Over three days this November, I will be walking 60 miles in the Arizona Breast Cancer 3-Day. This walk will be much more than “just a walk” – it will be raising money to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund.

Over the next several months, I will be spending many, many, many hours in training (By the time the walk starts, I will have logged enough miles to take me from Phoenix to my hometown of Houston!

I have committed to raising $2,200 to participate in this walk. Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation to help me achieve this goal. I’ll be doing all the walking...all you need to do is follow this link to my fundraising headquarters to submit your contribution.

You may know someone who has been affected by breast cancer and I would be proud to walk in her honor as well. Please feel free to send me an email or leave a comment with their name. I will create a ribbon just for them and attach it to my backpack.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death for all women, and the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 55. Both its cause and the means for its cure remain undiscovered. I’m taking on this challenge to do something big that will help raise awareness and help in finding a cure.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope that you’ll share in this incredible adventure with me. Please leave comments or email me (txaggie02@hotmail.com) if you have any questions.

Monday, June 2, 2008

My Virtual Personal Trainer

Each week for the next 24 weeks I will be receiving a personal training email from the 3 Day coaches. Here is the first one.

Countdown: 24 Weeks

Your Training Schedule for This Week:
Monday Rest
Tuesday 3 miles Easy walking
Wednesday Rest
Thursday 3 miles Moderate walking
Friday 30 minutes Easy cross-training
Saturday 3 miles Easy walking
Sunday 3 miles Easy walking

Training Tip of the Week: Your Training Program

Training for an endurance event like the 3-Day involves three things:

  • Developing muscular strength and endurance
  • Building cardiovascular fitness
  • Experimenting with exercise gear, diet and fluids

Muscular strength and endurance is exercise specific. Walking is not the same as running; your feet hit the ground further back on your heel with your toe higher in the air and then you roll farther off the toes with each stride. Runners may never develop the arch support or mid foot strength needed by a walker. Your brain needs to learn which muscles to use and your body needs to develop the strength to walk. Not just for one mile but for 20 miles. Nothing trains you better functionally for walking than walking itself.

Cardiovascular activity can be developed with any aerobic activity. Cross training has been included to decrease injury while building muscular strength and cardiovascular fitness. This can include cycling, swimming, rollerblading, pilates or any whole body physical activity.

Experimenting with walking shoes vs. running shoes, socks, waist packs, backpacks, shorts vs. tights, etc. is an essential part of training to prevent blisters, chafing and injury. Walking while drinking sports drink, practicing pre-event, on-event and post-event routines for diet and especially fluid management is very individual and may require trial and error.

Your suggested training program allows for all three components of training. Cross training to build your fitness, many long walks to experiment with equipment and diet, and, most importantly, a graduated increase in walking mileage. Note the moderate intensity training days where you can add periods of increased speed or hills to increase your endurance.

As you train, it is important to listen to your body. Often injuries, strains, or areas of inflammation may not show for 1-2 days after a training session.

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