Day 3 - The End

As you can imagine, we had no trouble sleeping after Day 2. We got up around 5:15am and started our day. We got dressed, took our tent down, packed up our stuff and took it to gear check, and ate breakfast. After we got all of that done, we headed back to the medics. I had three more blisters popped and had my feet wrapped up in the hopes that no more blisters would form. That's not exactly how it ended up though. We got started a little earlier on Day 3 so we didn't feel rushed at every stop. Edie was freezing but I thought the temperature was comfortable. I think my favorite outfits were the ones we wore on Day 3. I loved the houndstooth applique. Everyone kept saying "Roll Tide!" It helped that Alabama had won their game the night before.

Our strategy was to keep walking. If we stopped for too long we knew that it would be over. We were worn out! We did have a lot of great scenery though. We walked through some beautiful parks. We went through some more beautiful neighborhoods. There was one lady in the afternoon that stood on her porch and sprayed the hose on us. It was a nice, cool refreshment. We also walked through the campus of Georgia Tech and Emory. Those campuses were much bigger than Judson :-).


A little after mile 7, I stopped and had a few more blisters popped and my foot wrapped again. I was hoping that it would last me to the end. As tired as everyone was, they were still having a good time. While I was having my foot wrapped, the Youth Corp were giving "Wobble" lessons. I didn't feel like I needed a lesson in wobbling on Day 3 but I realized they were talking about a dance move :-). The Youth Corp was awesome. It is a group of pre-teens and teenagers under 16 that help out with cheering stations, handing out drinks and snacks and trying to keep the general morale up and they did a great job. Their parents were walking the 60 miles so it was a way to get the whole family involved.

When we stopped for lunch we went ahead and got in the medic line...again. Same old, same old...I had blisters popped and the feet wrapped. The doctor said they were basically there to do whatever that could to make us comfortable enough to finish. Once we left there, Edie and I decided we wouldn't stop unless we needed to. Our legs were definitely on auto-pilot at that point and we just had to keep moving. Finally we came close to Turner Field and we knew that was it!

There were crowds of people on either side of the walkway that were congratulating us and thanking us for walking. There were families of survivors and survivors themselves. If we had had any energy we probably would have cried but I didn't have it in me. And then we were done! It was such an awesome feeling. We had accomplished something that many, many people couldn't do. We ended up not even staying for the closing ceremony. We both had to drive back to Tuscaloosa that night and we knew that would be harder and harder the later we stayed.

I pulled into my driveway around 9ish that night and I think I was still in shock. I had a gorgeous banner, that the kids made for me, hanging on the wall. I hardly said a word and I was out like a light. On Monday morning, I got up and headed to the day spa. Edie and I had lunch there too and I asked her if she kind of had an empty feeling and she said yes. We had participated in this outrageous event, met so many people and heard so many stories. We had been training and fund-raising for 6 months. We had been talking to all of our friends and family about it and we both felt like "now what?". It is very hard to explain. I'm so glad I did this walk and I am a better person for it. Maybe I'm just a little sad that it is all over with.

Thank you so much for all of the support that you have given me and thank you for following my whole journey. I don't know that I will participate in this event again but I do highly recommend it to everyone. You will come away with such a great feeling....I promise!

Day 2 - The Longest Day

After an awesome and exhausting first day, it was a little hard to get up the next morning. We probably went to sleep somewhere between 10:30 and 11:00 the night before. I woke up at some point in the middle of the night and felt sick. I got up and got a small bag of potato chips (salt) and some water and went out in the lobby to eat. After that I felt better. Walking back in to camp, I noticed that there were several people up and walking around as well. We all looked like zombies from the show "The Walking Dead" :-)
Anyway, Day 2 we started out a little slow. We were moving a little slower but we weren't moving as bad as we thought we would! Before we left we had decided we would save our most outrageous outfit for Day 2: our tutus and shaggy bras.

