It's like Black Friday, but better (since you can stay in the comfort of your own home and not be jostled by angry hordes!
I still need to get my thank you notes out for the 2010 walk. It seems like it took forever to get my recap written, and I really wanted to include it with the thank you.
I've been walking on and off - mostly just trying to get my cardio up by walking the dog, etc. I would really like to achieve a more healthy weight before the next walk. I think it would be very helpful. I'm also thinking I may participate in a couple of other events (maybe get back into running 5K's) to keep me going - a year is a long time to think about only one event!
Monday, November 29, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
2010 Recap
It's funny how things go. This year I had a really hard time with my training for the 3-Day. The hot/humid summer killed my desire to do my training walks. For all intents and purposes, I wasn't ready at all. The fundraising was slow but steady - asking for money is painful - and I was still about $600 short of my goal. I opted to walk anyway, and hope for the best.
I had decided before walking a single step that I would not be doing the 3-Day again. I just wanted the experience of camp life, and I wanted to complete one 3-Day from start to finish. I wanted to fully experience it all since I was unable to do so last year due to the weather, etc.
I walked my first day without much effort. Yeah, we hit some nasty hills, but it was fun to see all the people cheering along the way. My feet were in good shape other than one tiny blister that I was able to treat on the route. It was gone by the next pit stop. I was drinking my water, confidently striding toward the finish for the day. We finished in the top 400 that day, and as we boarded the bus, it felt pretty good!
Then the bus started moving.
I felt horrible. I thought I was going to hurl, so I went back to the bathroom, and realized that sweat was pouring off me - a cold sweat. I was seeing spots. I was nauseous. I was weak. I was trying not to pass out. I managed to pull myself together to go back to my seat AFTER I had stripped off my Under Armor shirt and another layered top. I returned to my seat in my t-shirt, shivering and sweating all at the same time. My team was concerned - I didn't find out til later that my face was grey. No color whatsoever. They didn't want to scare me.
When we got to camp, my team (Terri, Deena & Aileen) walked me to the medical tent. I was immediately taken in, tucked in on a cot with blankets to help control my shivering - I was freezing cold. Turns out, I was having a vasovagal response. I had been drinking only water all day, which ended up causing me to become dehydrated. I didn't drink gatorade because, well, I hate it. They made me drink some then, one of the volunteers made me some tea. They made me as warm and comfortable as possible until I was cleared by the doctor to proceed to camp & find my teammates - they had gotten my luggage and set up our tents while I was at medical. Having the support of my team, being cared for by the medical team, and getting a hot meal in my belly made me feel so much better.
I gained some perspective about halfway through dinner. They announced that the last walker from the route was just finishing. At this point, we had been at camp for several hours. That walker came in to much fanfare and cheering, carrying the flag for the event. Everyone was out of their seats, encouraging those last steps. It was amazing - the positive vibes and emotion of those moments still affects me. Motivation. I got a good night's sleep(with the help of ear plugs), and awoke on Day 2 refreshed, invigorated, and ready to go.
Day 2 we got up, dressed, emptied our packs of anything unneccessary (every ounce of additional weight made a huge difference), ate our hot breakfast, and got on the bus. I carried names, jewelry, mementoes, photos - anything that belonged to those I was walking for. Every time I didn't feel I could take another step, I touched my grandmother's necklace. She had breast cancer in the 60's, and survived it. She was an amazingly strong woman - I'm told I take after her - so I pulled from her strength.
Mom, Dad and Tony came to cheer me on Saturday (Day 2). They waited for a couple of hours there, talking to other 'fans'. When I saw them, it was uplifting beyond words. Mom was holding up a really cute poster, Dad was smiling, Tony was clapping for me. I gave Mom a hug and said 'awww, you made me a sign'. She responded 'well actually, I borrowed it from that nice lady over there'. Classic Mom. I loved it. Got a couple of pictures, then kept walking.
My team was taking care of me - concerned for my well-being. I've never had so many people concerned about whether I had peed or not. Every port-a-pottie brought the hope that I was finally rehydrated. No one wanted me to have another vasovagal response, so they did everything short of holding me down and force-feeding me gatorade to make sure I was okay. I can say that it takes A LOT of gatorade and water to get rehydrated. Seriously. At the end of Day 2 (arriving within the first 400 walkers), I still wasn't there, but continued to suck down fluids like nobody's business. We went back to camp, had dinner, sat in the massage chairs, iced every part of our bodies that could be iced, bathed in BioFreeze, and hung out in the lounge. Another great night's sleep.
Day 3 dawned, and with it my Fred Flintstone feet. I had little snausages for toes. My shoes were 'snug'. Fortunately I didn't have any blisters - if I did, I'm not sure I would have made it without a sweep van. I struggled all day long. My calves were like rocks, my ankles were like spaghetti, and every time I had to step up on a curb, I'm pretty sure I whimpered. I staggered into the last pit stop at #982. Humbling. We had consistently been within the first 400-500 walkers to hit every checkpoint each day.
It was my least favorite day. The route didn't have as many people along the way, so there weren't as many people cheering. The walkers were really stretched out. My pace was agonizingly slow - but my team stuck with me. I'd tell them to walk ahead, but they'd wait for me at each pit stop. I was very lucky to have them taking care of me! I've never been so happy to see fuzzy pink bear hats in my life! I knew Kirk and Trevor were waiting for me at the finish, and that got me through the last few miles.
I made it! I didn't take a sweep van, and walked every one of those 60 miles. I felt such a sense of accomplishment, and gratitude that my challenges and difficulties were confined to a weekend. That they were sore feet, aching muscles and dehydration rather than chemo, surgeries, and devastation. A small price to pay, and worth every step.
