One of the biggest challenges of the 3-Day is the time it can take to prepare. With my San Diego 3-Day four months away, it’s time to start training. My routine is to do a 3-4 mile walk each morning (or as often as I can), and add longer walks to the weekends. I use the Virtual Personal Trainer email to keep me on track, and I forgive myself if I can’t get in every mile every week!

Debby Rich, a training walk leader and six-time Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day walker echoes the sentiments on the importance of training while sharing her own motivation for being a 3-Day participant.

• Find a time that works for you and stick to it. Weekends are Debby’s only opportunity to walk, and she takes her weekend training seriously. Debby said, “If you can follow the weekend training schedule, even if your ‘weekend’ is on a Monday and Tuesday, you can do the walk without any problems.”
  

  Debby Rich shows off her 3-Day bling in Dallas/Ft. Worth

• Got kids? Turn family activities into training opportunities. Debby and her family enjoy outdoor activities and she counts their hikes and fun at the park as part of her training. “My daughter, Evan has grown up with the 3-Day,” Debby told us.  “Even as a toddler, she would shout with excitement, ‘Mommy there’s your pink ribbon!’ whenever she spotted one.” Now 8 years old, Evan is a 3-Day veteran, and the entire family is planning to join Debby when she travels to the San Diego 3-Day in November.
• Join – or create – an official 3-Day training walk. Walking and talking with others who share your 3-Day passion make the miles go faster. Can’t find a walk near you? Create your own! The 3-Day Friend Finder is a great way to find nearby walk buddies.
• Do the work. It is the difference between enjoying the 3-Day and surviving it!
• Debby trains with her team, Angels for the Cure, and posts her walks on the 3-Day Training Walk Calendar. The training walks are open to everyone. “Our team has grown over the years due to the great times we have on our official training walks. Walkers may come to my training walks as an individual, but after walking as a group, they have so much fun and decide to join the team!”
• Debby’s mom was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002 and lost her battle in 2009. “She fought very hard to the end. And although she was too sick to walk, my favorite 3-Day memory was having my mom at the Dallas 3-Day in 2007, cheering me on along the route.”
• “I’m lacing my shoes for my 7th year to walk in Dallas and San Diego. Yes, I’m crazy but how far would you walk…to have more time with your mom?”

How do you make your 3-Day training a priority within your busy schedule? Tell us using the comment section below.