Thursday, November 18, 2010

Arizona Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Day 2


Day 2 - 22.5 miles
I finally got warm in my sleeping bag, didn't sleep well, but was ready to get walking!  Breakfast was scrambled eggs, potatoes, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, and that yummy coffee.  Good fuel for 22.5 miles!  I headed out with my roomie, her sister, and her sister’s BFF.  It was chilly but soon warmed.  
The first day was a bit of a blur, but day 2 I noticed lots of things.  The food!  I had heard that the 3-days were a 60 mile smorgusboard and they didn’t lie.  OMGosh!  Every couple of miles was a pit stop or a grab and go.  They had port-o-potties for inventory out and food and drink for inventory in.  A favorite of the walkers is the peanut butter and jelly on graham cracker sandwiches.  Oh yum!  Then in the middle of all the food there was lunch! 
We only made one little side trip to an Einstein's Bagel Shop to get coffee.  Gotta love their Vanilla and Hazelnut blend, yum!!!!!
We walked through the ASU campus.  I had never been to some of the parts where we walked, it was really nice.  Here's a view of A Mountain from a pedestrian bridge, and the sleepy streets of Tempe from that same bridge.






Another thing that amazed me were the cheerleaders.  So many people lined the designated cheering stations and some just came out on corners or their houses to cheer us on. 
The next three photos are all the same group!  They were at every cheering station, in multiple locations along the route all 3-Days!


The other fixture along the route was crew, medical, and the safety crew.  They were just incredible!  The crew took care of our food, beverage, and anything else.  Medical was always visible and I saw them literally jump-to when there was a need, thankfully I didn’t need them.   The safety crew was equally as awesome and will always have a special place in my heart.  These guys and gals had a sense of humor while keeping us safe as well as hearts as big as Arizona.    

Day 2 was long and at times grueling but then you would pass through a cheering station and read the signs of the people.  Some said things like “thank you for walking for my mommie” or “my grandma was so special God made her an angel.”  It was amazing and moving. I learned to smile and not read the signs!  Some were funny and cute and some were moving and very emotional.  One cheering station I made to the end and almost lost it, thank goodness for sunglasses!

The end finally came in sight and we hobbled into camp.  Semi-trailer showers and port-o-potties never looked so good.  
Dinner that night was steak, potatoes, green beans, and apple pie.  We stayed for some of the entertainment and I was amazed that some people, a lot of people, had enough energy to dance! 
We crawled off to our sleeping bags and wrapped up for the night.  Night 2 was warmer and I slept better.

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