Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Day Three

Day Three began around 5:30 again. After we got dressed, we started packing everything up and took down our tent. Then we headed over to the dining tent for some cream of wheat, eggs, and sausage. They fed us well.

As we were leaving camp, I thought to take a picture of the shower area because you can't understand what it's like without seeing it. There are about eight semi trailers and each trailer has eight shower stalls. The showers are private, but the dressing area is not. But with a little planning and finesse, you can get undressed and dressed in the shower stall pretty easily. What's nice is that they have heaters you can sit under while you're waiting for a shower. Or you can just sit under them to warm up anytime. We did. Sunday morning was our last morning at camp and it was a little bittersweet saying good-bye.
But we were off and on our way by 7:15 or so. We went through some neighborhoods and a park area. Here are some of the San Jose policemen entertaining us along the way.

Here's Jennifer with Sea World in the background. We were approaching a pit stop, and I remember this moment. Jennifer and I (like most true friends) don't feel like we have to talk to each other constantly. Sometimes we're silent. It's not an awkward silence; we're just taking it all in. As we were walking here, we both overheard the conversation between the ladies behind us. One was talking about her chemo treatments and how they weren't that bad, even though she had pneumonia twice. The other mentioned how her mother would call her on the phone and start to cry. She said that wasn't any help because she needed to continue doing everything she always needed to do for her family and fight cancer at the same time. Comforting her mother couldn't be added to the list. That conversation was just another reminder of why we were there. And that it could happen to anyone. And how we hope it doesn't happen to us or anyone we love. And how at least we can say we're doing something about it.
We finally made it to the pit stop. This one was 80s themed.Shorly after the pit stop, we went on what Jennifer referred to as the Death March. We walked up the same path past the estuaries, crossed the bridge, and then walked down the other side. It's hard to tell in this picture, but our line of pink walkers stretched as far as you could see on both sides and across this bridge. It was massive. But what made this part of the walk so horrible, wasn't the length. It was the fact that there were limited supporters along the path. We were on a fitness trail or bike path so there was no easy access from a road. Without people cheering you on, you're just walking. It's just as bad as a training walk, really. It was a long three to four miles, that's for sure.I didn't take too many pictures on Day Three. Well, I did, but many didn't come out very well. Let's just say I wasn't at my best. I thought my camera battery was dying because I couldn't see the image on the screen. Apparently I just hit a button turning off the display. But because I didn't use the display screen, many of my pictures turned out like this:
Yes, we went past the famous San Diego Zoo. That's all I saw of it.

So all the photos I have of Old Towne San Diego, Hillcrest, and Balboa Park are blurry or cut-off. It's all in my head, though, and it's gorgeous!

Our last journey was through downtown San Diego and we finally made it to Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. We arrived there a little before 3:30 and we were in a holding area until 4:30. All the walkers enter the closing ceremonies together as a group. Here are our emotional selves walking our last steps of the 3-Day.
There were so many spectators at the finish! We decided we'd never do this to our sons.
Now, when they say the walk ends at Petco Park, wouldn't you think we'd walk into the park? Wouldn't it make sense for all our families and friends and supporters to be sitting in the stadium as we walk onto the field? Well, I don't know the reason why that wasn't the case, but the end of our long journey happened in a parking lot. The parking lot of Petco Park.

In spite of the bum location, it was still energetic, emotional, and we were so proud of ourselves for doing it!
The survivors, in their pink victory shirts, marched in last and we honored them with a shoe salute.After we picked up our gear, we got on a coach bus that took us back to the Del Mar Fairgrounds. We got back to the hotel, showered, and went to the Mexican restaurant next door to our hotel for dinner and some well-deserved margaritas. Our body chemistry was definitely a little altered because after just one drink, we couldn't stop giggling.All in all, it was a very moving experience. And an amazing accomplishment for both of us. We're both glad we did it, and it will live with us forever.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Day Two

Because tent walls are pretty thin, you wake up early on Saturday and Sunday. Voices could be heard somewhere between 5:00 and 5:30, so we started moving shortly after sunrise. We camped on Crown Point Shores at Mission Bay State Park. We were right along the water so it was chilly, but you can't beat the view.Camp is an endless sea of pink tents. Though some tents, like ours, have tarps to help keep the cold and condensation out. From what we heard from walkers without tarps, it really worked. I'm glad Jennifer thought to bring one!While some walkers choose to stay in a hotel during the 3-Day, most sacrifice the comforts of home and sleep in a tent for two nights. Here's our home away from home. The tents basically just have room for an air matress so you have to keep your gear outside. Our bags were resting on a tarp, everything inside the bags was in Ziploc bags, and our gear bags were wrapped in garbage bags. There's just a lot of dew.Jennifer's kids made us a sign for our tent, and we attempted to make some decorations on the ride to San Diego. We were too busy training to come up with elaborate tent decorations.

