Training Post #9 ... 3-Day for the Cure....My Personal Page

There seems to be a learning curve here and even a test of my patience going on today. The good news is I am still laughing.

Let's see if clicking on the link below will take you to my Susan G. Komen personal page.

http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2011/TwinCitiesEvent2011?px=5787663&pg=personal&fr_id=1626

Training Post # 8 ... 3-Day for the Cure...Hope This Works!

After much teeth gnashing, nail biting, lip biting, tongue biting and enlisting Tom's help, (I had to install a new browser to get this to work because that is the browser that worked for Tom) I am now able to post the widget that will get everyone to the donation page. It is still not my personal page, which I really do want to be able to share, but it is more than I had seven hours ago.

Thank God I am laughing.

Anyway, I hope this works and I am going to test it now.

I might have to make a recording of me laughing. That would be so much better than a recording of me crying.

Here goes....................................Judy is going to click now......I think it works!

Training Post # 7.....3- Day for the Cure...The Last Two Days Were Hard But We Walked In The Sunshine Until The Sirens Went Off

(Walking In The Sunshine) by Roger Miller. I loved Roger Miller. Click to play.


The last two days were hard. Sarah and I walked ...what was it.... 11 miles yesterday. We did hills. We did going up hills. We did going down hills. It was the most hills I have done to date.

We walked outside until the rain came and the sirens sounded. We caught a ride home since the sunshine had ended and finished up at the Y in Sarah's neighborhood.

I went to bed early and slept nine hours. I woke up and wondered if I would be able to get out of bed.

I did get out of bed knowing I had 5 more miles to do today.

I had to talk to myself. I had to tell myself I could do it. I started getting ready to go to the Y. With each article of clothing I put on, I began to feel that I would be able to do it.

And, I did.

I did it.

Enough said.

I must not forget to say....I am training for the 3-Day for the Cure....a 60 mile walk in three days to raise funds for breast cancer.

I am walking for my daughter, Sarah, and so many others who were never given the chance to walk, for those who cannot walk for so many reasons, and for those who will come after us.

Sarah has learned of so many breast cancer patients whose breast cancer has mestastisized. The cancer has come back in their brains, their spines, their livers.

I pray there is a cure for this dreadful disease.

I can do something. I can walk. I can raise funds.

Oh, yes. I get tired. I am tired. But..............that is ALL I am.

I will walk. I will walk until I can't walk anymore.

I must raise $2,300.00 in funds to do this walk.

It is taking everything I have.

I am asking for your support. If you are able to make a donation, please consider doing so.

I will walk for your dollars. I will walk for my daughter. I will walk as far and as long as I can walk.

To make a donation...

1. Please click on the link below.
2. Then click on Donate to a Participant on the right.
3. Type my name into search for a participant.
4. My name will appear in a box as you scroll down.
5. Click on Donate now and go from there.

http://www.the3day.org/site/TRC/2011/TwinCitiesEvent2011?pg=peditor&fr_id=1626&px=5787663

I thought I had it figured out how to take you to my personal page so you could check my progress and make a donation, but alas, I seem to be in training for this too : ) I hope I get it figured out. There is a way to do it!

Thanks,

Judy

Training Post # 6 .. Second Post Today....Who Knew?

Who knew that I, Judy Wright, would ever be training for a 60 mile walk in three days?

I can tell you that if I had had a crystal ball 40 or more years ago, I could not have or would not have foreseen this.

My family knows me mostly attached to my recliner. They may even think it and I are one.

Close to 170 training miles later I only visit my chair now to rest and recover until the next walking day.

I have started defining myself as an athlete in the making. This could be a slight stretch, but I am finding humor is a pretty good companion as I train.

I read a quote that I like and think speaks to my "new" life.

"Without change, something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken." Frank Herbert.

The change that awakened me was not my little girl crying in the night, but the phone call I received that led to my daughter's diagnosis of breast cancer.

Oh, yes, this sleeper awakened.

And, I have found personal resources I didn't know I possessed, including my ability to train for this incredible walk that my daughter and I will walk hand in hand.

Let's do this!

One step at a time!

