Tag Archives: walking tips

Motivation Monday: What Walking Can Do for You

It’s a new week, and the first full week of a new month. We should be ready to jump out of bed and take on the day! That’s not always the case though, because Mondays can be hard. Luckily, we have another dose of Monday Motivation to jump start your weekly training for the 3-Day. One easy way to get moving is to remember all the benefits of walking—physical, mental and emotional. Here are some of the life-changing benefits of taking those extra steps:

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It reduces the risk of developing breast cancer: According to research conducted by Susan G. Komen®, women who get any regular exercise or physical activity have a lower risk of breast cancer than women who are inactive.

It helps curb a sweet tooth: One good move begets another! Once you get out and moving, you’ll probably also want to treat your body well on the inside. Try one of our smoothie recommendations after your walk to keep your health-kick moving.

It will get you outside: We’re right in the heart of winter, which means you are spending more time inside than in other times of year. Getting outside gives you Vitamin D from the sun, and also a nice bit of fresh air! Working out in the gym is good too, but if you can get outside, it will help you feel even more invigorated.

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It promotes heart health: Heart health is hugely important for your vitality, so getting out for a walk can help your health now and in the long run. Plus, February is Heart Health Month, so your walk is actually a celebration!

A little bit goes a long way: You don’t need to have an intense exercise routine to lower your risk of breast cancer. If you haven’t been doing much training yet, just getting up and getting moving will help you look good, feel good and kick start your training for future walks.

It keeps you social: Make a Friend Day is coming up on February 11th, so grab your teammates or other friends and lace up your walking shoes. It’s a great way to pencil in some catch-up time with someone you haven’t seen in a while or start a walking club with a group. Being around friends will always help put a smile on your face!

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It’s a mood booster: Any physical activity, walking included, can help with your overall mood and energy level. Guess that’s why they call it putting some pep in your step!

What other benefits do you get from walking, besides training for an excellent sixty miles, that is!?

REMINDER: The health, safety and training information contained in this blog post, or otherwise provided to you in connection with your participation in the 3-Day, is not intended to replace or be construed as medical advice and any such information is not a substitute for seeking medical advice or treatment from your medical provider. Before starting any exercise program or following any recommendations, advice or other instructions regarding training for the 3-Day or any athletic event, you should first consult a physician and have a physical examination.

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Philadelphia 3-Day Weather Update and Wet Weather Walking Tips

If you’ve been to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® before, you know that part of the excitement of the journey is discovering all of the wonderful surprises awaiting you on the route and at camp. The Komen 3-Day is such an amazing experience that sometimes even Mother Nature can’t wait to play along, and this weekend in Philadelphia, we are expecting rain, wind and cooler temperatures. While you may have heard about the possible severe weather from Hurricane Joaquin, at this point, it looks as if  he’s not likely to crash our party on the 3-Day®. We want to assure you that the 3-Day staff is closely monitoring the weather, and we’ll adjust plans accordingly. Our participants’ safety is our first priority, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure that our walkers, crew members and volunteers are supported and safe.

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What can you do to help? Be prepared! The following are our top five wet and cool weather walking tips. A little preparation can go a long way for your comfort.

  • Sock it to me: Many walkers carry an extra pair of socks in their walking pack to change at the lunch stop each day anyway, but we recommend on wet walking days that you bring as many extra pairs of socks as you can fit in your walking pack. Keep them dry in plastic bags until you’re ready to put them on. Keeping your tootsies as dry as possible is one way to ensure 60 miles of smiles.
  • Lay on the layers: You won’t be taking a short stroll in the park, and even in the rain, your body is working hard to get you where you need to go. Dress in moisture-wicking layers so you can easily change for your comfort. High quality, seamless tights may prevent wet pants and thighs from rubbing and chafing, and a durable rain jacket that extends longer than your torso will help keep chafing-prone areas dry and comfortable.
  • Shoes you can use: Even if it’s not raining, we recommend participants bring two pairs of broken-in shoes, but it’s even more important when walking in wet conditions. If you soak a pair of shoes one day, you’ll have a dry pair to start with the next day.
  • Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate: Just because your skin is being rained on doesn’t mean water is going where it needs to. Remember to keep hydrated, alternating water and sports drink, and stopping to use the restrooms at every pit stop.
  • Read this blog post: It’s chock full of additional wet and cool weather walking tips, including two methods that can help you keep your feet as dry as possible.

Also, be sure you’re signed up for 3-Day Text Alerts, which will keep you informed with event-related news and announcements sent directly to your mobile device.

We’ll continue to keep you updated if anything changes, but for now, rest assured that we’re closely monitoring the situation with your safety and comfort in mind. If you have any questions, feel free to contact our coaches at 800-996-3DAY. See you in Philly – rain or shine!

