Celebrating Women & Their Friendships.: We Survived...We Thrived!

However, we were obviously tired if it took over a week to blog about it!! Last week's training walk was a success! Seven Besties walked 18 miles on Friday the 21st around White Rock Lake and 15 miles on the 22nd in Highland Village. 32 miles!!!!

Friday was good but challenging. It was terribly hot and White Rock does not provide a lot of shade or breeze or cold drinks. The first 9 miles flew by but after lunch it heated up and we all began to feel it. We learned a lot about the things that the 3 Day experts tell you. We decided to move our Saturday walk to the hills of Highland Village where cold beverages would be more readily available. It was a smart move for our hydration but not so much for our calves! The hills in this place are brutal after walking so far!

So, what did we learn? Oh, the list is long.....
1. Speak up if you have any issue going on! If you feel faint or have a blister starting, say something right away! Bestie Kay said she thought she might have a blister so we stopped on the curb and as soon as she took her shoe off she had all of us over her with a product in hand! Everyone had something in their packs for blisters! We all became so excited & sprung into action. I was frankly a little disappointed! While I know it hurt, it was not as sensational as I was led to believe! (I might have just sent some bad karma my way! I am going to body glide my feet before bed!)

2. Electrolytes are important! After a near dehydration scene on Friday, we have learned the importance of electrolytes! Of course, some of us don't like Gatorade so we are looking for alternative sources, of which there are many so we should be good. I have to learn to eat Sun Chips since that is the snack of the 3 Day - it provides the salt that we will need.

3. We can do it!! The most important thing I learned was that we are fully capable of walking 60 miles! It is so motivating to be with the team. We missed the rest of the Besties though!

Some of us hadn't met till this weekend so it was great to learn about each other. I even learned new things about the Besties that I have known for years. Here is a just a little insight into the Chestie Besties:

Lori - Lori numbers her socks so that she always has a matching pair - of white socks. She had the number '27' on her heels on Saturday. She is by far the most organized! She learned that she likes homemade pimento & cheese!

Tami - Tami tells it likes it is. Towards the end on Saturday she said that she hurt all over and she was cranky. She also said she doesn't like chit chat. Love it! I totally agree! Something funny is always coming from Tami!

Stephanie - Before this weekend, Stephanie had never done a long walk. She did amazing! Also, she wore cropped pants the two days! Impressive in this heat! Oh, her kids include a college student, a high school junior and a son that just started kindergarten!

Nikki - Nikki is the youngest Bestie on the team. She wasn't very physical before signing up for the 3 Day so for her to do so much walking is amazing! She is doing great too! She even walks to the pet store with her dogs and to run errands. It is funny how errands used to seem so far away but now walking to a grocery store is nothing!

Kay - Kay has trained very hard and even had foot surgery in June! On Friday, when she felt so faint, she said she was so happy because her feet were doing so good! She was going to start hallucinating but it didn't bother her because her feet felt good! A certain kind of gum makes her sneeze - weird! Also, she is the best pimento & cheese maker ever! That was the lunch of choice for both days - with extra pickles!

Elise - After a car wreck on Thursday, Elise opted out (after our encouragement) of walking on Friday. I was so happy that she joined us on Saturday. She is the training brains behind the Chestie Besties. We were on the phone with her a lot on Friday during our trials. She is also the greatest cheerleader! She did get a little testy about the lack of cheering from the cars that would pass us by. She thought that there should be more honking and cat calls. We did get a big honk & thumbs up from a woman who had a 3 Day sticker on the back of her car. That lifted us for our last few miles!

After the walk on Saturday, we all met at my house with our families and friends for a cook out. I have to thank my husband, Jaret and Elise's husband Erik for putting our lunches together for the two days, cooking us an amazing dinner on Saturday and just being such great supporters! Jaret and my daughter, Emma brought our lunch to us on Saturday. We had an amazing crew for our training walk!

I am so ready for the 3 Day! I'm already packed and ready to go for the real deal. I have to admit that I wasn't so eager to walk this past Friday and only went 9 miles. Once you walk with the team, it is hard to walk any other way.