Day 3: Limping is still walking!!

(This begins with Day 3 of the walk - Day 1 and Day 2

are below if you want to read it in the correct order!)

Day 3 begins in the rain!

Day 3 was tough. My feet had some big blisters on the back of them and possibly other places but I wasn’t willing to look because I knew seeing them would cause me more pain. I blame the first day for these blisters. I know how to not get them and I know what causes them but it still happened because the Friday lasted a lot longer than I had planned for. Oh well, live & learn. So Sunday morning, I was in medical trying to bandage my foot enough to get through the day. Every step I took hurt but I was motivated knowing it was my last day and not a full 20 miles (since we were at 47 already), I believe they had said 16.8 miles but I think it still ended up being more around 18.  With getting packed up and spending most of the morning at medical, I grabbed my breakfast to go since we were running late. As we started walking… the rain started coming down. I was loaded up that day with items in my fanny pack that I had forgotten to pack before I put my bag on the truck. 3 pairs of socks for the day (so no more blisters), my flip flops (for the closing ceremony so I could get my shoes when we finished) and with everything in preparation for the rain as in ponchos and a waterproof jacket. 

I felt like I was actually walking home this day. Our final destination was the Giants Stadium in Scottsdale which is right by my work and close to where Derek & I lived when we bought our first house so I knew the area and was really looking forward to walking from West World down the greenbelt into South Scottsdale. My goal for this walk was to walk all the way and never get on a sweep van (which came to pick up walkers that wanted/needed a ride) and I am proud to say I accomplished my goal! There were so many times that day it would have been so easy to give up but I was walking with a group of ladies who had the same goal as I did and one of them had major foot issues where we thought Medical might tell her she couldn’t walk it (they would have too but I think she might have fibbed a bit about her pain level – ha) so if she could keep walking, I could suck it up and accept the pain too. Luckily at around Via Linda and Hayden, my mom, Derek & my kids came up to cheer me on. Conveniently they parked right outside of Chipotle so I ran in to get an ice tea for the first time in 3 days and they gave it to me for FREE! I love Chipotle! I had told my friends to walk ahead so I could spend time with my family and I unloaded my rain gear and a bunch of items from my fanny pack. My mom bought me a pink poncho that hung on my pack and it was a wonderful gift and much needed! The minute they drove off and I was walking alone, I started getting poured on! It was fun though, I enjoyed walking alone the couple times I did it because you meet other walkers and get to hear their stories. 

Addison and I outside of Chipotle

Tippy the horse with her pink ribbons

Standing in front of my office building (it's the tall one in the background)

Taking a "red headed slut" shot at Dos Gringos

We are DONE!!!

Skye & I at the finish line

When we arrived at Camelback and 68h street, right next to my work, I just lost it. I couldn’t stop crying. I don’t know if it was the feeling of being home, the emotional roller coaster of the past 3 days, the physical pain or all of the above but I was just done at that point. People were so nice and kept asking me if I was okay but all I could say was “I don’t know why I am crying” and then I would cry harder. A mile before the walk ended we stopped at Dos Gringos and had a shot which was needed!  We ended at the Civic Center in Downtown Scottsdale where Skye met up with me again. It felt good to be finished!!  First thing I did was take off me tennis shoes!! It was then that I actually looked at my blisters and OUCHIE, they were bad! We walked arm & arm as a team to the closing ceremony where I saw Derek & the kids as I was walking in. The closing ceremony was good however it was hard to focus on it all because early on I looked up on the grassy hill in the outfield of the stadium to see Derek chasing Reagan all over and Addison running up and down the hill. At one point both girls got on their side and started rolling down the hill. I couldn’t stop laughing and was grateful Skye saw them too and ran over to help.

Right before the Closing Ceremony (we called this the cattle call)

The survivors. There were 199 survivors walking!

I enjoyed this walk immensely. It was more than I could have imagined when I signed up for it.  I am so thankful to the girls I walked with! I hope to do this walk again. I am proud to say that the Arizona walkers raised 3.9 million for Susan Komen! 

Day 2: Is this what it feels like to be a celebrity?

Day 2 begins!

