Alright, I’m going to have a more formalized way of treating this in the weeks to come, but I wanted to get this rolling so here it is. With the opening of the 2011 walking season, many dedicated 3-Day Walkers are already starting to think about where they are going to walk for the 2012 walking season, myself included. With that in mind, I thought I would put together a little query about what people thought were the best and worst things about the cities that they have walked in on the 3-Day. Let’s start up with just using comments and when I have something more formal I’ll move them over. So in your comment post:

City you are writing about.
When you walked there last.
Favorite thing about the walk.
Least favorite thing about the walk.
General review of the walk (route, etc)

Try not to comment on things that are common to all the walks (like the showers and food are pretty much the same between cities), but point out some stuff that you think makes the walk feel special to you.  Walked in several walks and want to share about them all?  Just post a separate comment for each walk so I can sort out which walks they are for when I get something more formalized set up.

And while you’re here, you should swing by the 3-Day Tweeps site and sign up for a great online community!  http://3daytweeps.com

 

It’s been about a year since I have written about this, but it’s important so I am going to write about it again. Did you know that about 1 in 1000 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime? While survival rates by stage are typically the same as women fighting breast cancer, men’s breast cancer is typically discovered at later stages. So the reason that I walk is not just ti try and save the lives of women, it’s to try and save the lives of men. But even with that in mind, that’s not really the reason that I’m writing this post today.

With Father’s day just around the corner, it’s easy for us dads to think about having a nice relaxing day at home. If you are a dad, I would like for you to think about one other thing this Father’s day. Signing up to walk in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. I know that a lot of you may think that I am crazy to ask you to think about walking 60 miles on your day of rest. I know it seems counter to what the whole day is about, but I’d like you to think of it from a different angle.

I’m a dad and I have talked to several other dads to try and figure out what people generally think is their job as a dad. There were a lot of answers from providing for the family to helping to raise well balanced children to fixing things around the house. The thing that seemed almost universal to everyone I asked about this, whether they said it directly or it showed itself in another entry was this: a dad’s job is to protect his family. That includes everyone from his sons to his wife and daughters who have a much higher chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime (1 in 8).

I will tell you right now that this is the reason that I walk. I never put it in those words before, I always said that I walk because I don’t want my wife to go through breast cancer and because I don’t want my sons to be 1 in 1000 or have to watch someone the love go through chemo. What it all boils down to is that I walk in the 3-Day for the Cure and I raise all this money for a simple reason that every dad should understand. I do it to protect my family.

This year is my fifth year to walk in the 3-Day and I am always shocked at how few men that there are. Maybe the men see this as a women’s event. I’m here to tell you that it’s not just a women’s event. It’s an event for anyone who cares about trying to save someone’s life, even if it’s their own, especially if it’s for someone they love.

Maybe they think that, being a man, they will be an outsider for three days. Nothing could be further from the truth. I have to say that the people on the walk are the most welcoming people I have EVER met. If you don’t know anyone on the walk, it won’t be like that for long. Even if you don’t say anything people will introduce themselves and make themselves your friend. If you want to accelerate the process just hollar out, “I’m a first time walker and I’m here by myself!” You will have more friends than you know what to do with. I walk with a team, but I meet tons of people every year and many of them I keep in touch with after the event.

Please take a moment to think about joining the 3-Day for the Cure. Its really easy to register, just click here and select your city and you will be well on your way. If you don’t know anyone that’s walking, let me know and I would be happy to have you on my team in San Diego this year. Got some questions for a man that has walked? Click the contact button on this web site and I would be glad to answer what I can.

Lastly, I know that not everyone can do the walk either because of work obligations or physical restrictions (but don’t talk yourself into not doing it, I have seen eighty year old women complete all 60 miles!) and if this describes your situation, you can still protect your family. Donate to someone that you know that is participating in the walk. Don’t know someone? I would be honored if you would donate to my fund raising efforts. The point is that you can work to protect your family from breast cancer even if you can’t do the walk, but we would love to have you on the walk!

