6 Days To Go And Life Is FAIR!!!

This Saturday marked the last day of the Bloomsburg State Fair. My family and I go every year. Even though I live away from the area, I always come home for The Fair. One year I missed it and the feeling of sadness was so great that I will never (willingly) do it again! For the past 2 years, I had scheduled my vacation for the Fair Week. This year, 3 Day stuff took over my life so I only made it home for the last day.

The fair has the usual assortments of rides, games, and food. Funnel cake, pierogies, gyros, fresh apple cider, hot sausage, candy apples......just to name a few. There is a great stand that sells 3/$1.00 hot dogs and another one that sells 35 cent cans of soda. Those stands are where we eat for the majority of the week. Then on the last day we go hog-wild! Last year I had a pumpkin flavored funnel cake and some homemade bean soup. MMMMM. This year I got a hot sausage, caramel apple, and potato pancakes. MMMMMMMMMM.

There are also animals. 4H-ers enter their livestock for judging and for sale. Sheep, cattle, pigs, goats. There is also a poultry exhibit, a rabbit exhibit, a horse show. During the week there are horse races (pacer/trotter, not thoroughbred). On the last weekend, there are pulling contests. Draft horses and ponies are hooked up to a sled that carries steel beams.

Other entertainment includes a demolition derby and a tractor pull. Various musical acts come to the Grandstand on each night. I have seen Charlie Daniels, Brad Paisley, Trace Adkins, Gary Allen, Joe Nichols, and Montgomery Gentry over the years.

The locals can submit samples of their personal handiwork for judging. There is a wide variety of categories to chose from! Every year it is a tradition to see who has the Biggest Pumpkin (this year it was 840 lbs!) in the Agricultural Building.

My mom enters some of her photography, baked goods, canned goods, etc. She doesn't always get the prize she deserves but it's extremely rare that she doesn't get at least one ribbon for her entries. 2 years ago I started entering my own items. I can't say it was the first time I entered anything because when I was 12 or so, my Aunt Tina helped me bake some items for The Fair (I won a 2nd and a 3rd place then), but it was the first time I did it without assistance! I entered canned items (tomato sauces, salsa, jams). Each year I took home a few prizes.

My younger sister is a talented artist and has been entering drawings for years. She already has a few ribbons under her belt but this time she had a milestone. Her painting of RA (egyptian sun god) not only got a 1st place in her class but she also won a best in show. I am so proud of her!

OK....now back to walking stuff. I had to get my truck inspected this weekend, so while I was waiting for them to do the work, I decided to walk around Bloomsburg. My original goal was to walk up and down streets until I got to 10 miles. I ended up only doing about 6 miles but I made a point of walking up and down the streets that were on a hill. Since I have had no real hill training up to this point, I figured that the extra effort would make up for the lack in miles. And of course, later that night, I walked around the Fair with my sister (probably added another 1.5 miles or so).

With only 6 days until the event, I am taking it easy. One day of walking midweek according to the schedule. My duffel bag is PACKED and decorated to make it easy to find. I am going to start drinking extra water and a little bit of gatorade to "pre-hydrate" and I am going to make it a point to stretch a little extra this week.

11 Days left!!!!

The picture has absolutely NOTHING to do with the post, but I thought it looked really cool!!!

My friend, Marie, and I got quite a bit of walking in this weekend.

16 miles on Saturday! We took the train into University City (part of Phila near Drexel and University of Pennsylvania). From there we walked to Manayunk, which is well known for its shops, dining, and fun nightlife. We took a scenic route, known as the Schuylkill River Trail. I'm not sure exactly where it stops or ends, but it runs for quite some distance!!! The stretch that we walked on took us past the Art Museum, along Kelly Drive, and to Main Street in Manayunk. I've heard that it extends all the way into Valley Forge (what a training walk THAT would be!!!).
Since Manayunk was the halfway point, we stopped to grab lunch at a great little place called The Couch Tomato. I had a Tomato/Mozzarella salad, made with fresh plum tomatoes, homemade buffalo mozzarella cheese, and grilled chicken. It was topped with the absolute BEST vinaigrette I have ever had in my life!!!

9 miles on Sunday!! We started out near the Art Museum and basically weaved our way through Philadelphia. We walked along Rittenhouse Row (passing Rittenhouse Square Park), circled through Franklin Square, and headed past the Historic District. Afterwards we made our way down to South Street, where we stopped for lunch at Cosi (the yummiest sandwiches or pizzas, made with their flatbread). My sandwich contained: fresh tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, grilled chicken, and the SECOND best vinaigrette I have ever had (does anyone see a theme here?! I love me some mozzarella cheese).

Finally, we drug our tired behinds (not to mention feet) back to the car. On the way home, we treated ourselves to some Rita's Water Ice.

It was a very busy weekend. On one level, I am feeling stronger with each walk. On another level, I cannot even begin to imagine how I will survive for 3 days of walking. I am SO totally wiped out at the end of each of these training walks that the thought of doing a full 20 miles on ONE day freaks me out. Let alone 3 days in a row! Where I don't get to come home and crash on the couch....rather, I get to put up a tent and then unpack my duffel bag each night (as well as take everything down and pack it away each morning)!!!

