Why I walk….

People ask me why I walk, and raise money, and am so involved with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. To understand, watch the short video I made titled “Boston Closing Ceremony” and look at the pictures of the youth crew members in their bright yellow sweatshirts. The tears they shed are for mothers who have died from breast cancer. One of them said at the evening activity at the Boston walk, 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 health insurance or none at all. Any amount is very much appreciated ! Learn more about the good work performed by the Avon Foundation and the Avon Walk –> http://avonwalk.org

To make a donation to my walk –> http://www.avonwalk.org/goto/kr2010. Thank you, Karen

Update to previous post: Blisters don’t need chemo

After letting the blisters on my heels heal for a few days, I went out for a 3 mile training walk.  I used the clear packing tape as recommended on a running forum.  I applied the tape to the shoe’s back area, running the tape from the sole inside all the way to the outside of the sole.

Not sure if it shows up well in the picture. I put the first piece of tape along the middle of the shoe back. Then added a piece, overlapping the first on the left and another piece of tape on the right. Repeated this configuration on the other shoe.

The weather was not very cooperative for a walk this morning. It was 88°F at 8:00 a.m. and 50% humidity with an air quality warning.   I decided to do an abbreviated training walk of just 3 miles.  The taped shoes worked great. There was no rubbing/chafing on my heels.  Of course a longer test will be needed to see if this really works.

Follow-up added July 25, 2010.

Did a 7.5 mile training walk today.  The tape worked great. No blisters, no rubbing.  Every other time I have worn these sneakers, I have had blisters on my heels.  I therefore rate the tip “clear plastic packing tape for blister prevention” as Excellent.

Blisters don’t need chemo

Started training in earnest for the 2010 NY City Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. It is 90 days away.  This weekend I walked 6 miles on Saturday and 6 miles on Sunday.  I wore my Adidas Supernova sneakers.  I like the shoes as far as support and cushion.  There is one major issue with them; They cause abrasions on the back upper heel/lower ankle after just a few miles.

Not sure what is wrong – incorrect shoes for my walk style, defective shoes, ….? I am using the padded wool socks I have worn with other sneakers.  I could just relegate them to walking in the mall or gardening shoes.  But before I do, I am going to try one more thing I just read on a running forum.   A poster suggested covering the area of the shoe that was rubbing with clear packing tape – not the one with the strings embedded in the tape.  The theory is the very smooth surface of the tape will reduce the friction where the shoe rubs the foot.

The Walking Site offers more tips on how to prevent blisters including products like lubricants.  They even provide a recipe for those who want to make their own:

Mix equal parts A & D ointment and Vaseline (1 cup each). Then add vitamin E cream and Aloe Vera cream (1/4 cup each) to improve consistency and smell. (Mixture should be stiff, yet applicable.)

http://www.thewalkingsite.com/blisters.html

Easy listening

I wanted a clip for my iPod Nano that I could attach to my t-shirt collar when I walk. I find that  the headphone wire gets in the way when I use a belt clip. The clip should be light weight, so that it doesn’t pull the collar. It should provide easy access to the iPod dial.

I decided to see if I could fabricate something. I have some jewelry supplies from my beading hobby (I make earrings and bracelets to sell as fundraisers for the Avon Walk).

I used a 20 gauge silver wire for the frame which I shaped into a long oblong. I bent the wire to create a frame in which the iPod would sit.  I bent the other end of the wire to form a clip which would hang on my collar.  I added a cage of 22 gauge wire to keep the iPod from falling out sideways.

I used it today and it works very well.  To prevent snagging from on the end of the larger wire, I wrapped the smaller wire around the join, creating a smooth surface.  You can click on the images to view a larger photo.

One of the rules on the Avon Walk is no headphones. This is a safety precaution as the route takes the walkers on city streets which are not closed off for the event.  The walkers need to pay attention at all times to traffic and be alert to directions from the safety crew members.

I don’t know about you, but when I walk long distances, I get into a “zone” and stop paying attention to my surroundings. I find the repetition of the walking gait to be very meditative. I get lost in the rhythm and can easily step into a crosswalk without looking.

One of the advantages to my clip is that I can remove the headphones, turn up the volume, and still listen to music.

What if…….???

Raising at least $1,800 and walking 39.3 miles are big commitments.  You will probably question yourself many times during the days leading up to your Avon Walk.  The litany of “What ifs” will echo through your mind.

The other night, I saw a post on the InItToEndIt.org website written by Larry Roshfeld.  Larry put together a great list of “What ifs…” , probably a number of the ones you are thinking about right now are on the list.  I have reposted it below for my gentle readers.

• “I am SOOOO nervous” – Yes, you are. So what?
• “What if I can’t walk all the way?’ – Who cares? No one is keeping track but you.
• “What if I get a blister?” – So? (Medial care is available at Rest Stops and Wellness Village)
  
• “What if I don’t know anyone?”  – You’ll meet hundreds of nice people.
• “What if I packed too much?” – You did.
• “What if I didn’t pack something?” – You’ll live.
• “What if it rains?” – You’ll get wet; you won’t drown.
• “What if is it cold?” – You won’t freeze to death.
• “What if it is hot?” – You’ll sweat.
  