Have a happy Father’s day and I hope to see you out there on the walk, it really is a life changing experience!

 

Summer is getting geared up and while it may not feel it where you are, many parts of the country have already crossed over the 100 degrees. Unfortunately when summer gears up is when many people either start their training forn the 3-Day for the Cure or get into the really long mileage training walks. This can be a really dangerous time of year to train unless you follow a couple of common sense guidelines. While they are common sense, I am going to go through them here just in case there is something that you have overlooked.

Planning

This really goes for any walk that you go on, but is especially important when the weather gets hotter. This post aims to help in that planning. One of the best things you can do to help you with planning is to make yourself a check list and to keep updating it as time goes on. You may think you have a great check list and then go out on a walk and remember that you need to bring along chap stick. If you don’t update your check list then you may keep having that aha moment, but it won’t be a good thing.

Hydrate!

This should be the most common sense piece of advice. Whenever you walk you have to keep hydrated. When it is hot you really have to make sure that you keep drinking water and Gatorade and keep the fluids coming. You may be reading this and thinking that it’s kind of silly for me to talk about this, but every year at the 3-Day, someone passes out from dehydration (okay, maybe I don’t have exact facts on that, but I know it has happened) so it wouldn’t surprise me if people have the same issues on training walks.

The best way to keep hydrated is to be familiar with your hydration system. Whether you are doing a camelbak or bottles or something different, just make sure you are familiar with how much you need to drink (I have found it’s a little harder to monitor with Camelbaks, but it’s also easier to keep hydrating with them, so it’s a tradeoff.) Part of knowing if you are drinking enough is whether you are peeing enough. You should be needing a bathroom break every 3-6 miles. If you are not doing that, you probably need to drink more.

Timing

This part really goes back to the planning part of your training walks. If you know that you are doing a 15 mile training walk then you also should know that you shouldn’t start at 10 in the morning on a day that is supposed to get to 100 degrees.

People always ask me how long it takes to walk X miles. My answer is usually it depends. It depends on how fast you are walking, how frequently you take breaks and how long they are, how many people you are walking with and a variety of other factors. For planning I can usually rely on 3 miles per hour. I typically walk faster that, but when I factor in breaks and other things, it usually is about that pace. So, for doing a 15 mile walk I can be pretty assure that I will take about 5 hours. Starting at 10 means that I would definitely be walking through the hottest part of the day.

Another thing about timing, and the folks at the 3-Day will also say this: you don’t actually have to do all the hours together. If you aren’t a morning person you could do part in the morning and part in the evening (thus giving yourself a little bit more sleep in the morning). I personally like having the walking over so even though I am not a morning person I will push through in order to get it done.

Break Time

If you do find that you need to be walking during one of the hotter parts of day (let’s face it, even though you start out early, if you are walking an 18 miler in the middle of summer you will end up in the heat) you need to make sure that you have plenty of breaks. This doesn’t mean you have to always go to the bathroom (though it is a good idea), sometimes you just need to stop under some shade to cool off before continuing on. Just keep in mind that the longer you break for the more likely it is to get hotter.

My sister will tell you that I don’t take a lot of breaks when I walk. Again, this is my mind wanting to get done with the mileage for the day with as little delay as possible. But despite that, when we have been on really hot walks I will step into some shade every half hour or so just to cool down from the heat. Texas is merciless in the summer.

Planning Again

I said before that planning was important and I will say it again because it feeds into the other points mentioned. Now that we have covered in more detail some of those things I would like to mention some more specifics on what I plan.

