Well, I have survived my Breast Cancer 3-Day! And since so many of you were so supportive and donated money, time or items via my auction or Walker page, I thought I'd give you a recap here:
Day 1: Tears and Heatstroke and the Mental Challenge
 Jenna at 4:30am in the hotel before the Walk |
We were up by 4:30 am and I got ready, had some
breakfast and we headed over to the Opening Ceremony area right
across the street from our hotel. After a big fiasco with
parking and loading luggage onto the trucks, we moved to the
stage area.
My husband and I hung out for a while, then I moved inside to the Walker Area where we'd hear our opening comments and then head out into the Walk. Wow, those Opening Ceremonies were moving and wonderful and inspiring. There was a stretching session, then opening comments by 3-Day officials, a Circle of Survival by five survivors who were walking (and by this time, we were ALL crying... I'm actually tearing up just writing about it) and then a burst of powerful, exciting music and the gates opened. We marched through in a line, slapping high fives with those still waiting to exit and the crew.
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| So I was off, heading through a really neat
little wooded area. It was very exciting, although I did feel a
bit alone. Most people seemed to have come in teams and were
sticking close together. But since I'd done most of my training
alone and since I work alone, I didn't really mine just my own
company. I enjoyed the scenery, eavesdropped on conversations
(there were some interesting snippets), and just focused on
staying hydrated and healthy. The weather was really beautiful at first. Sunny, but cool enough to be comfortable. However, as the day progressed, the heat went up, too. There was little shade and I started to feel like I was soooo slow. But right before Mile 19, I was told by one of the pit stop clickers (those counting us as we entered pit stops) that I was right between 400 and 500 out of 2200 Walkers. And since I'm not a particularly physical person, I was so excited to be in the top 20%!
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 The luggage trucks, Day 1 (arranged by tent row) |
  Jenna at Mile 8 and Mile 19 (respectively). |
Perhaps a bit too excited. I didn't stop long
enough at the last Pit Stop and ended up starting to feel
nauseous about two miles from Camp (we walked 23 miles the first
day). I was weaving, trying not to puke and I knew something was
wrong. Since nausea can be a sign of dehydration, I crossed the
finish line and went directly into Medical. When they took my
blood pressure, they immediately pulled me to the back to a cot
and started putting ice packs all over me. After about an hour,
I was cleared to leave, but the nausea went on. I couldn't eat
and I was quite upset. No eating = No fueling = No walking. So I called my husband and told him that I had to quit. You have to understand what an emotional and physical block this was for me. I was hysterical. It was not pretty. But I checked out and he got me and took me back to the hotel. I cried all the way there. I cried while showering. I cried while being practically force fed. Eventually he told me to just relax and that he'd set the alarm for 5am and we'd just see. I just kept thinking about all of you who had donated your time or money or books and how much I'd be letting you down. And I just hoped that I would wake up ready to try again.
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Day 2: Spirits High, Temperatures Perfect and Feet
Hurt -- Pictures to Come
When the alarm rang and I got up, it was like a whole different
world. I was actually excited to go again, so I got dressed and my hero
drove me back to camp where I checked back in (getting hugs from the
women who checked me out and witnessed me crying the night before) and
ate some breakfast. We decided that I wouldn't bring my bags back and
would instead check back out that night and back in on Day 3, so I just
lined up and got ready to take off at the start of 6:30am
The weather was beautiful that day. Cool and overcast, but no rain. I walked for about a mile when my right foot began to hurt pretty badly. I decided that after the previous day's emotional upheaval that I wouldn't pressure myself. I just walked for the next Pit Stop. After taking off my shoes and rubbing my foot each time, I was always ready to keep moving to the next one. So I did that, mile by mile, just working for the best I could do.
The highlights of the day were definitely the Cheering Sections. Just like the day before, my husband came to each one. Seeing him, being able to get a hug and seeing that he'd designed a big pink sign for me... that just kept me going. And the crowds! People from all over calling out a friendly word and giving encouraging smiles. You just don't know, unless you've done something like this, how much it means. You can be in pain and down and a "Great Job, Thanks for walking" can make you fly the next mile. It can get you to the next Pit Stop. It makes you feel incredible.
