3Day, The Sequel

Susan G. Komen 3Day for the Cure
San Francisco, CA
October 1-3, 2010

Why

When I talk to people about the 3Day, about walking 60 miles in one weekend, the most common question I am asked is “Why?” (The second question goes something like, “Are you crazy?”)

The route for each day of the walk is published on the Susan G. Komen website. Some of the local supporters, family and friends, will put up signs along the path to encourage the walkers. This sign caught my attention because it’s my “Why.”

This is my daughter Danielle and my granddaughters Larissa and Kelsey. I walk for them. I walk so that we can find a cure for breast cancer before one of them has to deal with it.

I walk for your daughters and granddaughters, mothers, aunts, nieces, grandmothers, friends, loved ones, all the ones you care about.

I walk because everyone deserves a lifetime.

My Coach, My Strength, My Bestest Cheerleader

Friday began bright and early, in a hotel room near SFO, just like last year. Driving up the night before and staying in a hotel means we can sleep an extra hour and a half on Friday morning. This is important not only for what I’m doing but also because once Dave drops me off at Cow Palace, he has to drive all the way down to Aptos and work his 8+ hours in the warehouse.

Without even realizing it, he was my coach for my training this summer. My training was cleverly disguised as weekend hikes in preparation for a big hike together from Big Basin State Park, up here in the mountains where we live, down the side of the mountain to the ocean. It was because of these hikes and the time Dave and I spent outdoors together this past summer that I was in the physical condition I was for the walk.

All weekend long, each time I was on a break and sent him a text message update, he was right there with encouragement and enthusiasm. I believed that I could walk the 60 miles but it helped so much to know that he believed it too.

I took this pic on our way out the door Friday morning. Me and my coach, my strength, my bestest cheerleader. Thanks, Babe, for helping me to be all that I can be.

Opening Ceremony

Dave dropped me off at Cow Palace for the opening ceremony. It was pretty much what I remembered from last year. The energy and excitement and anticipation warming the pre-dawn chilly darkness, aided by big lighted pink balloons.

I cruised around, partially to try to stay warm and partially out of curiosity, stopping by the different booths and other stations they had set up. I wrote my personal goals on a big pink circle and added it to the ‘Goals’ board. Checked out the sponsors’ tents. Took a few pictures…

There was a new part of the opening ceremony that I participated in this year. This long table had strip after strip of white paper cut into ribbon-like pieces. We were invited to add the names of our family, friends and loved ones who had been touched by breast cancer to one of the strips. During the opening ceremony, these strips became flags on the flagpole up on the raised stage in the middle of the ceremony area. In this way, all of the survivors who were part of our lives became an honorary part of the opening ceremony and of the whole weekend event.

Even though I knew what the ceremony would be like, based on last year’s experience, I was still moved to tears, as were many, many of the people around me. The level of emotion and dedication and commitment and energy… it’s something you have to experience for yourself to truly understand.

1,400 walkers… 350 crew members… at the time of the walk, our fundraising total was $3.7 million… words cannot describe what it feels like to be a part of something like this. You’re going to have to join me for next year and see for yourself!

And Off We Go!

Friday started out overcast and dreary and never really overcame it. The sun didn’t show up. I never even took off my jacket that day, due to the chill in the foggy, heavy air. It didn’t dampen our enthusiasm though. We were a pink force to be reckoned with amidst the grey background of the day.

From Cow Palace, we walked north into the city and then west to the coast. From there we walked along the Great Highway. Even though the day was overcast, the views were amazing. I do so love the ocean! This is one of my favorite parts of the walk, there along the coast with the waves and the sand. Its part of what makes the SF walk one of the best on the whole tour.

A Pink Beacon to Light Our Path

Along our path each day are a series of Pit Stops and Grab and Go in addition to the lunch stop. They take such good care of the walkers. Each Pit Stop has a hydration station with water and Gatorade, a whole bunch of snacks to keep us going like bananas, nuts, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in various forms, bagels, Sunchips and potato chips, pretzels... all kinds of choices for protein, salt and carbs. They are definite power stations.

