Day 3: 2011 Dallas 3-Day

I woke up much to my displeasure earlier than I had planned on Sunday morning. I’m a light sleeper so the first noise I hear I’m wide awake. Sunday we turned back our clocks only apparently a few people (I won’t name names) didn’t get the memo:(  Soooo at 4am I was awake and had nowhere to be until 6:30am when the first busses would take us to our starting point for the day. I took my time packing and putting away my tent and then I went to eat breakfast and have a few cups (3) of coffee.

We got in line for the bus about 6:10 and there was already a pretty big line. Those of us that have done the walk before know you want to get in line early or you end up having to wait quite awhile for a bus. I’m not big on crowds and waiting so I like to get up and out on the route as soon as I can.

They changed up the lunch break this year which threw us for a loop as we had planned to make our Starbucks stop before lunch like we did last year. Instead we made the Starbucks stop and kept on walking as instead of 2 miles to lunch we still had about 5 miles. We weren’t happy about the change until we got to lunch and realized that it was so perfect for us mentally. Knowing that we were at lunch and only had 2 miles left after that was such a relief. I have to admit by lunch Sunday we were all feeling pretty tight, sore and ready to just be done!

We ended up in holding at about 2pm and closing ceremonies was at 4:30pm. I had lain down on the cool cement for a bit (it felt really good!) and then all of a sudden it just hit me, “I have to go cheer my team in.” Maybe it’s just me but to come through the finish line and see people you know and have sweated, trained and fundraised with is very rewarding. Seeing the looks on the rookies faces, knowing they just completed what they once thought was impossible is priceless. I saw so many people that I met and talked to on training walks and clinics and to see them cross the finish line with tears streaming down their faces, overcome with joy for the accomplishment and sadness for those they are remembering. I share in their joy and their sorrow as I know what the 3-Day is all about, the family we are, and that one cause brings us together and bonds us for a lifetime. I wore myself out cheering them in and almost lost my voice but it was worth it!

Highlights of Day 3: A Team of four ladies recognized my fluffy hat and said we love our bags. I recommended the Nike Varsity Girl Gymsack available for $12.99 at Academy to them at a New Balance clinic. I absolutely love my bag so I talk about it to every 3-Day person. I really think Nike and Academy need to pay me a commission: Our 2 year Starbucks tradition. It’s a well deserved treat: Crossing the finish line with all my PSIM teammates. They are more than just a team, they are family and I love them all.

Oh yes! I almost forgot to update you on my feet (the four letter F word). Call me crazy but believe it or not they feel better than they did before the walk. I’m not saying they are healed but they feel better. Maybe all that walking is just what they needed.

Stay tuned as I have many things in the works for next year!

In It To End It!
J&S4EVER

Day 2: 2011 Dallas 3-Day

Day 2 started bright and early as the route would open at 7:50am and we wanted to be up and ready. My friend Gail Gallegos and I decided it would be fun to wear our costumes that we had worn for out last training walk, which we call our “Halloween Walk.” I’m not sure how the idea came to me but one day while at work I thought… Thing 1 and Thing 2 or in our 3-Day world Boob 1 and Boob 2. I think Gail and I got big heads that day as we felt like we stole the show. We had several walkers and even people at cheer stations wanting to take their picture with us. We also kept hearing people say “Boob 1 and Boob 2, how cute." We were just eating it up. I’m not sure what we will come up with next year as we have set the bar pretty high.

The cutest thing about the whole thing was at lunch when I saw a little girl wearing a Thing 2 shirt. She was very shy but agreed to take her picture with me. I knew this photo op would make my best bud Tracy Wetherbee happy.

On a side note I have to tell you that even though Tracy wasn’t with me on this walk, memories of her kept popping up everywhere I went. I knew she was with me in spirit and together we continue to fight to find a cure. Here are a few things that I remember seeing: BooBee-Hive sweep van (WeatherBEE); Pirates of the CURE-ibbean Pit Stop(she’s an ECU Pirate fan); and of course the tree she said she wanted to climb, told me she couldn’t get up and then the next minute she’s yelling at from the tree to take her picture. Love you Tracy! J&S4EVER.

