Tents, T-Shirts, and Ten Miles

What a fun day yesterday! I had hoped to write this blog last night, but really needed to spend some time with Andy--it was our 11th anniversary, and I unfortunately was gone the entire day. He is such a great guy--he completely understood that what I was doing was really important to me.

I got up early yesterday, much earlier than I have been, and made the trek down to Framingham to Tracy's. We made a plan to walk our last 10 miler, decorate t-shirts, and figure out how we were going to win the tent decorating contest. I arrived around 9AM ready to walk. Upon leaving her house Tracy asked where I wanted the hill, at the beginning or the end. Knowing me as she does, I am sure that she assumed it would be at the beginning--and it was. I still hate hills and wanted to get it over as soon as possible. The hill that she was talking about was the one in her Finding New Motivation blog. It is definitely bigger in real life; the pictures do not give it the respect that it deserves! But, because Tracy is my friend, we went in the other direction, so the hill was not as bad. Along the 10 mile route we only stopped twice--once for Powerade, and once at Stop & Shop for the restroom. It was a really great walk. The weather started very murky, "pea soup" as Tracy called it, but then it began to burn off and became sunny and hot. Upon arriving back at Tracy's house I cooled off in the A/C--thanks for leaving it on Tommy, and jumped in the shower while Tracy made me one of her amazing salads. It was so yummy. You see, after I walk I am disgusting. I am always hot and sweaty. It doesn't matter if it is warm or cold out. I am convinced that my dear friend Tracy does not have sweat glands. She can walk in any type of clothing and not get hot. The only downfall is that it makes for more restroom trips because she doesn't sweat it out. After yesterday I now know where the bathrooms are in Michael's, and A.C. Moore in Natick.

After lunch we headed out for tent decorating supplies. But first, Tracy wanted to take me by the place where Opening Ceremonies are. It is literally .76 miles from her house! I will be meeting her at her house around 5:30AM on Friday and we will follow each other over. As we pulled up to the site, we saw everything. The stage is already set up, and there are several trailers with giant 3Day signs on them. "Holy Crap!" to quote Tracy. This event is Friday!

After a few deep breaths, we went to the craft store to find decorations for our tent. Have you ever tried to decorate a tent? It is really difficult, because there is no place to hang anything. Not only do I have to decorate one on Friday, but I have to do it for my daughters' birthday camp-out tonight! Luckily Tracy and I have some great ideas. We don't want to give away any secrets, but our tent is going to be awesome. We'll be sure to post lots of photos. Anyone have any ideas for tonight's tent decorating extravaganza?

The rest of the afteroon was spent designing t-shirts. The challenging part of designing t-shirts is our team name--Teacher's for Ta-Ta's. I have already had the discussion with my almost 10 year old son that the only time it is appropriate to call breasts "ta-ta's" is during the 3Day. He just giggled the way any other boy his age would. On the shirts for my parents and Andy, it was okay to put our team name, but we wanted to be sure to have a design that was a little more adult and classy. We didn't really want to put our team name on the kids' shirts, because they would not be able to wear them again, so we spent a lot of time figuring out what to do. Tracy is so good on the computer, and was able to put all of our ideas together. Both sets of shirts are fabulous and appropriate too.

Our t-shirts--definitely NOT appropriate! I can't imagine wearing it any place other than the 3Day, for fear of being thrown in jail--JK. I cannot wait to be able to post a photo of them. They are absolutely hysterical. Tracy and I could not stop laughing the whole time we were making them.

I didn't end up heading home until just before 7. AZ and I didn't get to go out for dinner, but were able to relax on the couch. He even watched Twilight with me. Those of you who know Edward Cullen realize how sweet my husband is to let me spend the evening watching him. I think I'll keep him for another few years, at least.

My hope is to try and write a blog every day this week. My wise words for today: If you ever get the opportunity to come to the 3Day you should--especially this year to cheer us on. The things that people wear are a riot. Mind you, it is not a place for the modest. There are boobs everywhere! It is a total blast--my kids think it is the best. More importantly, it is very moving--something that should be experienced at least once. Hope to see you there!

Ta-Ta for now!

$5000!!!

Yippee! Thanks to all of my wonderful donors, today I cleared the $5000 mark! With the economy the way it is, I knew I would never raise the amount that I did last year ($7,600), but I am so excited to have raised this much. When I set my goal for this year, I set it for $3000--more than what I had to raise, but not so much that I wouldn't be able to achieve it. Once I rounded the $4000 bend, I secretly wished that I would make it to $5000. Once you reach 5K you receive a special legacy pin that you can wear during the walk. I know it sounds silly, but I really wanted that pin again. In all of my life I never thought that I would raise over $12,000 for something, but when it is your childrens' future that could possibly be at stake, you do whatever it takes.

