5 Tips for Walking an Avon Walk
Since I’ve crewed a walk one and walked two Avon Walks now, I thought I’d put together a list of advice. Here are my 5 Tips for Walking an Avon Walk for Breast Cancer:
Training is Worth the Effort – This may seem obvious, but it seems that a lot of people don’t train enough for these long walks. Each year, I get in at least one ~20 mile training walk along with numerous other 8-12 mile walks. I see the point of training as a way to test out your gear and learn how your body reacts to walking such a long distance. Be sure to wear any clothing or gear that you plan to wear on walk weekend during your training walks. Also be sure to train in weather similar to what you’ll expect the weekend of your walk if possible. If you have trained well, you will know what works and what doesn’t work for you. You’ll also hopefully have fully broken in your shoes and won’t get any blisters!
Have a great Team of Supporters by Your Side – For me, the 13.1 miles on Sunday is mostly a mental challenge. Yes, my body is sore and I’m tired, but I can power through that knowing what a great cause I’m supporting. Hubby has joined me to walk the last mile or so for both walks that I’ve done. It’s nice to have someone there encouraging me through to the end. Whether it’s a teammate, friend, or family member, I recommend having someone there to cheer you on at the end. It’s great to get a big hug when it’s all said and done.
Listen to Your Body – This is another seemingly obvious point. It is very important to pay attention to what your body is telling you. If you’re starting to tighten up, stop to stretch. Don’t wait until the next stop, do it right away. If you’re not peeing at every rest stop, you’re probably not drinking enough and could risk getting dehydrated. Training walks will help you to be able to identify the signals your body is sending you.
Skip the Tenting – I know a lot of people will disagree with this tip. But I stand by it. I tented when I crewed Boston in 2009. I was tired and sore the next day. I remember thinking that I could never get up and walk 13 miles after sleeping on the ground. Both of the walks I have done have been out of town, so there’s also the factor of traveling with all the gear necessary to tent at the Wellness Village. I think it’s worth it to be able to take a long hot shower, have a cold beer at a bar, and sleep in a bed on Saturday night.
Enjoy your Walk! – The walks go through some amazing parts of some amazing cities. Take the time to see the sights. Take pictures. Read the little snipets about the landmarks you walk by. Stop in Chinatown for a dumpling. Or at a famous bakery for a cupcake. Talk to the other walkers and ask them why they’re walking. Remember that you should be proud of this amazing accomplishment and enjoy yourself!
If you’ve been thinking about joining me for a walk, now is your chance! I will be walking the Avon Walk in Boston 2012 on May 19-20. If you’d like to join my email, email me. If you’d like to donate to my walk, you can do so by clicking here.
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
I am doing the 3-day 60-mile Susan G Komen walk later this year, so I know what a huge commitment you’re making. Best of luck with your training and your fund-raising.
You can totally do it! I did the boston walk in 08 and was out of shape but left myself 9 months to train and was in the best shape ever for that walk. I wasn’t able to do all of the miles – i did one pit stop over the half marathon the first day and then the whole day the 2nd day – It’s not how many miles you walk.
I had someone on the shuttle back to camp tell me – a volunteer – as she saw me crying that i didn’t finish the first day – say to me: it’s not the miles you finish, it’s the $ you raise that matters. the walk is their way of showing you how hard cancer is – your $ is what matters to help the people who need it most.
You’ll do great!!!!
I went to SF for the first time in September last year, and I loved it! I tried a few different ice cream shops cuz it’s my favorite food group, and the top on my list to re-visit next time is Humphry Slocombe’s (very unique flavor combo’s!). And one of my favorite touristy things was visiting the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. Happy training for the walk!
Grace @ Front Porch Yoga (www.frontporchyoga.com)
Good luck on the walk! The highlowaha crew will be doing the 2010 3 Day walk in Dallas/Fort Worth! We did the 2009 walk and had a blast…it was such an awesome experience!
Thank you for your committment to the walks via Crew & walking. You can certainly do it! It’s going to be an incredible experience physically and mentally. I lost my Mom to breast and lung cancer in Feb 2006 and walked the 3 Day in Aug ’06. It was one of the most incredible events I have participated in. Be sure to incorporate some hills into your training in order to get your body ready for any route!!
Congratulations on your decision to walk. I did the Arizona 3 Day in 2008 and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I blogged my journey and the blog is still posted so you are welcome to check it out for training and fundraising tips. You can also email me any time for questions. Good Luck!
http://3daytraining.blogspot.com/
Good luck on your walk! I know you can do it 🙂
What an awesome cause! Good luck with your training!
I just donated – breast cancer also runs in my family so I firmly believe in fundraising for the cause! Also, just wanted to show my support for my favorite local baker. 🙂 Have you thought about doing a bakesale to raise money? I’m thinking of doing one in work to support to the Walk for Hunger in May.