Karen’s Training Log

Saturday morning training walk

This mornings training walk was very well attended - 18 ladies showed up.  It was the second annual Tri-State Training Day for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer !! Training Walks were held throughout the tri-state area in an effort to get all of our walkers out on their feet all at the same time!

While we were waiting for a few more walkers, a bumble bee came towards me.  OK, it wasn’t really a bumble bee, it was my sister, Amy, dressed in her yellow and black biking gear.  She was going on a bike and run.  She completed the NY Triathalon 2 weeks ago.  She is my inspiration.

The sky was cloudy and it was really humid when we started walking.  About 3 miles out, it started to drizzle. One of the great things about Loantaka park is the path is covered by very thick tree canopies.  It has to rain pretty steady before it makes it past the leaves.  As we returned to the parking lot just over 2 hours later, the sky to the west was really dark and threatening.   About 20 minutes later, the heavens opened up and it poured.   We certainly lucked out and got our walk finished just in time.

Passed the $1,800 mark

YIPPEE !!!!   Thanks to everyones generous support, I have passed the all important $1,800 mark.  My new goal is $3,000.  There are 68 days until the walk, so I am hopeful that I can reach it.  Jane and I are starting to walk after work to build up our weekly milage.

77 Days until the NY walk

Training walks going well

Just over 2 months before the walk.  We had 6 people on this morning’s training walk.  It was hot, but we did the 7.6 miles in 2 hours 10 minutes.  That translates in to 17.1 minute/miles.  Not bad considering the heat and humidity.

Maybe it’s time to bring back the double nickle speed limit

On a completely different note, we went to visit my husband’s grandmother in the nursing home today.  It’s a 190 miles round trip.  The traffic was very light and I decided to drive my pickup truck at 59 mph, in the right lane of course.  Usually I drive about 70 mph and in the past I calculated gas mileage at 24 mpg on the trip.  That’s a little better than the rating of 22 for the Toyota Tacoma.  Today, I averaged 30 miles per gallon!

Based on the 21 gallon tank and the 22 mpg rating, if I drive 59 mph, I could go about 170 more miles per tankful.  That translates to saving 5.6 gallons of gas per tankful… at the current national average price of $4.11, I am saving $23.01 per tankful ! ! ! !    Assuming one tank of gas a week, that’s a yearly savings of $1,197 ! ! ! !

I don’t know about you, but I would certainly prefer the money in my pocket instead of the Oil Company’s.  Next time, maybe I’ll try driving 55 mph and see if I can squeeze out a few more miles per gallon.

Why are we fat?

Interesting theories about why we are fat.  I find the one about climate control particularly fascinating.

From the LA Times online –> http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-stress14-2008jul14,0,2466326.story

By Karen Ravn, Special to The Times

SOME THEORIES

• Maybe we’re too stressed
• Maybe a virus is to be blamed
• Maybe the temperature is just right
• Maybe it’s all that high-fructose corn syrup
• Maybe low-fat foods made us eat more
• Maybe we take too many drugs
• Maybe we’re doomed before birth
• Maybe there’s too much pollution
• Maybe we’re not sleeping enough
• Maybe we shouldn’t have quit smoking

The Clayton Case Trailer

Jeremy is working on his latest movie. Check out the trailer on Youtube.

Casablanca meets Chinatown, where a disillusioned detective who’s lost faith in the system gets his passion back when the biggest case of his career falls onto his desk.

Filmed during his final semester in college, the movie features many of his classmates and friends.  It’s a fast paced drama.  Can’t wait to see the movie.

Scruffy Walks Through the 20th Century

Following along with Scruffy as he takes a walk through the 20th century. I had made a calendar using these images for my husband a few years ago. Next Friday marks the one year anniversary of Scruffy’s passing.

Just passed the $1,000 mark

Fundraising has been much slower this year than years past.   By this time last year I had already met the $1,800 commitment.  I know the economy is to blame. Four-dollar a gallon gas and large increases in food mean you have much less money to give to charity.

Unfortunately cancer doesn’t take a holiday when prices soar.   Imagine losing your job and then hearing those horrible words “You have cancer”.  Money from the walk goes to help people deal with cancer, now.   Please consider giving up one latte a week this month and make a $20 donation.  Every little bit will help a woman suffering from breast cancer !!!!    Thank you.

Fishawack huge success !

Despite the 88 F temperature, the festival was very well attended. I had a spot in between a vendor who sold jewelry and a vendor who sold hand quilted pillow covers. Cathy came out and kept me company. She brought along a number of new wool hats to sell.

OK, back in February it seemed like a really good idea to knit hats to raise money for the walk. And some sold during the Millburn and Summit street fairs where the weather was chilly. With temps in the high 80’s and everyone doing their best to keep cool, wool hats were not a “hot item”.

Earrings and bracelets sold very well, as did the knit cell phone covers. I recently found a pattern in a book and made 3 to gauge popularity. 2 of the 3 sold !

One of the learnings from previous craft fairs was the need to accept credit cards. A friend suggested using the Avon donation coupons. The buyer simply fills out the coupon with the information and I send it in to Avon. Smart ! This lead to an additional $100 in sales today.

Be green while you train

Did you know ?

• Plastic water bottles produced for U.S. consumption take 1.5 million barrels of oil per year. That much energy could power 250,000 homes or fuel 100,000 cars for a year, according to the resolution.

• In roughly the last 10 years, the amount of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles going into landfills skyrocketed from 1,175 million to 3,900 million pounds.

• Of the 30 billion plastic water bottles sold in the United States in 2005, only 12 percent were recycled.

