18 days left and I'm ODing on OJ

No, not the delicious and vitamin C filled drink. I mean the wife-beating, got away with murder, pathetically past his prime, former football player known as OJ Simpson. Aren't there enough real issues in our daily lives? Is there really ANY REASON to devote so much media time and attention to his recent arrest?!?!

GET A GRIP PEOPLE!

OK, back to 3 Day stuff!!!

Lesson learned this weekend. STRETCH! I am very bad at doing it. I usually only do it if I feel a cramp. Stretching should NOT be a reactive thing....it should be done as a preventative measure! I read somewhere that you should stretch 5 min every hour that you walk, as well as in the mornings and evenings (whether you walk on those days or not) to help keep your muscles healthy and happy!

I also decided to switch from my fanny pack to my camelback. A lot of people advise against making a change this close to the walk, but the benefits for me are worth it. The buckles are placed in such a way that weight is more evenly distributed. It's a lot lighter and less awkward. I can cram more stuff into it (such as my warm up jacket and sweatshirt after the sun comes up and it's too warm to keep walking in them...or my wonderful walking sandals, which I have fallen completely in love with!).

I walked 11 miles on Saturday and 7 on Sunday (schedule called for 10 and 8...close enough!). Next weekend I have my training walks all mapped out. One day will take me into Manayunk (where I will treat myself to a wonderful lunch at one of the many restaurants on Main Street) and the other will take me through many of the interesting neighborhoods of Philly.

Tired Feet

This Saturday I walked 17 miles. This is the LONGEST training walk I have ever done and I am glad that I did.

For one, I realized that my original "sock plan" wasn't going to cut it. I have super thick socks and I have super thin socks. I was going to start out with the thicker ones and slowly switch over to the thinner (as my feet got more and more swollen). What I learned on Saturday was that my feet started to really get sore (achy, crampy) as I went to the thinner socks. Next weekend, I am going to start out with the thinner ones and then move up to the thicker ones as my feet get more and more tired. Hopefully that will work better. If not, then I will have to just use the thick ones all day long and hope that I can keep my feet dry enough to avoid blisters.

Another thing I learned.....my feet are NOT blister proof as I had hoped. I actually developed a blister between my pinky and "ring finger" toe. And the cheapie bandaids that I brought are pretty much worthless. Now I know that I have to go out and buy the "flexible fabric" type of bandages and am also going to invest in Second Skin (a type of bandage that is recommended for distance runners/walkers).

I also stretched for the first time on any walk. And I learned (from my wonderful training walk leader) that you have to KEEP HYDRATING even when you are done walking. And you can't run home and jump into a shower. You need to allow your body to cool down naturally for a bit or else the cooling effect of a shower (even a warm one) can shock your system!

This coming weekend the schedule calls for 18 miles, but split up over 2 days. I am looking forward to it. The weekend after that is a 15mile/18 mile back-to-back session. I am NOT looking forward to that one quite as much, but I also know that it is a necessary evil if I wish to handle the 3 Day Walk.