Please take a look at my personal page on the Susan G. Komen website and consider supporting me in reaching my $2300.00 goal in fund raising.

http://www.the3day.org/site/TRC/2011/TwinCitiesEvent2011?pg=peditor&fr_id=1626&px=5787663

Thank you...Thank you....Thank you!

Judy

Training Post # 5 ... 3 Day for the Cure ... Come Rain Or Shine

Come rain or shine Sarah and I will be walking August 19, 20 and 21st in the 3 Day for the Cure.

We have been training for weeks now. So far, Sarah says we have walked over 170 miles, and we have miles to go before we reach the finish line. Below are two pictures from one of our training days a couple weeks ago.

It was raining. Sarah called it a drizzle. I called it a torrential downpour with the wind whipping the ice cold pellets of rain in our faces. We had fun. We laughed. We said how good it was to be doing this together.

We are a team. We have been a team from the beginning of this journey.

This week our training looks like this....

Tuesday....walk 3 miles
Thursday....walk 5 miles
Saturday....walk 11 miles
Sunday....walk 5 miles

And, it goes up from here!

I'm getting better. I am in better condition. After walking my 5 miles Tuesday, I could still do lots of other things. The first day I walked 5 miles I think I was rendered useless the rest of the day.

Yep, I am becoming an athlete : )

At the bottom of my post you will find the link to my personal page on the Susan G. Komen website. You can check my progress in my fundraising efforts. I need to raise $2300.00.

I am coming along in this effort and I still need donations. If you are willing to make a donation, you can do this easily on my personal page.

Thanks ... Love ... Hugs ...

Judy

http://www.the3day.org/site/TRC/2011/TwinCitiesEvent2011?pg=peditor&fr_id=1626&px=5787663

Training Post # 4 .. 3-Day for the Cure

I wish I had a picture to put up but I don't. This week has been the hardest training week yet.

The total number of miles I must walk this week is 24. 24 miles.....24 miles....So far I have walked 19 miles. I have 5 more miles to walk on Sunday.

Each week I try and push myself a little more.

Thursday, I went to Sarah's house so we could walk 10 miles together. The hope was to walk 10 miles outside. It was raining and we had some time constraints, so we were only able to walk 4.2 miles outside.

This is not a small matter. It was the first time I have walked outside because it has been so cold out. So, the new things I did on Thursday were...

1. Walked outside on different surfaces
2. Walked at a faster pace, some of the time, because Sarah just walks faster
3. Walked up and down hills which is different than walking on a treadmill

When we couldn't walk anymore outside because it was raining, we drove to the local Y in Sarah's neck of the woods.

There I pushed myself a little more by increasing my pace. I did a little time at 2.9 mph which was new for me.

When I left Sarah's I still had 3 miles to walk at my Y. I continued to push myself and do the first 2 miles at 2.9 mph and then cut it back to 2.7.

I was so proud of myself. I walked ten miles total that day, walked up and down hills, walked faster more consistently and kept my good humor to boot. Lots to be said for keeping one's good humor : )

Tonight, after walking 6 miles today at my Y, my feet hurt and I am glad to just be able to sit and relax.

You know though, I am reminded in so many different ways, that no matter what my physical push is, no matter what aches or pains I feel, there is a truth.......and that truth never changes........

I get to do this.......I get to train........I get to walk.........I get to earn funds.......I get to push myself harder than I have ever pushed myself physically...I get to do this....

So many people don't get to do this.....their "get to" was snuffed out. All I get is tired and my feet hurt and I take a minute to straighten up when I get up from sitting down...but that is no big deal. No.........I get to do this!

A couple of days ago, I was at a 4-way stop intersection in my neighborhood. It was my turn to go. And, not one, but two cars sped through their stop sign. If I hadn't been watching closely I could have been hit twice.

Know what my first thought was?

I thought if I had been hit, how would that affect my training?

Would I be able to walk in August?

Yes, I get to do this! I want to get to do this!

I look in the mirror and see a person I haven't met before. Oh, make no mistake, she still has my body. But, her thinking and commitment to "walking the talk" and "talking the walk" is ever present.