• “What if I don’t like the food?” – You’ll be walking past approximately 472 supermarkets and convenience stores; you’ll manage.
• “What if I don’t like the porta-potties?” – No one likes the porta-potties. You’ll survive.
• “What if I don’t like the showers?” – So don’t shower. Though you might want to check with your tent mate first.
• “What if I can’t sleep in a tent?” – You’ll be tired; you’ll sleep?
• “What if…?”

Enough already with the “What if’s?” You’ll do fine. Relax and enjoy the experience.

Because of the money you’ve raised, money is going to go towards early detection programs. In a few months, a woman (or a man) is going to take advantage of one of those programs, and they’re going to find out they have breast cancer. But because of you, they will have found out early enough to get treatment, and to survive.

They’re going to get to watch their kids grow up, and to be there at their concerts and their games. They’re going to go to their graduations and to their weddings.  They’re going to get to see their grandchildren. And their kids will never have to face growing up without them. All because of you. And while they will never know it, you will know it.  Any more questions? No?

For those who have not already discovered Larry’s Walk Manual, you may want to take a look as it provides a comprehensive view of engaging in fundraising walks.  There is detailed information on what to pack and how to pack, tenting, training, porta potties, etc.  Underground Guide (2008)

TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More

Many walkers decide to either form or join a team.  The reasons for being on a team are as varied as the number of walkers.

Last year I joined Loretta’s Ladies, a team lead by Janet Goulbourn-Mozolewski and made up of women from the NY/NJ Metro area.  There is strength in numbers, so it is with great strength that Loretta’s Ladies work and walk toward putting an end to the suffering caused by breast cancer.  Each team member has their reasons for participating but  there is one reason in common.  On February 14, 2008,  friend and teammate Loretta Gaffney was diagnosed with cancer. The team changed its team name to “Loretta’s Ladies” to give Loretta the hope, strength and courage to fight her battle. Unfortunately, God had other plans for Loretta and took her from us in June but she was with us in October 2008 in our hearts and her spirit will live on.  In 2009, this team of 32 AMAZING walkers raised over $89,000!

Teams are one of the best ways to experience the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer because:

• Team fundraising typically exceeds individual fundraising.
• New walkers can learn from experienced walkers.
• Creative fundraising ideas are usually stimulated in the presence of other individuals with the same focus, passion and excitement.
• Support and camaraderie arises among team members.
• Team members share insight and knowledge on how to be successful.
• Teams can take advantage of Team fund raising!

HOW MANY PEOPLE DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A TEAM?
A team is a minimum of two registered participants; teams can be comprised of just walkers or a combination of walkers and crew members. There is no team member maximum.

WHAT IS THE TEAM FUNDRAISING GOAL?
Each walker on the team must honor their individual commitment to have a minimum of $1,800 in her/his own fundraising account in order to walk.

One of the benefits of being on a team is that other team members may have exceeded their fundraising goal and can provide help to a team member who is short of the $1,800 goal.  A team member can save extra checks and give them to the one who needs help; that person sends in the check using their coupon book.

HOW DO I JOIN A TEAM?

• Meet teams during Avon Walk events like Great Start Party and The Expo.
• Join a local training walk. Many team members lead or participate in walks.  Walks can be found listed on the AvonWalk.org website.
• Ask your walker buddy to recommend a team in your area.

More information about teams can be found on the AvonWalk.org website: http://walk.avonfoundation.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nwy_teams

Battle the bulge with walking

It’s not rocket science.  Spending less time vegging and more time moving results in weight loss.  My husband has been bugging me to spend less time playing Farmville and more time training for the Avon Walk.

The first year that I participated in the walk, I trained like a maniac. I had never walked a marathon distance.  I had walked 13 miles 20 years in the past when I participated in a March of Dimes fundraiser, but I was in my early 20′s at the time.  So that first year I followed the training schedule on Marathon Walking website.   By two months before the walk, I was walking 16 miles on Saturdays and feeling really good.  I completed the 40 mile NY City Avon Walk with just some minor blisters on my feet.  I thought I would feel sore and fatigued on Monday, but instead, I felt ready to go for a walk!

The following year, I led training walks which were well attended – averaging 10 people.  We walked at least 7 miles each Saturday for months prior to the walk.   The second year I participated in the NY walk, I was at the Wellness Village by 4:00 pm, 2 hours earlier than the year before.   Because I have done the walk a number of times now, I know I can walk the distance and I don’t have the same urgency to start training.  The research below may be enough to motivate me to get up, grab the dogs and go for a walk.