 

3-Day Wet Weather Walking Advice

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day® event staff is in Michigan, getting everything ready to kick off our first 2014 event. On Monday, we (and everyone in the greater Detroit area) were deluged by a record-breaking summer thunderstorm, resulting in flooding and a whole lot of very wet Komen 3-Day staffers. Naturally, this got us thinking about tips for walking in rainy weather, and while the forecast looks clear for the 3-Day® this weekend (fingers crossed, knock on wood, wish on a star)…

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Tuesday morning’s NBC 4cast. Looking good!

…we thought it would be a great time to talk about some strategies for staying as dry and comfortable as possible so you can keep moving. So I put out the S.O.S. (Save Our Shoes!) to the coaches and got some fantastic advice for how to trek through the tempests.

Keeping Feet Dry – Plastic Bag Method

  1. Heavily coat your clean, dry feet with your lubricant of choice (Vaseline, Hike Goo, Body Glide, etc.). Friction causes blisters, and friction increases in wet conditions; lubing up your feet well will help prevent this if they do get wet.
  2. Put on clean, dry socks.
  3. Put a clean, dry (are you sensing a theme?) plastic bag over each socked foot. Plastic grocery bags, small trash can liners or freezer bags work well. It’s best to use something that will cover up over your ankles and won’t bunch up in your shoes.
  4. Some people like to secure the bags around their ankles using duct tape, or by pulling a terrycloth wristband over their feet up to their ankles. The latter is easier to get off than tape.
  5. At this point, I also like to put on a second pair of socks over the plastic bags to keep them in place. It’s a matter of preference, and how comfortable you are with a thick layer inside your shoes.
  6. Put shoes on over bags (or over the second pair of socks).
  7. Bring extra bags, lubricant and socks so that you can reapply and change them along the way.

Your shoes will still get wet, but this method works great to keep your feet dry from the rain. That said, they may get a little sweatier than usual since they can’t “breathe” as well. The lubrication step and changing your socks/bags throughout the day are both really important.Komen_3day_rainy walking

Keeping Feet Dry – Duct Tape Method

Some walkers swear by duct tape as the best tool for keeping shoes and feet dry. I’ve personally never tried this, but one coach clued me in to the technique: “Just ‘mummy wrap’ your shoes. Start at the toes and wrap circles around the shoe (including the bottom) until you get up to the top. Wrap around the ankle and heel, doing the best you can to cover everything. You are basically covering every part of the shoe that might soak in water with a water protected cover. The water will bead off of the tape. Eventually as you are walking, the tape will wear off the sole of the shoe, but the top will stay on because it’s stuck on there. (It takes a long time for the tape on the bottom to wear off). It is surprisingly effective.” Obviously, this method would be a little tougher to replicate 2 or 3 times a day, but if you find something that works, go for it!

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A version of the duct tape method

General Tips

  • Disposable ponchos will run you about a buck each, and can be found in the camping section of any sporting goods store or Target/Walmart, so grab 2 or 3 for each day and tuck them into your pack. If it starts raining, pull out that poncho and wear it!
  • Bring two pairs of shoes (recommended even if it’s not raining). If you soak one pair one day, you’ll at least have a dry pair to start with the next day.
  • Speaking of soaked shoes, if your shoes get wet, cram them full of crumpled newspaper at night. They will be dry in the morning. Really, stuff as much newspaper in your shoes as you can. You may have to change it during the night once the paper absorbs the water; have some crumpled up and ready, and when you have to go to the bathroom during the night, swap out the newspaper. Ya know – since you’re up anyway.
  • Wearing pants—weatherproof if you can find them—is recommended to help keep the rain from running directly into your shoes.
  • If you wear glasses, wear a hat with a bill to help keep your glasses dry, and bring a cloth to dry your glasses so you can see clearly when moving down the route.
  • Just because your skin is being rained on doesn’t mean the water is going where it needs to. Remember to keep hydrated.
  • No cotton! Wear clothing made of dry wick material (including undies!).
  • High quality, seamless tights will prevent wet pants and thighs from rubbing and chafing.
  • A tight, long-sleeved base layer top will help keep you from chafing under the arms when wet.
  • A rain jacket that extends longer than your torso will help keep the majority of chafing-prone areas dry and comfortable.
  • Wear reflective gear, bright colors, vest or LED head lamp so cars will see you through the rain.
  • Beware of freshly painted curbs; they’re slippery.
  • There are a couple other rainy walking tips in our 3-Day Walking Hacks blog post.
  • Camping in the rain? There are a few good tips in our 3-Day Camping Hacks post too.

Like with everything, it is ideal to test out any of these methods or products before you get to your 3-Day event, but that’s not always possible. Do what you can, keep an eye on the forecast, and be as prepared as possible. This is a good time to remind you that the 3-Day generally continues whatever the weather, so you should be ready to walk and camp in inclement weather. If the weather gets so severe that it might compromise safety, the 3-Day has a thorough back-up plan for evacuating camp and relocating participants.

When all is said and done, just remember that your safety and health should be your number one concern (they’re our number one concern!), and don’t ever forget that your part in the 3-Day is invaluable – rain or shine!