Some people said I was crazy when I signed up for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Crazy why? Oh, the 39 miles over a 2 day period, of course. And yes, there were times where I, too, believed I was a little crazy. But I would, and will do it all over again.
I raised 1,855 dollars, which can also be broken down into 7,420 quarters for the cause. I asked friends, family, co-workers, friends of my friends, strangers, etc and within a little over a month, I met my goal. I just wanted to thank all that believed in me, and to those of you who didn't think I could do it, I'll be walking again next year, so feel free to donate then!
I really didn't train all that much for it. Ok, so I trained for about 2 weeks, but I figured, I wasn't running, and I walk all day - every day, so I really didn't think my body would be all that surprised. My only other teammate, Sarah, well, she "didn't train at all." :)
Not ever having done something like this before, I really didn't know what to expect. I tried to keep an open mind and blocked out any horror stories I heard, and I'm really glad I did. This was an experience, that no matter how you try to explain it or retell it, it is definitely something you need to experience for yourself. And I highly suggest it to everyone. The euphoric feeling absolutely takes over your mind, body and soul. You can feel good about yourself and the good doings you are creating for others. It's such a positive rush that you just want to cry, laugh, smile and hug everyone around you. I am not over exaggerating. Not. at. all.
2 days and 39 miles. Yes, this seems unreal. But I did it. We did it. Team Think Pink did it. and in style. We were known as the pink sisters. Everyone called us by name. Sarah and Melissa. (Our names were on the back of our shirts :) We were the only ones wearing bandanas and I was the only one wearing Crocs. Green Crocs. People thought I was absolutely crazy. But... I had no blisters, and they are the most comfortable shoes I own. On day one, people were doubting them. On day two, there were some bandwagoners. People wearing Crocs and loving every minute of it. Trendsetting? I think so.
Anywho... Day 1. Must walk 26.1 miles. Yes, this is a marathon. A full marathon. Right at mile 1 marker, we hear, "WOW!" and "this is going to take forever." A minute later, again, "this is going to take forever." We laugh, because we knew it. But that lady spoke it. Thank you lady. The weather happened to be absolutely perfect. Perfect, if you enjoy 103 degree weather. It was hot. Really, really hot. I don't think I have ever drank as much Gatorade as I did in these 2 days. I don't think I will drink Gatorade until next year. But I swear, it saved my life. So did Chex Mix.
"I can taste salt on my lips...from my sweat!" another classic one-liner from a passerbyer. There were young walkers, there were old walkers, there were skinny walkers, there were pleasantly plump walkers, there were men, there were ladies, there were just about every type of mankind walking that weekend. It was a time where you let go of your thoughts and come together for a purpose. There was a lot of love. Chicago was a city of hope on June 4th and 5th. It was also a city of rain/thunder and lightning. Luckily it was for only an hour and for the last few miles of the day.
By mile 16, I believe we were a little delirious. I'm sure we had sun/heat exhaustion. I googled it that day. Symptoms: Light headedness, confusion... you get the picture. But we kept on truckin' "Just keep your pace, man!" Heat exhaustion makes you do weird things. It makes you talk about weird things. It makes you witness weird things. But it was a lot of fun. You have to decide if you want Harold's or Popeyes... it makes you want to take a bath in tomato juice... gets you lost and you end up on the Southside of Chicago... You even start talking jibberish and laugh uncontrollably. "Wait...what?"
A few beers, some pizza and it was lights out by 10pm. Goodnight moon.
Good morning Sun. Let's do this all over again. But this time, only 13.2 miles. It was a breeze. When you hear, "only 6 more miles" it was like a breath of fresh air. No pain, no gain.
And we did it. 39.3 miles. Go us. :) And then to a much needed cold, refreshing beer, which was very well deserved and consumed very quickly.
This was my effort to try and record some memories from the walk. Sarah and I will be doing it again, like I said and recruiting and fundraising all over again. Please join our team. Over 2,900 participants raised more than $6.1 Million.
God Bless.
