The Power of Walking with a Friend

Posted By: Michelle Ashcraft

For much of my life I have been considered “one of the guys” in the various circles of friends I have found myself in. However, in the latter part of my 25 years of life thus far I have been tremendously blessed to form some of my most powerful friendships with some amazing women that I have met throughout the end of my collegiate career. This blog is dedicated to one of those women.

The Sounds in the Silence

Posted by: Jenn Latino
Training for the 3-Day has been going great! The weather has been on my side, I’ve been able to arrange work and life schedules so that I am walking in the evenings when it isn’t quite so warm, and Riley and Joplin have been great 4-legged partners joining me for every walk so far (which makes for very tired pups☺). I have enjoyed a wonderful line up of podcasts that I stockpiled for the training season. It’s actually quite nice to be back in the routine of regular walks and to reconnect with my podcast friends including Ira Glass from This American Life, Sarah and Katie from Stuff you Missed in History Class, and Brian and Chuck from Stuff you Should Know. My walks are much easier when I have my earphones on enjoying the stories that these folks share over the airwaves. I don’t really think about much while I walk. I just put my sneakers on autopilot and tune in to the stories the show hosts share. Riley knows the 3-mile route so well that she drags me through each turn with great accuracy. Sometimes I realize that we are 2 miles in and can’t remember ever making the first turn off our street!

For my Tuesday walk this week I took on a challenge that was more difficult than the mileage. Dr. Jenny Bloom, a colleague and friend from USC, made a donation last week in honor of her friend, Dr. Sandy Ettema. Sandy recently received a breast cancer diagnosis and on Tuesday, was undergoing surgery-the first step in a 3-stage treatment that will be followed by chemotherapy and radiation. I was thinking about Sandy, a woman I have never met but whose story has touched my heart, all day Tuesday. I decided to dedicate my Tuesday evening walk to her and to do it sans the iPod.

Me vs. Mother Nature

Posted By: Michelle Ashcraft

Today I started my second week of training for the 3-Day. That means I survived the first week of training! While my first day of walking was not nearly as eventful as Jenn Latino’s bomb scare, the week did turn into a nice little competition mixed with a little bit of mental relaxation and a lot of inspiration.

1st Mile Inspiration
Last Tuesday I kicked off my first of four 3-mile walks for the week. All day at work I was excited to get home, put on my new kicks, and take off. I was prepared. I’d visited John’s Run/Walk Shop in Lexington to get fitted for new shoes, and happily told them that I was taking on the challenge of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. The saleswoman didn’t seem to know what I was talking about, but seemed supportive of my decision to take on the challenge once I explained it a little further, and told me she would find the perfect shoe for me. Great! She had me try three shoes – two didn’t work, one did. Perfect … I just needed one to work. I walked out of the store with shoes in hand and headed to Target.

Kicking it off with a BOOM! (Bomb)

Posted By: Jenn Latino

An Older, Wiser, New Kid!

May 11th has finally arrived! This is Week 1 of the 24-week training program, and Tuesday is the first walk of the week. 3 miles. Bring it!!

I’ve been looking forward to the start of training and as I have been keeping an eye on the calendar, folks have been asking “Are you going to blog again?” Well, here it is.

Kicking off the 2010 training was a lot different than the 2009 kick off. I didn’t have to go on an adventure to find the right shoes. I just made a stop at Strictly Running last week and said, “I need a pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 5, size 10.” They told me the 5s were discontinued but the 6s were the same. Great, give me a 6. Make em’ pink. I didn’t have to spend hours driving around the neighborhood, resetting the odometer, making notes of various 1, 3, and 5 mile routes. I already know the routes-the streets have not changed. I got home from work around 5:40pm. By 6:00pm I had my walking clothes on, shoes laced up, dogs on a leash, and we were out the door. Easy!

Taking My First Steps

Posted By: Michelle Ashcraft

Tomorrow’s the big day! On Tuesday I kick off a 24-week schedule for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure with a 3-mile, “easy” walk. “What’s the 3-Day for the Cure?” you might ask. It’s a 3-day, 60-mile walk that I will participate in on October 22-24, 2010 in Atlanta, GA. That’s right, little me – the one who lives by the philosophy “I don’t run unless someone is chasing me” and doesn’t schedule much time for exercise, unless throwing a toy across the living room for my dog counts – is taking on a 60-mile challenge to help cure breast cancer!

So why did I take the plunge?

Kim's Top 10

I am a bit late on posting this and my teammates have done a wonderful job recapping our AMAZING 3 Day adventure. Here is my list of the Top Ten 3 Day 2009 things for which I was thankful.

1. My Teammates, Jennifer Dooley, Jennifer Latino, Meredith Perlman, Michelle Wu, & Lisette Buechner: I cannot tell you how special these 5 ladies are to me. Whether I had known them for years or met them the night before opening ceremonies, we accomplished this feat together. When the stepping got tough (and let me tell you 60 miles isn’t a cake walk), we were there for each other. I am very lucky to have these wonderful, amazing, courageous women in my world! I would be remiss to not include my undying gratitude to my Wonderful Training Partner, number 1 cheerleader, honorary team member and husband, Adam. I am certain I would have never have even made it through the preparation let alone the full 60 miles and my family would never have made it around Atlanta (more on that later) without him and his unconditional support. On Day 3 he had gotten word that my feet were struggling (again more on that later) so he arrived at the cheering station that day in his walking shoes ready to walk by my side the remaining 7 miles if necessary to help me to the finish line. He did not need to jump into action but nonetheless he was ready. I am so lucky, clearly an understatement.
   

Thankful

It is hard to describe the 3 days that Team New Kids experienced. You can describe the weather, sometimes the sore muscles, the unending trips to find a bathroom, the snacks, the cheers, and all the pink that surrounded us, but it is hard to sum up the experience as a whole. Each day of the Atlanta 3-day was special.

It started on Day 1 with a heartfelt opening ceremony that got us pumped up to walk out of Lake Lanier. We were encouraged along the way at the cheering stations by family members and on-lookers alike. We got high fives from little kids at an elementary school! We were so excited to sit down and eat lunch and then it started pouring down rain. We got soaked and a little disheartened but ended up laughing hysterically. We were thrilled when we realized we only had 4 more miles to walk that day. We were even more excited to see friends and family come out (in the rain) to cheer us on that last mile to the buses back to camp. And boy were we excited to see chair massages by Energizer at camp. That first night I was amazed to be surrounded by so many pink tents inside the Georgia Trade Center. It was a true sea of pink. We got to enjoy some good food and entertainment to boost our spirits. And I was really excited for that hot shower and no one passing out!