My Life On The DD List

Soooo, yeah…..I completely forgot to post this blog about 8 months ago.  I don’t know what I was thinkin’….apparently I wasn’t!  I was going to delete it, but I thought why not post it anyway, right? 

Hello!  Well, it’s been two weeks since the Philadelphia Breast Cancer 3 Day so I’ve had some time to reflect.  I’m not sure if you’ve read my previous blog regding STUFF, but if you have, here’s a funny.  I didn’t need most of it.  Why?  Because we couldn’t camp.  We didn’t relocate.  Actually, we didn’t leave the hotel we were booked into on Thursday!  There were two, yes TWO, noreasters clamping down on the Philadelphia metropolitan area and well, that’s where we were supposed to walk.  But we hopped on a plane, checked into the hotel and waited for word on whether Opening Ceremonies/Day One was going to happen.   Well, later that evening we were informed that Day One AND Day Two were cancelled.  Bummer.  Instantly, word got around the hotel and walkers and crew gathered in the lobby.  It was like a big pajama party!  We all expressed our disappointment, but we made a plan.  Lets walk ANYWAY!  Great!  Lets go!

The next morning, we dressed in three layers, met in the lobby, piled into our respective cars and did a caravan to the Philadelphia Art Museum.  We donned our rain gear, put on our gloves, hoisted our back packs over our shoulders and off we went!  We walked the loop that takes you from the famous art museum around “boat house row” down Kelly Drive and around Fairmount Park.  It was cold.  It was raining.  It was the nicest walk I’ve taken in a long time.  The air was cold and crisp.  It smelled like rain and leaves.  It kept us all going.  We were met, half way around, by one of the walkers family members.  They set up, what we called, Stop and Go A…….they had water, coffee, donuts and a first aid kit.  That was SO sweet of them.  Such a great support!  While we were walking, our very own Sweep Car came down the road, tooting it’s horn decked out in pink balloons and pink ribbon decals.  It was my mom and our friend Eileen.  They were giving out stickers and stuff to all of us….and tried to make it fun for us as well. 

The next day, Saturday, we decided to walk indoors at the local mall.  So we walked around…and around…and around.  Up to the third floor, back down to the first.  Passing Godiva Chocolatier over and over and over again.  Do you know how hard it was to NOT indulge in a dozen chocolates?!  Godiva.  My favorite. *sigh*  But I digress.  So we decided we were hungry so we all decided to go in to Ruby Tuesdays.  We thought since we were in the mood to have fun and were not technically on event, some of us ordered an afternoon libation to get the party started.  The merry-go-round operator was giving out free rides to 3 Day walkers and….well……lets just say the merry-go-round wouldn’t be the same.  I could swear I heard my horse groan.

Day 3.  Rain.  Wind. However, the event opened the route.  We had a mini opening ceremony at Fairmount Park and off we went!  We walked through the wind and the rain and it was SO much fun!  I know, sounds strange to say.  But we were finally out on the route walking.  Officially.  Yes, I was cold and it was raining.  No, I was not miserable.  We walked through the streets of historic Philadelphia and through the zoo.  No animals were outside.  Can you blame them really?  Lets face it, if I weren’t there to fight breast cancer, I would have been in my nice warm dry hotel room! 

There was ONE lone animal out braving the elements.  I swear I think he did it for us.  Just sittin’ up on his perch very matter of factly.  It was a Red Panda.  Here he is to the right.  Cute lil’ bugger isn’t he?  Kinda looks like a cross between a raccoon and a koala right?  So he was out there, I called him George.  It was awfully nice of him to be out there cheering on the walkers. 

So as we walked through the streets of Philadelphia and toward the Navy Yard, I was happy to know that so many walkers decided to either come back to brave the element or, like us, stayed to finish what we went there to do.  I think that although we couldn’t walk for the first two days of our 3 Day adventure, our journey led us to meet the most wonderful people.  It allowed us time to truly bond with our fellow walkers and each of us were able to share “why we walk”.

Well that’s it for now.  Stay tuned.  Our petition delivery will be the next journey we take to help families who have been affected by breast cancer!

