Why I walk….

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Administrator

People ask me why I walk, raise money, and am so involved with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. To understand, watch the short video of photos I took at the Boston Closing Ceremony. You’ll see the youth crew members in their bright yellow sweatshirts. The tears they shed are for family members who have died from breast cancer. One of them commented that she wishes she could have a hug from her mother. Need I say more as to why I do this?

Money from the Avon Walk supports many organizations that help women coping with cancer right now. Including support for more than 95 “safety net” hospitals that treat the medically underserved, offering unique and vital Patient Navigator programs and state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment. The Avon Foundation has helped more than 1,000,000 women in the U.S. receive a mammogram. More than two-thirds of these women were uninsured, and more than half were from minority populations.

Your donation helps provide services to women who may otherwise not receive them because of either inadequate or no health insurance coverage. Any amount is very much appreciated ! Learn more about the good work performed by the Avon Foundation and the Avon Walk –> http://avonwalk.org

My goal is to raise $5,000. Please consider making an online donation to help me fight cancer–> http://www.avonwalk.org/goto/kr11. Thank you, Karen

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Charity softball game: Don’t let cancer steal second base!

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Administrator

Loretta’s Ladies, a NY Avon Walk for Breast Cancer team has a great fundraiser planned for this year. The Ladies will be playing softball against a team from WPLJ radio!  We’ll be playing at Yoga Berra Stadium, home of the NJ Jackals.

The WPLJ prize van will be there giving away goodies. Invite your family and friends. Can’t make it out to the game?  You can help by forwarding this information to your friends.

Tickets are only $10 and available at the box office.  Proceeds will help us meet our fundraising commitments for the 2011 NY Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  Each of us needs to raise a minimum of $1,800 to participate.

Help us stop breast cancer from stealing second base!

Event Details:
Monday, June 27, 2011
7:00pm – 10:00pm

Yogi Berra Stadium
1 Hall Drive
Little Falls, NJ 07424
(973) 746-7434
Directions to the stadium: http://www.jackals.com/content.asp?ID=9
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Baker’s cysts have nothing to do with baking, who knew?

Posted on March 26, 2011 by Administrator

Baker's cyst (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19646.htm)

Over the past few weeks, I have had increasing pain in my right leg just behind my knee. Leg pain is nothing particularly new for me.  Depending on the speed that I walk, I have experienced shin pain, hip pain, and knee pain.

Things that I found that help mitigate the pain are correctly fitted sneakers, not striding too long, and stretching before and after walking longer distances.

Last week, after finishing a 7.5 mile training walk, I noticed that the area behind my knee was rather swollen. Over the week, it wasn’t improving much with applied heat and elevation of the leg.  I went to the doctor on Friday.   She took one look at my leg and diagnosed: Baker’s Cyst.

This is the first time I had heard this term.  It has nothing to do with bakers, but rather it was named after the surgeon who first described it, William Morrant Baker (1838–1896).[1] Baker’s cyst are also know as popliteal cyst because of the location.   The swelling is due to an increase in synovial fluid – the fluid that lubricates the knee joint. When pressure builds up, fluid bulges into the back of the knee. This is not a “true” cyst, as an open communication with the synovial sac is often maintained.  The cyst may feel like a water-filled balloon.  Sometimes, the cyst may break open (rupture), causing pain, swelling, and bruising on the back of the knee and calf.

Often no treatment is needed. The health care provider can watch the cyst over time.  Heat, elevation of the knee, pain medication, and bracing may help the symptoms associated with the cyst.   In my case, it is most likely due to osteoarthritis in my knees.  Looks like I will need to cut back on long walks for the time being. I getting old.

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The view is always the same if you’re not the lead dog

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Administrator

Charlie, Ruby and Linux lead the way

The days are getting longer.  The snow and ice are gone. It’s time to start training for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in October.

One of the best excuses to get out there is to walk the dog.  Last weekend, Linda brought along Linux.  It’s amazing how much faster one walks when there is a dog along. Even though Linux is well behaved on the leash and is 9 years old, we still walked farther in the same amount of time than without him.

A recent study showed that for getting exercise, dogs are better walking companions than humans. In a 12-week study of 54 older adults at an assisted-living home, some people selected a friend or spouse as a walking companion, while others took a bus daily to a local animal shelter, where they were assigned a dog to walk.

To the surprise of the researchers, the dog walkers showed a much greater improvement in fitness. Walking speed among the dog walkers increased by 28 percent, compared with just 4 percent among the human walkers.  http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/14/forget-the-treadmill-get-a-dog/

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Walk season 2011 starts

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Administrator

NY Walk staff members

The Great Start Party in NY was held last weekend.  It is the kick off for the NY Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  It was held at the Sheraton Towers, the same venue from last year’s walk weekend.

The party featured information sessions for new walkers on the Walk, fund raising, and training.  The event was well attended and more than 80 people signed up to walk during the party.

