12 Things 3-Day Walkers Have to Explain to Outsiders

Anyone who’s been part of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® understands that some aspects of the Komen 3-Day world may seem crazy or confusing to an outsider. Be patient. A little explanation gives these non- 3-Day® folks a glimpse into this pink world.

What Connects Us – First things first: you don’t have to have a direct connection with breast cancer to be part of the 3-Day (though for thousands of folks, those personal connections have been their biggest reasons for participating). The fact is, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, so if a walker doesn’t know someone now who has been affected, chances are very good that they will some day; she may even be the one. We walk now to battle against that inevitability. Aside from that, the life-changing experience of the 3-Day is powerful enough to draw in just about anyone, regardless of their personal connection with breast cancer.
Walking is a full-time job – Yes, we really do walk for three days in a row. No, it’s not non-stop, around-the-clock walking, but 20 miles a day takes around 8-10 hours for most people, so it’s pretty much all we’re doing for those three days.
“Yeah, but it’s just walking, right?” – This might be the question that ruffles my feathers more than anything. “Hey, well-meaning but misguided friend, would you like to come out and take a 60-mile stroll with me, and then tell me, ‘It’s just walking?’”
The Long Way – Speaking of extra walking, your friends may scratch their heads as to why you purposely park in the farthest possible spot at the mall, but you know the value of squeezing in some training wherever you can.
Taking Care of Business – The thought of spending three days with porta-potties as the primary “facilities” might horrify some outsiders. You can assure them that the 3-Day’s temporary commodes are some of the nicest and cleanest portable lavatories there are. It’s a direct result of 3-Day walkers being courteous and hygienic when leaving their little plastic chambers, knowing that one of their fellow walkers isn’t far behind. The “bottom” line is: 3-Day people take care of each other, even whilst taking care of business.
Sweeping Has Nothing to Do With Brooms – Some of your outsider friends might be concerned about what will happen to you if you get hurt while walking or can’t continue for some other reason. Explaining the concept of our helpful and creatively-themed fleet of Sweep vans will put them at ease and entertain them all at once.
The Wonders of the 3-Day Camp – Yep. We sleep in tents, shower in semi-trucks and have an all-out dance party on Saturday night. Best home away from home ever.
World’s Greatest Snack? – Two graham crackers. Peanut butter. Grape jelly. (Option: serve cold.) Come to think of it, you can skip trying to explain this one, as it defies description.
Dieters Beware – I’ve had many people say to me, “You’re walking 60 miles? You must lose so much weight that weekend!” Uh, no. First of all, while walking is great exercise and the months spent training for the 3-Day can dramatically improve your overall health, losing weight on the 3-Day weekend itself should not be your goal. If there’s one thing that 3-Day walkers are, it’s well fed. Aside from the food provided at the 5-6 official route stops each day, there are also seemingly endless piles of candy, popsicles, cookies and brownies, and more, supplied by supporters all along the route. Many 3-Day walkers refer to the whole thing as the 60-Mile Buffet Line.
You Know You’ve Totally Done This – You’re out on the sidewalk, a car honks its horn. What do you do? If you said, “Put my arms up and wave my fingers and/or give a thumbs up,” you might need to explain your behavior to an outsider.
3-peating – For some walkers, the 3-Day is a bucket list item to check off, but for many, once is just not enough. Over half of all 2015 3-Day walkers have walked at least once before and more incredibly, over 400 participants have been doing the 3-Day for 10+ years. Experiencing the magic of the 3-Day and continuing making an impact in the fight against breast cancer are powerful motivations for 3-peating.
“When Will You Stop Walking?” – My answer when I get this question? When we don’t need to walk anymore, and not a day sooner.

Do you know what the best way is to explain the 3-Day to an outsider? Invite them to walk with you! Registration is still open for all 2015 events at The3Day.org/Register.

May Meet-up Round-up

We’re just days from officially welcoming summer, and we’ll fondly bid adieu to a busy spring, where the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® local coaches hosted dozens of get-togethers for Komen 3-Day walkers and crew. Check out the highlights of May’s 3-Day® meet-ups:

Michigan

May in Michigan was full of training walks. Michigan team BC Babes hosted a walk on May 2, and on May 16, many 3-Day walkers (including a particularly silly Coach Ann) came together for the Detroit Race for the Cure®. Groups also hit the Metroparks in Milford and White Lake to get their walk on, and when Michiganders weren’t walking, they were eating at meet-ups for new walkers in Utica and Ann Arbor. Missed the festivities in May? Coach Ann says, “Come join the fun in June!”

Twin Cities

Saturday, May 2 marked the Twin Cities 16-Week Training Kick-off. Walkers enjoyed a 3-mile training walk complete with a pit stop manned by Twin Cities coaches Eileen and Stephanie. Following the training walk, walkers and crew enjoyed a training workshop led by Gear Running.