We wanted to wear this outfit because we knew it would help with our morale. We were in a great mood all day and we were excited too because my Mom was going to be at mile 14! We had to be out of camp by 8:30am and we were hoping to be out by 7:45am but we ended up running a bit behind. Our outfits worked too! Everyone we walked by would tell us how much they loved our outfits. The crew told us how much they loved them too. It would really cheer us up when we felt like just sitting down.  I felt like the hills were worse the second day but it could have just been because my muscles were sore.

sea of pink behind us going uphill

We did have a few good downhill slopes but I think that might have been where I got my blisters. We walked through the most gorgeous neighborhoods. There were huge houses and mansions. Atlanta takes their yard decorating very seriously. It was fun to see all of the Halloween decorations. I would love to go back at Christmas.

I forgot to pack an extra pair of socks that day. At first I thought I would be okay but the closer we got to lunch I knew I was going to need socks. We walked by a little strip mall and it had a North Face store. I went in and bought the most expensive pair of socks I have ever bought! $17 for a pair of socks!



Four Boobs

Day 2 was much like Day 1 except that our muscles were a little sore so we were moving a little bit slower. All along the route there were people that were dressed up, people handing out candy and drinks to us, and cheering us on. We even ran into a couple of women dressed as boobs. They were giving out sweet tea! We walked most of the day with a childhood friend of mine from middle school. Her name is also Jessica. We had not seen each other since 7th grade! We met up with my Mom at mile 14 and we briefly told her about what we had done that day and the day before. Seeing my Mom, gave us the inspiration to make it the remaining six miles. When you do so many miles a day your legs and feet are sort of on auto pilot. We just kept going until we could stop for good!
 


me and childhood friend, Jessica



me and my Mom, our inspiration

Earlier in the day when we stopped for lunch, I took my shoes off and realized that I was starting to get some blisters. I covered those areas with mole skin so I could make it the rest of the day. The mole skin helped where my blisters were but I did manage to get more too.
 
When we finally made it back to camp, we went to our tent, went to the showers and then went to eat. Again, we didn't eat much because our mouths were so dry that it was hard to swallow anything. We really weren't hungry either. After dinner we got in the medic line. I ended up having a podiatry student look at my feet. He lanced the two biggest blisters and sent me on my way. I noticed two more big blisters before I went to bed and had to wait until the next morning to have anything done about it.


Roll Tide!

We actually had a little time before they turned the lights out! We got most of our stuff packed up and made sure we had everything ready for the next day. We were definitely moving slow and we were definitely hurting. Once they did turn the lights out we were playing around on our phones (had to check the score of the game!). Finally we couldn't take anymore and we fell fast asleep.
Day 2 was very hard but it seems like everytime it got tough you had some sort of reminder of why you were doing this. That feeling kept you going until the very end.


40 miles done!!

Pre-Walk and Day One

We are back! We had such a great time and it truly was an awesome and humbling experience. I don't have time to blog about the whole weekend all at once so I will break it up into 3 posts.
Edie and I got to Atlanta Thursday evening. We stopped in Leeds on the way to do a little outlet shopping. We had every intention of going out for a nice, relaxing dinner but that didn't happen. Once we finally got checked in and got to our room, I went into the bathroom. I looked all over the place and then came out and asked Edie to go in the bathroom and find the toilet paper. She couldn't find it and we called the front desk. Ten minutes later they bring us some toilet paper and about 2 minutes after that we finally found it!!

Do you see the toilet paper in this picture??

It is underneath the counter. It wasn't pulled down enough so that we could see it. After that whole fiasco, we ended up going downstairs to the bar and grille and we had hamburgers. So much for a nice dinner!

Once we were done eating we really only had a little bit of time to get our things together and go to bed. We got up at 3:30am Friday morning to get ready and get our bags packed. We got downstairs and had a quick breakfast and got on the 5:30am shuttle to the Opening Ceremonies.

me and Edie on the shuttle to Stone Mountain

 It was freezing!! I had on a long sleeve shirt, a short sleeve shirt, and a jacket and I was soooo cold! Edie and I took a few pictures and went to the "facebook" tent. In this tent we could stand in line and sign up to have facebook update our pages when we hit certain points. There were so many people in this enclosed tent that it was actually warm in there and we were thankful for the line. Edie ended up buying us sweatshirts to wear so that was one more layer we had to wear. By mile 3, I was shedding layers because the sun was finally in the sky!

