Polly's Blog—The Plog

2011-12-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

Did you get a Kindle or Nook for Christmas?

If so, you can download 3mph
with just a click for only $2.99!
or
If you gave someone a Kindle or Nook you
can gift a book to their new e-reader!

It's easy, just to to Amazon.com or www.bn.com and click on the little "Give as Gift" icon on the right hand side, and Voila! it lands in their email ready to download -- with a nice little gold bow saying it's a gift from you.

Happy reading

and

Merry Christmas!

2011-11-11T10:50:00.000-07:00

You're invited to the
2nd Annual

Twelve local Denver authors are gathering to host a celebration of books this holiday season. The books cover all genres from Lauren Miller's best seller 99 Tings You Wish You Knew Before Stressing Out to Polly Letofsky's award winning memoir 3mph: The Adventures of One Woman's Walk Around the World.

The 12 Books of Christmas party will be held:

Tuesday, November 29
The Baker St. Pub & Grill in Greenwood Village, Denver
From 6 - 9pm.
Plenty of hors d'oeurves and happy hour until 9pm!

The event is also doubling as a benefit for local charity Project Linus, a non-profit that offers handmade blankets and afghans for children in need around the world. If you donate either 2 skeins of brightly colorado yard, 2 yards of polar fleece or a $5 donation, you'll be entered to win the entire collection of The 12 Books of Christmas! The founder of Project Linus is one of the featured authors, Karen Loucks Rinedollar, featuring Working for Peanuts: The Project Linus Story, which has just been honored as a Finalist in the USA Best Book Awards.

So mark you calendars and come join us November 29 for a great evening of friends, food, music and books. And what better gift for your friends and family than a personally signed book?

2nd Annual

12 Books of Christmas present:

Tricia Downing Cycle of Hope: My Journey from Paralysis to Possibility

Lauren Miller 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Stressing Out

Jan Haas Moving Mountains: One Woman's Fight to Live Again

Cara Lopez Lee They Only Eat Their Husbands

Tracy Fagan Gratitude, Giggles & Grace

Carmen Swick Patch Land Adventures (Children's book)

Melissa Kline My beginning

Andrea Costantine & Lisa Shultz Speaking Your Truth -- Volume Two

Carron Barrella More than 36 Days: Four Ordinary Men Face Extraordinary Circumstances

Lynn McLeod From Simms to Zanzibar: A Story of Hope and Transformation

Karen Loucks Rinedollar Working for Peanuts: The Project Linus Story

Polly Letofsky 3mph: The Adventures of One Woman's Walk Around the World

2011-11-11T10:32:00.000-07:00

When you give 3mph: The Adventures of One Woman's Walk Around the World as a gift this holiday season, $6 will be donated directly to women fighting breast cancer.

How does it work?

When you order 3mph online we'll give $3 of every order to Sense of Security. Until the end of the year, and up to $2,000, each donation to Sense of Security's Wait List Campaign will be matched. That's a total of $6 from each book!

There are so many women that need financial assistance that Sense of Security has a wait list for women waiting to get our help. But they need help now. This campaign is specifically for the women on the Wait List.

So as we enter this holiday season, consider giving your loved ones the personally signed award winning* book, 3mph, and have your gift keep giving.

Click here to order 3mph
while giving $6 to Sense of Security

2011-09-06T21:06:00.001-06:00

5 minute version

View more presentations from pollyswalking.

2011-07-22T17:15:00.000-06:00

3mph wins Best Travel Essay
at 2011 IPPY Awards!

It was an honor to get the word that 3mph: The Adventures of One Woman's Walk Around the World had won this year's Best Travel Essay honors at the 2011 IPPY Awards. (Independent Publisher Book Awards.)

On the heals of that award many many book clubs are choosing 3mph for their monthly read, and therefore I would love to continue the offer to come visit your book club.

3mph wins 2011 Best Travel Essay

Some groups have passed a hat around for a donation to Sense of Security, an organization that financially assists women going through breast cancer. Sometimes I've done a T-shirt giveaway. Many groups have a potluck with various foods from the countries I walked through -- and, OK, a few international wines as well. No matter what the party...er...I mean, book club does we always have a great time full of tales exposing "the rest of the story."

The guidelines are pretty simple:

Within an hours drive of the Denver metro area
If you're outside the Denver metro area we could Skype!

So please let me know if your book club is reading 3mph and I would be happy to come answer questions -- I may even bring Indian food!

