DID IT!!

I did it!  My third 3 Day Walk!  60 miles through San Francisco, did you know that city is very hilly?  Oh, yes.  The route took us through the city, through Berkley & Oakland.  Then on the third we walked across the Golden Gate Bridge.  Many of you don't know this but I am terrified of heights so this was actually a huge accomplishment for me.  Well, I held the hand rail the whole way and almost threw up at the end - but I did it.

Along the way I met so many caring people.  It's amazing to be part of a group of people like that, no one is mean!  I wish you could all experience it.  Every one helps each other, is friendly and even when exhausted will smile and crack a joke.  I also hear a lot of stories. But the best part was at the closing ceremonies when we heard that this particular event had raised almost $4 million to help fight the battle against breast cancer!  Then we raised our shoes to show the world that we would keep on walking, to do whatever it takes. I was in tears (honestly, I'm in tears now remembering it). If you ever get a chance to attend the closing ceremonies for one of the 3 Day walks you should go, it is amazing.

4 Weeks till the 3 Day

Can you believe it?  4 weeks from today I will be flying to San Francisco to walk in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day Walk for the Cure. The time has flown by.

All my stuff will be in Ziploc and garbage bags in my husbands large gym bag ready for the camp.  I'll be wearing pink and eating plenty of pasta.  Then on Friday I'll be there by 6:30 in the morning when opening ceremonies start, along with around 2,000 other walkers, ready to walk 60 miles through SF. The next three days will be fun, entertaining, heart wrenching, and exhausting but in the end it will be so worth it.  I'm hoping for no blisters and a few new friends.

Can you tell I'm excited?  I'm excited to be part of something this big, that helps so many people.  Last year people walking in the 3 Day raised more than $77 million.  Did you know that most of the money raised goes towards breast cancer education and awareness? That's important because so many women don't know that they need to get checked or what to even look for.  If you can catch it early enough it can be cured.

So, once again I'm going to ask for money.  I haven't raised my $2,300 yet, but am very close.  Those of you that have already donated, thank you so much!!  I know many of you give to other causes and I respect that so I'm not asking you. But there are some of my friends who say, "Oh, right, I was going to donate." now is your chance.  :)

Help me help others. Everyone deserves a lifetime is the slogan of the 3 Day and mine is If not me, who? If not now, when?  I can walk, so I will.

Thank you for reading and for donating. 

Cate

PS Let me know if you want updates on my walk. I'll be texting family and can add you to the list!

Walking and technology

Recently I found three new apps for my phone and I love adding them to my walking time. I have a Droid and love it.  As I start doing more and more miles alone it's nice to have the distractions.

One is Endomondo.  It tracks distance and time walking - which a lot of apps do  - but what I like is it tells me when I've gone a mile and gives me my times.  Every mile after that it gives me my splits. The uploads to a web site.  The web site has lots of fun stuff - like how many times I've walked to the moon (none) and how many times I've walked around the world (.003 still a ways to go).

Another app I'm loving is my new podcast player called BeyondPod.  I can stream or download podcasts.  I like having them pre-downloaded then it doesn't seem to take as much of my battery life.  I'm catching up on all kinds of stuff.

The third app is a mobile version of GrooveShark, my favorite online music player, called TinyShark.  I have had so many problems with Pandora on my phone that I took it off and switched to this one.  Same concept except you can actually play the song you like.

One other addition to my phone isn't really an app but Dennis has been downloading audio books for me and I love listening to them from my phone.

Walking alone isn't boring any more!

Cate

Training Tip

Hi,

This week I got an email from the 3 Day coaches saying I have 24 weeks until my walk with training and fundraising tips.  So I thought I'd share one with you:

Training Tip of the Week: Your Training Program

Training for an endurance event like the 3-Day involves three things:

• Developing muscular strength and endurance
• Building cardiovascular fitness
• Experimenting with exercise gear, diet and fluids 

To be honest,  the one that I found the most challenging last year and the year before was getting the correct exercise gear (read: the right clothes)!  Getting shoes that don't give you blisters and shorts that don't creep up after 5 or 6 miles can be difficult as well as expensive.  The good news is I still have last years clothes so all I have to do is get walking.

So tonight - I start walking!

