Virtual Trainer 5 Weeks

Countdown: 5 Weeks

Your Training Schedule for This Week:

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	5 miles	Easy walking
Wednesday	45 minutes	Moderate cross-training
Thursday	6 miles	Moderate walking
Friday	45 minutes	Easy cross-training
Saturday	18 miles	Easy walking
Sunday	15 miles	Easy walking

Training Tip of the Week: Lymphedema

Lymphedema is an accumulation of lymphatic fluid in tissue and presents as swelling to the upper extremity. It typically occurs after breast cancer treatments where lymph nodes or vessels are damaged or removed. It can develop at any time - weeks, months, or even years later. Stressful conditions, such as an increase in exercise can cause it to occur.

Signs can include a full/heavy sensation in the arm, skin feeling tight, hand or elbow pain, skin discoloration, decreased hand or wrist flexibility, difficulty fitting into clothing in one specific area or ring/watch/bracelet tightness. Swelling may develop at any part of the extremity. Seek medical attention as soon as you notice any of these symptoms.

Skin care is important to decrease the risk of infection. If you notice redness, warmth, swelling or tenderness to the skin, seek medical care at once. This is even more important if you have diabetes. Tips for skin care include:

• Keep skin moisturized and clean. Moisturize frequently and do not use harsh soaps.
• Take frequent breaks and rest when doing vigorous activities, especially if your arm feels tired, heavy or achy.
• Use an electric razor instead of a safety razor.
• Use insect repellants that do not dry the skin. Avoid those that contain a significant amount of alcohol.
• Use sunscreen with SPF factor 15 or higher. Reapply often.
• Apply antibiotic ointment to insect bites, cuts or abrasions (as long as you are not allergic).
• Rest your arm in an elevated position, but do not hold it up for a long time without support so that your muscles will not get tired.
• If you have arm swelling, wear compression bandages or garments and glove as instructed by your health care provider. Bring one or two spare sets with you on the 3-Day.
• If you have a history of infections, use antibiotics as directed by your personal physician.
• Don’t carry heavy objects or wear heavy shoulder bags on your affected side.
• Don’t wear your watch or jewelry on your affected side.
• Don’t wear clothing that restricts movement or has tight sleeves.
• Don’t smoke or drink too much alcohol.
• Don’t get manicures that cut or overstress the skin around the nails.
• Don’t permit blood pressure testing or any type of puncture (injection, IVs, drawing of blood or vaccinations) to your affected arm.

My Training Walk Story

It seems like everyone training for the 3 Day has some weird training walk story. Melissa has several. She's had water balloons thrown at her, beer cans thrown at her, and she's been bitten by a dog. She also trains in a ghetto neighborhood so that might explain some of it. Martie has had a stranger stop and offer her a ride because they didn't realize that she wanted to walk. Well I finally have a story to tell today. Remember in my garage sale post how I mentioned that the community sign was stolen? Well I found it today while I was walking around my neighborhood. Totally random since my neighborhood is 10 miles from Martie's and we live in the fifth largest city in the US. That sign could have gone anywhere. At first I saw it and didn't think much of it. Then I looked again and realized it was a professionally made sign. Most individuals having a yard sale don't have professional signs. I called Martie and asked what the name of her community is. Sure enough it was their sign. I "stole" it back for them. I can't believe someone would steal a garage sale sign but at least they have it back for next year.

Garage Sale

After the Bunco party I met my fundraising goal but my teammate Melissa was still about $800 short. We had a garage sale yesterday at Martie's house to help Melissa raise some more. It was the community garage sale weekend so that helped bring more traffic through (although the sign was stolen and later found but that will be a separate blog story). We got a ton of stuff donated. Most of it came from Martie's family. There was a steady flow of customers for the first hour or so and then it started to slow down. That was probably about the time the sign was stolen because there was a dramatic reduction in number of customers. We also found out that with garage sales it doesn't matter if the money is going to charity people only want a good deal. Martie tried to price individual items but I think that scared customers off. Finally we just asked people to make us an offer. By noon the customer stream was non-existent so we decided to pick up and eat some Taco Bell. The remaining items (and there was a lot) went to other charities. The clothes and shoes went to Martie's church because they give it to homeless people. The other items were donated to the VA because they were having their pick up on Monday. We ended up raising $200 but I thought for sure with all the stuff we had we could make at least double that. Martie's dad ended up stopping by and he asked Melissa how much more she needed and she said $600. Martie's dad ended up donating the rest. What a super guy!

We were supposed to have a canning fundraiser next weekend at Wal-Mart but since we've all reached our goal I don't know if we're still going to do it. Especially since next weekend's training is the BIG ONE (18 miles on Saturday and 15 miles on Sunday)!

Virtual Trainer 6 Weeks

Countdown: 6 Weeks

Your Training Schedule for This Week:

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	5 miles	Easy walking
Wednesday	45 minutes	Moderate cross-training
Thursday	6 miles	Moderate walking
Friday	45 minutes	Easy cross-training
Saturday	10 miles	Easy walking
Sunday	6 miles	Easy walking

Training Tip of the Week: Heel Pain

“Whenever I put pressure down on my heel, I get a severe, sharp pain under my heel.”
“It’s like the bottom of my heel is bruised.”
“My feet hurt so bad in the morning I have to walk on my tiptoes.”
“My flat feet never bothered me until I started to increase my walking.”

If these are your symptoms you may have developed plantar fasciitis.