Finally time to get it started!!

We had such a great day on Friday! Everybody was in a great and festive mood. We were so excited to finally get started. Edie and I made a friend during some of our first miles and she remained with us the rest of the day.

These guys were awesome!

The whole experience really exceeded my expectations. I was amazed with how great the crew was and how excited they were. They really would lift your spirits when you were starting to lose it and they were always very concerned with our safety. There is a motorcycle club in Atlanta that volunteers to do this event and they travel to different intersections throughout the day to make sure we get across the street safely. They had their radios on full blast and they were dancing and singing and getting us to do the same. The excitement was definitely contagious. The majority of them were dressed in pink and many of them were in pink kilts. I think at every street we crossed there was someone there reminding us to use that time to stretch while we were waiting for the cars to go by. I was really amazed by how much they cared about our well being and about what we were walking for.

The best sign we saw all day!

We met a woman that was carrying the survivor flag. She was amazing! During the whole weekend, whenever you saw her she was always smiling and dancing and just happy to be alive and have this experience with her group of friends. She was truly one of the most inspirational parts of our trip.

I will tell you something about Atlanta that you may or may not know. Atlanta is mountainous! I would say it is hilly but I don't really think that is the best word to describe it. Edie and I trained on hills and a few inclines but we did NOT train on mountains. I couldn't believe how steep and how long some of these streets and paths were. They would definitely take your breath away and they were definitely "hands on the hips" hills if you know what I mean. Now, we had a fantastic time walking that first day but I am not going to lie; we were thrilled when we saw the "Camp Ahead" sign!! The time had come and we needed to rest.

Feet in the air!

Before I even went to get my luggage or the tent, I got down on the floor and put my feet in the air. My feet were so swollen and I needed to get the blood moving in the other direction. I actually had a few people that got down next to me on the floor to do it too! We finally went to eat but we felt like we were having to force the food down so we didn't eat much. The food was delicious though. We found a very nice man that helped us learn how to get our tent up and we finally made it to the shower truck at about 8:30pm.

a sea of pink tents

The shower truck was an experience. It wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be but it definitely wasn't like the shower at home. By the time we made it out of the showers the lights were out and we had a little trouble finding our tent. Then it finally hit us that we didn't bring our pillows. I knew that mine wouldn't fit in my bag but I meant to figure out a way to do it and I forgot. So we ended up using the sweatshirts we got that morning for our pillows. We did have a hard time sleeping the first night. It is very hard to slow your muscles down after walking for over 20 miles.

There is so much more that happened that first day and it is hard to remember all of the details. The most important thing on that first day was that we made it through the first day and could continue on the next. The medic line was pretty long and we did see some people getting on the sweeper vans but it looked like most people would make it to day 2. I will blog again tomorrow about Day 2 but I have pictures up on my facebook page as well!

20 miles done!

All My Bags Are Packed...

I'm ready to go...I think. I spent the last hour or so trying to pack four days worth of clothes that I can layer, a GIANT tutu and a sleeping bag into one suitcase that has to weigh less than 35 pounds. I got done and my bag weighed 29 pounds! Then I remembered that I didn't pack my pillow :-( Not so sure the pillow is going to make it. But the good news is somehow I managed to fit all of this...


...into this!

 

Edie and I leave for Atlanta tomorrow. We are going to take our time getting there (aren't there some outlets in between here and Atlanta??). We will have an awesome dinner and a relaxing night with no kids! I hope we won't be too excited to sleep! Festivities start around 7ish on Friday morning. Thank you for all of the support, financially, mentally and emotionally! I won't be able to blog while we are gone but I am bringing a journal so I can write everything down and blog when I return!



7 More Days!

We are officially a week away from our 3-day walk! People keep asking me if I am ready and my response is "Yes!" I am ready to get on the road and walk my little heart out. I am ready to meet new people and hear their stories. I am ready to see parts of Atlanta I would otherwise never see. I am ready!

Edie and I went shopping the other day to make sure we had everything we needed. I found some snow suit bottoms that would be perfect for this occasion. She is very cold-natured so I had her try them on. I think they look great with the shoes. What do you think? 