Closing ceremonies were perhaps the most emotional experience I've ever had. Seeing the survivors who had walked take the stage, seeing the entire crew all in one place, seeing each and every walker in the same place at the same time, being part of the 'sneaker salute' - it was huge, and powerful, and amazing.
So, the long and short of it? I've already signed up for 2011.
I had decided before walking a single step that I would not be doing the 3-Day again. I just wanted the experience of camp life, and I wanted to complete one 3-Day from start to finish. I wanted to fully experience it all since I was unable to do so last year due to the weather, etc.
I walked my first day without much effort. Yeah, we hit some nasty hills, but it was fun to see all the people cheering along the way. My feet were in good shape other than one tiny blister that I was able to treat on the route. It was gone by the next pit stop. I was drinking my water, confidently striding toward the finish for the day. We finished in the top 400 that day, and as we boarded the bus, it felt pretty good!
Then the bus started moving.
I felt horrible. I thought I was going to hurl, so I went back to the bathroom, and realized that sweat was pouring off me - a cold sweat. I was seeing spots. I was nauseous. I was weak. I was trying not to pass out. I managed to pull myself together to go back to my seat AFTER I had stripped off my Under Armor shirt and another layered top. I returned to my seat in my t-shirt, shivering and sweating all at the same time. My team was concerned - I didn't find out til later that my face was grey. No color whatsoever. They didn't want to scare me.
When we got to camp, my team (Terri, Deena & Aileen) walked me to the medical tent. I was immediately taken in, tucked in on a cot with blankets to help control my shivering - I was freezing cold. Turns out, I was having a vasovagal response. I had been drinking only water all day, which ended up causing me to become dehydrated. I didn't drink gatorade because, well, I hate it. They made me drink some then, one of the volunteers made me some tea. They made me as warm and comfortable as possible until I was cleared by the doctor to proceed to camp & find my teammates - they had gotten my luggage and set up our tents while I was at medical. Having the support of my team, being cared for by the medical team, and getting a hot meal in my belly made me feel so much better.
I gained some perspective about halfway through dinner. They announced that the last walker from the route was just finishing. At this point, we had been at camp for several hours. That walker came in to much fanfare and cheering, carrying the flag for the event. Everyone was out of their seats, encouraging those last steps. It was amazing - the positive vibes and emotion of those moments still affects me. Motivation. I got a good night's sleep(with the help of ear plugs), and awoke on Day 2 refreshed, invigorated, and ready to go.
Day 2 we got up, dressed, emptied our packs of anything unneccessary (every ounce of additional weight made a huge difference), ate our hot breakfast, and got on the bus. I carried names, jewelry, mementoes, photos - anything that belonged to those I was walking for. Every time I didn't feel I could take another step, I touched my grandmother's necklace. She had breast cancer in the 60's, and survived it. She was an amazingly strong woman - I'm told I take after her - so I pulled from her strength.
Mom, Dad and Tony came to cheer me on Saturday (Day 2). They waited for a couple of hours there, talking to other 'fans'. When I saw them, it was uplifting beyond words. Mom was holding up a really cute poster, Dad was smiling, Tony was clapping for me. I gave Mom a hug and said 'awww, you made me a sign'. She responded 'well actually, I borrowed it from that nice lady over there'. Classic Mom. I loved it. Got a couple of pictures, then kept walking.
My team was taking care of me - concerned for my well-being. I've never had so many people concerned about whether I had peed or not. Every port-a-pottie brought the hope that I was finally rehydrated. No one wanted me to have another vasovagal response, so they did everything short of holding me down and force-feeding me gatorade to make sure I was okay. I can say that it takes A LOT of gatorade and water to get rehydrated. Seriously. At the end of Day 2 (arriving within the first 400 walkers), I still wasn't there, but continued to suck down fluids like nobody's business. We went back to camp, had dinner, sat in the massage chairs, iced every part of our bodies that could be iced, bathed in BioFreeze, and hung out in the lounge. Another great night's sleep.
Day 3 dawned, and with it my Fred Flintstone feet. I had little snausages for toes. My shoes were 'snug'. Fortunately I didn't have any blisters - if I did, I'm not sure I would have made it without a sweep van. I struggled all day long. My calves were like rocks, my ankles were like spaghetti, and every time I had to step up on a curb, I'm pretty sure I whimpered. I staggered into the last pit stop at #982. Humbling. We had consistently been within the first 400-500 walkers to hit every checkpoint each day.
It was my least favorite day. The route didn't have as many people along the way, so there weren't as many people cheering. The walkers were really stretched out. My pace was agonizingly slow - but my team stuck with me. I'd tell them to walk ahead, but they'd wait for me at each pit stop. I was very lucky to have them taking care of me! I've never been so happy to see fuzzy pink bear hats in my life! I knew Kirk and Trevor were waiting for me at the finish, and that got me through the last few miles.
I made it! I didn't take a sweep van, and walked every one of those 60 miles. I felt such a sense of accomplishment, and gratitude that my challenges and difficulties were confined to a weekend. That they were sore feet, aching muscles and dehydration rather than chemo, surgeries, and devastation. A small price to pay, and worth every step.
Closing ceremonies were perhaps the most emotional experience I've ever had. Seeing the survivors who had walked take the stage, seeing the entire crew all in one place, seeing each and every walker in the same place at the same time, being part of the 'sneaker salute' - it was huge, and powerful, and amazing.
So, the long and short of it? I've already signed up for 2011.
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