to the breast cancer survivors who walked with us, as they entered closing ceremonies.

Victory!

Wanted to let any blog-readers know that the 3-Day was a success and that I survived. I'll post pictures when I get home next week.

Thanks!

GOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLL!

Look at that, we've met and actually EXCEEDED my fundraising goal! Thank you so much to all the donors for your support and generosity. It's not too late to contribute if you've been meaning to and haven't yet! Donations received 4 weeks after my walk can still count towards my fundraising, and even if you don't make that deadline, breast cancer research is always a cause in need of funds.

Now all that's left to do is to walk 60 miles in 3 days. That's the easy part, right?

Weather forecast update: It's getting better already! Now they're calling for rain on Friday, and partly cloudy on Saturday and Sunday. The temperature is looking good rain or shine: high 60's all 3 days. Lows in the mid-40's.

Thanks again to all my supporters, this is very exciting!

You Deserve a BMW

A friend walked the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer this weekend (same basic idea, 2 days and 4o miles instead) and she shared this fun breast cancer fundraiser with me last week!

Brace yourselves... for every mile you test-drive a BMW in October, BMW will donate $1 to the Komen Foundation. And it's not a secret, they WANT you to do it! Check it out:
http://www.bmwusa.com/bmwexperience/eventsandprograms/udsk/default

They also have fun souvenirs that you can buy to even further support the cause. Looks like you have to reserve a time, so call 1-877-4-A-DRIVE to do your part. Isn't it fun to sacrifice for the cause?

Donor Gifts

Thanks for your support, donors! As a thank-you I'd like to give you either a Breast Cancer 3-Day window cling or pink wristband. The clings are 3" x 4". The wristbands are similar to the yellow Lance Armstrong rubber wristbands.

Please let me know if you'd like one of these.

Thanks!

World's Worst Blogger

Who would've ever thought that I would be such a terrible blogger? I always have something to say.

For those of you who aren't on my email list, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I thought last month was Breast Cancer Awareness Month too, but I was wrong. Really I just think you should be aware of it every month. Anyway, October really IS Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and other than donating to Ellen's Hike for Healthy Honkers which I ALWAYS think is a great idea, I have a call to action for you.

Buy pink. There are SO many companies who are pitching in to support breast cancer research. You need to buy things anyway, so keep your eyes open for companies who are contributing to this cause through your purchase. There are many, but a few are Clinique and KitchenAid.

Thanks!

New Socks

Today I wrote a whole enthusiastic post about Breast Cancer Awareness Month and walking and money raising, but Blogger kind of stinks and it didn't post my post.

So instead I'm going to show you my new socks! 2 Pairs. Made by a very clever friend.That's the first pair, "I Heart Healthy Honkers!"
And the second pair, as I'm looking down at my feet, encourage me with, "Go Ellen!"

Still Going....

The fundraising thermometer is still going up! If you count the pledges and the check from a family member that I've been carrying around for a month (sorry, I promise I'll send it this week!), I only have $270 left until my goal! Of course surpassing the goal of $2200 would be great, too. Thanks, everyone.

I walked 10 miles on Saturday! It was pretty tiring, but happily my feet felt pretty good afterwards. Yesterday we went to Busch Gardens so that involved some walking, but I don't know how much.

According to the weather.com, the average high in Atlanta in October 20-22 is 72 and the average low is 51. RECORD high, however, is 88. Let's all hope that we don't have record highs. Average would be nice. Not bad, 72 degrees.

Wow, check that out! And it's even better than it appears. This thermometer is only accounting for donations actually received. But there have been donations pledged, so I'm actually at 85%! Very exciting!

Sorry for the lack of posts. Lots going on these days.

In other news, we went to a nearby state park on Sunday and walked for a couple of hours. Walking outside is different than using a tredmill. Largely because you don't go downhill on a treadmill. When you go downhill your feet slide in your shoes and you learn how they really fit! We also confirmed that Daisy (the dog), although thin and pretty, is out of shape.

I'm hoping they'll post the Atlanta course map soon. They said it'd be posted about 6 weeks before the event. I'll be there in mid-September and would love to drive the route to get a sense of it. Especially to understand what hills we'll be dealing with.

Walk On

I think I've walked twice since I last posted. I thought I'd be good at this blogging thing, but I'm not too faithful at posting, am I?

Thursday after work I walked. I meant to walk 5 miles, but it was kind of an odd one. When I got to the gym I realized that I had a cramp in the bottom of my foot. I stretched it out and started slowly and it worked itself out, as anticipated. So I sped up the treadmill, at which point the cramp came back and migrated. The back of my ankle cramped, then my calf, then my hamstring. I stopped the machine and stretched, but the cramps wouldn't go. So I achieved merely 3.5 miles on Thursday.

What does that mean? I should eat more bananas? Isn't potassium supposed to be good for that?

