Is there a support group for this?

When I woke up Monday morning, one of my first thoughts (after "I need a cup of coffee") was "Is there a post-3-Day support group?" Because I sure needed something to help me transition back to reality.

This past weekend was awesome, amazing, incredible, inspirational and life-changing. Just a few of the many adjectives I could come up with, but you get the idea. I've thought a bit about how to "recap" my first 3-Day experience, and struggled with how to sum it up in "just" a blog post. For those that followed along on Facebook, you got to see a lot of the play-by-play with our posts. For other walkers, you've lived it.

So I created a separate page that gives a "day-by-day" overview of my first 3-Day experience. And instead opted to focus on the "thousand-foot view" of the event in this post.

What stood out for me about my first 3-Day for the Cure experience:

Stef and I at the cheering station in Plymouth,
in front of the fountain they dye pink!

1. The joy. When I looked back through the hundreds of photos taken by our friends, our family, ourselves and other walkers, I was struck by how many people have gigantic smiles on their faces. We walked 20 miles a day for three days. At times it was hot. At times it was rainy. At times, it was uphill. But no matter the time, people were happy. In the photos of Stef and I, we're both smiling, laughing or grinning. In photos from other walkers, their friends and fellow walkers are smiling too. We enjoyed the experience, throughout the entire three days. There was never a moment that I thought "I can't do this." There was never a moment when I questioned why I was doing it. Believe it or not, I don't think there was a moment when I whined about an ache or a pain. Although it was physically exhausting and my feet and legs ached every night, I had fun. And I would do it again without a second's hesitation.

Treats from Mentobe Cafe in Farmington
(photo from Jim Hillmann)

2. The local community. People turned out all along the route to show support for the walkers. And not just at the "official" cheering stations. There were impromptu cheering stations all three days, all along the route, and in places you'd never have expected it. On Friday, we walked through downtown Farmington ... along the main drag, the wonderful folks from Mentobe Cafe handed out frozen yogurt to walkers. It was the most amazing treat! On Saturday, BDs Mongolian Barbecue set up a stand along the route to cheer people on, and on Sunday we were treated to cheers from 100 or so young cheerleaders along the route. Not to mention the hundreds of people on their porches, along the sidewalks, in the streets and in the parks ... they set up small stands with water and soda, they handed out fruit and candy, they misted hot walkers, and they cheered us on with a smile and a "thank you." We kept thanking them for coming out (especially on Sunday, in the rain!), hoping they knew how special their support was to us. (Jim Hillmann has some great shots from each day on Facebook... more about Jim later.)

3. The 3-day community. As a first-time walker, I had no concept of the scope of this community. During the three days, there were people along the route who were along the route all day long ... they would be at one spot for a while, then pack up and move to another spot a little while later. Seeing them day after day, mile after mile, was heartwarming. And in true "sistahs" fashion, they all had nicknames: There was the "boobie scarf" lady, the "dancing lady", the "medicine man" and the "kid crew," all of whom have their own stories and reasons for being there. Whatever those reasons, they were an inspiration and a joy to see each day.

4. The Crew. All of the folks who make the 3-day event happen are volunteer crew members. This year, there were 450 men and women who served as crew ... they did a million things to help make the experience what it was. They worked at pit stops (the themes and costumes were great fun!), they did breakfast/dinner service at camp, they did Safety to help us navigate the route safely, they provided medical services, they did clean up, they hauled our gear, they manned hydration stations .... and so much more. The crew was amazing. They were helpful, they were friendly and they were encouragement all along the way. I can't say thank you enough to all of the crew.

5. The walkers. There were 1,500 walkers at the Michigan 3-Day for the Cure. To me, that's an amazing number of men and women coming together for a single purpose. Everyone walked for their own reasons, and it was incredibly interesting to meet them along the way and hear their stories. Whether we met them on the route, at camp, or somewhere in between, Stef and I met a ton of people who inspired us and also made us cry. One person I'm honored to have met is Jim Hillman.

Jim is walking all 14 walks, in honor of his mother, who died of breast cancer in 2004.  I learned of Jim when I saw a photo he took at the Boston walk ... a photo of a little girl he came across on the route on day 2. The photo made its rounds in the 3-Day community, many of us shared it on our Facebook pages ... it became sort of a rallying cry for "why we walk."

To walk in all 14 walks, Jim will need to raise $50,000. But somehow, that seems small in comparison to what it really means to walk in all 14 walks... he has travel expenses and lodging expenses. He has a family (his wife must be an amazing woman herself!), and a job. He has sacrificed so much to make such a bold statement. Not to mention he knows what's for dinner every Friday and Saturday for the next three months.....

If you can help Jim, please consider making a donation to him. As of now, he has the money to walk in 12 of the 14 walks. Consider helping him make it to all 14 ... you'll find his page at www.the3day.org. Look  him up: Jim Hillmann. He would really appreciate your support.

5. The support. The support and encouragement from our friends and family was absolutely unbelievable. the many ways that support came was astonishing ... From coming to cheering stations, to finding us along the route (my colleague Colette was our "walker stalker" on Friday!), to seeing your faces at the event ... it was heartwarming. For those who followed along and offered encouragement online, you have no idea how much it meant to us to read your posts and words of support. Just "liking" a photo was enough to make me smile, thank you! We also got "camp mail" and chocolate treats from friends and family, which was great to enjoy on Friday when we got back to camp. Finally, the donations and financial support that we received was mind blowing. Together, Stef and I raised more than $10,000 for the Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure, and for that, we thank you.

All told, this year's event in Michigan raised $4.1 million... that's $4.1 million for lifesaving research, education and community programs all targeted at one thing: breast cancer. Thank you for being a part of that, and thank you for giving Stef and I the opportunity to be a part of it. It was life-changing experience.

And hey, we've registered for 2012 already ... want to join us?