In 16 days, I will join 100’s of other men and women in Cleveland on a 60 mile, life changing journey. So many of you have been affected or know someone besides me who has suffered from this terrible cancer. It is for all of us who have been touched one way or another that I am fighting and walking for a CURE!

Words cannot express my gratitude for your support over these past couple of years since my diagnoses. Time is a precious commodity and social economics are even tougher, but one way or another you have stepped up to show your support. Maybe it was your card or note of inspiration; maybe you took the time to walk with me during my months of training or you attended a fundraiser. Maybe it was your words of encouragement or maybe it was a donation you made to support my walks. Whatever your contribution was and is, I am blessed and forever grateful for all you have done.

You know it’s not about the 60 miles, or the 3 days, or the 24 weeks of training, or even the dollars raised…it’s about the research and finding a cure to END breast cancer. It’s about the hope of living in a cancer free world one day.

Thank you doesn’t seem to be adequate, but please accept my HUGE THANKS for joining me in this effort to fight back against a nasty disease that engulfed over one year of my life and still affects me and millions of others every day. Not all of us are fundraisers, or can give the time to commit to these types of events. But today, right now, I CAN! And thanks to your support, you are fighting this battle right along side of me.

I will write again, after the walk with a photo or two to share. Much love and appreciation to all of you.

Ten Miles and Tired Dogs

I just wanted to provide an update. After all the set backs I've had recently in preparing for the 3 Day, 60 mile walk, I am proud to tell you that I managed to walk 10 miles recently with most of my team mates.

Four of us met in Mansfield on a Sunday morning and chatted away for about  3 and 1/2 hours and 10 miles. It was a perfect day for a walk. Partly sunny and temperatures in the upper 60's to mid 70's.  Overall I felt pretty good.   Once I drove the hour plus back home I checked out my feet to see how they held up.  My right foot, well, I will have pain in that foot until I decide to take medical procedures serious and fix that issue, but other than the pain due to an injury years ago, the right foot held up well. The left foot had a small blister on the right side of my heel. This is the first time I've worn my orthotics such a long distance so I was curious to see how that would hold up.  I felt the edge of the orthotic while I was walking and figured I'd end up with a blister.  I am surprised that a small blister was all I got.  I think I must need to loosen up my shoe laces because the top of my left foot was red when I took my shoe off and it was sore for a few days. So I still need to experiment with my footwear to find that right balance. At the end of the 10 miles my dogs were tired but I was pleased with the overall results. I will still need to double that distance and do it again for 2 more days after that at the actual event. That's just a little intimidating

After completing my online check in for the walk, Komen wanted me to check with my doctors that it is OK for me to participate in the walk. I checked with my oncologist as well as my cardiologist and both gave me the thumbs up!

I have a fundraiser planned July 11th at the Brunswick Applebee's. I am so close to my fundraising goal, but still have a little way to go. That night will be fun. All diners who bring in a flyer will have 15% of their meal donated back to my fundraising efforts.  I'll also have some baskets to raffle off and daughter will be giving back massages for a fee that she will donate back to the fundraiser! There will be other fun things planned as well. If you're in the area on that Monday, stop by!

I am seriously excited that the walk is soon to be a reality. I can still only imagine how tired I will be at the end of the 20+ mile days, but am looking forward to experiencing the excitement and weariness for such a good cause.

I will update again closer to the start day.  Stay tuned!

Training update

I am so excited. My first donations have appeared this week! I am at 36% of my goal so I still need your support!

I went to the Podiatrist this week to be casted for orthotics.  He's recommend surgery, but he and I both know that isn't happening anytime soon. So, in the meantime, Doc thinks orthotics will help ease the arthritic pain in my right foot (thanks to a volleyball injury and an over-anxious team mate)  and relieve the tendinitis pain on top of my left foot. I'll get these in a few weeks. Unfortunately that will set me back on my training schedule as I have to learn how to walk in them.  Below is this weeks schedule. We're up to 8 miles!!

Monday Rest (accomplished)
Tuesday 3 miles Easy walking (didn't accomplish)
Wednesday 15 minutes Moderate cross-training (umm yeah kinda.. if climbing the stairs a gazillion times at home counts and I got in 1 mile of easy walking)
Thursday 5 miles Moderate walking
Friday 30 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 8 miles Easy walking  (I'll be walking at the IX Center this day for MDA's Muscle Walk event supporting my nephew Ryan.  Hopefully I get in 8 easy miles during the entire day.  I'll wear my pedometer)
Sunday 6 miles Easy walking

Thanks for hanging in there with me. 

See the post below for specifics on how to donate. I need your support, but know that your donations will also help to put an end to breast cancer!