It’s not just about food and drink though. Each stop has a medical tent as well, staffed with volunteers who do everything from provide bandaids, moleskin, Advil, Biofreeze and sunscreen to all kinds of medical diagnosis and treatment of minor aches and pains. These men and women are amazingly kind and helpful and supportive. We love our medical crew!!!

Each stop has a theme that adds to the fun for both them and for us. We had rock and roll themes complete with an Elvis greeting us, the 60’s of course, and the 80’s, a Peter Pan theme complete with tiny plastic swords to be used as our protection and a sprinkling of pixie dust to help us on our way (I think I’m still finding pixie dust in my washer actually…). The crew is there for several hours, serving and cheering and helping. We are doing all of the walking but the energy and excitement they generate for hours at a time more than equals our efforts on our feet. By providing for us in very simple and basic ways, they give us both the encouragement that keeps us going and the practical needs that make it possible.

It's a Walk, Not a Race

As many of you know, 3 weeks before the walk, while hiking on a ridge trail in The Forest of Nicene Marks State Park with Dave, I slipped on some loose dirt and fell. While I managed the all-important goal of staying on the trail, versus falling into the ravine, I did twist my ankle pretty badly and bruised my hand. After the initial pain subsided, the ankle felt fine. We hiked all afternoon. When we got home and I took off my shoes, though, it instantly swelled up and hurt like crazy! I spent the next 3 days in total RICE mode – compression brace, sitting in the recliner with it propped on pillows, icing 20 min on and 20 min off. Total textbook treatment. I also stopped any extra walking to give it time to heal.

In those 3 weeks from the fall to the walk, I took excellent care of the ankle and fretted about whether or not this would be a ‘deal breaker’, if injuring my ankle so close to the walk would keep me from being able to participate. Being the all or nothing kinda gal that I am, I spent a lot of time wrapping my mind around the possibility of not being able to walk the full 60 miles. I told myself it’s not an athletic event; it’s a fundraising event. Whether or not I walk the full 60, the money has been raised and my ultimate goal, the end of breast cancer in my lifetime, would be furthered whether I walked 60 miles or just part of that and spent the rest of the weekend sitting on my butt at a Pit Stop passing out bananas and Gatorade. This balloon at the opening ceremonies caught my eye and served as a reminder of my new mantra – “It’s a walk, not a race. Savor the experience.”

The test of my newfound personal mantra came Friday afternoon. It was not my ankle causing the problem like I feared would be the case. It was pain in my hip. Intense pain, easily and 8 or 9 out of 10. Even with my really high threshold for pain, it was beyond what I could bear. I hobbled into the medical tent at Pit Stop #4 and whom should I find but my dear Angel, Linda. We hugged and chatted and she walked me to the bus and sent me back to camp. They met me with a golf cart and took me directly to the medical tent where my new BFF Dr. Andrew came to my aid. The pain, he said, was because my hips were out of balance, either as a result of the fall or from compensating for the pain in my ankle for 3 weeks. After a simple adjustment and some stretching, I was off to the dining tent. I stopped back afterward for more stretching and some Advil that kept the pain at a very tolerable 3-4 level. The skill and dedication of the medical crew, who are all volunteers, is one of the most critical pieces of the support team at the 3Day.

Despite taking the bus back to camp and not completing the full 20 miles on Day 1, I was surprisingly upbeat. I didn’t cry, I didn’t even feel terribly disappointed, which is quite different than my reaction to taking the bus on Day 2 last year. I was very pleased to realize that I had been able to rise above my own personal goal of completing the 60 miles and see that the important thing was the ultimate goal of raising money to help find an end to breast cancer. Those who know me well know that overcoming my competitive nature was a bigger personal success for me than the 60 miles could have been.

Home Sweet (Pink) Tent

Looks simple enough, right? Having not been a boy scout, and having only a short stint as a girl scout, I’ve never actually set up a tent before. With the written instruction and little practical help from a member of the crew, my home away from home was established, just one in the midst of a sea of hot pink pup tents. Once I had strategically placed my gear around the tent in hopes that the winds there on the grounds of the Presidio wouldn’t turn my tent into big, pink tumbleweed, I took my things and got in line for a much appreciated nice, hot shower. A quick chat with Dave and I was off to sleep. Day 1 complete.

