Walking the BIG Walk DAY 1

It has been a little over a week since I walked in the Susan G. Korman 3 Day Breast Cancer Walk in Seattle. September 24-26, 2,300 people including myself walked a lot of miles.

I trained better this time for this walk then I did 2 years ago when I walked (see 2008 blog post). Mainly due to this time Kelly, my teammate, trained with me and was dedicated to seeing us succeed. I was walking the last 2 months on average 30 miles or more a week. Still it is a huge commitment to train for this as I still didn't hit the goal that the 3 Day coaches set for you.

An average week the 3 day coaches ask you to: Mon. rest, Tues. walk 5-7 miles, Wed. cross train for 2 hours, Thurs. walk an easy 10-12 miles, Fri. walk 8 miles hills, Sat. walk 15 miles, Sun. walk 18-20 miles and then do it all over again the next week. You build up to this of course, walking 2 miles several times a week, then 5 and so on. But the last couple of months that is a typical schedule they want you to hit because you are walking 3 marathons three days in a row is what you are training to do.

The thing is the time commitment along with the constant soar feet and blisters that gets to me. Someone asked me how long it takes to walk 20 miles in a day. Even at a brisk pace it is at least 6 hours and if you are a slow walker like me (my pace never got much faster) it is 2.5 miles an hour on average, so it takes me about 8 hours with very short breaks to get it all in. So, once you walk, that is your day and I couldn't sacrifice every weekend to this.

Life gets in the way and I don't know one person that can actually do this schedule except "the lifers" as I call them. Those are the people that sacrifice everything and this is their purpose, they do this walk every year no matter what. They must train on the schedule or have great genetics or both. Yeah for them! Go lifers go! Raise that money! Walk those miles! Hopefully, some day, because of their diligence a cure for cancer will be found.

Don't get me wrong, I did my part too. And I didn't completely fail in the walking either. I am proud to say my cardio and lungs are much better then they were when I began this process and I hope to keep it up and not fall completely back to my couch potato ways.

The first day we began in Redmond at 60 Acres Park walked through Woodinville/Bothell and walked up to South Everett. The goal was 22.5 miles and I walked a solid 19 of it and took the van from there to camp as my feet and knees had given up. It is hard for me to sleep before something like this and I was running on little sleep too. We had to be at Opening Ceremonies to check-in between 5:30-6 a.m. which means we all had to be up and out of the house by 5 a.m. at the latest. When you wake up nearly every hour it doesn't make good sleep even if you went to bed early (11 pm). I didn't feel rested.

I think Opening and Closing Ceremonies are some of the best part of this walk where you really can feel the energy and numbers of solidarity. It is a good time to be standing side by side with people who care about getting rid of cancer. It isn't about the miles or the walk really at that point, but the cause. It is a good cause.



I arrived to Opening Ceremonies and found one of my teammates, Kelly, whom I had mostly trained with for this walk. She is the reason I'd gotten involved both times I did this walk as I'd seen the ads for it and been interested, but Kelly once she sets a goal wants to be a woman of action. I can say she is just that.

They did the very moving survivors, circle on the platform with the flags proclaiming all the types of people this cancer effects: Mothers, Fathers, Children, Aunts, Sisters, and Brothers. It was good to reminded that men do get this cancer in a small percentage, but they do. I met one in grad school; he was only 22 and was pronounced with stage 3 breast cancer. That was the first time I'd heard of a man suffering with it. He was devastated and quite shocked. I'd just cast him in a show I'd written and he had to pull out to have surgery. I wonder where he is today? Anyway, the survivors stood before us and many of us bawled like babies looking at these strong women about to embark on this walk.

The Opening was shorter then I remember last time, but it was easier getting started as we were basically on a soccer field. We were routed through one gate so that everyone's tags could be "scanned in" and we began to walk. Kelly was really keyed up and wanted to go really fast. I was surprised considering we'd trained together and I wasn't particularly fast paced ever. She kept getting ahead of me until eventually within the first mile and a half she took off and never turned back. I didn't think this said a whole lot for team work, but there wasn't anything I could do about it, but look more diligently for our other teammate Heather.

You have to understand we did have our phones with us, but you aren't allowed to use them while walking for safety's sake. You can pull over to the side and stand and call someone, but time is of the essence. We'd called Heather, but the Opening Ceremonies is so loud (music) that it is difficult to hear or find people. Staying together is a challenge. Walking on the path isn't so quiet either with traffic noise and that many people's voices. I never heard my phone ring once.

