Leave a comment
Adventures in Walking
The aches, pains, and victories of training for the 3 Day
31 July 2009 @ 11:10 am
31 July 2009 @ 11:06 am
Here are the dirty details on Day 1, for those of you who want more than just bullet points!
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Current Mood: 
relaxed
relaxed31 July 2009 @ 11:02 am
I’ve been thinking about writing this post since Thursday night, when Alyssa and I were sitting in my apartment with Pete and hey boyfriend, Jody, talking about the next day. Pete kept comparing it to ‘Nam, and you better believe that we got a lot of mileage (hee!) out of that all weekend long. Where to start? How about some quick bullet points for those of you that don’t have much time, and then I’ll do a few other posts (linked below) to talk more about each day in detail?
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Pictures!
• Love love loved the route! 100 times better than the route we walked last fall in DC - goodbye NoVA subdivision after subdivision after subdivision, hello cute and charming Boston suburbs!
• Hated the rain...but was so grateful that it was what it was. It could have been so, so much worse.
• Enjoyed camping on astroturf! I may have felt differently about that if I didn't have an air mattress to sleep on. It was awesome not having to worry about mud, puddles, etc... when we were setting up camp after the rain on Friday or when we woke up after the overnight rain Saturday morning. The astroturf was also surprisingly comfortable for lounging outside our tent at night before lights out and for stretching.
• It was AWESOME to have so much support at the cheering stations and closing ceremonies. I know it's challenging for folks to get to cheering stations and see us walk...it's hard to keep a steady pace and you never know what will happen in the 7.5 miles between when you sent a text message saying when you'll get there and when you actually do get there. I really appreciated that everyone stuck it out to see us even if we didn't get to the cheering stations when I said we would. It's so great to see friendly faces, and thanks for not being offended that I wasn't hugging each of you when I was trying not to melt!
• On a similar note, I was happy that Pete got to see the actual event and witness "the circus". He put up with so much (so, SO much!) of my whining and laziness and general crankiness while I was training this year, and I think that seeing it first hand helped him to understand why I was doing it. I'm not sure that people really understand the appeal of walking (yes, it's appealing!) until they experience some part of it for themselves. Pete kept me on top of my weekday training walks and was so good about only letting me cop out of them a few times, and about being flexible with our eating schedule to do those with me and accommodate the time they took. I wouldn't be feeling so good right now if it weren't for his support and keeping me on track with my training when I wanted so badly to sit my butt on the couch instead.
• Last year I left my cell phone off and at camp while I walked - this year I brought it and a spare battery with me and I'm so glad I did! I loved every one of the comments that you guys left on my facebook updates/pictures and all of the texts that I got cheering me on.
What I'd do different...
• Buy me some body glide. I had some chaffing start just before lunch on Day 3 (although not quite as bad as a certain teammate who will remain nameless) that I didn't encounter last year when wearing the same shorts. I used my tent mate Stephanie's body glide before our final 3.3 miles and it made a big difference. I got lucky and caught it early enough that I'm barely noticing it today.
• Also buy me some after bite, because apparently I'm really tasty to mosquitoes. I used bug spray after getting out of the shower each night, but the trip from the showers to my tent was apparently enough time to end up with about half a dozen bites that are driving me crazy today.
• Look for different shorts - maybe something along the lines of hiking shorts. I've been walking in some mesh athletic shorts - nothing fancy - but I like the idea of something with a longer inseam and I'd wear these shorts casually if they were comfortable enough.
Things I would look into...
• Music, music, music! We walked by a number of folks that had an iPod with speakers clipped onto their packs and it was nice to have a burst of music every once in a while. I'd be game for trying to find some speakers for my iPod so I could have my own music. This would also mean finding a way to charge my iPod (I'd love the solio!), which would mean one more thing to buy and pack/carry so I'm not entirely sure it's worth it since I've survived the walk twice without. Definitely a "nice to have" as opposed to a "need to have".
Will I walk next year? Yeah, probably. There's still time to make this decision, but as much as I swore up and down last week that I wouldn't do it...well, I also told you all that no one would or should/would be surprised if I came back and said I was. How about I crew Boston and walk SF?
Did I forget anything? I’m sure I did…
I’m so trained by work to share info/present something and then ask “what questions do you have?” that I just started typing it without thinking…but honestly, what questions DO you have? I’m sure there are things you’re curious about, so ask away and I’ll answer away!
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Pictures!
• Love love loved the route! 100 times better than the route we walked last fall in DC - goodbye NoVA subdivision after subdivision after subdivision, hello cute and charming Boston suburbs!
• Hated the rain...but was so grateful that it was what it was. It could have been so, so much worse.
