Thursday August 26th 5:30 PM, the day before the 3 Day.
I just woke up from a 20 minute power nap. I swore to myself that I would not take any power naps today since I intentionally kept myself up late the night before so that I would be tired enough to go right to sleep tonight since Jenna and I have to be up by 3 AM the next morning to get ready. Technically I don’t have to be at the event until 5:30 AM, but because she’s a medical captain, she has to be there at 4 AM, and I’m willing to go early if it prevents having to drive and store my vehicle at $50 per day. So much for non-profit eh? Regardless, I hope that my taking a power nap is not a trend of failed promises to lead me into this weekend.
I take a quick refresher shower to snap me out of the brief sleep state I’m in. It gives me a chance to think about the upcoming dinner appointment with Jenna and her 3 Day family. I have already met two members of this family at last year’s 3 Day event, Michael and Monica. Michael is about six foot six, bald, glasses and sporting a grey goatee. He’s a retired federal correctional officer. His wife Monica is probably a foot shorter than her other half, and bald as well. That should say it all about the prowess and attitude that she has which makes her about six eight.
These people are both pretty protective of Jenna. However, I passed her Mother’s test, so I am on the right track. Besides Jenna has informed Michael the reason why I have shaved my head for this event and from what she has relayed back to me, my reasons have seemed to have earned their respect. That’s one of the things that this event represents to me. Respect. Respect for the survivors, those who have fallen, and those like Jenna, Monica and Michael who have travelled across the miles to walk or crew events totaling in the double digits.
There’s one thing I have yet to do to complete on my list before I’m ready for the 3 Day event however. It’s the final playlist for my Day 3 MP3 player. Days 1 and 2 have been completed but the third day has been a bit of a quandary. This is a big deal to me. I can’t foresee the condition my body will be in by then. Will I be in decent shape or will I have to start the day being dropped off to the first pit stop to get clearance to walk due to blisters, cramps, shin splints, etc?
Motivation is key here, and music has always provided that for me in life. Those who know me on a deep and personal level know this about me. It may not seem important to most, but I am not like most. The songs I take with me on this journey are going to provide the soundtrack to my memories. Songs like Sly and the Family Stone’s ‘Everyday People’, Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ or something simple like Manfred Mann’s ‘Do Wah Diddy’ could provide a memory that will stick with me for the rest of my life, and not just me, but perhaps other walkers when I walk in front, alongside or behind them while the music blasts out of my $20 portable speaker setup to help keep pace. Those first or last few miles could help provide that extra spark they need to keep going. I may be overdramatizing it a bit, but for me, it is vital that I get this right for my journey!
Time is short however. It’s 6:05 P.M. and I need to leave by 6:30 to head to the Colorado Mills Mall to rendezvous with Jenna and the Pink Mafia. Luckily my ears have been paying close attention during my training walks to determine what has worked and what hasn’t to give me the chill down my spine to give me the goose bumps on my arms or allow my musical soul to shout a guttural ‘YEAH!’ to give the order to my adrenal glands to stand at attention and give the marching orders to tell my legs to keep moving on. ‘Movin’ On’. Bad Company does that. That’s a good one! I need to throw that one in the mix.
As I hurry to scroll through the organized mess that is my digital library, I find the last few gems to add to the mix to give me the right amount of balance, variety and time to make it through day 3. Just in time too! I look up at the clock to my left and see that it’s right at 6:30, at which time my phone alerts me to a text message. Jenna has informed me that they have finished up with their crew meeting. Perfect timing! I grab the necessities; wallet, keys, spectacles testicles The Beatles ‘Abbey Road’ and the requested 6 pack of the specially crafted ‘Pink Ribbon’ ale made especially for this event, a raspberry wheat ale, and head out the door.
As I pull out of the parking lot, Jenna calls and gives me the specific area that they are parked at Colorado Mills. Thankfully I’m making good time. Rush hour traffic seems to have thinned out and the delays are miniscule. ‘Come Together’ is playing on the radio. This to me is symbolic. The perfect song to put me in the right frame of mind for this dinner. Thank you John Lennon.
As I get on to Sixth Avenue, ‘Something’ is the next track to play. It gets me thinking how I got involved with this cause. It was because of Jenna. She explained to me when we first started dating why it was so important to her and why it was one of her deepest passions in life. It really touched me and moved me how much it meant to her. That memory is helping me to remember why I have made a commitment to do this. “Something in her smile she shows. That I don’t need no other lover.” Thank you George Harrison.
As I pull into the Colorado Mills Mall parking lot, I see Jenna’s vehicle, and the members of the pink mafia. Jenna decked out in her bright red ‘Medical Shirt’, and Michael and Monica dressed in the aqua ‘Crew member’ shirts. Michael is sporting a pink ribbon earring, a blue and white ‘Mr. August 2010’ sash and a pink farmers hat with white feather trim on his head. It has the signatures of names of walkers and crew he has met in all of the 3 day events he has participated in. I cannot find a space big enough to add a signature. That’s how many events he has done. This man has a big head, and a big heart. Monica has her sunglasses on top of her bald head which looks like a Velcro patch at this point, and boldly points that out to Michael and how much that bothers her, as she gets out of the car. She’s bold, she’s spunky, and she doesn’t take crap from anyone. She may be small but has a big heart as well, and I admire that.