When I walk on the treadmill, I still close my eyes when I feel tired and my feet hurt, and I just keep saying, "You can do this. I am so proud of you. Just keep going....left, right, left, right." And, I do.

And, when the end of the walk for that day is done, I smile.

I always smile. Because I did it.

I "got" to do it.

I still need financial donations to reach my $2300.00 goal. If anyone is interested and willing to make a financial donation, please click on the link below. You can check my progress and count yourselves as among the people who help lift my feet when they are tired.

http://http://www.the3day.org/site/TRC/2011/TwinCitiesEvent2011?pg=peditor&fr_id=1626&px=5787663

Thank you! Each and every one of you is important to me! Together, maybe we can make a small impact on a huge disease.

Hugs,
Judy

Training Post # 3...Videos From The Walk

I can only say what an incredible experience it was to walk in the Race for the Cure on Mother's Day.

I can only tell you that the spirit of Sunday's event was overwhelming.

I can only imagine what walking the 3-Day for the Cure in August will be like.

And, I can do my best to communicate what it was like to walk past the many supporters that came out and stood and waved and cheered all of us on.

I made eye contact with many of those people. Strangers. I had never seen them before and I doubt I will ever see them again. But, there was something about that moment when our eyes met and we exchanged smiles. They would say things like, "Keep walking!" "You can do this!" "Thank you!"

In those brief encounters between strangers a common purpose was felt. And, then we were not strangers at all. We became one. A lone man, sitting on a cement retaining wall, smiled as I passed, leaned toward me and said, "Happy Mother's Day!"

I am putting on a series of videos of the walk. I want to share the sound and as much of the atmosphere as I can.

I was so inspired by the day! I knew my decision to walk the 3-Day in August was the right decision. It's funny, but I felt a sense of quiet calm and confidence that my training will be ok somehow. I will make it. I will make it step by step. If my feet are moving, eventually a mile will be walked. That will only leave 59 more to go. And, so on and so on and so on!

I hope you enjoyed the videos of the Race for the Cure.

Because every walker needs to earn $2300.00 in fundraising if you are willing to consider making a donation in support of my walking, you can go to the Susan G. Komen website by clicking on the link below. Every donation helps me reach my goal. Check my progress! Thank you!

http://http://www.the3day.org/site/TRC/2011/TwinCitiesEvent2011?pg=peditor&fr_id=1626&px=5787663

Training Post # 2 Race for the Cure Mother's Day...Slideshow at Bottom

Yes, it was mother's day today, 2011. Mother's day, 2010, was lost. I can't remember where we were in the order of Sarah's cancer schedule, but I do know not one of us was thinking about celebrating mother's day. Life, as we had known it, had gone on hold.

Today was a celebration of survivorship. Today was a day to give back. Today was a day to walk amongst more than 55,000 cancer survivors and co-survivors.

Today was the Race for the Cure, a three mile walk at the Mall of America, that raised millions of dollars in funds for cancer research.

Why is this important for my training post?

It was the first time I have walked on something other than a treadmill in my training. I did well. I learned some things. I learned I can do this. I learned when you walk and come upon supporters standing on the side of the road banging pots and pans and waving and shouting their support, you forget about your feet. You forget about being tired. You lose touch with your body. All you see and hear is a throng of people that is sharing their energy with you. You can go on. You know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that you can walk as much and as long as you have to.

Today, I got faith. Today, I got hope. Today, I got strength. Today, I got power. Not bad for a day's walk!

Today was the beginning of the 3-Day for the Cure in a sense. It was internal.

Today was about the Race for the Cure. Yes, it was.

But, more than that, today was about my daughter. I will walk for her. I will walk for so many others who were never given the chance to walk. We filled out a pink sheet, that on one side said, "In celebration of....," and on the other side said, "In memory of....". Yes, some don't get the option to walk. Sarah and I do.

I hope you enjoy the short slideshow I made from some of the pictures from today. The slideshow appears at the bottom of this post.

And, if anyone is willing and able to make a financial donation, it will be greatly appreciated. Each walker must earn $2300.00 to do the walk. You will find the link to my personal page on the Susan G. Komen site down below. You can donate there and you can check my progress as well.It is not for me, it is in support of me.

