Miss Kitty's Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Blog

All of the Bowling for Boobs money is now in! My site now shows that I have raised $2,929! Wow! And to think, I didn't think I'd be able to raise $1,800. Silly me. And I still have two events to go, plus a whole bunch of people who I've given donation forms to who haven't sent anything in yet. I'll send out a reminder soon, don't worry.

My training is going okay. I have every confidence that I will be able to walk all 39.3 miles over the weekend. The problem is finding the time to do significant training walks, you know? With a job and school and some semblence of a life...but I do get out walking as much as I can, even if it is only for a couple of miles. If I keep my body in the spirit of walking, I'll be able to do this, no problem. But just in case, I took the following Monday off of work so I can recoperate!

For anyone who might be interested:

FREE Message of Music and Hope: Singer, Songwriter & Breast Cancer Survivor--SORAYA

The University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago in conjunction with Y-ME and Aventis will be providing an additional opportunity to meet Soraya at her "Message of Hope Event." A singer-songwriter and breast cancer survivor, Soraya shares her journey and message of hope. The event will be Monday, May 10, at the UIC Chicago Illini Union, Chicago Rooms A, B, and C; 828 South Wolcott Avenue from noon-2:00 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. No registration necessary.

Soraya is an internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter who has had several #1 hits on Billboard's Latin Pop Airplay charts. She has joined forces with Aventis through the "Living With It" program as part of her mission to inspire women to take care of their own breast health. Her message for women dealing with breast cancer is to never give up hope. At the Billboard Latin Music Awards on April 29, 2004, Soraya will be honored with "Spirit of Hope Award," where Billboard Magazine will pay tribute to her ". . . tireless work to raise awareness for the fight against breast cancer in Hispanic populations."

I have to post a little thank you here to my friend in Oregon. I'm not posting his name because when he donated to the walk, he did so "anonymously," even though I know it was him. He is a friend who I have never actually met, but he offers tremendous amounts of support and encouragement via this wonderful invention called the internet. And when he found out about the upcoming Under the Wire Fundraising Benefit that my fellow walker Tessa and I are throwing, he jumped at the chance to donate silent auction items. Well, I got a package in the mail from him yesterday and I'm blown away! There are duffel bags and T-shirts and a sweatshirt and shorts and socks and a water bottle and I think something else, but I don't remember. All I know is I kept pulling stuff out of this box, only to find more beneath. Nice stuff, too. I'm almost sad that I don't get to keep it! But I know I'll be bidding on it.

So I just wanted to say thank you to my friend in Oregon for going above and beyond the call of duty, for his astounding generosity, and neverending support. Thank you!

I'm finding that the biggest problem I am having now with distance walking is my hands. No, I'm not walking on them. They swell. I think it is because all of the fervent arm swinging sends all of the blood in my arms to my fingertips, but my hands swell when I walk almost to the point of being painful. So remind me when I'm walking from now on to bend my arms at the elbows to try to reduce the blood flow. We'll see if that works.

I love my shoes. If you are doing the walk and have not yet purchased running shoes and wicking socks, please do yourself a favor and go now to get them. They really do make a difference.

I checked it once. I checked it twice. I checked it five times and every time I checked, I came up with the same number. Thanks to the Bowling for Boobs benefit, a $541 donation is being made to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. I'm blown away! I can't say thank you enough. Even saying it in Dutch seems insufficient, but I'll say it anyway. Dank u wel!

I think it is safe to say that everyone had a blast last night. Mike bowled a 202. Ben wowed us all with his running start Superman style bowling. Deidre, Mike, Ben, Brenda, Bob, and Jodi all won prizes of various sorts. It was a blast. I kept running around, trying to make sure everyone was having a good time and they were. Everyone was having a good time. And on top of that, we raised $541 for breast cancer research. I was honestly floored and I get misty-eyed thinking about it.

So thank you to everyone who came out and played. It was just so much fun. And thank you to Ben and Sarah for all of your help. And to Emma for putting up with a semi-absentee Scotch doubles partner. It's amazing the level of generosity I see displayed amongst my friends and peers. Not that I didn't know you guys were good people to begin with, but this is really amazing. Five hundred and forty-one dollars in one night, just by going out and having a blast.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

The shoes are wonderful. The socks are great. I walked my seven miles home, as I am wont to do, and my feet did not hurt at all. Not like they usually do. So if you are planning on doing any large amounts of walking in the near future, do yourself a favor and pick up some decent running shoes and wicking socks.

