And the winner is!

 


 Last week, I announced a drawing for home baked cookies if I could raise $500 in one week. On Saturday, after the Friday deadline, and after a 9 mile training walk, I tallied the donations and there was $750!! Whoo Hoo! I wrote down all of the names of donors on individual slips of paper, tossed them in a bowl and stirred the pot (literally).

And the winner is...............................  Jan O'Neil!  Jan is a fabulous first grade teacher at Fairmount Elementary School.  No one deserves cookies more than teachers!

So, very soon I will be baking a lot of cookies to deliver to Jan.  I am so happy with the great generosity I have received this week. To date, the total contributions are $1620 in less than a month.  Wow!  Now I need to help my darling husband (BHOTP) get his donations going.  Together, we have to raise at least $4,600 in order to be able to do the walk.  We wil get there, thanks to our amazing family and friends!   Thank YOU!

My husband signed up!

I have always felt that I have the best husband in the world, but now I know it is true!  My husband Terry, (otherwise known as best husband on the planet or BHOTP) did a couple of training walks with me.  He had mentioned he was considering signing up for the walk, but I didn't guilt him into it, honestly.  It was completely his own decision.  The other night, he was at the computer and entering all of his date to make it official.  Yeah!

So BHOTP and I had to add some pink to his wardrobe.  He is a manly man, so pink is not his normal color of choice (though I have heard stories about some pink shorts in the past).  For some reason, golf apparel comes in lots of pastel colors, so we picked up a pink golf shirt as his first official apparel.  He will be sporting this new shirt on Saturday's 8 mile training walk.  It is important to look the part as we meander our way through Edmonds on Saturday morning.  If you see us, be sure to honk!  It energizes us as we work our way toward the 20 mile goal.

BHOTP and Chubby Girl are an official team, in life, in walking, in giving breast cancer the one-two punch.

BHOTP's page  http://www.the3day.org/goto/terryneil
Chubby Girl's Page http://www.the3day.org/goto/cherineil

Cookies and what other ideas can I come up with?

If you are reading this, THANK YOU!  Reaching out to friends and family to fund raise,.....well, it's uncomfortable.  It is hard to ask for money, even if I know it isn't for me.  I just received an email from the Komen Foundation that I have raised half of the $2300 minimum requirement.  Yeah!  It is because I have amazing friends and family. 

Reading the Komen site for fundraising ideas, I came up with a cookie drawing if I can raise another $500 by Friday.  As of the moment I am writing this, we are $150 away from that goal. I am going to bake one helluva (yes, that IS a word :-) bunch of cookies for whoever wins.  They will be baked with a lot of LOVE.  And no calories.  Ha!  OK, I can't work miracles.....or I wouldn't be chubby girl walking, now would I?

On the walking front, I have to tell you that Bella, my pooch and walking partner is getting much better at keeping a walking pace and doing less sniffing a long the way.  She LOVES to walk with me and today, when we walked the trails, she kept a nice little trot going in ffront of me almost the whole way.  In just a few weeks of training, a 4 mile walk seems short.  Will I get tot he point that 10 miles feels short?  Doubtful.  Well, maybe on the 60 mile walk!   I will post the cookie winner (I know we're going to get there) as soon as we do the drawing.  Yeah for cookies!

8 Mile Training Walk -- the day after

Yesterday was another group training walk.  This one was for 8 miles and included 3 or 4 long uphill climbs.  We live in Seattle, so hills are a reality.  There is no way to plan a 60 mile walk without hills, so training is important.  Our leader Tath, has walked for 9 years and is a great resource for training and preparing for the big 3 day event.  I felt fine on the walk.  At the end though I do have a little soft spot on my right heel that feels like a pre-blister.  It is important to condition our feet for blister prevention.  Socks, shoes and plain walking preparation are important.