Woke up on Day 2 still feeling great! I couldn’t believe how easy the first 20+ miles was and was excited and pumped up to start Day 2. I was glad to see that breakfast wasn’t covered in cheese so I could eat it too... ha ha. Susan Komen was great at feeding us! We had “pit stops”  about every 3 miles that contained porta pottys, snack food, water and drinks and medical. My goal was to never go to the Medical Tent because I had trained and there was going to be no reason I needed to go (more on that later!). So Day 2 began. We walked through DC Ranch and up through the McDowell Mountains. It was beautiful!! Once again, we were cheered on by “walker stalkers” and many people out in their yards or set up on the street. About half way thru the day (before lunch) my feet started feeling the pain of walking almost 35 miles. I got a text from my friend Stacie who said they were at the upcoming cheering station and a few minutes later got a text from Derek saying they were there too. I knew the cheering station was at least two miles away and suddenly my feet stopped hurting and I have never walked so fast in my life (if we ran, we got yelled at by the crew!). I was SO happy to see all of them! It was needed.

Stacie & I at the Cheering Station (couldn't get the kids to look!)

My family! Gotta love them!

It was my 2 girls, my husband, my parents, Stacie & her husband, Donnie and their son Brady. I know it was such a long drive for all of them but seeing them was the best part of my day and I cried when they left. Addison told me she had a secret for me before she left and whispered in my ear “just come home with us mommy” and it was hard saying no because my feet were saying “Jump in that car!” but I walked on! I can’t even explain how important those cheering stations were. They were crucial to get you through the day. I now know what it feels like to be a celebrity. People were taking your picture all the time, waving, honking, saying “Thank You”, giving you candy, pickles (yes, pickles!), drinks and just making the walk fun! Next year, I will take my kids up and we will cheer these amazing women on like people did for me this year.

The Remembrance Tent of those we have lost to breast cancer.

I don’t remember what time we got into camp that night but I was feeling the pain. First things first, I went into the "Remembrance Tent" they had set up out by our tents. It was a big tented area with 12 small white tents out in front representing the 12 walks that had already been completed this year. Each city had a white tent where people had written the names of (and messages for) a loved one that they had lost to Breast Cancer. The big tent made me cry the instant I walked in. It had the Arizona white tent in it and pictures of past walkers who had passed away from cancer. It was just another reminder of why I was walking. Seeing the faces of young & old women who were so happy at the point in their life that picture was taken and knowing they are no longer here was heartwrenching. 

While my teammates showered and ate, I just went and sat in my tent for about an hour to just decompress. I finally showered (again another wonderful HOT shower!), ate and a friend of mine had snuck in some vanilla vodka and we spiked our hot chocolate! Yum! We enjoyed a massage and off to bed again at 9. We had to be packed up the next morning, tent down and ready to go by 7 am so my tentmate & I spent a lot time packing up and with the threat of rain, everything had to be packed into Ziploc bags because you didn’t want to wake up to wet clothes & shoes. Our bags had to be outside of our tent so we wrapped them in large garbage bags and thank goodness we did because at midnight, the rain started pounding down on our tent….

A lady walking in a bra (only!) and a walker stalker in adorable pants!

 

These guys all gave me a 10 as I walked by! They Rock!

Heidi, Kay, Karyn, Myself & Addison (don't ask me what she is doing!?)

This was our favorite Crew Member. We called him "WG" for White Guy that always had Rap Music playing

This guy really was a Walker Stalker! We saw him a lot!

WG dancing for us!

We made it in! 22 miles on Day 2.

A sea of pink tents

Our pink tent!

Day 1: And we’re off….

I woke at 3:45 am because my dad drove me and he LOVES breakfast so we stopped, ate and relaxed a bit because I was a disaster. I kept telling my dad I wanted to throw up. My nerves were just a mess! I didn’t know what to expect at all from this and I was very nervous. We headed to downtown Phoenix and arrived around 5:30 am and I immediately felt lost in a sea of pink once I got out of my dad’s car. Everyone had a buddy or an entire group of friends and the panic of signing up for this walk alone set in. I wandered around and put Gloria & Pamm’s name on a board to honor those with breast cancer. Luckily not too long later I found my “team” that I had joined once I met some fun ladies a few weeks prior and done some training walks with them. I was so grateful to have them!! 

