We attended the official kick off event / expo for Tampa this past Sunday. It was pretty cool, they had it set up like a convention with different booths where you could register as a walker or volunteer, they had a corner with a tent, and a “how to” on pitching the tent, tear jerking video of previous walks, fundraising tips, samples of snacks (Pria Bar = Nasty!), and the largest area was for the “official” outfitters (New Balance). Colleen got some shorts she had been looking for, I got a hat, and Dana got shorts and a pink shirt! We also got buttons that read “I’m doing 60 in ‘06″…and pink shoelaces! It’s a good event, and we got to meet a lot of nice people..bring your family and show them what you are doing!
We will be holding another fundraiser tomorrow (Saturday May 6) at the Brooker Creek Publix (East Lake Rd & Ridgemoor Dr in Palm Harbor), we’ll be out there from 10-5..come out and meet us, share your story and make a donation!
Our weekend fundraiser at the Mitchell Ranch Publix was a big success. Our two day total was $869, which we divided up - and my share put me over the halfway point. I uploaded our pictures to my Flickr account, and they’re right here…but I’m also going to share them here 
We have back to back fundraisers this weekend…we will be at the Mitchell Ranch Publix (Little Rd & SR 54) in New Port Richey on Saturday from 10-2pm, and Sunday from 12-4pm. If you are in the area…come on out and meet us, drop some money in the bucket, tell us your story!
Dana and I attended a local Focus Meeting last night, it’s not mandatory, but it was informative and I would encourage others to attend one in their area. You can find the schedule on the 3 day website, and even though we are walking in another city, we can attend 3 day events in our home city. It was run by one of the Tampa 3 day coaches, and she went over fundraising tips, where you should be with your training at this point (the 24 week training schedule started this past Monday), what gear you will need (GOOD socks and shoes!), that you should be training in the gear you are going to walk in..so there are no surprises when you get to the walk, and what to expect at the actual walk.
We got to meet some nice women, and there were previous 3 day walkers who had some good tips to share (#1: Don’t overstuff your fanny pack, you’ll start throwing things out of it quickly!). Overall I came out feeling pretty good about where I am, we seem to be ahead compared to others as far as our training, and I am right where I need to be with my fundraising. We gave out our blog info, and shared our Saturday morning training route with others from the area who may want to join us.
Thorlo socks are on sale at Sports Authority until this Saturday - buy 3 get 1 free!! For those who are not aware, these are the socks that were recommended by a previous 3 day walker, and I cannot walk without them! I wear the Womens Lite Walking Mini Crew, they DO make a difference and are worth the price ($10.99/pair)! Get them while they are on sale!!
We did another 10 miles on Saturday, this time Colleen and Catherine joined us. Got a late start due to someone’s husband not re-setting the alarm properly, but still bested our time by 15 minutes! I think it was because Colleen has longer legs, therefore a longer stride, and walks faster, so she set our pace a little faster…..but on the last 2 miles Catherine and I were bringing up the rear!! No aches or pains to report by me…after a 20 minute rest period I usually feel great the rest of the weekend! I am getting some sort of a heat rash on the tops of my feet, it ends where the sock ends….so I know it’s from my feet being trapped in there for 3 hours! I may have to start letting them breathe at our rest stop. I also noticed I am getting a “farmer tan” on my legs, from the top of my sock to the bottom of my shorts! I hate that!! I have to find shorter shorts!!
We will be holding our second Publix fundraiser at the Mitchell Ranch Publix (Little Rd & SR 54, New Port Richey) , April 29-30. If you live in the area come out and say hello, share your story, and show your support!
We did it! I mapped out a 10 mile walk on the trails/neighborhoods by my house, and Dana and completed 10 miles yesterday morning! We started at 07:30, it took 3 hours and 20 minutes, which means we have picked up our pace in the last few months…I remember when it took us 3 hours to do 7 miles! We took a rest break at the 5 mile mark, ate some fruit, stretched, and moved on. We did good, I felt great, other than my feet hurting after about 7 miles…but not so much that I couldn’t keep moving. My only issues this morning were my hamstrings are feeling tight. We’re going to stick with 10 for a few months before we bump it up another notch. Colleen…are you & Catherine with us?
I did 7 miles yesterday morning on the trail by my house. Over that 7 miles I spied numerous lizards & gray squirrels, 2 armadillos (dead), 2 White Ibis, 1 Blue Heron, 1 Osprey, and 1 American Alligator. The Gator made me step up my pace a bit!
