Time to rally ...

Somehow, time flew by. We're just under four weeks and counting, until the 2012 Michigan 3-Day for the Cure. That's 28 days. Less than a month. Yikes.

This weekend was our "big" back-to-back training weekend -- we walked 18 miles on Saturday and 15 miles on Sunday. This training experience really gives us a good idea of where we're at and helps prepare you mentally and physically for three grueling days. (Example: I ended up with two huge blisters in a spot where I normally have a callous. Time to figure out how to get those to heal, quickly, and become callouses!) Overall, we had fun -- we hooked up with the "BC Babes," a large team on the east side, and walking with them both days. They're a great group to walk with, and I'm looking forward to seeing them on the walk.

The other big landmark that comes at this 4-week mark is all of the event information that gets released:

• Camp mail -- One way to show your support is to send walkers "camp mail." After we're done walking Day 1, we come back to camp, get our tent set up, take a shower and eat dinner. We'll then stop by the "Post Office" to see if there's any camp mail. Last year, going through that mail was one of the most amazing experiences on the walk. It's a connection back to the "real" world, a reminder of all the people who supported us through this experience, and a motivator to keep going, even though every muscle in your body screams "stop!" Visit our "event information" page for more details on how to send camp mail.
• Cheering stations -- I had no idea what to expect from cheering stations last year. The first one we rolled up on blew me away. To walk down the sidewalk and have people cheer you on was incredible. I didn't know any of them, and they didn't know me. But it didn't matter: They wanted to encourage and motivate us, and it worked. (Of course, I had to keep my sunglasses on so everyone couldn't see me bawling!)  Check our event information page to get the details on cheering stations... and please know, if you can't be at a cheering station when we'll be there (we tend to walk quickly), please just go -- cheer another walker on as if it were one of us. They'll appreciate it more than you could ever imagine. (Quick side story: The first year when Stef walked, we went to a cheering station. We hung back and waited for her to come by, then walked up to the road, cheered for her, hung out with her for a few, and then left. I look back now and am so regretful that it's all we did. I felt goofy cheering for people I didn't know. Now, I can't say it emphatically enough: Please, please, please, don't feel goofy. Don't just wait for "your" walker and leave. When I go through a cheering station, those are someone else's loved ones cheering me on. And they make me cry every time. I see each of you in every one of them, so please, give another walker that same experience!)
• Social media updates -- As a sponsor of the 3-Day, Bank of America is offering something new this year: A "Smart Card" that we can pick up at Opening Ceremonies. The card will be linked to my Facebook page, and will automatically post where I'm at, at 'key' points along the route. Fun to try, so we'll see how it goes.  I'll also be posting on Facebook and Twitter through the weekend (have to figure out how to synchronize it all beforehand), so you can follow along.

So there you have it. I thought we were busy with fundraising, but now it seems even busier (if that's possible). Four weeks. Plenty of time to pack. To finish training. To get prepared.  Eeek.

Save the date! Event info is live...

Today we hit the single-digit countdown -- just 9 weeks until the Michigan 3-Day for the Cure (that's Aug. 17, 18 and 19 if you're keeping track). And with that, the highly anticipated milestone: <insert dramatic drumroll here>  The release of travel information.

Huh?

It's not like I have to travel to get to the 3-Day.

But it's a huge milestone! It's the confirmation of rumors we've been hearing (or starting) for weeks now.

So, what do we know?

• Opening ceremony will be at Oakland Mall in Troy on Friday, Aug. 17. At first, I was a little surprised. But really, all they need is a huge parking lot for the decorations and 'stuff' that goes with the ceremony. (I looked for photos from 2011 and couldn't find any ... I'll try to better this year!) And if it's happening on the west side of the mall, we'll be right along I-75, which would be great for visibility!
• Camp is most likely in Livonia again, this time at Greenmead Historical Park. Not far from last year, but somewhere new to explore.
• Closing ceremony is on Sunday, Aug. 19 at Ford Headquarters in Dearborn. Great location, thanks to Ford for their support!