Change is in the air

It is time for me to start moving, in 6 months I'll walk my 60 miles in San Francisco but before that I'll walk many times that in training.  Although I exercise sporadically all the time, when I'm training I try to focus on increasing my endurance and calluses.  HA!

I also have to get my fundraising into gear. I've sent some emails and set up a fundraiser at Buffalo Wild Wings but I think I need to be a little more proactive.  I'll be reminding people to donate, talking about how they can help and explaining how this walk is helping women all over the world.

So, it's time for change, I need to get out of my winter hibernation and move.

I also think it's time for change in my personal life.  I feel like my work needs to shift but I'm not sure what that looks like yet. I know there is something I'm seeking I'm just not sure exactly what it is yet.  When I figure it out I'll let you know.

Thanks for reading.

Cate

Ready for 2011?

Hi,

This September I'm going to walk 60 miles with about 3000 people in San Francisco to raise awareness and money in the fight against breast cancer.  We will each raise at least $2,300 and train for months to be ready.  Then very, very early on a Friday morning we will set out.  It will be an amazing experience, there will be laughing, crying, dancing, joking and lots of just plain talking.  I will make many new friends and hear many stories, some inspirational, many sad. After walking the first 20 miles we will be fed and entertained then camp in cute pink tents. We will all get up and do it two more days.  At the end we will have all stand together and raise a shoe to show that we walk for those who can't.  I promise you I will cry.

This is my third time walking and many people ask me why I walk, I don't have cancer. Well, I walk because I can. I have so many people in my life who have been hit by cancer, my mom, my sister-in-law, my aunt, my great-grandma, my friends, my ex. Most of them are survivors, a few lost the battle.  If we could find a way to cure or prevent cancer my son won't be saying the same thing when he is my age. So I am going to do what I can

• Breast Cancer Fact: Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and is the leading cause of death among women worldwide.

Today the 5-year survival rate for all women diagnosed with breast cancer is 89 percent. This means that 89 out of every 100 women with breast cancer will survive for at least five years. Most will live a full life and never have a recurrence. Your chances of survival are better if the cancer is detected early, before it spreads to other parts of your body. In fact, when breast cancer is found early and confined to the breast, the 5-year survival rate is 98 percent. That is why it is so important to take steps to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages

With the help of the Susan G. Komen foundation more women around the world are getting checked earlier and lives are being saved.

Today I start my fundraising.  I need you to help me get to the $2,800 goal I've set. 
Go to http://www.the3day.org/goto/catesword  and click on the Donate button.  Together we can make a world without cancer.

I'm going to walk because I can't walk away. 

I did it!!

My dear friends,

Thank you so much for supporting me in raising money to fight Breast Cancer.  I raised $2,824 and I walked the 60 miles I promised you I would do. 

Let me give you a recap of the event.  I flew to San Diego with my husband, son and a friend the day before the walk.  I was ready to go Friday morning at the opening ceremonies at 6:30.  The first day was an overcast day, but very pleasant.  We walked along the ocean and through some beautiful areas north of San Diego.

There were people all along the route cheering the entire day and my family was at one of the cheering stations.  It really did make me happy to see them.  By the end of the day I was tired but no blisters!  I spent the night in my cute pink tent.  It was a bit cold and my air mattress lost all its air.

The second day started out cloudy but soon turned to rain.  The rest of the day was windy and wet, but we walked on. 

When we got to the camp it was very wet, some of the tents had flooded.

 I decided to spend the night in the hotel with my family.  

Oh, that bed felt so good.

 The third day started rainy but ended nice.  We walked up and down some steep hills all three days but the third day seemed to be the most. 

When the rain stopped the people lined the streets to cheer.  It was so amazing.  I felt great at the end of the day, tired but no blisters!

The closing ceremonies were inspiring and more than a few of us were crying.  We learned that 4000 people had participated and we had raised $10.6 million in San Diego.

The San Diego walk is the last walk of the year for the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure and all total for the year 29,040 people walked and $76.7 million dollars was raised. Part of that is what you gave. What an incredible group of people you all are!  You stepped up when I asked and I appreciate your support so much.

I am planning on walking again next year.  But I will tell you more about that later.  For now, I just wanted to tell you all THANK YOU!!

Cate