This One's For "The Girls"

I passed the100 mile mark! 22 miles logged this week pushed my total training to 106 miles!  The 22 miles took 46,417 steps (in 2 states!) bringing the total steps taken to 223,331.  That is a lot of stepping!  With 102 days until the event, I am feeling energized and focused. 

The fundraising keeps coming along!  I received donations this week that pushed my total to $1415!  One of the reasons I decided to participate in the 3-day is because the lives of my friends have been and are being affected by breast cancer.  Pat Munchick is the mother of my former roommate and wonderful friend Jill.  Pat is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer in Ohio.  A generous donation from the Munchick family put Ohio on the map and was a reminder of how desperately we need to find a cure.  I received a donation from SC colleague Dr. Jenny Bloom to honor her friend Cathy Schachner. My miles this week were motivated by Cathy’s and Pat’s fight!   My cheerleader and dinner party favorite, Maegan Gudridge, also made a gift in recognition of my efforts.  Thanks to all of these ladies!

This week Meredith and I represented the New Kids on the Walk at the 3-Day Expo.  The Expo is one of those “you had to be there” experiences, but I am going to do my best to point out the Headlights, eh, I mean highlights.  In addition to learning how to pitch our tent (see my tent mate Meredith and me modeling the pod that will be home for us on Friday and Saturday night of the walk), we attended sessions on Blisters and Blister Care, Fashion Dos and Don’ts, Stretching Techniques, and Life on the 3-Day.  We heard from many former walkers and physicians who offered useful strategies and techniques to ensure that we get the most from our 3-Day experience-and that we are prepared both mentally and physically to succeed. 

Beyond getting our learn on about the physical challenges, we learned that participants in the 3-Day walk have a culture all their own.  This was evidenced by the 1,000s of references to Ta Tas!  Warning: This blog is about to become PG-13…I’m taking you folks to 2^nd base! 

3-Day walkers celebrate The Girls in every step they take.  Starting with FLAIR!

FLAIR is the process of showing your love for The Ladies by accessorizing in shades of pink and with any symbol of breasts that can be imagined!  Our fashion leader referred to them as Jugs claiming that larger jugs would need to be held up with a sports bra of the larger persuasion while those who sport the synthetic jugs could get away with a sports shirt and built in bra.  To this statement, all of the BC survivors cheered-loud and proud of their synthetic jugs. I should mention that the woman who was leading the session was wearing a beaded necklace with a large set of breasts that blinked red lights-you can imagine where-and smaller breasts all around the necklace. 

Other references to Hooters were made when discussing the process of decorating our tents.  It is important that we decorate the tent in a unique fashion so that if we leave the tent in the middle of the night we can find our way back among the sea of 1500+ identical bright pink tents!  This session leader shared that her team often fastened red balls to the top of each tent in their row so that, from an aerial view, the tents would look like a line of perky Bazookas.  

If you are keeping score, that is 7 slang references so far.  Hang in there, I have more!  The best t-shirt we saw was being worn by a woman who, I must admit, was sporting a perky Rack.  It read:  “No they aren’t real.  The real ones tried to kill me!”  PRICELESS!  I wish they had been selling those.  I would have gotten one for my friend Jan. 

Participating teams take advantage of the opportunity to publicly display their love for breasts.  Clever names in the Atlanta walk include:  BUST a Move;  Baby Got Rack; Boobapalooza; Chest-Nuts; Headlight Honeys; Hugs for Jugs;  Just a Couple of Boobs; Momma’s for TaTas; Mommies for Melons; and Saggy Maggy and the Perkettes!

I realized this weekend that the 3-Day walk, more than anything, is a celebration of life!  For 60 hours, and 60 miles, I will be a part of a community of 3500+ women and men who are dedicated to finding a cure for Breast Cancer.  Those of you who donate to the Komen Foundation will join me on this journey.  While we continue to work toward finding a cure, we will celebrate the memories of those who have lost their lives to this disease, we will celebrate for those who are fighting today, and we will celebrate for those who will be affected in the future.

Call them what you want-they are worth fighting for!  Here’s a few of my favorites.  Feel free to leave a comment with yours!  Don’t worry-it’s totally acceptable for those of us who join the fight to Save the TaTas!

The Girls-my long time favorite

Knockers-the favorite of every boy in my 7^th grade class

Itty Bittys-I won’t call out any members but in college there was a committee…

Boulders-If you have seen Beaches you may recall Otto Titsling and the world’s first Over the Shoulder Boulder Holder.

Boobies-My 9 year old niece recently referenced hers this way