"Five out of five stars. 3mph is a solid and strongly recommended read that shouldn't be missed!"

-- Midwest Book Review

2011-07-16T10:23:00.000-06:00

What are the top 3 reasons
to go for a walk?

"Walking is man's best medicine."

-Hippocrates

Hippocrates must have been a smart guy! There's a wealth of research to prove that walking is good for you and the results are impressive: major reductions in both diabetes and heart disease. More important:

1. Walking reduces the risk of breast cancer! Women who performed the equivalent of one hour and 15 minutes to two and a half hours per week of brisk walking had an 18% decreased risk of braest cancer compared with inactive women!

2. Walking is good for your brain. In a study on walking and cognitive function, researchers found that women who walked the equivalent of an easy pace at least 1.5 hours per week had significantly better cognitive function and less cognitive decline than women who walked less than 40 minutes per week. Think about that!

3. Walking is good for your bones. Research shows that postmenopausal women who walk approximately one mile each day have higher whole-body bone density than women who walk shorter distances, and walking is also effective in slowing the rate of bone loss from the legs.

The list goes on, but I'll continue it next month. I have to go for a walk!

2011-07-14T07:38:00.000-06:00

Thank you for making our Erin Seabold breast cancer fund raiser sooo successful!

On Tuesday, July 28, the Denver women's business community came together to support one of their own. Erin Seabold, serial entrepreneur, business leader, and single mother of three, has been diagnosed with an aggressive case of breast cancer. She's always been there for us, so it was our turn to help.

And help there was! We held an enormous silent auction, had wine, music, food and generally frolicking at Frame de Art, where we raised over $6,300 for Erin and her family. (And growing!)

Erin was overheard saying, "I don't quite know how to handle being on this side of the outreach; I'm usually the one who throws these things." I say get used to it! Your people love you!

For those of you who were unable to attend and still want to help, there is an Erin Seabold Benefit Fund set up at the 1st Bank of Colorado.

Thanks to EVERYONE who donated items, bought items and came out to lend their support. Friends helping friends; that's how it should be.

2011-05-31T13:35:00.002-06:00

Special offer when you read 3mph at your Book Club!

A great perk I never planned on is meeting with book clubs after they read 3mph: The Adventures of One Woman's Walk Around the World. It's been so much fun I thought I'd extend the offer to your book club!

3mph is a great read for book clubs

Within an hours drive of the Denver metro area
If you're outside the Denver metro area we could Skype!

So please let me know if your book club is reading 3mph and I would be happy to come answer questions -- I may even bring Indian food!

"Five out of five stars. 3mph is a solid and strongly
recommended read that shouldn't be missed!"

-- Midwest Book Review

A 3mph Board Game??

2011-05-20T14:00:00.000-06:00

Mrs. Klinkerman's International Literature class at Eagle Academy HS in Highlands Ranch, CO used 3mph as their semester's curriculum.

Chance and happenstance, planning, and learning on the fly all played a role in the five year long journey Polly Letofsky took as she walked around the world in the name of breast cancer awareness. So it stands to reason that the book she wrote about her travels, 3 MPH: The Adventures of One Woman's Walk Around the World, which was studied by students at Eagle Academy High School, could make a pretty cool board game. Mrs. Klinkerman's student makes 3mph Board Game

Many of the boards followed her route precisely from Colorado, through 22 countries, and back across the United States. All of them included references to her work to raise breast cancer awareness, as well as humorous mentions of some countries' peculiarities or moments that Letofsky had while on the road. For example, a drawn card might read, "Your buggy, Bob, rolled into a ditch and you could not find him. Lose a turn." MORE.....

2011-04-13T18:12:00.000-06:00

Another great success story for breast cancer

2011-04-13T17:27:00.000-06:00

A friend of mine found a wee little lump in her left breast and charged off to the doctor for a check up. A biopsy revealed she had stage 1 breast cancer. Catching it so early meant she could kick it's ass with a lumpectomy and a little radiation. No chemo.

Telling her worried friends, she says, "Oh, I'll be okay, I'll beat the hell out of this thing. I'm just pissed. It was not in my plans!"

Happy Breast Cancer Month!

2010-10-04T17:39:00.007-06:00

Judy Baxter, Past President, and Rita McCoy, Executive Director of Sense of Security,
playing with Polly at one of her book signings.

It's October! Happy breast cancer month.

The good news is that now in 2010 the five-year survival rate for breast cancer, when caught early before it spreads beyond the breast, is now 98%! That's compared with just 74% in 1982. So while there are no "cures", we're definitely doing something right!

