Today my team member and I embarked on our 3 Day training routine. We’re on track for the 24 week training schedule. The walk was at a local mall–we were mall walkers! Our walk was scheduled to begin at the New Balance store at 10:00 a.m. We arrived about 20 minutes early. What a good thing that was! Once we were signed in and getting ready to warm up, a large line formed. I hate waiting in lines so I am very happy that worked out as it did.

We split into walking groups. Our group consisted of about a dozen people I’d say. There was a trainer there who led the warm up. We did a few lunges and then we were off! The walk would consist of 9 laps from Macy’s to Sears. This would be three miles. My team and I (a team of two!) started with the group and eventually we noticed we were kind of on our own. That’s OK though. It’s not a race. We talked and got to know each other better. We met through the 3 Day website, after all. It helps to know who you’re walking with. My team member is a survivor since December 2007. She is not much older than I am. I am finding a lot of 30-somethings are being diagnosed with this terrible disease.

I learned that my team member got her breast cancer from her birth control shot. I’ve always been leery of the shot and now I’m very leery. I told my husband about this when I got home and he said an old girlfriend of his was on the shot and she had to have some kind of cyst removed from her breast as a result. Sounds like a shady form of contraception if you ask me. I’m even wondering if I should stop taking the pill soon. It’s certainly something to explore.

During the walk we met up with another survivor who invited us to join her team. We may just have to take her up on that if Team Miracle Walkers doesn’t increase its membership! I’m certainly not above it. I think I’ll give us until May and then make a decision. The other team captain told us she could help us get donations and meet the minimum. That’s exciting! I definitely want to keep in touch with her!

We finished our 9 laps in about an hour–maybe even a little less. This is good news to me! This time is consistent with my treadmill pace–3-3.5 miles/hr! Woo hoo! I’m starting at a great pace and perhaps I will be able to exceed that by August.

I’m so excited! I applied for a fundraiser at a local restaurant and it looks like it’s going to work out. I got a response asking for me to select the dates and provide the donation and mailing info. I hope it works out. My next project is getting donation letters out to friends and family in the from of email and snail mail. I am going to be very busy this weekend!

One week from today I will be attending a Training Kickoff at one of the local malls. My team member will be going with me. There will be a 3 mile training walk! I’m excited to get started! I’m getting my fundraising requests out today and tomorrow. I’m applying for fundraiser dates at some local restaurants. That should give me a boost! This is so exciting. I am nervous about the donations being met, but I have learned that if I come up short, I can change my registration from Walker to Crew! It’s a win/win! Crew members do not have a donation minimum required which is a relief. I do want to be able to walk with my team, though. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed that I do a lot better than last year!

I am so excited! My team is growing! I have a wonderful woman calling in this weekend to join my team! She is a survivor–cancer free since December! Woo hoo! She also informed me that she knows someone else interested in joining. This will be another survivor. She just had a double mastectomy yesterday! Prayers for her and we will see if she wants to walk with us in August!

More news: a good friend of mine in Michigan is registered to crew at my walk. The pressure is on! I have to raise all the money so we can all participate together! It’s getting very exciting!  

This morning I attended my first meeting for The 3 Day. It was a Get Started meeting. Basically, it was like an orientation. Some people weren’t registered yet, so they could do that after the presentation. I was already registered. It was good information. Last year, I didn’t attend any of the meetings. The main reason for this was simply because there weren’t any meetings close to me. Last year was the first year they did a walk in Cleveland. There seemed to be a lot of bugs. This year already feels more organized.
I learned a lot of things I hadn’t realized last year. I learned that there are pins we can earn. For some reason, this whole earning pins things appeals to me…a lot! Maybe it’s from my involvement in Mary Kay. There are a lot of similarities between participation in The 3 Day and direct sales (particularly Mary Kay). Last year I raised a bit of money for my walk through my MK business. The woman who gave the presentation today mentioned that a Mary Kay unit helped her raise funds and she also had a purse party. I’m going to go that route along with some other ideas she mentioned.
I’m really getting excited about my involvement in this walk. I really want to raise the money now. My new team member is so nice and I really want to expand the team have a very enriching experience with this–as well as help this cause.
When I got home from the meeting I checked my email and sent the link to my site to my new team member so she can join the team. In my inbox, there was a great message! It said: “You have received a donation!” I got my first online donation for The 3 Day 2008! What a coincidence that I met my team member, went to a meeting, and got a donation all in one day! I am feeling very uplifted and optimistic.

I’m so stoked! Today I received an email from someone in my area interested in walking on my team. I’m so excited. I will be honest. I was feeling overwhelmed with everything going on in my life lately and was having doubts that I would be able to pursue The 3 Day much further. I have found new enthusiasm recently. This walk is too important not to at least try.
Also, there is a Get Started Meeting next weekend. I’ll be attending that. Last year I didn’t attend any of the meetings–mainly because there simply weren’t any close to home. Maybe they are learning. Perhaps a meeting will help me to gain more ideas for fundraising and expanding my team. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be able to meet my new team member there as well.

I’m back! I haven’t posted much on here. Things got crazy at the end of the year. I needed to focus on some other things. It’s 2008! Happy New Year! I’m starting fresh and committing myself to exercise. I’m starting small. I’m starting with Yoga. I’m participating in WoYoPracMo. What on earth is that, you ask? It stands for World Yoga Practice Month. In January 2008, I will practice Yoga in some form and blog it. I figure it’s perfect for training for The 3 Day while the weather is bad.

I will chronicle my Yoga on the WoYoPracMo page here. As well as my Yoga Blog.

I hope that everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving weekend. I know I have not been keeping up with this blog. I thought NaBloPoMo would help me out here, but in all honesty, I’ve got quite a lot going on right now and getting ready for The 3 Day just isn’t happening right now. I’m still working on donations, but exercising has fallen to the wayside and I’m not working on it consistently enough to have anything interesting to report.

This little “blessing” was included in one of my many e-zine subscriptions Incredible U. I thought it was uplifting:

A Prosperity Blessing

May you be blessed with an amazingly abundant day today!
May the clouds break and the heavens pour down upon you more joy, more love, more laughter and more money than you could have ever dreamed of.
May the sun shine its golden light of prosperity through every cell of your extraordinary body.
May you be cleansed today of any resistance or feelings of unworthiness that you may still be holding onto.
May your false illusions of doubt, fear and scarcity gently fall away like soft white feathers on a gentle breeze.
May you be willing, simply willing, to allow the Universe to shower you with miracles today.
May the Angels wrap you in their shining wings of opulence.
May the fairies deliver you to their pot of gold at the end of a majestic rainbow.
May your eyes shine with the glorious truth of who you really are and may that truth uplift others in your presence to their own inner knowing.
May your ears hear the sound of perfection ringing in your soul.
May you taste the deliciousness of every precious bite of life as your day unfolds moment by moment with amazing grace, heartfelt love and a bounty of magnificent money.
As this day ends, may you slumber wrapped in an exquisite blanket of enduring peace and profound gratitude.
And may the last words you speak today be Thank You!
Veronica M. Hay
Copyright 2004
Veronica Hay is the author of “In a Dream, You Can Do Anything, A Collection of Words” An extraordinary collection of writings that will uplift you, motivate you, inspire you and gently guide you along the inner path of your life. You can visit her website at: www.insightsandinspirations.com

I’ve been having such long nights lately I don’t know when I’ll have energy to exercise regularly. I have to start disciplining myself better, I think. I had planned on working tomorrow night, but I’ve been up late every night for the past week and it’s catching up with me. I see myself going to bed early…