Tag Archives: Training Walk Leader

Training Walk Talks: Stories from Training Walk Leaders 

With 20, 40, or 60 miles of walking on the horizon, training is critical to ensuring a successful and joyful experience at the Susan G. Komen 3-Day®. To help you along the way, not only do we have suggested training schedules, but we have a training walk leader program where participants just like you guide other walkers. With plentiful resources and support from the Komen 3-Day team, training walk leaders are prepared to provide a consistent, supportive environment for walkers to train, meet, and learn from others in the 3-Day® community.  

The best part? Each leader gets to make their walks unique! Demarie B. has been leading training walks for the past few years and describes her experience as fun and adventurous. A five-time 3-Day walker, she holds most of her training walks with lululemon in Huntington Beach, California where she is an ambassador, taking her attendees along a beautiful beach path then loop back to the store for donuts and raffles. She has also hosted in unique locations such as Catalina Island, Crystal Cove, and taken the Palm Springs Tram to walk in the snow. She strives to make each walk special, always hoping to leave attendees with a feeling that they can’t wait to come back, even if it was hard. With thorough resources provided by the 3-Day team, Demarie loves being able to educate walkers on proper gear and nutrition while taking them on new expeditions. 

Since 2015, nineteen-time walker Marci H. has hosted training walks, recognizing that she couldn’t be the only one in her area in need of training. Marci typically leads her adventurous walks bright and early to catch the sunrise as they set out to conquer a few miles. From Truckee to Lake Tahoe, to San Francisco for a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, Marci puts in effort to ensure that each route contains beautiful scenery and is an experience in and of itself. Her walks consist of all types of terrain including hills, sidewalks, dirt trails, and more! Besides the adventure and beauty she finds on these walks, her favorite part of being a training walk leader is getting to meet new people. In fact, this is how she found her team, Hands Up for Hooters! When training together, she and the attendees share their stories, discuss why they walk and fundraising, and often find themselves laughing, playing games, and taking pictures to commemorate the experience.  

There are endless ways to make your training walks special no matter where you might be. Some training walk leaders live in an area where they are the only 3-Day walker and others live in an area that is highly populated with the Pink Bubble. Regardless of where you live or how many times you’ve walked, we are seeking leaders to guide training walks throughout the country! You don’t need to be an experienced athlete, an expert walker, or even a fast walker to lead training walks. In fact, you shouldn’t be too fast; consider this a journey and not a race. We need leaders at all paces and abilities because throughout the 3-Day season there are always walkers at various paces and different stages of training.  

We will provide you with guidelines, planning tips, and more to make it as easy as possible to host a fun Pink Bubble experience before the event; plus, your 3-Day coaches are always standing by, ready to help! In return for all your efforts, you’ll have the chance to meet amazing new friends, share stories, exchange training tips and brainstorm fundraising ideas with other 3-Dayers. Ultimately, you’ll have helped someone complete a journey they may not have been able to do without you!  

Interested in becoming a training walk leader? Contact your coach to let them know or update your profile on The3Day.org to check “I am interested in becoming a 2024 training walk leader.” 

Top Ways to Make the Most of Your Next 3-Day Training Walk

The weather is getting warmer. The days are getting longer. It’s training walk season! It’s an exciting time, but training walks are also an important part of your 3-Day experience. They ensure you’re as ready as possible for your 60-mile journey, giving you time to bond with teammates and keeping you moving during these gorgeous spring and summer months. Here are some simple tips to make the most of your next training walk.

  • Make sure you’re prepared: Our blog is chock full of posts on the best ways to plan your training walk, including this highly informative one from Coach Liz. She recommends using the 3-Day training app, Google Maps and more tools to make sure your walk goes smoothly.
  • Do your research: Going for a walk may not seem like a scientific endeavor, but with a little research, you can find ways to optimize your walk. Thanks to our ongoing “Healthy Living” blog series with Amgen and American Bone Health, we have learned about the intricacies of getting your feet and legs ready in the right From improving your stance to increasing your flexibility, little changes can make a big difference.

