2009 Tampa 3 Day
~In the Life of a Walker-Take THREE~
1,500 Tampa walkers raised $3.7 Million!!
All 15 cities in The 2009 3 Day raised over $91 Millon in the fight for a Cure!
Day Before Day 1, October 29, 2009
A new schedule got me out of work at 230pm, a quick trip to the beach to grab my things, a swing by Candy's house to meet with Candy and Michelle, a toss of our items in the PT Cruiser and boobie magnets on the back, and we were on the road to Indian Rocks, FL.....well, not until we had a stop at Cracker Barrell to fill our bellies before this huge 'feat' we were about to take! We could tell this was going to be an awesome adventure....the waitress we had at Cracker Barrell in Lakeland knew about the walk and said even her family had been touched by breast cancer. She wished us well, and we were on our way. We arrived at the Holiday Inn Resort in Indian Rocks about 10pm. A mishap in the room assignment turned into a upgraded waterview kitchenette suite!...so no complaints there...Thanks Holiday Inn!! 5AM was quickly around the corner!
Day 1, October 30, 2009
Sand Key Park, the start of The 3 Day, was only about 5 minutes from the hotel, however, lack of planning left our stomachs growling, so we had to search for 'anyone' open and settled on a complete Hess Breakfast....banana, coffee, OJ, hot breakfast sandwich, donuts, granola....yep, we got The 3 Day snacking down already!! Once again, Tampa did not fail on the gorgeous water sunrise right at the start of opening ceremonies! Something new this year was a huge wall that we got to cover with stickers we could write on...leaving a note to our loved ones, team, ourselves, etc.
One disappointment with the ceremonies is it is the same exact wording every single year (at least the past three that I have walked)....however, I am still always moved to tears! ....Im not sure which will be better...if one year I finally memorize all the words, or they finally find some new inspirational words for the speech! After shouting out memaws name, snapping some pictures of the Grandmother flag, (part of a series of flags we carry with us on the 60 mile walk), the music was blarred, and our first steps were being taken! One thing different this year was I wore my Garmin to track my mileage, time, calories, and pace. It definitely helped me mentally, knowing how fast I was walking, how far I have travelled, and know the true mileage I have left to go (unlike the joke of the 3 day-the "1 more mile to pit stop/lunch/etc" which feels like it is never true!)
Well wishes and pictures taken from Michelle, our driver/cheerleader, and Candy and I were off! The map of the route this year had me thinking it was the same route as two years ago, but as the miles went by, it was nice to see it was slightly different. About 1500 walkers made their way out of Sand Key park and over to Clearwater. It was nice to be back in Clearwater, a beach I had frequently visited when I lived in Tampa. The beach part had been renovated and some new hotels were going up. It is going to be wonderful...cant wait to go back when I can RELAX! Once again, the Tampa walk was handicap accessible, so it was good to see wheelchairs out for walkers, and for crew! We also met a firefighter from Jacksonville in a full PINK firefighter suit! And boy was it hot already at 8am, and it would end being a record high in the 90s! Candy, a short petite little thing surprised me on how fast she walked, compared to me and my long legs! We picked up speed and made it to lunch being number 220! Being one of the very last to leave the beginning, we were surpised at our progress, so we kinda made it a little game of ours to keep this pace up all weekend long. LOL...yea, that will last! The Pinellas Trail was a huge part of the day, which was good because we were not breathing the smog from the cars, unlike Atlanta, however, there was very little coverage from the baking sun above! There were several 'bridges' over the traffic below. These small things seemed like huge hurdles after walking so far....we met up with a singing team...it was kind of army like...the one girl would sing out a phrase, and we would follow her repeating it....got us through a bit of miles, until Candy and I's pace picked up once again. Day 1 comes to an end, and I am already developing a heat rash. A slight pain in my hip that shot down to my knee was aggravating for about an hour that slowed me down that last part of the 22 miles. Candy had to hold my hand and pull me in. Was good to have team support this year. I thought back and remembered my first year in Tampa by myself, crying, not wanting to go those last few steps. This time, yes I wanted to stop, but I knew I had someone counting on me! Candy decided to stay at camp for the full experience, while Michelle and I went back to the Holiday Inn. Just having a tattoo done on my ankle, I was not able to soak in the hot tub or bath, so I just decided to sit in the shower! Smartly, I brought my bubbling/vibrating foat bath to soak my feet with Epsom salt afterwards! Michelle was the best support! We then made our way to Jimmy Guanas for their specialty Rum Runners (which I think is fitting) and to listen to the boys play and watch an awesome sunset!
Day 2, HALLOWEEN 2009
Waking a bit late, I was surprised to find myself jumping out of bed with no pain at all! Training this year was done a little different. Honestly, (and not to my suggestion) I did not follow the walking plan. However, I did participate in bootcamp classes, and running races. Michelle drove me to camp to meet with Candy for breakfast. Before the hot meal, we went to the Post Office and to my pleasant surprise recieved some handmade pictures from the Janosz family. They had recently lost their aunt, Patti, to breast cancer after a long battle. It was wonderful to not only feel appreciated for what I was doing, but they took a moment, put some thought into it, and sent me their hearts. I was ready to hit the road and complete the next 40 miles!! Today's pace was even faster than the day before....we made it to lunch in half the time as the day before and arrived as 116 out of 1500. During lunch there was a very elderly man that was walking that sat with us. He had to be in his 70s. He was doing 5-10 miles a day and taking the sweep van to the next pit/lunch/camp. He was awesome! His attitude was great. And as he said, in his mind, he was completing the full 60 miles. That really hit home to hear that. Its not about the distance. Its not about the costumes. Its about the unity, the friendship, the compassion, the one thing we all have in common-a faith that a cure CAN be found!....a passion that will not let us give up until we DO find that cure!
