Pink Ribbon Angels walk Lake Geneva! (well, hiked really)

Last weekend was pretty busy! I was scheduled to take my longest training mileage walks, with Saturday covering 8 miles and Sunday covering 20. I got the miles in, but in an unexpected way.

On Saturday, I walked for 6.3 miles early in the morning and then spent the rest of the morning and half the afternoon fundraising for my upcoming AVON Walk. We held the "Bark for the Cure" event -- a 5K walk where you can take your dog on the walk with you through the Moraine Hills Park. It was the first walk I have been to where the sponsors and vendors were for the pets mostly. It was a lot of fun. The humans got t-shirts and the dogs got bandanas to wear. It was in the mid 80s so we had lots of water for both humans and dogs. And after the walk, the post-race food was a 'bob for hot dogs' activity. It was classic!

While at the event, several members of our team "The Pink Ribbon Angels" were talking about doing our Long Walk of 20 miles on Sunday. Sue suggested we take a walk along the circumference of Geneva Lake in Lake Geneva. WI. She said it was 21 miles around, and there was a printed tour guide to the walk (you are basically walking in the backyards of the million dollar beachfront properties around the Lake). We all thought it was a great idea. If you are going to spend hours walking, why not do it in a very scenic, beautiful setting!

So Sunday, we met and carpooled to the Lake at 7:15am. The weather was sunny and warm (in the mid 80s), with a nice breeze off the Lake and a threat of rain later in the afternoon.

Well, it turned out to be 22.4 miles and was not just a 'walk'. The 'path' we followed turned out to be one heck of a 'trail walk'! In fact, I think I would call it a 'hike'. We encountered sections of forest, fallen tree trunks to climb over, rocks, grass, dirt, steep hills, steep declines, you name it. It was tough!

It was a beautiful walk, actually. But most of the time, we dared not take our eyes of the 'path' we were following lest we get tripped up and get hurt. At about the halfway point, my right foot caught a root and I fell down -- inches from the edge of the lake (it would have been an ugly 10 foot drop to rocks below). Luckily, I caught myself (embarrassed but alive).

It was a lot of fun though. I brought plenty of fuel and a hydration pack (which was a godsend) so I was good there. But I could've used some trail shoes and not my usual Brooks running shoes.

It took us, including a few rest breaks and three porta-potty breaks, 8 hours and 19 minutes to complete the walk. Way longer than we had expected (none of us realized what kind of walk we had gotten ourselves into) but it is in the books! 22.4 miles for the day, after burning over 6300 calories. Total miles for the week came to 28.7.

The first thing I did when I got home was take an ice bath. Heavenly! When I woke up this morning, I was full of energy, and other than some soreness in my quads, I felt really good! I guess I should do more 22 milers, right?

On Monday, I received my AVON Walk final materials! I have my wristband to get me into Soldier Field, access to the aid/food stations along the route, and the Wellness Center/Park where the Full marathon ends on Saturday afternoon. Very cool!

Today I went downtown to pick up my race packet for the Soldier Field 10-Mile Run race this Saturday. My running partner Mike and his wife, as well as a good friend Jess, are also running this race so it should be a lot of fun. The best part of this race is finishing it by running across Soldier Field (the home of The Chicago Bears) to the Finish Line at the 50 yard line! I cannot wait for this race!

After the 26th, I have a 6-mile walk scheduled and then I rest until the beginning of the AVON Walk on June 2nd. Let the fun begin!

Back-to-Back Training Walks

Today was the first 'real' back-to-back set of distance walks. I need to do these to get a sense of what it will feel like when I have to do this for both the upcoming AVON Walk, as well as Disney's Goofy Race and a Half Challenge in 2013 (where I will be running, not walking).

For the past 5 weeks, I have been doing my Long Runs on Saturday mornings, followed by a 10-mile Walk on Sunday. That was still good training for me, but that was when my focus was on the Illinois 5K and Half Marathon at the end of April. Now it is May, and it is all about the walking! (except for one 10-mile race on the 26th).

When I woke up this morning, I could tell that my body was still tired from yesterday's exertions. But I had to be disciplined and get out of bed to take care of my training objective for the day. So I got up, got dressed, and headed out for my 10-mile Walk. Because my legs were tired, it was hard keeping to a 15:00/mm or better pace. So after a while, I just decided to walk at whatever pace felt sustainable, and enjoy the beautiful morning sunshine. I was comfortable (other than my hands were cold) and I had several podcasts lined up - this time it was the Once Upon a Time podcast, the WDW Radio Show, and the Alien Nation podcast.

I walked to my church and back for a total of 10.3 miles. It was funny to wave to my wife and son as they were driving to church while I was walking down McHenry Avenue on the homeward leg of my route. When I got home, I had to immediately jump in the car and drive 'back' to the church to pick up my son who, by then, had just finished serving at the 8AM service. Okay, so getting in the car right after the walk was not the best of ideas. Getting out of that car was not pleasant as my legs had stiffened during the trip. Foam Roller to the rescue (right after I finish this post, in fact).

That makes 25.3 miles for the week (I only hit the pavement on Saturday and today this week so I could rest my left hip). Not too bad as mileage goes. Next week will be fun -- I plan on an 8-mile Walk on Saturday, followed by a 20-mile Walk on Sunday (plus a couple of 'runs' during the week). That next 'back-to-back' will be the last test to see if I am ready for the AVON Walk. I am confident that I am. After that, it is taper time!

Now with the walk 'in the books', I can focus the rest of the day on celebrating Mother's Day with my wife and family.