• Enjoyed camping on astroturf! I may have felt differently about that if I didn't have an air mattress to sleep on. It was awesome not having to worry about mud, puddles, etc... when we were setting up camp after the rain on Friday or when we woke up after the overnight rain Saturday morning. The astroturf was also surprisingly comfortable for lounging outside our tent at night before lights out and for stretching.
• It was AWESOME to have so much support at the cheering stations and closing ceremonies. I know it's challenging for folks to get to cheering stations and see us walk...it's hard to keep a steady pace and you never know what will happen in the 7.5 miles between when you sent a text message saying when you'll get there and when you actually do get there. I really appreciated that everyone stuck it out to see us even if we didn't get to the cheering stations when I said we would. It's so great to see friendly faces, and thanks for not being offended that I wasn't hugging each of you when I was trying not to melt!
• On a similar note, I was happy that Pete got to see the actual event and witness "the circus". He put up with so much (so, SO much!) of my whining and laziness and general crankiness while I was training this year, and I think that seeing it first hand helped him to understand why I was doing it. I'm not sure that people really understand the appeal of walking (yes, it's appealing!) until they experience some part of it for themselves. Pete kept me on top of my weekday training walks and was so good about only letting me cop out of them a few times, and about being flexible with our eating schedule to do those with me and accommodate the time they took. I wouldn't be feeling so good right now if it weren't for his support and keeping me on track with my training when I wanted so badly to sit my butt on the couch instead.
• Last year I left my cell phone off and at camp while I walked - this year I brought it and a spare battery with me and I'm so glad I did! I loved every one of the comments that you guys left on my facebook updates/pictures and all of the texts that I got cheering me on.
What I'd do different...
• Buy me some body glide. I had some chaffing start just before lunch on Day 3 (although not quite as bad as a certain teammate who will remain nameless) that I didn't encounter last year when wearing the same shorts. I used my tent mate Stephanie's body glide before our final 3.3 miles and it made a big difference. I got lucky and caught it early enough that I'm barely noticing it today.
• Also buy me some after bite, because apparently I'm really tasty to mosquitoes. I used bug spray after getting out of the shower each night, but the trip from the showers to my tent was apparently enough time to end up with about half a dozen bites that are driving me crazy today.
• Look for different shorts - maybe something along the lines of hiking shorts. I've been walking in some mesh athletic shorts - nothing fancy - but I like the idea of something with a longer inseam and I'd wear these shorts casually if they were comfortable enough.
Things I would look into...
• Music, music, music! We walked by a number of folks that had an iPod with speakers clipped onto their packs and it was nice to have a burst of music every once in a while. I'd be game for trying to find some speakers for my iPod so I could have my own music. This would also mean finding a way to charge my iPod (I'd love the solio!), which would mean one more thing to buy and pack/carry so I'm not entirely sure it's worth it since I've survived the walk twice without. Definitely a "nice to have" as opposed to a "need to have".
Will I walk next year? Yeah, probably. There's still time to make this decision, but as much as I swore up and down last week that I wouldn't do it...well, I also told you all that no one would or should/would be surprised if I came back and said I was. How about I crew Boston and walk SF?
Did I forget anything? I’m sure I did…
I’m so trained by work to share info/present something and then ask “what questions do you have?” that I just started typing it without thinking…but honestly, what questions DO you have? I’m sure there are things you’re curious about, so ask away and I’ll answer away!
Current Mood: relaxed
relaxed23 July 2009 @ 07:52 pm
I'm feeling (very slightly) better about my level of readiness than I was this morning, if only because I'm that much closer to leaving work and being able to attack that list. I was day dreaming earlier today and thinking about my goals for the 3 Day this year, which really aren't very grand or anything, but I thought I would make a note of them somewhere...
1. Wash hands, with soap and water, at least twice a day (once along the route, once before dinner outside the showers)
2. Stretch 5 minutes at every pit stop, lunch, and before dinner
3. Use the foot massage machines every night
These sound random, I know, but there's rationale behind each of them....
Last year I didn't think much about the washing hands and just used the hand sanitizer that was available in abundance. Have you ever used hand sanitizer in abundance? You end up with hands that feel sticky instead of clean, like there's thin layer upon thin layer of something on your hands....because, well, there is. It's gross. It starts to actually flake off, no joke. About halfway through Day 2 I started rinsing my hands with water periodically, but this year I'm hoping for actual soap and water hand washing a few times each day.
The stretching is just common sense and because I never stretch as much as I should when I walk. Also, if I want to keep the plantar fasciitis at bay (so far so good) and not be hurting when I'm done each night, I need to stay on top of my calf stretches.
