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On Saturday Dave & I participated in the 2009 Dallas Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure along with Nikki and her co-workers and a few of our friends. In addition, I also was a community leader in the EA SPORTS Active 5K Challenge.

If you don’t know, EA SPORTS Active is a fun and interactive workout game for your Nintendo Wii (and can also be used with a Wii Fit Balance Board). It’s actually a butt-whopping. For real. I never thought I could get so sore or sweaty from a video game, but it’s possible. Here’s a little more about the 5K Challenge:

Are you ready to take your workouts to the next level? The EA SPORTS Active 5K Challenge is a great way to continue your journey to better health. Between Saturday, Oct. 17th and Sunday, Nov. 15th, we are encouraging you to take part in a 5K event in your community. There is a training plan on the EA SPORTS Active website, helping you prepare for a 5K using both EA SPORTS Active as well as walking and running. There are community leaders that we will connect you with who will be able to tell you which event they are recommending for your community.

And yes – anyone can do this. Really. From those of you who have never run before to those of you who compete…this is truly for everyone. It’s a great way to get to know people in your community and a chance to push yourself. You have come a long way using EA SPORTS Active Personal Trainer, and now it’s time to step it up a notch.

I started using EA SPORTS Active in July (along with Wii Fit), and by August I had lost 7 pounds. It has a 30 Day Challenge program, which actually kept me accountable for logging in each day and completing my tasks. This was great for training for the 5K because there are walking and jogging components, and the exercises vary each day and never get boring. I look forward to trying the EA SPORTS More Workouts when it comes out in mid-November.

Here are some more of the photos from our event on Saturday, October 17. By the way, it’s not too late to sign up and participate in a 5K in your community! You can also donate to my Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure event in 2010.

It’s breast cancer awareness month, and as you may know, Dave and I are walking in our second Race for the Cure of the year on Saturday. I am also working on fundraising for my 2010 Breast Cancer 3-Day next November. I’m a long way from my $2300 goal.

60 miles in three days is a long distance. Trust me, I did it last year. When I signed up the first time, I was more worried about the fundraising than I was the walking. The money actually came in pretty quickly and I got a lot of support. I was lucky to work at a company that allowed me to sell baked goods and openly ask for donations. As we began to train, I became worried about blisters and maintaining my feet.

We were told not to get pedicures because we needed to build up a callus. I get regular pedicures and scrub my own feet religiously. My feet were prime candidates for blisters, bad blisters. After one of our longest training walks, I got a major blister in between several of my toes. I was devastated. It hurt, and took quite a few weeks to heal.

I began looking for solutions. I read message board after message board, and discovered a thread about Injinji toesocks.

Sure they look kind of silly, but do they work?! You bet! I went to my local Luke’s Locker and bought several pairs, and happily wore them on several training walks which ended in blister free feet. They work, because each toe has it’s own space and does not rub against your other toes. They also are made with CoolMax material which pulls the moisture away from your feet. During the actual 3-Day event, I alternated between them and another sock made with wicking material, and even doubled up. I can’t say that I had completely blister free feet (60 miles is a long way to walk), although I didn’t have any between my toes. I had a few on the bottom on my foot, and also on the side where my foot rubbed against my shoe. Still, it could have been a lot worse, and I attribute that to my fabulous toes socks from Injinji.

I wear them anytime I know I am going to do a lot of walking, like the State Fair of Texas last week! Recently I was in touch with a rep from Injinji who provided me with several pairs of socks at cost for review. My feet felt perfect when I got home, were not sore, and I had zero blisters. Plus, I love that they come in pink (and a variety of other colors and styles). You can also choose between crew, mini crew, and micro. My favorite is the mini crew because they are not too short, and not too long. As Goldilocks would say, they are just right.

Now as I prepare for my upcoming walks, I am confident that my feet will be well taken care of. I am now more concerned about making the fundraising limit. Isn’t it strange how things shift?

Today was the 2009 Race for the Cure! Through my On The Border fundraiser (and Facebook of all places) I met an amazing woman, Cathy, who is currently going through treatment for breast cancer. Along with David, we formed a team that consisted of her husband and several of her friends. We walked in celebration of her first year as a survivor, and also David and I walked in memory of his mother. We had fun and enjoyed the beautiful day. Here are some photos from the event:

This year we parked in the EDS parking garage.

