15 Miles of Lovely Lake Shawnee

This morning Mom and I got up early to walk since it was unfortunately going to be hot again. We headed out to Lake Shawnee for our second walk there. This time I didn't forget the camera--I actually brought two of them! We got there just in time for a wonderful sunrise.


The weather was so cool and nice for the first few miles we couldn't have asked for better weather. We started on the opposite side of the lake this time and walked in the opposite direction, since last time we'd taken a wrong turn at the part of the loop where the sidewalk wasn't yet complete. This time we got about half way around the lake before taking about a half mile detour off the trail in order to get to a restroom. It turned out to be the perfect detour when it was all said and done because the lake loop was 7 miles, and our detour on each loop made it exactly 7.5!

After our first pit stop we continued past the camping area and then on past the golf course and back up and around to the botanical garden where we started. It wasn't even until the last couple of miles that the weather really started warming up. We got the first lap done in just over two hours and took a nice break to fill up on liquids and snacks. We didn't break for too long though, since the weather was heating up pretty quickly. I peeled off a layer, but unfortunately Mom didn't have a layer to peel.

We took off in the opposite direction of our first lap for a change of scenery. The heat immediately began to take it's toll. We walked around the golf course again, relishing any shade that came across our path. We slowed considerably because of the heat, so when we made it to our off path pit stop location, it was wonderful to drench our bandannas in cold water help keep us cool. We went over to a shady shelter nearby and had a nice rest in the shade with some more snacks before heading back out onto the trail.

It had gotten so hot by this time we ended up having to take a detour in the next mile over to the convenience store so that we could by some more water. We soaked our bandannas once again, filled up our water bottles and headed back out to finish the last 2+ miles. We walked back over the dam and in and out of the bends on the west side of the lake until we finally made it back to the car. That last mile or so was very hot and seemed very long!

We got a lot of good pictures on our two laps around the lake, which you can enjoy in the slideshow below. There is also a quick video at the end of a cute little bunch of Canada Geese.




After we finished walking, Mom relaxed in the shade for a while while I walked through the botanical garden and took TONS of pictures with my good camera. I haven't loaded those pictures onto the computer yet, but I'll definitely share them so you can get an idea of how gorgeous that area of the lake is!

Mom and I had a big lunch after our walk, and then I was pretty much wiped out for a couple of hours after arriving back home. It was over 85 degrees by the time we finished, and that heat definitely took it's toll. I was really proud of my mom for sticking it out all 15 miles!

Softball and Sunburn

Mom and I took our long training walk on Sunday this week since I had a wedding to go to on Saturday. We made plans to walk later in the day than we do normally, thinking that it wouldn't be any problem since the weather has been so beautiful lately. Unfortunately, Sunday ended up being the hottest day we had in weeks! Despite the less than ideal weather, we still walked about 14.5 miles when the day was over. We were really pooped!

Our walk was kind of a fun adventure because we had a particular destination in mind. We started from our house at around 11:00 or so, and we headed towards the softball diamonds on the southwest edge of town, where Chad had a game at 1:00. We stopped for a snack in the shade about 4 miles in, and then arrived at Clinton Lake Sports Complex at about 1:30. We cheered Chad's team to a victory for the league championship, and then relaxed with a few teammates for about hour in a shady spot of the parking lot. Chad brought us a refill on food and water, so after snacking and hydrating we headed back out towards home. As we left the softball diamonds I quickly realized that I had not prepared well that morning--I hadn't put any sunscreen on my arms at all and was wearing a sleeveless shirt!

Thankfully, on the way home we got a little bit of cloud cover to help with the heat, and we made another pit stop at Kwik Shop when we were almost halfway back to our house. We had another nice picnic of energy bars and Gatorade, and then we took off for the last 4 mile leg of our journey. We arrived home at exactly 6:00 p.m., a mere 7 hours after we left home! Fortunately, only 4.5 of those hours were actually spent walking!

