I Do Things So You Don’t Have To

Feet don’t fail me now
Stop pretending that you’ve gone to sleep*

In 2000, I joined four friends to walk sixty miles over three days. By doing this, I raised $4,805 for the Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk.

And then I did it again in 2001.

And again in 2002.

And . . . that’s it. No more.

But it was the most incredible experience of my life. It was hard, rewarding, boring, fun, inspirational, painful, and not at all the weight loss regimen you would expect. But three years is enough. Looking back, I don’t know how I found the time and energy, tho there was plenty of motivation from friends, family, and supporters. Not to mention that breast cancer research and awareness is a pretty worthwhile cause.

Really, everything you need to know about my participation in the 2000, 2001, and 2002 3-Day Walks is here, but, there are a LOT of words on that site and you probably don’t have time to read all of them. Although maybe you should. This post isn’t titled “I’m Writing a Blog about the 3-Day Walk So You Don’t Have to Read My Actual 3-Day Walk Web Site,” after all.

If you can’t be bothered to spend a week reading my 3-Day site, here are the highlights AND one interesting fact not included on my original site.

Highlights (now with pictures!)

Participants have to train for this kind of thing. Lots of walking. Painful, hard, tiring walking. Weeks and months of walking.

Each walker had to raise a minimum of $1,700.

I trained mainly with Annette, Candus, and Elma; Pam joined us for the walk itself. The four of us had a blast and formed a lifelong friendship.

We slept in tents in a giant Tent City with showers, sinks, and amazing crew members.

We drank approximately 10,000 gallons of Gatorade . . .

. . . which resulted in frequent trips to the port-o-johns.

All that walking can result in chafing in some interesting places. We used Bodyglide to prevent this (no pictures available).

There were Pit Stops where we could rest, drink, and eat.

We met a lot of colorful people.

The food was generally pretty good—and there was a lot of it.

Our families were proud.

will never be the same.

Interesting and Heretofore Unknown Fact

In 2000 I was suffering from panic attacks that had been a fact of my life on and off for about twelve years. I won’t bore you with all the details (yet), but I was throwing back a lot of Ativan, seeing a therapist, and just starting Zoloft. I signed up for this walk when I couldn’t even walk one block to the mailbox without hyperventilating and shaking with terror. My comfort zone was pretty much my house, so the idea of walking from Wisconsin to Chicago was a bit daunting. But with the support of my fellow walkers, family, and friends, I not only got through the training and the walk itself, I had an incredible and life-changing experience. Even if I was sedated for most of it.

Theme Song

For those of you who don’t want to bother with my 3-Day site OR this post, just sing the song. Like any good TV show or movie, the plot of the 3-Day Walk can best be summarized by its theme song. Here’s the song we made up for the 2000 walk. I think you’ll find it explains everything:

(sung to the tune of The Brady Bunch theme song)

Here’s the story
Of 4 lovely walkers
Who were walking for a very worthy cause.
2 of them were pushing 40
2 more in menopause.

So they piled in a truck up to Wisonsin
For the very moving 3 days it would be
There they met 3,000 others
Who started blister-free.

At the first pit stop they used a port-o-potty
And decided it was not that bad at all
By the time they reached their final destination,
They were longing for a normal flushing stall.

Some bodies ached
Some feet were sore
But the love and kindness helped them walk some more.

Till the next day when they woke up at 4:30
And they knew it was the longest day of all
But the oatmeal and granola gave them courage
Soon they were walking tall.

The crew was great
The tents weren’t bad
When they finished 60 miles they were GLAD!!

If you want to walk for breast cancer awareness:

• Visit the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day site, but I have to warn you: This walk takes place in August. In Chicago. Remember what I said about the chafing.
• Visit the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer site.
• Get you some decent socks, Clif Bars, and fancy water:

Don’t forget the Bodyglide!

All I can say is, no one I know, including me, better ever get breast cancer. That’s how it works, right?

* Today’s lyrics are courtesy of Utopia.

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