Port-o-Potty Heaven (or Hell).

Race Day Schedule.

Elisabeth’s Garden.

Super Dave!

Debby, walking in Celebration of Cathy.

Me and Tom Thumb.

Cathy walks in memory and in celebration of others.

The Chick-Fil-A cows moooove to the starting line.

Starting line!

Cathy’s David and Mandi’s David hold up their sign.

Cheerleaders on the race path.

Other walkers.

Mandi and her David.

Team shot.

Survivor’s Celebration.

Cathy singing during the Survivor’s Celebration.

The Three David’s toast after the walk!

Chug!

After the race using my XShot!

Nastia Liukin was the honorary race chair.

The tulip Cathy’s friends got for her.

David and I during the walk.

Me, Cathy, and Debby.

Mandi and her David.

Cathy with her tulip.

Cathy during one of the survivor programs.

Thanks to Mandi for posting and sharing her pictures. She had some great ones and I borrowed a few extras for this post. If you are my friend on Facebook, there are a lot more photos posted in a photo album on my page too. Thank you also to all of my friends and supporters who made donations to my walk and attended my On The Border fundraiser. I appreciate all of the sweet messages and words of encouragement too! Nikki had to miss the race again this year due to taking her kids to spend the summer with their dad, but we had discussed participating in the Dallas Race for the Cure later in the year, and we plan to return to the 3-Day next year. We will keep walking and fundraising until there is a cure. ♥

Today was my first day of volunteer work with the North Texas chapter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. They are gearing up for the race which will be June 6 in Plano at EDS Headquarters. If you follow me, you probably already know that since Dave and I are both participating again this year!

I have a whole new appreciation for all of the behind the scenes work that has to take place in order to get this event off the ground. Last year I was preparing for the Breast Cancer 3-Day, and signed up for the 5K as a training walk. My parents walked with me. I registered earlier on and received a packet in the mail that included my t-shirt and race bib. I had to drop by the Campus at Legacy (where I spent today) to pick theirs up since they registered after the packet mailing deadline.

Let me just say that it never crossed my mind that someone (actually lots of someones) would have to spend a week or more folding the shirts that had to be stuffed into an envelope. Now I do! I spent the afternoon carrying heavy boxes of shirts out of a storeroom and folding them one after one after one. I estimate I probably did at least 600 of those suckers this afternoon. That didn’t even make a dent in the THOUSANDS that are still left to do.

Luckily I have time on my hands, and will be volunteering every day for the rest of the month too. It is an incredible organization, and I am lucky to be involved. I will let you know when we complete the shirts and move on to a new task!

I bet you are wondering how my FIGHT HUNGER. FIGHT CANCER. fundraiser at On The Border last night went, right?! Well, I think it was fantastic! We had a great turnout of friends and supporters, as well as the local community. Also, I cannot say thank-you enough to IZEA who sponsored the event, and to On The Border in West McKinney who will be donating a portion of the night’s proceeds to my 2009 Race for the Cure.

I was very impressed with all of the help that On The Border gave me. The manager had all of his staff on hand, and asked that they wear their “Festa for the Cure” gear. With my balloons, banner, and items for sale and up for raffle, the theme of the evening – raising funds to find a cure for breast cancer – was evident.

Ted Murphy, IZEA’s CEO, even made an appearance at the event! Okay… so it was only a laminated photo of his head, but I think he still had a pretty good time! We got a good laugh out of it, too. I hope the “real” Ted finds it as amusing as we did.

Of course I cannot forget about the food. I had an amazing Sizzling Fajita Salad. This is one of my most favorite meals on the planet. It makes me feel like I am being healthy, but really it is kind of naughty. D and I also split the new desert sampler. We wouldn’t really recommend this though. Sorry, OTB! But it does look super yummy, huh?!