America's 2.5 million breast cancer survivors, the largest group of cancer survivors in the US, are a living testament to the power of society and science to save lives.

People ask me all the time if I thought my walk actually moved breast cancer forward in any of the countries I walked through. I don't pretend to think that I was changing the world. Instead I thought of my walk as another step (no pun intended) in the much larger campaign. If the average person starts paying attention the eighth time they hear something (that's what marketers say) then when I walked through a village, I always wondered if this was the first time they heard of breast cancer -- or the eighth. Any step it is, it's important to keep the campaign alive. We're all in that together.

In Denver we're celebrating breast cancer month with the Champagne & Diamonds Gala. It's the biggest gig in town and raises money for Sense of Security, an organization that provides financial assistance to Colorado breast cancer patients in treatment to assist with basic necessities such as housing, food, and groceries, transportation and health insurance premiums and utilities. This Champagne & Diamonds is their BIG 10th YEAR ANNIVERSARY!

What: Champagne & Diamonds Gala
When: Saturday, October 23, 2010
Where: Denver Athletic Club
Time: 5:30pm - 10pm (but the dancing may continue into the hours....)

Dinner, silent auction, live auction, diamond giveaway, music, dancing, hearing from grantees, dessert

"3mph" makes the Spirited Woman Top 12 Summer Picks!

2010-07-15T15:43:00.000-06:00

TheSpiritedWoman website celebrates women entrepreneurs in small business and they're exploding. "Connecting spirited women everywhere. A community where your passion connects YOU to the world. Positive. Empowered. Fun. Vibrant. Inspired."

Each month they collect a series of Top 12 women owned businesses whether it be products, services, or BOOKS! And this month they've named 3mph: The Adventures of One Woman's Walk Around the World as their Best Summer Read.

And I'll take it! Thank you, Spirited Women!

Back to Polly's Website
Visit TheSpiritedWoman.com

Some very spirited women (and men) celebrating the book launch in Minneapolis!

Tattered Cover gives Polly's 3mph a great review!

2010-07-13T11:15:00.000-06:00

Monday, July 12, 2010

Travel Week Spotlight: Local Author Polly Letofsky

5 years around the world...22 countries...14,124 miles walked...

Katie highly recommends this book, saying:

"Circumnavigation has long been a wish, a quandary and an obsession for humankind. We set off from our respective landmasses in airplanes, hot-air balloons, sailboats, rowboats, and bicycles, and refuse to stop until we have journeyed to our starting point, come full circle. Perhaps we strive to accomplish this feat in the interest of bodily experiencing the girth of our planet, to make manifest the mysteries of terra firma. For Colorado author and worldwide walker Polly Letofsky, it was a childhood dream to walk around the world. The cause of breast cancer research and awareness finally gave her the impetus to fulfill this dream, and she began her walk in the mountains of Colorado. The resulting book, "3 mph," chronicles the commendable accomplishment of Polly's complete global walk; with Colorado as her anchor, she heads west, first across the American West, then New Zealand and Australia, East Asia and India, and finally Western Europe via the Greek Islands, ending up right where she started after an extensive walking regimen through the Midwest. In every country, her walking is punctuated with fund-raising speeches, dinners, and gatherings, all to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer (Polly tried to siphon the financial support into the local community where she was traveling, whenever possible). Polly's story is compelling and fascinating, and she makes a wonderful, hilarious traveling companion as one vicariously makes the trek from one's armchair. She's seen things most of us can't even fathom: vicious Australian spiders, all manner of exotic delicacies, Mumbai rush hour traffic, and some pretty awe-inspiring weather. This reader particularly appreciated being able to experience Polly's struggles and frustrations, and to see how she endures hardships: battling through missed connections, untrustworthy strangers or absent meals. The walk was quite an achievement, to say the least, but the book is a wonderful success as well. Put on your walking shoes, snuggle into the couch and get ready for a worldly adventure from Colorado's own walking champion."

Special note: This book is not available on our website at this time--please call Katie Schmidt at 303-322-1965 ext. for special orders or come visit any of our stores.

Visit Polly's website

Visit Polly's Facebook Page

GlobalWalk, Inc

2010-06-26T14:28:00.002-06:00

Review for Polly's Book!!!!

2010-06-24T17:51:00.001-06:00

Polly,
I just finished the book, 3mph, and I am sad...simply because there is no more book to read. I absolutely loved it.