Packing for The Breast Cancer 3 Day.  Who knew that 7 events in, that I’m STILL having a difficult time trying to pack everything I need and have it weigh 35 lbs!  It’s almost like when you’re dieting around the holidays.  You know you’ve fallen off the diet wagon and your afraid to look at the scale because you’ve stuffed too much in!   However, I’m “editing”.  It’s difficult.  Well, let me explain why it’s difficult this year. 

Each year, the week of the event, we receive our email from the coaches reminding us to go over our list, check the weather etc. etc.  Well……I’ve checked the weather.  Inclement doesn’t seem to do the job in describing what is in store.  And if anyone who participated in the 2006 event will remember, it was inclement also.  So, with my memory of that event in my head, I’ve tried to remember the things that were important.  Dry clothes, dry feet and somehow a source of warmth!  Where to go…where to go…AH HA! The hunting/sporting department in Walmart!  They’ll have STUFF!   So off I went, last night, to Walmart to see about some STUFF!

Rain ponchos, check.  Next, source of heat.  As I scanned the shelves, I saw nothing that would keep me warm.  The Hub was with me, so naturally, whilest I was browsing the aisles for STUFF, he asked an associate about little heat packs that sportsman use to keep their hands warm.  SCORE!  Extra socks, check.  Gloves, check.  Now, I have to find little shoe covers for my sneakers, to keep them from getting soaking wet.  I’m still on the hunt.  I have 3 days to find them.  3 days, kind of ironic no?  I’m also going to pack some newspaper (if I haven’t already sent it all out to the recycle pile!)  When you ball up the newspapers and put it inside your sneakers, it will wick out the moisture from your sneakers should they get wet.  A GREAT trick I learned during the 2006 “inclement” weather situation. 

SO my packing list has grown to accommodate the “inclement” weather gear.  This is why I’m having difficulty editing.  Because I know what I’ll want and what I’ll need, however, I’m not sure it will fit!  It’s probably at 30 lbs now and I haven’t finished packing my fanny pack, my spare pair of sneakers or the rest of my knickers!  I know, it seems crazy to go ahead with walking in an expected “inclement” weather situation, but we’re women on a mission.  We’re like little pink mailmen & women.  Neither rain nor hail nor sleet nor snow nor heat of day nor dark of night shall keep this walker from walking toward a cure!  So with that said, I’m going to pack all my STUFF, I’m going to head to Philadelphia, I’m going to REMIND Mother Nature that we’re walking for HER boobs TOO and I’m gonna have yet another SPECTACULAR weekend with the most amazing people I’ve ever met and meet some new amazing people as well!

 Off to pack my stuff, wish me luck!

Hello Bloggers!

Sorry I haven’t been around in a while, but somehow life (or lethargy)gets in my way every time I want to sit and type!  So it’s here.  The Breast Cancer 3 Day.  I’m walking with my sister Christine in Philly this year.  I was going to try and crew the event in Tampa Bay, but there’s just no time this year, or money.  Our tough economy has made it difficult to raise funding and currently I’m shy by $500.00 for the minimum amount of money to raise to even participate.  That being said, my training has suffered emmensely this year as well.  I’m hoping the route this year ain’t so hilly in Philly!  If so…..well…..I guess I’ll have my arms above my head in the “X” formation more than I thought!

 So wish us luck…..Team Committed To A Cure is preparing to walk 60 miles in Philly to fund a cure for breast cancer.  Ssshhh, my calves can hear me…..and my feet will catch on!

*stretching out*  Well, I guess I’m out of hibernation.  And instead of tap-tap-tappin’ away at my keyboard in order to give you some excuse like “time got away from me” or “things have been crazy” or “my dog ate my homework”, lets just call it like it is…..I just didn’t blog.  But here I am, back again to blog some more so lets get on with it shall we?

I’ve starting getting back into “The 3 Day” swing, as my sister has talked me into walking the event in Philly this year as opposed to being on crew.  Another year of training, fundraising and stressing over travel arrangements, leave (without pay) from work and a packing list.  All things said….I just LOVE this event.  I LOVE feeling stressed about things like training or travel arrangements for this event.  I just feel like the goal I have set in front of me is not only attainable, but it’s SO worthwhile and special.  I’m not sure my feet have forgiven me since the 2007 Tampa event, but needless to say, I’ve started my training walks against their hissing and complaining!  I’m really looking forward to seeing all of my “3 Day Peeps” again this year and I would LOVE to be able to participate in two events again this year as well.  We’ll see…..that is on the “To Be Deteremined” wish list for 2008. 

