Karen’s Training Log

A walk in the park

Four Ladies of Loantaka met today to take a short 5 mile walk. Perspective is an interesting thing. After walking 40 miles last weekend, going for a 5 mile walk today seems like nothing at all. On our return to the parking lot we found a large contingent of dogs and their owners. They were there for a 5K or 10K run for charity. Afterwards we went to the diner for breakfast and a walk “postmortem”. Brigid and Geri are walking in another breast cancer fundraiser next weekend. At 5K, it should be a breeze.

I have started training for the God’s Love We Deliver 4 mile run/walk. As I know I can easily walk it, I have decided to see if I can run it. Now, I have never been a runner. I like walking. Running always seemed too much effort. But I need a goal to motivate me to keep training, so this seemed like a reasonable thing to try.

During the week I did 2 minute intervals on the treadmill. I was able to do 3 run/walk intervals before my shins started to hurt. This evening I went to the gym and tried again, this time slowing the pace to 5 mph. I was able to do 3 min run/2 min walk intervals for 30 minutes. Then I went on the elliptical for an additional 15 minutes. As I am making up this training routine as I go, I have decided to do this for 2 more trips to the gym, then increase to 4 min run/2 min walk.

I am open to suggestions from anyone who runs.

Going through withdrawals

Having recently completed the 39 mile Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, I find myself going through withdrawal.

While working with the Avon Foundation, I had the opportunity to visit God’s Love We Deliver (GLWD) and see their facility in NY city. I was very impressed with their commitment to providing warm, nourishing meals to people with serious illnesses.

Read about my visit here –> click

Currently, 10% of the people who receive meals from GWLD are women fighting breast cancer. Undergoing surgery, chemo and radiation is challenging enough. Going shopping and preparing food to maintain one’s health can be very difficult. That’s where GLWD comes in. They provide 2 hot meals a day - 5 days a week.

I am participating in their 4 mile run/walk event in Central Park on November 18, 2007.

I hope that you will consider supporting this worthwhile cause. Click this link to sponsor me http://www.racetodeliver.org/2007/amberstang

39.3 miles - 2 days - PRICELESS

The Avon Walk NYC 2007 is now behind me. It was an amazing experience. After a delicious meal at Gallagher’s, we had an old fashion slumber party on Friday night - 6 women in a small suite in the Sheraton Towers. The suite had 2 bathrooms, one more than my house. Oscar from housekeeping brought up 2 cots, which we placed in the hallway of the suite.

DAY 1

We woke on Saturday morning and were out the door by 6:15 am. We made the last bus to the starting ceremonies. We met up with other members of the Angels team, plus some of the Ladies of Loantaka. The plan was to stay towards the front of the throng of 4,000 walkers as it would be easier to walk through the city streets. We walked through Times Square, then down 5th Ave to Union Square Park and Washington Square Park. As we were walking through Chinatown, we heard a truck driver comment “Boy do I love spandex”. There certainly was a lot of it on display. Heading east over the Manhattan Bridge, the fog was so thick we could not even see the water below. The fog dampened most of the noise of the city, but not the subway trains as they rumbled along side us on the bridge. The conductors tooted their horns and waved to the walkers.

By the time we made our way around to the Brooklyn Bridge, the fog was lifting. It was just after 9:00 in the morning and the bridge was already full of people. No matter how many times I walk across the bridge, I marvel at the spectacular views. New York looked especially lovely as she awoke in her lacy nightgown.

Westward bound, we crossed the city and headed to the Hudson River. Around Chelsea, I saw our friend Gary from God’s Love We Delivery. He had a huge basket full of those delicious brownies the center is know for. I wonder if anyone every suggested they market them. They would be a hit for sure.

We were maintaining an excellent pace. We reached the lunch stop at mile 10 by 10:15 am. As it was way to early to eat, we took the food to go. There were only 200 walkers ahead of us. We made the half way point around 11:30. This was our first real stop along the route. My sneakers had been rubbing along the sides of my heals, so I stopped at the medical tent to get a bandaid. One of the medics had the industrial size roll of moleskin. I have never seen anything like it. Imagine all those moles who gave their lives to make that 10 foot roll :-). Off we went for the second half of the walk. Only 300 walkers were ahead of us at this point.