Climb Every Mountain

When I first stepped out of my tent Saturday morning, I was immediately struck by two thoughts –

First I saw that a very heavy fog had moved into camp overnight. It was so close and so intense that it hid part of the shower trailers that were about 200 yards from my tent. The heavy, damp air was actually quite invigorating and not nearly as cold as I was anticipating. The air, though very heavy, smelled really fresh. It was a lovely thing to wake up to.

Secondly, after a few steps down the aisle on my way to breakfast, I realized that the pain level in my hip was barely noticeable, maybe a 1 or 2. It is still amazing to me how quickly my body repairs itself and recovers, even more so when the recovery took place while in a sleeping bag in a pup tent.

On my BFF Dr. Andrew’s suggestion, I stopped by the medical tent for some additional stretching before I started out for the day. He hooked me up with a PT, she made sure I had good range of motion in the hip and that the muscles were stretched well. That done, I grabbed my pack, some fresh water, a little stretching and I was on my way.

Remember the movie the Sound of Music? Remember in the final scenes when the von Trapp family escaped through the mountains? Our walk through along the path leading to the Golden Gate Bridge that morning was the same sort of scene, only in dense fog… and pink.

Hidden in the Fog

The walk across the bridge that morning was chilly and damp, a heavy mist in the air. The fog obscured the full length of the bridge. We could see down to the water but that was about it. We were accompanied by the sound of the foghorns on the passing ships but they were hidden from sight, just like our beloved bridge.

Once we crossed the bridge, we made our way down the winding hill to Fort Baker for our first Pit Stop of the day. A group from the Coast Guard greeted us. They were dressed in pink, provided inspirational music and even had pink balloons decorating their rescue boat and their doggie mascot. Their presence seemed to be very inspiring, especially to the many women in the group.

Safety is Our First Concern

Everything about the 3Day is done with the safety of the walkers in mind. We don’t leave until daybreak; we have to be back to camp by sundown. Each Pit Stop has medical crew in addition to the medical tent in camp. We have access to more snacks, water and Gatorade than any human can consume.

The San Jose and San Francisco Bike Cops are our constant companions. They provide safety, especially at busy intersections or along paths where the sweep vans can’t reach us. They provide so much more though. This all volunteer crew spends the entire weekend with us, providing music, chatting with the walkers, giving encouragement, checking in with those who might be lagging behind to make sure they’re OK, etc. They wear their pink bandannas, hats, tshirts, even boas and tutus, with great pride. They are as committed to the cause as the walkers are and it’s an honor to have them with us.

There are many members of the crew that serve as security as well. They man the intersections, ride their bikes along the trails with us, and give support, information and most of all enthusiasm and a good laugh or two. We love the security crew and their energy gives us energy and more help than they know.

Then there are the sweep vans. They drive continuous laps on the route and make themselves available in the event that a walker is too tired or in too much pain to make it to the next stop on their own power. These are not ordinary vans; they are decorated with themes as well. They entertain and cheer and make us laugh but most of all, they help to keep the walkers safe.

Cheering and Laughing

The community support is amazing. The Tissue Lady was out in full force, all 3 days, several locations each day. It sounds weird but with the wind and the cooler evenings and the damp and fog, tissues were a very needed convenience. Several different cheering stations are set up and many unofficial ones pop up as well. The Long Boobies stopped by.

These cheerleaders were especially impressive, considering that the pit stop where they were located was open before 9:00 AM on Saturday!

We were greeted by Elvis and one of the safety guards who personified the eternal question “Why did the chicken cross the road?”

The Hookers for Hooters followed us around all weekend too. It was too humorous watching them in the “Quiet Zones’ such as the streets of Sausalito on Saturday morning. They still jumped up and down and shook their pompoms and all but they did it without making a sound. Quite entertaining! Because I was wearing my “I’m a Street Walker” tshirt, I had to take advantage of the photo op!

