5 Miles in Ramona

This weekend I surprised my Mom for MOther's Day and flew down to San Diego. Dana and Alex picked me up, and I stayed hidden in the car as we drove up to my parents house. Dana got out and said "I picked something up for you" and opened my door where I jumped out and said "Happy Mother's Day!" She was completely shocked and cried a little, so our surprise was successfull! Its been a great weekend so far!

This morning I got up early (it's HOT here!) and Roxie and I went for a 5 mile walk in beautiful Ramona. She enjoyed seeing cows, goats, a snake (YUCK!) and a sheep dog being trained to herd the sheep. We were back by about 9am and it felt so good! She was a good walking partner. Tomorrow is 3 miles and then brunch at the golf course with all 4 Flaherty's and my my folks. Not too shabby!

20 Miles this weekend!

Well, I had a little bit of a set back with my ankle. Matt and I were running for the bus after the Dodger game, and the next morning I REALLY felt it in my foot. It felt like it was made of stone, so I did not walk Thursday or Friday. Saturday was go day for a 13 mile walk with Dee. So I took a Tylenol, and hoped for the best.

Happily, I was able to make it through all 13 miles, which took us from the Castro, through the park, down the coast, around Stowe Lake, and finally looping through Alamo Square and back to the Castro. We were pretty sore by the time we landed back at Dee's house, and I went straight home to hop in an Epson salt bath. So nice!

Matt and I did my 7 mile follow up walk on Sunday, from our house to Union Square and then up Powell Street (nice hill!) to Washington and then down around the Embarcadero. It was a good thing I had Matt with me, because I would have been tempted to cheat a little off the mileage! :)

So far, so good! Next week we get to do a Avon walk with Reece Witherspoon in Potrero Hill, which we are super excited about going to. (Cancun burritos afterwards don't hurt either) Thank you again for all of your support so far! I'll keep you updated!

~Sara

Lovely Day

Today was such a beautiful day. After the big 12 miler yesterday, we were scheduled to do a 6 mile walk today. Martin and Dee met us at our place in Cow Hollow and we walked down to the Embarcadero to walk along the water. Today was something called Sunday Streets where the city shuts down a road to cars and it becomes bike and pedestrian only for a couple of hours, so the walk was wide open and uncrowded. We walked down to AT&T park and then back for lunch at the Ferry building. Martin and Dee got the F line back to their house after lunch and Matt and I walked another 2 miles back to ours after shopping at the Ferry market for some yummy, fresh Halibut and organic veggies for dinner tonight.

Our total mileage was 20 miles for the weekend, which is a lot for me. My ankle is just the tiniest bit stiff and sore this afternoon, which I imagine it will be as each week we increase our walks by about 2 miles. It's nothing that can't be dealt with with a little Tylenol, so I am thrilled that it has held up so well! So far, so good. And it has been SO fun to get to do this with Dee for the big walks and Matt for the follow ups. I have also been learning just how many of my friends and family have been affected by this disease with more than just the people I knew myself, so it makes the walk even more essential. Thanks again to all my supporters out there! It should be an amazing experience!

~SJ

12 Miles-Yeah!!

Today was our Avon sponsored 12 mile walk and it was definitely a training walk. This is the first time that Dee and I actually felt really challenged and at the end of the walk we were pretty tired but very proud! It felt good to cross the finish line and both Matt and Martin came out to cheer us on! After the race we got to sit for a bit and listen to some presentations about the race itself, and Dee brought "pink lady" apples for us to enjoy which were amazing. All in all, a GREAT day and I feel like I have really built up some strength in my legs. I also invested in some special distance walking socks to deal with my blisters, and BOY, what a difference! No hint of blisters today and I feel pretty good! I will definitely sleep well tonight. Thanks again to all my great supporters! I could not do it without you!

Easy Week

It's been a pretty easy week. Tuesday and tonight I did 3 mile training loops along the marina. We had a 2 day heat wave in San Francisco, so tonight's walk with some much appreciated fog was just a delight! On Monday, Wednesday and Friday I go to the gym with Matt and do weights with some cross-training cardio, and the weekends are the big walks. This weekend Dee and I get to join a big group of people in an Avon sponsored 12 mile training walk, and then get to go back to a expo about the walk. We're excited to get to know some other walkers especially. It seems like every walk it gets easier and easier, and I definitely see some change in my legs especially, which is a nice side benefit to a great cause!

A lovely day on the Embarcadero!

Today was a 6 mile walk day, and we didn't quite make it all 6 miles with my blisters! Matt and I started at our place and walked around the Embarcadero to the Ferry building and then up Folsom to the Sports Authority store. I finally invested in some sweat wicking shorts and tops to aid in my training and hopefully encourage me to keep walk even after July! It was a stunning day and we had a good time.

Another great endurance walk!

Today Dee and I did 10.5 miles over the Golden Gate. It was SO beautiful and our legs are definitely getting stronger. We did more miles in less time than last week so we are really happy!