Breast Cancer 3 Day: Tips from the Inside

3 Day Tips…
for walkers who have yet to walk this year… and for myself when next year comes around and all these tid-bits have scattered from my brain

Packing
1. Definitely put everything in sealed plastic bags. We got rain 2 nights. My bag got wet but everything inside was dry as a bone! And bring a few extras just in case (I used the 2.5 gallon size for my clothes and shoes).

2. Bring extra black trash bags. We put our duffel bags into the trash bags to keep them dry overnight (when you put a queen sized air mattress in a tent there is no room for your bag, which if you pack accordingly is not a problem).

3. Depending what time you get back to camp you may not need a 'camp outfit.' Walking around in pjs after you shower is perfectly acceptable. The key is comfort and dressing for the weather (either warm, cold or wet depending).

4. If you wear a baseball cap, bring one for each day. Between rain and sweat you may find yourself with a wet hat that can't be worn the next day. I was glad to have 3.

5. If you have a plain, non-descript bag, use duct tape to put your tent letter/number in big characters on your bag. I did mine in pink duct tape (channeling my good friend Jenni Booth). It stayed on the whole time and it was easy to spot.

Camping
1. Check out the Bank of America tent for the massage chairs- they do your feet and back at the same time and its 5 minutes of heaven. If you have the time, do it twice! It gives you a fresher start the next day.

2. On Saturday night there were actual, human massage therapists at the Energizer tent!! I think you had to get there early to get signed up so check it out as soon as you come back. We missed out- I won't let that happen again.

3. If you need to get blisters or other foot care taken care of at the Medical Tent when you arrive at Camp, eat and shower first. Once they bandage your feet you don't want to undo it all in the shower.

4. There are phone/ipod chargers at both the AT&T Tent and the Bank of America Tent (no power anywhere else so no need to bring your own charger). At the Bank of America Tent you'll need to stay close-by, but with the AT&T charging station they give you a number and you can come back to pick up your device. Very handy!

5. Bring a tarp, or ideally 2. Put one under and one over your tent in case of rain.

6. If you're a light sleeper, bring earplugs. People are up later than 9p and up around 4:30/5:00am.

7. There are some small shelves in the shower stall on which to put your toiletries. I used the insert to my LL Bean Personal Organizer which had a little hook I could loop over the shelf. It held my soap, shampoo/conditioner and razor. Perfect.

The Walk
1. Bring a clean bandana for each day of the walk. Tie it to your pack and put ice in it whenever you can to keep cool (and in the process, wash off the sweat).

2. Bring two pairs of clean socks if you can fit them. I loved having the option to change my socks twice during the day. I also had my moleskin for my heels pre-cut. Made changing out much easier- no need to hit the Medical tent.

3. If your muscles are getting sore- keep stretching (that goes without saying really), but also check in with the Medical Tent about BioFreeze. It comes in a little packet and looks like aloe that you'd put on after a sunburn. At first it won't feel like its doing anything and then it gets tingly like Ben Gay and its great! It really takes the edge off. They have it at the Medical Tent at Camp and at each Pit Stop/Grab & Go.

4. If you have family and friends interested in coming out to see you along the way- ask them to come later in the day and, ideally, don't find out where they are along the route. It will be a huge incentive for you to keep walking and its so much fun not knowing when you may see them!

5. Day Two is tough! I'm not going to lie to you. Its hard. You're already tired from Day 1. You just got through your first night of camping and it probably didn't go as well as you would have liked-- no one sleeps all that great in a tent… There's nothing extra special to look forward to at the end of the day- on Day 1 you've got the incentive of seeing Camp and on Day 3 you FINISH- so that makes Day 2 more of a challenge. But you can do it! Save some of your mail from Day 1 to read when you get back to Camp that night. Buy yourself a t-shirt at night or make a phone call to someone you love. Day 2 was the toughest for me, but I'll tell you that made Day 3 all the more sweet!

6. Buy portable ipod speakers. Do it now. Today. Do not pass GO! Do not collect $200. Run out and buy speakers now. Remember how I said Day 2 was tough? I can almost 100% guarantee it will be easier if you've got speakers with some upbeat music to get you through the day. Something like this. We followed some people with these for awhile and it brought us so much joy! Have each team member make a playlist and pass it around. You won't be sorry!

7. Put a poncho in your pack. If its warm and it rains you'll probably be ok without it, but in case its coming down fiercely and you're getting cold, it will make a big difference.

For Families and Friends (aka Cheerleaders)
1. Bring clapper type devices that do the clapping for you! You'll be excited to scream and clap but I'm sure your hands will be tired quickly.

2. If its hot, bring things to cool down the walkers. They'll want to kiss your feet! Sprayers to spray water (lesson learned from our team- bring something to protect your hands from blisters after repeated squeezing). Coolers full of ice they can dunk their bandanas in. Freeze-pops. Popsicles. Frozen grapes. Watermelon. A hose or sprinkler (if you live on the route).

3. Make a sign! Better yet- have little kids make signs! So cute and super motivating!

4. Bring music- a big boom box. It lets the walkers knowing that they're getting close to something really FUN!

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Hope this helps! I'll update the lists if I think of anything else.

Happy walking!