Day 123

Overall it was a productive week. Got the last of my auction item donations mailed in to the 3Day to be processed and posted. Now I need to send some thank you letters out to my bakers and auction item donors. The event was good, but a lot of work.
The good news is that I was able to clock in 20.5 miles this past week in walking. I took a vacation day last Friday and was able to meet 2 other women (one of them a fellow 3-Day walker and survivor) for an early morning walk. Got 6.5 miles in for the morning and another 2.5 in the afternoon and evening. Come the middle of June I will have Fridays off of work and will finally be able to get back to back days of longer walks in. Right now it's been difficult to accomplish that with my daughter's school events, work schedules and family obligations. I'm hoping that if I get the mileage in during the week in increments whenever I can now, that if I can finally do longer back to back days every week for the 8 weeks prior to the event that my body will be accustomed enough to the length of the walks. I keep telling myself I need to do more than I am, but at the same time I'm doing the best that I can while still keeping up with regular reponsibilities.
I'll just continue to take it one step at a time.

Day 103

Well, it's now been more than 100 days since I started this journey. My, how time flies. It's been a busy and productive week. Even though our 3Day team is busy prepping for our Silent Auction / Bake Sale fundraising event in 2 weeks, this past week was my best week in training so far. I joined up with some new local women who are also registered 3Day walkers and did a few training walks. On Tuesday of last week I joined 4 other women and walked 3.3 miles on the Macomb Orchard Trail. We'd had some weird weather earlier that day, but by the time we walked after work it was actually a very nice night. On Thursday the Training Walk Leader (from Tuesday) and I chose to walk indoors at the local mall (because the temps had dropped in to the
30s and was really windy). We were able to walk 5.25 miles in 1 hr. 20 min. which was really good. On Saturday morning I joined up with another woman I hadn't met face-to-face yet (Laurie) and we were able to walk another 5 miles. Laurie is an 8-year survivor so we had lots to talk about and compare. Overall, last week I walked 21.25 miles which was my best mileage yet.

Today is Sunday (my day of rest) and it marks the beginning of a new week for me. Monday I'll hit the gym (I haven't been there in 2 weeks due to the Easter holiday), then Tuesday I'm meeting the other women for another training walk on the trail. I'm so excited to have people to walk with now that the weather is getting nicer and it's daylight out longer. It not only makes the miles go by faster, but I'm getting to meet so many nice people. It's definately a win-win situation.

Day 65

Blue sky and sunshine ... you gotta love it. This week had its highs and lows. On a high point I got 2 more donations. On a low point, I was feeling under the weather for a couple of days, so I'm behind on my walking this week. I realize the 3Day 24-week training schedule is just a guideline, but I always take everything so literally. As I was vegging 2 nights in a row in my pjs I was beating myself up (mentally) about getting behind. But my body just laid there and told my mind 'too bad'. It's not a good sign when you start talking to yourself, lol.

Today is a new day and the sun is out. A bit chilly still but hope to layer up and walk a few miles outdoors this afternoon. That should get me back in the swing of things. Think while I'm out walking I'll hand deliver a few flyers to the neighbors for next weekend's Buffalo Wild Wings fundraiser.

Day 61

It's been a few days since I blogged. I'm really not sure where the time goes and especially in such a hurry. I've had a couple of days this week of feeling under the weather, but still got a 3-mile outdoor walk in yesterday. The sun was out and it wasn't too chilly. I thought the fresh air might do me some good. I'm pretty sure though that I wouldn't have won any races. But that's o.k.

My fundraising is right on target. I have been sending some emails with flyers out for my Buffalo Wild Wing event on March 14th. I haven't started on the auction too much. Figure I'll get one event out of the way before I start on the next. There's always so much to do. Someone told me once that fundraising and training for the 3Day is almost like having a 2nd job. I'm beginning to think it's a pretty good description. That and the fact that I am an Administrator at a church and right now we are in the midst of Lent makes for some pretty busy days.

I just need to stay focused ... one step and one obstacle at a time. It'll all get done, it always done.

Day 57

It's been a very snowy week, also nearing the end of my 2nd official week of 3Day training. The training has been a bit challenging to fit in around a full time work schedule. I can't walk outside yet ... it's dark in the morning and in the evening. I've been relying on my walking dvds & the gym during the week and hitting the mall on the weekend. It's getting done somehow, but did I mention that I'm REALLY looking forward to the springtime ... warmer temperatures and longer amounts of daylight? I'm sure I did.

Fundraising has been going really well. I've almost reached my minimum required goal which means I'll be able to walk in the event. But I've upped my goal and probably will again before it's all over. I've got a personal fundraising event coming up on March 14th at a local Buffalo Wild Wings and then we have a team event (silent auction & bake sale) scheduled for April. My hope is that any of my fundraising event donations (that are cash or check) I will be able to put aside til the event gets closer then apply them to any other teammate who made need a push to hit their goal. I'm extremely fortunate to have had the response that I've had. I'm not exactly sure why people have been so generous unless it's because I am SO passionate about the cause because of my own personal cancer experience that perhaps they sense that. I am truly thankful for everyone's support, but like I told my husband last night ... 'It is about the money because every donation could bring us one step closer to a cure, but also about the fact that EVERY person that make a donation (no matter how big or how little) ... well it means that I've extended the awareness'. If EVERY person who makes a donation, comes to an event, or goes on a walk with me gets a mammogram or makes sure that they talk about breast cancer with their wife, their mother, thier sister or their daughter ... just think of the possibilities.

I survived cancer because I detected it early and then I had choices. I had stage II cancer AND it had already traveled to my lymph nodes. If I had ignored the symptoms til later, my Stage II could have easily become Stage IV because my cancer grew very quickly. If that had happened you might not be reading this blog.