Things I've Learned On The 3-Day, Part 1

Most of you know that that I'm preparing to walk in my fifth consecutive 3-Day. Five years ago, I knew very little about breast cancer, other than that a lot of women got it and many of them died. In November 2003, my longtime friend Stacey, a 48-year-old woman in seemingly perfect health, was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a shock to her and everyone who knew her, including me.

The lump was small, barely perceptible, and the cancer had not yet spread. She underwent a double mastectomy, electing to eliminate as much risk as possible of the disease returning. She began chemotherapy; each treatment left her sick and weak for several days. I thought of her often and by the time I saw her again in February, I was already trying to find a way to support her while she healed. I wanted to do something – something big and important and meaningful.

One evening in April 2004, as Stacey approached the end of her chemo treatments, I heard a radio commercial for something called the Breast Cancer 3-Day, a 60-mile walk to be held in the Twin Cities in September. I sat up and exclaimed, “That’s it – that’s what I can do!”

Initially, I didn’t appreciate the effort required to walk sixty miles over three consecutive days. I figured, I’m in pretty good shape; I already walk on a regular basis. Twenty miles a day? No problem.

I had a lot to learn.

The first thing I needed to learn was how far twenty miles really was – and how long it takes to walk. Even at a good pace of three miles an hour, faster than most of the people you see walking down the street, that’s nearly seven hours of continuous walking. Factor in breaks to rest, to eat, and to…uh…use the facilities, and you’re talking about a long day of intense physical exertion. Multiply that by three and you’ve got members of my family questioning my sanity.

In early June, I met a group of other walkers at a park for a training walk. I was eager to meet people whose mental stability may have been almost as questionable as mine. We began walking and I soon fell into friendly banter with four or five people who already knew each other.

“By the way,” I asked, “how far are we walking today?”

“About ten miles,” said Jim, the only other man in the group. “We’ve been following the recommended training schedule. But I’ve already done a couple of ten-milers in the past two weeks or so.”

I didn’t tell them that my longest training walk to that point had been five miles. I carried one water bottle in my hand. The others wore waist packs that held two bottles – one for water and one for Gatorade, as well as other necessities like band-aids and moleskin. I wore a pair of leather Reebok walking shoes that I’d been wearing for more than a year. The others wore new, lightweight training shoes, specifically designed for distance walking.

I went shopping the next day.


Next time...Blisters 101 and a word (or two) about breasts.


Scott's Official 3-Day Countdown: 94 Days until Day 1