I also met some new friends thanks to my Facebook Group. Cathy (center) is currently going through treatment for breast cancer. She brought three of her friends (only two are pictured). They were the first to arrive shortly before 5:00 PM and each got one of my gift bags. They stayed for hours chatting and seemed to have a great time. I am so glad that they were able to join us! I just love that social media is able to bring perfect strangers together for a great cause. I am always very honored and humbled to be thanked by people like Cathy and her friend Barbara. It makes me feel like this really does make a difference.

I mentioned that we had a lot of friends show up to support us too. Dave’s co-worker, Heidi, brought her mom and daughter. She actually had a fundraiser at the same location several months back for a Leukemia run that she is doing in May. Dave’s former co-worker, Ken, also came and brought some other friends.

My awesome friends came out in abundance. This location is very small, and it we were all very spread out. I was trying to mingle between tables while posting updates on Twitter and Facebook, but it became pretty hard. At one point we had at least 7 different groups of friends and their families. Krista and Helen were among the first, sat with us, and stayed until the end.

Nikki, her fiance Craig, and her two kiddos joined us too. Nikki and I walked together in the Breast Cancer 3-Day last year, so we’ve been through a lot together. Sleeping in a cozy two person tent and walking 60 miles with a person makes you pretty close. She has been terribly sick all week, but still managed to join us anyway. I think she enjoyed looking especially miserable in the photo below. I hope you feel better soon, Nik!

Jodie and Allen also came and brought their adorable little girl. They have also all been very sick too, so I appreciate that they were able to make it as well. Trish brought her family, and her daughter especially loved the IZEA silly putty that was in the swag bag. Look at what she made. Too cute!

I think we had a really successful event and a lot of fun for a good cause. I am a little sad that I wasn’t able to get pictures with everyone. We had more friends there too. At one point I only had my cell phone, so you can see Kris smelling her pink breast cancer Sharpie, my pink balloons, Daena and her cute black & pink shirt, and Barbara’s cool breast cancer shoes and more on Twitter/Facebook. Thanks again to everyone that came out and participated. I appreciate it! I hope everyone had fun for this great cause.

Today is the day! It’s my Race for the Cure Fundraiser! I am very excited, and very thankful to all of my friends both online and locally who have been so very supportive.

I know that you all know that this is something that I am very passionate about, and that I would happily put myself WAY out of my comfort zone by asking strangers for money, wearing a bra and holding up a sign onthe side of the road, walking 60 miles, doing a 5K (twice) — all to find a cure for this awful disease. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t believe with my whole entire being that this is important and that maybe I am making a small difference. Of course, I couldn’t do it without the help of my friends. Thank you again to those of you that have donated, sent me messages of support, and told me your story, or the story of your friends and relatives who have or are dealing with breast cancer now. I am inspired and encouraged by the stories of survival, and moved by the tragic loses.

Can you believe that Dave will also be walking with me? He has not registered yet, but he has committed to participating in the 5K with me in memory of his mother who passed away in 1996 from breast cancer. I am very proud of him, and I know that she would be too. I wish that I had gotten the chance to meet her.

The walk is not until June 6, so we still have time to continue to raise funds for Komen North Texas. I have reached 45% of my goal as of today. You can make a donation today to support me too. I hope to raise $500 by the date of the walk this summer.

I also want to thank On The Border in West McKinney for generously offering a percentage of tonight’s proceeds to Komen North Texas and my walk. They are also donating coupons for my swag bags, and gift cards for me to raffle. Save the Ta-Tas also donated an awesome gift basket, in addition to stickers which will be included in the swag bags. I will also have some other cool breast cancer related stuff, IZEA goodies, in addition to Mary Kay samples provided by the very cool and entertaining Eddie.

If you are in the Plano/Frisco/McKinney area, I hope that you will drop by and say hello. We will be there from 5PM until close. On The Border is one of my favorite restaurants, and they have awesome meals. I can taste my Sizzling Fajita Salad right now! Hope to see you there!

If you can’t be in McKinney with us, you can support me virtually by following me on Twitter and Facebook to interact with us during the event. Go here and leave me a comment too, if you haven’t already.

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you know that Nikki and I successfully completed our first Breast Cancer 3-Day! It was a fabulous experience, and best of all she and I raised over $6000 (more than $20,000 as a team of 6) that will be used for breast cancer research and will hopefully help make a cure possible in the near future!

