Great video of the Seattle 3-day

Seattle 3-Day 2009 Highlights

The Seattle 3-Day is done. A huge project, over nine months in the making, is completed. My blisters are healing, aching muscles are beginning to relax, and I’m back out walking with my dogs again (albeit, somewhat gingerly). When I made the decision to take on the 3-Day with all that goes with it--training, fundraising, and completing the event--my motivation was to give purpose and meaning to logging the miles I cover with my dogs. I had no idea just how meaningful this event would become. Here are a few highlights (with more details to come in later posts).

There were roughly 2,200 walkers at this year’s event. Among the participants:

• A young firefighter who lost his mom to breast cancer last year--he and his fellow firefighters walked the event in uniform
• A pregnant mom walking the event in honor of her unborn daughter
• A cancer survivor who went through a double-mastectomy
• Women mourning the loss of their sisters
• Men walking in honor of their wives
• Trever McGhee who has taken on walking all 45 3-Day events around the country this year

We were supported by a phenomenal group of volunteers who crewed, fed, massaged, and treated our hurties. They took care of every aspect of the event from putting up our tents with us, helping us cross busy intersections safely, and giving us hugs of encouragement when we needed them most. Our all-volunteer medical crew was made up of doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and EMTs. The nurse that treated my blisters on the morning of the third day is currently undergoing chemo for breast cancer yet she was there, tenderly taking care of us all the same.

Hundreds of local people came out to cheer us on. We passed through neighborhoods decorated in pink ribbons and balloons. Moms and their kids passed out homemade rice crispy treats--that were colored pink. People baked cookies, brought out candy, ran their sprinklers so we could douse ourselves and cool off. They cheered, they prayed, they encouraged and thanked us everywhere we went. Two guys on motorcycles pulled off the road to shake my hand and thank me for walking. Highway workers gave us thumbs up and told us, “Good job!” Truckers blew their horns in support. The love and support was beyond imagining.

I made more friends than I can count, including “The Colonel,” Joe, who kept me going on day two when my feet were hurting so badly. My tentmate, Barbara, a breast cancer survivor, whose hospitality was boundless. Carolyn, a veteran of nearly 50 3-day events, who hails from Olla, Louisiana, only a few miles from where I grew up.

And then there was you. Thank you for your encouragement and support. I could not have done this without you. Because of your generous donations, we helped the Seattle 3-Day raise a total of over $5.5 million dollars for the fight against breast cancer.

The 3-Day was a life-changing event for me. I am altered by this experience in ways I can’t fully comprehend. It dominates my dreams and inspires my future. And yes, I am already planning to walk it again in 2010.

Countdown to the 3-Day in Seattle: Six days!

Raining today in Corvallis but the forecast for Seattle next weekend is:

Fundraising goal...SMASHED!

Isn't this the greatest image ever!!!??? You did it! You put us over the top and smashed our fundraising goal. Together, we've raised over $2400 for the fight against breast cancer. Whew!

I have to admit I was starting to stress a little about this. Then one of my GTD Virtual Study Group friends stepped in. She was my unseen angel, asking people to chip in and help. Thanks to her and the awesome people of the VSG, we exceeded my goal!

Not only that, but training is going well and the final countdown is underway. I feel totally ready, physically, to take on the 60 miles. Now, I have to get my mind right about camping--but that's another story.

Hurray, hurray, hurray--what an awesome day!

Great day, great week!

Today marks my best week of training yet. I topped 32 miles with today's 12.5 miler in McDonald College Forest. We tackled a long loop beginning at FR 700 gate. (I'll try to map it in Gmap Ped for you later.) Long climbs, great views, perfect weather made this walk a great end to a super week of hard training.

Other good news: Fundraising topped $1,000 this week! Thanks to several generous people, I'm just shy of 50% of my goal. Please help by donating if you can--all this hard training goes for naught if I can't make the $2300 goal. That's right: if I can't raise the money, I can't be in the event. So please, please help! Five, $10, $20 goes a long way! Click here to make a contribution.

Mileage update

My week's total was only 21.4 miles; today's hike fell well short of my intended 12 miler. Nonetheless, we enjoyed a challenging 7.3 mile with lots of climbing, sun breaks, and occasional showers.

We started at Oak Creek Biological Lab--a popular jumping off point for many hikers in McDonald College Forest. There were only a 3 cars at the lot when we left and 24 when we returned. Despite the popularity of this area, we saw only a couple of people after we left Homestead Trail; most people walk only a short distance from the trailhead. Our route covered Homestead Trail (which parallels FR600). We continued more or less due north on Extendo Trail, a popular mountain biking route that is somewhat aerobically challenging with roughly 500 feet of elevation gain in less than a mile. From the end of Extendo, we followed FR680 to FR770 which loops back through a nice old growth stand before descending back to Homestead Trail to close the loop. You can see a rough approximation map of the route here (my hiking mileage was measured by GPS, not the map here). From the elevation grid, you can see that nearly two-thirds of the hike was uphill, covering 1,243 feet elevation gain.

The dogs enjoyed the hike as much (or perhaps more) than we did. There were streams to soak in, deer, chipmunks, and squirrels to chase, and an occasional dog to greet, sniff, and play with.

Next week's plans include 2 5-milers and a 12-14 mile longer hike for a goal total of 28 miles. I'll keep ya posted.

Making progress!

It's been a while since I posted a progress report so here goes. I've been logging miles each week. This week has been especially good: I've done 14 miles so far and am aiming for a 12 miler this weekend. The weather has been cool and cloudy which the big dog really appreciates. All in all, I'm making good progress toward my goal.

On the fund-raising side, I'm just short of 50% of my goal. I'm really stepping it up now and making more direct requests. I pray that I'm blessed with more generous folks like the ones who have already lent a hand.

I'll post another update after this weekend's long hike.