What is plantar fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is a painful inflammation of a ligament between the ball of the foot and the heel. It can occur from:

1. Increased walking (especially on asphalt or concrete)
2. Prolonged standing
3. Gaining weight
4. Poorly fitted shoes

The pain occurs because you are stretching the plantar fascia. The pain usually lessens with more walking, but it may occur again after periods of rest. Walkers may get plantar fasciitis when they change their workout and increase their mileage and frequency of workouts. It also can occur with a change in exercise surface or terrain, or if your shoes are worn out and don’t provide enough cushion for your heels. If the arches of your feet are abnormally high or low, you are more likely to develop plantar fasciitis than if your arches are normal.

How is it treated?

1. Give your painful heels lots of rest. You may need to stay completely off your feet for several days when the pain is severe.
2. Anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen for 7 days may help (DO NOT take more than the recommended dose).
3. Roll a frozen water bottle over the sole of your foot for 5 minutes, 2 to 3 times a day.
4. Try to cushion your foot. Wear comfortable supporting athletic shoes, even at work, for a while. Cushion the heel with heel cups or insoles. They are most helpful if you are overweight or elderly. Wear an over-the-counter full-length orthotic sole supports (eg. Spenco or Superfeet). These can be particularly helpful if you have flat feet or high arches.
5. Most importantly, start Achilles tendon stretches as demonstrated below. Stretch, stretch, stretch. (See below). If the pain persists despite this treatment, seek medical advice.
   

Click here to search for a Breast Cancer 3-Day training walk near you. Visit one of our 3-Day outfitters for great discounts on shoes and apparel.

Fundraising Tip of the Week: Ask your yoga instructor or personal trainer for a donated class
Invite your friends to attend a special yoga/aerobics/step class donated by a trainer. Their admission fee of $20 payable to the Breast Cancer 3-Day becomes a donation, and the trainer gets the chance to build their client base. It’s a win-win for all.

BUNCO!

The Bunco fundraiser was so much fun! Melissa and I raised $500 to split between us. We had 24 people come and everyone won at least one prize. We had over $1000 in prizes donated including artwork, jewelry, restaurant gift certificates, personal training sessions, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef, t-shirts, and much more.



SMS rentals let us borrow card tables, chairs and a margarita/daiquiris machine. I've never used a margarita machine so it was a learning experience. Now that I know how they work I want one for every party!


Here is the cake I made. It is a strawberry mirror cake. It was so delicious. It has a thin layer of strawberry Jell-o on top.


This was the cake I made for Martie's Bunco party. It is very similar but no mirror on top.

Still Going Strong

I'm almost finished with week 7 count down and I'm still going strong. I've been so blessed to not experience any injuries yet. Knock on wood! This weekend will definitely be a big test with 17 miles on Saturday and 13 miles on Sunday. I'm scared but I will let you know how it turns out. I signed up for two official training walks so that should motivate me to get out of bed both days. If you are training for the 3 Day and need motivation or if you are thinking about doing the 3 Day next year I definitely recommend participating in the official training walks or becoming a training walk leader. I don't think I would have done half the walks if I had to do them by myself.

In other news my medical form has been reviewed and cleared so I am now able to complete the final phase of check-in. It looks like I really am going to do this walk.

Virtual Trainer 7 Weeks

Countdown: 7 Weeks

Your Training Schedule for This Week:

Monday	Rest
Tuesday	5 miles	Easy walking
Wednesday	45 minutes	Moderate cross-training
Thursday	6 miles	Moderate walking
Friday	45 minutes	Easy cross-training
Saturday	17 miles	Easy walking
Sunday	13 miles	Easy walking

Training Tip of the Week: Fluids

Recent scientific research has underscored the benefit of remaining well hydrated before, during and following physical activity. Hyponatremia (low sodium) is a rare but serious condition that can cause weakness, cramps, swollen hands and feet, confusion, and even seizures. To decrease your risk of hyponatremia you must replace fluids lost through exercise and consume food with salt. Maintaining fluid balance takes a concerted effort on your part in modifying your drinking behavior throughout your training day. The goal for fluid intake during exercise should be to fully replace fluids and salt lost through sweating. The physiological and performance benefits of doing so are well documented.

The best way to estimate the amount of fluid you are losing through sweating is to weigh yourself before and after exercise. You should drink at least one pint (2 glasses or 16 ounces) of fluid for every pound of weight lost due to sweating. If you weigh more after your training session, you may have drank too much fluid. Another way to estimate your hydration status is to monitor your urine output in terms of frequency and color. If you are urinating a small amount of dark-colored urine, then you need to increase your fluid intake.

Rapid and complete rehydration following exercise requires the consumption of a volume of fluid and salt that is equal to that which was lost as sweat. The fluids that taste good and have some amount of salt in them tend to be consumed more rapidly. It has been shown that athletes who include a cold sports drink during their activity will drink more fluid. Eating foods that contain salt decreases your risk of overdiluting your fluids. Your fluid replacement needs may vary based on the weather conditions, terrain and your training level. Drinking when you are thirsty is the scientifically supported method to use which takes this into account. However, for participants who may find it easier, here are some fluid replacement guidelines to follow under normal conditions:

Pre-training walk/Pre-event:

• Drink an extra 8 glasses (64 ounces or 2 quarts) of fluid during the 24 hours before a long training walk or the event.
• Drink 2 glasses (16 ounces or 1 pint) of fluid 2 hours before exercise. This will allow time to excrete the excess fluid prior to walking.
• Remember, in hot or humid weather you may need to drink more fluids.
• If you are walking at a slower pace, you may not need to drink as much.

During your walk: Monitor your fluid intake. Drink when thirsty. Your urine should be dilute and you should be urinating frequently. Try to consume 4-5 ounces of fluid per mile (1-2 standard water bottles per hour). This should include water and sports drink.

Post-Walk: Drink a combination of water and sports drink and consume food with some salt after exercising greater than 1 hour.