My sister will be walking in Philly in just ONE week! I really wish I was going to be there with her. With each passing day, I get more and more concerned about walking in Tampa in the heat. I’m a big wimp. Then again, I know that if it’s cold and / or rainy in Philadelphia, I’d be a big wimp about that too. Basically, I want to walk only on sunny days when it’s about 80 degrees out. Can that be arranged?

In just 2 weeks, my sister and her cousin will be walking in the 3-Day in Philly. She was actually in New Jersey this week for business, so she was able to see first hand how the weather is. Hopefully, she’ll have a much drier experience than we did last year. I really wanted to be there with her, and briefly considered volunteering as a crew member for her walk, but in the end I decided it would be too much traveling, with my walk coming up just 2 weeks after her walk. Hopefully she’ll be able to call me during the walk with an update. I don’t think she’ll have internet access like we did last year, thanks to Sindy’s laptop!

It’s funny how small, meaningless things in life often put is in the right place at the right time. Lately, I’ve been wondering if I took on too much by signing up to do the 3-Day for a 2nd time. I relied a lot on my sister and Sindy last year to inspire me. I seriously would have quit on the first day, because I was SO cold and miserable. I’m wondering if the heat this year will turn me into the same whining wimp I was an hour into the walk last year.

Tonight, I dropped off my daughter at a youth event at church and noticed a mom at the back of the room wearing a pink shirt and pink hat, and there wasn’t any hair peeking out from under the brim. I normally wouldn’t approach anyone and ask anyone about their health status, but something in me made me walk to the back of the room and talk to her. I introduced myself and said, “I don’t mean to pry, but I couldn’t help but notice your pink clothing. Do you have breast cancer?”

She said yes, and I told her about the walk. I actually started to get a quivering voice, and I could feel my eyes welling up with tears as I talked to this mom, and I didn’t even cry at the closing ceremonies last year! I told her that I would be so honored if she shared her name with me, so that I could carry it with me on my walk, and let everyone know she was a survivor, that she was fighting breast cancer. She agreed, and now I’ll be carrying the name “Tina Q.” with me on my journey. I thanked her and left, knowing that if I stayed longer I’d cry.

I needed that moment tonight to remind me why I’m doing this. I can put up with the heat, the blisters, sleeping in a tent, and the portable toilets for people like Tina, who are putting up with chemo & radiation, pain & illness, depression & anxiety, and the possibility of leaving their husbands and children and their families too soon.

I can do it.

I just realized there are only about 6 weeks left til the walk. In true “waiting til the last minute” form, I haven’t worried about packing, or buying a sleeping bag or air mattress yet. I did make plans to get a room on Thursday night close to the starting point so that I don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to get started. Jim will be coming down on Friday to go to cheering stations with the kids, and again on Sunday to join me at the closing ceremonies.

I gotta say - it was neat walking in Philly last year, but I’m really looking forward to having my little family visit me on the route and at the end!

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.

Did you know you can send me a letter, a note, or a card during the 3-Day? (Sorry, no email!) It’s great to get back to 3-Day camp after a long, tiring day, and find letters from friends waiting for you to give you the lift you need! You need to postmark your letter by October 5th in order for it to reach me during the walk.

Please send letters to:
3-Day Camp Post Office
c/o Colleen Caldwell (WALKER)
PO Box 5487
Sarasota, FL 34277-5487

You’ve got to put my name on the outside for it to get to my mailbox at the 3-Day, so don’t forget!

Check in for the 3-Day is next week! October seems so far away, when it’s really just a few more weeks. Walks have already begun in other parts of the country, and it’s only a matter of time before I’m packing my gear and strapping on my sneakers for another 60 miles. Maybe I’ll walk off the 5 pounds that have settled on my hips! I haven’t trained as much this year as I did last year, but that’s not worrying me. The heat is worrying me. I’m a wimp when it comes to walking in the heat, and if I’m camping in the heat, I’ll be cranky. My tent mate might regret offering to share a tent with me

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!