Fabulous Scenery

Saturday morning we started out with a dense fog and a heavy mist in our faces. By the time we got into Sausalito, the sky was clearing. It turned out to be a glorious late morning that lasted well into the afternoon. The scenery was beautiful. We walked along the bay for quite awhile before moving inland a bit, adding the mountains for our inspiration and viewing pleasure.

And speaking of our viewing pleasure…

Apparently the “Manbulance” driver supplements his income by moonlighting as an exotic dancer…

Here are representatives from the Oakland Fire Dept…

And just because...

One Ugly Hill

About 6:30 PM on Saturday, I reached the last pit stop on my journey back to camp. The day in Sausalito was actually really pretty. They changed the path somewhat from last year. We spent a lot more time walking around the city than we did on the rec trail. It was a more pleasant walk, less time in the open with the sun beating down on us and definitely more interesting scenery than just walking along the highway.

I grabbed a couple of snacks and sat down for a bit. I pulled out my phone and turned it on. The text I sent to my husband and my son said, “Just one really ugly hill and the Golden Gate Bridge between me and my Home Sweet Tent.”

This is the really ugly hill…

Oh, the Brutality!!

The hill wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The bridge, on the other hand, was brutal. Seriously!

I love the Golden Gate Bridge. Dave and I have been there several times, walked it, taken pictures, and walked the area around it. Like it is for many people, for us it's part of the beauty of San Francisco.

By this time of day, the fog had rolled back in. It was a thick, heavy fog and it brought some pretty steady winds with it. The wind was in our faces this time rather than at our backs so it seemed so much more severe. We were on our way back so at this point we’d already walked 17 miles, on top of the 20 from the day before. We were tired. Walking into the wind was difficult. The wind was so strong that the sound, combined with the noise from the traffic on the bridge, was so overwhelming that you couldn’t even carry on a conversation with the person walking beside you. The fog was thick and dense. It obscured the bridge so that you really couldn’t get a good idea of how far you had gone or, more importantly, how far you had to go to get to the other side. The combination of all of these factors made it feel like the bridge was 20 miles long!

Finally I was able to see the tollbooths and I knew my walk for the day was nearly done. I got back to camp, grabbed a shower and called Dave for a few minutes. I set my alarm and curled up to sleep, too tired to even walk to the dining tent to see what was for dinner. Day 2 complete.

Happy Trails to You

Last year our pink pup tent camp was in Crissy Field, at the base of the bridge. This year, due to forecasted high winds, we set up on the grounds of The Presidio instead. Sunday morning I crawled out of my tent to find that the heavy fog had lingered overnight. The morning was crisp and pleasant. I dressed and prepared my pack for the day. I packed up my things and dropped my duffle bag at the appropriate truck, thankful that I had managed to get everything to fit into it again. The trucks would be waiting at the site for the closing ceremony. Dave and Aaron would pick up my bag for me so that I didn’t have to lug it around later on.

Our journey for the day began there on the grounds of The Presidio. The rain began just about the time they were releasing us to hit the trail for the day. Walking the grounds of The Presidio at 7:00 AM in the rain.. now that will wake a person up!!! The area was really beautiful, even with the rainy overcast skies. Dave and I will definitely be going back to explore the area sometime soon.

The Streets of San Francisco

The sun began to shine once we left the peaceful trails of the Presidio. We walked through Arguello Gate, into Golden Gate Park, passing the Conservatory of Flowers, the de Young Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden. It was a beautiful trip and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

Walking the streets of the city can be quite a workout, as I’m sure many of you know. The hills in the city are well known. Many of the walkers are from out of state and they are advised to train on hills as part of their overall training. Several times on Sunday I overheard someone say, “I trained on hills in (insert state here) but they were not like these hills at all!”

The city is beautiful, though, and overflowing with energy. Everywhere we walked we were greeted by cheers and smiles, often with candy or other treats, stickers and other little trinkets. The atmosphere was quite festive most of the day.