Edie reached her goal the other day and both of us continue to get donations. We are SO VERY appreciative for the support!

Today was our "credential day"! I printed mine this morning and it actually seems real now. We are leaving on Thursday to stay the night in Atlanta. Friday morning we are on a shuttle bus headed to Stone Mountain! Atlanta here we come!

2 More Weeks!

We are really getting in to an actual countdown now...2 more weeks! Our training has pretty much been non-existant for the past couple of weeks but life gets in the way sometimes. We still feel very confident about the whole journey and we know we can do it.

These days we are finalizing our outfits and making sure we have everything on our packing list. My sisters were kind enough to dedicate my birthday present to 3-Day merchandise for Edie and me. We feel like we are definitely ready to go. I think we have gotten to a point where we are tired of talking about it and we are ready to act!

I wanted to give you some information from the spectator portion of the website. They have finally given us an idea of where we will be and at what times. The final map won't be available until the week of the walk. They have also given us an address if you would like to send a word of encouragement while we are at camp.
Send letters to:
Susan G. Komen 3-Day
ATTN: JESSICA MITCHELL
1025 Rose Creek Drive, Suite 620-373
Woodstock, GA 30189

Envelopes only, please. No boxes or large packages. Mail must be postmarked no later than October 9th in order to ensure delivery at the 3-Day Camp Post Office. Please note: This address is not the actual location of camp, but a PO Box for mail delivery only. Any mail that is not received by the Susan G. Komen 3-Day by October 16th or retrieved by the participant by November 5th will be destroyed.

I know it is a long shot but on the off chance you are in the Atlanta area or would just like to make a road trip to cheer us on, here is the info you will need.
On Friday, October 19, our journey begins at Stone Mountain Park. There will be cheering stations at:
Mile 4.0   
8:45 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Downtown Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain Welcome Center
891 Main Street
Stone Mountain,GA 30083

Mile 14.2
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Downtown Decatur, Old Courthouse
101 E. Court Square
Decatur, GA 30030

On Saturday, October 20 there will be cheering stations at:
Mile 14.2
10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Lindbergh City Center
Main Street between Lindbergh Avenue & Garson Street
520 Main Street N.E.
Atlanta, GA 30324

Mile 18.3
11:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Peachtree Street between 3rd Street & 8th Street
Atlanta, GA 30308
* Do not park in church or other private parking lots.

On Sunday, there will be cheering stations at:
Mile 5.5
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
John Howell Park
833 Virginia Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30306
* Do not park at Inman Middle School or in church parking lots.

Mile 11.3
11:00 a.m. - 2:15 p.m.
Freedom Park, between Euclid Avenue & Moreland Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30307

On Sunday we end at Turner Field with Closing Ceremonies starting at 5:00pm.

Thank you for all of the love and support you have given so far! You will never know how much we appreciate it!

Oh, My Aching Back!

So in my last post I blogged about my back and the bulging disc. The meds the doc put me on didn't really have any effect on my back so he sent me for an MRI. I had forgotten how tiny that tunnel is that they send you through and then I started to panic and think what if something happened to the guy doing the MRI while I was stuck in that thing! Anyway, I made it out okay and it is definitely a bulging disc and he suggested a nerve block. I had the block and my back is feeling a little better. The doc also mentioned that my MRI shows that my back bone is arthritic. Great! I am 33 and already arthritic. I have physical therapy twice a week right up until we leave for Atlanta so I should be good and stretched out by then.

We will miss our long walk tomorrow. Mindy is having her first slumber party for her birthday and I am positive that there won't be a lot of sleeping going on tonight.

Edie and I have been working on our wardrobe for the walk. So far we have two outfits picked out and we are working on our third. I finally managed to get another pair of shoes and I feel like they will carry me to the end.

one of our shirts

my awesome walking shoes

 We are only four weeks away! I can't believe that we have actually come this far. When I started all of this I was a little unsure but I know we are going to have the best time! I have added a list of people that we are walking for to my sidebar. If you would like for us to walk in honor or in memory of someone that you know please tell me before we leave!