This was definitely the longest and hardest day of the 3. They told us it was 21.3 miles, however, several people told us their GPS said it was 25 miles. We made it back to camp around 4:00pm a little more tired and sore than the previous day but we had survived and we knew it was down hill from there.

Highlights of the day: My friend Kelly Ninemire came out to check out the craziness and cheer me on at Cheer Station1: My little Adyson came out to see her Aunty Cat at lunch and brought two of my favorite people mom and dad Davis: Teammate Amy Snyder came out 9 months pregnant to show her support only to go into labor (or so we all thought) and have quite the exit. I will never forget that moment as I know how important it was to her to be there for us and how much it meant to all of us that she was there. Her new little girl waited until Monday the 7th to show her pretty little face. Congrats Kelly and Amy: At just the right time in the day my good Friend Judy came out with not only a diet coke for me but a frozen diet coke. Wow! Did that hit the spot!!: Special Dinner and dessert for the Pink Soles top fundraising team. We were served a very big Texas Cake and washed it down with a nice glass of milk.

Day 1: 2011 Dallas 3-Day

Every 3-Day is a new experience and this one started by meeting the bus at 5:30am to take a short ride with my teammates to Collin Creek Mall and opening ceremonies. Four Pink Soles in Motion team members had been chosen to participate in opening ceremonies and I happen to be one of them. I was so honored to be chosen. I carried a future flag representing “Our Achievements” and I did it without falling down the stairs!!!

Before the walk started I was really worried about how my feet would handle the next 3 days. I have been fighting plantar fasciitis since May and struggled through it in Boston. I had hoped it would go away but it only seemed to get worse. I chose not to dwell on it and even told my teammates that we would not mention the “F” word (FEET) on this walk. I’ve learned that if you continue to talk, complain or dwell on something you can mentally defeat yourself. I would say half of the ability to complete 60 miles in 3-days is mental and the other half physical.

I use this same philosophy when dealing with the cold. I no more than stepped on the bus and was asked, “Aren’t you cold?” and my quick response was “NO.” The minute I admit to myself that I’m cold I know I will be cold and miserable until it warmed up outside. I was wearing a short skirt, long sleeve shirt, gloves and scarf. I hate carrying to many things in my bag the entire day. The morning was very very chilly but warmed up quickly and I was shedding my gloves and scarf within a few miles. It was a beautiful day.

The amusing story of the day was at our first pit stop. I came out of the porta potty and was joking about how mine wouldn’t flush and that it was broken. As we moved on down the road I heard people talking about how the porta potties now flushed and about fell down mortified. I thought the little blue thing on the floor was some kind of air freshener and I was trying to avoid stepping on it. Turns out it was the little pump that flushed the porta potty. So my joke about my porta potty being broken wasn’t funny at all and it turns out I didn’t flush. YIKES! Too late to go back now! The rest of the 3-day it got all confusing as some flushed and others didn’t so I now had to pay attention to which type I was in. Walking 60 miles is hard enough without having to think about flush or don’t flush!!!!

My little group that I was walking with made it back to camp at about 2pm and thanks to some camp angels, (Larry Allen) I didn’t have to go get my bag and he helped set up my tent. I got to experience a tent by myself this year as we have some teammates that prefer to stay in a hotel. I learned there are good and bad things about tenting by yourself. Good: I have all kinds of space and can put my bag inside the tent as opposed to outside and that makes it much easier to get things. Bad: I’m all by myself. I do much better waking up in the am if I know someone is in my tent with me. I’m more motivated to get up as opposed to rolling over and going back to sleep.

The highlights of day one: My co-worker Kelly Carney came out to opening ceremonies and recorded me carrying my flag. Her mom is a breast cancer survivor so it meant a lot to me to be able to share my shining moment with her. I walk for her mom!: Pink Soles in Motion was recognized for being not only the largest team in DFW but also the top fundraising team with over $190,000 raised for Breast Cancer Research.