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The 3 Day Walk Is Coming San Diego!

November 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you are new around these parts you may not know that I walked in the 60 mile, Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure last year.  I was fortunate enough to be sponsored by Energizer and documented my entire 3-Day journey.

It was the most extraordinary event I have ever participated in.

I walked the entire 3 day walk with a stress fracture in my foot.

Walking for three days, in the rain, with a cast sucked butt.  But I did it.  And I was never more proud of myself!

At closing ceremonies I vowed to participate again.  I was just thrilled when my husband said he wanted to walk it with me.  I could not wait!  Unfortunately, fate had other plans.

My foot is still broken.   And while I’m not wearing my cast (I should be) it gives me pain every day.  After the walk was over, I went into a new boot for several weeks and I was told if it didn’t heal I would need surgery.  A surgery I’ve put off because I just don’t have time for it.  So instead, I deal.  But because I didn’t take care of myself, and my foot is still broken…I had to pass on walking this year.

*sad panda*

I wanted to give my foot time to heal.  In hindsight, I really wish I would have signed up as support staff (Crew) for the event.  I would not have been walking but I still could have been at camp helping support those that were.  I’m kind of irritated at myself for not getting that set up in time.

In anycase….

The walk is happening in San Diego this weekend!!  November 18-20 and San Diego will be going pink.

My soon-to-be-sister-in-law IS walking her first walk and I’m so excited for her.  My co-walkers from last year are also walking.  I’ve been following the other cities events on Facebook and I can’t help but be nostalgic and a little sad.  I want to be there, too!  And while I can’t participate as a walker, I CAN CHEER.

San Diego 2011 3-Day Cheering Stations

Public 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.

Please leave the site cleaner than when you found it and recycle anything that can be recycled. Provide trash receptacles for the walkers if you are planning on passing food or other items out to them. All candy, wrapped items and decorations should be taken with you when leaving the site.

Friday, November 18

Mile 2.5, 7:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m.
En Fuego Cantina Restaurant
1342 Camino Del Mar
Del Mar, CA 92014

Mile 10.4, 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
UCSD Scripps Institute of Oceanography
8580 La Jolla Shores Drive
San Diego, CA 92037

Mile 18.3, 12:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Taylor Library
4275 Cass Street
San Diego, CA  92109

Saturday, November 19

Mile 4.3, 7:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Robb Field – South (along Sunset Cliffs Boulevard)
2525 Bacon Street
San Diego, CA 92107

Mile 12, 9:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Robb Field – North (along the San Diego River Waterway Bike Path)
2525 Bacon Street
San Diego, CA 92107

Mile 15.1, 10:45 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
South Mission
2600 Mission Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92109

Sunday, November 20

Mile 4.7, 8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
San Diego Visitor Center
2688 E. Mission Bay Drive
San Diego, CA  92109

Mile 14.8, 11:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater
2150 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA  92101

On some portions of the route you may find areas that are deemed “quiet zones” which will be indicated by signage on the route. Please assist us in respecting our neighborhoods and communities during this time.

Be prepared, RAIN is in the forecast (again!).  So take an umbrella.  I’m not sure where I will be yet but would love to meet up with others who are cheering.  I can say from experience that the people cheering make a HUGE difference.  When I was tired and just wanted to stop, I thought about the people cheering and what funny stuff might be coming just around the next corner.  It helped me keep going!

With a little more rest (and maybe surgery) I will be out there next year again.  I honestly can not wait!

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Pink Withdrawals

November 26, 2010 By 1 Comment

I am terribly sorry that I’ve been absent this week.  It seems that I am having some serious pink withdrawal and just can’t get my head in the game.  That paired with cleaning like a mad woman for our Thanksgiving celebration and I just haven’t been able to think about blogging.

Since last weekends incredible 3 Day journey, I haven’t really been able to think about much else.  I wish I was a better writer so that I could tell you how amazing the whole thing was.  I wish I could make people understand that magnitude of the event and the feelings of pride and joy I felt.  To come home to “normal” really kinda sucks.

