We are on the team!

Molly just taught me how to blog! I feel so technologically advanced now. Phew. Anyway, Oriana, Alison and I are now officially part of Team Pink is the New Avon Walk! Now we have enough people to have a group tent and at least somebody will be getting a hat. Thankfully, Molly said that if she doesn't like it I can have it.

Yesterday Alison, Lucy, Molly and I went on a walk after work. We went through Georgetown, around the U St. area and back. We tried to beat the time that Lucy and Molly had on their last walk, but it took us just a little bit longer. I blame it on the snow still covering the fancy shmancy streets of Georgetown. We also stopped at Cake Love to peer in the windows--mmm. That will have to happen on our next walk. The only other exciting thing was what happened outside of the Hilton on Connecticut...I'm pretty sure Lucy and Alison would rather forget about that though.

On a totally separate note, Duke is playing Maryland tonight. Go Duke!!

best bathroom ever, moderate incline, wind, oh my!

Last Saturday, we had a record number of participants in our weekend group walk of 7.1 miles. Those in attendance: Lucy, Lilly, Shalini, Amber, Molly and Annie. I know I personally enjoyed (finally) meeting our Charlottesville, VA member Lilly... and it was great to see Shalini kicking all of our butts on her first group walk. Well played, Shalini my friend.

The walk started off poorly for me. I had to go to the bathroom more than I had previously thought, and that made for an interesting 2.2 mile journey to the Chevron bathroom. Yes, a gas station. But, no joke - it was the nicest bathroom I'd been to in a long time. And yes(!), I include those bathrooms in private homes. Chevron really knows how to do it up. Golf claps!!


After some much needed Chevron time, I was back in the game... and nothing was going to stop me. Not gale forced winds, not shoes that were 1/2 a size too small, not shin splints, not calf aches, not a lack of a camera, not runaway tires, not the super speed runner (the ladies know who I'm referring to), and certainly not our moderate incline that capped off the 7.1 miles.

I think I can... I think I can... I think I can...

After some post 7.1 mile stretching (did I mention we walked 7.1 miles?) it was time for the Chipotle reward... waiting for us mere steps across the street. I dare say Chipotle has ever tasted so good.


.THE END.

Head to Toe

Well, my toes will feel a lot pressure in this 39.9 mile walk, so to make it a full body commitment, I am adding my hair into the mix. I will dye my hair BRIGHT pink if my co-workers, friends, and family help me - and my team - surpass our fundraising goals. The more money I get, the longer the hair stays pink.

So, if a great cause and some inspirational stories aren't enough to get you to give -just think about the hair!

A big thanks goes to Bryce, my hairstylist at Bang Salon and Spa, who will be taking care of the hair free of charge. Thanks Bryce!

It's true, I walk fast

Today, I am celebrating a number of things. 1) Kay, Amber, and I completed a very long walk yesterday 2) Kay and I completed that walk at 11 am despite our champagne celebration for a friend's new job the night before and 3) I found my keys this morning (which has nothing to do with the walk). Yesterday, however, Kay and I left Van Ness and proceeded to Woodley Park where we met Amber for our training walk. According to Google Pedometer (my favorite walking invention), in total, Kay and I walked 7.4 miles! We think that our walk to and from Woodley Park was about 4.5 miles. Previous claims aside (ie that I walk "like being chased by the mafia") the full walk was completed in 2 hours which was impressive. Despite our impressive distance and speed, the most exciting part of our walk was watching hordes of middle school children flock to the DC Goth Festival in one of Woodley Park's classy hotels. I especially appreciated the women with the Samurai Swords.

In her honor...

So, I thought it'd be nice to share with you all the story of my grandmother's breast cancer experience, since, after all, she's one of the many women we'll be walking for!

My mom's mom, Ruby Sperling, is better know to me as "Oubu" (pronounced ooo-boo). And as the eldest grandchild, I take full credit for this nickname. My family tried relentlessly to get me to say "Ruby" when I was learning to talk, but it just wouldn't come out right. Who knows what sort of sounds did come out, but I guess the most decipherable was "Oubu", so that's what they went with!

Oubu was 39 when she forced her doctor to take the lump in her breast seriously. After insisting on being referred to a surgeon, surgery was scheduled to have the lump removed. After a radical mastectomy (they removed the breast down to the rib cage & lymph glands under her arm) they took skin from her upper thigh & grafted it over the area. She was in the hospital for about a month due to complications, inculding blod clots in her leg. She was finally released from the hospital after being told her left arm would eventually swell to be larger than the right, and that she would never be able to lift her left arm higher than a 90 degree angle. But she was stronger than they imagined- that doctor wouldn't believe his eyes if he had seen her lifting her beautiful baby granddaughter (me, of course!) up over her head 20 years later!

It's truly amazing how far medicine has come since my gradmother was battling breast cancer, but we still have a long way to go! So ladies... let's walk it out, walk it out...

...the enchiladas that never were...