So if you see me walking with my “Everyone Deserves A Lifetime” shirt, wave hello…..and/or wave a donation check……either or wouldn’t hurt my feelings!

 Be well my friends. 

TM

As I have now been able to locate where my ankles have been hiding(and they still think I don’t know where they are, but I’m starting to see them!) and noticed that my badges of courage (road rash)are subsiding, I’ve been thinking about the Tampa Bay 3 Day event and the miles I walked. I’ve thought about the people that were out supporting us, the few people that were p.o.’d when the police were holding them at an intersection so we could cross who yelled “I have someplace to be!”, the staff, the crew and the 1899 people who walked the 60 mile path with me. 

The rainbow at Opening Ceremonies was my sign from above that this was going to be a wonderful event and re-affirmed to me that those who I walked in memory of were watching over every step that I was going to take. It gave me strength enough to cross the first bridge on that sunny morning over the intra coastal waterway and as I looked at the Gulf of Mexico, I thought “what a remarkable way to start this journey.  Rainbows and blue sky.” I spoke with so many people along the way.  I learned why they walk and in turn I shared why I walk.  See, you live in a bubble for 3 days.  The world, for those 3 days, is the way it should be.  People who are understanding of the short comings of others and ask “What can I do for you?”.  It’s the kind of display of humanity that isn’t seen very often in “the real world”.  There are thank you’s, your welcome’s, what can I do for you?, are you ok?, do you need something?, chants like “Make sure you snack, you’re walking for your rack” or “Drink Drink pee pee you don’t want an I.V.!!”  Lets face it, you have nobody at your office telling you “Come in and rest, you’re walking for your breasts!”, right?  If you do…I wanna know where you work and if they’re accepting applications. 

I must tell you that for the first time at a 3 Day event, I danced my butt off in Philadelphia at the Saturday Night Dance Party and had a great time.  So naturally, I promised Sister Rosaire (aka. Donna, my sistah in hydration at the lunch stop in Philly)to do so at the Tampa event. However, I must come clean. At the Tampa event, I heard threats from my feet that if I got up and made a move toward the stage that they would leave and I’d have to find my own way home.  That’s a four hour drive, how would I have gotten home Monday?! So I sat back down and watched the other participants and heard THEIR feet mumbling at them.  On every 3 Day event, on Saturday night, there are people who are chosen, and have the courage, to share their story of what brought them to The Breast Cancer 3 Day. In Philly, we listened to a woman talking about Inflammatory Breast Cancer.  We cried.  But the new spokesperson (and I say spokesPERSON because I suppose we have to be P.C. even on the 3 Day!) Jenne wound us up and dropped the gauntlet to dance her off the stage and we were, at least for the moment, back in a joyous mood.  In Tampa, we listened to a gentleman who lost not one, but TWO wives to this disease.  Again, we cried, but again Jenne found a way to bring our minds back to the joyous spirit and once again challenged those of us under the tent to dance her off the stage.  This is where I heard the threats from my feet.  Quite frankly, my knees and calves were on their way to back up any threats my feet may have made earlier.

When I registered to crew in Philadelphia and walk in Tampa Bay, it was in the hopes that the weather would be cool.  I mean, come on, it’s October, it shouldn’t be bad right? HA!  We arrived in Philadelphia with temps in the upper 80’s and I thought “this is not autumn!”. As we arrived at crew day, a bead of sweat formed on my brow and I thought “this isn’t gonna last.”  I was right, the upper 80’s didn’t last, it climbed into the 90’s!  So at the end of each of our hard days of crewing and making sure each of the walkers was fed and hydrated, we returned to camp to our little pink sweat boxes, um eh hem, tents and waited for SOME kind of relief.  This didn’t happen until nightfall.  Once the sun went down we navigated through a dark, cool and misty night.  In that misty darkness, I heard many people warn those who were new to this event, “don’t leave anything outside you don’t want wet.”  It helps being a veteran.  Not  because you know to bring with you extra baggies, Gold Bond Medicated Foot Spray powder or the creature comforts that you missed on your first event.  It helps because you leave home all the things you thought you might need by looking at the never ending packing list!  But let us not forget that the bag you bring must weigh 35 lbs. or less.  On my first event I thought, “are they kidding? 35 lbs.?  My bag is 45 and I haven’t even packed the several pair of clean bloomers yet!!” But I digress.  So we dealt with the heat in Philly and left Closing Ceremonies with the feeling of inspiration and a sense that we can change the world one 3 Day event at a time. 

