We Did It!

We did it, and we have the blisters, sore muscles and aching backs to prove it! However, none of us would take anything for the experience.

Friday was brutal. The temperatures were in the mid forties with a constant downpour and wind gusts of 20 mph. Our walk took us through several Atlanta suburbs with way too many hills, but with moments that will stay with us forever—a young boy offering us dry socks; a business with pink ribbons on the windows and all operations ceasing so the employees could cheer us on; Lynn arriving with doughnuts, hot coffee and a warm, dry place to change our socks. The most fun that day was eating lunch in the rain! We had on baseball caps and the challenge was to keep the hat at just the right angle to cover our food and to keep the waterfall coming off the caps from dripping into our sandwiches. Ugh, wet bread!

I reminded Jean and Kristen, on a regular basis, that they needed to thank me for refusing to camp. The 3-day staff did have a rain plan for the walkers, but even then, it was still pretty miserable for the campers.

My mantra on Friday was “homemade vegetable soup and grilled-cheese sandwiches.”Thank you, Lynn for making sure we had just that.

Saturday was a beautiful day and I was delighted to find out that none of us had webbed feet.
Once again we were routed through a NE Atlanta suburbs with very steep hills, but which left each of us with terrific memories —Jake, an English sheep dog, and his owner, a two-year breast-cancer survivor. The two of them came out so we could pet Jake and to cheer us on. School buses passed us with kids hanging out of the windows yelling encouragements and holding up pink ribbons; children and their parents coming out of their suburbs to handout candy, tissues and cheers for us.

Have I mentioned the sweep vans? They were/are our friends. They made several trips each day by the walkers to offer rides to the next stop. They are themed, decorated and equipped with balloons and bullhorns and some crazy fun people. Also there were the motorcycle and bicycle brigades that checked on the walkers and made sure that we got through some dangerous intersections without harm. We often danced down the streets with guys in kilts and some funky socks.

At one of our pit stops we were greeted by a high school cheerleading squad complete with pomp-pomps and appropriate cheers for the occasion. They were so full of pep and energy it made the next few miles a bit easier.

Tom arrived on Saturday to help Lynn and to support Jean, Kristen and me. What a cool guy. After the three of us were checked out for the day, we went to see Tent City and then to the Memory Tents. Powerful and meaningful just don’t just cover the emotions we all felt. Each of the cities that host a 3-Day have a white tent and the walkers write their reason for doing the walk on the tent.

Sunday was another beautiful Atlanta day and our route took us through some of downtown Atlanta (read, less hills). My memories will always be of the folks cheering for us: an 80+ year-old lady standing solo giving us thumbs up; A very dignified lady offering us water in her deep, deep Georgia accent; Walker Stalkers who popped up everywhere; the family who showed up with Starbucks Coffee; the little girl who gave Jean a hug; more and more dogs to pet and one very, very large cat that no one offered to pet; lines and lines of folks with noise makers encouraging us on to the next stop; young children giving us high fives (or was it low fives?); homemade signs—the list is endless. Thank you Atlanta you are one class act!

Late in the day we made our way to the Georgia World Congress Center for the final ceremony. Wow. We walked into a cheering sea of pink with one of our two banners. Laura, Todd and Makenzie made a wonderful banner that Tom and Lynn brought in to the ceremony. The three of us carried another banner that Jill Dubin, a friend of Jean’s, made for us. We looked good (okay, the banners looked good)!

The closing ceremony was phenomenal. Walkers enter the auditorium first, followed by the staff and then the survivors. As a tribute, all the walkers remove one of thire shoes and salute the survivors as they enter. It’s an experience none of us will forget.

And, now for the numbers:

• Four Women Walk raised $8,000. Thanks to each and everyone for your
  contributions. We obviously couldn’t have done it without your support.
• There were 3,400 walkers at the Atlanta 3-Day. That’s a lot of pink!
• The Atlanta 3-Day raised $8.3 million and that will go towards the Foundation’s pledge of $1 billion.

We’ve all been asked why. Why not just write a check? The obvious answer is that none of us are in position to write a $2,200 check let alone one for $8,000, and I believe that each of us wanted to do something larger than ourselves.

None of us did it just to have bragging rights, but now we can honestly say: been there, done that and have the T-shirt to prove it.

Thank you again and again.

