Still Standing (and walking)

It's hard to believe that we're now less than a month away from the 2009 Twin Cities 3-Day. I could swear that just a couple of weeks ago, there was still 90+ days to go. I guess it's true that the older you get, the faster time goes by.

In fact, it goes by so fast, that I'm just now sitting down to report that last weekend, my Angel Wings teammates and I put in nearly 40 miles of training - over just two days! We had been planning to do back-to-back 20-mile training walks and we actually did it. (Ok, our team captain/slave driver thought it was a good idea and the rest of us weren't smart enough to tell her she was nuts.) I had never done that in five previous years of training for the 3-Day, so I wasn't entirely sure I needed to do it or wanted to do it, but I really didn't have anything else to do, so what the heck.

Fortunately, the weather was good, if not great, and my feet and legs (and other body parts) held up just fine. Saturday was mostly cloudy and breezy and cool, perfect for walking. We walked around Lake Calhoun, Lake Harriet, and Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis - twice around each lake. I definitely want to thank Selina, Lori, Teresa, Katy, and Jolie (our honorary teammate for the day) for all the wonderful conversation and laughter. Granted, most of it can't be repeated in order to protect their reputations, but as all of us who spend so much time walking all summer know so well, the stories and jokes and banter are what make hours of tedious walking so enjoyable. That and the eye candy we see jogging, rollerblading, and biking around the lakes. God, I love Minnesota. :-)

At the end of our day - which started around 7:15 and ended nearly eight hours later - I was indeed tired, but had no significant aches or pains. Even after several years of doing this and knowing what shoes to wear and how to stretch and take rest breaks and all that stuff, I'm still amazed (and thankful) that I'm able to walk that much without getting blisters or other injuries. I have to remember that not all 3-Day walkers are that fortunate, which makes their effort so much more admirable...or insane - I haven't decided which.

Sunday was (finally) a gorgeous, sunny summer day - clear blue sky, temps starting in the 60s and rising through the 70s to near 80 during the afternoon. It seems like we haven't had enough of those days here in Minnesota this summer. Our group walked through a large portion of suburban Inver Grove Heights and even managed to include a few "gently rolling hills", of the type that have become somewhat notorious in recent years on the Twin Cities 3-Day. Yes, we stopped plenty of times for rest(room) breaks and to stretch and refill water bottles. And we (almost) always walked on the left side of the street, when we weren't on a sidewalk or walking/biking path. I wouldn't the 3-Day Training Police to chastise us veteran walkers for not obeying the rules designed for our own well-being.

I'd write more about what we talked about during our second consecutive 8-hour day of walking, but I simply don't remember much, if any of it. No, it isn't because everything my wonderful teammates said was mind-numbingly boring. It's more likely due to the combination of short-term memory loss and early Alzheimer's, which I self-diagnosed several years ago. Considering what 3-Day walkers talk about on training walks, maybe that's a good thing.

After a combined 40 miles of walking, I spent a relaxing evening on the couch - butt down, feet up, as I like to say - followed by a relaxing day off from work on Monday. (I felt it necessary to not only simulate two actual days of walking on the 3-Day, but to also simulate what the "day after" would be like, as well, when I take my traditional day of vacation to relax and recover.) Yes, my simulated vacation also went well. So I do believe I'm ready and rarin' to go for the big event.

We're in the homestretch now, my friends...Stay with me!


Scott's Official 3-Day Countdown: 28 days until Day 1 (only four weeks left!!!)