After a hot breakfast of eggs, bacon, and a biscuit, we were on our way. We walked past Sea World and then along the estuaries. We crossed the bridge below (everyone on that bridge is a 3-Day walker!) before heading into Point Loma.
Jennifer enjoyed the canine fans along the route. She said they were a big motivator for her.

Once we reached Point Loma, we headed for the hills again. This reminded me of the hills in San Francisco and we were glad to finally reach the top and explore the neighborhood.After a pit stop at an elementary school, we walked downhill through Sunset Cliffs. There were sailboats, surfers, and beautiful homes to see as we made our way back down to the beach. I don't think I'll ever be a fan of walking downhill. But look! I'm still smiling!We met a lot of people who have done several 3-Day walks in different cities. All of them said that the San Diego walk has the most community support. You get a lot of high fives from people standing along the sidelines. Girl Scout troops hand out candy and tissues. And then there are the people affectionately known as Walker Stalkers. These are individuals or groups that literally stalk the 3-Day walkers for the entire weekend. If we were dedicated to walking 60 miles in three days, then these guys were dedicated to making us feel good about what we were doing by making us laugh, giving us chocolate (Have you ever had a Take 5 candy bar? Find one and indulge now!), and cheering us on. Some groups even had themes like Barbies for Boobs and Hookers for Hooters. Jennifer and I may create our own team of Walker Stalkers for the Arizona 3-Day next year. Team Suck it Up Cupcake will pass out mini-cupcakes and frosting shots! We saw this guy at least once every day. We never took him up on his offer, though.The homes in Sunset Cliffs are beautiful and, I'm sure, very expensive. We passed this peaceful painting class along the beach. Here are some more Walker Stalkers. I was just so happy to see San Diego. I love the beach! Here we are at yet another San Diego beach. Here's Jennifer at the pit stop right before lunch. And by right before I mean probably 4 miles. She's just kidding. Day 2 was our power day and the day we had the most fun. Which is really strange because we thought Day 2 would be the worst because we'd already walked so far and we had to do the same thing the next day. Oh, Tigger. A lady dressed up her son as Tigger to rally the walkers. We saw him at lunch and had our picture taken with him. He was complaining that he was so hot in his suit. He was complaining to us! Although it was a bit cold and windy, we enjoyed our peaceful lunch spot. The Caesar wrap, chips, apple, and homemade cookies were a step up from Day 1's lunch. I was inspired during a stretch.After lunch we headed down to Mission Beach. We saw lots of surfers, beach volleyball games, and bikinis. It was like spring break in November. There were some reality stars cheering us on, too. I think these guys are from The Amazing Race.Here's a picture of the Mission Beach Boardwalk...
and some Mission Beach surfers. And I heard somebody say this was Elmo. Scary Elmo. One group showered all the walkers with Gerbera daisies at a cheering station. The flowers were beautiful! We had to walk the same last mile on Day 2. But this time we were in better spirits and actually enjoyed it! We finished at nearly the same time as the day before so we got to see the sunset again. You can almost see it in my sunglasses.Each night they make a big production when the last walker(s) arrive at camp. They get to raise the flag that flies over camp.

The last walkers arrived while we were eating dinner (chicken piccata, rice and vegetables). After dinner, we walked around Main Street for a bit. Jennifer charged her phone and I shopped in the 3-Day gear tent. Then we switched; I stayed with her phone so she could get some shopping done. Afterwards, we visited the Rememberence Tent. It's a place where you can write memories of loved ones in journals and pay your respects to former walkers who have lost their lives to breast cancer. They also have tents representing each of the fourteen 3-Day walks from 2009 and you can sign them. All the tents are glowing and it's a very somber and emotional experience. It really reminds you of why you're doing what you're doing.

The only thing left to do was shower and go to bed. And we were so ready to rest!

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Day One

Day One started at 4:20 am thanks to me who forgot to correct the alarm clock that was ten minutes fast. But, we were anxious to start this journey so we quickly dressed and went down to the hotel lobby to eat breakfast at 4:45. We didn't have much because who wants to eat that early? We packed up our stuff and headed for the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Walkers were told to arrive between 5:30 and 6:00 am and we were there by 5:30. The opening ceremony began at 6:30 and after that Jennifer and I had pretty much no concept of time for the next three days. Here we are just before the opening ceremony began.This photo was taken by a mother and daughter team from Minnesota and NYC, respectively. We bonded over the cold San Diego morning weather and ran into them periodically throughout the weekend. We were all so cold waiting for the ceremony to start, and it's hard to just stand there freezing for an hour. We were shivering and huddling together to keep warm. When we ran into that team at the first pit stop they said something like, You can tell you're from Arizona because you're still wearing your fleece.