The past few days were spent getting last minute things for next week. Yesterday I went to the tent sale at the New Balance Factory Store in Lawrence. They were having some great deals! 25% off the entire store. I got 3 shirts, a running skirt, and 2 pair of shorts all for $63! What a bargain.

Today I went up to the Kittery Trading Post and Dick's Sporting Goods. As I said in my last blog, this year I am using a windbreaker instead of a poncho. I was hoping to not have to use anything, but as of now, Friday doesn't look great. I know that it is truly too far out to predict, but I am obsessed with weather.com these days. Because I am using a jacket, I needed a new fanny pack, that is a bit bigger than the one I used last year. Finding a "lumbar" pack, as they are called, is no easy task. Most are either too big or too small. I think I have searched every website and still have not found exactly what I am looking for. You don't realize all that you have to carry on the walk. Here is a partial list: water bottle--to be refilled alternately with Gatorade every 2-3 miles, sunscreen--needs to be applied several times a day, Body Glide--to protect from blisters and chafing, socks--must be changed at lunch time, windbreaker--for those pop-up thunderstorms that New England is famous for, Band-aids--for the blisters you will get from the thunderstorms, moleskin--also for the blisters, because Band-aids won't stay on your feet when they start to sweat, scissors--to cut the moleskin, powder--to dry your feet from the sweat, cell phone--to call your friends and family to tell them you are approaching a cheering station, camera--to have your family take pictures of you and your sweaty teammates at the cheering stations, money--for iced coffee and ice cream, wipes--to clean your hands before eating the ice cream, identification--so everyone knows who you are, and lastly, insurance card--we don't want to go there. So, when I do my training walks, I have a smaller pack that I use; however, that pack is not big enough for the 3Day. Today, I found a pack that I think will suffice. It is similar to a regular fanny pack, except I purchased a water bottle holder to put on the belt of it. This is what I did last year and it seemed to work out well. I hope the same goes for this year.

At Dick's I purchased a sports bra, hat, capris and a wicking shirt. I didn't get the deal that I got at New Balance. Tracy and I are planning to get together in the next few days to decorate our shirts. Since we are Teachers for Ta-Ta's. our theme is, "How you like them apples?" Get it? I personally think it is very funny. On the first night of camp the 3Day staff give out an award for the best decorated tent--another pin that I really want. Tracy and I have some great ideas, and we are really hoping to win this one. From past experience, I think we have a shot. We'll be sure to post photos after the event.

The last item that I bought was a fleece sleeping bag. It packs up much smaller than a typical one, and chances are that it is not going to get below 55 degrees. Packing for the 3Day is an absolute nightmare! Your bag should not weigh more than 30 lbs. For those of you who fly, you understand this; however, when you fly you usually do not have a queen sized air mattress and pump in your bag. They are really heavy! You also need to have your sleeping bag and pillow either in your bag or attached to it; but, you cannot use bungee cords--they are a big no-no. The 3Day recommends that you use a duffle bag instead of something with wheels. Tried it and was miserable. Bringing the wheeled suitcase this year. Tracy has been generous enough to take the pump and put it in her bag. We also need to bring 2 tarps--one for over the tent, and one for under, and the typical--clothes, toiletries, second pair of sneakers, and flip-flops; however, this year for me it will be Birkenstocks. The kicker about all this, is that if it rains before you get back to camp on the first day, your luggage is sitting in the rain. The staff will eventually try to cover it with a tarp if it is going to rain for a long time, but it is strongly recommended that you pack everything in Ziploc bags inside your gear bag. My teammates tried it last year and fortunately none of their stuff got wet even though it poured.

Now that I got all of my gear out of the way, it is time to focus on family stuff again. On Saturday Andy and I will celebrate our 11th anniversary. I can't believe it. I so vividly remember the first day we met, but that is a story for another time. We were supposed to celebrate by having 10 of our daughters' closest friends sleep out in our back yard for their birthday camp-out--another reason I have been checking weather.com. I really don't know what I was thinking sleeping in a tent two weekends in a row. Unfortunately, or fortunately, due to the weather, that has been changed to Sunday. Maybe AZ and I will get to go out for dinner or something after all.

Ta-ta for now!

