Today is Colleen’s 30th birthday! She is our team co-captain, and my younger sister (feelin’ my age)…feel free to drop her some special birthday love in the form of a donation to our cause! You can find here through the Breast Cancer 3 day site www.the3day.org…and search for her by name (Colleen Caldwell) under the Philadelphia link! Thanks, and Happy Birthday Colleen!!

Saturday was the beginning of tax free week here in Florida, so I took advantage of that, and the sale at Target on Champion C9 gear (which ended Saturday). Got my last sports bra, a pair of shorts, and 1 pair of the dry wick undies (they only had 1 in my size). I’ll have to check another Target this week to get the rest while they are still tax free.

I walked Saturday morning, this time swayed from the normal route and went through Lansbrook for a change of scenery. They have a trail all through there, and it’s got a lot of shade. I didn’t have a planned route, just started walking on the trail , and if I saw a yard sale sign, I’d veer over and follow the signs….so I got to walk and browse thru some sales! Came out on East Lake Rd by the Publix, and had to cross over and use their potty after 1 bottle of water and 1 bottle of sports drink!

I went to Target tonight and grabbed on of the C9 tanks on sale, as well as a sports bra and some of the dry wick bikini underwear.  I also snagged some Pantene travel size bottles of shampoo and conditioner to bring, for only 69 cents each.

I think for everything else we may need to assign things to bring to people – there’s no sense in everyone bringing their own bottle of something if it’s not all going to get used up, especially given the 35 lbs weight limit for our duffel bags.

Champion C9 gear on sale this week at Target! This is the workout gear with the material that “wicks” away the sweat…I have the sports bra and they are great for walking/training!

One of the ladies that Cheryl met on Saturday at her training walk did the walk last year.  She said the showers were “open forum”, which apparently is a phrase for “no privacy”.  Just a row of shower heads, no barriers or curtains.  Think “high school locker room”.

I am not a shy person by any means…I’ve given birth in front of my mother, mother in law, and my sisters.  (And some of those people have seen me give birth 3 times!)  I dance on top of bars and skinny dip.  I flash my friends.  So why is the thought of showering in a front of strangers making me break out into a cold sweat?

So, have you thought about what you are going to pack for the 3 day? Have you figured out how you are going to stuff it all into a 35 lb duffel bag? A few things I found when going over the checklist, that I hadn’t thought of bringing….Plastic tarp (in case of wet weather to cover your gear), clothespins (to hold the tarp down), Flashlight w/batteries, Mirror, Bug Spray, a flag or marker for your tent. How on earth are we going to get that, plus clothes for 3 days, towel, extra shoes, sleeping bag, raingear, first aid kit, and toiletries into ONE duffel bag that weighs no more than 35 lbs??

The Philly route has been posted on the 3 day website! Go to the Information tab, click on About the 3 Day, and Philadelphia Event Info. There you can see where opening and closing ceremonies are, so those of us that have to fly in can start looking at pricing. No hotel info has been posted yet. There is also a blurb about American Airlines offering discounts for 3 day travellers and a special number to call and find out about that.

I went on the training walk Saturday morning in Palm Harbor, met some nice ladies who are doing the 3 day here in Tampa. The walk leader, Kim, had done the 3 day last year and had lots of good info to share. We started at Wall Springs Park , went south on the Pinellas Trail to the Palm Harbor Resort RV & Trailer park, then turned around and came back north on the trail to Klosterman Rd, turned back around and went back to the park and did a loop throughout…6 miles when all was done. We saw geese in someone’s yard, a family of river otters playing in a creek, and stopped to visit the monkeys at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary (former chimp farm)  in Tarpon!!

Last night I went walking in a new neighborhood where a friend lives.  It had HILLS!  Who knew Florida had hills?  They didn’t look big til we had to walk up them.  I could barely speak as I trudged my way up the last hill.  I think I need to practice over there a bit more, in case Philly isn’t a nice, flat route.

I did have the very attractive sausage fingers after our 3 mile walk. 

Here is camera phone proof that I was on a hill – you can barely make out the horizon here, but the view was so pretty!