To get up and get my coffee without a cheering crowd is so lame (thanks Bob for trying).

To not have a kind person clear my dirty plates after a long day and tell me how wonderful I am is boring.

To not have funny dressed cheerleaders standing out by my mailbox is dull.

People who have not walked in my shoes (literally) can not understand how I feel.  I don’t think anyone will ever understand, unless you’ve done this incredible journey, too.

I finally got around to downloading the few pictures off my “real” camera that I managed to get.  It was rainy most of my time in camp so I didn’t wander around snapping all the pictures I had hoped to.

Rainy Day

American Massage Therapy Association were awesome!

Tired but smiling!

Just remember to Keep Going®!

I have all kinds of posts that need to get up.  I need to remind you to enter the Sam’s Club Unfortunate Tree contest, and I have some reviews to get up for the holidays.  I’ll try to get back this weekend.  I hope everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving with their families!

 

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It Takes a Certain Kind of Crazy to be so Wonderful

November 22, 2010 By 6 Comments

It’s Monday and my 3 Day for the Cure, 60 mile journey ended yesterday.  But I came home exhausted, and went straight to bed last night.  I hope you don’t mind getting my Day 3 recap a day late.

Our “team mates” (we didn’t form an official team, but we were together all weekend), made the decision to get a room at the nearby Hilton rather than spending the night in a soggy tent.  After taking a hot shower on Day 2 and putting on warm dry clothes only to walk out of the shower trucks to be hit with cold wind and rain…I thought the Hilton sounded like a fine plan!

After sleeping the night in a nice, warm, dry bed, we arrived back at camp bright and early.  It was time to tear down our soggy tents and load our gear onto the trucks for the day.  We woke up to partially blue skies and were so hopeful that the weather San Diego is famous for would make an appearance.

It was short lived.

We made it to the first pit stop (about mile 3) dry and then the rain came again.

I wished I could have caught up to the “Aunt,” “Sister,” or “Grandmother” flag because I would have loved to carry it for a while.  But this woman carried the “Mother” flag through the rain at Mission Bay like a determined warrior.

We were lucky, though and the rain did finally stop.  The clouds cleared.  It would spit a little rain now and then but by the time we got to closing ceremonies, it was blue skies above Petco Park.

This was at the top of a GIANT hill in Old Town.  It’s amazing what a little Vicodin and Gu energy packets can help you accomplish!

Along the route, there are little signs of encouragement.  They are fabulous and usually have really great messages to help you Keep Going®.

More fabulous cheerers!

All along the route there are these little groups of people.  We call them “Walker Stalkers.”  There is Billy and the “Hookers for Hooters” just to name a few.  These people are fabulous!  They come out, rain or shine and cheer, cheer, cheer.  They wait for the walkers to go by then advance ahead and do it again.  The support these people give the walkers, and the way they lift your tired spirits is nothing short of amazing.  I can’t thank them enough!

After a long hard, half wet, half sunny day, we finally made it to the end.

Closing Ceremonies.

My friends, Liz and Suzanna (thanks Liz for the hotel!).  These are two of the most energetic people I’ve ever met.  I’m happy to know them.

Breast cancer survivors gathering on the hill for closing ceremonies.

We were moving fast!  But here are more San Jose and San Diego Police Department guys cheering on the walkers at Closing Ceremonies.  These guys and gals were AWESOME!  Cheering us on, encouraging our spirits.  I was told by more than one that I was their hero for walking these 60 miles with a broken foot.  That meant so much to me!  I’ll have video of some of them dancing for us after I get the video’s downloaded from my other camera.  Hysterical!

They let the survivors walk into the Closing Ceremonies last.  To honor their fight, all the walkers remove one shoe and salute them.  This was the most emotional part for me.  There are no words to describe the sense of accomplishment I felt at this moment.  We walked for the survivors.  It was beautiful and awe inspiring to see.