This morning, I am a little sore.  Not "oh my God" sore.  But I can definitely feel different muscles.  Different than boot camp (where I feel sore almost every day after).  My quads, that spot on my heel and a little bit on my shins.  You would think that when you walk nearly every day, that you wouldn't be sore.  But distance makes a difference!  We started at 7:45 a.m. and ended around 11:00, including 3 15-20 minute breaks. The pace is 3.25-3.5 miles per hour.  Tath tells us that at that pace, we will not be the fastest or the slowest.  It is just a good steady pace to be able to continue for 60 miles.

I hear repeatedly that training is the most important thing we can do.  I believe it!  After walking 8 miles, I realized that we wouldn't even be to the lunch pit stop on the actual 3 day walk.  Yowza.  That puts it into perspective!

As my wise cousin Rae Ann said on my Facebook page, don't think about how far you have to go, think how far you've come.  Wiser words were never spoken!

Post Mother's Day and on to a new week

It is Monday morning and I am feeling a little sluggish.  On Friday, my Mom and I went to Portland to attend my future daughter-in-law's briday shower for their wedding next month.  It is fast approaching and there is lots to do!  Lots of eating and drinking and merriment.  Yesterday, we had our traditional Mother's Day in the Park with more eating, drinking and merriment!  So today I woke up, the rain was softly falling and I did not want to get out of bed.  I am not much of a sleeper, but this morning I could very easily have crawled back into bed. 

Today it is back to boot camp.  Last week was a week off, so back to routine I go.  The training schedule for the 3 day shows today as a rest day, but boot camp took the place of rest.  Push ups with toe touch, bicycle, one leg butt lifts, squats with dumb bell raise and squat with opposite toe touch walk across the room.  3 times through each circuit.  Ugh.  But guess what?  I am done!

I just signed up for Saturday's training walk  7.64 miles.  That will be the longest single walk to date.  Plus, I am pretty sure my fantastic husband is going to sign up to walk with me.  How cool is that?  Well, he is pretty cool, I have to say.  On the to-do list is to get him outfitted with a good pair of shoes!

I now have $820 in donations, so am past the 25% mark.  Yeah!!!  I am so excited and anxious to be done with the fund raising so I can focus on the training.  Thank you to everyone who has donated to this wonderful cause.  And Happy Monday!

Cheri aka CJ aka Chubby Girl Walking

Solo Training Walk and 10% of goal!

This weekend, I am going to miss the group training walk because I will be in Portland with my Mom attending a bridal shower for my future daughter-in-law, Allison.  It is a busy and exciting time!  This weekend's training walk is 6 miles, so I figured there was no time like the present to get that walk under my belt.  So my trusty walking partner Bella and I suited up (ok, well maybe only I suited up while she excitedly waited at my feet) in my Marmot rain jacket, pink hat, gloves (is this May??) and headed out the door.  While it is great to have Bella as a walking partner, it can also be a tad annoying.   She is a smeller.  A sniffer.  A "what is that over there moving" -er.  I am sure that anyone who hears us walk by, thinks that my marching mantra is "leave it" and "ondiamo" (sp) the phrase our tour leader used in Italy when we headed out somewhere. 

The thing about my walks from home, is that each one is easier on the way out and uphill on the way home.  Our driveway alone is enough to slay the most fit of walkers.  Long and a steep uphill climb.  I could probably get rid of my big behind if I just went up and down my driveway 50 times a day.  But obviously that won't happen and hasn't happened.  A look in the mirror proves that!

The Walnut Street Cafe was my goal, while it took a little longer than I had hoped (remember my sniffing dog partner), it was a welcome sight from under my pink hat and very wet rain jacket.  Tom was waiting there for me with a fresh hot latte and Bella had a water bowl outside.  A glass of water, a bathroom break and we headed back home.  We took a different route back, past some amazing homes on the water and thankfullly no more rain.  Up the hill on Wharf Street and finally up the "final assault" aka my driveway, and we were home in about 2 1/2 hours.  6.5 miles.  Done. 

6.5 miles.  The 3 day walk is 20 miles a day.  So, my sense of accomplishment, while gratifying, was short lived.  I have a lot of training to do to get to 20 miles in a day.  But still, a month ago, 3 miles was an accomplishment. 

