Day 1 of the Boston Susan G Komen 3-Day for the Cure is complete! It felt great to walk up the hill and see camp in the distance! It’s been a long, but awesome day here in the outskirts of Boston. Opening ceremony was inspiring and got everyone ramped up to hit the road! I was so honored to have been asked to carry a flag during the opening ceremony, and I got to carry Discoveries.
My walk experience thus far is a lot different than what I experienced last year. Last year I was on a team and Paul walked with me; this year I’m walking solo. It’s been wonderful to meet so many of the different walkers on the route. My Vibrams have made a lot of new friends for me! I get asked a lot what kind of shoes they are and how my feet feel walking in them. Towards the end of the day, I had to be honest and tell them that my feet had felt better days. The first 10 miles went really well, and then I started to feel the blisters forming and the soreness setting in. I also seem to have pulled a muscle in my thigh, so for the last 10 miles I was puttering along at a slower pace which was just fine by me. Reached camp at about 3pm, just when it started to rain.
And as I said, along the way I met some really great people. First, before the walk even started, I met John. John is 
from Hamden, CT and we met in the New Haven train station. He recognized my gear and sat down and started chatting. This is his 3rd walk so he was telling me the ins and out of Boston. Turns out he was going to carry an opening ceremony flag as well so we’ve become good buddies.
There was Vicky from X Team who is from Newton and a survivor. She was telling me about her 12 year old son who came to opening ceremony practice and looked a little bored. She said she walked over and asked how he was doing and he paused and then said, “You’re a survivor. I’m only 12. This is kind of tough” about watching a ceremony about being a survivor and losing loved ones.
I met George, who is something of a legend around these parts. This is his 7th Boston 3-Day for the Cure walk and his signature, the thing everyone knows him for, is that when he arrives at any Pit Stop or Grab N Go and especially at camp, he walks to the center of the crowd and yells, “Honey!! I’m hooooome!” and everyone cheers. He walks for his wife, who lost her battle with breast cancer.
I met Jill and Christie; Jill from Kentucky and Christie from Texas and they’re walking for Jill’s family. Three of Jill’s sisters were diagnosed with breast cancer within two years, her mom is a survivor, diagnosed twenty years ago.
Of course Men With Heart is here! Great guys in bright yellow shirts who are supportive and really embody the Keep Going® spirit! They stood at the finish line in the rain cheering everyone in.
I think the person who best represents everything the Energizer Bunny® is about and the Keep Going® spirit would be Kevin. I met him during practice for opening ceremonies, and Kevin is walking ALL 15 walks this year! He did one walk in 2008, two in 2009 and decided to do all 15 this year. He said he just wanted to step it up a bit… a bit. But he’s always excited and in the front of the pack, very energetic and ready to Keep Going®. Make sure you find Kevin if you’re doing one of the other 14 walks!!
Looking forward to tomorrow! I need to go do something about my blisters and think about if I’ll keep my Vibrams on tomorrow or if I’ll use the sneakers that I brought with me. Decisions, decisions. Thank you EVERYONE for your supportive tweets during the day! They were so great and really inspired me to Keep Going® as the day was coming to a close!
Donations accepted until 30 days after the walk! Would love your support! http://bit.ly/caitlin3day
Tags: 3-day, barefoot, Barefoot walking, breast cancer, Energizer, Keep Going Blogger, Vibram Five Fingers
The Honey I’m Home thing? Made. Me. Cry.
Sounds like you are having a wonderful time! *hugs*
Congrats on Day 1 and thanks for keeping us updated! Good luck with those blisters.
Yay! Congrats on completing Day 1! What an accomplishment. I hope your feet are well taken care of tonight and you don’t have any further problems. It sounds like there are so many fun people walking with you. It was great getting to “meet” everyone through your post. Looking forward to reading more about your weekend!
Great post and can’t wait to read more. You did an awesome job on your first day. Keep going! You’re inspiring me for my training.
14 weeks until Tampa! I’ll have to keep a look out for Kevin in Tampa.
Congratulations on the 1st day! I can’t believe you finished so many miles in what seems like a short time! Take care of them feet and we’ll be watching for your updates and posts tomorrow.
Thank you all so much for your comments! This is an amazing community and I’m so proud to be a part of it!!
SO STOKED FOR DFW IN NOV, KEEP UP THE SUPER DUPER WORK, SO PROUD OF EACH OF YOU. CERTAINLY PUMPS ME UP FOR TRAINING WALKS THIS WEEKEND.
You’re doing an amazing job Caitlyn! Take care of those feet.
Congrats on your first day!! I hope your toesies feel better after a night of rest!!
It was great meeting you in New Haven and sharing the ride to Boston on the train. I hope that all went well for you in Boston and that our paths will cross at another Susan G. event….John
I am training for the 3 Day in November (in Dallas). I’ve been considering getting some Vibrams and would like to hear more about your experience on the actual 3 day…if you get this and wouldn’t mind emailing me your experience, i’d love to hear about it.
I’ve been training in NB shoes and get a few hotspots, nothing major, but really interested in the Vibrams.
The George “Honey, I’m home” thing made me cry, too. People in SBUX all wondering what I’m reading.
I walked in Dallas in 2009, and after a year off, I’m back at it in 2011. I loved my Nike Air Pegasus on Days 1 and 3, but switched to NBs on Day 2 and paid for mixing it up.
I’m very interested in what your final take was on the Vibrams. I’ve thought about them for this year, but would need to start with them out of the gate, or my feet might get confused.