The Expo

I'm a little behind on postings since I was on vacation. I attended the Arizona 3 Day Expo on August 9th. The Expo was held at the JW Marriott Resort in Northeast Phoenix. To kickoff the Expo there was a 10 mile walk starting at 5:00 am. I left my house at 3:45 am to pick up Martie so we could carpool over there. We got there in time to register and stretch. The walk was really nice. I think it gave me a little taste of what the 3 Day will be like. There were some Crew volunteers cheering us on and telling us where to go. Also some of the Bikers For Boobs crew was there to stop traffic for us. I think there were 300 walkers or so. I learned a few things to keep in mind for the 3 Day. First of all, with so many walkers there will surely be a back up when the daily walks start, especially if all walkers start at the same time so slow down and remember it is not a race. Second, don't stop at the first bathroom break. It seemed like 298 of the 300 walkers all stopped at the first pit stop (and there were probably only 2 stalls). Thankfully I didn't have to go. The second stop had much nicer bathrooms and there wasn't a line. Third, don't forget the sun screen. Luckily I didn't get burned but I got a little tan. Finally, Komen miles are longer than regular miles and the same was true for this "10 Mile" walk. I think I need to step up my training a little and walk a mile or two more than the recommended plan each day.






It was a wonderful walk and the Crew people were super nice. I didn't think there was going to be snacks along the way but about 2/3 through the walk there was a stop with pastries and water. It hit the spot.


The Expo started after the walk. The 3 Day sponsors were there handing out goodies and selling merchandise. Our first stop was at the cheering station table. Martie made a poster with our team name on it. They are going to take the posters to the cheering stations at the 3 Day.

Next we went around to the different outfitters and checked out the merchandise. Runner's Den had a special on socks. Any pair you could find in the bin was $5. I picked up a pair of Brooks socks and New Balance Double Layer socks. I love the double layer socks. They are wonderful. Next we stopped at the Chiropractor's table and grabbed a pair of free pick shoe laces. They are so adorable. We checked out the pink tents they will have at the 3 Day. We also ran into some of the people we've been training with and stopped to chat. We saw a "how to pack demo". The lady giving the demo was super organized and she had an awesome duffle bag. Since we were tired from getting up so early and the walk, we decided to skip the workshops and head home.

Training Walk Leader

I am going to be a Training Walk Leader. Woohoo! When I signed up to do the 3 Day I checked a little box on the registration form saying that I was interested in being a training walk leader. I didn't really know what that was at the time. Basically I will plan official training walks and serve as a safety monitor. I can plan as many or as few walks as I want and hold them wherever I want. I think training walks are a great way to meet other 3 Day walkers and find people to walk with so I don't have to walk by myself. I had my training walk leader training today via conference call. I learned a lot of good information about safety. There is a website called roadid.com where you can purchase an id bracelet with emergency contacts an medical info about yourself on it. If you carry a cell phone you should program an ICE (In Case of Emergencies) number in it and first response people will know to call your emergency contact. Hopefully there won't be any emergencies but you should always be prepared. The picture at the top of this post is the training walk leader legacy pin. If I organize 2 or more training walks I will get one of these pins and an orange safety bandanna. I plan to organize my first training walk this weekend.

Signing Up

I attended a "Getting Started Meeting" in east Phoenix on 3/8. This was when I signed my name on the dotted line and officially committed to participating in the 3 Day. Gina was the presenter. She was fabulous. She talked about training, fund raising, and the 3 Day experience. Then she showed a 15 minute video.

An abridged version of the video can be found on the 3 Day website (follow this link). It was very emotional and there was not a dry eye in the room. Gina asked for a few volunteers to talk about why they were walking. The first lady said she was walking because she had lost a friend to breast cancer and she knew several others who currently had the disease and were going through treatments. The next lady said she was a breast cancer survivor and just had surgery in January of this year. Every person in that room had their own story for why they were walking. Some had friends and family members who were survivors or who lost the fight. Others personally experienced the disease. There were a few who didn't know anyone personally affected by breast cancer but they wanted to make a difference. I met some great people at this meeting and I hope I will see them again at training walks or at the 3 Day in November.