Big d at the cheering station along the route

We did it!!!!

Waiting at a stop light after mile 2

We had to go to medical tent this am and get blisters popped and cousin got a knee wrapped. Sooooo hard core.

Cousins so hard core

Papparazzi

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> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Visitors at mile 18? 19?

HAlfway!!!

It's 10:20 and it's lunchtime

As mama would say were ready for the old folks home.
Been incredible and inspiring and chilly! Here comes the sun though!

Personal longest walks! Feelin fine!

Mile 3 almost 4

Ready! Boy it's early

Cute roommates encouragement

We're Running Out of Time!

I thought finding Jack Bauer shouting "Dammit Chloe! We're running out of time" on YouTube would be an easy intro. It's not. That would have been awesome. Oh well. I found this t-shirt to tide you over.

We are running out of time to complete our last minute to do's. Outfits should be finalized. Hats bought or tried on to access their compatibility with sunglasses. You've seen folks with glasses too big for the brim of their hat, right? Well that can't be us! Too bad we didn't google "sunglasses and hat" earlier. Could have scored a sweet combo:

Need more socks. Cousin needs a new top. Maybe a power bar or something. Breakfast (granola bar with almond butter and a banana) should be out and ready to grab. But we've run out of time! Fliss, Dan and Saroo are all on their way up now. There's no turning back! 

On the positive side, we have dinner reservations and plans to "carb-up" at an Italian restaurant with close friends and family tonight. We each have 2 pairs of socks, so we'll get through it. We have sunscreen for our bodies and our money-makers (faces) and the weather is awesome today and that trend should continue through the weekend!

Another preparation we've started is reading on topics to educate one another. Cousin started reading "The Tipping Point" and I have been on wikipedia. Some topics that I have brushed up on: Deaths at Disney World (fascinating), ghosts in movies (scary), upcoming movies (Red Dawn remake - where is it?) and the whole Prince of Wales thing. We should be pulling out these knowledge nuggets around mile 10 or so I hope.

The BIGGEST preparation we've completed is our fundraising! We've raised $5375 in pretty  much 4 months! And SOME people (T) have yet to donate. So as far as preparations go, I think we're in pretty good shape. 


Thanks as always to all our supporters. We will recount your names and walk proudly knowing you are behind us all the way. 


Look for blog updates along the route! Probably very short ones, but we'll try to keep you up to date. Send up good thoughts tomorrow and Sunday!

*****THIS JUST IN*****

My fortune cookie at lunch said "The weather is wonderful." No joke.

Another Day another Weather Report

Very similar to yesterday's! Let's keep our fingers crossed. "Abundant sunshine" sounds good to me!

Dinner reservations are set for the weekend. Dan and Fliss and Sarah are coming up to cheer us on. Extra socks are being bought. Final attire details are being hammered out. Can't wait to show the final decisions! Will you be up at 6:30 Saturday morning to see the blog post?!

Preparations are Underway!

I bring you the weather forecast for the weekend: Simply gorgeous!

The Debbie Downer hidden inside me says "The weathermen are always wrong." I hope they aren't, but I have my reservations. We'll keep you posted as the week progresses.

To make sure our 39 miles aren't 39 miles of silence, Cousin and I are keeping this week conversations to vague niceties: "The weather is nice." "My weekend was good." "I went shopping." This way, we'll have lots to fill each other in on!

We have a walk planned tonight, so look out for new postings!

Our Attempts at "Social Sports"

Picture it. Washington, January 2010. A group of friends joined a Skee-Ball league (team name "Riskee Business" - clever eh?) at a local watering hole to help fight the wintertime blues. Long story short, we rocked the league, won high score prizes and acclaim left and right, but the season took a tragic end at the Championship game that is still way too painful to discuss. Verdict: No more skee ball league.


Fast forward to April 19, 2011. You can see a few pictures from our latest walk together. (I, Beth had to leave town Wednesday for the Promised Land - Moultrie - so had no time to walk. Cousin walked 8 miles Saturday! Waiting on her to blog her experiences. Just blog it out, Cuz.) What was probably the best part of the walk is our t-shirts. Cousin is wearing her Skee-Ball Fanatic t-shirt and I am wearing my DC Skee League shirt. So we are showing our awesomeness all around the city. Not lame at all.


