The First-Timers’ Guide to the 3-Day – Let’s Meet the First Timers!

Last year, our Insider’s Guide to the 3-Day brought you details about the entire 3-Day experience from the perspective of one grizzled old veteran walker (me), but this year, we thought we’d get a different point of view. So, we asked three women who are participating in the 3-Day for the very first time to share that journey with us. And just like that, the First-Timers’ Guide to the 3-Day was born! So today, it’s our pleasure to introduce you to our three first-timers. You’ll be hearing a lot more from them throughout the next few months, as they tell us about their very first 3-Day adventures, but for now, let’s get to know them a little bit, in their own words…

Crystal – Michigan 3-Day First-Timer

“My name is Crystal Spagnuolo, a 38-year young single Mom to two amazingly beautiful kids. I have a teenage daughter named Jocelyn and a young stud of a son named Mateo. He prefers to be called Teo now, since he is the “man of the house.” I am born and raised in Windsor, ON, a small Canadian town a mere jaunt across the bridge or tunnel from Detroit, MI. My family has been here since 1955 when my grandparents moved here from Lincoln Park, MI. “Most of my free time (yeah, what is that?) is spent taking care of my babies. They are both energetic, outgoing, more athletic than I have ever been, and two of the biggest pains in my butt. Between soccer practice, softball tryouts, all star tournaments, youth group dances and birthday parties, I fully engulf myself in getting to know these rare creatures I am blessed to raise. Life has thrown us a few loops, and after a few very financially trying years we ended up back at my parents’ house to regenerate. It all worked out as my step-dad needed bypass surgery and we got to help out. As we have firmly planted our feet back on the ground, we are looking eagerly at spreading our wings and flying the coop within the next few months. “I work at a cell phone company where I assist people with technical issues when it comes to these devices we’ve become accustomed to living our lives through. I love the challenge of each email or phone call. I love helping people and tutor often on the side to all the friends and family around me who are otherwise technologically challenged. “I’m a fighter, so I’m told, but for the greater good. I wear my heart on my sleeve and always root for the underdog. I had to battle my health for the past seven years and I will honestly tell you I didn’t realize how bad until my hysterectomy this past February. Dealing with cancer scares and pain, agonizing months of stress and anxiety for test results have all made me a well-rounded basket case. I have a tight-knit circle of friends, mainly due to my children’s never-ending social lives, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve wanted to give something back and show my kids that hard work pays off. This walk means so very much to me but not for reasons you may think. I’ve been blessed to not have lost or battled this disease but after the marathon I just ran with my health, walking 60 miles in memory and spirit for those who no longer can is an honour that I will cherish forever. “When I mention what I’m doing this summer, most of the people I deal with on a daily basis smile and simply say, “of course you are, you are amazing.” Now not to toot my own horn, but I feel amazing having this opportunity to give back and change my life forever. “I look forward to seeing you all in August, wearing my absolutely favourite colour (Canadian spelling) in the whole world.”

Sheilla – Philadelphia 3-Day First-Timer

“Name: Sheilla Carvalho Age: 34 Hometown: Vineland, New Jersey Current Residence: Williamstown, New Jersey, where I live with my adorable and amazing 9 year old furry child, Sketch. Occupation: School Counselor Hobbies: yoga, shopping, spending time with family/friends/Sketch, going to the beach, reading, traveling, walking/running, etc. Interesting Facts About Me:

I speak 3 languages (English, Portuguese, & Spanish). Portuguese was my first.
I enjoy traveling to and learning about other countries/cultures; I have visited France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, Ireland, China, Brasil and will be traveling to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji in July.
I have dual citizenship: United States and Brasil; Rio de Janiero is my favorite place!
I have had many part-time jobs (due to various interests): student advisor at local community college, receptionist and teacher at local yoga studio, Weight Watchers, volunteer leader for People to People Ambassador programs, and now 3-Day training walk leader!

Thank you so much for this opportunity. I’m thankful to be a part of all this. The last couple of months have been truly amazing. I have met so many people, felt so accomplished (reached my goal in 6 months), felt inspired, motivated, grateful, etc. The amount of positive feelings and energy is very rewarding.”

Jodie – Dallas/Fort Worth 3-Day First-Timer

“I am Jodie Mannlin, a 56 year-old paraprofessional working with elementary students in a Life Skills class, an 11.5-year breast cancer survivor, and 3-Day first-timer, set to participate in the Dallas/Ft. Worth 3-Day on November 6-8! My husband (of almost 33 years) and I live in Mesquite, Texas (near Dallas, where I was born). I enjoy: reading; movie-going; attending any breast cancer event, such as brunches, fashion shows, seminars, Race for the Cure walks in the cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Plano, and participating in the Cowboys’ Pink Ribbon Halftime Show (where I saw my favorite QB, Peyton Manning when he and the Broncos came to town a couple of years ago :); and attending outdoor concerts from spring through fall. The entire 3-Day experience is proving to be exciting and rewarding, as I have met many inspiring walkers from my Boxing Babes team, as well as other teams. I am overjoyed to have finally accepted the challenge to “do something more” by entering the Komen 3-Day world! And, to have been given the opportunity to share my thoughts as a 3-Day first-timer blogger! More to come …” Please join us in welcoming Crystal, Sheilla, and Jodie to the 3-Day family! Stay tuned to the 3-Day blog over the next several months to hear all about their journeys. Are you a 3-Day first-timer too? Welcome! Don’t forget, your 3-Day coaches love to share tips, tricks, and advice for everything 3-Day. You can reach them by calling 800-996-3DAY.

