The Super Secret Other Handbooks

UPDATE -- As Larry mentioned in the comments, the newly updated Underground Guide for 2010 has now been published!  I updated all the links to go to the newest version of the Guide which is even better than ever.  Thanks Larry!

When I first signed up for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure back in 2007, I wanted to know everything there was to know about this crazy thing that I had committed myself to.  I read my handbook, I read the message boards, I read every word of every Virtual Personal Trainer and monthly newsletter that I received.  If there had been the plethora of blogs and Twitter back then that there is now, you can bet that I would have read those too.  In short, if someone wrote something about the 3 Day, I definitely read it.

One of the very best things that I read about the 3 Day was The Underground Guide to the 3 Day, a super secret alternative handbook about all things 3 Day. (Okay, so it's not so "super secret".  But still.)  The Underground Guide to the 3 Day was written by a gentleman named Larry who culled the message boards and combined the great tips he found there with his own experiences to write his own guide book to surviving the Breast Cancer 3 Day.  Larry has since hooked up with The 60 Mile Men, a not for profit group of men that participate in 3 Day events around the country every year.  They are best known for their semi-nude charity calendar that they publish every year (the 2011 calendar is out today!) and for their pretty pink sashes that they wear during each event.  In short, the 60 Mile Men are one of the best parts of the 3 Day community!

Back in 2007, the Underground Guide to the 3 Day was pretty hard to come by.  I only found it because someone was nice enough to post a link to it on the message boards.  I have since revisited it every year that I have participated in the 3 Day.  Thankfully, the New Underground Guide to the 3 Day is now much easier to find because The 60 Mile Men are currently offering a free PDF version of the newly updated guide for download on their website.  I cannot recommend the Underground Guide highly enough.  It is funny, helpful and inspiring.  It should be mandatory reading for anyone participating in the 3 Day in any capacity.  You can find a direct link to the Underground Guide to the 3 Day here.

(Also - you do not want to miss the interlude about leaving your husband at home with the kids for the weekend of the 3 Day.  I've read it four times now and I still laugh so hard that I get tears in my eyes every time!)

While the Underground Guide is probably the best known alternative handbook to the 3 Day, it isn't the only one that's out there!  I recently stumbled across a second guide that I have found equally helpful that was published by a gentleman named Pete on his personal 3 Day webpage Walk Pete Walk.  Pete first participated in the 3 Day in 2006 and has either crewed or walked as part of Team Ladybug every year since.  Pete has recently compiled his best tips and advice into his own 3 Day guide titled The Participants Guide to the 3 Day.  While Pete's guide isn't as well known as the Underground Guide, it is definitely chock full of helpful advice for not just surviving the 3 Day, but enjoying it along the way.  Also, whereas Larry's guide focuses almost entirely on the experience of the walkers, Pete has also thoughtfully included a supplement to the Participant's Guide just for crew members.  I've never crewed an event myself, but as a team captain with three crew members on my team, I found his insight into the crew experience to be incredibly helpful.  As with the Underground Guide, Pete has graciously made his Participants Guide available to the public as a PDF download for free.  You can find the link to the Participants Guide to the 3 Day here and a link to the crew supplement here.

So now what are you waiting for?  Stop reading this blog and get over to those alternative guides!  There's so much to learn and take in before your events start!!

Click here to read the New Underground Guide to the 3 Day!

Click here to read the Participant's Guide to the 3 Day!

Click here to read the Crew Supplement to the Participant's Guide to the 3 Day!

On behalf of 3 Day walkers and crew members everywhere, thank you so much to Larry and Pete for taking the time to share your expertise and experiences with all of us!  The 3 Day community is much richer because of the efforts of people like you!

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