Picture it, Spring 2010. A "friend" whom we refer to as "Terr*rist" invites the whole gang to a kick ball league, promising patriotism (the games are on the lawn of the Washington Monument), great weather (Spring in DC is usually glorious), beer (games are followed by flip cup matches at a nearby watering hole against your kick ball opponent) and the spoils of victory (not sure what our final record was but I think it was about as good as Ole Miss's football team on any given year). I only went a few times - I got caught in the rain, the crowd was too rowdy at flip cup, I am terrible at not only infield but outfield for kickball. Not my cup of tea. Cousin attended many, many more games, with just as little luck for the extracurricular portion, but much more luck with the socializing and cup flipping. Verdict: Politely decline Terr*rist's invitaiton to the Spring 2011 league.

Again, we fast forward to April 19, 2011. We had just begun our walk and found a delightful park in South East about 8 blocks from home. It was an oasis in a city of concrete and bustle. Then we noticed the matching t's. There were clumps of red, blue, pink and green all around. "We've seen this before!" we thought, remembering the lackluster season of kickball from yesteryear. But something was different. Instead of the loud, sweaty, ratty Umbro short-wearing scrubs we were accustomed to seeing at kickball, these people were speaking in normal tones, wearing khaki pants with their t's, sipping from red solo cups, enjoying the weather and civilized camaraderie. What is this place?! As we neared the crowd, we saw it was a DC Bocce League. Could this be our next attempt at social sports? Who knows! We have missed the Spring Sign up, but I think Summer is very possible. I'll secure the domain "BTbocceindc.blogspot.com' just in case.

The rest of the walk was a little of this, a little of that. We saw Henry, the proprietor of one of our favorite Mexican Restaurants and his sons Eddie, Little Henry and Secret. They were going to play at the playground. We caught up with Eddie and asked how school was. He's our favorite 9 year old by far. Henry and Secret were already at the playground, so we let Eddie run along, but promised to see him soon. We had more miles to walk, and the day was drawing to a close. Much like this long, self-indulgent blog post.

Cousin Bobby Fischer lending a hand

Wishing for money and good weather April 30!!

TAking time to smell the flowers

Our "Government Shutdown Tour of DC"

According to the Avon training schedule, we should walk 20 miles on Saturday. If you will recall, our personal best walk was 6 miles, so we knew it was business time.  We had great weather (Finally! Mother Nature is being a you know what to us in DC now. High today is 49 and rain. Seriously?!) We uploaded pictures as we walked, but I wanted to add a little commentary, even though a lot is self explanatory.

We started with no plans, just "walk until it's dark." By the time we got home from work, changed clothes, filled up our water bottles, adjusted our cool fanny pack water bottle holders, it was almost 7.  Speaking of fanny packs, does anyone know how to properly wear them? On our back seems right, but they seemed too high or too bulky. I asked Cousin "Does this look bad." Her response, "It's a fanny pack!" Point taken.  So we headed out amongst the tourists and their uncool fanny packs, ready to conquer the streets and monuments of DC.


We visited a total of 7 monuments - one for each mile we completed! The Washington, Jefferson, FDR, Lincoln, Korean, Vietnam and WWII. We didn't take a picture at FDR, but we went there. Promise! And we saw the cherry blossoms! After 6 years, they get a big check mark in my book. Those pictures are in previous entries.


We had a lot of time to catch up, a couple of highlights:


On the way back, we had a hunger, and the only thing that could cure it was Chick-fil-a. 2 miles later, we loaded up the car with Amanda and Caroline and went to VIRGINIA for a great reward. Cousin - 6 packs and banana pudding shake. Me - original sandwich and yogurt parfait. Yum. Forgot to document that part. We were in food euphoria.


Further down the road, while waiting on a traffic light, Cousin did some stretches. A Tahoe that looked to be a part of a fleet from a car service honked, slowed down a bit and stared. I laughed, Cousin blew it off with a "What is this? Panama City?!"


