60 MILES IN THREE DAYS!

I DID IT! I walked every step of the 60 miles this year in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day. If you remember, last year I was unable to complete all 60 due to an injury, so this was a HUGE accomplishment for me. Every single member of my team, Mendy, Charles & Fred, walked every step and not one of us visited the Medical tent.

It was a test of endurance, an emotional roller coaster, a reflection on the many blessings I have in my life, a testament to the strength of the survivors and a comedic disaster all rolled up into three tremendous days.

The day started with arrival at Opening Ceremonies at 6:00 am. Thankfully, this year was not as cold as last and the route was much improved. It was a great start and one that did not make us have to rush to keep with the schedule and avoid the dreaded "sweep van".























Having had the experience of last year, I pre-taped all the toes that gave me issues to hopefully ward off the blisters. That worked on all except my pinkie toe that henceforth became known as "Gigantatoe". The blister is a big as the toe itself and goes underneath the toe-nail. Not sure if that toenail will survive, but it's worth one measly toe-nail (and seriously, that toe-nail is so small, who really needs it).

The pack that I carried contains Blister care stuff, 7 million Ibuprofen and a vat of deep heating pain relief cream - two different kinds.

Somewhere in this world is the Dot Wall - where I posted the three ladies I walked in honor of this year.














































Ok - now I know you are asking, what's a comedic disaster. There is nothing much to do as you walk... and walk.... and walk. So, you have to do something to keep yourself entertained. They won't let us listen to Ipods, so it's up to yourself and your team mates to keep up spirits and frankly, at some point, you just have to laugh, or you will cry. I call it a disaster as most of it really isn't funny unless you are there and even then, you have to get me and Mendy's dry sense of humors. Mendy and I are always tickled by the GIANT fanny packs some of these people carry. And when they walk, they rock from side to side and it's funny (to us anyway) to accompany that visual with an occasional "BA-BOOM, BA-BOOM". Alot of this is situational humor, you just have to be there.

And then there's Mendy - God love her. She is the consummate planner, organizer, be prepared in any situation type A girl. What did her pack contain? The economy size can of Sunscreen - you know the one, it advertises a FREE EXTRA 20 ounces at the top. Spray kind because she doesn't like it on her hands along with a package of wipes to get any off her hands. One teeny vial of Aleve which only allows 2 tablets in a 24 hour period and she is a rule follower and did not vary from those instructions. 2 gazillion band-aids and enough Mole skin to cover a small Asian country. I am not exactly sure what Mole Skin is or what it's supposed to do, but Mendy should be the Mole Skin spokes person because she slapped it on everywhere. I think she eventually covered the entire sole of her foot before the walk was over. This was a constant source of laughter as we watched Mendy stick mole skin on every square inch of her feet. And incidently, she is the only one who got sunburned even though she had the economy size - and where you ask? On her knuckles (remember, she doesn't like it on her hands)

What was in my pack? Another 2 gazillion band-aids, 1 entire roll of athletic tape which I used every inch of, 2nd skin squares to keep the band-aids/tape from ripping the blisters off, Antibiotic spray - the cute thing soccer moms carry (and I got to whip it out and give a lady a squirt when she fell off the side-walk into the street and rolled down into the gutter). 7 million Ibuprofen which I ate like M&M's all three days and my favorite - two tubes of the pain relief cream - both of which are gone. Pit Stop 2 on Day one - I told my team "Kids, I'm stinkin it up" and started rubbing the Walgreen's version of Deep Heating Icy Hot. I pretty much smelled like a boy's locker room for the next three days. I also had this other stuff that did not smell that I found at REI - a gradual heating pain relief cream. Later, on Day one my lower back started whining, so I smeared some of that on it and trudged on. Fred also smeared some on his knees. Fred and Charles walk at a faster pace than me an Mendy, so they were always ahead of us. At one point, I said to Mendy, "it's so hot - the sun is just baking my back" I then remembered the gradual heating cream. It became renamed fire in a bottle. Then I remembered I forgot to tell Fred about that side affect. When we caught up at he next Pit Stop, I asked him if his legs were on fire. He couldn't figure out why his knees where the only part of him that was hot.

When we were going to bed on Day 1 at 7:00 pm (yes, 7pm, you read that correctly) I lathered the ole legs up with Fire in a bottle, nestled down in my mummy style sleeping bag and wandered off into dreamland. Slept like a baby until I was awaken by the sensation that my legs were on fire. I struggled with the zipper on my sleeping bag which got caught all the while thinking any minute I am going to spontaneously combust if I don't get out of this sleeping bags and peel my PJ bottoms off. I can't really explain how hot this stuff gets. It's the damndest thing.

Day Two is by far - the hardest day. You know you have an entire day and then some to walk. And - the route LIES!!!! Our route cards said we walked 20.2 miles on Day one and had 20.6 to go on Day two. We have all walked enough in training walks and the 3 day to know what a mile feels like. There is always a sign that says "Lunch 1 Mile" or "Pit Stop 1 Mile". They are usually posted 1 1/2 to 2 miles away. There is nothing else to say other than that straight up pisses every walker off. We did find out from a Crew Member that Day One we actually walked 24 miles, Day 2 was 22 miles and Day 3 was 18 miles. Why they can't just tell us that - I don't know.

