Happy New Year! Now, put on your 60 mile game face!

I went on a walk on New Years Day 2010 and thought about how much 2009 kicked me in the butt mentally and physically. I thought about how I spent days upon days feeling sorry for myself. I decided I needed a reality check. I then thought about a powerful lady I knew who struggled and lost her battle with breast cancer. She always maintained a positive tough attitude despite every single struggle the disease threw at her. I sat with her while she laughed through chemotherapy, joked about her nausea, and actually asked me about my problems as she sat in her hospital bed. After she passed away I walked my first Komen 3 Day for a Cure with my sister and friend Laura. That time, I wanted to walk for the men and women I knew affected by breast cancer whether it was struggling while a loved one was afflicted by the disease, or losing someone to the disease, or actually fighting the disease themselves. This time, of course, I want to walk for the same reasons as last time but, I also want to walk because the people affected by breast cancer don't just need their loved ones to support them, they need millions of strangers to also take a stand and not let the lack of a cure pass by without notice. I want to walk for people stronger than me. I may not be able to cure breast cancer. I may not be able to make the struggle better. But, I do know, I can walk 60 miles, knee braces and all, to take a stand and raise a ton of money for people who deserve millions upon millions of people taking a notice. (Did I mention I am going to have to share a tiny tiny tiny tent with a stranger and I'm not really comfortable even hugging relatives... Sacrifices, people, sacrifices!)

On to the physical motivation... This weekend I purchased key items for the next 10 months of training.

Items purchased:

1. The best best best lumbar pack (they wouldn't embarrass you with calling it a "hip pack" or a "fanny pack"... thank god): the Mountainsmith Tour Lumbar Pack. I had this for the last 3 Day I did and I loved it! The padding in the back is like a hug for your lower back and makes carrying 2-32 oz water bottles on your hips feel like a second skin. It also helps that it has wide straps around your waist so there's more support for extra heavy stuff in your bag. I also took my last lumbar pack touring in London and still felt hip (clearly b/c its sporty and has an added shoulder strap for when you may be embarrassed and need to do a quick wardrobe change). Why I am not just using my last Mountainsmith Lumbar Pack? Oh, because I left it on a live stove (mind you, I was in college) and it melted. Genius.

2. The number one consumer reports pedometer. I'll have to report more on this later as I haven't tried it yet but, I've read you can clip it to your sports bra (thus no horrible rubbing on your hips when you are on mile 16 in 89 degree muggy heat) and still get accurate results. I'll be the judge on this one, consumer reports!

3. Also, Asics Gel-Trabuco 12 WR sweet awesome fierce shoes! I'm not going to lie, while the shoes were hugely comfortable and not very heavy (huge plus on mile 19) the bonus factor had a lot to do with how fantastic they will look with black tights and a hot pink tutu. I swore to Andy I would wear the hot pink tutu on the 3 Day if (1) I raise enough money ($2,300... holy crap!!) to actually participate and (2) [Easy part] I have trained enough to actually get that tutu over my hips!

I hope you guys follow me, support me, have fun with me, and, of course, donate to a hugely important cause.... http://www.the3day.org/goto/jennyobrien