Chad greeted us with a lovely dinner, which was fortunate since we were both famished and exhausted! The heat was especially draining, but Mom handled the walk like a champ! I, on the other hand, ended up with a ridiculous sunburn! :)

13 Miles of Sprinkles

Despite the record amounts of wet weather we've had around here lately, Mom and I managed to get our 13 mile walk done outside on Saturday! As I drove to Topeka in the rain on Saturday morning, I feared that we'd be forced into the mall again, and I was not looking forward to it! When I arrived at Mom's house it was barely sprinkling, so we rushed out the door and knocked off 2 miles or so before stopping back at the house for a quick pit stop. The rain seemed to be holding off, so we got brave and went for a 5 mile loop around the house, and although some significant rain came down about 3 miles into the loop, we pressed on and made it home before getting completely soaked. After a snack and a change of socks, we headed back out again, and thankfully by this time most of the rain had blown over completely. We walked another 4 miles or so before making another quick pit stop at home, then headed back out and knocked out our last two miles. By this time it was not only not raining--the sun was actually shining and we even got a bit warm!

I guess there was nothing really very interesting about our walk this week, but I have to say it's so nice that we no longer have to get up before the crack of dawn in order to beat the heat. I am so thankful for this cool fall weather! It's making the walking so much more enjoyable!

This coming weekend we'll be taking on 14 miles, but on Saturday rather than Sunday. I have an out of town wedding on Saturday, so we're swapping the training walks for the two weekend days. This means that Mom will be walking 10 miles by herself on Saturday, which will be her new solo record! :)

Yummy Fundraiser

My husband is helping me out with my fundraising this year since he knows I have a long way to go and a short time to get there (73 days, to be exact). He decided to help me along by making several batches of his famous homemade spicy mustard (of which all our friends are big fans) and "selling" them in exchange for a donation to my 3-Day account. Last night at his softball game he gave out about 8 jars along with my 3-Day "business" cards, so hopefully I will get a few donations as a result! Thanks to my dear hubby Chad for the help!

My Mom the Rock Star

The weather was so cool in Lawrence this weekend, Mom and I didn't even take off for our long Saturday walk until after 9 a.m! It was so nice to sleep in a little for the first Saturday in many weeks. We started our walk with a 3+ mile loop around our house with the dogs, and after dropping them off and having a snack and a quick rest, we headed back out on our journey. We walked from our house about 4 miles to J&S Coffee, which is near 6th and Wakarusa. It started sprinkling during the last mile of this leg, but we just pulled caps out of our packs and continued on our merry way in the rain.

At the coffee shop we enjoyed warm drinks and split a muffin and bagel, and after 20 minutes or so of hanging out we headed back out on the road. We took a slightly longer way home, dropped by Dillons for a quick potty break, and then walked the last 2+ miles to our house. As we walked up the last hill before arriving home, the Garmin beeped to let us know we'd gone 12 miles total. Mom actually started celebrating by jogging up the hill!! She'd walked 12 miles and still had energy to spare! My mom rocks!

Eleven at the Lake

Yesterday morning Mom and I knocked off our 11 mile walk around Lake Shawnee. I'd never really been around the entire lake, so I was looking forward to seeing all it had to offer while walking the new hike/bike trail, which was supposed to go all the way around. We drove to the lake and got there just after 7:00 a.m., when the weather was absolutely beautiful. It was only about 60 degrees and there was a wonderful breeze. We guessed the trail was about 7 miles total, so we found a parking lot and headed out around the baseball fields and across the dam. The view of the early morning sun on the lake was just beautiful! Of course I forgot, again, to bring my camera along, and this would have been the perfect spot for lots of pictures! We resorted to taking a cell phone picture with the cute little ducks.