 

The opening ceremony was great. The speaker was fantastic and a very motivating. I cheered and cried and off we went! I’ll admit it was a very slow moving day. They said there was about 1450 walkers and we were all trying to leave Park Central Mall in Phoenix at the same time during rush hour traffic. I felt like we were jam packed together for the entire day. But it was just amazing to see how many people were already set up and out cheering us on first thing in the morning. I met Skye around mile 4 who came out to cheer me on before she went to work and then I walked and walked and walked. We went up thru Paradise Valley to Scottsdale. They said it was going to be 22 miles and it turned out to be almost 25 miles. It was a great day though. Between the amazing crew and the supporters, we had music to jam to and it kept up our spirits. I got to camp and was excited to see my tentmate Crissy (and she is a camper so I was excited for her expertise in setting up our tent), I couldn’t find her anywhere and after standing in my tent spot staring at my tent for what seemed like forever, I finally said loudly “I don’t know what I am going to do, I don’t know how to set up a tent” and instantly a young girl  (turned out to be a girl scout) and a lady swooped in and had my tent up in 3 minutes. They were my saving grace!!

The rest of the night is a blur! We decorated our tent (finally found my tentmate who was the last walker in and it’s a big deal! She was having a shin splint and I couldn’t believe she walked 25 miles with that! I was VERY impressed),  I ate a tiny bit of pasta and a roll (because everything else had cheese on it!), showered (and yes they were HOT and clean showers) and at the end of the night, I joined up with 3 other girls who were flirting with the massage guys so we could get a massage after they closed. I think the massages were meant to be 5 minutes yet ours turned out to be over 20 minutes and it was fantastic! Lights were supposed to be out at 9 (I got back from my massage around 9:30) and thank goodness I brought Tylenol PM and ear plugs because West World was hosting a wedding right next to us and it was loud! I slept thru it all and woke up at 5:30 am for Day 2….

Crissy (tentmate), myself & Skye

The porta potty line at the first pit stop. LONG!

Monkeying Around!

Doing the Hula

We learned quickly that a Susan Komen mile was a lot longer than a mile!

MOOOO! These ladies were everywhere and had some great cow jokes!

Awesome Signs!

Maureen, Myself & Valerie. They are sisters who lost their mother to breast cancer when they were 8 & 14.

Every 3 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer

 

We did it! Day 1 is finished. Notice how dark it is? We got in late!

My tent Angels.

Heidi & Karyn putting up their own tent ;-)

T minus 7 days.

This past week has been filled with tears. Everything about this walk from packing to just thinking about it, brings tears to my eyes. I have cried so much and I just can’t stop. I wonder how much I will cry when I am out there experiencing all this. I have been told that this will change my life and that this will change me as a person because it’s an experience like no other. I am looking forward to being a part of it and knowing the money raised for this is going to such a wonderful cause.

Today the Dallas walk began. When I was first considering participating in this walk, my cousin, Stacy, introduced me to her friend Robin. She is a breast cancer survivor. Today she is walking her 6^th 3 day Walk for the Cure!! She was diagnosed with breast cancer on the same day she found out she was pregnant with her 2^nd child and doctors told her that her best chance of recovery was to terminate the pregnancy . She did chemotherapy while pregnant and this year she walked her son into his first day of kindergarten despite the odds being stacked against them. Thank God for that and for the all the research & progress that has been done over the years that made all of this possible.

(If you would like to read Robin’s AMAZING story, please click here):

http://www.dallaschild.com/showarticle.asp?artid=597)

Gear

Gear is the official term for "the amazing amount of crap that walkers have to bring with them". -Anonymous

WHOA! I had NO idea how much Gear I would need for this. I went to a What to Pack Clinic last week and the list they provided me with of “what to bring” was 2 full pages typed! Time to go shopping…

I need everything from a rolling duffel bag, a miniature size sleeping bag that will fit in the duffel bag along with all my other stuff, I need an air mattress, tent decorations, 2 pairs of shoes, 6-9 pairs of socks, flashlights, hats, plus everything else you would normally pack to take a trip. Your bag can only be 35 lbs when it’s all said and done too. Those who know me, know I am known for over-packing so this could interesting. 

Anyone have any packing tips they want to share with me??:-)

What did you do this weekend?

