The Yards Wore Ribbons in Their Hair

Posted By: Jenn Latino
This weekend the first walk of the 2010 3-Day schedule took place in Boston, MA! Our friend Caroline and her family were there staffing a cheer station and supporting family members who were participating in the walk. Before she took to her cheering post for the Boston teams, Caroline made a donation to my walk. Cheers to the Joy/White families who have been greatly affected by breast cancer. Team NKOTW is inspired by your strength.

My current total is $892. On June 28th last year I had $1895 raised and was well on my way to reaching my $2300 goal. I realize it is time to step up my fundraising efforts. I have been so focused on my walking that I haven’t been as deliberate with reaching my goal and with only 87 days until the walk, I need to get moving fast. Send any fundraising ideas my way!!

As soon as the 2010 season began, the 2011 events were announced! For those of you who have considered participating as a walker or volunteering as a crew member, you have a full year or more to prepare!!

2011 3-Day for the Cure Schedule
Boston July 22-24
Cleveland July 29-31
Chicago August 5-7
Michigan August 12-14
Twin Cities August 19-21
Denver August 26-28
San Francisco Bay Area September 9-11
Seattle September 16-18
Washington, D.C. September 23-25
Philadelphia October 14-16
Atlanta October 21-23
Tampa Bay October 28-30
Dallas/Fort Worth November 4-6
Arizona November 11-13
San Diego November 18-20

While the Boston walkers were taking to the streets of New England, my weekend walks took me through the streets of Brunswick Plantation in Calabash, NC. It was girls weekend with Valerie and Melissa and we hit the jackpot with a condo at a snazzy resort!

Getting to Know You, Part 8

Posted By: Kim Sterritt

Voila! Katie Lynch-Holmes

Katie Lynch-Holmes
Location: Memphis, TN

Are you a NEW New Kid or a New Kid With Experience?
NEW New Kid!

What made you decide to take the plunge and sign up for the 2010 3 Day?
I had the great experience of living last year’s walk and training through Jenn Latino. After being totally amazed by her dedication and commitment to the cause… I too became inspired to help vicariously through her. A little after Jenn finished her walk, a very inspirational woman in my life was diagnosed and later beat breast cancer. Knowing her experience and that of her family, I decided that living through another person’s dedication was not going to cut it this year.

Little Packages … and BIG Surprises

Posted By: Michelle Ashcraft

Last week was full of milestones! First, I completed my 10th week of training! Can you believe it? Wow, the time has flown by! I also completed my longest walk to date … 10 miles! (Well, sort of … more on that later.)

Knowing that big training miles were coming up, I knew it was time to add a new piece of equipment to my 3-Day gear … something to carry things longer walks require, like fluids, snacks, a cell phone (for emergencies) and personal identification. I recruited my new friend Shelley (she’s the intern in our office this summer) to go along with me on an adventure to Dick’s to find the right item.

The Hello Walk

Posted By: Michelle Ashcraft (for week of July 5-11)

I went to college at Purdue University. As some say, I may have been born a Hoosier, but I became a Boilermaker by the grace of God. (I realize that some of you have crimson blood that is starting to boil right now … it’s a friendly rivalry, I promise.) At Purdue there is a beautiful green space called the Memorial Mall. There is a maze of sidewalks that pass through this beautiful space, but smack dab in the middle of the Memorial Mall is one unique sidewalk. It’s the Hello Walk.

Rise and Shine!

Posted by: Jenn Latino
This week I received 2 donations from “old friends.” The first was from Linda Byrne who, with the exception of blood relatives, is the person who has known me the longest. The Byrne daughters (all 3 of them at one time or another) were mine and Joyce’s baby sitters growing up. The Latino/Byrne family connections run deep and this weekend during their annual summer visit to SC, Linda made a late night donation from inside my house while she was up hanging out with the kids in our families and I was resting up for an early morning walk the next day. The second donation was from Paul Bright. The Latino/Bright family ties run as deep as the Byrne’s from shared classes (Joyce was in Paul’s class, his brother Nino was in mine) to a shared stage when Paul and I starred in Love Letters, a 2-person play, during our college years. Paul is also the lucky man who married and has made a family with my beautiful college roommate, Michelle. Thanks to these old friends for your continued support.

In an effort to beat the heat, I try to walk first thing in the morning. On weekends, this is a great plan because if I start early enough, even 10-14 mile walks can be completed in time to still enjoy a full day in a far too short weekend. I’m a morning person anyway. I am at my best between the hours of 6am and 12pm. By lunchtime, any great ideas I have are usually less than great and any ambitious plans I had to tackle the “to do” list are usually less than ambitious.

Getting to Know You, Part 7

Posted By: Kim Sterritt

wait for it.....wait for it........Karen Wagner!

Karen Wagner
Location: Alpharetta, GA

Are you a NEW New Kid or a New Kid With Experience?
I am new to the team, but I have previous AVON 3-Day experience.

What made you decide to take the plunge and sign up for the 2010 3 Day?
My Aunt Robin was diagnosed with breast cancer last year (thankfully she is a SURVIVOR!) so I decided to walk in celebration of her.

How did you get suckered into joining, I mean, get connected with Team New Kids?
All of Kim's emails from last year really inspired me and she made it sound like so much fun that I decided to join.

It's Not a Race...It's a Journey

With high temps and threat of rain most of the week, I took my 3 mile walk Thursday to the treadmill in the gym. We belong to a gym on a college campus and I was surrounded by college students working out. On the other treadmills beside me, there were plenty of young men and women running on the treadmill. It made me jealous that they were finishing their miles in a much shorter period of time than I was! A couple came and left while I was still walking at a decent pace but yet still walking. I had to keep reminding myself that the 3-day isn't a race.

This is something that the 3-day coaches drill into your head at Getting Started Meetings, on emails, and finally even on the race. The 3-day is all about achieving something on your own, at your own pace. Running isn't even allowed! As a person that doesn't believe in running unless someone is chasing me, I wholeheartedly support the no running rule. In fact, last year the only times we ran were to get in line for the bathrooms - but that is a different story for a different time! Each individual on the 3-day can walk at the beginning, middle or back of the pack. If you need a little help, there are sweeper vans to help you along the way. It is all about a personal journey and doing the best that you can.

The 3-day isn't just a journey during those three days in October. I have realized that it is a journey for the entire training and fundraising process. As selfish as it sounds, I love having an hour to myself to walk a couple times a week. It gives me time to think and the training process makes me put myself first. The hardest part of training is making home and changing into workout clothes before I hit the couch. However, knowing the commitment I have made, I have to put on my workout clothes and start putting my walking first. It's healthy and fun.

The fundraising process is also a journey. It is hard to ask for money but knowing that my $2300 will be added to others from Atlanta and the other walks is important. I know that I am making a difference in funding for research to help end breast cancer and other cancers.

Each thing that we get involved in, we should look at the journey that we are on and not just the end result!

Thanks for helping me during the 2010 3-day journey.

Happy Walking!