We did it!

The weather was beautiful. The company was awesome. The cheering was plentiful. The cause was great.

This year's 3-Day for the Cure was perfect.

Going in to this year's event, I wondered if it would feel like a let down after last year. I had a great first year experience, and wasn't sure if my expectations would be too high to be realistic.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

This year's walk experience was so different than last year. If I had to give it a one-word description, I think I'd pick FUN.

Our walking company this year was just amazing. We started out with the four of us (Stef, Kraig, Greg, me) and after lunch, ran into Sandra and Kathryn, friends of ours from training walks with the BC Babes. We then found Cheryl (a solo walker who we trained with a few times). And throughout the weekend, we ran into Missy and Pam (walkers from another team).  (You can see photos of the event on Facebook, in my public photo album.)

Top row (left to right) - Greg, Sandra, Stef, Kraig, Pam
Bottom row (left to right) - Missy, Kathryn, Cheryl, Me

 That's probably a boring way of saying: We walked with some amazing people! We laughed a lot. We sang. We danced. We teased. Walking with this group of people at various points throughout the three days made the miles go by so much more easily. And when we were hurting, there was someone right next to you to push you through.

Walking 60 miles is really hard. (I started to write my litany of aches, pains and complaints, but erased it -- that's just not how the 3-Day should be remembered or thought of. Or as Sandra would say, "That's not how we roll.") But when you've got great company, great weather, great cheerleaders and a great cause, the "fun factor" trumps the challenges.

So thank you to each of you for making this experience so amazing... from my walking pals to our home-base cheerleaders (mom, you were amazing!), to our family (thanks Keith for handling all the home/kid duty) and those who sent camp mail or encouraging words on Facebook/Twitter posts. Thank you.

And now, let's resume regular programming. For a little while at least. We've already registered for 2013 (we'll be walking with the BC Babes, our training pals) and we're plotting out our strategy for fun. Are you ready?

This is it ...

It's sort of like Christmas ... it's here, it's finally here! After months of fundraising and months of training, it's finally here!

My grand total, going in to "3-Day Eve" is $2,615. I got a surprise donation last night from a colleague at work, who saw I was walking and had been affected by breast cancer in his family. That unexpected donation amplified my experience this week -- I asked on Facebook for names of people I could walk for -- the fighters, the survivors, those remembered.  I was completely unprepared for the response.

I don't know which it was, the number of people who had someone to add to the list, or the people who asked for someone to be added when I had no idea they were personally impacted. It underscored how pervasive breast cancer is, and really was a stark reminder of why I walk. I shed more than a few tears that night, and I'm sure it's just the beginning.

At the same time though, there are so many happy moments in this walk experience. I'm really excited to walk with new friends we've met this past year, and excited to meet folks I've only chatted with through Twitter or Facebook. The weather looks like it's going to be OK (I'm hedging there, only because I don't want to jinx anything!!), the route is going to be interesting, and the company is going to be spectacular.

So come along with me on this amazing 3-Day journey: Follow along on Facebook, watch us on Twitter (#the3day), or stop along the route to honk and cheer on a walker. It's an incredible experience, and we hope to share it with you!

10 days and counting!

Just 10 days until the Michigan 2012 3-Day for the Cure. That's not enough time to panic that I haven't trained enough (I have) and too much time to panic that I'll forget to pack something (I'll live). It's also the point in time that I start my obsessive check-the-10-day-forecast-every-10-minutes behavior. Like I can control the weather. Or my obsessive nature.

Having "watched" the Boston and Cleveland 3-Day events through Facebook and Twitter (follow #the3day -- it's quite active during a walk!), I am really getting excited about everything that is to come (in just 10 days). And there are a number of ways you can participate with us:

• Come to a cheering station! The rough estimation of our route is posted and cheering stations are listed for all three days. There's nothing like the experience of a cheering station -- the walkers love it, the cheerers (is that a word?) love it, the community loves it. You don't need to bring anything, other than a smiling face. (Well, you might want to bring some water for yourself, but that's up to you!) Even if we don't see you, or you can only stop by for a little while, it's huge. Cheer for each walker as if it was one of us! (Quick side story: Last year, a friend wanted to bring her daughters to a cheering station, but it wasn't going to be a time that Stef and I would see her. I was bummed we would miss her and the girls, but felt such pride that someone cared enough to go out and cheer on someone else.)
• Look for us along the route! A very sketchy route is posted online, and it'll give you an idea of where we'll be through the three days. If you see some folks in pink along your daily travels, honk wildly and cheer out your window! 
• Follow along and be a virtual "walker stalker" -- On Twitter, walkers and supporters are quite active using the hashtag #the3day. You can also follow @the3day - they post quite a bit from the event. (I'm @jencarbary)  On Facebook, we'll post photos and commentary when we can -- enjoy!

 OK. Off to check the weather. So far, so good.