Excuse me while I say: AAAAAAGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

18 Days to go......and I'm sick of OJ!

No, I don't mean the drink. I mean the got-away-with-murder, beat-up-his-wife, ex football player by the name of OJ Simpson. Apparently he got arrested over the weekend. I couldn't tell you what the charges were, b/c every time I saw his face on TV, I changed channels.

ENOUGH ALREADY PEOPLE! The football legend is long gone so let's focus on more important issues!!!

OK, venting done!

With a little over 3 weeks until the 3 Day Walk, I have been ramping up my training and learned some lessons.

I walked 11 miles on Saturday. At one point it started pouring. Lesson? Bring a damn poncho!!!! I ended up having to run into KMart to buy dry clothes!!! Also, dress in LAYERS! I'ts easy enough to take them off if you get too hot, but if you don't start out dressed warm enough for the current conditions, you will be shivering and shaking in your New Balances!

Lesson 2....STRETCH MORE! I am notoriously BAD at doing this. I tend to do it only when I can feel that something is cramping up. It's a reactive stretch rather than a preventative one. I read somewhere that you not only need to stretch for 5 min every hour while walking, but that you should be stretching when you wake up and when you go to bed if you want to make sure your muscles are in good shape for the long events. It's a habit I desparately need to acquire!

On Sunday, I walked for 7 miles. And I learned 2 more things (not really lessons....just useful information). First, my "camelback" (backpack integrated with a water bag and drinking tube) is definitely the way to go. I had been training with a fanny pack that could hold 2 medium bottles of gatorade as well as a storage compartment for other items. It was not the most comfortable thing but I felt like I had adjusted to it. After using the backpack, I realized how awkward the fanny pack really was. And with the weight of the water bottles riding on my lower back, I was actually straining myself more than necessary. Another benefit of the backpack is that it holds MORE STUFF!!! I combine the backpack with a much smaller fanny pack (that is big enough to hold my cell phone, keys, and credit cards....not much more) and I can bring everything with me that I need while hoofing it!

The second thing I learned is HOW MUCH I LOVE MY WALKING SANDALS!!! I had picked up a pair with the intention of wearing them every so often along the 3 Day route to give my feet a "breather" from the sneakers. I wore them on Sunday and my feet were SO much more comfortable that I plan on using them as much as I can during the actual walk! They have an amazing amount of arch support and that is something that I can't find in even the top of the line sneakers (you know, the ones that cost between $90 and $120?!?! When the sandals cost $25!!!!).

I can feel my excitement growing as the 3 Day gets closer!!!!

Tired Footsies!

I walked the most this weekend that I ever have at one time. 17 miles!!!! In one day!!!

My feet were SO tired at the end. I felt very crampy in my arches for the last 2-3 miles (felt like 10).

I have these super thick Thorlo brand socks (called the HERO Distance Walkers). I was planning on wearing them for the 3 Day Walk but then read that due to the thickness, there may be blister problems due to overly sweaty feet. Then I decided to start the day in the thick socks and as my feet got more sweaty and more swollen, switch to thinner socks.

I followed that plan on the 17 mile training walk and noticed that I definitely was NOT getting the right amount of supoprt or cushioning with the thinner socks. Next big walk I am going to reverse it. I'll start out with thinner socks and get thicker as my feet get more tired.

I will also bring an extra pair or 2 of the thicker socks JUST IN CASE my plan backfires and I decide I need to use them for the entire time. That means I will be having 5 pairs of "extras" during my next training walk but now is the time to fine tune my routine. Don't want to be experimenting on the actual walk (although on that walk, I can always use a sweep van if need be).

I took an ibuprofen before I went to bed to help with some of the swelling. I slept for 12 hrs! I did wake up every few hours to pee. While walking, I was putting away a lot of liquid but b/c it was 90 deg AND humid, I sweat most of it out. When I got home, I kept drinking (upon recomendation of my training walk leader). I am hoping that if I stick with the fluid intake, my bladder will adjust before the actual event!

Today (Monday), I am still feeling it a bit in my calves but overall, I am doing well. A lot better than I had expected, given the fact that I wasn't quite following the official training schedule as closely as I'd have liked.

I think I may actually be able to do this thing!

A month to go!!!

OMG....the Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk is in 4 weeks!!!!!!!!!!

After many weeks of slacking (and an unplanned chest infection which sidelined me last week and weekend), I have been stepping up (literally) my training. This week, I have walked 3 days in a row (first time I've done that). This Saturday I will be going on my first LONG DISTANCE walk....15 miles through the City of Brotherly Love. I am meeting up with a group of other 3 Dayers and we will be hitting the historic district as well as University City. Sunday will be a day of rest for tired leg muscles and aching feet.

Next weekend will be a 10 mile (Sat) and an 8 mile (Sun) walk. The weekend after that will be a 15mile/18mile back-to-back. The weekend before the event will be an "easy" one (another 10/8 mile...which will seem much easier after the 15/18 weekend!!!).

My sleeping bag and duffel bag arrived last week. Last night I got more shorts/shirts and 2 pairs of longer pants. Tonight I will be going to buy another pair of sneakers. I still need to find some kind of windbreaker and some "just in case" rain gear ($1.00 store poncho sounds good to me). If I took the time to sit and total up all of the money I have spent, I would probably have a heart attack (which is exactly why I am NOT going to do that!!). I think I may actually dip into some of my fund raising money to cover part of the expense.

ONWARD AND FORWARD!!!