Pedicure

After 100's of miles training you can imagine I don't have the cutest feet these days! Luckily I haven't had problems with blisters, or lost a toenail (yuck!) like many walkers. However I do have well earned callouses on my previously nice feet. One of the 1st things you learn during training is that callouses are good. They give your feet a tough layer of skin. Under NO circumstances do you allow someone to rub it all away during a pedicure! Needless to say, the pedicurist is making out like a bandit b/c I pay the full price but only ask for the nails to be trimmed and the polish changed. Today I went 3-Day with my pedicure. I chose a BRIGHT pink polish and had her paint a hot pink, Pink Ribbon symbol on each big toe!

Only 2 full days left until the event!!!

Last Weekend!

I can't believe that 6 months of prep is winding down and the event is only 5 days away!!! Busy weekend for me. Sat I walked 10 miles with my college friend Marisa who was visiting from CA. We walked down Boylston, Beacon, Harvard Ave, Comm Ave - pretty much a "remember when" tour of our college days! Today I walked 8 miles w/ Lena, a fellow 3Day walker who I've chatted with online, but our schedules just finally synced up this weekend. It's great to know another familiar face before the 3Day. And also thanks to Kim C. who came across my blog while searching the internet, and sent me an email to let me know she's also a 1st time walker. Guess the old blog is really reaching out to folks!!!

Today I officially packed my gear bag! Somehow having everything in the bag makes it all real! I feel the same way I did when I was 4 yrs old going to Disney for the 1st time. Even back then I was a planner and had my suitcase packed and ready well in advance. I was afraid I would forget my blankie, so I packed that too. Only problem was I couldn't sleep w/out my blankie, so every night I'd have to go into my suitcase and take it out. Then I'd put it back in the suitcase each morning so I wouldn't forget to bring it with me to FL. Well, this time I didn't pack blankie, and I'm pretty sure I won't need any of my camping gear this week, so I think the bag will stay closed until Friday.....when I set up my tent & air matress!

How does one pack for the 3 day? In ziploc bags, then pack it all inside a giant trash bag - just to protect everything from the dreaded rain! Like my luggage tag? As you may remember, I'm walking in honor of my Grandmother who's a breast cancer survivor, so I made a copy of her High School graduation photo (class of 1932!) and laminated it with my name, etc on the other side. Should make it easy to spot my back among the 3000 other bags.....I hope!

18 down.....60 to go!

Saturday I walked my final 18 mile walk! This is the longest distance on the training schedule, and I've done it 3 times in the last few weeks. My body held up pretty well, no major ailments except I was really tired. Luckily I only had to walk 8 miles on Sunday, so I slept late (6:30 instead of 5:00am!) and it was easy to finish the 8. For the next week, the schedule slides off in mileage so we can rest up for the big 6-0!

Cheering Stations

Want to come out and support 2500+ walkers? Want to show your kids what charity looks like up close and personal? Want to laugh at me in spandex and a fanny pack? Whatever the reason, I'd love to see you! Click here for times and locations of Cheering Stations! Each day I'll have an idea of my pace and probably a shorter 1 hour window when I'll hit each mark. Give me a call and I'll let you know the time. Or go anytime and cheer on my fellow walkers!!!

Also:
* If you want, bring a chair to Closing Ceremonies and Cheering Stations!
* Here's the Boston staff: on the left my coach Aimee, the other coach Meredith, and the walker recruiter. Sorry can't remember her name, but she's very friendly!

Questions, Questions, Questions

There are many questions about the 3Day, so I thought I'd try and answer some of them here. If you any others, just shoot me an email! aimee432@comcast.net

Who's doing the walk?

Technically I'm doing it "alone." Meaning, I didn't sign up with anyone I already know. However, I've met a ton of people during Training Walks and through the Message Board so I'm definitely not alone in this journey! Not to mention there are 2500+ other walkers participating (primarily women, but many men as well), so I'm sure there will be plenty of people for me to chat with!

How far is 60 miles?

If I started in Boston and walked to the Cape (Sandwich specifically) I would have walked 60 miles. So, next time you're driving down the Cape imagine you can see me walking alongside the car!

Where do you walk?