We started off on Friday morning at Southfork Ranch in Parker, Texas. If you don’t know, that is where the television show Dallas was filmed. We began with thousands of other walkers and survivors. We made our way that morning through downtown Plano where shop owners stood outside and greeted us. We also passed an amazing Cheering Station on 15th Street near my workplace and up Alma and down Renner Road to a park in Richardson where we had lunch. We continued walking toward Carrollton where we saw David and Craig at another Cheering Station only a few miles from camp. That was all the motivation we needed to keep on going! We talked with new people along the way, and made a few stops too. We made it into camp as it was getting dark, and we pitched my very first tent.

Camping really wasn’t as bad as I thought, even though it was a chilly 40 degrees the first night. We had a late dinner, and also got foot massages and waved to David and Craig from the camp webcam before going to sleep in our cozy two person tent.

On the second day, we left camp and walked up Midway toward Plano near Prestonwood church and David’s job. We saw the guys, Brownie, and Nikki’s mom and children at another amazing cheering station. Throughout the route there is the opportunity to take vans and buses to the next pit stop or camp, but knowing that we had family and friends waiting for us kept us walking in their direction. The people there were so supportive, and constantly thanked us for walking. There was a big party at camp that night, with an American Idol style singing contest and even a dance party. I wrote post cards to donors and those who wrote me a letter that I received at camp. When we woke up the next morning, we packed our bags and took our tent down.

On the third day we walked from camp through Addison past Nikki’s workplace and toward my favorite part of town. We were really struggling to continue on, but walked side-by-side with a woman from the Austin area who is currently going through chemo. We talked to her about her life and her experience with cancer, her children, her family and her fears. It really made me realize why we were making the journey.

We continued walking at our own pace (it was a lot easier than the first few days where people seemed to race past us), though we had some pretty bad blisters and knee problems. We were determined to walk as much of it as we could. For the sake of time, we rode a few sweep vans a few miles to buy us some extra walking time before the pit stops closed. That bought us extra time to complete the majority of the route. If you don’t make it by the time they close, they bus you to lunch or to the very end. We were among the last walkers to come through the cheering station on this day, and were touched (i.e. cried) that people were still waiting to clap, cheer, and tell us thank-you. It was very emotional.

We also had to stop at the medical tent at lunch in order to get my blisters patched up and Nikki’s knee wrapped. We walked that afternoon into SMU hand and hand toward the holding area with hundreds of other walkers not long before closing ceremonies began. We felt incredibly accomplished and happy that we walked (what we estimate to be 50 of the 60 miles) together every step of the way. We cried for our loved ones lost, for others who are going through cancer now, and happy that we made it through the journey still standing.

Closing was also emotional as we remembered those who were lost, and as we celebrated those who are surviving breast cancer. We were all given white t-shirts, and thousands of us walked arm and arm into the campus. We cried, hugged and met up with our families for more hugs and tears.

We look forward to participating in the event in coming years, and thank everyone who supported us with their kind words and donations. It has been an amazing experience.

Is anyone tired of me talking about the 3-Day yet? There is less than a month to go, so it’s almost here! We had our final fundraiser yesterday and we feel like it was a success. We started our “Yard Sale for the Cure” around 7 AM. Courtney had an awesome sign and hats made up (look for pictures later today). We also had team t-shirts done, but they didn’t make it in time for the sale. We’ll have them in time for the walk though! We made over $500, and didn’t have a whole lot of big ticket items.

We had a few really nice people drive by and donate which felt awesome, in addition to a man who came by to tell us about his wife who passed away from breast cancer. It was so sad. He went back to his car to leave, and then came back and brought us a bag of pink Pepperidge Farm cookies. We were all really moved and touched. We also had survivors come by, in addition to Linda and Grace who work the route on the event and Jan who drives one of the sweep vans on event. It was awesome to hear first hand some of things we have to look forward to and get some tips. We were so glad that they stopped by to share their stories with us.

With the event just around the corner, I’d also like to share the Cheering Stations that you can come by and meet us at during our journey. We would love to see you and get your support!

