Become Aware.

This time last year I was flying home from one of the. best. events. I ever took part in- the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.

Friday, October 9, 2010 I woke up at 4AM, took a hot shower, put on as much pink as I could find, and headed to the lobby of the Hotel Palomar in Washington D.C to meet about 300 others who had done the exact same thing.  We boarded several buses and were whisked to the Washington Nationals stadium for the start of the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk, now renamed the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. 

The 3 Day is a simple concept that has far from simple results.  Men and women sign up to walk one of the 15 events across the country.  They spend months fundraising and just as long training to walk 60 miles over three days.  Another group of strong men and women sign on to be the crew and do everything from cooking meals, setting up rest stops, acting as medical help, and making sure no one gets hit when crossing the street.  All in all a LOT of people pour heart and soul into this event.  And for good reason.

Opening Ceremonies

The opening ceremony began with several flag processions to remind everyone why they were there.  What everyone had come together to fight against.

Survivors Circle

After the ceremonies were over (and the sun had finally started to come up), we were off.  There were lots of friends and families of walkers there to cheer us on as we left.  These same people lined the walking routes every day.  They handed out candy, homemade cookies, pink flowers, buttons or beads.  Children held signs that said "Thanks for helping my Mommy."  People we passed by who had no idea what we were doing thanked us for what we were doing because their wife/sister/friend had breast cancer, and they appreciated everyone coming together to fight it.  Those individuals made it so easy to keep walking even when I was completely exhausted.

So during the 3- Day, stopping for photos (or food, coffee, or a little shopping) is totally fine and encouraged.  It's 100% the opposite of running a marathon.  

Nation's Capitol?  Bunny Ears?  Why not.

Because we were walking through the middle of D.C. on a Friday morning during rush hour, each major intersection had at least two (usually dressed in some sort of theme) Harley riders to help us cross.  It was not at all unusual to see a man in a pink bra and a tutu on top of his motorcycle dancing to The Village People.

Like I said, this wasn't a marathon, so riding in a "sweep van" if you needed it was also encouraged.  We were given specific signals to wave one of these down as they passed by.  As you might expect, they weren't hard to spot on the streets of D.C.

Save a Horse, Ride a Sweep Van

 Rest Stops. Amazing.  Also themed out like "Save Second Base."  The rest stops each had "bathrooms," food, Gatorade and water.  On the 3 Day I found out that I actually had a love for Smuckers Uncrustables.  Delish.  Many of the rest stops also had medics to help with blisters, charlie horses, or whatever else we might be dealing with.

Rest Stop #1, Day 1

Once we walked through D.C., we made it out to Georgetown and were able to walk along the water some.  Beautiful, but much more hilly than D.C. proper!

The Texas girls loved the Cowgirl themed rest stop, and decided to take a picture.... :)

So at the end of the day we didn't make it back to the Hotel Palomar, but instead slept in camp in pink, 2 person tents.  Once we arrived at camp for the night we were given a bag with a tent and our tent "address" and told to have-at-it.  That might have been the most challenging part for this non-camping gal!  But the tent went up and stayed water proof that night as it POURED on us, so I can't complain.

Tent City

Ready for the rain

 "Camp" also consisted of a huge tent for eating and entertainment, the Post Office tent (thanks to my husband and parents for sending me letters to pick up at the post office!  LOTS of tears there!) and some gear tents.

Hygiene needs were met by more port-o-potties, a trough-like sink, and about 4 trailers filled with the tiniest shower stalls you could imagine.  When you went to pick up your towel for the night, you were also given a snack.  I had no idea, but after such physical exhaustion from 20 miles of walking, if you get right in a hot shower without getting your blood sugar up, you tend to pass out.  Tired of dragging wet, naked women from the showers, those passing out the towels would remind you to EAT before you got in.

I had no problem with those instructions.  I think I could have eaten a horse those couple of days.

Post Office

I have no pictures from the second day because it was overcast and drizzly and rainy.  We walked through Bethesda and Chevy Chase, Maryland.  Beautiful part of the country (LOTS of houses I wanted!), but not such a beautiful day for taking pictures.

The third day put us back in D.C. proper.  We ended up walking with a man who worked in D.C., and he was able to give us a play-by-play on what all the buildings were and other interesting tidbits about the city, so that really helped the miles go by.  As much as I loved the experience, we were really happy to see the signs that let us know that we were one mile from finishing.  I think that last mile may have been one of the quickest, despite the fact that we were all hurting quite a bit at that point.

Done!

Should you ever have the opportunity to participate in one of these events, I would highly encourage it.  Just a month ago I was driving through Austin and saw a pack of women who were clearly on a mission, but carrying much to much gear to be runners.  And wearing quite a bit of pink.  I rolled down my window and asked them if they were training for the 3 Day, and sure enough, they were.  Though participating in the event at 8.5 months pregnant would have been impossible, I so wished I was out there training with those ladies.

Please continue to remember all the women (and men!) who are battling breast cancer during October.