Anticipation

Just yesterday my cousin looked at my calendar hanging on the door and couldn't believe how many things we have going on. Every single night it is something. Since Zach made All-Stars, he has a baseball game every night except Tuesday, never mind soccer with the other two. The girls had their seventh birthday on Saturday, and my dad's was on Sunday. So again, here's another excuse for not writing. One would think that because I am not working, I would be able to write more, but unfortunately that has not been the case. I have had to take on a new job at times. You all know that Andy coaches baseball, well, he has also coached the girls' soccer team for the last two years. This year, with All-Stars, there have been some conflicts between baseball and soccer; thus, Sherri acts as Asst. soccer coach for the girls' team, which is a hoot in itself, because I know very little about soccer other than you score goals--corner kicks, goal kicks--what's the difference? While I have been filling in for my hubby, my dear teammate has been writing up a storm. She has had so much to write about recently, especially in terms of her health. You should definitely check out Tracy's recent blogs. If you do that, then I won't need to write all about spectator information for the 3Day!

Good news is that my foot is feeling much better. Still not 100%, but about 90, which I can take. I went to the doctor today and he did give me a night splint like Andy has, and a prescription for steroids for the week of the walk. I am hoping that the steroids will not only help with my foot, but also the total body aches and pains which I am sure to experience this year, because I have not been able to train as hard. Last week I was able to turn it up a notch. I did a 10 mile walk, two 8 milers, and a 6 miler. Definitely not where I was last year at this time, but good enough so that I will be able to make it through. No sweep vans for us! On my first 8 miler last week, I walked in the rain--something I never did last year except for the day of the actual walk. I figured the chances of it raining during the 3Day this year were pretty good, so I needed to gear myself up. I had also gotten a new windbreaker, pink of course, and wanted to try it out. It worked out great. I didn't get too hot, and it kept me dry. I felt fantastic and didn't even stop at all. If it hadn't gotten dark, I would have kept going.

So the sometimes tedious training continues, even up until the very end, but the excitement for the actual event is really starting to get underway. When they posted the cheering stations the other day I got very excited. On the first day we are walking through Wellesley and Newton! These are places I know, not like Stoughton and Quincy last year. This means that maybe, just maybe, (hint, hint) some of our friends from Newton will come to cheer us on. You cannot imagine how motivating it is to see people supporting you. Ever since last year, I always honk at a group of walkers who are participating in an event--something I never did before. So, please, please, please make some signs and come out and see us!

Once I found out where the route was the first day, I began trying to find out where we were going to be camping. I can't stand surprises. My husband thinks I am crazy trying to figure out where we will be staying. "What's the big deal?" he says. What he doesn't understand is that when you are on mile 22 or 23 on Day 2 and you know how much further camp is, it makes that last mile much easier. See, the entire route is a secret because of security. This drives me crazy! Tracy has figured out that we will probably be walking the marathon route on the first day, on which she has been training for the last several months. This is huge! I think, but am not sure, that we will be camping at Bentley University. We know we are in a residential neighborhood, and are on Astro-turf--that's it, nothing else. The last cheering station on Day 1 is Newton, and the first on Day 2 is 7 miles from Bentley. On the second day, we usually do a loop ending back up at camp. The last cheering station on that day is in Lexington. It makes sense, doesn't it?

If you do decide to come out and cheer us on, we won't know exactly what time we will be arriving at the cheering station; however, Tracy, is hoping to send a mobile blog each morning of the walk to let people know of an approximate arrival time. She has even bought a battery charger for her phone. Can you believe it? She kills me! In the morning we will know how many miles it is to a cheering station, so we can estimate our time of arrival--obviously give or take a bit. Rest assured that I will not allow her to blog "en route" as it is strictly forbidden. So be sure to check her blog the morning of the walk.

Please start practicing your sun dances so that we have outstanding weather for our 3Day journey! It is right around the corner! 10 days and counting!

Ta-Ta for now! Off to coach soccer, LOL!

What the heel!?!

First of all, disregard the date on this blog. Yes, I actually started it almost a month ago, but then life happened-- kid's school, PTA, finals, baseball playoffs, my brother-in-law's wedding. You know how it is. More about those later.

Plantar Fasciitis--you've all heard of it, what an annoyance it is, the orthotics that people wear, how much it hurts, etc. Well, I had too. For approximately the last three months, Andy has been complaining about his heel. I, like everyone else he mentioned it to, figured it must be plantar fasciitis. He fit the symptoms perfectly. He could barely walk when he woke up in the morning, and by the afternoon he was feeling much better. After much prodding, or as he refers to it "nagging," Andy went to to the doctor. We found out that plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the plantar fascia which is the connective tissue that supports your foot. It is my understanding that it runs from the heel of your foot to the ball. Keep in mind that I am not a medical professional, nor do I claim to be an expert on heel pain. This being an inflammation, the doctor prescribed steroids for Andy. My husband finished a round of steroids and was still hobbling around the house.

