Training and Motivation

The physical act of training, of putting one foot in front of the other for mile after mile is an incredibly important aspect of 3-Day preparation. But another important element is staying motivated to keep all of the 3-Day prep pieces moving. We’re all experiencing it, the stress of trying to balance your non-3-Day life such as work, school, kids, friends, community obligations, etc. with the 3-Day life which entails long walks, cross-training, fundraising, fundraising, fundraising.

How do you stay motivated? One thing that has really helped motivate me lately is the book Promise Me by Nancy G. Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I’ll admit, the book makes me cry, a lot. And sometimes the stories of the treatment of breast cancer in earlier years horrify me. But those stories also motivate me because I know how far we have come in the treatment and prevention of breast cancer.

This particular quote stood out to me as I was reading a chapter about the 2009 San Diego 3-Day for the Cure. It sums up the experience and brought back hundreds of wonderful memories from that walk.

“We can’t overstate the importance of the millions of dollars generated for cancer research, but the impact of the SGK 3-Day for the Cure is in the lives it changes as well as the lives it saves. It speaks to the tandem goals of survival and survivorship. You fight for your life. Then you live your life, regardless of what others think of your particular mode of self-expression.” Pg 100-101

That quote really sums up the experience of the 3-Day and the reason why we continue to be involved year after year. This quote helps motivate me. What motivates you to keep walking, training, or doing whatever it is in your life that you sometimes feel challenged by?

* I wrote this on Tuesday but fell asleep on my couch before posting. So another day-late Tuesday Training blog.

Motivational Monday - One person really can make a difference

Once again I'm a day late with my post for Motivational Monday but honestly it coincides perfectly with the fact that today Nancy Brinker's (founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure) book Promise Me hits bookstore shelves.

Most of you reading this blog know that Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen that she would do something to help the fight against breast cancer. What I think is so motivational about the story of Nancy and Susan is that one woman was able to make such an enormous impact. In 2009 Nancy was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama, who remarked "Nancy lay awake at night wondering if one person can really make a difference. Nancy's life is the answer."

This is why so many of us walk in the 3-Day each year - we know that we truly can make a difference.

I want to close with some words from the book where Nancy remembers how she first realized the power of fundraising and change. "It was my earliest inking of what goes into the chemistry of change: moment meets messenger, information becomes action. Hearts and minds shift to a new paradigm, money happens, and it all comes together." Look at how far her movement has come. I'm proud to be a part of this organization.

The publisher allows you to post a link to an excerpt from the first chapter of Promise Me. Be sure to check out the link if you're interested in reading this story.

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Wordless Wednesday - Something Pink

One of my favorite photos of the 2009 San Diego 3-Day! Me, Julie and Danna posing with some of our favorite San Jose policemen! The guy in the helmet later pumped us up when he played "Living on a Prayer" for us while hoofing it along the Mission Beach boardwalk after having already walked close to 20 miles on day two!

Training Tuesday with a Tourism Twist

I've struggled for the past several weeks to manage my time effectively. I've complained to anyone that would listen that I did not have enough time to work full-time, continue to research and write my master's thesis, work out, clean my house (it desperately needs it), run errands and of course, train for the 3 Day. So this weekend, when my boyfriend's sister was in town, there was of course that part of me that thought "one more thing to do." Sigh.

But then, thanks to the boyfriend's brilliant idea, our weekend full of playing tour guide inspired some wonderful new training walks. After walking around much of San Diego on Saturday, we dropped off his sister at the airport on Sunday morning, parked our car down at Harbor Island, and walked from Harbor Island, past Lindbergh field, along the San Diego bay, past the Festival of Sail, Star of India and the Maritime Museum, past the Midway, through Seaport Village, weaved around the Gaslamp, through Little Italy and Banker's Hill, across the Laurel Street bridge, into Balboa Park, down Park Blvd and up into Golden Hill, finishing with the steep stretch of B. Street. All of this totaled just shy of 12 miles. It also reminded us of how lucky we are to live in such a gorgeous city. A city that tourists flock to annually to enjoy any number of the sites that we walked past in one visit.

We topped off this great day of walking, by walking to the Padres game the following night, ending a great training weekend at the very site where the San Diego 3 Day concludes its 60 mile meander.

Here are some photos that we snapped along the way!

Motivational Monday

The holiday weekend threw off my posting schedule so to make up for it, I wanted to share this article from the Susan G. Komen site entitled "Living with metastatic breast cancer." I've recently heard so many stories of women being diagnosed with advanced, stage IV breast cancer or metastatic breast cancer and this article really buoyed my spirits about these diagnosis. Hope it helps cheer you as well! Please share with the women in your lives.