So after visiting a half a dozen stores and making several phone calls, I finally got my shoes. Ryka KM5. I had wanted the navy blue ones (navy, light blue, gray and white), but all they had were the yellow ones (yellow, gray, white, and something -- I can't tell what the fourth color is supposed to be), so I got the yellow ones. Which mostly look gray and/or white. And it's funny -- I tried on a different style in the navy blue and they just didn't feel right. I slipped my foot into the KM5 and knew it was my shoe. So comfortable. It's like walking on cushions of air. Granted, the shoes I had been walking in are comfortable -- I've worn them just about every day for going on two years -- but I had forgotten what gym shoes feel like. The extra support and stuff. Anyway, I'll be taking them on their maiden voyage tonight as I walk home from work. I got wicking socks, too, so hopefully my feet will still feel in tip-top shape by the time I get home.

And Bowling for Boobs is tomorrow night! There have been a lot of last minute registrations, so I'm thinking there should be a decent turn out. And I know everybody is going to have fun, regardless, so that's good. I'm looking forward to it. Hoping to hit the $2,500 mark soon. Yay!

I logged about eight miles yesterday. Not too bad. What was kind of nice about it was the periodic stops -- I did about two and a half miles to my mom's house, bathroom/water break, about three miles with my mom, bathroom/water break, and about two and a half miles home. I keep feeling like I need to do a really long walk all in one swell poop as they say, but the actual walk will have periodic rest stops along the route. Places to get a snack or some water and use the restroom. Places to stretch so we can keep going. Yes, thirty-nine miles is a long way, but I am gaining more and more confidence that I will be able to do it no problem.

The only problem spots in my training thus far (knock on wood) are the balls of my feet and my hips. My hips get sore when I walk long distances and I am guessing it is because I sort of walk around them. But as long as I remember to stop and stretch my hips regularly, I should be okay. And the other problem is the balls of my feet. They seem to take the brunt of my weight and the friction with my socks as I walk and they always come out really tender. I haven't had any actual blisters yet (knock on wood), but it does hurt to walk around my house after an eight mile training walk. I think this will be helped a little bit when I have better shoes to walk in and wicking socks. My mom gave me a something called (I believe) a sweat stick which is kind of like an anti-perspirant for your body. It looks like deodorant, and you can smear it on your skin wherever things tend to chafe -- feet, thighs, where your bra strap hits, etc. -- and it will supposedly prevent chaffing. So I put some on the balls of my feet this morning in anticipation of my three mile walk to class later this afternoon. We'll see how it works out. Because honestly, I think that if I could keep my feet from hurting so badly, or at least get a few more miles in before they start to ache, I'd be fine going all thirty-nine miles in one day if I had to.

I went yesterday to try to get shoes, too, but didn't realize that stores aren't open on Easter now. Happy Easter, by the way. But yeah, even in heavily Jewish neighborhoods, the malls were deserted yesterday. It was kind of disconcerting. So I'll pick up some shoes tomorrow and start breaking them in this week. Wish me luck!

Two more fundraisers to announce!

In addition to Bowling for Boobs (April 16th), I've also got the Under the Wire Support Benefit (May 14th) and the Mammary Micetro (May 25th) coming up. Woo hoo!

I'm working on the Under the Wire Support Benefit with my friend and fellow walker, Tessa. We've got Lesley Byers and the Jazz Cats lined up to give us an evening of totally danceable jazz music at the Jefferson Tap (325 N. Jefferson) on May 14th. Full details are still to come, but put the date down on your calendar. Also, we are hoping to have a silent auction in conjunction with this event, so if you have something to donate to the auction or a lead on someone to talk to about a donation, please let one or the other of us know. Thanks!

And the Mammary Micetro on May 25th at the Cornservatory (4210 N. Lincoln). It's an improv competition that starts with 20 contestants and doesn't stop until there is only one left standing. And that one wins a prize. Hopefully something cooler than half of my sandwich, but it all depends on what I can find. How do I become a contestant? Show up. The first 20 people to write down their names get to play. What if I don't want to play? Come on out and watch the hilarity. Audience members are also needed for yelling out suggestions for the improvisers and for rating their performances. And if you really don't like a scene, you get to yell out, "DIE!" It's a good time for everyone.

So, three more fundraisers coming up in the next month or so. All will be reasonably priced for you, the fundraiser-goes. All of the proceeds from each event will go to the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. All will be lots and lots of fun. So write them down on your calendar and make a plan to come -- Bowling for Boobs on April 16th, Under the Wire Support Benefit on May 14th, and the Mammary Micetro on May 25th.

Wicking socks -- very important. They weren't kidding when they told us not to wear cotton socks during the walk. I wore nice, thick, cushy cotton socks yesterday for my walk home and had I gone another mile, the balls of my feet would be one giant blister right now. Fortunately, I only went seven miles, so I have no blisters. But I need to pick up some wicking socks before my next training walk. The more miles I do, the more important proper footwear becomes.

We're up to almost $2300! You guys are seriously incredible. The amount of support and enthusiasm you've shown and continue to show is staggering. Thank you!!

I've got another long walk home in front of me this afternoon, and a possible 8-mile walk over the weekend. Wish me luck and nice, limber hip joints.