We finished 7.23 miles in 2 hours 8 minutes. Lance Armstrong was our celebrity congratulator today. He's proud of us. I can't wait to see who congratulates us after 26 miles. Don't worry, there will be blogging. All in all, we decided we weren't fatigued and endurance wasn't a problem, we think the biggest obstacle will be our joints, ankles and toes holding up to the walk. But knowing we have the support of our faithful readers/stalkers will help keep us going! Shameless plug: It's not too late to donate! Cousin needs just a bit to make her goal - there's not time like the present - seize the day - yadda yadda.  Nonetheless, we are in it to end it!

Our lawn ornament. Almost home!

Almost the bellagio-WWII

Vietnam

Hello mr Lincoln

Visiting Korea

Cherry blossom time

Monument

Fanny-tastic!

Tenting Status: Not Tenting

We are a mere 29 days out, and the good folks at Avon encourage us to go ahead and REGISTER for the walk. Can you believe it? No longer is the walk just a gleam in our eye, or a splint in our shin, it's becoming a reality!

I figured registering would take 15 or so minutes, not so much. In a mere 3 I was registered and ready to walk! I had to answer medical questions "Have you had surgery or hospital visits in the last 6 months? Please explain." "No." "Do you have any of the following conditions...." "No." Healthy as a horse. (Not Barbaro) Then there was the long scroll down part about legal stuff - snooze fest. "I agree." "I agree." "I agree." I'm registered! My walk number and other goodies will arrive at my house in a week so I don't have to mingle with the other walkers on Race Eve. We have big plans to carb up and get in bed EARLY, so skipping a massive sign up is my cup of tea. Or bowl of pasta.

I then discovered the MOST important part -tent registration. There was a section for you to enter who you'd like to tent with.  This is where I'd say "Cousin Tracy" if we were going that route, but you remember we are not. Another option is to select a RANDOM tentee. Can you imagine how horrible that could be? When I did the 72 hour Get out the Vote push for the 2006 elections my roommate at the glamorous Best Western in Warner Robins, Georgia was an older lady who smelled like my grandmother and carried her make up in a Caboodle.  I do not have the best of luck with these things. 

"Not tenting."

Click. Done. Check to make sure it says no tent for this gal. Yep. Registered!

We're doing our part - registering, training, fundraising - have you done yours? It's never too late to donate! Links to the right! Thanks!

A Month of News!

It seems Cousin and I both get really, really excited about something new, are totally immersed in it, then it becomes an old toy and we neglect it for new toys.  Could it be because we are both only children? (Though we are very well adjusted only children, clearly.)  Fear not! Our commitment and excitement for The Walk hasn't waned - only our dedication to blogging about it! But back by popular demand, I give you......an update!

So much has happened this past month.

On February 26 Cousin and I completed a sponsored 6 mile walk in Rock Creek Park. RCP was not our choice - it was a sponsored event by the Avon Foundation to get everyone together and make sure people can actually walk 6 miles. We got up early on Saturday morning and drove the billions of miles to Maryland. I think it took longer to get to Maryland than it did walk6 miles. We enjoyed a taste of Spring weather and got to know our local D.C. geography a bit better.  The most exciting discovery was this little gem:

As we walked this monstrosity arose from the trees. It's a Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) temple and it is big. I had no idea it existed. But upon further research, they have an amazing Christmas (do they call it Christmas?) display. Put that on the list of Must Do's for December.  Cousin and I are both fascinated by the LDS religion so we had plenty to discuss after seeing this huge, windowless, gleaming white structure. (Side bar: Another Must Do is to see this show.)

We walked at a sustainable brisk pace and finished in a time we were happy with. We were both wearing our finest black workout attire - and everyone we passed was decked out in pink. Putting "buy pink workout gear" in the Must Do list for April so we aren't mistaken for Goth Avon walkers.

Since then, we have walked outdoors and indoors. I downloaded the Nike MyiD App for my phone (love), and it keeps up with your distance, time and calories walked. It's amazing. It literally cheers for you when you hit milestones and checks in "You have walked 1 mile. Your pace is 15 minutes 12 seconds." We beat our personal best distance just this past Saturday and were delighted to be congratulated by Tracy Morgan! I think the app is a dollar, but as Amanda said "Dollar apps are free." Money well spent, regardless.

As far as fundraising, we are lucky to have had a lot of success, but it's not over until the shin splints have healed! So if you haven't made a donation, now is as good of a time as any! Every little bit counts, seriously!

