What Your 3-Day Coaches are Thankful For in 2019

Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you are all celebrating by surrounding yourself with love and fun! There is so much to be grateful for this year; from all of our amazing participants to our beautiful host cities to the phenomenal amount of money we raised in the fight against breast cancer.

And though many of us are spending the day relaxing with family and good food, we wanted to make sure to throw some love your way! Our 3-Day coaches, from New England to San Diego, are thankful for each and every one of you. But they’re also thankful for travel, their families, each other and more! Here are a few of our coaches’ favorite things this Thanksgiving….

Coach Gayla with her daughter

Coach Gayla

I’m grateful for the hard working and super kind crew members that make this event so special for everyone.

I’m also grateful for the supporters who come out to the 3-Day in each city.

Lastly, I’m grateful for my family and how they love and support me and my passion doing the job that I love, and for my work family who I’m incredibly blessed to work alongside and share so many cool experiences with.

Coach Carol with Jim Hillman

Coach Carol

I am grateful for friendships made, friendships strengthened, and beautiful sights seen along the way!

Coach Tisho (left) with Coach Molly (right)

Coach Tisho

I’m so thankful for the ability to embrace healthy habits that I’d previously neglected. For the opportunity to travel and experience new things. And for coffee. Alllll the coffee!

Coach Molly

The opportunity to do meaningful work.

To be inspired by participants who display kindness and compassion and motivate me with their unwavering support and commitment to the causes they believe in.

To work alongside the most hardworking, loyal and FUN co-workers who make the good days and challenging moments more than worth it.

Coach Heather (left) with Coach Carol (right) and George

Coach Heather

I’m grateful that my Mom is doing absolutely wonderful despite her breast cancer diagnosis early in 2019!

I’m grateful that I chose ME! I’ve embraced life with the “go with the flow” attitude. And it’s been pretty awesome!

I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to be on-event with nearly every 3-Day staff member this season! The combination of various strengths, skills, and personalities from event to event allowed for a great season for me!

Coach Staci

My health, my amazing family and friends (which includes my co-workers because I’m just lucky that way!). I’m also grateful for a continued sense of wanderlust that keeps me energized and keeps my mind reeling, wondering, “What else is there to see?”

We are so thankful for our 3-Day coaches for all their hard work, on our 3-Days and all year long.

We are also thankful for all of you for your continued dedication and support of the 3-Day and the fight against breast cancer. We are honored to continue this fight alongside you.

We hope you are enjoying this day of thanks and love ?

3-Day Ways to Celebrate This Holiday Season

Thanksgiving is this week, which means that the holiday season is upon us! Whether you’re waiting to hang the garlands until this weekend or have had the presents wrapped for weeks already, we know that the next few weeks will be one of celebration for many of our amazing 3-Dayers. And you deserve to celebrate! 2019 was another beautiful year on the 3-Day and you all deserve some much-needed relaxation and fun in December.

To help you make the most of the holiday season, we have some simple ideas that every 3-Dayer will enjoy. Use these to make the most of the next few weeks, or to carry on that holiday spirit into the new year…

Sign up for the 3-Day: Don’t forget to register for the 2020 3-Day before December 5 to take advantage of the discount of the year! Right now, you can register for any of the 2020 3-Days for only $35 — no code needed! With a deal like this, you could even gift a registration to your friend or future teammate in addition to buying one for yourself.
Re-live all your memories from 2019: All of the amazing photos from our 3-Day weekends are up on our Facebook page and blog, so if you’re looking for a last-minute holiday card photo, pull one from the 3-Day. Nothing will make you smile more than a trip down memory lane.
Give someone a high five: We give them out all the time on the 3-Day, but high fives are an easy and effective way to spread love and support.

Thank your donors: People love snail mail! In addition to any holiday cards you are planning to send out, don’t forget to send thank you cards to your donors. We so appreciate their support of our 3-Day family!
Save your 2019 medal and credentials: Where do you keep your medals and credentials from years past? Add your 2019 mementos to the mix and share a photo of your accomplishments on social media!
Update your training playlist: Colder weather means you need a hot new playlist! Or create a fun walking playlist with holiday tunes! You can use our Spotify for inspiration
Start your fundraising. Next Tuesday, December 3, is Giving Tuesday, one of the biggest days of the year for non-profit fundraising. After Black Friday and Cyber Monday, your friends and family are in the giving mood, ready to open their wallet for a good cause. If you’re sending out holiday cards, include our holiday card inserts at The3Day.org/Holiday.