Although the spectator information won't be released for a few weeks yet (it was out mid-July last year), please consider attending the opening or closing ceremonies. I know opening is at the crack of dawn, but it's a great way to see what it's all about and cheer on walkers as they're getting out on the route. And closing ceremony, well, that's a life changer.

Finally, a quick plug: Send us camp mail! There's nothing like getting mail at camp after day 1. You're hot (we hope), you're tired (for sure) and you're maybe not sure what the heck you got into. Coming back to camp and stopping at the 'post office' to pick up your mail is incredible. I laughed. I cried. I can't even tell you how grateful I was for all of the mail from family, friends and even random acquaintances, all of whom took the time to send a quick note of support, congratulations or encouragement. For the price of a stamp, you can make someone's day.

Send mail (no packages or boxes), postmarked by August 7 to:

Susan G. Komen 3-Day
ATTN: Jennifer Carbary
PO Box 729
South Lyon, MI 48178

There you have it. Nine weeks left. Keep an eye out here for updates on cheering stations, times for ceremonies and all that fun stuff!

Those little reminders....

Every so often, we get a poignant reminder of exactly why we walk. In the past two days, it happened twice. And with a big fundraiser scheduled tonight, the timing was almost unbelievable.

First up: Home Depot
Stef & Kraig stopped at Home Depot to pick up canvas belt  thingy-ma-bobs for our fundraiser tonight ... something to put our raffle money in, instead of fanny packs. They got up to the registers, and were flagged over to an empty one by a cashier.

The cashier asked if they were doing a fundraiser (buying six of these things must be a dead giveaway!). Stef explained that we were doing a fundraiser for the 3-Day for the Cure, a walk for breast cancer. The woman then told Stef that her sister recently died of breast cancer, leaving behind a 16-year-old daughter, who is now living with her 16-year-old cousin and uncle. And oh, by the way, that 16-year-old cousin's mom died of breast cancer too.

And today, we met Jacqueline.

Stef, Kraig and I did a 10-mile training walk today. There's a five-mile loop right around the neighborhood, but we needed to get in a little more to make it an even 10 miles. So we walked through the neighborhood a little. We got to the corner of my street and Stef says, "eh, that's good." Nah. I said we could probably get the full 10 miles in, if we went around the corner and down the next street. We're slogging along (that last mile is a beast) when we passed an older woman who was gardening.

She saw the three of us walking, wearing our bright pink shirts. She smiled and said, "Cancer walk?" We smiled and Stef said we were training for the 3-Day for the Cure. We walked past her a little, and she said, "I was just diagnosed with breast cancer this week."

We put the brakes on. Seriously? We just randomly walked down a street, and came across a woman who was just diagnosed with breast cancer. The amazing part was her attitude. She got a little teary when she started telling us, but she was so confident. "I'm going to beat this," she said. "I'm not going to let it kill me. I'll die of a heart attack instead."

We'll try to keep walking by Jacqueline's house, to see how she's doing. We may never see her again, but she'll be in our thoughts and prayers as we're training, and as we're walking. She's a fighter. I don't know if she'll win her fight. But I know without a doubt, that she is the reason we are walking: So someone's grandma doesn't have to hear those words, "you have breast cancer."

Five in Five? Bring it!

I love trinkets. And challenges. I'm a bit competitive, in case you hadn't noticed. So when I got the email today from the Komen folks, challenging 3-Day walkers to get five donations in the next five days ... I'm all over that.

So how about it, my friends and family? How about it, my college and high school friends? How about it, colleagues? 

Surely there are five of you out there who would be willing to make a donation between now and 11:59 CST on May 21? Any donation at all. And easily done online through my 3-Day fundraising page.

What's the reward? A spiffy beaded thingy-ma-jig (pictured at right) that I'll get on the walk. Woo hoo.

