Long time, no blog...

Much has taken place since the last time I blogged about my training…much has remained the same.

I’m still walking – less than 8 weeks  til the BIG EVENT. It’s still hot, I’m still trying out belly packs, back packs, water bottles, camelbacks, road snacks ; still need one more pair of sneakers to break in before the real thing; sun visor vs. floppy hat vs. cotton hat vs. low profile cap; body glide vs. Vaseline; compression shorts or running shorts; one pair of socks, or two; short sleeves, no sleeves; water or sports drinks.  Definitely, water!  After a week of not feeling well, with flu-like symptoms, I discovered that I am allergic to sports drinks – Who knew???  My left foot developed a nasty case of Athlete’s foot and one HUGE blister that developed between the third and fourth toe on my left foot. Made walking painful to say the least, but remembering the mantra of our old Scout troop, that is, “if there’s no blood, it doesn’t count” I sucked it up and kept putting one foot in front of the other. What a sight I must have been as I limped my way through the Birkdale neighborhood for my 8 mile walk. The good news?  (there’s always good news) – favoring the left foot helped build the muscle in my right thigh into a force to be reckoned with!  Just about the time my foot started to heal, I threw my back out – wish I had an exciting story to tell, but actually, I went under my desk to unplug a copier and couldn’t stand up!

Thanks to some TLC, rest, and lots of ice, three days later I was able to walk 14 miles, slowly.

More good news -- with lots of help from family and friends, (thank you, family & friends) I made the goal of $2300, so that’s no longer an issue (fyi – if you don’t make goal, you don’t walk, it’s just that simple).  Hotel arrangements have been made (no, I’m not camping, although the pink tents were certainly tempting), airline tickets have been purchased, and two recommended phone conferences have been completed. 

Only 53 days until the “3 day” – what will I do with all that free time??