An Underground Guide to the Breast Cancer Walk

You have to read this. I do not know Larry Roshfeld, but in 2006 he wrote an underground guide to the breast cancer walks...he has done many and crewed them, too. It is a wonderful read and he details and answers questions that we all have. He has created this guide from what he has learned first hand and he wrote about interesting little tidbits and stories.

Some of the Topics included are:

• training
• raising money
• packing
• sleeping
• strapping
• tenting
• tips while walking
• feet
• in camp
• hydration
• homework
• and so much more

There is too much for me to write about so you need to just read it for yourself. Keep this guide handy!

An Underground Guide to the Breast Cancer Walk

IBC

Do you know there are different kinds of breast cancer? Have you heard of Inflammatory Breast Cancer or IBC? IBC is a rare form of breast cancer and only occurs in 1-5% of breast cancers diagnosed in the U.S.
IBC is an extremely aggressive form of cancer and the symptoms, prognosis, and treatment are all different than other forms of breast cancer.

Symptoms may include the breast to be red, swollen, and/or warm and rarely causes a breast lump which in turn may make it harder to diagnose. Other signs are itching, nipple retraction, or breast pain. White blood cells blocking lymph vessels in the skin are what cause the symptoms of IBC.

I am not going to write much more about this since there is SO much to write, but I think it is important to know that breast cancer is not always detected with a "lump" being found. Knowledge is power.
If you would like to learn more click here to read about IBC on the American Cancer Society website, where I retrieved my information.

recycling for the cure

My sweet husband took as many bags or cans and bottles as he could fit in his trunk today and turned them into cash. Grand total so far is $17. Woo hoo. We have about 7 more bags to turn in so probably will net about another 20 bucks.

We are off to a great start. I will also be turning this cash into a match from my company so whatever I earn from recycling will double.

Thanks to my parents, James' parents, my co-workers, my sisters, and my friend Julie. Julie started collecting all the bottles and cans from her co-workers to give to me and she handed me five big bags of water bottles this past weekend.

I think I can raise at least 100 dollars easily and turn it into 200 with my companies match since I still have eight more months to go. This really is a painless way to raise some money. Instead of throwing things away just place them in a bag and turn them into cash.

another fundraising milestone

I just wanted to let everyone know I have reached my 50 % mark in fundraising. In fact, I have reached 52% for a grand total of $1186.00.

Only $1114.00 to go. Remember this money all goes to Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure and will be used for breast cancer research and other community resources.

Any of the following contributions will work and don't forget I am training to walk 60 miles in 3 days in order to raise this money:

1 person to contribute $1114.00 to this worthy cause
2 people to contribute $ 557.00
1 person to contribute $ 557.00 and then get your company to match this gift
278.5 people to contribute $ 4 (a cup of coffee or lunch for one day)


The possibilities are endless and I can not do this without YOU. You can also purchase my photo cards on Etsy. All proceeds are being donated. See the link on the right side of my page.

fremont canyon, have you seen this part of Orange County?

I did this hike on Saturday. It was a great workout. The first two hours were all uphill and about three miles one way. For details and pictures click HERE.

going uphill

My daily walks include hills. One of the routes I take at work is half down hill and half uphill. I find walking up hills increases my strength and stamina. It burns more calories, too. I know when I walk in San Diego this year there will be many hills. The route from last year started in Del Mar and went through La Jolla and down to downtown. Have you been to Torrey Pines State Reserve? Enough said. There are some big hills.

This is why I like walking in the wilderness when I can. In South Orange County, where I live, there are a lot of hills. This is good training ground.

Tomorrow, I am going on a hike in the Irvine Land Conservancy, Fremont Canyon area and am very excited about it. The hike is supposed to be 5-6 miles, not terribly long, but with a 1000 foot elevation gain. Should be fun. It will also be an interpretive hike and I will learn a lot about thehistory of the area. I will let you know how it went and of course, I will have some pics to post.

i now tweet

Okay. I realize in order to raise money or awareness you need people to listen. I also realize the more people I reach out to the better success I will have. With that said, I now have a twitter account. Hopefully, I can reach out to a new audience and raise more money for a worthy cause! If you have an account please follow me. There is a link on the side of my blog. I will try to update it often. Only time will tell if it is worth it. Thanks for your ongoing support.

can you tell I have been busy lately?

With sick kids, school, housework, regular work, etc. I have not had much time to focus on raising money and training. I need to get back in the swing of things. I was able to take a small walk yesterday in the hills surrounding my home. The pictures I took are beautiful. Check them out on my other blog.
My goals for this week are to hit the gym at least three times. I will also walk on my lunch breaks at work.

I am still working on my designs, although I still have some work to do. I will be selling them at Printfection and CafePress. Here is a sneak peek. What do you think?







The stores will up and running in next few weeks.