This weekend provided proof that walking in the wrong shoes can cause you a lot of pain.

We went to Disney, and I packed two pairs of shoes. The first pair, which I wear ALL the time, gave me a blister on my heel, so I decided to wear my flip flops (which I only packed to wear to the pool) to the parks on Saturday. On Sunday, I paid dearly for that! My calves were so sore and achy.

I’m quite confident that one of the reasons I was able to make it 60 miles in last years walk was due to the excellent sneakers I had. They were so great, that when I needed sneakers for the 2007 walk, I bought the exact same pair! Why fix what isn’t broken?

I emailed back and forth a bit with my tent mate, Kim, about the 3-Day earlier today. I’m planning on bringing an air mattress and a portable pump for our tent. As I told Kim, if I’ve got to sleep in a tent, we may as well have some level of comfort for our tired, aching bodies! Adding to the fun, we’ve never walked together, so it remains to be seen if my pace will match Kim’s, and vice versa. Oh, and the heat – you can’t forget about the oppressive Florida heat, even in October!

Good times.

Did you know you can send me a letter, a note, or a card during the 3-Day? (Sorry, no email!) It’s great to get back to 3-Day camp after a long, tiring day, and find letters from friends waiting for you to give you the lift you need! You need to postmark your letter by October 5th in order for it to reach me during the walk.

Please send letters to:
3-Day Camp Post Office
c/o Colleen Caldwell (WALKER)
PO Box 5487
Sarasota, FL 34277-5487

You’ve got to put my name on the outside for it to get to my mailbox at the 3-Day, so don’t forget!

Check in for the 3-Day is next week! October seems so far away, when it’s really just a few more weeks. Walks have already begun in other parts of the country, and it’s only a matter of time before I’m packing my gear and strapping on my sneakers for another 60 miles. Maybe I’ll walk off the 5 pounds that have settled on my hips! I haven’t trained as much this year as I did last year, but that’s not worrying me. The heat is worrying me. I’m a wimp when it comes to walking in the heat, and if I’m camping in the heat, I’ll be cranky. My tent mate might regret offering to share a tent with me

I just signed up to walk in a 2nd charity walk in October. This walk is to benefit Alzheimer’s research (to find a cure) and support (to help those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease) and given that my Grandpop had Alzheimer’s, it’s near and dear to my hear. The walk is only 2 to 3 miles, making it possible for anyone to participate. It’ll be a warm up for the 3-Day for me. Please join me for the 2007 Memory Walk in Orlando this October!

I already knew that grape juice was healthy for your heart, much like another drink made from grapes…red wine.

A new study from the Journal of Medicinal Foods says that the natural properties of Concord grape juice protected healthy breast cells from damage by cancerous cells. The magical ingredient that did? Anthocyanins. Yeah, I never heard of them either! Anthocyanins are strong natural antioxidants (I have heard of those) present in grape juice.

I’m not sure if this will prompt me to add more grape juice to my life though. Maybe they can take out the anthocyanins and put them in a pill form for lazy people like me?

When I first started training for the 3-Day last year, I was told about Thorlo socks, and that I definitely needed them for walk. I balked a bit at having to fork over $10 for a pair of socks, but let me tell you – they are worth EVERY penny! I saw tons of walkers in Thorlo socks last year, and was happy to hear that Thorlo has joined as an official sponsor this year. They even sent me a free pair of pink and white socks a few months ago called the Distance Walker.

Buy and bring enough pairs so that you have 2 pairs of socks per day. Pack an extra pair in your fanny pack, and when you stop for lunch take off your shoes. Let your feet breathe for a while! Put on moleskin to cover any hot spots, and apply body glide to your feet. Put on fresh socks – you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes!

LaCroix water will be back out at the 3-Day walk this year. I drank a ton of LaCroix (and Gatorade) during the walk last year, and even sampled some of the fancy LaCroix flavors at camp. They’ve got lemon, lime, berry, orange – and it’s a nice switch from soda, especially when you’re trying to avoid getting dehydrated in the heat.

From now until November, LaCroix is selling 12 packs and 1 liter bottles for the “Help Us Help The Cause” promotion. You can submit two 12 pack UPC codes and a $10 donation and receive a limited edition 3-day pin, with all proceeds benefiting the Breast Cancer 3-Day.

New Balance is sponsoring the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk for the 4th year in a row! They’ve also go a brand new sneaker, called the 844, that is the Official Shoe of this years walk. (Sorry, New Balance, I’ve got to stick with my Saucony sneakers!(

What I do like about the 844 is that it features a pink ribbon on the sneaker. I’m sure it’s a much more attractive shoe than my bright orange and white sneakers. It’s part of the Lace Up For The Cure collection, and 15% of sales from those items will be going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. A minimum of $500,000 will be donated!

I’m not ever up early enough to see Good Morning America, but I did hear the news that GMA anchor Robin Roberts has breast cancer.

Robin did a self breast examination recently and found a lump. Her doctor performed a biopsy and confirmed that the lump was indeed breast cancer. Robin will be having surgery and follow up treatment over the next few months, but because she found her lump early, her prognosis is excellent!