Imagine if you added in all the bottles from soda, energy drinks, sports drinks, etc ! The numbers becomes staggering.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2008-06-07-bottled-water_N.htm

There are alternatives to use when training including

• Plastic
• Aluminum
• Stainless steel

Learn more about the different types of bottles at:

http://www.wfaa.com/projectgreen/greenarticles/stories/
green080605_ph_waterbottles.1e6cb14.html

Fishawack Festival June 14

Next Saturday I will have a table at the Chatham Fishawack Festival. The craft vendors are located on So. Passaic Avenue, Fairmount Avenue & Post Office Plaza so if you are in the area, stop by and say hello. The festival includes an art show, car show, food vendors and a 5 K race. There will be musical entertainment throughout the day. Learn more: Fishawack Festival

Boston Avon Walk video posted on YouTube

I finally found time to put the photos into a video format. I received pictures from Peggy and Diane who were part of O’Malley’s Pub at Quick Stop B. I incorporated them in the video. This is one of the few Avon Walk videos where I actually make it in front of the camera. The crew at O’Malley’s Pub consisted of Jack and Midge O’Malley, Meaghan O’Malley, Joseph and Diane Mastal, Rasheeda Grant, Peggy Kazdan and your’s truly.

I left on Sunday before closing ceremonies in order to catch the train back to NY. Jack told me that I was in the video shown during closing ceremonies and that the Pub Crew cheered when they saw me. How cool is that ?!

Boston Avon Walk 2008

Dilbert must have a spy in my cube

Not walk related, but really funny.  I work in a highly regulated industry and our work computers are “locked down” to prevent us from downloading software on to them.  I am working on a project which requires software not available on my work computer.  I have been bringing in my personal laptop for the past week to get work done.  Today’s Dilbert made me laugh as I keep looking out the cube opening to see if the computer police are coming to confiscate my laptop.

Boston Avon Walk: A great time was had by all !

I spent last weekend in Boston working as a crew member of Quick Stop B. The theme of our stop was O’Malley’s pub, offering the best “Gator-beer” on the walk route. Saturday dawned rainy and cold. Despite the weather, spirits were high and we set up our tents and tables. We were located along the Charles River next to the Science Museum. We greeted the walkers with green beads and candies. By 10:00 am, the sun had broken through the crowds. The last walker was through our stop by 11:00 am. On Sunday, we set up in a parking lot in Milton, MA. The day was perfect for walking, sunny and cool.

Hand made earrings now available for sale online

I just added my collection of hand made beaded earrings on Etsy.com. Please check back often, as I will be adding new earrings. All proceeds benefit my walk.

Hand made hats benefit my walk

I started knitting over Christmas 2007. My mom was recovering from heart surgery and was becoming bored with bed rest. I purchased knitting needles and wool and had her teach me how to knit.

It became an addiction.

I need to raise $1,800 to walk again this year and decided to sell the hats to help raise funds. I only subtract the cost of the wool, the rest of the money goes towards the walk.

You can purchase the hats through my store on Etsy.com.

Etsy Buy Handmade amberstang

Boston Avon Walk only 11 days away

Counting down until the Boston walk, just 11 more days to go.  I’ll be stationed at Quick Stop B on Saturday and Sunday.  Each rest stop has a theme and ours is “O’Malley’s Pub”, and we’ll be the Irish bar tenders.  Of course we will be serving Gatorade instead of beer.   I think  Quick Stop B is located at the 6 mile point.  Honestly, I never paid attention to the stop designations during the NY walk.  Just kept putting one foot in front of the other.

Hopefully the weather will cooperate. I’m told the Boston walk has a history of rainy weather.  It will not be fun camping in a tent if it is cold and raining.  I haven’t camped since I was a kid and I have to say it is the only part of the event I am not looking forward to.

Summit Street Fair

It was another cold, overcast day for the Summit Street Fair. Non-profits were given 1/2 spaces and I was to share a space with the Summit Playhouse. Fortunately, a number of vendors were no-shows, so I was able to move to an empty space. Despite the less than stellar weather, the crowd turnout was pretty good. Because of the chilly temperature, wool hats were in demand. I sold 2 of the hats my mom knit and one of mine.

I put 3 copies of Darryl’s book on the table with a sign. A woman purchased a copy. This makes it the first book sold ! During the afternoon, a woman walked by with 2 dogs, one of them a beautiful Keeshond who looked just like Scruffy.

The day was very successful, with the total raised $200. My total for the walk thus far is $761. Only $1,039 to go to make the $1,800 walk commitment.

Darryl’s book was finally published !

Author, Darryl Schwartz, tells the story of life with his adopted Keeshond, Scruffy. Scruffy the Legend is a true story about love, commitment, and devotion. Although written in a light-hearted and mildly humorous style, this is a powerfully emotional book.

Buy it now on Amazon.com –> http://www.amazon.com/Scruffy-Legend-Darryl-Schwartz/dp/1595942335/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208889581&sr=8-1

If you are on Facebook, join the Scruffy the Legend group.

A cold spring day at the fair

The best one could say about the weather today is “At least it didn’t rain”. The high temperature was 54F with a brisk breeze. Having learned from last year’s street fairs, I didn’t even think about bringing the tent. It would have blown over at least once. The day started slow… no sales for the first 2 hours, but things picked up in the early afternoon. I sold 3 hats ! Black was the most popular color.

Lesley, Carol and Darryl stopped by to say hello during the day. Jane came out and kept me company for the better part of the day. It certainly helps morale to have friends around.

By 4:00, I was a Popsicle so it was time to pack up and head home for a hot cup of tea.

First craft fair of the season

On Sunday April 13, I will be selling earrings, bracelets and knit hats at the Millburn, NJ craft fair. Proceeds will go towards my Avon walk in October.

The next scheduled fairs are Sunday April 27 in Summit, NJ and Saturday June 14 at Fishawack Festival in Chatham, NJ.