Set up a Facebook Fundraiser: 3-Day participants who have a Facebook Fundraiser, on average, fundraise $500 more than participants without one. It’s a no-brainer to set yours up during the Giving Season between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. You can learn how to start yours on our blog.
Sing a carol! Go Caroling Day is on December 20, and singing is such a fun way to spread holiday festivity! Need some inspiration? Don’t worry – our coaches have you covered!
Reach out to your 3-Day coaches: Speaking of your coaches – Send them a little holiday love! They work so hard and deserve all the love and recognition in the world!
Catch up on your reading: The 3-Day blog is always here for you and always an amazing resource for any questions or inspiration you might need. Cozy up away from the cold and catch up on your reading.
Get outside (safely!) Just because it’s chilly, doesn’t mean you can’t keep up with your 3-Day training goals! Host a holiday-themed training walk and get festive while you get your steps in. ? Here are some tips for safe cool-weather training.
Donate to a teammate: It’s the Season of Giving after all! Spread the love by sending your teammate a donation to kick off their 2020 fundraising.

Spread the 3-Day joy on social media: The quickest way to spread holiday cheer is by spreading smiles far and near! Tag us in your photos or use #The3Day to share the Pink Bubble joy.
Send a holiday card: Not a fundraising letter. Not a thank you card. You can send those too, of course! But sometimes sending a little bit of love for no reason at all means the world.
Spend time with your favorite people: 3-Day teammates. Your favorite walking buddies. Your family and friends. Surround yourself with love and wrap yourself in joy this holiday season. You deserve every minute of it. ?

How are you making the most of this holiday season? Tell us in the comments or tag us on social media when you’re getting all festive this season with #The3Day

Why I Walk: How Mark S.’s 3-Day Training Supported His Health Journey

“I know that there are probably very few others on the 3-Day who will understand my excitement to finish 60 miles while battling my illness. I know there are many others who are battling other challenges like mine.”

The 3-Day is an amazing accomplishment for anyone who participates. The fundraising, training, and walk weekend itself push many people out of their comfort zone. Mark S. knew he would be one of those people when he decided to join the Philadelphia 3-Day this year. But Mark also knew that getting out of his comfort zone would be a very good thing!

He was diagnosed with MdDS, Mal de Debarquement Syndrome, in 2016, and has been experiencing a variety of health issues since then.

That, combined with weight gain over the last few decades due to a variety of reasons, led Mark to need — and want! — to make a change in his physical fitness.

“I read that walking helps reduce MdDS symptoms. I had tried walking for exercise many times to try and lose weight before MdDS, so walking seemed like a good option for me. When I first started walking, my limit was ¾ of a mile in 20 minutes. It took another 20 minutes after the walk for my MdDS symptoms to decrease to their “normal” levels. After all my training, I now walk 3 miles in 45 minutes during my lunch break, and the time it takes for my MdDS symptoms to recover from my walks is substantially shorter.”

While he was working on his fitness, Mark decided to join the 3-Day to really jumpstart his progress.

“Walking 60 miles for breast cancer research seemed like the perfect match for my goals. There is no way I could have undertaken this challenge when I was at my heaviest; I could not even manage to walk an entire mile! I imagine the depression, anxiety, and helplessness I often experience with MdDS are some of the same emotions someone has to conquer as they fight breast cancer. But we can all do this!”

Mark began participating in 3-Day training walks, as well as extending his own personal walks. That, combined with healthier eating habits, helped him lose more than 100 pounds!

All of that work culminated in October, when Mark began his first 3-Day in Philadelphia. We caught up with him after he crossed the finish line with a big smile on his face, and he told us how much those 60 miles had meant to him…

The 3-Day weekend was an amazing experience! It was emotional for me personally at the start and of course at the finish. Here I was, challenged to walk even one mile for exercise in early 2018, yet starting a 60-mile journey in October 2019. I never thought I would be at this point where walking this much would be part of my regular daily schedule.

During the walk, it was incredible to talk to others. I met a man who was married for almost 50 years before his wife lost her battle. There was a young mother who just recently finished her final treatment who was walking with her mother. I passed a woman who just had knee surgery four weeks prior but was giving the journey her best. There was a man in an orthopedic boot determined to participate in all 3-Day events this year. The stores were inspiring and will stick with me forever.

I also can’t forget about the Crew! The kids in Youth Corps who truly get what it means to serve others. The people who take the time to decorate the inside of a port-a-potty (I even had to take a picture of the inside of one!). The Safety Crew who made sure walkers were safe. There were so many people giving of their time to make these three days possible!

My walking journey is not finished!

We love seeing walkers like Mark accomplish new goals and reach new heights on the 3-Day and we’re honored to be a part of their wellness journeys.