When we got to the Civic Center, there was a party going on. The Oakland Fire Department was there, providing music, posing for photos and cheering us on. The man in this picture greeted us with his own impromptu dance moves. He was very entertaining!

Shortcut

We walked into the downtown area for lunch at Mission Dolores Park. We arrived on the far side of the park and our intended path was the long way around the perimeter, probably close to half a mile. There was, however, a path straight down the middle that led to the lunch area. Some people were choosing to take the shortcut and get to lunch sooner rather than following along the marked path.

Boy did they cheat themselves! Look at the amazing view from the other side of the park!!!

Most times when you take the easy way, you end up cheating yourself…

Celebration Time

By the time I got to the holding area, the party had begun. The cheering and dancing were in full swing. The receiving line was in good voice. It is an awesome way to end the journey. I think it was around 3:00 PM when I arrived.

Once again I met up with my friend Linda. I had sought her out each day and taken the time to chat for a bit. When I got to holding, she and I sat down just to talk and relax together. I kicked off my shoes to relax and she offered a foot massage. It was excellent!

After Linda returned to the receiving line, I sat for a bit longer, relaxing and texting with family and friends. Around 3:30, I put on my shoes, picked up my pack and joined the receiving line as well.

Last year when I saw all of these walkers standing there cheering and dancing and running around, I thought they were insane. Why in the world would you do that? After walking 60 miles in 3 days, you’d have to be insane to voluntarily stand on your feet or even worse, dance, right?

And yet there I was, right there with everyone else. I stood in the receiving line until the last walker came in. I danced. I sang. I cheered so loud and so much that I lost my voice. And then I cheered some more.

Yes, I was one of “them.”

The Gift

As I mentioned before, at the Pit Stops and the cheering stations along the way, we often were given stickers or candy or gum or other trinkets. One of the most popular things is strings of brightly colored beads – pink, green, purple, orange, gold and others. You can see them around my neck in the picture with the SJ Bike Cops. By midday on Sunday, I had 8 or 9 of them around my neck.

Sunday afternoon we walked around SF, up hills, around corners, all over the city. When I went around one of the corners, there was an elderly lady sitting on the windowsill of one of the storefronts. She was a bit winded, resting on the sill and leaning on her walker. As I walked past I heard her say, “Can I have one of your necklaces?” I stopped and walked back to her. She repeated, “Can I have one of your necklaces?” “Which one would you like, dear?” I asked. “Which one would you like to give me?” she replied. “Well let’s see,” I said as I leaned forward, “Which one matches your outfit?” She was wearing a gold shirt so I removed a gold necklace from my neck. “How about this one? It goes with the shirt you’re wearing,” and I put it over her head and settled it against her chest. She looked up and smiled and said, “Thank you, dear, and God bless you.” I gave her a smile, patted her hand and continued on my journey.

Later that day, while sitting and resting in the holding area, I thought about that gift, the gift she gave me.

I was hurting Friday night and when I was talking with Dave, I desperately wanted to ask him to come and get me. I didn’t, knowing that he woke up so early to drop me at Cow Palace then drove all the way to Soquel and worked all day long. I couldn’t ask him to drive all the way SF. I was so glad I made that choice. About 5 miles into Saturday's walk, the pain in my hip was gone and it never showed up again. If I had gone home, I would have missed the rest of the weekend. What a loss!

By Sunday afternoon, I was tired and I was dragging a bit but I was doing great. I had no blisters. I had no pain to speak of. Here is this lady, elderly, using a walker just to get around. She had to stop there and rest on the windowsill and catch her breath so she could continue on. I have no idea how long she had been sitting there, watching us walkers going by, or what was her final destination. It really doesn’t matter though…

She was there to remind me that though I was tired and sweaty and I’d been walking for days, I was able to do it. I had the ability to walk, to go where I wanted to without a walker, without pain. I could make the choice; I could make a difference in the lives of others.

That brief encounter with this lovely lady reminded me that my tired muscles and weary body were a blessing. What a gift she gave me!

This is the thought that gave me the power to get up and stand in the receiving line, to cheer and dance and yell. The gift she’d given to me I was now giving to others.