Training in the hot temperatures and the humidity of the summer can be difficult. Cool down before and after training, either in a cool shower, a pool, or drinking cold water can help keep a walker safe! Walk with your friends or take your kids along on the training. My son likes to ride his bike while we are walking. Look for local bike or walking trails to have a walking route without the worry of motorized vehicles. Also, some trails are mile marked for ease in training your scheduled miles.

During my first Challenge Walk, on Day 1 when I was feeling the walk and not finding the inspiration within myself, my husband handed me a photo of our son, which drove me to dig deeper and continue on my journey that day. Find that inspiration you need whether within yourself or through someone else. I wear the Join the Movement bracelet everyday as a visual reminder of the obstacles of MS. Someone once asked me why I don't take it off. My response was simple: 'Because I can't take off my MS.

For the first-time walkers out there, you will see so much inspiration on the walk that you will leave a little bit of a different person. In the meantime, thank you to all the participants for everything you are doing for those of us living with MS everyday. As you embark on your journey to the 2011 MS Challenge Walk, stay safe, hydrated, and inspired — you can do this!

Wendy, the captain of Team WWW (Walk With Wendy), was diagnosed with MS in 2006.  Although she cut down on her work hours during the past year, she still loves her job as a teacher.  Wendy lives in Attleboro, MA, with her supportive husband and 9-year-old son, who provides inspiration for her daily!

Anybody who would like to join Barbara is most welcome! She'll start at the Hyannis Village Green and follow the same route to lunch spot, dine a bit, then head back to Hyannis by reversing route, with a possible celebration at Spanky's.

(Please note: This walk is not sponsored or crewed by the NMSS.)

This is the events calendar, featuring official NMSS rallies and meetings as well as volunteer-sponsored fundraisers. Want to see your event listed here? Please submit the details, and we'll add it!

To train correctly for this event, you need to progress slowly and listen to your body at all times. First, begin by adjusting the frequency of your walking: we have several training schedules available to help you build up your regularity. Then slowly increase the time spent walking, and then the speed, or intensity. Through it all, remember the essential steps of a good walking program are to warm-up, walk, cool-down, stretching and strength training.

Here are some other positive aspects and techniques to keep in mind:

Five Good Reasons to Start Walking (besides the MS Challenge Walk)

1. Reduces cholesterol levels
2. Decrease high blood pressure
3. Reduces risk of heart disease
4. Increase energy
5. Decreases stress

Five Ways to Incorporate Walking into Your Daily Life

1. Walk your dog (or someone else's dog — with permission, of course!)
2. Take a pre- or post-dinner walk. This is a great time to just be by yourself or take along your family for some quality time with them!
3. Skip the elevator and take the stairs
4. Do errands on foot, or park in the rear of the parking lot and walk to the store
5. Walk to work — even if you telecommute, take a half-hour each morning to do a lap around the neighborhood, ending at your "office"

Five Steps to Take to be Successful

1. Make a commitment to yourself
2. Reserve time in your schedule
3. Create a habit first
4. Establish your long and short term goals
5. Reward yourself when you meet your goals (a new bestseller, tickets to a concert or play, etc)

It's time to dust off those sneakers (if you haven't already) and get moving!

Lori is the Executive Vice President of Resource Development for the Greater New England Chapter of the National MS Society.

Fortunately, us northerners are made of hardy stock that will survive the long, cold, dark season, an experience that will make the spring shedding of scarves for shorts all the sweeter. Then our bones will creak and muscles stretch as we start to get back in shape for the MS Challenge Walk. Any doctor will tell you that health is something easier to retain than regain. So how can we keep in shape all year long and not just when it's warm out?

There are plenty of aerobic exercises you can enjoy year-round, regardless of the weather. The most obvious answer is to join a gym or the Y, where you can walk and run on treadmills, use step machines, or join dance and yoga classes. But being cooped up indoors is not always the answer for winter doldrums, especially at the rates some gyms charge.

If you prefer to be outdoors taking advantage of the unique opportunities offered by the cold, try cross-country skiing. The Cross Country Ski Areas Association lists eight trails in Massachusetts alone, with more throughout the region.

Or, if you're like our stalwart leader of the bike crew, you can ride your bicycle, even in the snow. Icebike.org has more details on taking this risk.

Personally, I enjoy contra dancing. It's a smoke-free, alcohol-free, family-friendly activity that accommodates all skill levels, especially beginners. Live music and fun people combine in a routine that's the equivalent of walking several miles. (Seriously — they've measured the distance traveled by dancing feet!)

How do you keep your body moving in the winter? Share your suggestions in the comments below!

Ken, a Worcester resident, joined the MS Challenge Walk in 2005, more than a decade after his mother was diagnosed. After walking for three years and 150 miles, he switched to the support crew and now rides his bicycle along the trail, providing whatever encouragement (and snacks!) he can to the 600 walkers. He is also on the event's steering committee and is this site's webmaster.

