I have to say that sleeping in a bed helps tremendously when doing this 60 mile walk. This is the 7th time I’ve taken on the challenge and only the 2nd time that I’ve stayed in a hotel the entire time. Camping for the 3 day usually means camping in a tent and sleeping in a sleeping bag. In Boston this time around, camping meant ‘hotelling’ for all participants in a few hotels in the city. I really appreciate it. I highly recommend it. I stayed at Boston Park Plaza, a historic hotel that first opened in 1927.

It was good to camp in tents for previous walks because there is an element of camaraderie that can only be gained from milling around in a food tent, waiting in line for showers, having a set ‘lights out’ time, whispering in tents and between tents after lights out, using a porta potty with a flashlight in the middle of the night, and trying not to let the door of said porta potty slam so as not to disturb others. While that element is lost with hotelling, it is wonderful to lie on a bed where I can’t feel the ground beneath me as I try to get comfortable and from which I can drop my feet off the side to stand up, rather than having to push myself up from the ground and crouch in a tent before standing upright. It is also much better for helping the body to rest and recover for the next day’s 20 miles.

I woke up a bit more readily on day 3, knowing that it was the last day and I would have all of today to rest since I won’t be flying back to L.A. until tomorrow. Stretching and moving around a bit got rid of any residual stiffness and then it was time to get ready to go. Clothes and gear had been laid out the night before so I just had to get dressed and prepare my feet. The latter is absolutely the most important and longest part of getting ready. It involves checking to make sure that my feet are still in good shape and slathering body glide on them. Body Glide is the bommmmb and really helps to prevent blisters and minimize any existing ones.

Foot care is also the most important part of recovering at the end of each day – a good 15 minute foot soak in warm water with scented Epsom salts followed by an application of arnica gel does the trick for me. When I first started this walk I used large ziploc bags for the foot soak. After doing this about two times I figured there and to be an inflateable foot spa on the market, so that’s what I’ve been travelling with and using ever since. At the end of each walk it feels almost decadent.

Sunday was a beautiful day. It started out chilly, but quickly warmed up. It was the warmest of the three days. The route was lovely and there were a few inclines to give my legs a different type of workout, but the climbs I did during the summer made these relatively easy to handle. We walked through fewer residential areas than the previous day and there were several natural and historic sites that we either walked through or passed along the way. These included Boston Public Garden, Fenway Park, The Riverway (Emerald Necklace), Olmsted Park (Emerald Necklace), Jamaica Pond (Emerald Necklace), the Museum of Fine Arts, Butterfly Meadow, Chinatown Gate and Chinatown Park, and Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum.

The houses.

And of course the churches.

Jamaica Pond was so beautiful it deserves a slideshow of its own.

The walk was also fun as usual. The crew, whether on the road, at the grab and go, pits stops or lunch spots always make an extra effort to be cheerful and encouraging. They dress in costumes related to the theme of the spot, play music at intersections, high five you as you pass them, dance and encourage you to dance and so much more. Walkers also dress in costume, wear t-shirts with fun slogans and get in on the act of whatever the crew and encouraging us to do. Many of the slogans are also reminders of why we walk.

After being treated like royalty for a weekend it’ll be hard to readjust to not having someone stop traffic so I can cross the street.

A good team makes the walk easier.

Other photos from day 3

Apparently walking 60 miles in 3 days can take a toll on the body cause I was out like a light by midnight last night. In my world that’s just late evening. I didn’t write one word on the blog. Didn’t add one photo to it. Notably I’d slept less than 4 hours a night Friday and Saturday. Last night I slept for 10 hours and 46 minutes according to my Fitbit.

Today I feel very refreshed (I guess almost 11 hours of sleep should do that). My muscles aren’t sore and I only have one tiny blister on each of my big toes along with the usual blister on my heel. Not bad at all for just having walked 60 miles. I’m ready to go again!

All in all and despite any aches or pains, I have no regrets about having once again taken up the challenge of walking 60 miles in 3 days. Walking through Boston and the surrounding areas helped to remind people that this disease is still too widespread locally, nationally, and globally. This year I’ve so far raised $2,515 that will help to support breast cancer community programmes and research to keep fighting this disease. The collective fundraising efforts of our 1,100 walkers and 200 crew members raised $2.9 million! It is so worth everything I’ve given and done to be here!

Participating in the Susan G. Komen’s 3 Day 60 Mile walk was my primary purpose for visiting Boston. Seeing my family was a great addition. Eating an all-chicken roti from Ali’s Roti Shop for brunch today was the icing on the cake. It was better than the ice cream I ate Friday night and Saturday night after I done walking for the day. I don’t mind that I had to wait until this afternoon to get it. It was delicious! So flavourful and with just enough kick to make two of my twists pop up from lying flat on my head. Or it was so big that the wrapping was wide enough to push them up. It was so big that I don’t think I can eat again before tomorrow … unless it’s ice cream. I struggled to finish it, but since it may be another year before I eat an Ali’s roti again, finish it I did. Though it’s probably fairer to say that it finished me cause I can’t eat another thing today.

I didn’t want to end this post with my roti photo, so here are a few my favourite photos from the #NE3Day.