Chapter 5: Our First Lunch

Everyone cheers you on when you come into pit stops, but lunch time is a much bigger event. When you get to lunch, your day is half over. The volunteers are screaming and using their bullhorn, and shouting, "WELCOME TO LUNCH!" and for just a split second, you're proud of your accomplishments.

Then you realize how hungry you are. My feet were tired, but I wanted to pick up my lunch first. I got into the lunch line, and I was handed a white plastic bag. When I got up to the table, I grabbed myself a chicken sandwich, some cookies, and a small cup of COLD potato salad. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of potato salad; but on the walk, if it is cold, you will eat it.

I found a nice patch of shady grass on the side of a hill and sat down. First I pulled off my socks to let my feet breathe while I ate my lunch. I rested my somewhat-swollen feet on the socks I had just pulled off and settled my lunch on the ground in front of me.

After I finished eating, I pulled up my now-somewhat-relaxed feet to have a look-see. No blisters on the left foot. On my first 3-Day three years ago, I didn't get a single blister the whole walk; and, naively, I didn't think I would get them on this walk either. However, heat didn't play in our favor, and I would probably say that there were close to zero people who actually didn't get blisters. I pulled up my right foot, and there it was--tiny, but there--on the pad of my right foot, below my big toe, my first blister. It was about the size of a pencil eraser, not very big; but I still had 50 miles to walk, and I was worried. I threw away my lunch trash (which, conveniently, I had that plastic bag they had given me for it) and walked towards the medical tent.

I had never really had a blister like this before, so I wasn't sure what to do. The red t-shirted medical lady cut me a square of mole skin to stick on it, and I did just that, then rubbed Body Glide all over my feet before putting my socks back on. Body Glide is a substance that comes in what looks like a deodorant roll, and you rub it all over your feet, and it prevents friction between your feet and your socks. Great stuff. I would never do this walk without it.