Ouch! – Some Common Muscle Aches on the 3-Day

I don’t think anyone would disagree that walking 60 miles in three days is tough. It is harder on some than others, but that amount of physical exertion is going to take its toll on just about everyone.

In my experience, here are a few of the problem areas, in terms of muscle soreness, that you’re likely to experience on the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®.

Glutes – While you’re out there kicking cancer’s booty, the strain of walking 60 miles may be kicking yours. You gluteal muscles are among the strongest and hardest working muscles in your body, and they work especially hard going up and down hills. The best stretches for your butt muscles involve squatting, so go ahead and strike your strongest “sumo” pose, or hold onto a friend while sitting back into an imaginary chair.

Shins – The muscles in your lower legs get quite a lot of action with all the walking you’ll be doing on the 3-Day, but you may have particular trouble with the muscles on the lower front part of your legs. Because of the way your feet flex, the shin muscles are generally harder to stretch than the calf muscles on the back of your leg, so it’s easy to neglect your shins when you stop to stretch. A good stretch for the shin muscles is to find a step or curb, point your toes down and gently push the tops of your toes against the curb. (*Note: if you are experiencing sharp pain along the shin bones in your legs, you may have shin splints, which are small, stressed-based tissue/bone injuries. Shin splints require more than just diligent stretching to manage and heal, so if you suspect you’re suffering from shin splints, talk to your doctor.)

Back – If you experience pain directly in the center of your back when you walk, down your spine, you should think about seeing a doctor or a chiropractor. However, even with tip-top vertebrae, you probably will still experience some muscle soreness in your back. Your legs may be getting most of the action, in terms of movement, but your back is working hard to keep the rest of you upright and balanced while you walk. The good thing is, you don’t have to stop walking to stretch your back muscles. You can twist side to side, reach your arms over your head, or squeeze your shoulder blades together while you’re moving to give those back muscles some relief.

Hip Flexors – This is the general term that collectively describes the group of muscles in your upper thigh and hip area, which allow you to bend at the hip. These muscles can become tight when exerted, and may feel especially sore when you begin moving again after sitting down for a time. The good news is, hip flexors are easy to stretch. There are many variations on hip flexor stretches, but in general, think about straightening the front of your thigh/hip area, pushing your hips forward and squeezing your butt muscles.

Bonus Body Part! – Long distance walking may lead to problems with your iliotibial band (also known as the IT band), which is the long band of fibrous tissue than runs down the outside of your thigh, connecting your hip to your knee; it’s not technically a muscle, but still can become tight and sore when exercised. Tightness in the IT band can lead to knee pain (among other things), so work some “supermodel” stretches (hands on waist, legs together, hip pushed out to one side) into your routine.

The best way for you to prepare for the physical demands of the Komen 3-Day is by training in the months leading up to your event. By gradually increasing your mileage week by week, you build up your body’s endurance. Training early and often also allows you to identify any potential problems before you get to the 3-Day®.

If you’re prone to blisters, have specific joint issues (like knee or hip trouble) or foot problems, like plantar fasciitis, you may need focused medical attention (always check with your doctor when issues like these arise), but if you’re just dealing with good ol’ sore muscles, you can keep the aching at bay by stretching consistently throughout the day.

*Obligatory Training Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or a trainer, just a walker who’s been through the ringer many times, in terms of muscle soreness. The 3-Day advises all participants to consult with a physician before undertaking any new fitness routine, and if you experience pain or discomfort during training, seek medical attention.

The ABC’s of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day – Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of the ABC’s of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®! This fun alphabet is made up of 26 people, places or things you’ll encounter while walking, crewing or volunteering all 60 amazing miles of the Komen 3-Day. Check out Part 1 (Letters A – D) here, and don’t forget to share your ideas for each letter here on the 3-Day blog or with us on Facebook. We’ll share some of our favorites next week. You can also help us spread the word about the 3-Day® by pinning these images on Pinterest. The more people who learn about the 3-Day, the more we can make a difference in ending breast cancer forever.

Why do we walk? Because everyone deserves a lifetime®.

See also: Event and Email (Don’t forget, if you’re a registered participant, you can create, manage, and send all of your fundraising emails in the Participant Center!)

The fight to end breast cancer is why we’re here. We fight for every breast cancer survivor. We fight for every new diagnosis. We fight for our daughters and our granddaughters, so they might grow up in a world where breast cancer no longer threatens the lives of those we love.

See also: Friend Finder (A wonderful tool for connecting with participants near you!)

A Grahamwich is a delicious snack passed out along the route, consisting of two graham crackers filled with peanut butter and jelly. 3-Day walkers crave grahamwiches all year long and these sweet treats are a pit stop favorite. (Don’t believe us? Check out this post on Facebook!)