The survivor circle.

Day 3 was very emotional and so much fun.  It was a giant party which made it easy to walk those last 17 miles despite being in more pain than I ever though imaginable.  If you ever wanted to be a part of something amazing…The Susan G Komen 3 Day for the Cure is it.

I have more to say and a video to post.  So stay tuned for that.  I can’t thank Energizer® enough for their support of me and for their support of The 3 Day for the Cure.

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A Very Soggy Day 2!

November 20, 2010 By 8 Comments

Hello from Day two of the Susan G Komen 3 Day for the Cure!  A very wet and soggy day two.  Holy moly.  The skies opened up last night and it hasn’t really let up since.  A few breaks now and then, but all in all it has rained.  And rained.  And rained.

Mindy and I decided to call it quits at lunch when we were both soaked to the bones and shivering so hard our teeth made noise.  This was the 10 mile mark.  While I am bummed that I can’t say I walked all of day two, I am very proud of what I’ve accomplished so far.  I walked 20 miles yesterday and 10 today.  And the 10 today sure felt like the 20 yesterday since we were rained on the whole time.

Wow, that sucked.

But, the support and spirit of the people along the route never wavers.  Not even in the rain.  It’s absolutely amazing.

I didn’t get as many pictures today because, well, it was wet and I didn’t want to ruin my phone.  And my fingers were frozen so I couldn’t push the right buttons anyways.  But here are a couple of my favorite:

First thing this morning heading out to the gates to start our quest.  It was pouring!

Really?  Are you sure?  I didn’t think 4000 people constituted “many.”

Babes in boyland!

So tonight the American Massage Therapist Association is in the Energizer® tent giving out free massages to the walkers.  They all donate their time to this event and they are wonderful!  I had my massage from Melissa and I think I am in love with her *swoon*  After carrying a backpack for two days, your shoulders and neck are sore.  So now it’s just one less pain to worry about for the night.

So there is the recap from day two.  I am heading out to get some dinner now and hear Candy Coburn perform the 3 Day for the Cure “anthem,” Pink Warrior.  I posted the song here, listen to it.  It’s pretty great.

I’ll be back tomorrow with more!

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Holy Cow! I Did It!

November 19, 2010 By 11 Comments

Here I am at the end of day one of my first Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure, and I can say that I walked {almost} the whole darn thing!  I ended up skipping about 1 mile with a sweep van because my kids were waiting for me at the next cheering station and I wanted to hurry up for them.

Yes I’m blaming the kids. It’s my privilege since I birthed them.

Anyhow.  This has been an amazing experience!  I had so much fun today.  The people cheering on the walkers are plain crazy!  Half dressed, dancing and cheering.  It’s like being at a downtown club even though it’s only 6:30 am.  It’s their spirit that keeps the walkers walking.  It’s their dedication that helps me Keep Going!

My favorite cheering station!  My loves.  Who were heartbroken when they realized I wasn’t going home with them.  But my heart melted when I walked around the corner and saw them giving high fives to all the walkers in front of me.  They had been cheering walkers on for about an hour before I made it to their spot.This is Billy.  He is a 3 day for the Cure icon.  He travels with the walk so you see him several times in different locations.  All the “walker stalkers” do this.  They follow the group and cheer until everyone goes by.  Then they move down the route and do it again.

Dedication!

I am sore tonight.  So is about 4000 other walkers.  But I feel accomplished and happy.  I can’t believe I did it!  We’ll see how tomorrow goes…my non-broken foot is actually the one giving me grief.  I sure I hope I don’t walk away from this walk with another boot.

This even is just amazing.  I don’t have adequate words to describe the energy and dedication of these walkers and supporters.  It’s breathtaking.

I’m off to shower for the night and hit the hay.  Please check my facebook and twitters for play by play updates throughout the day tomorrow.

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