Tips for 3-Day First Timers from 3-Day Past Participants

Whether it’s your first 3-Day or your thirtieth, there’s a bunch of small ways that you can greatly enhance experience on the 3-Day. We polled our Facebook community to find out their top tips before our Philadelphia 3-Day this weekend, and we think new 3-Dayers will find these especially helpful. Let’s hear what they have to say!

“Change socks at lunch every day! Enjoy the walk and meet new people while listening to their inspiring stories.” – Laura Miehls

“Walk at the same pace you train. If you are on the route all day – awesome! And if you are back to camp by 1:00, awesome! You do you!” – Melissa Polma Loder (*Note below*)

“Take the leap and meet three people every day. The stories will be humbling and some friendships life-long.” – Chris Lynn Reed

“Moleskin is your friend! And don’t be afraid to visit the Medical Tent. There are amazing people working there!” – Micki Mathiesen

“It’s not a race, it’s a walk… enjoy the time with your fellow walkers, everyone has a story. Remember, even if you are a solo walker, you are never alone in the pink bubble.” -Tiffany Thomas

“Have a blast! Journal. It will be fun to look back. Be ready for amazing memories to be made and your heart to grow!” -Tara Anne Hart

“Listen to your body and do what’s best for you. There is no right or wrong (well, within reason and as long as you are observing the three Rs); so don’t hesitate to make the event everything you’d like it to be.” -Anne Moss

“Your Route Safety crew loves to dance while we wait with you for traffic lights to change! Oh and we love hugs and high-fives too!

“But, listen to them as well. We know where the bad intersections are and are there to keep you safe. We step out into the streets before you do. Help us keep safe as well.

“And above all have a good time. Laugh, cry, hug, dance, reflect, remember.” – Kristian Kauker

“Talk to strangers and take candy from strangers. Do what your mother told you NOT to do!” -Joanne Gregory

“Don’t be in rush. Go slow and enjoy all the love and support.” – Pam Ater

NOW – if you’re a 3-Day veteran what would you add? 3-Day first timers; any questions for us? We can’t wait to see you in Dallas/Fort Worth or San Diego this year, or next year!

Note: All pit stops have designated opening and closing hours, timed to keep you moving along the route at a safe pace and to ensure that you complete your walking while it is still light out. If you reach a pit stop before it opens, you will be asked to stop and wait. If you reach a pit stop after it closes, you will be transported to the lunch stop (or camp, if you have already passed the lunch stop). A “caboose” will be following the last walker on the route. If you are falling behind schedule, you will be given the option to take a sweep van to the next pit stop if you cannot increase your pace. Read more about cabooses, sweeps and route hours on our blog.

Celebrate National Selfie Day with Coach Jennifer

Did you know that today (June 21) is National Selfie Day? Considering it’s also the first day of summer, that means it’s the perfect time of year to head outside and take some fun, candid photos with your favorite people. We certainly hope that group includes some 3-Day pals!

Selfies are commonplace on the 3-Day. We use them to grab a team photo, capture the excitement of the Opening Ceremony, snap a candid moment along the route, show off the beauty of our host cities and as a way to remember a truly special weekend.

But do you have your selfie game up to snuff? If not, we’re here to help.

The best way to hold your phone for a horizontal selfie, in the opinion of all our 3-Day coaches, is to hold the phone with your pinkie on the bottom, your pointer finger on top, and the middle two fingers behind the phone for stability. If you position yourself on one of the edges of the selfie group (not in the middle), you’ll be able to capture tons of people or a cool background. Just click the shutter button with your thumb and…ta da! Perfect selfie!

If you really want to know what it takes to get the perfect 3-Day selfie though, ask Coach Jennifer from Michigan! She’s been a 3-Day walker as well as coach, and she always gets the best pictures on event.

Here are her top tips:

Always hold the camera up and look up into the camera for the most flattering selfie, or hold the camera slightly above your head, pointing down. Don’t take a selfie from below. No one wants purposeful double chins!

Try to take the selfie in shade – if that’s not possible, face into the sun to eliminate shadows.
Take off the sunglasses! (Even facing into the sun!)
Check your camera settings to see if there is a timer option. My Samsung phone has a timer feature that gives you about a 5 second countdown which makes it super easy to get a great selfie. Make sure you can see everyone in the photo before starting the timer.

Smile! Yes, a genuine smile. Forget the silly duck face, most people can’t pull this off anyway.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. Candid shots are sometimes some of the best pictures. ?
Use a filter to make it more fun.
Speaking of fun: Have fun with it! Some of my favorite selfies are the ones where there are a lot of friends trying to cram into the phone, laughing and simply having fun!

Need more inspiration? Here are some more great selfies from more of our 3-Day coaches!

Share your best 3-Day selfie with us in the comments! We love seeing your smiles!

What You’ll Find on the 3-Day Pinterest Page

Pinterest is a constantly updating source of fun, ideas, and support all year long. As part of our social media community, it’s a platform we love sharing ideas and memories on to keep the 3-Day spirit of love going the whole year long. If you haven’t checked out our Pinterest page, now is the time. Here are just a few of the things you will find on our boards…

Fundraising Ideas

You probably already know that your coaches, fellow teammates, and this blog are great sources of fundraising ideas, but we also have even more fundraising ideas on Pinterest! You can never have too many sources for inspiration, and our Pinterest page is especially great for craft and culinary ideas. Feel free to tag us in your favorite pins on Pinterest as well, to let us know when you see any ideas you love online.

Inspiration

From quotes that will lift you up when you need a motivating boost, to The ABC’s of the 3-Day, if you’re trying to show a future teammate just why this cause means so much to you, we have it on our boards. We work to keep you inspired all year long, because you keep us inspired each and every day!

A Fashion Show

Need ideas for your 3-Day outfits? Want to wear something extra fun on your next training walk? Check out our Best Dressed board for inspiration – and some laughs! There is lots of pink style there to make you smile.

Knowledge

We share Breast Cancer Facts, many of them directly from Susan G. Komen, to keep you informed and provide you with information that you can use in your fundraising letters. There are also facts and infographics about healthy eating, stretching and more, to make sure you are training safely and effectively.

Memories

After every event, we add some of our favorite photos to our Pinterest page, organized by event city. That makes it easy for you to bask in the memories of 3-Days past, and remember the magic of the Pink Bubble. We also have special boards to share The 3-Day Experience and memories of our amazing crew!

What do you want to see more of on the page? Tell us in the comments!