Day1 November 5, 2010

We began our 3 Day journey with an emotional opening ceremony at Collin Creek Mall here in Plano. It was very cold, about 37 degrees, and our muscles were getting tight. We probably stood in the cold about an hour before we actually started walking. Bree and I were right by survivors' circle during the ceremony and it was very moving.

Since this was our first year doing the walk, we had many unexpected treats along the way. The first surprise was all of the sweep vans. Each one had a theme and played loud music to keep the walkers motivated. One of our favorites was the Scooby Boobie Van. Each day they dressed as different characters from the show. They drove the route all day ready to pick up walkers who might need a ride to a pit stop or to camp. They were awesome! It was so great to see how many people gave up their whole weekend just to follow us around and cheer us on.

All along the way we were met by people cheering at designated cheer stations. Most of these were at schools and churches in the Richardson area. Sandy came to cheer us on at one of the first stops. She had waited cheering other walkers on for 2 hours before Bree and I walked by. It was very sweet of her to come out in the cold and support us. We had lunch at Valley View Park in Richardson. It was nice to sit, stretch, eat, and relax a bit. The mantra of the weekend was drink, drink, pee, pee, and avoid the IV. It was pretty funny to see those signs along the route. After lunch, we left the park and started walking on the White Rock Creek Trail. It was very pretty and took us through some nice parts of Dallas.

We stopped and stretched at every pit stop, refilled water bottles, and usually got a snack. They were about every 3 to 4 miles along the route, sometimes less than that. This made walking 20 miles a day very manageable. Every pit stop also had a full medic tent for the walkers. After the last pit stop on day 1, I started to hit a wall. I was getting tired and just wanted to be done. We learned quickly that a Komen mile is not the same as a real mile. We kept hearing camp is just around the corner, only 1 mile to go. We were starting to lag a little in our pace. We were walking through a neighborhood with about .7 miles left to walk. These two ladies were standing outside their home, both wearing pink, and cheering us on. They were a mother and daughter and were thanking us for saving them. They'd both had bouts with cancer and were calling us heroes for walking. Well, that just about did us in emotionally. We kicked it into gear and finished the day no problem. As we walked across the finish line at Brookhaven College, Bree was leaping in the air with joy.

Camping out in the cold was not really what I had in mind. We had nice, comfy, warm sleeping bags, but when it's in the 30s and you're sleeping outside it doesn't really matter. WE WERE COLD! Not really what your leg muscles want after walking 20 miles. We were fortunate that a nice man put our tent up for us. We quickly got situated and headed for the showers. Now, the showers are in an 18 wheeler truck. You have to wait outside in a line for a shower to open up. It was interesting to say the least. The hot water felt great and putting on comfortable PJs felt even better. Next, it was off to dinner. Dinner the first night consisted of grilled chicken, steamed veggies, brown rice, green salad, and brownies for dessert. Yes, we had the brownie and Bree had a REAL Coke. We certainly burned off enough calories to warrant the extra sugar. We were in bed and passed out by 8:30.