For the Route
When you are planning the route there are several things that you need to account for including:

• Time of day in relation to the route (so you can get the shadiest route possible)
• Refill areas for water, food, etc. This is like any route, but even more important with the heat. If you have a water refill area that has ice, even better!
• Bathrooms
• Starting time and an idea of when the hottest times of the day might be so you can avoid them

For The Bag

There are also several items that you need to make sure you take along with you to have an enjoyable hot weather walk. Keep in mind that I am not mentioning things that you should pack regardless of weather (first aid kit for example), just things specific to summer training. Some of these are must haves and some are just suggestions:

• Sunscreen. Let’s face it, the last thing you need to do while you are preparing for the fight against breast cancer is get skin cancer. It may seem like fear mongering to put it like that, but you are going to be in the sun for a very long time and you need to make sure you protect yourself. Remember to reapply!
• There are several varieties of chap stick that have SPF built in and I would recommend whatever you would prefer to use as ling as it has SPF.
• In addition to keeping you from squinting, sunglasses can also protect your eyelids and eyes from the harmful effects of the sun.
• Fan. While I don’t carry one myself, I have seen several people that carry one of those spray bottles with a fan on it and it looks quite refreshing.
• I’m kind of torn on bringing a hat with you. I can definitely see it as a benefit, but over the years I have had several hats give me heat rash on my head. I would recommend it, just be careful I your choice of hats.

So those are my suggestions for training in the summer weather. I know that I have forgotten some things and I am hopeful that members of the 3-Day community will remind me of them and I will. Try to update the post. Be careful out there in the hot weather and have fun!

 

60 miles over 3 days just seems like too easy of a way to describe the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure. There is so much more to it than that, even before you get to the event. A lot of people have tried to explain what the 3-Day is and what to expect when you get on the walk. I wanted to take a shot and explain what MY 3-Day involves. Everyone has different experiences that come together to make their event one to remember and I wanted to focus this post on what makes the 3-Day special for me. I’m going to try and avoid re-hashing a lot of things that are just what to expect on the walk and stick to the things that really keep me coming back to this remarkable event every year.

I have thought over and over about how best to write about my 3-Day. At first I thought about talking about how this event has changed what it means to me over the years, starting with it being an awesome physical challenge and something to do with my sister the first year to a meaningful event with tons of people that I’m walking for now. But as I focused on that, I realized that there were several different aspects of the walk that didn’t change that I enjoy, even though my reasons for continuing on have changed. So, with that in mind, here are the aspects of my 3-Day that I love.

Training

When talking about an event like the 3-Day, most people won’t mention that training was anywhere in their top X number of favorite things about it.  A lot of people wouldn’t even consider training as a part of the 3-Day because it happens before you actually get on event.  In my mind the two go hand in hand together.  I was never one to go out and go to the gym or exercise fo the heck of it on my own.  In fact, the first training walk that I went on for the 3-Day was the first time I had actually gone out and walked just to walk probably since I had to do it in my college physical education class.  So the reason I am out there training is because of the 3-Day for the Cure and the reason that I can do the walking on the 3-Day is because of the training.  Without one, there would not be the other (or at least the other wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable).

I will fully admit that getting started training is really hard for me.  Just getting motivated at the beginning of a 3-Day season is difficult to do, but when I start walking and get training, there is something wonderful about being there.  I do a lot of training on my own.  Which means, when I go out and walk there is a lot of alone time for me to think things over, come up with things to write on this page, think of fund raising ideas and also think through general things that are going on in my life.  It’s just some private time to mull things over.  Sure there can be distractions, cell phone calls, text messages, traffic, other walkers, etc, but in general it’s time I get to myself.

On the occasions that I get to walk with other 3-Day participants, it’s really nice too.  Often I’m walking with people I haven’t met before and sometimes I’m walking with people I don’t see that often.  It’s nice to have new conversations with new people and to hear their stories and to be able to tell the stories that people you know are tired of hearing!

So yes, training is one of the things that makes the 3-Day for the Cure what it is for me.  I know it’s not part of the actual event, but if it weren’t for training then I would not have nearly as good a time on event.  I would just be sore and blistered!