Day 2 brought us more bridges. As we approached one, we met a 60 year old women walking alone and a little nervous. We slowed our pace to chat with her to see if she was okay. She admitted she was scared of heights so bad she hates bridges. She then tells us this is her 4th year walking Tampa 3 Day. (you can not get very far in Tampa Bay without a bridge). Once again, the strength is shown in a walker! To face your fears head on...that is what the 3 Day pride is all about! Towards the end of our '19' which ended up being over 20 miles, my pace slowed again as I could feel some pain in my feet. But once again there were wonderful supporters throughout the route that kept me going. People would make their own stands at the end of their driveway, with water, ice pops, candy, soda, dunking tanks for our bandanas, sprinklers, and this year with halloween, some decorated their pumpkins!!....this one driveway stood out in particular that I will never forget....it was this little boy about 10 years old, on his driveway all alone. From a distance you could see him with some white papers. We got to him, said hello, took the paper and continued walking. He never said a thing, just handed the paper. We looked down and it was a hand drawn smiley face!!!....he may not have had the words to express how he felt, but that little smiley face said it all. His own way of telling us "Thank you!" The community is awesome too....several fire fighter stations were out to show their support, volunteer police officers directing traffice at crosswalks, passerbys honking their horns, it is amazing the support The 3 Day receives throughout the weekend! Day 2 was finished early about 4p (the earliest I had ever finished) at 280 out of 1500. There wasnt much rest after the walk...Candy quickly realized she had misplaced her fanny pack with credit card, cash, phone, camera.....this is when I realized she was Superwoman....she started running!!...we just walked 40 miles and now she was running! Around the camp we went to retrace our steps and nothing. We then got a call from Michelle at the car with the fanny pack in the trunk!....this is what the 3 day does to you after walking 40 miles in 90 degree weather....you lose your mind! lol. Candy decided to come back to the hotel with us. After showers, foot soak, a rum runner and dinner at Jimmy Guanas, we had a costume contest to get ready for!!!....I was determined to win a place in the contest and receive cash that I could turn into a breast cancer donation! I wore my pink ribbon costume I won 1st place in at the Savannah Bridge Run. We arrived about 1030p, the voting was at midnight. Finding out the audience played a part in the voting, I tried to work the crowd letting people know I would have work "match" the winnings and donate it. There was some stiff competition and I was about to go home, but decided to stick it out. Unfortunately I did not place. A Transformer Race Car made of cardboard won first, the Wizard of Oz gang won second, and some army guy won third. We soon learned that the whole contest was rigged....(i mean who WOULDNT vote for me?!?! LOL) Oh well, next!
Day 3, November 1, 2009
Luckily it was Daylight Savings and we got an extra hour of sleep! 5AM came early! Blisters were set in so bad, I could barely stand straight. I had to do another foot soak. (I suppose the extra standing didnt help after all) All bandaged up, we headed to camp for our hot meal to start the day! We took our time, knowing we have to wait for the last walker to finish so we can all walk into closing ceremonies together. However, we got a little rushed when the loud speaker announced they were getting ready to close camp!!....Off on the route we went....when OOOPS!...we forgot to stretch!...Cramp up the side of my calf stayed with me for over 5 miles. I kept stopping and stretching, but nothing would make it go away. Ive had the pain before, and I know all that will help is to either stop, or continue to walk on it. And so I walked! After mile 2, I realized I forgot to start my Garmin, so my time and distance was off the entire day. The pace is incredibly slower today due to walking on the sides of my feet to avoid the pain of the blisters. The only good thing of the day.....CLOUDS!....two days of sun and heat, Sunday brought a nice cool morning......by noon however, the sun and heat would return! Slowly making it to lunch, Candy and I both visit Medical to rewrap our blisters. Never having blisters on any 3 Day, I dont know how to feel....I know I feel lucky to not have the knee pain that I did in year 2! And I guess I can only blame myself for not properly breaking in my shoes, or blame myself for using the same already 'distance filled' Thorlos socks, or blame myself for not callusing up my feet and doing more walking!
Day 3 brings more beaches. That is one thing about Tampa 3 Day is the scenery. It really takes our mind off of it a bit. St Johns Pass is also one of the most incredible experiences during the walk. This is most definitely the biggest cheering station out of the 3 Days! Michelle was able to make it out, give us hugs, and send us on to complete the day! The home stretch to the St Pete Pier (where closing ceremonies were to be held) was the same beautifulness as two years ago!.,...only this year we were lucky to have dolphins appear for quite a while! After several pit stops the 3rd day, we finally make it to the finish! We were still early enough to sit and cheer on the rest of the walkers coming in! We met up with friends from St Augustine, Michele and her mom, and Anna from Sarasota as we lined up all walkers to walk the last quarter mile into closing ceremonies. Michelle, our cheerleader was at the end cheering us on. As we all made it in, once again we take off our shoe, and kneel down as the breast cancer survivors cross their finish line and the "A World Without Breast Cancer" flag is raised!
Tears are shed, congrats are given, memories are made! Another 3 Day is complete! Another year is in the making! ON ON to 2010 3 Day!!