Ta, ta for now,
Peggy

Atlanta or Bust
Pun intended.
Last Saturday Kristen met a young woman and her son while walking. The woman was wearing A Race for the Cure T-shirt. It turns out she is a survivor and had participated in and completed the race. Kristen told her that she would be doing the Atlanta 3-Day. Kristen then became the recipient of a big hug. My sister and I experience a similar situation in a restaurant in Atlanta. A woman spied Jean’s T-shirt from last year’s walk; left her table to thank Jean and to give both of us a hug. Her name is Marcy and you’ll find her name on our blog on the “In Honor” of section. Then there was the young man I met at Sweet Sixteenth who was mention in an earlier post. His name is Manuel and he became one of our donors in honor of his sister-in-law, Nancy. Her name is on our blog as well. These encounters speak not only to the kindnesses of strangers but also to how pervasive this wretched disease is.
One of my favorite T-shirts that I saw at the 2008 Breast Cancer Expo in July was, “Big or Small Let’s Save Them All.” Amen.
Some sad news for the Four Women Walk gang—Lynn will not be able to walk with us. She has injured one of her knees and is going to be sidelined. She will, however, be invaluable to the three of us who are still planning to walk since she will be driving us to and from the 3-Day site. And knowing Lynn, she will make sure we get plenty of good things to eat. Lynn is an incredible cook and we always look forward to her delicious treats. We remain the Four Women Walk.
As promised, we had a drawing for the three gift certificates. Drum roll please. Meg Sherrill and Claudia Schenck each won a visit to Sweet Sixteenth and Maggie Walker will be enjoying brunch at Sky Blue. Congrats to the three.
Well, this is THE week, and many thanks to all for making it possible for us to take this journey. We love and appreciate all of you for what you have done. Kristen and I will leave Thursday morning to join Jean and Lynn in Atlanta and be ready to roll early Friday morning. Unfortunately, the weather forecast isn’t good for Friday—temperatures in the mid 50s with rain. I promise not to complain (too much) since my friend and former coworker, Christi Goins, did the walk a few years ago and it rained on her for two days. Christi is a trooper so I’m sure she did all 60 miles with a smile. We’ll keep you posted.
Thanks again for all of your support.
Ta, ta for now,
Peggy

Week 6

Okay, week 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, and 7 weren’t so great either. Between the four of us two have been working two jobs each, one organizing a week-long conference, one with some health issues and one who lost an 18-year old, four-legged companion. But now, hopefully, all of us are back and ready to go. If not we need to be because we are six weeks away from the 3-Day.
A few years back 37206 (zip code for East Nashville) bumper stickers were created. They have become very popular locally and a big hit with the media. They show the funk, the sass and the attitude that exist here in East Nashville.
· 37206 – Over the river into the hood.
· 37206 – Where everyone knows your name your dog’s name.
· 37206 – Do you know where your lawnmower is tonight?
· 37206 – My other home is in Belle Mede. (the affluent part of Nashville)
· 37206 – Where we will steal your heart and your lawnmower.
It’s fun to walk around the neighborhood early in the morning before folks have left for work and school and read bumper stickers. However, the last few weeks I haven’t been walking much and especially not alone because of a rash of violent acts in our neighborhood. I have been scared, angry and falling way behind in my training.
This past Saturday I was attempting to get some miles in when a series of events made me determined to sell my house, at probably a big loss, and move to a log cabin in the woods to write my manifesto, but then I went to Sweet 16th . Sweet 16th is the most wonderful bakery in the continental US and probably beyond. It is run by Dan and Ellen, with a lot of help from Al, and they provide not only great bakery items but a wonderful place to greet old friends and meet new folks. I had a large order (lots of out-of- town folks for the weekend—Whatever!). As I’m waiting for Dan to fill my order, this young man asked me if I was a breast cancer survivor (I had on my breast-cancer, pink ribbon cap). I explained that I wasn’t, but was doing the Atlanta 3-Day Walk in October. He said that his sister-in-law was a survivor. When I told him I would like to put her name on our “in honor of” list, he said he would like to be a sponsor. WOW! Following this wonderful encounter, I spoke to one of our councilmen and his young son, Nashville’s vice mayor (a breast cancer survivor) and then a close friend who has already sponsored Kristen and me. So, I’m thinking, maybe East Nashville isn’t such a bad place after all.
This past week, I learned that everything is a trade off. Sometimes things get scary over here, but I love the fact that I can walk to almost anything that I need. I may not do it every time, but I still have it as an option. I love the fact that I can walk exactly one block and be sitting at Sky Blue, a lovely coffee house/bistro, run by Kara and Kevin with some of the best servers in Nashville. I love the fact that if I had a problem, my biggest concern would be who to call first for help. I guess what I’m saying is I’m in love with 37206!
Ta, Ta for now
Peggy

Week 13

Let us just say that 13 lived up to its reputation. More later.

Week 14

The highlight of week 14 had to have been The 2008 Breast Cancer 3-Day Expo. It was held on Saturday in Atlanta. Kristen couldn’t get away so I traveled solo to Jean and Lynn’s or, as I referred to it as, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

The Expo began at the Loudermilk Center with an option of doing either a five- or 10- mile walk. We opted for the five (I know, big surprise!) The walk was interesting, at least to me, since it was totally different scenery. We passed the Olympic Park, Georgia State, the Georgia Dome and the Aquarium where we were serenaded by the sea lions.

Once back at the Center, there was fruit, granola, bagels, cookies, etc. Which brings me to an interesting fact—some walkers gain between five and 10 pounds on the 3-day. This is not encouraging news, people! On the days I walk the prescribed number of miles, I’m usually too tired to eat, but I will note that I haven’t lost any weight either. Hmmm. I think the four of us are going to try some weight control now.

