Walking Strong: A Diary of the 3-Day, 60-Mile Walk to Benefit Breast Cancer Research

By Summer Hogan

This year I finally committed to being a part of something that I had wanted to try for a few years now, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day. It is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Even though it is 60 miles, many people say, “but it’s walking, how hard could it be?” Let me tell you just how hard it was.

First, there is the training. I am a certified Pilates instructor and I work out 6-7 days a week, but nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to put my body through. The walk was June 10-12, so in March I decided to buy a treadmill. I figured that I had better start building up my walking stamina to go the 60 miles. On the nights I wasn’t doing Pilates, I would walk three miles after dinner. This equaled approximately one hour and I burned 400 calories. I did this 3-4 times a week. In April I began walking each night with my new shoes so I could break them in. We were warned that blisters could pose a problem on the walk (little did I know). In addition to training at home on the treadmill, I participated in training walks at Lake Grapevine on the weekends.

Walkers from previous years gave us lots of useful “pointers.” Basically, regarding clothing, we were told, “no cotton.” We needed to buy clothing constructed with “wicking material” to pull the moisture away from our skin. Next, we were told that we needed to stay hydrated by rotating water and sports drinks throughout the walk, and to eat lots of salty foods. The week before the walk it was suggested we eat lots of carbs to keep our energy levels up, which would also provide enough calories to burn throughout the day. If you did the math, we were burning approximately 2,800 calories a day. At home, I made spaghetti and ate that for dinner three nights before the big event. Of course, the first night we sat down to dinner at the walk, they served us spaghetti. I had never been more disgusted by the sight of spaghetti than I was at that very moment.

DAY 1
The first day we walked 21.5 miles. I don’t think any of us were really prepared for what we were going to endure over the next three days. We all finished around 5 p.m. after starting our walk Friday morning around 7 a.m. There are three rules that are pounded into your brain the minute you begin the 3-day. They are called the 3 Rs: Refuel, Rehydrate and Relieve. Refuel: You must keep eating throughout the walk. They suggest you eat something, such as pretzels, fruit, power bars, etc., every half hour. Rehydrate: of course, you need to stay hydrated, so you drink and you drink and then you drink some more! Relieve: You must relieve yourself when the opportunity arrives. They actually handed out stickers at the portapotties when you went to the restroom! (I don’t know if I have ever been so happy to see my personal bathroom & toilet, as I was the that Sunday evening when the walk was over!)

DAY 2
Blisters were our main problem at the end of the first day and they only got worse over the next two days. By the second morning, after getting rained on in our tents, we were ready for day 2, which consisted of 23.5 miles. This was my hardest day. No matter how much you train or what great shape you may be in, you can’t comprehend walking 10-11 hours straight for three consecutive days. It is almost more than your body can handle, emotionally and physically. I have never met so many strong, determined women in my life, and in those three days I met so many people who I felt like I had known for years. I know I will always keep in contact with them from now on.

DAY 3
When we finished the last day, I was in some sort of strange daze. My body was beginning to shut down. With little sleep and exhaustion setting in, I didn’t think that I could walk one more mile. I guess that is the whole point, though. We were all walking for the people who currently have, had or will suffer hard and long through chemotherapy and radiation - walking three days in their honor was the least I could do. We each had to raise a minimum of $2,100 to participate in the 3-Day Walk. It really didn’t seem like that amount of money would make much of a difference, until they announced that over 1,500 people were walking and together, just in the Dallas/Ft. Worth 3-Day, we had raised $4.1 million.

Now, that is worth every step…

All Fitness Focus Articles