The Insider’s Peek at the Michigan 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® events. While that two-part Insider’s Peek was full of tasty details, it was still kind of broad in the sense that 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 individually. 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 have a few exciting high points to look forward to.

We’ll do one of these for every 2015 3-Day event, in order, which means: you’re up, Michigan! Here’s what Event Planning Manager Missy and Local Events Coach Ann had to say:

Will there be any major changes to the route from last year? – Missy assured me that there will be “No major changes from 2014!” (Click to see the 2014 Michigan 3-Day Journey Map and the 2014 Michigan 3-Day Wrap-up.)
What, if any, geographical challenges does the Michigan route present (i.e., Are there hills? Sections with no shade? Portions of the route that sweep vans can’t access easily?) – Missy’s response to this question was, “Although there is no extreme terrain in Michigan, there are plenty of motivating challenges when walking the 3-Day there, including some minor hills in the afternoon on Day 1 and a set of stairs after lunch.” Ann, a native of the Detroit metro area, confirmed, “Southeast Michigan is pretty flat compared to other 3-Day locales, but there are a couple hills that people should be sure to train for.” Missy added, “Day 2 has a challenging hill after lunch, and portions of the route are off-pavement.” Ann said, “Sweep access is pretty consistent, but there may be a few short stretches that don’t allow for easy access. We also walk a stretch of Hines Park on the afternoon of Day 2, which can be a bit on the shadeless side, depending on the time of day.” Missy’s concluding thoughts were, “On Day 3, walkers have little change in terrain, but go through more urban areas – some without shade.”
Any specific highlights/locations that walkers can look forward to seeing along the way? From Ann, “Historic Downtown Plymouth (with the pink fountain) and Northville on Day 2 are always great areas with tremendous community support. On Day, 3 the residents of Dearborn love to come out to cheer and decorate their streets.”
Any other information you can provide about the overall nature of the Michigan route? – Ann is happy to brag about her home state: “It’s a great mix of residential, commercial, and rural. The route goes through some of Detroit’s nicest suburban communities and folks are always really supportive.”

The Bottom Line: Michigan walkers really don’t have much to worry about, as far as challenging terrain goes, but they should definitely work a few decent hills into their training, so nothing takes them by surprise. The Midwest in early August can get pretty hot and humid, and rain isn’t out of the question, so training in the heat to get used to it is a good idea too, as well as packing for the elements (but don’t worry about that until later). With those preparations locked down, walkers will have a beautiful and scenic route, with tons of community support greeting them in Michigan.

Still have questions about the Michigan 3-Day route? Call your Michigan 3-Day coach Jennifer at 800-996-3DAY (select option 4 for Michigan), or email michigancoaches@the3day.org.

The Insider’s Peek at the 3-Day Route – Part 2

Thanks for coming back to this special Insider’s Guide to the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®, friends! We’re halfway through a deep dive into the ins-and-outs of planning the Komen 3-Day route. I’m a walker, like many of you, and for years I’ve wondered about what exactly goes into the monumental endeavor of routing this three-day, 60-mile monster of an event. So I asked.

In case you missed Part 1, start with it here. When we left off, the Event Planning Managers (EPMs) were plotting out a route that highlights the most iconic scenery each 3-Day® city has to offer, while also solidifying the major sites (camp, ceremonies, and all the stops along the route) and connecting those dots with a well-conceived route that’s both safe and interesting.

Getting Friendly With the Locals – In a perfect world, we would just say, “We want this site and this route,” but as we’ve demonstrated, it’s way more complicated than that. Is the site available on the event weekend? Can the route safely accommodate all of our walkers? Is there construction planned 10 months from now in a site that looks fine today? This is where local jurisdictions—law enforcement, local governments—come in and work with us to approve routes. The police departments typically have the biggest say, though we also get input from fire departments, health departments and city managers. One issue can change everything. One PD might say, “We don’t have the resources to support you, and without that you can’t walk here,” so then we have to rethink. Sometimes, permitting is needed just to be able to walk on some streets (even though we don’t close off streets or sidewalks the way, say, a marathon would). Cities can say no. So those conversations are happening, and things begin lining up. As we get closer to the event, the EPMs coordinate the finer details including the actual turn-by-turn, street-by-street route directions and obtaining required special permits.

Can you see why that all would take at least a year?