And the foot massages? We didn't pay any attention to these guys until after we crossed the finish line and so many of the walkers were celebrating with family and friends that there was no line...and they felt gooooooood (channeling Bruce Almighty there). This year I'm not waiting till Day 3 for that!
23 July 2009 @ 06:44 am
Could someone add an extra two hours to today so I can get everything on my list done without being completely stressed out? Thanks.
- Do laundry
- Make lasagna to freeze for Sunday
- Find flashlight
- Buy 3rd pair of shorts?
- Finish packing duffel bag: shorts & bra for Day 3, flashlight, glow stick, binder clips
- Pack waist pack: camera, pill case, phone & spare battery, blister kit, poncho - all in plastic bags
- Fill water bottles
- Put away/ooo message on gmail
- Leave keys, T pass for Jody
- Shaw's for frozen breakfast sandwiches?
I think the feeling of being less prepared is a mix of having read SO MUCH last year and really being ahead of the buying/prepping/packing because I had no idea what to expect vs. this year thinking "eh, I know what's coming!" and the sense of urgency isn't there. Of course last year Emily was in charge of the logistics, too! I just had to pack, hop on a plane, and do whatever/go wherever Emily told me to. This year, I'm the one sorting out logistics...not so fun! I should have hired Emily as a consultant and let her run the show from afar. ;)
I'm going to say this here, but I don't think anyone should (or would) be surprised if I eat these words later.....I'm not walking next year. I'm thinking about crewing somewhere (hopefully a new city!) instead, but I think I'll wait till I get the email luring me back with a discount on the registration fee to make a final decision.
Cross your fingers that we get the same weather luck we've had on some of our training walks (by that I mean: that the rain they're predicting never comes)!
FYI - Pete and I leave next Wednesday to visit his parents and then attend two weddings (in two days, but 300 miles apart - fun times!), so I can't promise pictures soon, but I'll try to come back here and recap how the event went at least....but no promises, I'm contemplating leaving my computer at home (!!!) on vacation.
13 July 2009 @ 06:13 pm
We don't get a ton of info about the route we'll be walking or where we'll be camping for security reasons, but this is the sneak peak we get of this year's route...
The Boston Breast Cancer 3-Day will begin with an emotional Opening Ceremony at Farm Pond in Framingham where we'll gather together to pay tribute to the many women and men who have lost their battle with breast cancer, and honor the survivors. We'll remember the reason we're walking as we make our way through several towns filled with interesting architecture, as well as many small shops and restaurants. We will enjoy a stroll through Waltham, the city known as “Watch City” due to the Waltham Watch Factory established here in 1854, before heading to camp for the night.
On Saturday morning, we'll rise and shine, ready to hit the trail. This second day of walking will feature many spots that are both beautiful and historic, including Arlington and Lexington. The route will travel along Mystic Lake and then Woburn Parkway, a walking path surrounded by a lake on both sides, before heading to lunch. We'll pass the Minuteman Statue, the Old Bury Ground and the Lexington Battle Ground before walking back to camp for another night of community, camaraderie and fun.
The final day of our journey will wind towards Cambridge. We'll walk through the neighborhoods of Brattle Street and the town center, then along the border of Harvard. From here, we'll head to MIT before crossing the Charles River. Once in the center of Boston, enjoy a stroll through the Public Gardens and the Financial District. Then it's on to “Southie,” located south of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. We'll walk along the bay as we make our way to our final destination, the University of Massachusetts, for a celebratory Closing Ceremony.
On Saturday morning, we'll rise and shine, ready to hit the trail. This second day of walking will feature many spots that are both beautiful and historic, including Arlington and Lexington. The route will travel along Mystic Lake and then Woburn Parkway, a walking path surrounded by a lake on both sides, before heading to lunch. We'll pass the Minuteman Statue, the Old Bury Ground and the Lexington Battle Ground before walking back to camp for another night of community, camaraderie and fun.
The final day of our journey will wind towards Cambridge. We'll walk through the neighborhoods of Brattle Street and the town center, then along the border of Harvard. From here, we'll head to MIT before crossing the Charles River. Once in the center of Boston, enjoy a stroll through the Public Gardens and the Financial District. Then it's on to “Southie,” located south of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay. We'll walk along the bay as we make our way to our final destination, the University of Massachusetts, for a celebratory Closing Ceremony.
I also did some poking around on the message boards and someone mentioned that they had googled and found the 3 Day on the calendar of the venue we'll be camping at...so off I went to google and discovered that we'll be camping in Waltham! I'm excited about the route because I think that it will be much more scenic and interesting than DC was last year (in other words, not just sub division after sub division after sub division after sub division) and also because we'll be walking through the heart of Cambridge and Boston! Woohoo!
Don't forget to check out the Spectator Info page for more details on the closing ceremony and cheering stations...