Also, on Day 2, the teams had started to break up based on team pace. I walked for a while with lots of people, hearing their wonderful stories. I even gave out some bookmarks. :) That day's finish was much brighter. I was grinning as I passed over the 22 mile + mark into camp. Limping, but grinning. So I grabbed water, a couple of ice packs and headed off with my hero to be pampered in preparation for Day 3.
Day 3: Going the Distance, Rain or Shine, Pain or Not --
Pictures to Come
Day 3 started with a patter of rain at around 2am. As I lay there,
thinking of my comrades in their tents, I hoped it would let up. Well,
it didn't. LOL But I headed to camp with a really light heart, ready to
power to the end! My foot was in pain still, but I figured I'd take it
like I had the day before. Pit Stop by Pit Stop. I didn't want to come
over 45 miles just to quit with less than 15 to go!!
By the first Pit Stop, my foot felt like glass was being stabbed into it and the rain was pouring down. But Medical cleared me to keep going, saying it was a repetitive stress injury (you think??) and icing me down. When it was hard, I thought about women who were fighting Breast Cancer and the pain they went through. I mean, what's a little foot pain compared to that? And the cheers of the crowds throughout Chicago (we were in the City by that time) were wonderful!
Wet and wounded, I slogged into lunch. We were all so soaked, we just sat in puddles to eat. A school was nice enough to open its doors to let us dry off, but when you're soaked through, being inside doesn't help much. But it was lovely to be warm for a bit just the same. I plowed on, hitting the final three miles with a thrill of excitement. My foot pain, which had been increasing, faded as I thought of how far I'd come. I walked with a friend I made the very first day (Chris, my limp partner) and with two ladies who were old friends. We laughed and joked and thought about the journey as we entered the final park along Lake Michigan.
The waves pounded along the beach in the distance. I turned a corner (now by myself since the other ladies had stopped to make phone calls) and there was the finish line about a quarter mile away. I wanted to run. I wanted to hold out my arms and FLY. But I limped. The crowd got thicker as I came up, people crying and cheering and giving high fives. And then I stepped up to the yellow line that signified the finish and jumped on it with both sore feet (what can I say, I'm an entertainer). The crowd went nuts, I was crying and there was my husband, RUNNING to get to me. I was crying and laughing and overwhelmed.
The things you learn when you aren't looking.
Did you know that it is in the human spirit to keep going, even when
thing look bleak? I saw that all weekend. I saw it in myself, too. I've
always figured I was pretty tough on the inside. I mean, I'm a writer,
we have to have thick skins. But I never knew that I could power through
physical pain, too. That I could keep going even when I wanted to quit.
That I could do something so amazing.
Over the last six months, I've walked over 600 miles. 60 of them over a 72 hour period. I have never felt more proud of anything I've ever done. And I've never been so aware that I was having a life-altering experience right in the middle of having it. My foot is still screwed up, I'm tired. I think I still have heat rash on one calf. But I'm do it all again in a heartbeat.
The Chicago Breast Cancer 3-Day raised over $5.1 million. All in a 3-Day's work...
Thanks to those who donated items to the auction for my Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk:
Miriam Kriss, Irene Goodman Literary
Agency
Carrie Feron, Avon Books
May Chen, Avon Books
Tessa Woodward, Avon Books
Fred's Brother, Inc, Webhost/Design Company
Gail Barrett, Author
Alexandra Benedict, Author
Toni Blake, Author
Elizabeth Boyle, Author
Mary Castillo, Author
Robyn DeHart, Author
Flo Fitzpatrick, Author
Shana Galen, Author
Kelsy George, Author
Joyce Henderson, Author
Sophie Jordan, Author
Susan Lyons, Author
Anne Mallory, Author
Mary Reed McCall, Author
Tanya Michaels, Author
Pat Pritchard, Author
Sari Robins, Author
Eve Silver, Author
Sonia Singh, Author
Kathryn Smith, Author