Although it must have been a mind numbing struggle...one of my favorite parts of the book was India. There were laugh out loud moments (which always indicates a great read in my book).

Your sense of humor is always spot on, your dedication to your goal admirable, and your heart inspires us all. I don't know how you did it (yes, I know one foot in front of the other), but really...wow. I just loved every single part of it.

The day I met you, I can say that I was just trying to be supportive of my breast-cancer-survivor-mom, who wanted me to walk across the bridge with some lady who is walking for breast cancer. I had no idea. Last night when I got to the part about Minnesota and the Bong Bridge I had to put the book down. I thought...."Man I had NO idea"...all that, New Zealand, Aussie, Asia, India and Europe. The heat, the cold, the ups the downs, the camping in corn fields, the language barriers, the unfamiliar, the good days, the outpouring of humanity, the same questions for five years, the broken down days, the forks in the road, the lasagna from a trucker's window. All that came before Minnesota and I now knew the whole story.

I was moved...by you Polly. I was proud that I got to push BOB across the Bong Bridge. (Stacey: "I like your buggy" Polly: "Thanks, wanna push him for me?") because I didn't really get it that day...where you and Bob had been. I thought you were "cool", but it never sunk in. Until last night when, sadly, I ran out of pages. I now understood where you and Bob had been. The two of you have changed my life. Thanks Polly.

Sincerely,
Stacey, the jewelry lady, Johnson

p.s. Please write another book. You could write it about watching paint dry and it would be riveting. :)

Writing a book is slower than 3mph!

2010-06-11T11:44:00.008-06:00

I have never ever claimed to be a great walker, old ladies regularly pass me in the park. But it turns out that I am a downright speedy walker compared to my writing speed! It took me 5 years to do the walk, and 6 years to write about it.

But it's DONE!!

When I write a book about writing a book maybe I'll call it 2.5mph.

I'm thrilled with the reviews so far. And no, not all of them are my friends and family! Here's a sample:

“I bought your book Thursday night and haven’t been able to put it down. Inspiring! Motivating! Funny! Educational and informative! Exceptional writing!!!!!!! I will be encouraging everyone I know to read it.”
–Kathie Seedroff , Simplified Interiors, Denver, CO

“WOW, what a great book! Humor, drama, travelogue, memoir, inspiration, loved it!”
–Jane Stanfield, Author of the award winning Mapping Your Volunteer Vacation

"What a wonderful book! You are a terrific storyteller, a historian, a stand-up comic. I’m hoping that the library will put it in the system and then I can display it with our new books and suggest it to everyone who asks. 'Want a great read? Oh yeah, do I have a book for you.'”
--Bonnie Shrager, Somerset, NJ, Librarian

“Today I am walking through Turkey with you. Yesterday it was India. The day before, Thailand. When I first started reading and was at page 139, I looked at the last page to make sure I still had a long way to go because I did not want it to end. Love it.”
–Jo Guerra, Your Marketing Gal, Aurora, CO

"Thank you for taking on this amazing journey and being so good at writing about it. I was laughing out loud at points and so touched at others."
--Sally Reinemer , Juice Plus, Glendale, CO

"I've just finished your amazing book - I couldn't put it down. I'm going to post your book on Facebook and demand that everyone read it!"
--Nancy Mckay, Denver, CO

Order Polly's book now!

Introducing.....The Plog

2010-04-21T13:08:00.006-06:00

Greetings and welcome to my new Polly's Blog -- or should I call it The Plog?

The big news in the Plog-isphere is that my book 3mph--The adventures of one woman's walk around the world -- is due out May 13.

Yes, I realize it took me longer to write the book than to actually walk around the world. Well, actually, let me rephrase that. It took me longer to edit than to walk. Maybe the next book will be 1mph--the adventures of one woman writing a book.

We're in the midst of getting my website credit card secure, at which point I'll be able to start taking pre-publication orders online at www.PollyLetofsky.com.

The good news is that the party is planned! If you're in Denver on May 13 please join us at Elway's in Cherry Creek from 5 - 7pm for the premier of my book. Elway's has been kind enough to provide hor's ordeurves and Richard Ortner of Channel 7 will be our emcee. We're also be giving away prizes from dinners to a BOB baby stroller.

The event is also a fundraising event for my favorite charity, Sense of Security, a non-profit Colorado based organization that assists women with non-medical financial assistance that are going through breast cancer. www.senseofsecurity.org