Cheering Stations are a great way to show your support along the route to encourage walkers and let them know that you are with them every step of the way. Seeing familiar faces cheering them on can provide that extra burst of energy that gets them to take that next step or go the next mile. Create banners, hold up signs, bring some music and make some noise – anything to make them smile, get energized and keep walking.

Friday, November 7:

9:00 am – 10:30 am
Collin Creek Crossing (Syms & Hobby Lobby)
800 – 900 West 15th Street, Plano
Please park in parking spaces closest to 15th St.

12:45 pm – 5:00 pm
Albertson’s
4625 Frankford Rd., Dallas
Please do not park in front of other stores

Saturday, November 8:

7:30 am – 9:45 am
Carrollton Plaza Supermarket
3040 N Josey Ln, Carrollton

10:15 am – 1:45 pm
Kroger Signature
3305 N. Dallas Pkwy, Plano
Park behind store on Communications Pkwy. Please do not park in front of other stores.

Sunday, November 9:

7:45 am – 9:45 am
Prestonwood Town Center – Walmart
SE corner of Arapaho & Montfort/Knoll Trail
15220 Montfort Rd, Dallas
Park north of Walmart – closest to Arapaho

Want more supporter info? Follow this link to get opening and closing ceremony information. I want to share this experience with all of the wonderful people that supported me during this year. If you are not in Texas, don’t worry! You can actually go to that link and watch us LIVE on the camp web feed! Don’t forget you can also write me letters at camp. I cannot tell you how much of a difference it will make when I walk into camp to read your letters after walking 20+ miles each day:

Breast Cancer 3-Day Camp Post Office
ATTN: LAURIE BROSIUS
5100 Eldorado Parkway
PMB 539
McKinney, TX 75070

They are accepting the letters through October 28th at that address, so you still have a few weeks to send them. Send me a letter, pretty please!

Here are a few pictures. Courtney took a ton of fabulous ones, so when she sends them Monday or next week I’ll add them too:

Craig, Nikki & I stood on the corner of Alma with bras and signs. It was a blast!

We set up a table with lemonade, baked goods and pictures of our loved ones.

We had a few bottles of wine when it was all over!

Yesterday I participated in the 18th Annual North Texas Race for the Cure with both of my parents. We walked 5K around the EDS complex in Plano with around 14,000 other people including at least 5000 Breast Cancer Survivors.

It was the perfect day too. It was overcast, but didn’t rain a drop. It’s been pretty hot here the past couple of weeks, so I am really glad that the weather turned out wonderful for the event. D drove us down early in the morning and picked us up near the Shops at Legacy when it was over.

Many participants wore pink signs on their backs n memory of lost loved ones.

This was a great practice walk for the 3-Day. Nikki and I have been training and leading walks in that neighborhood, so I was glad to learn a new route that we can try. It was nice that were were able to walk in the middle of the street too. I really don’t like walking in the grass.

Volunteers stood on several corners with signs and cheered the walkers on!

We made a few stops along the way. My dad stepped on my shoe and it came off, and he also had to stop to tie his shoes. There were also several water stations where we ran into “traffic” and weren’t able continue on at a good pace. Also toward the end walking into the tents there were too many people to keep up a good pace.

We finished an hour and 12 minutes at 9:12 AM.

We were somewhere in the middle of the pack when the race began at 8:00 AM. They let the hundreds of survivors start first, along with the racers who wanted to be timed. At the end, we were lead into the tent area where there were vendors with free food and a stage with bands playing. We also went into Elizabeth’s Garden where I picked up the tulip I had ordered in Memory of David’s mom. I am going to place it in front of our tent at the 3-Day too. I feel so lucky and blessed that I was able to share this experience with both of my parents.

Walking 3 miles is getting easier and easier (maybe this time it was because the weather was so nice?), so I am looking forward to increasing our distances. We are on week 22 of the 3-Day training schedule. The 3-Day is going to be here before we know it!

There were hundreds of tulips lining the sidewalk.

Don’t forget to enter our June contest for the pink iPod Nano by commenting! You can increase your chances by writing a blog post or making at least a $5 donation to Laurie or Nikki’s Breast Cancer 3-Day. Thanks for your support! Contest ends July 4 at midnight CST. Good Luck!