It’s was a great opportunity for returning walkers to meet up with friends from previous walks.

If you missed the Great Start Party, there are Introduction Meetings held in towns around the 9 event cities,  Houston, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, Rocky Mountains,  San Fransisco,  Santa Barbara,  New York, and  Charlotte.

A list of the upcoming meetings can be found here: http://www.avonwalk.org/get-involved/walk-introduction-meetings.html.

Here are some photos I took during the party.

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Close the book on NY 2010 walk…FAN-DAM-TASTIC weekend

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Administrator
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBIh2mqu2Dc]

Another exciting Avon Walk weekend is in the books.  I completed the 39.3 mile walk with a few blisters on my feet.  But as a button I purchased on the route says “Blisters don’t need chemo”. The Avon Walk NY had 3,900+ walkers and raised $9.4 million for research, treatment and early detection of breast cancer in the NY Metro area.  Complete results of beneficiaries can be found on the Avon Walk website.   I am thrilled to report that my generous sponsors contributed $5,285 toward the total raised!

Sheryl, Jill, and Marty: Team Nyack for Knockers

The walk weekend dawned sunny, but very windy and cold.  I walked with the Nyack for Knockers team comprised of Sheryl, Jill and Marty.  A very wonderful group of people who made the stroll around Manhattan and Brooklyn very enjoyable.

The 3,900 walkers left Pier 84 just as the sun was starting to come up.  The clouds were tinged in shades of pink; Definitely a very promising omen.   We began the day walking up the Hudson River Greenway towards Riverbank State Park.   We wound our way down through Hamilton Heights and Morningside Heights.  New York is definitely not a flat land mass!

We passed Lincoln Center, walked through Chinatown and the Village as we wend our way to the Brooklyn Bridge.  I can’t help humming New York, New York, when I look at the view from the bridge.

In the Village, along Broadway, there was a fascinating spectacle… packs of skateboarders careening down the street.  They navigated between the slow moving traffic, occasionally crashing into buses.  Some of them had video cameras taped to their helmets.  It appears we were being treated to the Broadway Bomb, an illegal longboard race of 450+ participants along Broadway from 116th St to the Wall Street charging bull statue.

After crossing into Brooklyn and stopping at one of the rest stops to pick up some fruit, we continued our trek across the Manhattan Bridge.  It’s amazing how many subway cars traverse the bridge, and boy are they loud when they go by.  We started to head north along the East side of Manhattan.  We passed the United Nations and then by NY Presbyterian Hospital, one of the beneficiaries of the walk.  They always have a great turn out for their cheering station, enthusiastically cheering every walker who goes by.

Finally, the end was near. The last couple of miles always seem the longest.  You can see the green bridge leading to Randall’s Island from where we enter the East River esplanade, but it is still over 2 miles until the finish line.

After a good night’s sleep and some aspirin, it was time to step out for Day 2.  The walk doubles back on it’s route from the previous day, off Randall’s Island and down the East River esplanade.  It makes it’s way across town and up into Harlem, then turns south through the Upper West Side.  We opted to take our lunch to go because the playground where the rest stop was located was packed.  Instead we sat on benches along Central Park and watched the walkers go by as we ate.

Past Radio City Music Hall, into the Garment District and past the Flat Iron building we walked.  Across 23rd Street to the Hudson River and we were almost done with a trek around the big apple.  Just another mile up the Hudson River Greenway and to our final destination of Pier 84.  There was a large crowd on hand to greet the walkers as they arrived.

I created a flag with the names of survivors and those who lost their fight against breast cancer.  On Saturday, I had to put away the flag for part of the walk because the winds were too gusty.  It was out all day Sunday.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend.  It was great spending time with friends I have made during the previous walks.  I can’t express how it feels to look out at the crowd of walkers.  Everyone is there for the same reason, but  for completely different reasons.  I am there to honor my grandmothers who died of breast cancer and celebrate my mom who is a survivor.  I’m there to try, in my small way, to end this horrible disease.

A special shout out to Pinky for walking and keeping me motivated for the last 8 miles on Day 1.   I could not have done it without your help.

A great big thank you to all who sponsored me this year – you are my heros.  And hugs to those who sent me messages during the weekend.  They really helped motivate me to “keep on trucking”.  You are ★·.·´¯`·.·★ AWESOME ★·.·´¯`·.·★!!!!!  And hey, it’s only 363 days until the Avon Walk NY 2011, time to start fund-raising and training  ;-)

Posted in October 2010 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Show Me The Money

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Administrator

Well, it’s T -2 weeks until the walk.  I just reached my fund-raising goal today, $5,000.  Our team captain, Janet, has already raised $13,900 and hasn’t stopped asking for money.

Walkers are usually more worried about the fund-raising than walking a marathon and a half over a weekend.  Most walkers meet the $1,800 fund-raising commitment.  Many raise more money.

There are some walker who get to event eve short of the $1,800 required to walk.   There are a few options available if you haven’t met the goal.