  • Check the weather: Is it going to rain? How hot is it going to be? Different weather conditions can drastically change how your walk is going to go. Check in advance!
  • Look at the calendar: There are tons of training walks already planned by your coaches and local training walk leaders, so take advantage of those! Join one of the walks that are already happening, to meet people and get tips for your next walk. Check both our training walk calendar at The3Day.org/TrainingWalks and our local gatherings calendar at The3Day.org/Calendar.
  • Get some good tunes going: Nothing fuels a walk like some fun music! And we have the perfect playlist for you. Our Music Monday playlist on Spotify is made from songs that you suggested to get you moving when you need inspiration.
  • Make it themed for extra fun: Who doesn’t love an excuse to dress up and be silly? We have some easy theme ideas to add some flair to your training.
  • Set up a schedule: This is super easy with the 3-Day Training App, but you can also use your own system. Scheduling training in advance will help you stay on track leading up to your 3-Day and makes it more difficult to skip a day.
  • Add teambuilding into your walk: Grow your team while you train! Ask every team member to bring someone who’s not yet signed up for the 3-Day to the training walk and use it as a chance to show people the 3-Day spirit. You can also incorporate a teambuilding activity at the start or end of the walk to really get people excited to walk to together…and maybe add some new members to your 3-Day family!

  • Post about it on social media: Don’t forget to share photos! Use #The3Day and #Commit3Days on all social media so we can see your smiling faces ? Also make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get more training tips, alerts about training walks and more cool 3-Day info.
  • Always stay safe: You don’t have the awesome Safety Crew with you on your training walks, so it never hurts to add an extra safety reminder!

For tips about healthy living, click here for advice and support to keep you on track for the 3-Day and beyond. Thanks to the support of Amgen and in partnership with American Bone Health, the Healthy Living series was designed to prepare your mind, body and bones for the 3-Day.

Themed 3-Day Training Walk Ideas

We are less then four months away from our first 3-Day of the year, and we have loved seeing all your training walk success so far! From maps of all the steps you’ve taken, to shared photos of you and your training teammates, our 3-Dayers are out and walking across the country.

So, let’s amp up that training walk fun! Nothing gets people pumped up and smiling like a good theme, and we have some unique ideas for you. Creative bras are a classic 3-Day outfit idea, but we have expanded on that to include themes that will have your team smiling through every step.

  • Crazy Wigs or Hats: There are all kinds of hats and wigs on the 3-Day, so let’s start wearing them on our training walks as well! These are sure to attract attention as you walk along so be sure to print off fundraising and information cards (print yours at The3Day.org/Cards) to pass out to people who ask about your amazing garb.
  • All the Flair: Wear as many 3-Day pins as possible! Whether they are celebrating a pit stop theme or honoring the memory of loved ones lost, pins are a large part of many 3-Day outfits. So, pull out your pins from years past and rock them all at once! This will make for fun, shareable photos to send out with your next fundraising email. ?
  • Movie Trivia: The Oscars might have passed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your next training walk a real Hollywood red carpet! Have your teammates dress up as their favorite celebrity or movie character, then hand out “3-Day Oscars.” You can do everything from Best Costume to Best Couple to Best Accessory and beyond!
  • Think Pink: How much pink is too much? No such thing! Challenge your friends to try to wear as many as pink items as possible on your next walk. This is a great excuse to pick up new outfit ideas for the 3-Day this year, too.

  • Go Team Go: We all love our 3-Day teammates and the family that is born on this 60-mile walk. However, most of us also have a favorite hometown sports team, too! Whether you love baseball or football or hockey or some other sport, encourage people to rock gear from their favorite sports team! You can time this around a big name in your hometown to really ramp up the excitement!
  • Sparkle and Shine: You’ll be the most eye-catching group around by adding some sparkle! Get your glitter on and encourage walkers to wear their most eye catching ensemble.
  • Pick a Decade: From the fringe of the 1920’s to tie dye in the 1970’s, pick your favorite decade and run with it. People can really get into this one when you add themed music for the walk, or even include trivia questions throughout the walk.
  • Go Pattern-Crazy: Stripes. Polka dots. Floral. And that’s just the beginning! There are all kinds of fun patterns out there, so wear as many as possible…. all at once! Layer on those funny patterns for a truly unforgettable training outfit.

  • Trip Down Memory Lane: Rock all your old 3-Day credentials at once! Pulling out these old credentials and lanyards will bring up so many fun memories and encourage chatter between people on the training walk. It’s a great way to encourage people to get to know new teammates!

Do you have any other fun theme ideas? Tell us in the comments or share photos from you latest themed training walk!

 

For tips about healthy living, click here for advice and support to keep you on track for the 3-Day and beyond. http://the3day.co/amgen2019. Thanks to the support of Amgen and in partnership with American Bone Health, the Healthy Living series was designed to prepare your mind, body and bones for the 3-Day.