Fund Raising

Probably the number one reason for everyone to participate in the 3-Day is to find a cure for breast cancer.  This can’t be done without monetary donations that walkers like me collect from friends, family, co-workers and ourselves.  Looking back after a 3-Day for the Cure event and seeing what funds you have raised is a great thing.  If you ask her, my wife will probably tell you that I enjoy fund raising and that it’s just something I can do.  Just like training though, it’s really hard for me to get started and go out and ask people for money.  I have to get over the initial jitters and remind myself that I’m not asking for the money for me, I’m asking for it to help find a cure.

Family

So by now you may be thinking, “Geez, this guy only considers things that are A. Before the actual walk and B. One of my least favorite things to do to be part of his 3-Day, why would I want to do a 3-Day for the Cure??  We’re getting to some of the things you might think are more pleasant, or at least less unpleasant than walking and asking people for money.  Every year that I have walked in the 3-Day I have walked with a family member.  I did one walk last year that didn’t include a family member and it was kind of weird.  Not that I didn’t enjoy it, but it was the first time walking without them and I definitely missed them.  Family is one of those things that is an important part of the 3-Day for me.

For the last three years my sister has walked with me in the DFW 3-Day for the cure and I have always looked at that time as special in a way more that the 3-Day already is special.  We both have kids now and we live in different states, so the time that Julie and I get to spend together just the two of us is few and far between.  Being on the 3-Day is one of those chances where yes, even though there are thousands of other walkers out there with us, feels kind of like this special thing that we get to share.  I enjoy poking fun at her sighs when she comes to a hill that she doesn’t want to go up, or laughing when she gets goofy when she’s tired.  Having family on the 3-Day is just one of those things that makes the 3-Day for the Cure even more special for me.

This year, I’m excited to have not only my sister, but my sister-in law, niece and my wife on the 3-Day.  They all decided to join up and I’m excited for the memories that will be made together!

The Strangers

Everyone that has walked with me on the 3-Day will tell you that I go all in for the phrase that “there is no such thing as a stranger on the 3-Day”.  I enjoy meeting new people on the walk (or on training walks!) and even keeping in touch with them after the event.  I’ll freely admit that I’m the best at remembering names from day to day, especially when I meet so many new people in three days, but I assure you that everyone I meet holds a special place in my heart.

If you happen to meet me on a walk and you want me to remember you, give me a card with your name and e-mail address on it!  I can assure you that, while it may take a little bit of refreshing, I will remember you in the long run.  I still keep in touch with several people I met two and three years ago.  My first year walking, I was so overwhelmed that I honestly didn’t really meet that many people!

The Impromptu Cheering Stations

I will say that the normal cheering stations are great and that everyone will tell you that, so I’m not excluding them from my list because I don’t like them, I just feel that it’s pretty normal for people to mention them as something great about the 3-Day.  The impromptu cheering stations are what really blow me away though.  When I say “impromptu” I mean the cheering stations that aren’t on the route card and you just come around the corner and there’s people there cheering you on.  The schools really rock at doing this and walker stalkers are good at organizing these as well. It’s really great to be surprised by people cheering you on, especially when it looks so organized!

I STILL to this day think about the students at W.T. White High School that came out and made SO much noise on both sides of the sidewalk when we came by their school.  It was after normal school hours and they were still out there cheering everyone on.  What an awesome impromptu cheering station that was, I was so glad to be able to see that last year!

I’m Rambling

The truth is, I could name hundreds of things that make the 3-Day special for me.  There are plenty that other people have pointed out that are just as important: opening and closing ceremonies, people dressing up, crying (yes, crying), camp life and so much more.  They are all very important to me.  But when I came up with the idea to write about what makes a 3-Day a 3-Day for me, these things readily came to mind.  I’m sure that if I gave myself all the space I could ever want then I would never get this post done and it would just go on forever and you wouldn’t be reading it now.  So what are your maybe out of the norm favorite things about the 3-Day?

 

It’s that time of year! Time for me to offer to dress up funny on the 3-Day for the Cure in order to elicit donations! Please take a look and donate if you can at: http://walk60.com/donate