The first year I did the walk I wondered why all the crazy outfits, especially the teams, but I soon understood. Unless you were wearing something that stood out in the sea of pink, you'd never find your teammates if separated in 2300 walkers. Plus all the volunteers in crazy outfits makes you smile and laugh along the way. I really got a kick out of some of them. In the picture is a safety crossing gaurd that got more and more ridiculous each day. Here is on the last day. I had brought fairy wings and star wands for us as a team. It's the only thing I had that was pink. Also, I put pink roses in my hair in order to feel somewhat pretty as I feel gross being all sweaty the entire weekend. Kelly and I soon learned the wings straps were too tight and so she wound hers into her ponytail and I taped mine to my pack. I had three wands and we all put those in our hair pointing straight up in the air so we could find one another. I'm a bit rebellious too in that I hate pink, so I don't wear pink so I'm a little easier to find.

So as Kelly's wings were getting further and further in the distance ahead until I couldn't see them anymore, I began to search harder for Heather, hoping to give her the wand I'd brought. Miracously, I found her at the first pit stop.

Pit stops are places with port-a-potties, food, water, and gater-aid. You are supposed to stop, replenish, relieve yourself, rest, and stretch for on average 10 minutes and then get walking again. From that pit stop Heather and I walked together the first day. She knew I'd be slower and yet she stuck with me as we'd met and walked together as solo walkers the last time. She even offered from the beginning if I need to take a van, it is something she wanted to experience at least once this time as she walked all 60 miles last time.

It rained pretty steady for an hour or so of the walk this first day. I was surprised so many people were unprepared not even having any cheap rain ponchos with them. At the pit stop we were at when it began to rain hard they did have one small box of cheap ponchos they gave out until they were all gone. I kept thinking, people it's Seattle---expect rain.

Many people on the walk are local, but a lot come from all over the US to walk in another city as this organization walks in 15 cities around the country. Many walkers are repeat teams and choose to walk in other cities. Sightseeing with a cause or "vacation" as one mother of 7 put it to me. She said this is her only vacation. I commend her, but I would want a different vacation without all the pain involved.


Speaking of pain, I thought I'd make the first day, but fatigue and past injuries kept talking to me after about 10 miles. I struggled to make the next 9, but put up a good fight. I thought if I took the bus into camp today I'd make the rest of the walk. I only took one picture that first day as I was concentrating on standing upright putting one foot in front of the other. The last straw being I forgot my knee brace so onto the bus we went and rode the last 3.5 miles back to camp.

At camp we reunited with Kelly, who'd been there for hours. She was in the top 200 people into camp. Which was an accomplishment that she wanted to do, but it isn’t a race, but some people take it as such? It seemed to make her feel great, but I wasn't happy at not seeing her all day as I'd embarked on this journey again because she wanted a teammate who would walk with her. Heather got her tent as she'd elected to stay in camp and get a tent to herself. We made sure she was all set and then headed out for the night.

Kelly's very supportive husband Armin came and picked her and me up and we went home for the evening. I say supportive as he showed up at nearly every cheering station with their 2 year old son cheering us all on. He waited even when Kelly blew past for Heather and me to show up an hour or so behind just to say "Go Hey Sole Sisters!" I found that very sweet and endearing plus he ferried Kelly and I to and from camp every day. He was an important part of out team. Thanks Armin!

I had stayed in camp last time and I'm glad I did it once. Being in camp you feel more a part of this huge thing and part of the community. You meet a lot of great people, hear some good information that you don't out on the trail, like how many people are participating, who are the top fundraisers, and you hear people's stories of how this cancer has touched them or their families. Many heroic and inspiring souls. It helps you to focus on the task at hand to be away from home and in this constructed community for a couple of days. It feels like you've been away for a long time by the end.

You also get fed and pampered a little, but you do have to sleep on the ground and can't bring a lot of stuff with you. You are only allowed 35 lbs. tops in your suitcase and all your camping stuff, sleeping bag included, has to be in your suitcase. When I camped before I was in pretty rough shape because of the cold damp and sleeping on the ground after walking a lot of miles. It didn't help me accomplish the task. So, this time I went home nightly and took an Epson salt bath, ate my own food, hugged my son and hubby, and slept in my own bed. That helped me a lot. First night I fell asleep at barely 8:30 pm from exhaustion.