Donuts, Wisdom, and Roses

The first period of training for the Susan G Komen 3-Day was marked by boundless enthusiasm. The skies were blue and the breezes balmy as I enjoyed pleasant 4-6 miles walks on the beach, in the mountains, or around town. I was buoyed by the financial support of friends and family who flocked to my side with contributions. I was fueled by the desire to give back to an organization that helped fund research from which I (and many friends) had benefited.

Given I had not been a couch potato, I felt confidently far ahead of the physical preparation targets recommended to first time participants. And I blithely was willing to throw myself into the experience with a naïve fervor; ready to embrace the experience of walking 20 miles, using port-a-potties and camps showers, and sleeping on a mat in a tent near the ocean in a community of like-minded, newly-minted besties.

This plan earned relatively frequent smirks from my family members, who reminded me of my lifelong insistence that vacations demand room service and hot showers.

During the first few weeks of the official “24 Week Training Plan,” I only occasionally referred to the schedule because my total weekly miles were far in excess of expectations. However, I have been suddenly confronted with the fact that “the plan” now calls for longer hikes than have been a part of my daily life.

I can no longer depend on my physically active social life alone to meet my training needs and realize I have a variety of obstacles to overcome as my training schedule begins to demand 10+ mile jaunts.

Training Partners

While I am surrounded by supportive walking companions and am happy to walk alone on well-loved routes, new, longer, and more physically demanding routes require knowledgeable partners. Fortunately, Komen provides a variety of tools to help connect participants with each other. As a result, I have been welcomed into hikes led by experienced distance challenge participants.

These people have introduced me to new training routes and been generous with their knowledge. This weekend, the absolutely delightful Dee invited Komen walkers to join her on a 10 mile exploration through the canals of Long Beach’s Belmont Shores, to a pit stop for piping hot donuts and iced Hawaiian coffee, along the beach, to the end of the pier, around the marina, through cute boutiques, and, finally, onto a water taxi which returned us to our point of origin – and where we enjoyed propping our feet up on the railing as we passed the Queen Mary and observed an international sailing regatta.

Propping the feet up on the water taxi after 10 miles of exploration.

Wisdom

While I have scoured Reddit, Koman Facebook pages, and 3-Day bloggers to find answers to my questions and compile a comprehensive list of clothing and equipment necessary for the best possible Komen experience, knowledge and wisdom are not the same thing.

In addition to introducing me to an entertaining training route, Dee rapidly and thoroughly convinced me that I will enjoy the “Pink Bubble” far more from the comfort of a room in the affiliated hotel than I would shivering in wet, night air following a cold, camp shower after a long day of walking. Frankly, I’m amused my commitment to being among the tent campers lasted as long as it did given my lifelong assertion that vacations do not involve existing in less luxurious accommodations than one’s own home.

Dee also emphasized the important of training multiple long days in a row given the nature of the 3-Day event, inspiring me to follow up a 15-mile day with an 8-mile one. While long Saturday and Sunday hikes with shorter midweek ones are the foundation of the published training schedule, hearing Dee articulate the importance of this structure was invaluable.

Kicking the distance up a notch in July!

Time

Apparently, training to walk 60 miles in 3 days is not something that simply happens.

While I have grown into an avid hiker over the past two years, it has been something I do when scheduling permits – not something I have shifted to accommodate. But it will not be possible to achieve my training targets if I don’t plan around my hiking rather than hike at my convenience.

It will be necessary, from this point forward, to commit two consecutive days a week to 4-6 hour walks. Once transportation (and recovery) is factored in, this amounts to two dedicated walking days per week.

I have had to temporarily deviate from my commitment to refusing to participate in anything that requires my alarm to blare earlier than 7:30 am. While we are experiencing delightfully brisk weather this week, taking advantage of cooler morning temperatures will be essential rather than elective.

Furthermore, it appears the entire hiking and walking world shares a fascination with sunrises, something I can’t comprehend when sunsets are a spectacular alternative.

Support

Helping me navigate these epiphanies are many remarkable people – both in my daily world and popping up from that past.

My most recent supporters have included Diane – who was one of my first donors and made an additional contribution this week. I touched base with her to make sure she recalled she had already supported this campaign, and she assured me she did but that she was inspired by it and wished to increase her support. She is also supporting me by joining me Friday as I retrace the route Dee led last weekend, so both her wallet and her feet are helping me cross the Komen finish line.

I also received the support of PR. PR’s support is particularly meaningful as every single memory I have of her links to my sister – so she gifted me the luxury some of my favorite memories; such as Carla and her with dripping wet faces from bobbing for apples at a Halloween party right after moving into our new home the year they were in first grade and I was a sophisticated third grader. So thank you Paula-Rose, for the support today and for bringing my sister back by popping into my life this week 🌹🌹🌹🌹 to you.