On to Tampa Bay!  I was so glad to have the ability to do TWO events this year.  People thought that perhaps I was a bit mad, but I’d love to do all 12 in one capacity or another if I could!  I couldn’t wait to get back amongst the spirit that flows through the 3 Day event.  I couldn’t wait to see the little pink sweat boxes, er eh hem, tents again, eat the pre-cooked CHICKEN again or drink gatorade all weekend long while the crew called it Blue Hawaiians or Pink Martini’s!  But I especially couldn’t wait to see the faces of everyone participating and not because I knew them, but because I knew there would be smiles.  There, in the eyes of all of those people, I would find the 3 Day spirit.  The spirit that becomes as addicting as chocolate or potato chips.  Now some of you may have heard that camp, on that first night in Tampa Bay, was evacuated to a parking garage due to inclement weather.  As I thought about how hot I was and was on the verge of whining…although there IS NO WHINING on the 3 day, I went to the information tent and found a list of hotels in the area and made arrangements.  Now I know I should have been a trooper and evacuated to the parking garage, but I wasn’t the ONLY person who fled to the comfort of the local Ramada Inn.  So this made me feel like less of a quitter.  I tried to talk myself into the fact that I had already camped in the heat in Philadelphia, so this didn’t really count, right?  I love staying in camp because of the sense of community and fun, but there is something to be said for staying at a hotel after walking 15 miles in 98 degree heat under the Florida sun and not in a parking garage.  That’s right, 15 miles.  I was hoping you wouldn’t notice that part.  The first day, after Opening, the sun became unrelenting and by mile 15 I realized I wasn’t “walking ON sunshine” and started to get overheated.  So I returned to camp.  Day two started out with an overcast sky so I felt as though I could do anything, but that was the LONGEST 20 miles I’ve ever walked!  (ok, so I have only walked 20 miles one other time before when I walked in the NYC 3 Day, but you know what I mean!)  Day three started beautifully and ended up becoming sunny.  Again, I wasn’t walking ON sunshine, I think the sunshine started to walk all over me!  (Why do I feel like breaking into that Nancy Sinatra song?)  The two longest stretches of walking were at the last half of the day, which to me didn’t seem fair.  I kept walking from Lunch Stop toward Pit Stop 3 and thought will it ever appear? As I saw balloons and hear cheering, I thought perhaps I was seeing an Oasis, which I must tell you the last two pit stops became for me.  I was overheated and was welcomed to Pit Stop 3, at the hydration tent, by someone in an Afro wig telling me to get into the shade and be sure to keep hydrated.  A man in a wig is telling ME to stay cool.  Our crew dressed up in that heat just to make sure we were sufficiently entertained at each stop and he told ME to get cooled off.  This is what this event is for me.  People thinking of other people.

As I arrived into finish and hugged my mother, I broke down.  I had just walked 57 miles and was heart broken that I couldn’t do all 60.  I wanted to complete it all for everyone who was on my shirt.  I wanted to finish in honor of my sister.  In memory of Susan and Grace.  But I realize that even though I can’t claim to have walked 60 miles in this event, I can say that I tried.  I can say that I’m proud to have been a part of two Breast Cancer 3 Day events in 2007.  I can say that I walked as far as I could and that I would walk farther to give my sister a life time.  I can say I will continue to walk so that my nieces, your nieces, daughters, sisters, mothers, husbands, sons or brothers won’t have to. 

“The longest journey begins with a single step.”

Lao Tsu

For More Information Please Visit www.the3day.org