Well, folks, my donation site informs me that I have 19 days left until Walk Weekend. I am nearing my fundraising goal, which is a relief. (Did I mention that walkers are on the hook if they don’t make the minimum? It sounds harsh, but it is motivating…)

There’s still time to donate, though!
Don’t be shy — just click the pink ribbon button at the top left side of the page and help kick breast cancer’s butt!

My training stalled about two weeks ago. The mainexcuse has been weather — it’s been unseasonably cold, and I’ve been uncharacteristically wimpy about it. I missed one team walk because I blew a tire and had to have it replaced, and it’s been a little downhill from there. Or…uphill, I guess. The last endurance walk I did was the 10-miler last weekend with McFunkinstyle and another team member.

For that, I drove all the way to Bethesda. I know…I drove a bunch of miles (and into MARYLAND) just to walk 10. It’s worth it, though, to have some company for the hours it takes to get in the mileage you need. My biggest training obstacle is boredom — if I’m chatting with someone, I don’t really care what mile it is or how many are left. On my own, I just have more time to worry about things I probably spend too much time worrying about already.

(As much as I love taking my friends’ dog with me, we are limited to nonverbal communication — even if she could speak, how long does a conversation about squirrels really need to last?)

But! I am not discouraged. I remain confident about the Walk for several reasons:

1. My first team captain didn’t train at all before her first Walk, and she lived. She learned her lesson, but it didn’t kill her.
2. I do really well on most of the endurance walks. When there’s pain or discomfort, the cause hasn’t been under-training. If I don’t stretch when I should or treat my feet properly when I’m done, it hurts, but the miles alone aren’t a problem.
3. The adrenaline of the Walk is good for at least six miles. (My problem is that all six are on Day 1.)
4. I’m doing some cross-training when I’m not training-training. Not a ton, but enough that I’m confident about my fitness level.
5. The conversations I enjoy on the training walks are magnified on Walk Weekend. In addition to having our very awesome team assembled, there will be thousands of other people to walk with, talk to, and get to know.

I do have some concerns:

1. I won’t eat like I should on Day 1 and will crash hard on Day 2.
2. I’ll be grumpy.
3. I won’t listen to my body.
4. I’ll forget to take pictures.
5. Patrick Dempsey will show up at the Closing Ceremony and I WON’T BE THERE.