Day 3 of the 2008 Breast Cancer 3 Day Event

I woke up on our final day before camp lights came on and was able to start packing and organizing my gear so that I could start out on the route on time. If your gear was not on the truck, tent packed up and you were still in camp at 8:30 AM, you were to be put on the bus and taken to the first pit stop. I had no intention of being forced to take a bus and not walk every mile of this journey. All weekend long, they had these banners that people could carry each one indicating who we were celebrating or honoring. I had it as one of my goals since the first day to get a photo holding the banner of the "My Grandmother" banner. I got over to the bin early before breakfast and before they even opened the gates to let people start walking and found the banner and got my photo.

After breakfast and dropping off our gear, we headed out for the final stretch. I walked most of the day with Erika and Kelli both were suffering from some pretty serious blisters and were walking at a slower paced than they had the first two days. My blisters hurt but no were near as bad as theirs. We walked through Tempe and right through ASU's campus. I still can't believe how much it has changed since I was a student there. Pit stop #2 was once again themed "Saving 2nd Base" and had the baseball theme. I was not lucky enough to get the port-a-potty with the photo of Derek Jeter in it, bummer!

It was again hot and there were more hills. What is the deal with all the hills? They warned us there would be hills on day 2 but this is day 3. This is supposed to be the easy day, shortest distance, more adrenaline flowing through our veins, more motivation to get the end because it is truly the end. My hard earned t-shirt is waiting for me along with a shower that can be as long as I want because there is no one at my house waiting to get into it after me, my bed is calling my name and I will finally be able to pee and wash my hands with soap and water vs. a baby wipe and some sanitizer gel. Who had the great idea to give us more hills, especially ones that go through the actual desert? Day 3 was hard. I have to admit it was not as hard as day 2 but I was expecting today's route to be easier. We walked through downtown Tempe, over Tempe Town Lake, past the Phoenix Zoo and the Desert Botanical Gardens. This was a really hard stretch of road. We just kept saying I hope I can, I think I can, I know I can and counting down the miles to our lunch break where we could re-bandage our blisters.

As we turned on to McDowell Rd and were approaching the last cheering station, I had a call from my friend Kelly asking where I was. She was driving down McDowell and told me she was looking for me and would honk when she saw me. I gave her specifics on where I was and next thing I knew there she was honking away. Our next stop was our lunch break at El Dorado Park in Scottsdale. We took our time here because if we got to the holding area too early, we just had to hang around waiting for everyone else to finish. We were able to eat lunch near the lake and feed the ducks. I gave them the bread from my sandwich because it was weird and I really didn't care for it. After putting some new mole foam on my blister I was ready to go again. As we exited the park who did I see but Kris, Christi, Ranger and Pickle. When Ranger saw me, he came charging at me. Kris asked if I heard Ranger calling me because as they were driving along the route, he was yelling out the window "Cee- Cee where are you?" I was such a nice treat to visit with them. My friends kept going and I told them I would catch up since I knew they were going at such a slow pace. I visited for a little while and then walked at a very fast pace to catch up with Erika and Kelli. As we were walking along one of the last few roads in Scottsdale, there was a woman with a cooler full of ice water and she was handing out small squares of towels that had been soaking the ice water. This was one of the best things anyone was handing out over all three days. I am guessing she must have walked in the event before because she knew exactly what we needed. As we got into old town Scottsdale, some of my team members were waiting for us to walk into the holding area. They were cheering us on and we knew we only had a few more steps to go. We had done it, we walked the entire route, we never took the bus, we never took the van, it was almost over. We only had closing ceremonies to go. Once in the holding area we were given our event t-shirts and then found the rest of tour team. We took photos in front of the day 3 sign and waited for instructions for our entrance into Scottsdale Stadium. They lined us up and Theresa handed out clown noses that we were supposed to wear into the stadium in honor of her Mom, Katie who couldn't walk with us. Katie actually is a clown and attends various events in full clown make up. So we all walked into closing ceremonies with our bra hats and clown noses. No one could say the could not find us in the crowd. Before we headed into the stadium they had the crew file past us so we could cheer them on and thank them for all they had done for us all weekend long.

Once in the stadium we walked past the crowds and filed onto the center field. After all the walkers were in, they brought in the walkers and crew who were also survivors. As the survivors came onto the field everyone gave them the traditional 3 day salute to honor them by taking off one of our shoes and holding them in the air.