Deferred commitment

If you have not yet met your donation minimum you may choose the deferred commitment option to guarantee the minimum donation amount.  A deferred commitment is your promise to fund-raise for two months after the event in order to meet your minimum of $1,800.  If after that time you have not yet met your minimum, you will be contacted by the Avon Foundation to make arrangements to either turn in additional donations or have the balance charged to your credit card.

Event eve requests

Walkers often bring checks to event eve to turn in.  You can ask walkers who have reached their commitment to give you an extra check.   Walkers looking for extra checks usually make a sign stating that they need checks and stand at the entrance of either the event eve location or the registration room.

Team members

One advantage of being part of a team is knowing people before you get to the walk event.  Your team mates could be a source of extra checks.

If you haven’t already done so, you might want to check out the fund-raising section of this blog or the Avon Walk website.

Posted in October 2009, October 2010 | Tagged | Leave a comment

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line

Posted on September 18, 2010 by Administrator

As you start to walk longer and longer distances during your training, you’re probably wonder have far you’ve gone.  I have tried a number of different methods to gauge how far I walk.

Mechanical step pedometer:  Basic function – counts steps. Low cost, low accuracy.  Some have a calibration that lets you set your stride length.  Over long distances (>10 miles), mine could be off a mile or more.

Accelerometer:  Considered the most accurate and reliable step counting mechanism that exists. The drawbacks of accelerometers are shorter battery life, due to the constant sampling of the strain gauge, and a higher price.  (Ref. www.pedometers.com).

My iPod Nano (5th generation) has an accelerometer which is very easy to use.  It displays steps, workout duration, start and end times, calories burned, and totals for the week and month.  I don’t have the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, but for those who do, the iPod can also monitor and record your speed, distance, time elapsed. Info on iPod Nano (6th generation)

Learn more about pedometers including reviews:  http://walking.about.com/

Now, if you have some extra change in your pocket, you might want to treat your self to a fitness watch.   This is basically a little computer and GPS device that you strap on your wrist.  My sister is a tri-athlete and uses one when she trains.  Although overkill for my walks, it is still really cool to have all the info on my wrist.

I have the Garmin Forerunner 305. With it, I can easily see my speed, distance traveled, time, time of day, pace, time of sunset, calories, to list just a few of the options.   Once I get back home, I can upload the data to the Garmin Connect website and see a map of my walk with additional details.

Another way to track your walk is on the web.  Some sites you may want to explore:  gmap-pedometer.com, Google maps, walkjogrun.net, and Map My Run.

No matter what method you use, the most important thing is to get out there and walk :-)

Posted in September 2010 | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Rain, rain go away

Posted on September 12, 2010 by Administrator

So what if it rains during the Walk weekend, many walkers ask.  You will get wet.  The walk is a rain or shine event. In the four years that I have participated in the Avon Walk so far – (total of 8 events), it never rained during the entire weekend.  If it rained it was typically overnight, or for an hour or two during the day.

One of the best investments you can make is a disposable poncho.  I found them at Target for under $1.00.  The are also available online.  They are great because the package is about the size of a deck of cards, so they easily fit in a fanny pack.  Recommendation is to buy 2 because it is unlikely you will be able to fold the poncho back up into its tiny original size.

Of course, many every day items can be pressed into service as rain gear. Large plastic trash bags, plastic table clothes, Mylar thermal blankets are just a view possibilities.  Walkers are very creative in their quest to stay dry.  See some photos below that I took at the Charlotte, NC and New York walks.

Other walkers have recommended bringing the following:

  • Extra pairs of socks.
  • Two pairs of sneakers, so the second day you can start with a dry pair.
  • Pack extra clothes in zip-lock baggies to keep them dry.
  • Two extra large plastic trash bags and twist ties. If your tent is cramped, put your duffle bag into a garbage bag, tie it shut, then in a second bag, tie that one shut, and leave it outside (the trash bags will keep your duffle bag dry from rain and from morning dew.) – And as an added bonus, you have two raincoats.
  • A dozen clothespins or binder clips (available at any office supply store or borrow them from your office).  Clip the tarp tightly to the top of your tent, or it will flap in the wind and drive you crazy as you try to sleep.
  • A small chamois towel  packed in a  zip top bag, and placed on the top of  the things in your duffle bag. That way, if your gear gets wet while sitting outside in the rain, you have something to use to dry the plastic bags off.

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Photos from Charlotte, NC and New York

Posted in September 2010 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Photo montage from Boston 2010

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Administrator

The New York Avon Walk for Breast Cancer is fast approaching.  Only 36 more days to go.  Fund-raising is a little behind last year’s level at this time, with $420 more to go until goal. It’s not too late to make a donation… http://bit.ly/KR2010.

I created a short video from photos I took during the Boston 2010 Walk.  Hopefully the weather will be just as nice in October for the NY Walk.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mhHx1wMN2g]

Posted in September 2010 | Leave a comment