I'm ready!! Really!!!

18 days from this writing, the big event will finally be here. My credential has arrived and is prominently propped on the shelf in front of me as I type.

I have been told ad nauseum that it is a major mistake not to train back-to-back long hikes, so this week I was committed to accomplishing a “double-double,” reaching double digit miles two days in a row. I enjoyed a 15 mile solo walk in Saturday and engaged in movement that added up to 10 miles on Sunday. So. Mission accomplished.

Now that the weather stays out of the triple digits and the mornings are cool, I am making sure there are quite a few challenging hill hikes – repeat Komen participants keep mentioning San Juan Hill on day one and have it approaching Everest proportions in my imagination. Fingers crossed it isn’t more of a challenge than the 13% incline on the first mile of Bane Canyon Road entering Chino Hills State Park – because I OWN that beast.

Given the sheer mileage I have been treading, all other aspects of fitness have been absent for months. Thomas has stepped up as strength coach, checking my form on planks, dead hangs, and squat jumps in the garage when he is home each weekend. My goal is my first ever lifetime pull-up by New Years. More immediately, I know that a stronger core and more muscle mass will support me during my 60-mile weekend.

And I am not neglecting rest. The week of the 3-Day Walk for the Cure will involve a lot of pampering – a few shorter walks with friends, a pedicure to make sure my feet are comfortable, and lots of lunches, which I can justify with the insane energy output involved in training to walk 60 miles.

When I registered for this hike in February, my greatest concern was that my commitment to walking would be too sporadic to be physically prepared by mid-November. I worried the initial burst of enthusiasm would propel me through the first weeks but that I would slack off in the middle and not come out of my training slump in time to be confident heading in to the 3-Day.

I did, in fact, experience a couple slumps. They were due, in part, to the intense heat of summer and simply not wanting to be out of air-conditioned comfort. Another factor was the tedium involved in training walks lasting 7+ hours.

The Earth’s continuation of its orbit around the sun resolved the first issue, and the fantastic company of friends resolved the second. Sara and I can attest that, while conversation might slow due to the unpleasantness of a blister and the need for a good meal that cannot be met with trail snacks, we still enjoy great conversation and learning more about each other after traversing 20 miles.

But, I am ready! I have reached a point of excitement and confidence rather than the mild trepidation that dogged me for a great deal of the past 7-8 months.

In fact, it is only my father’s voice mildly mocking me for my propensity to commit to each and every opportunity that presents itself without due consideration that is preventing me from clicking the link provided Cliff’s Crew, the experienced Fullerton team that has welcomed me with conversation, training opportunities, and advice, to register for a 226 event before I even experience my first Race for the Cure.

With confidence that I will succeed in my physical goal, I have begun to hide small cards with tiny pink ribbon ducks stuck to them wherever I go – particularly on routes I take frequently so that I may check if they are still there. Each card invites the finder to “Duck Cancer,” asks them to help make cancer “Shut the Quack Up!,” and has a QR code linking to my fundraising page. Fingers crossed the cuteness inspires people picking them up to help me fill that final 25% of my fundraising target!

Now, can time speed up? I’m ready to go – just need to wait for Debbie to get home from France to share the Susan G. Komen experience with me, pack all of my trail-tested, pink clothing and accessories in my suitcase, and step across the starting line!