We weaved our way up 10th Avenue, then 9th Avenue past Lincoln Center, Central Park and walked up town. The Novartis group had a cheering station near Grant’s tomb. Jane, who wasn’t able to walk because of an injury, decorated the path with encouragements. We were glad she was there cheering us on. Next we pressed on into Washington Heights where the folks from Columbia Presbyterian Hospital out did themselves. The street was lined with red heart balloons and a large contingent of staff and their family were out cheering.

The day was getting very hot. Although the actual temperature was 83F, it felt much hotter due to walking on the pavement in direct sun. We were happy to reach rest stops along the way and get paper towels soaked in ice water. They felt wonderfully refreshing.

We were approaching the George Washington Bridge. Although I have lived my entire life within 30 miles of NY city and crossed the GW countless times, I had never had the opportunity to walk across. We were lucky because the Eastbound walkway was open, which means we had an unobstructed view of the New York city skyline. Drivers crossing the bridge honked their horns and waved to us. As we approached the NJ side tower, we met Julie’s husband who had come out to cheer her on.

We were now in NJ and only 5.5 miles to go. We walked into Fort Lee and started down a very long hill. The hill was probably the toughest part of the entire walk. One would think walking uphill would be more difficult, but I and other walkers were finding going down to be a challenge. My training had definitely not prepared me for this kind of hill. Finally we reached the bottom. We walked through Leonia and crossed into Englewood where the final rest stop was set up.

The final two miles went by in a haze. By now, Sheryl, Julie, Sherrill and I were quiet. We had kept up an almost constant chatter the first 20 miles. It really helps the time and miles go by when one walks in a group.

We turned up Williams Street and Mackay Park came into view. We entered the park around 4:20 pm. We were met by walkers who had completed the 13 miles and crew members. We walked down a cheering line of well wishers. The energy of the crowd was so positive that the fatigue and pain dissolved.

We had completed the walk in 9 hours 20 minutes. This was almost 2 hours faster than last year. The bulk of the walkers were still on the route.

There was a tent filled with foot and back massage machines. I guess Homedics must have been a sponsor of the event. I made my way to the podiatry tent to have my blisters tended to. A first year resident was able to lance the biggest blister and she cleaned and wrapped my feet. I was able to walk much more comfortably after her care of my feet.

Julie, Sheryl and I made our way to the hotel where hot showers and burgers awaited us.

DAY 2

It’s amazing what a hot shower, dinner, and a good night’s sleep can do to restore the body. We woke up and took an inventory of aches and pains. We found we were feeling pretty good, all things considered. We arrived at the Wellness Village at 7:15 am, dropped off our bags and found Sharon, Eloise and Julia. After a quick breakfast we were on our way by 8:00. As we walked down the main street in Englewood, we made a pit stop at Dunkin Donuts. CAFFEINE. By now we were pretty much at the back of the pack, with most of the walkers having started out when the course opened at 7:00 am.

I guess I should have thought of it yesterday when we walked down the long hill to the park that we would need to walk up the hill today. Maybe I was blocking it out on purpose. By the time we completed the 1.5 miles up to the top, we were all definitely warmed up. Sheryl and I walk at the same pace and we decided to walk together for the day. We had moved into the main body of the walk, which was going at a pace slower than was comfortable for us. We started passing the pack. Along the way we found Geri and her team. Later we came across Denise and Lisa.

Back over the GW bridge we walked. We made our way down to Riverside Park and the little red lighthouse under the bridge. Hard to believe we had already completed half of the day’s walk and it was only a little after 10:00 am.

Least we forget the reason for the walk, there were many people with signs on their backs honoring loved ones. The most touching were the walkers with simple notes: “For Mom. I miss you”.

The long pink line of walkers snaked their way down Riverside Drive and then Riverside Park to the lunch stop at Riverbank Park. There were many people out enjoying the unusually warm weather; Bikers, joggers, dog and their owners. We took our time at lunch. Eloise, Sharon, Julia, and Julie met up with us and we enjoyed a meal under a tree in the park.

Kelley, our Avon Walker Buddy, stopped by to say hello. She was doing her best to get us to sign up to crew the Boston walk in 2008. There is a very strong possibility.