We'll walk on sidewalks and trail paths. Unlike the marathon, no roads are closed for us so you could see us walking as you're running errands! The route changes every year to keep it interesting for the folks who participate in the event annually. This year we start in Framingham and walk about 20 miles to Camp. In the morning we leave camp and walk another 20 miles in a figure 8 pattern. This way, we have new scenery the entire way and we end up back at Camp at the end of Day 2. Big bonus to this is we only have to set up the tent on Friday and it's all ready for us on Sat!

Why don't you know EXACTLY where you'll be walking?

The actual route is never released for safety reasons. Safety? Yes. Imagine if all the supporters of the 3Day decide to drive along the route to cheer us on. Sounds wonderful, but the extra traffic, and the rubber-necking, is likely to cause an accident. Definitely not something we need when we're only walking inches from where the cars are driving!!! There will be designated places for people to cheer on the walkers. More on that in another post!

Where are you camping?

Similar to the route, the actual Camp location is never released. We find out when we get there on Day 1! Why? For safety again, and also because one year the location was released and some "concerned citizens" of the town didn't want us there based on traffic, etc, so they forced the camp location to change their mind and not allow us to stay. Can you imagine the poor 3Day staff trying to find space for 2500+ people in the 11th hour? Better to keep it a secret!

What is Camp like?

Typically we stay at a big sports field rather than a campground. The 3Day brings in everything we need. Two people share a tent, so between the walkers and all the Crew there are over 1500 TENTS set up in row upon row. When we arrive at Camp on Friday afternoon we'll pick up our gear bag (luggage) and the tent provided by the 3Day. We have a Tent Assignment detailing the row and actual space to set up our tent. They also bring in a giant dining tent (with hot catered breakfast and dinner - lunch is a sandwich during the walk). There are Shower Trucks with hot showers in the back of big tractor trailers. My least favorite aspect: a zillion port-o-potties. Enough on that subject. Every night they have entertainment in the main tent. More on what Camp has after I walk and experience it for myself!

WHY are you doing this?

Good question! I'm out of shape, don't exercise (at least not when I started this journey) and have never camped b/c it's not my thing. But all of that is irrelevant. I've thought about participating for several years. Also, my grandmother is a Breast Cancer Survivor. This year I started researching the event and the more I learned, the more convinced I was to walk in the 3Day. Scarily, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer in her lifetime. There are far more than 8 women in my life I care about and I don't want to see this effect any of them. It's time to make a difference. Watch this very moving video about why people participate: Video. I bet you'll be ready to sign up with me next year!

Back-to-Back

This past weekend was the biggest "Back-to-Back" before the event. Back-to-Backs are 2 long distance walks on consecutive days. Sat I walked 18 miles and 16 miles on Sunday!!! A total of about 14-15 hours of walking in a 30 hour timeframe.

Sat I walked with one other 3-Dayer and really enjoyed it. We walk the same pace, have the same break motto - few & quick breaks - and the 18 miles *flew* by. Not to mention, she pushed me on for the last few miles when my feet were simply hurting! In total we finished in 7 hours 15 minutes. So pretty much close to an entire day of work! Only problem was I got my 1st Blister. It's on my heel, and it's my fault. I used moleskin (an adhesive padding to PREVENT blisters) on my heels for protection. I've been doing this for months w/ great results. Sat I didn't apply it well and the creases I created in the moleskin gave me blisters on my heels. They're pretty mild and should heel soon.

Sunday I walked with another group of 6 which was fun to chat with. It reached 91 degrees in the city. Special thanks to the bank (about mile 12) which had a sprinkler running in their recently paved parking lot to keep it from cracking. We had fun cooling down in the sprinkler for a few minutes! Due to the heat, the rest of the group decided to skip a BIG hill and only walk about 13.5 miles. But not me. I went on my own up Summit Ave (1/2 mile long hill straight up) huffing and puffing the whole way. But what a great sense of accomplishment when I got to the top! Then walked the last few miles solo to hit the 16 mile mark!!! :-)

Betty Crocker...

has officially retired! Saturday was the 3rd and final Bake Sale and it was the most successful one yet! Spent Friday baking brownies and making popcorn and then headed to Norwell Super Stop & Shop to hawk my goods. My Mom was kind enough to man a table so we had both entrances covered, and in total we raised $715!!!

I spoke with a woman who is in the midst of 3rd re-occurrence with Breast Cancer and it has metastasized. She's going into this with a positive attitude and was a joy to talk to. She's in my thoughts. My hope is that by participating in this event and doing this fundraising it will help find a cure soon for her and all the other women and men in the same situation. Stay strong!