39: Training to End Breast Cancer

Most of you know that 2015 is my eleventh year with Avon. This year there are a number of new things going on. First, the event has renamed itself and I must say it states more accurately what we are doing. It used to be called The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and I always wondered who would be for this or any other cancer? The new name is 39: The Walk to End Breast Cancer and that, to me, says it much better. 

The other new thing is that my training regime is all new. This is, of course, largely due to the fact that my starting place changes so often. Even though I can stay in one place for three weeks at a time, there is always a new path to explore within each campground. 

Generally, I’ve been encountering hills with greater frequency. The Menifee campground is pretty flat, but Acton has a pretty obvious hill as well as a long incline that is a bit less apparent. That is, until I wonder why I’m breathing hard on a straightaway only to look back and see that indeed I’ve been walking uphill.

Currently I’m parked in Descanso, CA in the Cleveland National Forest east of San Diego. I should have known what I was in store for when I drove the rig on I-8 from an elevation of 817 feet to 3760 feet at a 6% grade. The campground itself is such that a step in almost any direction takes you either up or down!

Up or down pretty much describes how training is going overall. Some days I’m up and out early to stop by the lodge for some information while taking a look at the other rigs tucked throughout the landscape. Other times it’s a late day stroll to join other campers for a pot luck dinner. 

But there are lots of days when I don’t get out at all. I start working on a project and before I know it, the sun is setting. Or I do get out: out to the shopping districts or the post office. 

Still, in case you are thinking ‘I would never have time to train for a walk like that,’ it’s very possible to get in quite a few steps by parking farther away from the door or taking a few laps around the mall. Lowe’s is a great place to train because it’s so big. And if you have access to stairs, they actually do give you a workout similar to climbing hills.

Walking is a good way to help ward off breast cancer, per recent studies. Plus it helps release those hormones that make you feel good. So whether you are planning to join a walk event or not, lace up and head out anyway.  

This year I’m walking with my Peggy’s Spirit team in New York City in October. I’m already at 20% of the minimum goal of $1800 required to walk in the event. If you are so inclined, please consider making a tax-deductible donation at http://tiny.cc/MaureenKay.

And Walk On!