On the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, you’ll meet the most amazing heroes, in all shapes and sizes. From the grandmother walking 60 miles to celebrate her 60th birthday, to the man on a motorcycle in a pink tutu honoring his wife, to the 11 year-old Youth Corps member working selflessly to support the walkers – the 3-Day brings out the hero in all of us.

The Return of 3-Day Mythbusters

The Susan G. Komen 3-Day® is a big event with a big commitment. Through all of the steps of this incredible journey—from registering, to fundraising and training, to what to expect on the event itself—we have the Komen 3-Day coaches as well as our website and handbooks to help provide information and support. But with so much to learn about the 3-Day®, we know it’s not uncommon for some details to get lost or misconstrued along the way. In a blog post last year, we dished out the truth about some common misconceptions related to the Komen 3-Day, and today we’re back to address a few more of these misunderstandings in the latest edition of 3-Day® Mythbusters.

Myth: Cell phones are not permitted on the 3-Day. It’s 2014, and we’d be pretty out of touch if this myth were true. You most certainly can have and use your mobile phone throughout the 3-Day—to take photos or video, to update your Facebook and Twitter or to touch base with teammates who are on other parts of the route. We even have phone charging stations at camp. You just aren’t allowed to use your phone while you’re walking. When in motion, your focus needs to be on the road and other walkers around you, in order for you and them to stay safe. So if you need to snap a pic of the amazing scenery and Instagram it right away, just step off the route and stop, then stash your phone in your pack and carry on when you’re done. That way, you won’t inadvertently cause a 10-walker pile-up on the route!

Myth: You’re not allowed to listen to music while walking. Back in the day, if you wanted to listen to music while you walked, your only options were to cover your ears with headphones or carry around a boombox for your beats. The 3-Day’s policy has always prohibited headphones/earbuds, simply for safety reasons – if you can’t hear what’s around you, you increase your risk of running into an obstacle or another walker. Now, however, most mobile phones can play music through built-in speakers, or can be connected to compact external speakers that are easily clipped to a walking pack. Let’s be honest: music can be a great motivator to get you through the miles, so if you can fire up your playlist without covering or plugging your ears, as long as the lyrics and volume of your tunes are not offensive to the people around you, groove away!

Myth: You must walk the entire 3 days, or nothing. The 3-Day is just that: a three-day long event, and to get the most out of it, you should certainly plan to be there from early Friday morning all the way through until after the Closing Ceremony on Sunday. But we get it, sometimes things come up—a Friday work commitment, travel conflicts, a Saturday wedding—and a walker may have to miss part of the weekend. That’s fine! We’ve even had two walkers leave during the middle of Day 2 to get married to each other, and then come back for Day 3. If you raise all your money, you are welcome to be there for the parts of the event that you can, and miss parts if you have to. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but it’s important to know that missing a few hours here or there shouldn’t hold you back from doing the 3-Day. (Note that the rules for Crew are a little different: because crew members have a designated job on the 3-Day, they are required to be on the event for all 3 days, plus the All-Crew Kick-Off on Thursday.)

Myth: The crew gets paid to work on the 3-Day events. The 3-Day does have a small paid staff who manages the events, but the majority of the on-event work—setting up camp, running the pit stops, serving food, keeping the route safe—is done by the all-volunteer crew. These amazing folks (usually around 300 people per event) commit their time and energy to making the 3-Day great, and are paid only in the smiles, high fives and heartfelt thanks of their fellow participants.

Myth: Joining the Crew is an “easy” alternative to walking. Sometimes we hear people say, “Walking 60 miles is too hard, so I’ll just crew instead.” Those folks are in for a big surprise when they find out that being a crew member is equally—or more—challenging than walking. Crew members are the first people awake in the morning and the last ones to bed at night, and are often pushed to great physical demands (long periods on their feet and heavy lifting, for example) over the course of the event. So if you do not want to walk, but are still able to give 100% of your energy to the 3-Day in a different way, then the 3-Day Crew may be a good fit for you.

Myth: The 3-Day only serves junk food. Keeping walkers well fed and hydrated is an important health objective on the 3-Day. After all, your bodies are working hard with all that walking, burning an average of 100 calories per mile. Feeding hundreds of participants across 60 miles requires logistical efficiency, so packaged snacks like chips, peanuts, granola bars and yes, those delicious PB&J grahams make sense. But you can always find healthy, fresh options to eat too. At pit stops, you can feast on things like bananas and oranges, carrots and string cheese. Breakfast and dinner are hot meals served in camp, and include salads, fresh fruit, and protein.

We hope this clears things up! If there are any other aspects of the 3-Day that you’re just not sure about, your best bet is always to call the coaches at 800-996-3DAY, or refer to your Fundraising, Training and Event Prep Handbooks on your Participant Center.

Are there any other myths that you’d like to see busted? Tell us in the comments!