During the closing ceremonies they let us know that we had raised over $5.2 million dollars from the Arizona Breast Cancer 3 day event. Between my training that I started on my own when I signed up for the walk in February, the training I did with my team and the actual walk I walked over 900 miles in 2008. I raised $3,320 and my team raised $42,845.53 and I made 17 new friends. My team was made up of the most amazing women. We all sort of found each other through the training walks and created this remarkable team. Some of us have already committed to walk again next year. For some of us once was enough. I am one of the crazy ones who have signed up to repeat the journey. The minimum to participate in 2009 is $2,300. My team already has fundraising meeting planned for December so that we can try to accomplish most of our fundraising before we start our training for next year.

I have to take a moment to recognize my fabulous team mates who were strangers less than a year ago and who I now consider my friends. First there is Debbie and Ron. They were the foundation of our team Debbie as our captain did an amazing job of bringing us together and preparing us for being able to walk all 60 miles. She did this by making us walk more than the suggested miles on the training plan. We call these Debbie miles. Ron her husband deserves the husband of the year award. He was always there for us and I don't think the training or the walk itself would have been the same without having Ron there. Thank you to both of you for your remarkable leadership.

Next we have Sandy, Debbie's sister and organizer of our first team fundraiser, the Bikers for the Cure poker run. This has been our launching pad for doing more group fundraisers and helping everyone on the team hit their fundraising goals.

There is Kelly M who amazes me with her ability to walk as far as she does without using a public restroom. I am so proud of her for overcoming her phobia if only for a few days. Great Job Kel, I can't believe I never got a shot of you coming out of the port-a-potty.

Erika, who was late to join our team but was all in once we asked her to join. We met her at the 1st 10 mile walk at the Expo in August and she was walking by herself as she lives in Flagstaff. I am in awe of your ability to train for this event on your own. I don't think I would have done all the miles I did if I had to do it by myself.

Ashley, you kept me laughing every step of the way. Thank you for your artistic and technical talents that helped us with our shirts and logo.

Megan, you might have had to take the sweep van on day two but I am so proud of you for walking all the miles on day 3. You should be proud of yourself for this accomplishment.

Laurie, I think you are the most outgoing person I know. You can strike up a conversation with anyone over anything. If not for you, we probably would not have met Erika. Thanks for that.

Lesa, you also kept me in stitches. I will never forget you running after the hot jogger along the canal. Thank you for your kind spirit and joyful presence.

Tracey E, you were a constant reminder of why we were walking. I know how important it was for you to walk in this event due to your Mom's current fight with cancer. I hope you know that even when your foot was in a cast and when you were dehydrated and had to bail out on day 2, your Mom had the entire team walking for her. I keep your Mom in my prayers and know that although this struggle is hard to cope with for you and your family, it has brought a mother and daughter even closer than you probably thought you could be.

Tracey K. our fundraising leader. I strive to follow your example and value the time we spent together walking during the event. I know your son had Angels with him during his car accident because you were so giving of yourself during this event and I pray he continues to recover fully and quickly.

Theresa, a daughter any Mother should be proud of. The way you were able to step in and walk in place of your Mom with little to no training was truly an act of love.

Katie, our creative director. I consider myself a crafty person but run circles around me. I know you were sad you were not able to walk with us but know we carried you and Maya in hearts for every step. I am so proud of you for all the training you were able to do knowing how painful it must have been for you physically. You are an inspiration to anyone who thinks they can't do it.

Kristy, although you were officially on another team and walked in Dallas instead of Phoenix, we always considered you one of the "Buddies." Thanks for always warning us about the "chipmonks" along the trail.

Isabel, I really enjoyed getting to know you during this process. Thank you for adding the bling to my shirts. We still need to get together to make some cards or work on our 3 day scrapbooks.

Sharon, my coupon buddy. Thanks for introducing me to couponsense. I am addicted. I was able to get most of my Christmas Angel donation items for extremely reduced prices by using coupons.

And finally Kelli L. What can I say? I am so honored to be your friend. You are an amazing woman who has been through so much and I value your friendship. For someone who did not really want to be part of a team, you have been a remarkable team mate. I enjoyed every minute of our walk on the last day regardless of the pace it was special in so many ways. I hope you know that even if you are not walking next year, you will always be part of our sisterhood of the traveling sweaty underpants.

Thank you all for your inspiration, motivation and friendship. I treasure each and everyone of you.

Thank you also to all my friends, co-workers, and family members who supported me emotionally and financially through this process. Your generosity overwhelmed me. I am blessed to know you and call you my friends.

My 3 day experience was all I expected and more and I invite anyone reading this blog to join me next year. I would love to be able to walk in Philadelphia or Boston next year as well as in Phoenix but that would take $4600 in fundraising. If anyone is up for the double city challenge let me know. I welcome all fundraising ideas and donations towards next year's walk. My donation page will be up and ready in January. They won't open it up yet as they are still finalizing the collections from people who fell short on their dollars for 2008 and needed additional time to raise the remaining dollars.