As I greet everyone, I am introduced to Barry. Barry is another long term member of the Pink Mafia and he’s here to crew this event. He’s a seasoned pro and boldly shows his allegiance to the cause by displaying his pink cowboy hat with buttons such as ‘Cancer Sucks’ and ‘F*ck Cancer’ and pink highlights in his pepper colored beard. This man speaks my language and my attitude. All I know is that I’m looking forward to getting to know these people over the course of the next 3 days.
Jenna piles the Mafioso in her car and Barry rides along with me. He asks me if I’m looking forward to the event, and I tell him I am, and I’m ready. He then asks me if this is my first walk which I tell him that it is. I am then treated to being a student in ‘Hydration 101’ and Barry is my professor. I start to wonder if Barry realizes that Jenna is my girlfriend of close to 19 months and that she is a nurse and has taught me the ropes of how to properly prepare walking in the 3 Day, but I allow him to teach. As I mentioned earlier, he is a seasoned pro and any knowledge for the veterans is welcomed.
After taking a scenic route, we arrive at El Sol for dinner. Jenna and I discussed about where to go to dinner a few days prior to this and we both decided to treat the family to some authentic Colorado Mexican cuisine since a majority of the family assembled is stationed in the Midwest, and having lived there for 5 years myself, the Mexican food does not compare to what we have in the West, and we want to give a good impression of Colorado. I guess there is a benefit to illegal immigration, but I will digress from that topic.
As we sit down at our table, I’m introduced to Dawn who is from San Diego. A perky little blonde and a Mother of 3, she is sitting next to Jake who has actually planned the route for the event, and could easily be Michael’s twin brother bald head, earrings and all. I start to wonder if I should jump into the conversation because I’m starting to feel a little like a stranger in a strange land, especially since Jenna has now remembered that she has forgotten something back at the Mills and has left to go and retrieve it. There’s some good news.
However, it works to my benefit. While I may not know exactly what they are talking about directly, they are talking about the Chicago 3 Day they were all involved with including Jenna which she has informed me on. I look at this as an opportunity, so I stay quiet and reserved and observe and listen. Barry taught me that. The observe and listen part that is, and that’s what I do. I pour my Corona in a glass, give it a splash of lime and start paying attention to the conversations to pick up on the character of these people.
The Corona is going down way too smooth, and before I know it, I have consumed it to its last drop. I debate ordering another one because I have been in training after all. Then I look down at the tank attached to my mid section and stop kidding myself that I’m a dedicated athlete in training and order another one. Monica looks over at the two empty bottles, gives me a wink and says “That’s it Shaun, have a few beers before you walk 20 miles tomorrow!” It makes me laugh, because I know it is coming from a place of caring and concern and from a seasoned veteran. I let Monica know that I’m okay and that after living in Colorado for 33 years, that I’ve picked up on some tricks of the trade.
Jenna arrives in time for the food to arrive and we all enjoy a delicious meal. I decide to carb load on the burrito platter smothered in green chile, giving little to no thought or regard to the havoc it could do to my digestive system while I’m walking tomorrow morning. They say that it’s not a race, but they never said that it wasn’t a race to the front of the line to the port-o-pottie in an emergency situation, and that constitutes as an emergency in my book!
After dinner has been consumed, we get the thumbs up of approval of a job well done on the choice of venue for dinner from the Pink Mafia. That’s huge to me and Jenna since Michael and Monica own a catering business in Chicago and Monica is about to throw down her chef expertise on a show on Food Network in mere months.
As the gang files out, I acquire a new passenger to my vehicle in Jake along with Barry in escorting them back to their hotel. Barry lets Jake know that I’m Jenna’s boyfriend and that this is my first walk, and I’m once again a student of Hydration 101 and Jake is now the professor. As I said earlier, wisdom from the veterans is always welcomed, and there are no egos to display when it comes to doing this event.
We arrive at the Courtyard Marriot and I drop off Barry and Jake and say my good nights to the Pink Mafia with handshakes and hugs all around and words of ‘Good Luck tomorrow’ and ‘Enjoy it’ to encourage me. I give Jenna a kiss and tell her I will see her at home. I call my Uncle who has selflessly offered to be our transport at 3:30 AM to head on down to my place so he can crash on the couch. It’s 8:40 PM and I still have one more stop I need to make before I can head home. I start doing the math and realize that by the time I fall asleep, I could be looking at only getting 3 hours of sleep before the start of the journey. I guess taking that power nap wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
After finding another pair of athletic shorts at the Evil Empire known as Wally World, I roll down the window, turn up ‘Abbey Road’ and motor on home. ‘The Big One’ Medley is playing and it has come to the part of ‘Carry That Weight’. I’m starting to pat myself on the back of my choice of music for this night. Lots of symbolism and inspiration I’m picking up. I start to focus on the reason why I’m committing myself to this journey.
It’s for my Grandmother Betty. It’s for Aunts Barb, Betty and Janet, and while they were not taken by breast cancer directly, it was a form of cancer nonetheless. It’s for Jenna’s Mother Donna who is a breast cancer survivor and is still going strong, and it’s for my Aunt Beth who is still fighting her fight and is winning valiantly. This is what I need to take with me tomorrow morning. As I pull into my parking space, and turn off the car, the stereo plays the final verse of ‘The End’. “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” Thank you Paul McCartney.