We will do a better job of posting, especially as we finalize our Walk Day attire. We have made one crucial purchase, I will leave you with a picture of Cousin modeling our.......fanny pack water bottle holders! (Color: Pink!)

Stretching for a brisk 3 mile walk!

There is no I in Team

This age old adage has finally been realized by Avon.

For weeks (2), whenever I clicked on "Team Roster," Avon showed the roster to be "Beth Jeter." It said I was the team captain, and being a captain of a team of 1 is just sad. One really is the loneliest number when you are pledging to walk 39 miles in 2 days. 

After several calls and emails, on Valentine's Day, the ultimate day to celebrate companionship, gmail alerted me that:

Your team has a new member! Hooray! Now Tracy and I are officially team members, walking together to help fight breast cancer!

Ready for our first walk!!

Step by Step

Are you mainstream and now singing the New Kids song that shares the title to the blog, or are you thinking of a more obscure reference, the hit show starrring Patrick Duffy and Suzanne Somers as a modern day Brady Bunch, also titled Step By Step?  Either way, let's move on from what you think.

Saturday Cousin and I are taking our first steps and going for a walk. Since it's about 2 degrees in Washington now, and Cousin is battling a cold, we are going to Quentin's to walk it out on the treadmills in his gym.  We have committed to 30 minutes at some point. It will be the first step in a long road ahead of us, but here goes nothing!

Sock it to Me! (aka, we’ve received our first piece of flair)

To promote fundraising and encourage everyone to get the word out about the Avon Walk, the powers that be at Avon HQ offered an incentive to all registered walkers who raised more than 5 hundo in 30 days...


Reebok. Pink ribboned. Low-cut. SOCKS!!!

And guess who the proud owners of these gems are...

If you could see us now, you would see thumbs pointed in a “This girl” fashion. And, not only did we accomplish this feat in the allotted 30-day period, we met this milestone in a week! Of course, we have to thank our



for their outpouring of support so early in the game. We can’t tell you how appreciative we are.

We’re just plain sock happy!

To sleep or not to sleep (in a tent), that is the question...

You may be asking yourself, 'What made Beth and Tracy decide to take on the challenge of training to walk nearly 40 miles and raise at least $3600 collectively in a mere 12 weeks?' Trust me, we asked ourselves the same question...

When deciding to participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, one must ask herself:

1. Do I have anything planned the weekend of the walk? (Easter is the week before and we're not in/attending any weddings... check.)

2. Am I comfortable with being decked out in pink? (Minor sacrifice... check)

3. Am I capable of walking over 39 miles in two days? (Guess we'll have to start the training to find out...)

4. Will I be able to raise $1800 to participate in the walk? (With the amazing support we've already received from friends and family, we're well on our way :) But another donation couldn't hurt. Visit our personal walk pages by clicking on the links to the right of this post to make your contribution and join us in the fight against breast cancer)



5. Do I have to sleep in a tent???



(Image courtesy of a Google search for "camping hell.")

Nope! You can reserve a hotel room instead of sleeping in "Friendship Park." Which is in Maryland and I'm sure is charming, but for us it sounds only slightly more appealing than sitting through the Justin Bieber movie. So that means we are able to come home, take a bubble bath, open a sophisticated Pinot Noir and have our roommates bring us the Colletti's Smokehouse from Good Stuff after a long day of hoofing it around Washington in our finest pinks.

After carefully assessing the most pressing questions, and guided by our muses from Saved by the Bell, we decided to Go For It!

 

 

And I would walk 26.2 miles and I would walk 13.1 more

Friends, family, random blog readers, welcome to our blog!

We are 2 (soon 3??) GAM’s. And what great GAM’s we are. What’s a GAM? Girls Against Mastectomies. That’s right. We are totally against women having to go through this body-altering process, much less having to experience breast cancer at all. So, we’ve decided to do something in an effort to help fund research and  education on breast cancer so no woman will have to go through these experiences.

We have signed up for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer here in the DC. Leading up to the walk, we will be training for the 39 mile walk as well as raising money for the cause. And, of course, blogging! So bookmark us and become followers as we start our journey to the big weekend - April 30- May 1!

If you’ve participated in anything like this, please let us know! We would love any words of advice, stories of encouragement or tips to help us along. We are looking forward to sharing our experiences and doing what we can to help in the fight against breast cancer