I will try to keep this blog current with my 2009 adventures so check back at least once a month to find out what is going on in my world. You never know what crazy thing I might sign up to do.

Day 2 of the 2008 Breast Cancer 3 Day

Sleeping outdoors in a public park in the middle of the city is not as easy as I thought it would be. I am the type of person that can fall asleep any where any time. I can fall sleep on plane, watching TV, in the middle of a conversation just ask any of my friends that have been my room mate while on vacation or during spa bunco. However, at Kyrene and Guadalupe Roads in Tempe, the cars driving by are a little annoying. Camping the woods where it is quite and you can hear nature is one thing but camping with one thousand other pink tents filled with people who snore is quite another. I know you are thinking, you snore too but there was a guy near our tent that I swear was louder than anything I have ever heard. Thank goodness I read the 3 Day survival guide and picked up a pair of ear plugs. My Ipod helped as well.

At about 3:30 AM I woke up and had to quietly crawl out of the tent so as not to wake up Tracey E, my tent mate. I was so happy I had borrowed a light that strapped around my head from Christi and Josh. It made using the port a potty in the dark so much easier. After I made my way back to my tent, which was not the easiest to find in the dark since all the pink pop up tents looked the same, I snuggled back into my sleeping bag and tried to go back to sleep. After trying my earplugs, Ipod and still not being able to get to sleep, I pulled out my little pen light and my journal and started to write. It was not easy to do since I had to keep my finger on the light in order to keep it on. After about an hour, I finally decided I would go sit in the 3 Day cafe where I could sit in a chair and have normal lights. I wrote for about an hour and then the camp lights came on at 5:30. Talk about bright! The lights completely lit up the park. If by some chance you were still sleeping I am sure you were wide awake after the camp lights came up.

I went back to my tent and met up with the rest of my team. After getting dressed and packing up our gear for the day, we headed to breakfast. We were served so-so scrambled eggs, bacon, a biscuit and some yogurt. During breakfast we heard the daily announcements and did a group stretch. The line to leave was building quickly. On day two people wanted to get an early start so they would be back earlier and into the showers before the lines started. Lesson learned get back earlier on day 2. We left camp at about 7:15 and I spent most of my morning walking with Debbie, Sandy and Ashley.

During our walk on day 2 we had many discussions regarding possible team names for next year. We walked from Tempe through the town of Guadalupe and into Ahwahtukee. There were lots of hills on day 2. (note, need to train more for hills next year) Luckily we did do some of training in an area with hills at Veteran's Oasis Park in Chandler but still there were a few hills that were a little bit of a challenge. Before we stopped for lunch we ran into Kristy who trained with us for the walk in Dallas the week before our walk. She was so sweet she made a sign and kept popping up along the route to cheer us on. She was like Where's Waldo? You just never knew when or where she would pop up next. On this day I had worn my NewBlance Sneakers that had given me a blister during training. Well I wish I could say, I only got a blister in the same spot but I actually had a blister that started forming on my heal as well. Lunch was at the 9.9 mile mark and they had a teryiaki chicken wrap with a fruit cup and chips. It wasn't bad but was a little messy another time when I wished I could have washed my hands with soap and water. We took about an hour at the lunch stop and here I was able to catch up with my tent mate who was not feeling well. I thought she was dehydrated and suggested she try to eat something and drink some gatorade and then head to the medical tent. She tried to call her husband to come pick her up but could not reach him on her cell phone. I didn't know it at the time but when I got back to camp later in the day, I was told that she took the bus back to camp and spent good amount of time in the medical tent. At first I was told she was given two IV's and then taken to the ER but the next day when I saw her I found out that she did not go to the ER but just had her husband pick her up. Another team mate, Megan, also ended up going home on day 2. This was best as it allowed them to participate in Day 3 and walk into closing ceremonies with the rest of the team.

All along the route we saw many people cheering us on and I especially took note of how many Daisly, Brownie and Girl Scout troups were out there cheering for us, handing out candy, gum and ice pops as well as cute little pins they made for us. It gave me lots of ideas for my Girl Scout group I volunteer with on the first Saturday of each month through the Junior League.