On the afternoon of Day 2 - we were within a couple miles of camp. Mendy is hurting because she won't take anything other than the 2 allowed doses of Aleve and she has 4lbs of Mole Skin stuck to her feet. She is literally chanting, "I will not sweep over a blister, blisters don't need chemo". I feel great because I have a vat of BenGay smeared on - I smell like a boy - and I have taken about 18 Ibuprofen through out the day, so I start telling her jokes. What did the mommy tomato say to the baby tomato? KETCHUP! What did the number zero say to the number 8? Nice Belt! Funny, I know! Then we passed a lady who was clearly hurting. I asked her if she was ok and she replied, "I have been crying for the last 15 minutes". I told her it wasn't much farther and she could do it. She said, "this is my 5th walk and I am having a really hard time this year". 5 time walker - WOW!!! Then she said, "I never cried through Chemo and now I can't quit bawling". This is what I mean by this being a humbling experience. This lady, whom I found out was named Sue, was not only a survivor, but had walked the 3-Day 5 times. Thinking about Sue was one of the ways I managed to get through Day 3 and walk every step.

My feet after Day 2. I had a Henna tattoo on my right foot and leg along with the Breast Cancer Ribbon and the initials of Tony and Jackson on my wrist. Swollen feet. My right foot had to be wrapped to ward off the blister trying to form on my heel - same spot as last year.






















Home Sweet Home. The sea of Pink Tents






















Entrance to camp - coming off the route.























Day Three - they put us on a bus to the Ursiline Academy and we walked from there to Turtle Creek, Victory Park, the West End, The Grassy Knoll, Pioneer Park and finally ended up in Fair Park.
Morning of Day Three























Day Three was hard. My heel did get a ginourmous blister that shot up like a geyser when I lanced it at lunch. Gigantatoe would occasionally wake up and start screaming and my right knee cap hurt. Knee cap? I don't know what was up with that - I just smeared on more Icy Hot, ate more Ibuprofen (I, in contrast to Mendy, did not follow the recommended dosage) told my knee outloud that it had nothing to whine about and to shut up and marched on.

As you are on the journey, you have alot of time to reflect, alot of opportunity to find strength and perseverance to get you through. We were walking along and there was man standing to the side, by himself, cheering us on. I looked up and he smiled at me and in that man's smile, I saw my friend Edwin, who was taken from this world several years ago by another person. Edwin was kind, patient and the most optimistic person I have ever met. I truly believe Edwin was smiling at me through that man and telling me in his Nigerian accent "You got this girl - you are going to be ok". It's those types of moments that make every blister, every ache, every pain worth it and so much more.

The cheering sections this year were phenomenal. Hundreds of people gave up their weekend to be at every cheering station and yell words of encouragement, shout out Thanks You's, hand out candy, water, and one women had an ice chest of Popsicles. Those cheering sections get us through the day. We can't wait to see the faces, the babies and the dogs that come out to keep us marching on.

Finally, we get to Fair Park. At the entrance, there were some crew members shouting "you did it, you are home". We walked through and Mendy said, "was that it, that was our homecoming? I am a bigger deal than that". Hysterical because you have just walked 60 miles and need more than 5 people there to greet you. What we didn't know at that point, was we had to walk through Fair Park to the holding area where we were greeted by all 400 crew members and walked through a line of other fellow walkers who cheered, clapped, whistled and congratulated us on walking across that finish line. Mendy and I looked at each other and said, "now, that's what I am talking about". It was a great home-coming.

Finish Line

























As they were organizing us for Closing Ceremonies, the divide they walkers who are given white T-Shirts from the Survivors who are in Pink. I saw this very young girl standing there in a Pink Shirt. I swear she could not have been more than 25 years old. I approached her, hugged her and told her it was my pleasure to walk for her. She had been cancer free for 5 years.

























Closing Ceremonies were great with the survivors in the middle clad in their Pink and raising their hands in triumph over beating this disease. The Susan G Komen is on track to have raised $7 Million this year to go towards research and help pay for treatment for women who need it.

I am not sure if we are going to walk again next year. Might give the many generous folks who have helped us raise the required amount to walk a break. I will be a part of it, however, whether it be a crew member, a camp angel setting up tents, or a lady on the side-line with a cooler full of Popsicles.

What did I learn this year? Horse does of Ibuprofen work even though I am sure not medically recommended. Fire in a bottle is amazing, but use in small doses and not with a mummy style sleeping bag with thermal PJ bottoms - you will catch fire. People will still hug you even if you smell like a boy's locker room. Mendy's shoes were too small and she is the only person I know who gets blisters in between her toes that go from the top of her foot to the sole. And I cannot break her of her Mole Skin addiction.

I could not finish this Post without a giant thank you to my cousin Stacy who is a brand new mommy and could not walk with us this year and her Mother-in-law Cindy (Charles' mom and Fred's wife) who were our official "walker stalker". They kept up with us on the route - honking and waving, met us at lunch with lunches in hand so we didn't have to stand in line and at Pit stops to help get water, snacks whatever we needed. Did all of this with a 12 week old baby in tow. It was an amazing source of comfort and help to have them there helping out. They even had out tents set up when we got to camp after Day One.

And lastly a HUGE Thank you to all who donated - you touched MANY MANY lives.