One of the most beautiful areas around the lake that made me most regret that I'd forgotten a camera was the botanical gardens on the west side. I found one picture on the web that gives you a tiny glimpse of how beautiful this area is, so picture this scene times about 100. There are TONS of beautifully landscaped flower gardens and walkways all around. There are gazebos, bridges, streams, benches and all sorts of other viewing areas that make it the place perfect for photos. In fact, there were several professional photographers there taking family pictures! The area was so beautiful. I told Mom we are definitely going back next week and I'm bringing the good camera! I did take this one picture with the cell phone that might give you an idea of the beautiful landscape around there.

After walking through the flower gardens we headed back down the main trail, passing boat ramps, the "junior" lake, tennis courts, play areas, shelters, and fishing areas until we came to the golf course. After walking along the golf course for a while, the trail abruptly came to an end. We followed the road for a little while, and then saw a sidewalk over to the right, so we decided to take it. We had no idea where it went, but we followed it up a hill and into a really nice residential neighborhood. We wound through this neighborhood for a little while until our sidewalk again came to an end. As we pondered where to go and what to do, I noticed that my Garmin Forerunner said we'd gone exactly 5.55 miles, which meant we were exactly half way done with our walk. Even though we were running a little low on water and snacks (we'd planned to go back to the car and refuel in 7 miles) I suggested we just head back the way we came, so that we'd get back to the car in exactly 11 miles.

Looking back, this probably wasn't the smartest idea, because it began to get really hot, really quick. After tracing our steps back in the other direction we walked for a couple more miles until we found a beautiful shady spot to sit and have the couple of protein bars that Mom had smartly packed. We changed socks and did a little stretching, and then after about 15 minutes we headed back out onto the trail. We walked back through the flower gardens a little later, took a quick break to watch the sailboats dancing around the water, and then finished up the last 3 or 4 miles. With about 2 miles left, as we were rationing what little water we had, Mom started getting a little lightheaded, but we took a quick rest in the shade and I made her remove the hat that was trapping all heat in her body. That helped quite a bit, and we finished up our last couple of miles just 4 hours after we started. We slowed down quite a bit at the end, but it was understandable since it was 86 degrees by this time!

Overall we had a wonderful experience at Lake Shawnee and I'd totally recommend going there if you get the chance. It's not at all what I imagined when I thought of a lake in Topeka! :)

Our New Team Member

Tonight my brother called to tell me that he's going to join our 3-Day team! I can't explain how stinkin' thrilled I am! My brother is AWESOME!!! :)

The 10 Mile Mall Walk

If you can believe it, Mom and I finished our first 10 mile walk today entirely inside the mall in Topeka! Ugh! I headed over to her house this morning at 6 a.m. in the midst of a pretty intense thunderstorm. Since walking outside was clearly not an option, we headed over to the mall and started doing laps with the rest of the Saturday morning crowd. As you can imagine, there were very few people under 60! We had hoped that the rain would let up in time for us to take the end of our trip outside, but by the time it stopped raining we were a mile or so from being finished, so we ended up doing every last step inside! After a little shopping, we hit Olive Garden for the endless soup, salad and breadsticks! :)

While walking in a climate controlled building was pretty nice, walking on the hard tile flooring wasn't ideal for the knees and back. Even with the less than ideal walking surface though, we really only stopped for one short 15 minute break in the middle of our 10 miles. Once again, Mom finished with no problem!

A Glimpse into the San Diego 3-Day

This video might give you an idea why I wanted my mom to experience the event specifically in San Diego. The community support out there is outrageous. Watching this video from last year and remembering how cool it was brings tears to my eyes!

Our 9 Mile Adventure

On Saturday, Mom and I took our second long training walk down the Shunga Trail in Topeka. The last time we took a 6 mile stroll down this hike/bike trail, the early morning sights and sounds were so pretty I swore the next time I'd remember to bring my camera. I didn't, but we again witnessed the beauty of the natural grasses, flowers, trees and fields. Saturday morning's walk included some beautiful low-lying fog as well as some amazing August weather.

