You only have about 3 more weeks to mail me a letter that I can get at the 3-Day walk. Even though my walk isn’t until the end of October, all letters and cards must be postmarked by October 5th in order to be sorted in time. Keep in mind, there are THOUSANDS of walkers that could potentially receive mail. I’d love to get a note from you!
Please send letters to:
3-Day Camp Post Office
c/o Colleen Caldwell (WALKER)
PO Box 5487
Sarasota, FL 34277-5487
Next month, I’m taking an active role in not one, but two charity events. As you all know, I’m walking 60 miles in the 3-Day for Breast Cancer. However, 2 weeks prior to that event, I’m walking in the Alzheimer’s Association Memory Walk. Now, I’m well aware that not everyone is physically able to get out and walk a few miles to support a great charity. Some would rather donate via their checkbook. I’m also aware that each month, my friends invite me to various “home parties” where I’m encouraged to buy things from a catalog. Just this weekend I spent $60 on jewelry at a home party at a friends house. How about having a fundraising party instead, to encourage your friends to donate to a worthy cause? World Alzheimer’s Day is on September 21st, so this is a great time to throw a Purple Party and invite your friends, family, and coworkers over to raise money for the Alzheimer’s Association.
Your very own Purple Party can take any shape or form, and you can combine it with another event. How about throwing yourself a Purple birthday party and asking for donations instead of presents? What about a Purple garage sale, with the profits being donated to the Alzheimer’s Association? Or just invite people over for a night of fun and fellowship at your house, and serve all purple foods! (Grapes, grape soda, grape Jello…)
If the idea of raising money for a good cause is still a bit daunting, you can get some free help in the form of a free World Alzheimer’s Day party kit, as long as you’re one of the first 500 people to register online to throw your Purple Party! The free party kit includes A DVD of Alzheimer’s celebrity champions, speaking points donation forms, cocktail napkins, and even thank you cards. The site will assist you in setting up a page for your party, emailing, and reminding guests, and it will even allow guests to donate online if they can’t attend your party.
One more HUGE reason to participate is that all donations in September will be matched dollar for dollar by The Harrah’s Foundation. Even if you just raise $150, those funds will be doubled when the donation is made!
I found this cute video featuring the very same Thorlo socks I got in the mail a few months ago. They’re on board as one of the official 3-Day sponsors this year, too!
For the record, my socks have never given me a pedicure in bed. I think most women training for the walk don’t sleep in full makeup (including lipstick!) either. LOL! But my Thorlos DO keep my feet comfy, cool, and cushioned through 60 miles of walking during the 3-Day. I’ll take that over socks that give me a pedicure anyday!
This weekend provided proof that walking in the wrong shoes can cause you a lot of pain.
We went to Disney, and I packed two pairs of shoes. The first pair, which I wear ALL the time, gave me a blister on my heel, so I decided to wear my flip flops (which I only packed to wear to the pool) to the parks on Saturday. On Sunday, I paid dearly for that! My calves were so sore and achy.
I’m quite confident that one of the reasons I was able to make it 60 miles in last years walk was due to the excellent sneakers I had. They were so great, that when I needed sneakers for the 2007 walk, I bought the exact same pair! Why fix what isn’t broken?
I emailed back and forth a bit with my tent mate, Kim, about the 3-Day earlier today. I’m planning on bringing an air mattress and a portable pump for our tent. As I told Kim, if I’ve got to sleep in a tent, we may as well have some level of comfort for our tired, aching bodies! Adding to the fun, we’ve never walked together, so it remains to be seen if my pace will match Kim’s, and vice versa. Oh, and the heat – you can’t forget about the oppressive Florida heat, even in October!
Good times.
When I first started training for the 3-Day last year, I was told about Thorlo socks, and that I definitely needed them for walk. I balked a bit at having to fork over $10 for a pair of socks, but let me tell you – they are worth EVERY penny! I saw tons of walkers in Thorlo socks last year, and was happy to hear that Thorlo has joined as an official sponsor this year. They even sent me a free pair of pink and white socks a few months ago called the Distance Walker.
Buy and bring enough pairs so that you have 2 pairs of socks per day. Pack an extra pair in your fanny pack, and when you stop for lunch take off your shoes. Let your feet breathe for a while! Put on moleskin to cover any hot spots, and apply body glide to your feet. Put on fresh socks – you’ll be amazed at the difference it makes!
LaCroix water will be back out at the 3-Day walk this year. I drank a ton of LaCroix (and Gatorade) during the walk last year, and even sampled some of the fancy LaCroix flavors at camp. They’ve got lemon, lime, berry, orange – and it’s a nice switch from soda, especially when you’re trying to avoid getting dehydrated in the heat.
From now until November, LaCroix is selling 12 packs and 1 liter bottles for the “Help Us Help The Cause” promotion. You can submit two 12 pack UPC codes and a $10 donation and receive a limited edition 3-day pin, with all proceeds benefiting the Breast Cancer 3-Day.
New Balance is sponsoring the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk for the 4th year in a row! They’ve also go a brand new sneaker, called the 844, that is the Official Shoe of this years walk. (Sorry, New Balance, I’ve got to stick with my Saucony sneakers!(
What I do like about the 844 is that it features a pink ribbon on the sneaker. I’m sure it’s a much more attractive shoe than my bright orange and white sneakers. It’s part of the Lace Up For The Cure collection, and 15% of sales from those items will be going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. A minimum of $500,000 will be donated!
I’m not ever up early enough to see Good Morning America, but I did hear the news that GMA anchor Robin Roberts has breast cancer.
Robin did a self breast examination recently and found a lump. Her doctor performed a biopsy and confirmed that the lump was indeed breast cancer. Robin will be having surgery and follow up treatment over the next few months, but because she found her lump early, her prognosis is excellent!
My sister completed her last fund raising event this weekend. She had already met her goal, but had this event scheduled prior to meeting goal, so she did it anyway and will share the proceeds with team members who still need help. It’s amazing to me to think about raising all of this money, and other walkers doing the same thing in their hometowns, and how that will affect breast cancer in the years to come. Not only can we provide early detection methods to all, regardless of ability to pay, but maybe, someday, we can find a way to cure cancer for good.
Perhaps you don’t know how the Susan G. Koman Foundation came to be – the foundation was created by a woman named Nancy Brinker. Her sister, Susan G. Koman had died from breast cancer at the age of 36. Obviously, Susan’s life was not a life lived in vain. Her memory lives on for others, in the hearts of more than 75,000 volunteers (like me!) who believe cancer can be stopped someday. It’s an amazing feeling to be part of something so big, and yet so personal. I have friends and family members who have been affected by breast cancer, and walking 60 miles is just one small thing I can do. I can’t wait for October! It will be hot, and there will be aches and pains and blisters, but it’s all worth it.
This post was made possible by Navtej Kohli:
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