Wordless Wednesday - This is what the final mile looks like!

I'm not really sure I could hunch over any more! Whatever it takes to make it the full 60! What's your favorite end of the 3-Day photo?

Wordless Wednesday - A 3-Day Rainbow

After a very rain soaked Day 2 in 2010, a rainbow formed near camp, inspiring us on our last mile of the day!

Training Tuesday - When in doubt, just charge up that hill, 3-Day style

This weekend we did another big hike up at Yosemite. With the warmer weather much of the snow had melted in the lower elevations so we were able to cover ground fairly quickly - perhaps too quickly. Charging up the hill, with that "get it done" 3-Day mentality that you have by your third day of walking, quickly proved too fast a pace for an elevation gain of 1,000+ feet! Regardless, after a quick break for a photo of me sporting my Susan G. Komen gear, we learned to pace ourselves and made it to the snow covered portion of our trail. Finally got to use our shoe spike things (what are these called? I'm told they are not the same thing as cramp-ons.) And we got to follow fellow hikers straight up a snowy mountain when the trail was no longer visible. Quite the adventure! And a great training day for the 3-Day and for our goal of hiking Half Dome later this year.

Wordless Wednesday - 3-Day Cocktails? Don't mind if I do!

One of the greatest things about the 3-Day in San Diego are the wonderful supporters. And, after a day of walking in the pouring rain in soaking wet shoes, I think we all enjoyed a little pre-pit stop wine, handed out by individuals along the route. It was the perfect birthday toast to celebrate my 29th!

Training Tuesday - Snow Hikes make 3-Day hills seem easy

We recently took our second trip up to Yosemite for the day and decided to do some hiking in the snow. I'm sure this comes as no surprise, but hiking in the snow can be quite the workout! Our hiking boots didn't offer enough traction on the icy hills so we often found ourselves sliding downhill while trying to climb up. A couple more trips like this and I know I'll have absolutely no trouble with any of the hills that the 3-Day throws at us this year. :-)

Wordless Wednesday - Supporters come in all sizes

Jackson sporting a fashionable Susan G. Komen bandana in support of the 3-Day.

P.S. After a couple wordless weeks full of moving to a new city, I am finally back to blogging!

Training Tuesday - Let's kick off the 2011 season!

Matt and I stretched our legs a bit, taking advantage of the gorgeous weather San Diego has been having, and had our first training walk of the 2011 season. I have to admit, I still have one large blister from last year’s walk but fortunately it’s no longer painful so it doesn’t hinder me from walking any.

We walked around San Diego bay and the sun was so bright and the water so sparkling that I really realized how much I am going to miss the outdoor culture of San Diego. It’s such a wonderful city to do training walks in and I love being able to train on the actual hills that we walk on the 3-Day. I would love advice from others who train in cities other than the one they walk in. What are some good tips for staying motivated if you are training elsewhere?

Training Tuesday

Another week of less than successful training. I did manage to get one short 3 mile walk in during a lunch break and a short work out one evening. Other than that I’m experiencing definite guilt in life over how to prioritize everything. Is it more important that I train tonight or work on my thesis? Even when I think I have it figured out, something happens, something comes up, and then I’m even further behind. I’m trying hard to remember that I just cannot do everything! Anyone out there have some great advice for prioritizing life and maintaining sanity in this busy world? How do you manage your 3-Day training with everything else we have in our busy lives?

Motivational Monday

"It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, 'Always do what you are afraid to do.'" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was very nervous back in 2009 to officially sign up for the 3 Day. I was nervous to raise the money and to walk 60 miles over the course of a weekend. Signing up as a walker was one of the best decisions of my life. I wonder what my next big decision will be that will help me conquer my fears. What brave decisions have you made in life?

Breast Cancer is Survivable

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. This is a fact. Recently it seems like once a week I learn about someone else in my life affected by breast cancer. My 3 Day teammate recently had someone close to her diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, one of my donors and family members had a close friend diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, and now, one of my closest friends and former 3 Day walker found out her aunt was diagnosed this week with breast cancer. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime. This is a fact.

It is also a fact that you can survive breast cancer. Thousands of women do just that. Seven years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, just like her mother before her. With the help of science and medicine, family and friends, faith and love, my mother just celebrated her 60th birthday. She is a breast cancer survivor.

It’s interesting growing up with a family history of breast cancer. From an early age I’ve known that I am considered high risk. If I have the breast cancer gene, which my mother’s doctors would like to test for, then I have an 88% chance of getting breast cancer in my life. I won’t lie and say that this statistic doesn’t scare me. But after seven years of staying connected to the breast cancer community, I know that if I am ever diagnosed, I will benefit from science and medicine, family and friends, faith and love, just like my mother did.

Breast cancer is survivable. That is a fact.