Saturday we were in Blacksburg, VA, so I got to walk outside in the lovely Blacksburg August weather. It was only 70 or 75 degrees in the morning. I got drizzled on a little, but it wasn't distracting. Perfect weather for walking, and I got to do hills, which I know I'll face in Atlanta.

Something to think about: Have you checked to see if your company will match your contribution to the Breast Cancer 3-Day?

Slacker

Yes, I am a slacker. But at least I'm not slacking on training, only on the blog! Tuesday I walked 3+ miles on the treadmill at the apartment complex, and yesterday was a cross-training day so I did 30 minutes on the elliptical. Today is a 5 mile day. Didn't really do anything exercise-related this weekend as we were out of town for a family reunion and it was approximately 130 degrees out. That's the best I can estimate.

This coming weekend we will be out of town again, but the weather should be better. Saturday is 5 miles and Sunday is 6 miles. I'll let you know.

Lots going on in the Life of Ellen lately.

Now, to the Help Wanted: I'm collecting ideas for clever fundraising efforts. Anything you've seen nonprofits, other individuals, or churches do, lay 'em on me! Any crazy ideas from left field that you can think of, let me have 'em! Thank you in advance!

Keep Walking

The hardest part of all of this is the long walks. Not so much because of keeping your heart rate up, because the long walks aren't fast. Not so much because of physical stamina either, although blisters are a major threat. But just because of the time committment and boredom. This Saturday I'm supposed to walk 10 miles. Even if I average a little over 3 mph, that's still over 3 hours!

In other news, I didn't walk at work today. I waited until I got home and used the apartment complex gym. They've bought all new equipment! I wish I'd known that earlier. Now all the cardio machines have their own TV. Just plug in your headphones and you can watch whatever you want. Today was a 3-mile today.

OH! You've been waiting to hear about the exercise ball. It was fine. I don't think it was much exercise, but it was a lovely stretch, and used my muscles a bit.

My Dogs are Barkin'

Well, yesterday (Friday) I did 5 miles on the treadmill at the gym. I was surprised to learn that the treadmills automatically shut off after an hour. But I restarted it and got it done. My feet were pretty tender on the bottoms after that, which is a concern. My next purchase will be some good double-layered socks.

Today Daisy and I got up to attempt 6 miles in the apartment complex. We ran out of steam at about 5 miles. Actually I think Daisy ran out of steam at about 3 miles, but she had the disadvantage of being on the end of a leash. Lesson learned: eat breakfast before walking.

Tomorrow I'm supposed to walk 8 miles, but I think I'm going to give my tootsies a rest. I may walk a few miles for good measure, but I'm going to try the exercise ball tomorrow instead of a long walk. Those of you who know me are now frightened. Don't worry: even if I fall off, it's not far to fall.

A Milestone

We reached a milestone on my fundraising journey yesterday - 50% of the way there! This graphic doesn't convey it with quite that excitement since 50% has been pledged, not collected, but I know we've gotten there.

On the physical training front, I figure it'll be much easier when we get a second car and I have more flexibility in my schedule. I was supposed to walk 5 miles yesterday, but instead I'll do that today. I'm supposed to walk 8 miles tomorrow and 6 miles Sunday! We'll see. I'm also supposed to do an unspecified type of cross-training a couple days a week. They suggested cycling, elliptical machine, swimming, rollerblading, pilates, yoga, or dance. I think I can pretty much eliminate rollerblading from that list. The gym sadly got rid of their after-work classes. Which leaves spinning in the mornings (intimidating) or a class called "Beach Bods" at lunchtime taught by someone named Britni.

I'll let you know. I'm thinking a video at home sounds more appealing than Beach Bods with Britni.

My Return to the Gym

Yesterday evening I returned to the gym for the first time in about 3 months. The 3-Day provides a lot of support including training routines. I have short time left so I'm doing the 16-week training, except I have to start at minus 13 weeks, 'cause that's as long as I have! Yesterday it was a 3 mile walk. I'm actually sore today, which is pretty sad. It wasn't bad, though. Sometimes I'm bored after only 10 minutes, but the 45 minutes went with no problem.

Monday evening I set up my fundraising page on The 3-Day site. It's my first fundraising effort in my personal life. My people have come through with flying colors! After only one contact by email, I'm already 39% of the way there! I suspect that the remaining 61% won't be so easy come, but I'm so encouraged by the jumpstart! Much thanks to all.

Hello World! My First Entry

Hello and welcome to my first blog entry ever! I'm creating this site to document my preparation for The Breast Cancer 3-Day, a 60-mile walk to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research. I'm keeping this blog as a record for myself and my 3-Day supporters.

I'll be keeping you in the loop on my physical training as well as my fundraising efforts between now and October 20-22, the walk itself!

Tomorrow: my first attempt at fundraising and my first voyage into the gym in recent history!