Day 3 was absolutely beautiful. The weather was perfect, and the sun was out. What more could we ask for? We started off at Fairmount Park again and walked through the nearby small towns. Our first pit stop was located just across the street from a McDonalds, so we made that our pit stop, which started a trend for day 3. We each got something to drink and a breakfast sandwich, and I had my first soda in 3 days – bliss, I tell you! Inside the McDonalds, we met a woman who was on her way to church, dressed in her Sunday best. She said she was in her 70’s (75 I think?) but she didn’t look a day over 50. She promised to say a prayer for us, and we were once again on our way. We did stop at the pit stop to refill our water bottles, and it was there that we saw a guide dog named Anna Belle, walking with her very own 3 day credential!

We got a lot of swag on the 3day walk, otherwise known as “Stuff We All Get”, otherwise known as freebies! When one sweep van passed us on day 3 at a stop sign, they stopped and handed out pink ribbon pins, and the ribbon is wearing little sneakers. That was an awesome freebie. The Days Inn we stayed at gave us 3 day pencils, and Geno’s Cheesesteaks in Philly gave us Geno’s pens. It may be cheap promotional advertising for Geno’s, but to me, it’s a souvineer and a memory of my time in Philly. I wish I could have gotten more of those Geno’s pens, because they would have made some fun office gifts to bring back to my co-workers. Geno’s gave us bumper stickers too, but we accidently left them behind – oops! I also snagged from free 3day postcards at camp, which I’m using to send thank you notes to people who donated to me. It was nice to get freebies after spending so much money on the 3day – my gear, supplies, airfare, hotel, etc. As a former business owner of a website, one of the best advertising tips ever given to me was to invest in some promotional freebies to give to people, and I did. It’s nice to see others doing the same!

I just was thinking about my food habits during the 3 day. I ate at Carrabba’s before and after the walk, and I ate pizza and cheesesteaks during it. I ate bagels and cream cheese, chips, and animal crackers at the pit stops. And on day 3, we stopped for ice cream while we were walking. One big 60 mile buffet!

I knew it was only a matter of time before you’d be able to get WiFi access on a flight – I just read about it in this guide to airline WiFi. I’d pay for a service like that, no questions asked. 4 hours on a flight, and being able to surf the internet? Heck yeah. Or when I was traveling to and from the 3day, I could have been posting pictures for everyone back home from the plane, or making hotel reservations just in case camp got rained out…LOL!

After our pit stop in “Motown”, we walked past Drexel University (scaring several frat boys in the process) and onto the campus of the University of Philadelphia. What a beautiful campus! We stopped along the way several times to take pictures, including one at the famous LOVE scuplture. We stopped at an Amish farmers market and bought cookies and pumpkin bread – yum! The rain had let up, and the walk was great as far as the scenery. We continued walking towards downtown Philly, and our tummies were starting to growl – we knew the lunch stop was just a mile away. We rounded a corner, and there stood Mecca, in the form of Pat’s Cheesesteaks on the right, and Geno’s on the left. We knew what our lunch would be! We all got in line at Geno’s and ordered our cheesesteaks, and carried them to the lunch stop. We met up with Chris and Dana there at the medical tent and did some footcare before continuing on our way.

After lunch, we were in downtown Philly and even detoured off the route to see some historical sites. Our route took us right past the Christ Church, so we went in to see the inside. It helped that Sindy had been to Philly the year before for a family vacation, and she knew about all of the sites we were walking past. We passed by sailors on a street corner (what a nice pick me up!) and Ben Franklin’s gravesite, Betsy Ross’ house, several musuems, the Rocky steps (Sindy climbed them!) and finally, we were back at Fairmount Park. Sindy’s husband, Jeff, aka Team Husband, was there waiting for us, and we headed back to the hotel for the night again.

It’s been years since I rode a bike, but there was a time (back when I wasn’t old enough to drive!) that I rode one all over town. It was nothing for me to jump on my bike and ride 2+ miles to a friends house. The only bike I’ve been on since that time is the stationary bike at the YMCA, but there’s nothing like riding out in the fresh air. Beach cruisers are a comfy bike to ride, and unlike the name suggests, you don’t have to live at the beach to ride one. Cycling regularly will improve your fitness and can help you maintain your weight. It’s a great low-impact aerobic workout too!

My friend Kim, who did the walk in Tampa this year, has posted a 3day slideshow of pictures on her training blog. It’s neat to see the same things (camp, pit stops, etc) in a completely different setting. They walked on the beach for a while (that’s a workout!) and it looks like they enjoyed 3 rain-free days, unlike those of us who walked in Philly!

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In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, AOL has launched an AIMpage devoted to breast cancer and all those affected by it. People can share stories and feelings, and watch a documentry called The Breast Cancer Diaries, in which television journalist Ann Murray Paige turns the cameras on herself, documenting her entire experience—the bad and the good. You can also submit your own story.

I don’t just donate to breast cancer charities – another favorite way of “donating” is for me to give my clothes or old household items to a charity thrift store. Your gently used items are used by someone else, and the money goes to a good place. You can even donate a car if you don’t have a use for it, and that’s a nice deduction on your taxes.

And it’s amazing what people give away too – my mother has been able to find Longaberger baskets for less than $1 at our local thrift store. I’ve bought PartLite decor for a few dollars – less than 10% of what it cost originally. It’s like one big garage sale. If you’ve got too much stuff, donate it to charity!