The 3-Day is Coming, the 3-Day is Coming! – Often, our permits will require us to go into the community and present notice. But beyond that, we make an effort to visit the communities and neighborhoods we’ll be walking through anyway, because we WANT them to know about the 3-Day! About 3-4 weeks prior to each event, the local coach and the volunteer coordinator organize a Street Team Day, where volunteers come out and help canvas the route to alert the businesses and residents along the way that we’ll be coming through. They pass out flyers to businesses located on the side of the street the walkers will be walking down and talk to folks to let them know what to expect and how they can show their support; in the majority of areas that we walk through year after year, folks know about the 3-Day far in advance of Street Team Day and are already planning incredible ways to show their love. (Incidentally, if any of you are interested in helping with Street Team Day in your 3-Day city, contact the coaches to find out how to help!)

Mileage Anxiety – I’m terrible at math. But even being arithmetically-challenged, I know that there have been times throughout my years on the 3-Day that I’ve done some simple calculation and was left scratching my head—Day 1: 19 miles; Day 2: 21 miles; Day 3: 16 miles…wait a second, that doesn’t equal 60!

So here’s the deal, according to Sarah, and it makes great sense when you think about it: we try and make the route as close to 60 miles as possible, but there are many things that dictate how many miles we can do each day. The amount of daylight hours is the biggest factor. You’ll notice that on the San Diego 3-Day, the total mileage is less than 60, while the Twin Cities 3-Day is just about on target with 60 miles total. This is because we have copious amounts of daylight in the summer in Minnesota, but very limited amounts in late November in Southern California. On top of that, it’s worth noting that with all the added steps around pit stops, camp and ceremonies, it really does total 60 or more. Truly.

The Event Planning team maps the route using Google Earth, which is arguably the most accurate and reputable mapping technology available. But these days, when everyone has a GPS tracker on their phone or their wrist, we sometimes get folks telling us that our reported mileage (the route card saying that pit stop 2 is at mile 6.4, for example) is different than what their tracker reports. In my experience with those trackers, they are never 100% accurate, or 100% consistent with each other. I’ve been on walks with teammates, where we’re all tracking on our own phones—sometimes using the same app!—and we all get slightly different distances reported. And don’t forget that it’s also counting the steps you take within a route stop (yes, doing the Cupid Shuffle in the middle of the lunch stop might add half a mile onto your tracker).

Okay, Let’s Get Real: Why Doesn’t the Route Ever Change? – Look, I get it. Variety is the spice of life, as they say. I’ve walked in San Diego four times, and four times, the route has been exactly the same (or so I thought). And even though that route is spectacular, after a few go-rounds, I’ve found myself wondering if it was ever going to be any different. How hard could it be, I asked myself, to just move this pit stop over there, or walk along those streets instead of these ones? I know I’m not the only walker who has felt this kind of restlessness with a seemingly-unchanging route. Keeping a route fresh and exciting to returning walkers is a prospect that becomes more and more challenging every year that passes, simply because there are more and more collective years of experience building up in everyone’s memories. Naturally, someone who has walked a particular route five or eight or a dozen times is going to see it differently than someone who’s walking it for the first or second time.

But the truth is, even the most long-standing 3-Day routes have had portions—big and small—changed throughout the years, based on both participant feedback and various changes within our jurisdictions (i.e. construction, police input, etc.). The 3-Day is well-established in all of our current locations, which is wonderful, right? We started with a planning process that was extremely intense, time-consuming and costly. But over the last 10+ years, we have been able to efficiently hone that process while also evolving the events by getting feedback, talking with jurisdictions, holding focus groups, etc. Over the years, the 3-Day really has developed events to include what the participants want, because that’s what they’re telling us. They want trails, residential, city, iconic spots, great scenery. Not everyone wants the same thing, but by providing variety, we’re able to hit the majority of “wants”.

I understand the questions of wanting change, because I’ve asked them too. But knowing better now what it takes to plan these events, I really can see how difficult, time-inefficient and expensive it would be to do a major overhaul of any event. Also, I can really respect that every 3-Day event is what it is based on a lot of tweaking. Changes are being made, even if they’re not always noticed. Sometimes the changes are big, like what we saw in Michigan and Twin Cities last year, and sometimes they’re small, like reversing the entrance/exit to a pit stop.

The Journey and the Goal – One of the things I love the most about the 3-Day community is its passion. We LOVE our 3-Day. It’s not just an event, it’s part of who we are. Being so close to a thing and caring so much about it, we naturally want it to be the absolute best it can be, and I have to say that, from where I sit, the 3-Day is pretty darn close to perfection. And even the things that I may be inclined to gripe about are things that I understand are that way for a reason.

Besides, the rock-solid foundation that the 3-Day’s entire existence is built on isn’t some obligation to give me a pretty route to walk along for three days, it’s a promise and a commitment to do whatever we’re humanly capable of doing to put an end to breast cancer.

However much or little the journey to get us there changes, that goal doesn’t change.