The experience of your life

First of all you need to get into the right mind set. Don’t look at this as “training for a marathon” or in this case a marathon and a half, in the traditional sense. No one is keeping track of how or when you cross the finish line. You need to think of the walk itself is your reward for all you’ve done up to that point.
You will spend the next months raising funds and awareness and yes doing your training. $1,800 is a good amount of money and you will have to work hard for it. 39 miles is a long walk and you will have to prepare yourself for it. But this will be one of the most amazing, challenging, and fun things you will ever do.
My first suggestion is to go to the Avon website and read it, all of it. Learn the statistics, learn where the money is donated to, learns what their mission is. Then go to In it to end it and read the message boards. Both sites are linked on the right side of this page. There are some wonderful people there who will tell their story, answer your question, and welcome you into a very special community.
My next suggestion is don’t be like me! Join a team. There are a couple of ways to go about that. There are several what I call “seasonal teams” these are teams that do all 9 walks of the season. The one I am familiar with is “Solo Strutters” it was started by a woman named Judy a few years ago. She had registered to do a walk and was by herself. She figured there had to be others out there who had registered by themselves and thus started a team of people who were there on their own. Judy herself does all 9 walks and heads her team in each city. You can also check the teams registered in your area. The Avon website lists all the teams in the host city. Post a message looking for a team in your area. That way you can meet your team mates for training walks and get to know them before the actual walk. Then there’s always the option of starting your own team. It only takes two people to constitute a team. Get a couple of friends together and form your own team.
Some people can do this walk by themselves and be just fine and then there’s people like me. I got into such a groove and so focused on finishing the first 26 miles that I forgot that it’s not about how far you go. My stubborn streak will one day be my own demise. I’m the kind of person who needs a reasonable person there to smack me upside the head and tell me to get into the sweep van.
This really is a wonderful experience. You will laugh and cry and have a fabulous time. The whole weekend has very much a party atmosphere. The crew and volunteers that take care of the walkers are phenomenal. They really go out of their way to care for us. All the rest stops and happy fun places, the sweep team is encouraging and friendly, the moto crew on the motorcycles at all major intersections are encouraging and upbeat. The wellness village is full of people who go out of there way to make you comfortable, right down to taking care of your blisters and sore muscles, after a day of walking.
Then there are the other walkers you will meet along the way. Their stories are amazing and varied and inspiring and you will want to hear as many stories as you can. It really is a good time had by all.