Most of the Expo was heavy with retail, but interesting nonetheless. The three of us went to the Training Tips and Tricks workshop. One of the more interesting of the tips was which pair of shorts/pants are the best to wear for the Port-A-Potty. This is probably more info than you want, but for some of us it could come in handy. Of interest to almost everyone, is the fact that those dryer sheets we all use to soften our clothes will leave a film on your clothes. This film plugs up the “pores” of your clothing. So, if you want your clothes to breathe don’t use the sheets.

The most moving of the displays/demonstrations that day was the Memory Tent. This is a white tent where last year’s participants had written notes on the sides of the tent in honor of, memorial of, or encouragement to walkers. Last year at the 3-Day, Jean had written a memorial for our mom and for my mother-in-law, who had just passed away. The tent is covered with sweet, sassy and heartfelt messages, but the one that jumped out at me was from a man who said he walked in memory of his wife and daughter. Heavenly stars, his wife and his daughter!

On a happy note, this was Jean’s ­­­birthday weekend. So the three of us went to dinner to celebrate her second 29th. Our choice was Pasti’s in Roswell (our hometown). I’m very proud of Roswell and how the town has preserved the historic buildings. In fact, Pasti’s is located in what was once the Roswell movie theater. It’s fun for me to go back and try to remember what had originally been in the stores that now house antique shops and tearooms. If you ever find yourself in Roswell, I highly recommend Pasti’s. Yum. Although, dinner there was not what I meant by weight control!

Ta, ta for now.
Peggy

Week 15 - Tennessee Women

Hello. This week marked 15 weeks left before the big event. I feel totally prepared and yet completely unprepared all at the same time. If the weather is nice I can happily walk for hours, but if it's the slightest bit hot, I'm fairly miserable. Probably okay for the actual event since it's in October, but not so much for all the preparation that's going to have to occur during July and August.

One of the things that helps to keep our minds off the heat is getting to take time to really look at all of the houses on our various routes. To explain, we are very fortunate to both live in the same neighborhood that has been in the process of revitalization over the last 10+ years. It covers the full spectrum - from stately Victorians to quirky cottages from the 20's and 30's - and lots of craftsman bungalows in between. A great way to get all of our miles in is to meet halfway between our houses and then snake our way back and fourth through all of the neighborhood streets. I drive up and down these streets every day and am aware of the beautiful houses that surround me, but walking gives you a much better perspective on all the work and love that people have put into these homes - reclaimed front porches, restored gingerbread detailing, thoughtful landscaping, and charming picket fences. It passes the time pretty quickly - and helps to give you ideas for your own on-going home improvement projects as well.

We're also lucky in that our church is located in our neighborhood and many of our friends and fellow parishioners live here as well. This means that usually when we walk we run into at least one person we know. This past Saturday we saw three. One was out walking her dogs and joined us for a few blocks. Two others were stopping by the neighborhood bakery as we walked by and came out to chat with us for a bit while they ate their breakfast. These same friends, neighbors and church-goers are also the first ones to donate on our 3-Day web-pages. Many of them have also added names of their loved ones to our list of people that we are walking for.

So while training for the 3-day may not always be in ideal or enjoyable weather, I will be keeping in mind how lucky I am to be walking up and down these streets filled with beautiful scenery and wonderful community. And when we walk our 60 miles in October, I will be keeping these same friends and neighbors in mind and thanking them for making it possible.

Friday, July 11, 2008 - Tennessee Women

Each week participants of the Atlanta Breast Cancer 3-Day get an email from The Virtual Trainer (sounds a bit off putting, doesn’t it?). Participants have two courses of action for training, the 24-week or the 16-week plan. The Tennessee Women (Kristen and Peggy) chose the 24-week plan because we knew we needed all the help we could get. We started out great and followed the plan for a few weeks. We grew especially fond of every Monday because, according to The Virtual Trainer, it was a rest day. One Saturday morning we walked six miles and were patting ourselves on our tired backs until we realized we had accomplished less than half of what we would be doing each day for three days. I needed Monday to get there in a hurry.

In order to make me feel like I was accomplishing something, even when she wasn’t, I purchased a pedometer and wore it constantly (except on Mondays). Don’t think this is what The Virtual Trainer had in mind, but it is interesting to see how much you walk in a day without realizing it.

Well, this is officially Week 16 and counting down. It was the Tennessee Women’s plan to be up to date at this point, or in terms of miles for this week eight by today, Friday, July 11, 2008, with another 14 scheduled for the weekend. Ain’t gonna happen. Between having to work for a living, some medical issues, blah, blah, blah, we are not going to make it this week. So, we called the Georgia Women and guess what? They are behind as well. Somehow it makes it better when all of us are messin’ up together. More on Week 15 and maybe Georgia will chime in.

Ta, ta for now!
Peggy