So, I meant to blog about this on Monday night, but I was in a "mood" by the time I got home, and opted to instead write it Tuesday when I got home.

Well... Tuesday, the federal government closed @ 2pm due to the snow and icy road conditions, and I seized that opportunity to get tanked. No need to say more.

And, well, here we are on Wednesday... and I'm finally writing about what I should have written about Monday.

So, I'd like to give myself mad props for doing two "big" walks in a row-- Sunday's 5.2 miler with the ladies and Monday night's 4.4 miler with Annie. I'm most definitely a rock star! Or at least, I felt like one, until my journey home.

Let me set the scene: It's cold, blustery even. My nose is running. My butt is a tad sore from yesterday. Annie, bless her heart, walks like she's being chased by the mafia - and my legs were working double time simply to keep up. So, I'm tired and hungry and imagining a steaming hot plate of enchiladas. Yum.

I proudly declare that I will cab home, rather than wait on a bus... but, with my dwindling funds in mind, I decided to wait for the bus. Besides, there was a gaggle of people already waiting, so I felt like the next bus was just around the corner... um, WRONG!

I waited for the bus, any bus, for 45 minutes... and while a stronger person would have thrown in the towel and taken a cab, I did not. I felt like I had something to prove. What- I'm not exactly sure.

So I waited 5 minutes more... 10 minutes more... 15 minutes more, until I decided to just walk. Which felt awesome because my muscles had totally frozen up in the interim between walking and waiting. As luck would have it, a bus did come, and I was able to hop on at the next stop.

Buuuuuuuuuuut, it was one of those accordion buses, and I was caught in the center-- literally smack-up against my fellow passengers. I didn't care, though, because I was warm! And going home! To eat! And thaw out! And watch The Hills! All very important, exclamation-point warranting things!

Clearly, as my luck that night would have it, I was unable to get to a door in time to get off the bus... for the next two stops. And so... I marched my sad, sad self home...

... where I made a sad, sad salad (not enchiladas), and went to bed before The Hills because I was too exhausted to keep my eyes open.

Those feeling sympathetic are invited to express said sympathy with a donation :)

Should we go around it?

That was the question of the day today on our first official training walk. Liz, Molly, Amber, Meredith and I walked a fabulous 5.2 miles around the Mall braving the cold and tourists. We knew the loop around the Mall would leave us in the 4 mile range, but no one had checked if that included going around the Lincoln or the Capitol. Solution? Go past the Lincoln, around the little fountain in front of the Korean War Memorial (complete with tourists staring and possibly pointing), and go around the Capitol (it's called Capitol Hill for a reason people.)

Along the way, we completed our civic duty for 2007 and placed a call to 311 to alert them to a trash can fire on the mall. After several minutes of back and forth as to the location of said trash can (Lucy: "It's in front of the Air and Space Museum on Independence" 311 lady: "Ma'am I need a location" Lucy: "umm I'm not sure how much closer I can get you") I decided I was done with trying to be a good citizen. Unless you count raising $1800 for breast cancer being a good citizen - OH SNAP!


In other exciting news, we convinced Meredith to join in Team Pink is the New Avon Walk! So we have now doubled our team members and Molly is getting close to her free hat! Speaking of Miss Jackson, I must thank her for the lovely shout out.


That's all for today...now go donate!

Whoa

I can't believe I signed up for this. For those of you that know me, you know that my sister and brother-in-law are the crazy athletes of the family. And Jeremy has his black belt. I think I excel more in the craft arena. But, I guess it's finally my turn. I'm hopeful that I'll make the full 39.3 miles!

My main concern right now is getting some fancy socks.

Duke

I know this has little to do with the Avon Breast Cancer Walk in that, well, it has nothing to do with the Avon Breast Cancer Walk... but I couldn't resist.

Today, "Pink is the New Avon Walk" team member Lucy just got into Duke for grad school! Can I get a woot woot??!!

Congratulations Lucy (Liu)!

get it together, Jackson!

Hi everyone... it's me, molly. AKA Diet Coke Girl. If you don't know why, then you must not know me very well.

Anyway, I wanted to write my first blog post to commemorate the fact that I finally set up my personal donation page (holla). Next task, fixing the team page for "Pink is the New Avon Walk." That will have to happen post-LOST watching.

In addition, Liz, Lucy, and I finally sent out an email to colleagues at work, and we're already off to a great start. It's really quite touching- and telling. Breast cancer really does affect us all.

I promise to be more entertaining in the future, but I'm sick with a really nasty cold, so that's all for now.

It begins...

The Pink Is the New Avon Walk adventure of 2007 has officially begun...I have a webpage! Head on over here to view my progress (ok, so not much in that category yet) and more importantly, to donate!

I've done two training walks in the past two days (woot woot) and Molly and I have one scheduled for Wednesday. I'm getting myself some new shoes at Fleet Feet tonight (10% discount for Avon walkers!) Check back for amusing stories as we wander the streets of DC for the next 3 months.

In the mean time, be the first person to donate on my web page! The race is on. Ready? Get set. GO...