Day 3

Last night, I finally unpacked my 3-day bag. Yes, the Atlanta 3-day was 3 weeks ago. Don't worry, I did take out all of the clothes and threw them in the wash as soon as I got home! I walked past my bag several times a day, but didn't have the energy to put everything away. Nor, did I have the energy to put my thoughts and experiences together for my blog. Life doesn't always go as planned, and my 3-day didn't go as planned. If you know me, you know that I eat, breath and sleep SGK and when I couldn't walk, I was devastated. I walk for those who can't, and not walking on day 3, I was defeated, I felt I let down my team and more so, I let down all of my supporters. 

I'll start with the end. After an amazing Day 2, we all got back to camp, took showers and headed to stretch and dinner. I was feeling good, no blisters and ready for day 3! I have always bragged about the great food that is served in camp. Saturdays night dinner was less than thrilling, and I am not just saying that because I got sick. We all had dinner and stuck around for the beginning of the dance party. Everyone was tired so we headed back to our tents to settle down for bed. I couldn't sleep and wasn't feeling my best. I got up to look for a sprite or seltzer water. I couldn't find one and asked one of the crew members. Before they could find me a sprite, I was sick. I will spare you the details, other than I was up no less than fifteen times throwing up. Around 2 am, I realized I couldn't keep doing this. I sent one of my crew friends a text. About 30 min later she showed up at my tent. In a matter of moments she woke up a the med crew and had Amys husband up to assist me to the med tent. I spent the rest of the night with an IV and telling myself I'd be ready to walk.

 

I realized when I left the med tent, I wasn't going to be able to walk many miles if at all. I sent my team off and headed to the showers and to pack. I was exhausted and emotional. I put my bag on the gear truck and headed to find Ashley, my crew and savior. She arranged for a sweep van to pick me up and take me to the first pit stop. I got in the sweep van, my first sweep ride ever, and started crying all over again. Thankfully, I had amazing ladies who had me laughing by the time they got me to the pit stop. I managed to walk the 3 miles to the next pit stop with my team. Exhaustion was setting in, and I knew if I was going to walk later I needed to rest and get to lunch. I arrived at lunch and hopped on a coach bus for a nap. But there was no sleeping for me. About the time my team met me, I knew there was no way I could walk anymore. I called Mike to pick me up. The defeat that I felt at 4am was no where near the defeat I felt when I left my team and all of the walkers behind. 

Mike and I headed to Turner Field, where my family met us to cheer the walkers in to the finish. Being a cheerleader was something new for me, and sitting there cheering on walkers and telling them "Its all down hill from here" gave me a bit of my 3-day spirit back!

 I walked in with the team. We did it, and my amazing friends walked for me and finished strong for all of our supporters!

 I spent the next three days recovering from (apparent) food poisoning. I've yet to eat chicken since, and I have a feeling I'll never eat poultry again. But you know what, none of that matters and its taken me a while to come to terms, this is life and you can't control everything! No matter what, if I walked on day 3 or not, we raised awareness and made a huge impact on Atlanta. Along the lines of 6.5 million dollar impact! The impact to live in a world without breast cancer is all that matters and we succeed. One day it will be more than just 3 days, it will be every day.

Day 1 & 2 wrap up coming soon!

Final Thoughts

I remember my first 3-day walk three years ago, I had nerves, anxiety and apprehension  of the 60 miles that were ahead of me. Here we are, three years later and the nerves, anxiety and apprehension I once had are replaced by excitement. Susan G. Komen for the Cure had become part of who I am, and I wouldn't change a thing.

If this is your first 3-Day, try to put any nerves or anxiety behind you and know that the 3 days and 60 miles ahead of you will be life changing. You will not be alone at any point over the next 3 days. Don't be afraid to talk to other walkers and share stories.  A great place to chat with others is while you are in line at the port-a-potties. Change your socks often and have your friends and family at cheering stations. Don't worry if they can't make it to every stop, because there will be others cheering you on and giving you words of encouragement.  There is no such thing as a stranger. If you forgot something, don't be afraid to ask someone. Be sure you have tissues, because you'll need them. There is no shame in taking a ride on the sweep van! After, 3-days you will be tired, sore, you may have blisters, your feet and legs might ache, but remember, all of those aches and pains are just temporary and could never compare to the treatment a cancer patient has to endure. Take it all in and enjoy the in closing ceremonies with your supporters by your side!

I have enjoyed every second of this blog! A big thanks to my friends and 3-Day alumni.  especially, Amy and Erin for jumping in and helping me out. Thank you to my followers for taking the time to read my blog!

Here we go Atlanta, its that time!

3-Day Packing, pt. 1

Meet my 3-Day bag. This is an old piece of luggage that I've had for at least 10 years. I won't care if it gets damaged, wet, the zipper breaks, or if the wheels finally fall off.

 You can use a nice piece of luggage, but I warn you, accidents and damage may happen, such as, a broken zipper or the fabric splitting. Did I mention that  the pink bag below was a borrowed piece of luggage? Imagine giving that back to your friend!

You may not be able to see it too well, but the bag ripped at its seams before we even left the hotel and had our luggage loaded. We ended up duct taping the bag so nothing would fall out.

Like I said before, when packing for the 3-Day, the number one thing you want is a bag on wheels. The duffel bags on wheels seem to work the best. You have extra pockets to stay organized and can fit more than you could with a regular suit case. You will want the mobility of the wheels. Your bag may seem light when you drop it off, but I can promise you that after walking 20 miles, it won't be so light!

Next thing, make sure your bag is identified with your name, contact information and walker id. Luggage tags are a great way to do this and will help you identify your bag as well. These are our team luggage tags from last year. We printed them on regular paper and laminated them at one of the office supply stores. The heavy duty laminate is almost indestructible and it worked perfectly! 

Another tip, take a picture of your luggage tag as one of your first photos on your camera. If you lose your camera during the route, this provides an easy way for the 3-Day crew to find you. I have heard many stories of walkers being reunited with their camera during and after the walk!

When you first arrive at Stone Mountain, you will see several trucks lined up for you to drop your luggage off. You will know which truck, since it's printed on your credentials, which is normally based on tent location. It may look like mass early morning chaos, but it's really not! The crew are pros and you will be surprised at how easy you will find your bag after you complete day 1!

Next up, what you put in the bag!