So...when my foot started to bother me after a 15 mile walk 2 weeks later, I began to ask more detailed questions about the exact location of his pain--was it a sharp shooting pain, or was it a dull, constant ache? Mine didn't seem anything like his, but when I woke up the next day, I could barely walk. I called my primary care doc and we thought it was probably a stress fracture. He referred me to an orthopedist later that day. At the appointment the orthopedist asked me if I had ever heard of plantar fasciitis. Duh? My husband has it! Duh again! Well, I do too! He took an x-ray just to be sure, gave me some steroids, told me not to walk for a few weeks, and sent me to physical therapy. The good this about this doctor is that I think he really understood that nothing was going to stop me from doing this walk. He said he would do what he could, so that I could complete it. When I came home and called Trace we were both happy that it was not a stress fracture. A few weeks of rest and I should be fine. I just won't be walking at the quick pace I was last year.

The worst part about the doctor's appointment was that he told me I cannot wear flip-flops. WTH! I love flip flops! I had even gotten some adorable "switch flops" where you can change the bands on them. No--he told me I should be wearing Danskos or Birkenstocks. All the women that I teach with wear Danskos and they swear by them. I could do Danskos. There are some really cute ones out there. Birkenstocks--not over my dead body! Even when they were popular, and I went to school in Vermont, I would not wear them. They are just way too "crunchy" for me. So it was off to Red's Shoe Barn to get some sandals. There was absolutely no way I was going to wear sneakers all summer.

Upon entering the store, I immediately gravitated toward the Danskos; they were cuter, and they were pretty comfortable. I just have a difficult time paying $100 for sandals. That is not something I generally do. Shoes or boots I can justify, but sandals? A little more difficult. I asked the clerk at the store what were other shoes that were good for my "condition." She said Naots, and again the "B" word--Birkenstocks. I tried the Naots and they were super comfortable, but they didn't have the style I wanted, and they were even more expensive than the Danskos! I decided I would stick with the Danskos.

Even though I wasn't planning to buy anything else, I decided to walk around the sale section. My foot wasn't going to feel like this forever, right? I saw that they had some Birks on sale. Maybe I could get them for just around the house. With my "condition" you are not supposed to be barefoot--like ever! Some crazy people even wear shoes in the shower. I figured if they were cheap enough, I could justify it. Well, as I am perusing the boxes, I come upon a pair of silver ones that look similar to a flip flop. Yes, I did say silver. When did they start making semi-stylish Birkenstocks? If they were silver, they couldn't be that bad, right? As you can see from the photo, I did end up purchasing them, and believe it or not, I wear them every day. They are the most comfortable shoe I have ever put on my foot. The best part is that I think they are really helping.

As I said, my orthopedist also prescribed physical therapy for me. The therapist told me to continue stretching and doing ice massage. She is also doing what is called "iontophoresis." My understanding of it is that an electrode, covered with a liquid steroid, is placed on my heel--at least I think it a steroid. I have these little vials which are usually used for injections, but not in my case. The pharmacist didn't even understand how it was being used; however, I have talked to several people who have heard of it, and swear that it works. The actual therapy doesn't really bother me, it just tingles a bit. The only downfall is that sometimes my foot is more resistant to the therapy than other times, which causes it to take longer. One time it took almost 50 minutes! I go twice a week and only have a few more sessions left. Again, the good news is that it seems to be making a difference.

So over the last month or so, I have been going to therapy, taking lots of Motrin, wearing Birkenstocks, and not doing so much walking. But really, who would want to walk with the horrendous weather we have been experiencing. If I have to walk in rain during the 3Day then I will, but I am not going to do it by choice. I guess that is my way of justifying it. I have done a few shorter walks--5-6, but nothing major. I've told Tracy that I am not in the shape I was in last year. She may have to drag me over the finish line, but that's okay because we'll be together.

As far as Andy goes, he is still struggling with his foot. He is seeing a podiatrist, who has a different approach than my orthopedist. He has had a Cortizone shot and is on his second round of steroids. He also wears a boot to bed, which I have tried a few times and is awesome! I'm going to see if I can get one. It is a race to see who will be better first. Those who know me well, understand that I will win.

Lastly, a quick thank you to all of you who have donated. You have made "Teachers for Ta-Ta's" a Power Team! Personally, I am just short of $5000...but there is still time! If you want to donate, just click on the link on this page. Also, we are starting to find out more info on the route. It starts in Framingham, right near Tracy's house and ends at UMASS Boston, which is a beautiful walk with which to end. We should know about cheering stations in the next two weeks, so we will keep you posted.

Ta-Ta for now!