Seriously though, the reward is huge. Immeasurable really. The reward is being part of an effort to end breast cancer. Being a part of the largest non-governmental funder of breast cancer research. Being part of something big. Something bold. Remember: I'm walking 60 miles in three days. Can you make a donation to support that?

A wee bit like childbirth?

I've decided the 3-Day experience is a little bit like childbirth ... you sort of forget stuff. Conveniently.

Like the 'hotspots' after a long training walk. Or the feeling of, "I need a protein bar or I'm going to pass out," during a walk. Or waking up with sore body parts that aren't normally sore (the balls of my feet?).

With just 15 weeks to go (100 days tomorrow!), training is picking up a lot. We walked 8 miles on Sunday at Stony Creek Metropark (an awesome 3-Day training spot, since it's a six-mile loop), and got in a quick 5 tonight. But it's that point where five miles is "quick" .... a big change from just a few weeks ago.

We have 24 miles to get in this week, and I'm grateful for every one of those miles. Because it's those miles that are going to help build up the callouses on the balls of my feet. It's those miles, and the 24 miles next week, that will help toughen the inside of my heels, which are a little tender today.

That was a hard thing to remember on Monday, when I woke up a little stiff... the training isn't just to make sure I can actually walk 60 miles in three days. It's to make sure that my body is ready to walk it, and my mind is ready to enjoy it. That's why we set a goal to train 585 miles over 24 weeks -- so that we have the callouses to make it through 60 miles in three days.

So goodbye pedicures. And hello training... I forgot how hard you were!

Chugging right along

This week marked the start of our 16-week countdown ... for 'normal' folks, 16 weeks is a long time. Heck, that's four months.  For the 3-Day walker, that's about the time you start to realize you've got some work to do! Fortunately, "Team Toucans" is well on its way...

Fundraising: We passed the $10,000 mark in our team fundraising efforts! As of now, we're at $10,350, which is 75% toward our overall goal. And Julie & Jenn reached their fundraising minimum.  We made a serious dent in our fundraising with the Tiger's game Opening Weekend, when we raised $1,000 by staffing a concessions stand with 13 of our friends and family. And coming up, we're hosting "Tickled Pink," a night at Go Comedy to see their improv show, "Allstar Showdown." We still have tickets available! We bought out the house, so there are only 100 tickets to be had. Right now, we have about 20 or so left, so if you're interested, let one of us know!

Training: Here's where we're chugging right along. I'm at 109 miles logged so far ... a little below this time last year, but at 85% of the recommended training miles to this point, I'm OK with that. We're getting close to the weather breaking for good, so I'm hopeful that life will slow down just a tad to allow me to walk a little more. Actually, just waiting for it to get warmer (and lighter) in the mornings would be helpful ... getting in Thursday night walks (average 5 miles) is difficult with the kids' schedules.

And with that, we're chugging right along. We're making progress with fundraising and training. And counting the weeks. Just 16 weeks.......

The best things come in small packages

And today, that's "Zac and Jake."  Two young boys I've never met.

I got a call from a friend on Friday morning. She was watching her young nephews (Zac & Jake, who I think are like 8 and 10), and they were watching television together. A commercial came on for the 3-Day for the Cure, and she told them she knew someone who was walking in the 60-mile event. They asked a few questions (What's it for? She's really going to walk 60 miles?) and went on with their day.

The next morning, before they left for school, the boys came out to Carol with an envelope. "This is for your friend, Auntie. We want to help her."

Inside that envelope (marked "Auntie's friend") was a note from Zac and Jake, along with several one-dollar bills and a pile of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. Zac and Jake made a donation to the 3-Day for the Cure, for a grand total of $8.64.

Their thoughtfulness just blows me away.

Thank you, Zac and Jake, for the reminder that it's not how much you donate to a good cause... every single donation makes a difference, and giving what you can is what makes a difference.

And thank you, to Zac and Jake's mom and dad. For raising two thoughtful, generous and kind boys. May they continue to surprise and delight those they meet throughout their lives...