• Wrap your feet in athletic tape, from your toes to your ankles. Don't wrap too tightly! Use Vaseline or Petroleum jelly under the athletic tape.
• Be sure your toenails are trimmed or filed close to the end of your toe, to prevent friction and bumping against your shoes which could result in the loss of toenails!
• Epsom salt foot soaks help soothe tired achy feet! Dissolve a half cup of this mineral into two quarts of very warm water. Pour the water into a foot-soaking pan and soak your bare feet for fifteen to twenty minutes, once or twice a day. Rinse your feet off with clean tap water and dry them thoroughly. This service is provided free to all visitors to the medical tent, whether or not you need to see a medical professional.

Better to look like this than blistered!

Good luck out there!

Jacqui is a registered nurse working in home dialysis, living in Denver, Colorado. Born and rasied in Gray, Maine, Jacqui was diagnosed with MS in 2003 and has been participating in the MS Challenge Walk since 2007. This year is the first time she's had her own team, Whittaker's Warriors.

The main medical tent is available at the Sea Camps from 6 AM until the last patient leaves, and each rest stop has a medical station with nearly everything you might need on your two-day, 30-mile journey. Should the need arise for more intensive medical treatment, the crew will stabilize you until more advanced care arrives.

As a walker my first year, I was treated with TLC, and I saw all walkers treated that way. As a nurse on medical crew my second year, I treated everyone with the same TLC! But no matter how well you're treated, the best care is preventive. Over the next few Mondays, I'll give some medical advice that you can use to take care of yourself and avoid any medical emergencies. Stay tuned!

Jacqui is a registered nurse working in home dialysis, living in Denver, Colorado. Born and rasied in Gray, Maine, Jacqui was diagnosed with MS in 2003 and has been participating in the MS Challenge Walk since 2007. This year is the first time she's had her own team, Whittaker's Warriors.

For me, training walks are a great way to ensure that I get in those longer walks that are necessary for my training. Even more important, they make me feel connected to the MS Challenge Walk. The conversations while walking (or munching on fruit after) re-connect me to other walkers, whether it's their first walk or their ninth. These conversations reaffirm why I participate in the Challenge Walk year after year.

Lace up those shoes and head to the next training walk. There's one this weekend in Brockton, with others on August 22 in Arlington and August 29 in Ayer. Get your miles in, earn some bonus bucks, and get inspired!

Susan lives in the greater Boston area and has been involved with the National MS Society since she was diagnosed with MS eleven years ago. She has participated in the MS Challenge walk for the past seven years and currently serves on the event's steering committee.

This is the events calendar, featuring official NMSS rallies and meetings as well as volunteer-sponsored fundraisers. Want to see your event listed here? Please submit the details, and we'll add it!

Okay, perhaps my iPod purchase wasn't quite as momentous as the other events that I mentioned, but still, it did revolutionize my training for the MS Challenge Walk. I suddenly had the ability to put together different walking playlists of music to inspire me during my walks. The playlists have two main things in common: a quick beat to keep my walking pace snappy, and good lyrics that I enjoy listening to. The walk list themes vary from show tunes to pop and everything in between, but they all keep me moving and humming for the many miles and hours that it takes to prepare for this event.

Walking without the music just isn't the same. The only long walks that I enjoy without music occur every fall on Cape Cod when I get to catch up with the many Challenge Walkers that I only get to see once a year.

What music keeps you going? What music inspires you? Fill out the form below to let us know, and we'll compile and share the results. Who knows — you may just hear it during the Challenge Walk weekend!

Susan lives in the greater Boston area and has been involved with the National MS Society since she was diagnosed with MS eleven years ago. She has participated in the MS Challenge walk for the past seven years and currently serves on the event's steering committee.

I found an easy way to do a little more training right off the bat. I work about a mile away from where I live, and walk there every day. With the help of Google Maps' walking directions, I found a way to make my usual route about a half a mile longer. As an added plus, it's a lot more scenic — instead of walking past a mile of apartment buildings and busy intersections, I take my time and loop around a nearby park area, complete with a walking path and a pond filled with excitable geese. My destination remains the same, but I can take an extra ten minutes to see a prettier part of town and get my feet used to walking greater distances. In another month or so, I hope to reevaluate my route and change it to make the trek even longer.

Tart frozen yogurt can be a powerful motivator!

I'm hoping to slowly break out of my tendency to be a destination walker, or at least better remember that not all destinations are physical locations. The Challenge Walk's destination is may physically be Cape Cod, but it's actually a world without MS, and I hope to walk all the way there — though I might show up with a frappe in hand.

Kahmmie is a first-year walker and has just started to get involved with the MS community, with the inspiration of her significant other, Ken, this site's webmaster. She currently lives in the Boston area and attends graduate school full-time.