We walked about 2.25 miles down the trail in one direction before turning around to head back to the car. Upon our arrival, we took a potty break at the tennis courts and then relaxed for 15 minutes or so while we loaded up on snacks and drinks. Pretty soon we were ready to take off again, and we headed down the trail in the opposite direction. After a couple of miles, we were preparing to round a corner when we heard a loud pop that sounded a little like a gunshot. The ensuing cracking and crashing made us realize it wasn't a gunshot at all (thankfully) but rather a tree falling in the wooded area that lines the trail. We made a few jokes about hearing trees that fall in the forest, but when we rounded the bend we stopped in our tracks. There was a massive tree that had fallen right into the hike/bike path and branches and wood had shattered everywhere. We were in such shock! As we stood there and inspected the damage, a couple of other walkers who'd originally come from this direction came around the corner after us. One of them had walked past that spot just minutes before the tree had fallen! It was so freaky to think that in just a couple of minutes we would have been walking in that exact spot as well!

As we were standing in awe, surveying the damage, I realized that I actually did have my camera--at least the one on my cell phone! Mom posed with the fallen mess for some perspective.


Is that not amazing? The main trunk of the tree looked pretty healthy and alive, so we had no idea what could have caused it to fall. It was crazy!

After our little tree adventure, we continued down the path until it came to an end, which turned out to be less than two miles later. We headed back towards the car, but had to walk back in the original direction for a while just to make sure we got our full 9 miles in. We arrived back at the car after walking about 9.4 miles! Mom did great and is all ready to take on 10 miles this coming weekend!

My First Donation

I just want to say a big THANK YOU to my friend JoAnna, who got my fundraising started this weekend! JoAnna is an extra special donor because she's also a survivor--she's one of the big reasons that I walk! JoAnna was diagnosed just a couple of weeks before my mom back in late 2005, and she amazed and astounded everyone who knew her by continuing to volunteer at the Humane Society multiple days a week throughout her chemotherapy. She is an incredible person who always puts the needs of our shelter dog friends ahead of her own!

Thanks JoAnna!! I'm so thankful for that first donation!

Let the Fundraising Begin

This week I got my fundraising page all set up, although I haven't yet had the chance to send out any solicitation emails. Since I don't really love asking people for money (does anyone?), I was kind of hoping that my friends and family who regularly read my blog would just spontaneously decide to make a donation so that I wouldn't even have to bother them about it. I mean really, everyone close to me knows how passionate I am about this event and this philanthropy, don't they? Do I really need to explain it in an email? I guess maybe I do. But it still would be nice if someone would like to throw a small donation my way just to get me started! :)

It's Official!!!

Today Mom and I took a big step forward on our 3-Day journey--we officially registered for the San Diego event in November! I'm so super excited!! I haven't gotten our fundraising page quite up to speed yet, but I'll add pictures very soon. Be on the lookout for an email coming your way soon with more information!!

Easy Week

This weekend there wasn't much to report on training because Mom and I actually didn't go out and walk together. It was an easy "rest" weekend of training--a weekend where the schedule has you scaling back on your mileage to take a break and allow your body some recovery time. Since we were only supposed to walk 4 and 3 miles on Saturday and Sunday respectively, I left Mom to walk alone since I knew she'd breeze through those walks with ease.

In case you're interested, here is the schedule we're following this year. I slightly modified the 3-Day organization's suggested 24-week training schedule, only because when we followed it a couple of years ago we felt way over-prepared. This one has the same long walks on the weekends, but just not as many miles and not as much cardio during the week.


As you can see, we're currently 16 weeks away from the actual event in November. Last year, my friend Vikkie and I followed the 16-week training schedule put out by the folks at the 3-Day, and we still felt somewhat over-prepared for the 60 miles! You know what this means? It means YOU still have plenty of time to join us in our goal of walking 60 miles in the Breast Cancer 3-Day this year!! I'll be sending out a recruitment letter soon! :)