We had walked deep into Ahwahtukee, I think we went as far in as 24th street and Pecos. The second cheering station was located near Joann's at Ray Rd & I-10. This was probably the most packed cheering station of all the ones we passed. I was so excited to see 5 of my biggest fans waiting for me as I came around the corner. Bridget, Mike and their 3 children were there with the best sign for. As I got closer, Mike yelled flip 'em. The kids flipped their cards over and displayed their second message to me. I can't even put into words how much it meant to have them there cheering me on. Day 2 is definitely the hardest and by this time in the day, I was hot, tired and my feet were killing me. It was a nice break to be able to visit with them. Mike, being a Firefighter and Paramedic made sure to check to see how much liquid I was taking in, squeezed my hands to make sure I was not showing signs of dehydration but I am happy to report, that I passed his test with flying colors. I had been filling both my water bottles at each stop, had been eating these chewy blocks that are kind of like big square gummy bears and help to replenish your electrolytes. I was not going to be taken out of the game for not drinking or eating enough. When I stopped to chat with my friends, they were concerned that I was going to lose my team. I knew I had people that were behind me so I didn't worry about it. I can't thank my friends enough for coming out to cheer me on. It meant the world to me. I ended up staying at this cheering station for about an hour. I had to wait longer than expected for my other team mates to catch up to me and then when they did get there, we spent time visiting with their familes as well. The time walking from the last cheering station to camp seemed to take forever. When we reached the next pit stop we ran into Erika and Theresa. Erika was the one person on our team that was still trying to raise her required $2200 when she started walking. Theresa and Erika stopped at Joann's and bought some supplies to make a sign for Erika's back letting people know she was still fundraising. All in all at the end of the event, she had collected over $200. It was amazing at how many people were so giving and willing to help her out so she did not need to have the balance charged to her credit card. At this pit stop we actually danced a line dance to one of the songs the DJ was playing. Our feet were killing us but we had a good time and it energized us a little. The last few miles of the day were the hardest. I wanted to be finished and I couldn't make my feet go any faster. I wanted to get a photo at the one mile to camp sign but to be perfectly honest, I didn't want to take the time to stop. The last stretch of the route had messages written in chalk on the side walk. All were positive affirmations like "You are beautiful" "You are Special" as well as other reminders as to why were are crazy enough to put ourselves through the pain we were feeling at that point.

As we entered camp, I saw my team mates that I had been walking with earlier, all showered and fresh sitting in camp chairs cheering us all on as we returned. Next year, I really want to be in that group that hits the showers first. I decided to wait for one of the private showers which seemed very attractive after being so hot and sweaty. The idea of getting cleaned and changed with out someone else's rear end in my face was very appealing, however the long wait was not. I was about ready to switch to the group showers but then I realized I would be starting all over again. Some of the women in the line were taking up to 15 minute showers. I don't even take a 15 minute shower at home no less when there are 20-30 women waiting for me to finish so they could use the shower. It was just plain rude. When I finally finished I headed back to our tents and discovered Katie, our team mate who couldn't walk for medical reasons, had brought the team pizza. We were the envy of all those campers around us.

I had stopped by the 3 Day post office to check to see if anyone had sent me any letters. I got to the "C" box at the same time as another person. She grabbed half the pile and I grabbed the other. As I was going through the stack I made the comment that this Karen Chambers person had a ton of mail. She responded with " So does this Cathy Comer lady" I was so excited, I yelled "That's Me!" I was thrilled to have received any letters and overwhelmed with the volume that I recieved. Of course some made me cry and others made me laugh. Regardless, they all warmed my heart and made me feel so thankful and honored that I have such great friends and family to support me journey. To those of you who wrote me letters and sent me cards at camp, a thousand thank you's. It was just what I needed to get me through the remaining miles. To those of you who are asked to donate to someone walking in the 3 Day in the future but can't afford to make a financial contribution, just send that person a letter or card at camp. It really means so much and costs only the amount of a postage stamp.

After dinner, I sat with Tracey K and listened to the stories presented that night of the people who had either survived or lost someone to cancer. If you ever participate in a 3 day make sure you bring plenty of tissues. After listening to the stories and getting a headache from trying to hold back tears, I decided to torture myself and walk through the rememberence tent. Here they have these white tents from all the 3 day events earlier in the year with messages written on them. They are lit up so they look like Angels sitting out in the field. It was really sad because inside the tent they had photos of people who have participated or were scheduled to participate but didn't make it to the event because they lost their battle with cancer. It was a quiet place to reflect on why we are walking and think about those we are walking for and those we have lost. I really felt like my Grandma was there with me, as well as my friend's Mom, Marilyn who also lost her battle with cancer.

After this quiet alone time, I did some visiting. I found my friend Lisa's tent and checked on how she was doing. My other friend Kate E had decided not to camp out so I could not visit with her. Some of my team mates had decided to go for a foot massage in the LaCroix water tent but the line was too long for me. On .our last night of camping, I had the tent to myself since Tracey went home. I was able to bring my bag inside the tent and turned my sleeping bag on an angle so that I could stretch out. I had no problem falling asleep this time and slept through the night. I was exhausted both physically and emotionally. I am not sure if I slept better because I had more space and was not worried about waking someone up every time I turned over or if I was just so tired and drained that my body just collapsed and said enough. Tomorrow is day 3 and our final day.