Researcher Dr. Pascale Mauriège, of Quebec’s Laval University recently completed a study of 35 moderately obese and sedentary white women who were either nearing menopause or newly post-menopausal. Thirty women finished the program – 16 premenopausal and 14 postmenopausal. The women, guided by trainers, walked for 45 minutes on an indoor track every other day for 16 weeks. The intensity of the walking was not unlike the intensity of walking a dog, Mauriège said. While moderately obese, all participants were healthy. Greater weight loss was achieved by the premenopausal women who lost an average of about 4.4 pounds compared to 1.5 pounds for the postmenopausal women. They also tended to lose more fat mass. Postmenopausal women, however, tended to benefit with a larger drop in their waist size and from gains in lean body mass. Read entire article here: http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2010/04/13/eline/links/20100413elin001.html

Article on the differing views of breast cancer screening

Over the past year, there has emerged two very contrary views to whether or not breast cancer screening has merit.  Last Fall, there was a major outcry when the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force announced that the age for first mammogram should be raised to 50.  Breast cancer screening engenders very emotional and heated debate.  The view put forth by Michael Baum, the doctor who introduced Britain’s first breast screening program more than 20 years ago, takes a middle of the road approach.  Instead of using the current one-size fits all strategy

Dr.  Baum proposes:  a “triage” system to divide women into high, middle and low-risk groups based on family history and lifestyle factors like alcohol consumption, weight, diet and exercise.

Baum says high-risk women — those with a long family history of breast cancer — should be offered genetic testing to find out if they have a gene mutation which predisposes them to the disease, while low-risk women should get advice on healthy eating, avoiding alcohol and minimizing other risk factors.  Screening would then be reserved for those in the middle, where he thinks the benefit-risk balance makes most sense.

Does mammogram row signal time for policy shift?

Reuters, Kate Kelland, Health and Science Correspondent – Analysis, LONDON, Wed Apr 7, 2010 12:38pm EDT

Almost any woman who had a cancerous tumor detected in her breast during a regular screening appointment would probably think the scan — and subsequent surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment to remove the cancer — saved her life.

But that is not always true and an increasingly heated international debate is raging about whether women are getting the right information on the merits, and risks, of mammograms.

The fear is that over-diagnosis — when screening picks up tumors that would never have presented a problem — may mean many women are undergoing unnecessary radical treatment, suffering the physical and psychological impact of a breast cancer diagnosis that would otherwise not have come up.

While some scientists are locked in battle, slinging accusations at each other of misleading data and conflicts of interest, others say the row itself is a signal that it’s time for a new and more refined approach to breast cancer screening.  Read entire article here: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6362FD20100407

And the winner is…..

The raffle drawing was held last night and the lucky winners are:
3rd prize – recession bracelet: Lesley
2nd prize – necklace: Jen
1st prize – iPod Touch – Meghan

Thank you very much to all who made a donation.  Even if you did not win a prize, you are still a winner because you are helping in the fight against breast cancer.

The raffle was much more successful that I had imagined. All 75 tickets were sold within 1 week, raising $750 towards my goal of $5,000 for this year’s Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I had anticipated it taking a month or two before all the tickets sold. Because of the great support, I am considering running another raffle in a month or two. Maybe this time an iPod Nano.

How many moles are skinned for the Avon Walk?

So you have been racking up the miles in training walks, 20 miles a week spread over a few days each week. A couple of 15 mile walks during the month before the Walk. Your shoes and socks are feeling good, no blisters. You’re ready for the Walk. That was me at my first Avon Walk.

By mile 18, I was starting to develop some small blisters. By mile 23, the blisters were getting bigger and bigger. By the time I limped across the 26 mile mark, my feet were a mess. Fortunately, there was ample medical treatment available along the route and at the Wellness Village. There were some volunteer podiatrists in the medical tent and I had one look at my feet. The doctor washed the blisters, lanced the biggest ones, applied antibiotic ointment and put Band-aids over them. She gave me instructions on what to do the following morning. She told me to wash and dry my feet, apply antibiotic ointment and a Band-aid and then cover the area with mole skin! I had been applying the mole skin directly to the blisters earlier in the day. She said this could lead to pulling off the damaged skin as it would stick to the mole skin adhesive. A Band-aid would protect the skin under the mole skin.

Mole skin is actually not made from the skin of moles. Mole skin is a heavy cotton fabric, woven and then sheared to create a short soft pile on one side and an adhesive layer on the other.  Moleskin is used to reduce friction and pressure on hotspots.

iPod Touch raffle to benefit breast cancer walk

iPod Touch info: Retail value $199. 8GB.

DRAWING IS CLOSED!!!  ALL TICKETS HAVE BEEN SOLD.

Thank you to all who participated.

My goal is to raise $5,000 for this year’s Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.  As part of my fund-raising, I am raffling a brand spanking new iPod Touch and two runner up prizes.  Tickets are $10 each.  I will sell only 75 tickets, so you have a 1:75 chance of winning if you buy 1 ticket.

Legal jargon:

The winner of the raffle shall be selected on a random basis and all participants shall be afforded an equal opportunity to win. All raffle prizes will be awarded; no raffle prizes will revert to the organization conducting the raffle. If a prize is unclaimed, the winner refuses to accept the prize, or the winner cannot be located, a new winner will be selected from the names who have made a donation.  If the goal of 75 tickets is not met by September 1, 2010, a winner will be selected from those individuals who have made a donation.  Decision of the judge is final.  No cash prizes will be awarded.  If no e-mail is included on the Avon Walk donation page, the individual will not be included in the drawing.