After an emotional opening ceremony honoring survivors, their families, and loved ones of women and men who lost their lives to breast cancer, we were on our way. It actually hurt to start walking because our feet and legs were so cold. But after the first mile or so, we started to feel like ourselves again.

You can't believe how many people participate in the San Diego 3-Day. More than 4,000 walkers create a seemingly endless line of pink. What's even more incredible is that we raised over 9.5 million dollars for breast cancer research!We did shed our jackets right before the enormous hill at Torrey Pines State Park. In the photo below, we're approaching the first pit stop, but you can see other walkers already ascending the hill. It's an elevation gain of about 400 feet over the course of a mile.Before we took to the hill, we had our photograph taken in our team uniforms. Jennifer made us shirts that said Cooking up a Cure, and we wore aprons and carried spatulas. The spatulas came in handy because we used them to high five all the supporters along the way. Because we all know I like to be germ-free.It was a long and tough climb, especially because there weren't too many supporters along the hill. The San Jose Police bicycle fleet kept us going with their upbeat music and crazy antics. Once we got to the top of Torrey Pines State Park, we were happy again. Exhibit A: We got to see some fairways on the famous Torrey Pines Golf Course and we walked past the Torrey Pines Lodge. A few miles past Torrey Pines, we reached the second pit stop. Now someone had mentioned something about Uncrustables during the opening ceremony and Jennifer and I made a face at each other. Those things are horrid. Terrible. Disgusting. But let me tell you. When it's about 11 o'clock and you've been up since 4:30 and you've walked nearly 9 miles, you'll not only eat an Uncrustable, but you'll devour it and swear it was the best thing you've ever eaten. Sometime during my Uncrustable stupor, I thanked Jennifer for talking me into doing the 3-Day because so far it had been fun, exciting, and empowering. Jennifer, the smart one, suggested I hold onto that thought until Sunday.

Actually, I should have held my tongue or knocked on wood because about an hour later, my toes were screaming! Going up that big, long hill wasn't so bad, but walking downhill is a whole other story. Our toes were rubbing our shoes the wrong way, and I had hot spots on the front of each of my toes. I was so afraid of getting blisters, and I was trying not to panic. Luckily, I had an amazing ocean view to try to keep my mind off it and I knew lunch was at the bottom of the hill.
And then we had Elvis cheering us on. How can this man not make you smile? The photo doesn't do this scene justice at all. His music was blasting and he was dancing just like Elvis.We finally made it back to sea level and ate our lunch after walking 12 miles. Lunch wasn't very exciting. It was a bland chicken breast with fresh spinach and mushrooms, chips, an apple, and mini cookies. The Uncrustable was better.

After lunch we ventured into one of San Diego's most beautiful locations--La Jolla. The landscape in La Jolla Cove was breathtaking. I don't know how many times I said Look how pretty! but Jennifer may be able to give you an accurate count.By this time, we had already walked 16 miles and we were pretty well worn out. We knew we still had quite a bit to go, though, so all we could do was walk some more. We left the coast for a while and ventured into some quaint little neighborhoods.
We took a picture of ourselves at the day's final pit stop. I think we look pretty good here. No worse for wear.
We passed the last cheering station and learned that camp was just around this corner.

What?! Are you kidding me? It was the longest mile of our lives. We were exhausted, hungry, and cold. It was 4:30 and we had been walking for nearly nine hours! As we walked, we watched the sun set.

After we literally turned the corner, we saw camp. And what a beautiful sight it was. As we approached the day's finish line, the sidelines began to fill with spectators cheering for us. I'm not going to lie; it was an emotional finish. Tears welled in my eyes, and I did everything to keep myself from sobbing. I had just walked over 22 miles--the farthest I've ever walked--and all these people were clapping and cheering and basically telling us how great we were for doing it. It's obviously not something that happens to me every day (or ever) so I just donned my sunglasses and crossed the finish. We were done walking for the day. Or so we thought....

A camp designed for 4500 people is bound to be enormous. But until you see it for yourself, you can't imagine its size. Our tent address was M52. We finally found Row M and then we walked to space 52. It was on an end, under a tree, in a patch of dirt. Whatever. I probably could have dropped to the ground and fallen asleep in the dirt right then and there. Some very nice Girl Scouts or National Honor Society students carried our packs to us and set up our tent. And we were certainly grateful to them.

After quick calls to our families, we stretched and walked all the way to the dining tent to enjoy our spaghetti dinner. After showers in the back of a semi (seriously) we went to bed. We were freezing when we were walking around, but once we were in our sleeping bags we were comfortable. And our Eddie Bauer handwarmers gave us a little warmth. Jennifer fell right to sleep, but the lady in the next tent whose head was about a foot from mine had a bit of a snoring problem. Eventually, exhaustion set in and I was out, too.