Breast Cancer Three-Day Walk

If you do it, you won't regret it! I signed up in 2006 and trained the whole year -- which was really challenging, but so worth it! When you make a sacrifice like that, it just feels awesome! The training is INTENSE. During the summer I would have to get up at 4:00 AM to be able to get in a few miles before the heat killed me and it was crazy making sure I was getting in 35-40 miles a week of walking, but it was well worth it. And even though I had feet issues...severe blisters, strained tendons that required weekly shots in my feet from the podiatrist, calluses -- I would do it all again in a heart beat. And I was really concerned about the fundraising because I'm a SAHM -- but I was able to reach my goal because of the overwhelming support of everyone around me -- family, friends, neighbors -- even my kids' doctors and nurses -- and a nurse at my podiatrist office -- everyone was so kind and generous! It's an amazing experience you will never regret. Unfortunately, 2 weeks before the walk I suffered pretty bad complications from what should have been a minor outpatient surgery and was unable to do the walk. I cried those three days of the walk but felt a huge sense of pride that 1) I earned the money and 2) I had worked really hard and was ready to walk...but because I had a collapsed lung, I didn't have lung capacity to even make it to my bathroom without help, let alone walk 60 miles. Anyway, I highly recommend doing it. I can't wait until I can do it again. I had a baby 5 months ago and will be nursing this year. Maybe next year I'll be able to do it again. It's a huge commitment that will require a lot of effort and sacrifice, but it is sooooo worth it! Let me know if you decide to do it and I will be happy to donate to your fundraising efforts! Good luck!

T., Dawn's response covers just about everything...I totally agree. I did the walk in 2001 with my best friend who had just lost her mom to breast cancer. It was a life-altering experience, to say the least! The love, the support, and the HOPE you experience are phenomenal. I highly recommend the experience and look forward to participating in it myself again, someday. (I've seen several women in my community hold garage sales to help raise their money and that seems to work very well). Good luck and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. You will not regret participating!

I have not done this walk but, my friend has. She loves it. I do the Phoenix Walk for Hope in Oct. It is only a 5k! LOL I wish I could do the 3 day.

Hi,

My friend Megan Lehrkamp did the 3-day two years ago and she said it'd be fine if you contacted her. She had a great experience. Her email address is ____@____.com

Good luck!

I did my first walk this past November. It was an amazing experience. I've signed up to walk again this year.

I say DO IT!! You will hurt, but the hurt in the end is worth it. I don't remember that as much as I remember the stories, the amazing community support. It is an experience that will leave you changed for the better. I cannot wait to walk again.

The fundraising is difficult but I have been AMAZED at how generous people are even in these tough times.

I think Dawn covered a lot fo the great points.

I was planing on walking alonw and I was blessed to join a wonderful team, Team Walking On. It made the experience that much better. So I certainly recommned joining a team. My team members gave me a lot of advice that made the walk much better than had I tried to do it alone.

Make sure you get good shoes. It is worth the time to visit a retailer that takes the time to analyze your gait and help you get the right shoe. Those 30 minutes made the difference. I finished with 2 blisters that were very small. I was lucky but the shoes worked!

I made the mistake of not training much last year and was injured on day 2. I didn't think I would finish but I'm stubborn and in pain I finished day 3. I was the last one done but I made it...it is worth it. This year...I'm training!!

Have lots of tissues ready because you will cry, but you will laugh just as much. You will make new friends...and most importantly, you will be making a difference.

Once you join, the message boards are a lifesaver. YOu can ask any question no matter what and someone will help you out...from shoes, to training, to fundraising to underwear :-)

You will not be disappointed if you do the walk that much I can guarantee you. You will be inspired, blessed, touched, hopeful but disappointed? Not a chance.

Ditto to what everyone has said! My mom and I did this walk together in 2005 and it was an amazing, life altering experience! I wish I could do it again, yet my body is telling me I need to wait a little longer before I do. The fundraising was challenging, yet there is a lot of support out there and I was amazed at how many people were willing to sacrifice to support us. Definitely take advantage of the information out there on how to care for your feet and I would even recommend getting advice on how to adjust your stride to avoid injury. I was surprised that on Day 1, I already had the start of a blister at 7 miles even though I had never had a blister while training that far. If I did it again, I would want to learn more about how to care for my feet. They took a beating and I could hardly walk for a few days afterwards. I learned so much about myself doing this walk. I learned that I have a lot of power and that I can do anything even if it is painful and hard, if I put my mind to it and persevere. It was also amazing to be a part of that community. I was so touched at the support of the men and women around us and along the route, the support of the community. It gave me hope in people and their goodness and their compassion for each other when this world can seem so lonely and cold sometimes. I hope you have a great experience and are able to honor your sister in the way that you desire. Best of luck!

Hi T.!

I haven't gotten to do the walk as of yet...I got injured a month before I was to walk a couple years ago. I am pregnant now so will have to wait until 2010 to try again. There is a lot of fundraising that needs to be done....they have a minimum amount to collect or you cannot walk...I believe it is $2200.00 or something close to that. Also, training...the groups ususally start around Memorial Day. They will start out slow and work up to 20 plus miles in 1 day. I strongly recommend getting in with a group. They are your support group through it all. You train together, fundraise together and walk together. Best of luck to you...this truly is an amazing event.

M.

Hi T.!
I've done the walk a couple of times! It's an experience that never leaves you. And it's something you just can't explain, you have to feel it. I didn't walk last year and won't again this year due to health issues, but I did volunteer last year. I'm sure I'll be down there in some capacity again this year!

The first year I walked one of my girlfriends came to visit me and was so overwhelmed and amazed she signed up and walked it the next year! It is truly larger than life!

The place where I learned most of my info the first year was the message boards. Once you register you get to sign in and ask questions, browse all the subjects, kinda gives you an idea of what you need to do to plan. You will also have access to the Teams list. HIGHLY recommended! When you join a team you have people to train with, people to fundraise with, and there are usually previous walkers you can talk to and grill for info!

Yes, you get blisters, you get sore, you need to have clothes that will hold up without giving you rashes, and you HAVE to have good shoes & socks! But, again, you get your moleskin to prevent blisters, your glidestick, you experiment with what works for you on your training walks so you are prepared for the event.

Ok, and just so you know, training is Much harder than the event. When you're training you spend a lot of time focusing on the miles and time. On the event there are pit stops constantly! People dress up and cheer you on! Cars honk! It's very exciting. And they even have vans and busses to take walkers back to camp if they can't finish or just don't want to walk anymore, so you always have an "out".

Fundraising is tough. Email campaigns monthly, flyers, garage sales that are listed as Breast Cancer Fundraisers, car washes, and hitting up all the corporate sponsorship - I had some local companies donate money, but I had more donate their services that I sold at my fundraiser! Raised a LOT of money that way! I hit the shopping centers around my home, then opened the phone book and started dialing! It's amazing how many companies will donate to non-profits!
Most of all, get in with a team that has done this before so you have other walkers helping to fundraise. On our teams, once we hit our $2200.00 mark, the rest of the money was distributed to those that still had more money to raise.

Yeah, ok, this is way too long!
Email me is you want more - ____@____.com

D.
Walking for Boobies, team captain 06 & 07