Nike+

I got my shoes!! But it occurred to me that not everyone knows how these beauties work, or what amazing things you can do with them. I mean, I don’t even know everything and I’ve got the things strapped to my feet for hours at a time!

 Under the insole of the left shoe is a chip that communicates wirelessly to a tiny plug that you insert into your iPod. Your workout data is automatically stored onto the iPod and when you connect to the iPod to the computer, the info is sent directly to the special nike.com website where you can manage what you’ve done.

N.B. I did not include a link to this site because it’s all flash and pointless to send you there. You could probably find more thorough results in Google than on their site!

Training Accessories

My boyfriend knows how excited I am about walking in October and how serious I am about my training. So, for my birthday he just gave me an incredible gift!

The iPod nano with armband. I have an iPod mini which has served me well, but I’ve run out of space and it weighs down my shorts/pants when I go walking! At first I thought I’d be very sad to give it up, and I will a little bit because my parents gave it to me and I love them and miss them dearly, but this new nano? I won’t even feel it!

I’m even tempted to get the Nike+ now…heh heh heh

Training Safety After Murder

I’m learning how truly difficult it is to find time to train while working six days a week. Because my commute from my condo to work is about 2 hrs, I don’t get home until around 7:30pm on weeknights. This has worked out so far because if I leave the house right away, I can fit in a 3 mile walk before the sun goes down.

But recently the training schedule is growing more demanding, suggesting 5 miles on weekdays, which according to my calculations will take approx. 1 hr. 20 minutes. I don’t mind putting in the time–in fact, it’s a nice break to either talk on the phone (at the moment, I am training alone) or unwind after a long day and listen to new songs I’ve downloaded to my iPod.

The troubling thing is that about 2 weeks ago a 19 yr old girl was killed in my town which has me really freaked out to walk at night.

The man knew this girl, Tanisha Tull, but all the same I’m not used to living in a town with a murder and it’s very unsettling.

Despite my discomfort, I will keep on training and always let people know where I am walking and when I expect to be home.

Day T-159: gearing up for training

I’ve had my walker’s and team captain’s handbooks inside their sealed envelopes for over a month now, and today I finally opened them. We all know that getting mail is exciting, and this certainly was no exception. My walker’s envelope came with the handbook, an ID carrier on a lanyard, and a card to go inside where you add stickers everytime you reach a milestone.

These are the milestones I have reached so far:

• read my handbook
• set up my personal page
• wrote an email for donations
• received my first donation
• set up a team
• visited the 3 Day shop

None of these are all that amazing, but it was incredibly satisfying getting to apply these stickers to my card.

My team members are struggling to raise their $90 registration fees, so right now I am the only member of team Meet Me Halfway. I really believe it is up to them to come up with the $90 and to prioritize their spending if they really want to participate. However, when it comes time to fundraise I do believe we’re all in it together–that’s something that joining a sorority (ALPHA SIGMA ALPHA!!) certainly taught me during my college years. So although nobody is registered yet, saving $90 might take some time and time is not on our sides for much longer when it comes to training.

To get my potential teammates motivated, I have encouraged them to contact me for a training schedule that is provided to walkers when they officially register with the 3 Day. There are two schedules provided: a 24 week schedule and a 16 week schedule. I am doing the 24 week schedule not only because the walk is 23 weeks away, but because I also find that walking is a great way to be active and fit for bathing suit season! Whatever motivates ya, right?