At the survivor's ceremeony, following the walk today, there was a woman who was a 65 year survivor. May God grant, if anyone is impacted by this dreaded disease called cancer, that they live a long and healthy life, albeit a new life. Life is never the same after cancer. My feet were sore after walking, but tonight they are fine. I am surprised at how well the training I have done is preparing me for the 3-Day for the Cure in August.

I am happy. I am proud. I am content. I am dedicated. I will walk for those who could not or cannot walk. I have never felt anything quite like what I experienced today. Who knows, I might just be an athlete in the making. What I do know, is the experience and memory of today, did a whole lot for my training. I hope you enjoy the slideshow!

http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2011/TwinCitiesEvent2011?px=5787663&pg=personal&fr_id=1626

Welcome To My World Of Training

I am sitting in my recliner aware of my aching feet. These feet have taken me, step by step, across 8.26 miles this morning. I am proud. I am happy. I went the distance. I didn't know if I could do it. And, I did do it. I am proud of myself.

I have been training for the last six weeks for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure on August 19, 20 and 21st. The 3-Day for the Cure is a, 60 miles in 3 days, walk to raise funds for cancer research.

Thousands of women and men do this walk because their lives have been touched by cancer. This is one way they can give back to all those who walked before them and hopefully give to those whose lives will be touched by cancer in the future.

My life was touched by cancer. I understand the need to give back. When my daughter, Sarah, was diagnosed with breast cancer the day before her 42nd birthday I knew next to nothing about cancer. Now, I know more than I ever wanted to know about cancer.

We lost the year 2010 in the blur of her diagnosis, surgery, chemo treatments and follow-up appointments. Sarah is free of cancer now but we are not free from the effects of the last year. Cancer changes you.

Here is a picture of Sarah and me on her one year cancer free celebration cruise in March of 2011. She looks wonderful and is doing great!



I did everything with Sarah. I went to every appointment. I turned my front room into her recovery room. I still go to every follow-up appointment with Sarah. And, together, Sarah and I, with our friends, will be walking in the 3-Day for the Cure.

This is a huge commitment of time, energy, clothes, shoes and money. Each walker must raise $2,300.00 to do the walk.

I wanted to start sharing my training with people. I have never done anything like this before. I have not been a regular exerciser in my life. I am literally going from my recliner to the treadmill and/or the pavement overnight. Having people ask me how many miles I walked on any given day keeps me motivated. Having people say encouraging words to me makes me feel like I am not doing this alone. Sharing the victory of more and more miles walked as I train makes me feel like an athlete.

I smiled as I wrote that last sentence. God knows that the word athlete has never fallen into a paragraph used to describe me. But, at age 68, who knows! I guess there is still time to be known as an athlete.

So, welcome to my world....a new world for me.

I have learned they make spandex workout wear in my size. That alone is a little scary. I have learned about moisture wicking sports bras, underwear, shirts, shorts, capris, and did you know that there are a multitude of athletic shoes that a person has to learn about and try to see which kind works the best for your foot?

I am getting educated. I am training. I am walking. I am learning new things about myself. I am going to keep new posts coming on this blog because I need to share this incredible decision I have made to do this walk.

I am also going to include my personal page on the Susan G. Komen website so anyone who wants to make a financial donation will be able to do that. I am almost halfway to my goal of $2,300.00. You can also see the progress that is being made toward reaching that goal.

http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2011/TwinCitiesEvent2011?px=5787663&pg=personal&fr_id=1626

Today was my biggest training day yet. I will walk six miles tomorrow, five miles another day, yet to be determined, and on Sunday, Mother's Day, I will be walking three miles at the Mall of America in the Race for the Cure Cancer walk.

Every time I walk I close my eyes and say, "I can do this". My daughter is alive. She is alive because somebody walked before she was diagnosed. Thank you, and I have made a decision and a promise to walk for others.

Please check back in to see how I am doing. Please give me words of encouragement. They mean so much!

And, if just 120 people donate $10.00 I will reach my fundraising goal. If 60 people donate $20.00 I will reach my fundraising goal. Breaking it down like that makes it seem possible.

And, now I am off to work.

Hugs,
Judy