I walked almost 30 miles this weekend! I have NEVER walked so much in my whole life & never thought I would. This was my big training weekend – this weekend we were supposed to walk 18 miles Sat and 15 on Sun. Saturday I went at it alone and could only do around 12 because it gets SO boring after 3 hours of being by myself. Sunday was amazing because I walked with a larger group that is doing the 3 day also. They set up a “mock walk” that was 15 miles with pit stops, a sweep van (it was great having someone drive by you often and honk/wave/cheer you on!), a lunch break, etc. I try not to be, but I am a pretty shy person so walking this alone is a big step for me. I walk into these situations (like Sunday) and panic that I won’t meet anyone and I still have nightmares that I could possibly be walking all 60 miles by myself but it always seems to work out and I meet wonderful people… some of whom I hope to continue a friendship with after this is all over.

And after walking all that… I felt great! A little heel pain while walking day 2 but that happens every weekend to me, some hip pain after sitting at work on Monday but otherwise no blisters, no hot spots, no leg pain! I actually feel like my body can handle this which is fantastic. Of course I do need to give a little credit to the awesome shoes & crazy expensive socks I wear. I will never be able to go back to my Nikes & normal socks again.

24 MORE DAYS!

29 more days....

29 more days until my walk!! I. CANNOT. BELIEVE. IT!! I am sooooo excited and sooooo nervous! It is going to be fantastic, even if I am in complete pain & agony on that 3rd day. I started this walk because of my friend, Gloria who passed away from this horrible cancer and now I am also walking it in my friend Pamm's honor, who is fighting breast cancer right now. So it doesn't matter how much pain I am in that third day because I am doing this for them!

Side note: The Spectator Info on the http://www.the3day.org/ (under the Get Involved tab) is being updated often if you are interested. 2 weeks before the event they will post "Cheering Stations" where you can come out and cheer me on! I will need the motivation and I am begging you to come!  You can also mail me a letter (seriously when was the last time you wrote a real letter, it will be fun! hee hee)! If you have the time, I would love to get one. Here is the information from their website:

Send letters to:
3-Day for the Cure
ATTN: INSERT NAME OF PARTICIPANT

P.O. Box 1089
Chandler, AZ 85244

Envelopes only, please. No boxes or large packages. Mail must be postmarked no later than November 1st in order to ensure delivery at the 3-Day Camp Post Office. Please note: This address is not the actual location of camp, but a PO Box for mail delivery only. Any mail that is not received by the 3-Day by the date above or retrieved by the participant by November 27th will be destroyed

Luv you all!

Team Gloria

Part of our team. Christin, Stacie, Myself, Yolanda, Andrea & Skye

On Sunday I did the Race for the Cure here in Phoenix as I do every year. These days, I laugh at 3.1 miles! That's nothing to me :-)  We have been doing this race since Gloria Myers was first diagnosed with  breast cancer. We have always done the walk in her honor to show her & her family how much we love & support her and in the end, the walk was always a lot of fun too. This was our first year without her and not having her at the finish line waiting on us was hard. It was hard on me so I know it was excruciatingly hard on her daughter Skye who also walks this every year. We got a BIG team this year and we tried to surround Skye with love and we all crossed the finish line together. Gloria would have been proud!!

October is...

Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Just thought you needed to know if you had forgotten :-)

Spread the Knowledge, Stop the Cancer

I feel like when I go on a long walk, I either see something interesting or I meet someone interesting. I have walked down the road with a Rooster & two hens. I am not a fan of Roosters after being attacked by them on a daily basis the year we moved to Arkansas but this one seemed nice enough and I guess he wanted to know where I was headed. Eventually he got bored with me, cock-a-doodle-doo’d, and they moved on. I have even stepped in a group of GIGANTIC cockroaches (I am sure you heard me scream) that must live in a particular spot on a sidewalk and I forgetting they are there so I step in them almost every time. Ick!  Last weekend I took one of my long walks and went into a gas station to “refuel”. The guy saw my hat and thanked me profusely for doing this walk (it was really sweet). He said his grandmother had breast cancer and it was her goal to inform everyone about the disease. She had worked with teenage girls so that they would start doing yearly checks since cancer can affect you at any age. He said she had recently passed away (not from her breast cancer though – she won that battle) and that her motto was “Spread the Knowledge, Stop the Cancer”. She sounded like an amazing woman and I love the line… I might even steal it and put it on a shirt to wear when I’m walking!