As we made our way back on Riverside Drive, we saw the dedication of the walkers to the cause. Many were walking slowly, limping. One had abandoned her sneakers for a pair of flipflops. We passed one young lady who was shuffling along in her socks, the heel of her right sock covered in blood. These women were determined to make it.

Along the walkway, there were family members and friends waiting to cheer on their loved one. While they waited, they cheered every walker who passed. I don’t think they will ever know how important and meaningful their presence is to the walkers.

We passed the finally rest stop and made our way back to the river walkway. As we walked down the stairs, we were greeted by students from NYU who enthusiastically cheered and “high-fived” the walkers.

The crowds started to line the path around 48th street. People had signs and flowers to welcome their loved ones. We entered Pier 84 at 1:20 pm, successfully completing the walk for the second year.

The whole family turned out to congratulate me. Mom, Amy, Scott and Jeremy were there to enjoy the sight and sounds of the end of the walk. The pier was full of people in pink, hugging and cheering the walkers. My sister walked up the line of well-wishers with me.

At closing ceremonies, it was announced that the NY walk had generated a record 10.2 million dollars.
View a video of photos I took over the two days. http://www.beadsrock.com/avon2007.wmv

‘Twas the night before the walk

Yes, finally walk weekend is here ! I’ve packed my bag: 2 pairs of sneakers, 8 pairs of socks, mole skin for blisters. Have to remember to bring along my big brimmed beach hat to protect against a day spent in the sun. Last year I ended up with a bright red sunburn on my nose and cheeks. Jeremy is going to come into the city with me this afternoon. I think he’s going because I told him there would be over 4,000 women at the hotel

The team is going to meet up around 7:00 pm. Then a good night’s sleep and we’re off to the starting point early Saturday morning. This will be the last entry until after the walk. Hopefully you have been entertained with my musings and narrations. There will be one additional post with a recap of the walk as well as photos.

I want to thank everyone who has supported me during the past 6 months, both in the form of encouragement and donations. I’ve had the opportunity to meet many great people along the way.

To The Ladies of Loantaka, the training miles passed quickly due to your friendly chats.

To my colleagues at Novartis, thank you for purchasing the earrings and bracelets… and to the person who took the candy without paying, it’s not to late to donate.

To the ladies at Avon Foundation, it was wonderful working with you. You are an inspiration and you all ROCK !

To friends and family, thank you for putting up with my never-ending talk about the walk and breast cancer.

In the words of one breast cancer survivor I met, “Hopefully in the near future, this walk will be for exercise only”. From her mouth to God’s ears !

Sat Oct 6

Mostly Sunny

86°/63°

20%

Sun Oct 7

Few Showers

84°/57°

30%

Oncology department throws a party

On Wednesday the Earthbound Angel team was invited to the Oncology Department for a party to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the breast cancer drug Femara.

We had the opportunity to meet Amy Hughes (mother of Olympic figure skater, Sarah Hughes). Amy is a breast cancer survivor and she spoke about her fight. It was very inspirational, especially her closing remarks that she hopes in the near future our walk will be for exercise only.

I was asked to introduce the walkers from Novartis. We received an enthusiastic round of applause, especially when our fundraising total of $77,000 was announced.

Afterwards we were treated to cake and ice cream sundaes. Good thing we’re walking 40 miles this week… we’ll need it to get rid of all those calories.

3 more days to go

Walk day is fast approaching. I went for a pedicure after work today. Toe nail maintenance is very important for long distance walking. I learned that a problem faced by many walkers is “black toe nail”. The foot slides forward in the shoe, banging the toes against the top, front, and sides with each step. The feet swell during the walk and get compressed by the socks and shoes. That pressure and impact can damage the toenail beds, or create a blister under the toenail itself. When this happens, the extra blood and fluid cause the toenail to separate from the toenail bed. The result being the blood coloring the toenail black.

I checked the weather for the weekend. The forecast is for temperatures in the mid 80’s, a little warm for walking. Hopefully the humidity will not be too high.

Sat Oct 6

Partly Cloudy

83°/63°

10%

Sun Oct 7

Isolated T-Storms

84°/58°

30%