This morning, when I opened my email, I had a note from the 3 Day Walk for the Cure site that I had another donation.  It is kind of like Christmas, these emails.  Family friends, former clients, family.  As they told us in the inital meeting, we don't know who has been touched by breast cancer.  As we share our story and ask for donations (the HARD part) we learn so much about others, their stories and we receive their encouragement.  Thank you!  I am 10% there.  I appreciate it so much.

Cheri aka CJ aka Chubby Girl is Walking

First Group Training Walk

Yesterday, I joined up with a local training walk. My husband Terry joined me, as did my sister-in-law Linda. They are both considering doing the walk with me.




There are leaders that plan weekend walk routes, so that all you need to do is show up and walk. No thinking, no pre-checking the mileage, just walk. Our leader has walked for 8 years. This year she is walking in 3 cities. Something about meeting people like her, makes you realize you aren't crazy for doing the walk. You feel a little more crazy that you didn't do it before.



The group walk was a good way to meet other people and also to check out my new fanny pack. All the walkers carry fanny packs or back packs. I don't like things on my back, especially if it's hot outside, so fanny pack was the way to go. Except, the water bottles that come with the pack need a training video to learn to drink from them. Squeeze, tilt, bite (bit not too hard) suck. This stream of water comes out, but it's not enough water for me. I like a nice big gulp. Not a stream. See, it's the simple things you learn as you train for the walk. :-)



Yesterday's walk was 5.2 miles and over 12,000 steps. Next week it's 6 miles. In a few weeks, the walks will be over 10 miles. That is when those fanny packs will become extra important. The walks also introduce you to survivors. Amazing people that have been stricken by, and risen above, cancer. You also meet people that have lost someone. Each story, each person, is part of a collectively powerful group of people walking. I feel stronger for just saying yes to the challenge.

Two Days Post Sign up

By now you know I have signed up for the 3 day 60 mile Susan G Komen walk for a cure. Why now? Why not now? Actually, this walk has been on my "bucket list" for quite some time. I am not getting any younger, that's for sure. And as much as I continue to battle my weight, I am not getting much thinner, either. But as I get older, I realize how inter-connected we all are. The "six degrees of separation" thing. And the older I get, the more I know that each of us can do anything. One person CAN make a difference. Look at Nancy Brinker. Do you know who she is? She is Susan G. Komen's sister. A promise to her dying sister led the the largest grass roots network of activists and survivors working to find a cure for breast cancer. One woman started what is now an amazing organization. One woman. I am one woman. Thankfully, I have not lost a sister or a Mom or a daughter. I can't even fathom that. But millions of people HAVE lost someone. One is too many. But millions is awful.




So now, I walk. A little at a time. Today four miles, tomorrow five. One day 20. It is hard to imagine that this body can do that. But it will. I promise you.



The fund raising requirements are HUGE and kind of hard to wrap my head around. Each walker must raise at least $2,300 before you can walk. $2,300 before you can go on a walk for 3 days, for 60 miles, and sleep in a pink tent. I have never been a halfway kind of girl. So my personal goal is $3,000.



Follow along on this journey of mine. Somehow I think, at the end of it all, it will be ME that will be richer for it.

Chubby girl is walking.

So I took on this crazy idea that I could walk 60 miles. And raise $3,000. And help in the fight against breast cancer. Maybe I HAVE lost my mind. But I am going to do this thing. Because I know too many people who have experienced this "C-word" first hand.


I am walking for my Mom, who is a two year survivor at 81. I am walking for Jan Cone Boyd, who lost her battle 2 years ago at the age of 42. I am walking for Jess, who is a beautiful, vibrant 31 year old, and is fighting a gallant battle. I am walking for my friend Tess Gauthier, who welcomed me into a new neighborhood and watched my son Josh when I went into labor with Jon, 25 years ago. She battled breast cancer two years ago, too. I am walking for my mother-in-law Emma who battled the disease, as well as many other medical issues.



I am walking! Because I can. But I need your help!