Seattle

Coach Aubrey held a friendly Walk & Talk on May 6 at Green Lake Park in Seattle where she welcomed two first-time walkers. On May 16, even more Seattle 3-Day walkers came out to a Get Trained Workshop at Road Runner Sports in Kent. The folks at Road Runner provided advice about shoes and apparel, helpful discounts and even some delicious pizza.

A special highlight for Seattle 3-Day participants was Mariners Night Out on May 15. Walkers, crew members and families were among the 40,000 fans in the stadium that night (it was Fedora Hat Night, a fun and photo-friendly bonus for everyone) and the 3-Day party was easily recognizable in their special pink shirts. They even got some love with a shout-out on the jumbo screen!

Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Race for the Cure® took place on Mother’s Day, and many Philly 3-Day walkers took advantage of the opportunity to support Susan G. Komen® and get a training walk in at the same time! The 3-Day also had a booth set up where they shared info about the upcoming 3-Day.

Dallas/Fort Worth

Because the actual 24-week training schedule would’ve started on Memorial Day weekend, the Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day got creative and held two “24-Week” Training Kick-off Events, actually on weeks 25 and 23. The first was on May 16 at the New Balance store in Dallas, where 35 people attended the training walk helmed by Boxing Babes team captain and training walk leader, Bernadette. The second Training Kick-off was on May 30. With the torrential rain that May brought to Texas, Coach Gayla worried that folks would have to row a boat to this event. But luckily, when 24 determined walkers arrived at the Fort Worth event, the rain miraculously stopped and everyone enjoyed a 3-mile stroll led by training walk leader Wendy. Gayla says, “I was grateful so many people braved the rain and joined us.” Most people were fitted for shoes after the walk, and Bill from New Balance shared the importance of proper shoe fit, giving everyone quite a lesson on podiatry. On May 21, there was a Get Trained workshop at RunOn! in Richardson. Lots of new walkers were there, craving more information, and after the workshop, the walkers went on a short 3-mile walk around the neighborhood. New and veteran walkers shared not only information about the 3-Day, but also loads of laughs.

San Diego

The San Diego 3-Day’s big event in May was a festive reunion held on May 2. The reunion was at Bonita Cove Park (San Diego’s Day 2 lunch location). The event began with a training walk that over 30 walkers attended, and the party that followed had over twice as many walkers and crew members show up; there were even a couple of participants who came all the way from northern California.

Attendees enjoyed 3-Day mac & cheese and yummy grahamwhiches. They also had a contest to see who could pop up a pink tent the fastest, and then another to see who could take it down first. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time.

Coach Kim met a fun group (including one gnarly photobomber, known as the Cardiff Kook) on May 16 for a Walk & Talk in Cardiff.

BONUS Meet-up – Chicagoland

Michigan and Twin Cities coaches Jennifer and Eileen live in the Chicago area, and can often be found meeting up with other area walkers. They hosted a Walk & Talk in Glenview on Saturday, May 16 where they were joined by veteran walker Doris and newbie walker Tressa.

The Insider’s Peek at the Seattle Route

In February of this year, we treated our readers to The Insider’s Peek at the 3-Day Route, where we gave you a detailed look at the planning, work and execution that goes into creating the routes for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day® Series. While that two-part Insider’s Peek was full of tasty details, it didn’t explicitly address the particulars of any specific Komen 3-Day location.

Until now!

It seemed like a natural progression to go from an expansive overview of 3-Day® route-planning in general to a more pinpointed look at each of the seven 3-Day events. So I’ve been picking the brains of the event planning team and local coaches to get the skinny on what walkers can expect. Sharing this information early in the year will help walkers prepare for their events, train for what’s to come and know what exciting high points to look forward to.

We’re publishing one of these location-specific route peeks for every 2015 3-Day event (we’ve already enjoyed peeks at the Michigan and Twin Cities routes) and today, it’s the Seattle 3-Day’s turn to shine. Let’s see what the Event Planning Manager Emily and Local Events Coach Aubrey had to say:

Will there be any major changes to the route from last year? – Emily had this to say: “Nothing major, but there are a couple of changes that past walkers will notice. We have new lunch sites on Day 1 (because of construction) and Day 3 (based on feedback from last year). We’re looking at some stretches that could be longer, gradual hills as opposed to shorter, steeper climbs. Of course, I’m saying that as a local who is used to hills!”
What, if any, geographical challenges does the Seattle route present? (i.e., Are there hills? Sections with no shade? Portions of the route that sweep vans can’t access easily?) – All right, Seattle walkers, let’s get right down to it: Seattle = hills. There’s no escaping it. Aubrey had this to say: “Seattle is extremely hilly, particularly on Day 2. Participants should train on hills that are long and winding. If they are near Kirkland or Redmond, those are great hills to train on, but long switchbacks would also help someone get adequately prepared for our hilly terrain.” Emily adds that it’s not just the Seattle route that’s inclined toward inclines, it’s the whole Pacific Northwest region: “We’ve been asked if we can change the route to make it less hilly, and we take the feedback seriously. We see how we could maybe shorten the hills or find ones that aren’t as steep, but there’s no way to get away from them completely. But remember, what goes up must come down!” Emily also added, “We’re keeping the crew aware of the walkers’ needs and prepping the crew to help. For example, on Day 2, when there’s not much going on at camp during the day, we’ll use some of the camp teams and vehicles as extra sweep support.”
The Day 1 route takes walkers across the I-90 “floating” bridge over Lake Washington (gephyrophobes, be warned) and Emily reminds us, “The bridge is wide open, and if it’s warm out, being over the water will help keep you cool, but there’s no shade and no sweep van access on the bridge.” (Sweep vans will be available before the crossing for anyone who needs them.) Emily continues: “On Day 2 there’s a big hill right as we leave camp. We’re looking at alternate ways to get around the steepness of that hill, but there’s no other way out of camp to go up and over and get to downtown Kirkland and the waterfront.”
Any specific highlights/locations that walkers can look forward to seeing along the way? – Aubrey is quick to gush about what her city has to offer the 3-Day walkers: “Day 1 brings great views of downtown, a walk across the I-90 floating bridge across Lake Washington and the Botanical Gardens. Day 2 offers fantastic views of lakes, beautiful homes and photo ops at the tops of the hills. Day 3 is great for Gas Works Park on Lake Union, a walk through the funky neighborhoods of Fremont and Ballard, the Ballard Locks (where walkers will likely see seals), the gorgeous homes in Magnolia and a stroll through the downtown waterfront section to close off their weekend.” Emily adds, “Walkers get the best features of what makes Seattle so wonderful: Lakes, green forests, the Space Needle, Seattle Center, Pike Place, the Ballard Locks, Mercer Island, Gas Works Park. We hit so many of the cool little neighborhoods of Seattle: Hippie Fremont, the big beautiful homes of Magnolia, the cool little ‘beach town’ of Kirkland on Lake Washington. Over the years, by trial and error, we’ve tried different routes and sites, and we’ve really come up with the best of Seattle, as great as we can make it (and as flat as we can make it!).”
Any other information you can provide about the overall “essence” of the Seattle route? – “What I love most is the beauty of the natural landscape: the water, the mountains, the vibrant colors,” says Emily. “The parks are wonderful, but also the unique aspects of the different neighborhoods of the Seattle area. It’s the Pacific Northwest, it’s hilly, but that’s the Northwest! That’s what makes it so unique. That’s what Seattle was founded on, a series of hills, so in essence, that’s what Seattle is, so the more you can embrace it, the better Seattle experience you’re going to have!”

The Bottom Line: You probably picked up on the major theme from the rest of this post: Seattle has a lot of hills. Our hope is that walkers will look at those climbs as motivating challenges, and reminders that what they’re doing, though difficult, is nothing compared to the uphill battles that too many of them and their loved ones have faced because of breast cancer. Part of the purpose behind these route peeks is to give walkers a heads-up months before their events, so that they can prepare and train the best they can to get themselves ready for their 60-mile journeys, and this is especially true for a challenging route like Seattle. The real bottom line is, if you’re going to be walking in the Emerald City, train on hills. There’s no better way to prepare yourself. Then, when you get there in September, strong and well-conditioned, you’ll be able to really take in the beauty and charm of Seattle, no matter what the elevation is.

The Insider’s Take: If I ever decided to move away from California, I’d head straight for Seattle. The Pacific Northwest is one of the most beautiful corners of these United States, and I feel like the Seattle 3-Day—which I have walked twice and crewed once—has a little bit of everything: forests and lakes, friendly suburban neighborhoods with incredible community support, and a city-centered Day 3 that will pretty much check off every Seattle tourist site you’d want to see on a trip there. Yeah, it has hills. Lots of hills. I happen to not really mind hills, but if you mind hills (or even if you don’t), you’re definitely going to have to make them a focus of your training, including both steep inclines and slow steady climbs. But you can handle it. I know you can. Keep your eyes up and don’t let gravity get the best of you. Plus: Starbucks. Lots of Starbucks.

Great stuff, right? If you still have questions or concerns about the Seattle 3-Day route, pick up the phone and call Paula, your Seattle 3-Day coach, at 800-996-3DAY (select option 7 for Seattle), or email seattlecoaches@the3day.org.