We had the first bake sale/auction for the 2010 3-Day Walk. My Co-Captain is already pulling ahead of me in donations.
But I take pause to think about the people I am walking for this year.
My Aunt - a 10+ year survivor
My friend from High School who is battling it now.
The mother of another friend who passed away earlier this month.
For my Mother who still participated in the "Sisters" Research Project despite dealing with her own Parkinson's Disease.
I walk for those who have battled this disease and won, for those who are still battling and for those who have lost.
I walk for those who can not walk for themselves.
I walk to give them, myself and others Hope.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Walking for a Cure: The 3-Day Part XV: The Long Journey Home...
It was over. The Euphoria of being involved in such an incredible event was still clinging to every fiber of my being but after H's brother and SIL dropped me off at the hotel that feeling started to wane. It was time to go back to the real world.
The next morning I gave myself a treat and took a cab to Union Station instead of the Metro. I got there in plenty of time to line up and get on the Acela home. This is definitely my favorite mode of transportation now. If I am able, I will use the Acela from now on.
I spent most of the trip writing out as much my thoughts from the weekend that I could capture. Trying to get as much down as possible while it was still fresh. The unrest at home kept intruding on that though. There were a few problems that had developed while I was away, including a Death in the Family and now I was forced to really start thinking about these things.
In the following days I really do think I developed a bit of "Post-Walk Depression" but as I recorded my story and shared it with other people one thing became absolutely clear. I was going to do the Walk again.
Boston 2010 -- I'll be there.
The next morning I gave myself a treat and took a cab to Union Station instead of the Metro. I got there in plenty of time to line up and get on the Acela home. This is definitely my favorite mode of transportation now. If I am able, I will use the Acela from now on.
I spent most of the trip writing out as much my thoughts from the weekend that I could capture. Trying to get as much down as possible while it was still fresh. The unrest at home kept intruding on that though. There were a few problems that had developed while I was away, including a Death in the Family and now I was forced to really start thinking about these things.
In the following days I really do think I developed a bit of "Post-Walk Depression" but as I recorded my story and shared it with other people one thing became absolutely clear. I was going to do the Walk again.
Boston 2010 -- I'll be there.
Walking for a Cure: The 3-Day Part XIV: Closing Ceremonies...
The Closing Ceremonies is the reason why I have slowed down so much in posting about the 3-Day walk.
The more I thought about it, the more difficult it seemed to vocalize this last leg of our Walk. As always, the length between the sign that said "Holding Area 1 mile" and the Holding Area seemed much longer than the advertised mile. By this point, everything was hurting and it was through sheer force of will that we were making it through this last mile under our own power. Laurie was walking about 20 yards ahead of me and the "Caboose" was riding just behind me as we marched on towards the end. The cheerful encouragement from the Moto and Bike Safety people as well as just the average people on the street helped to buoy our spirits and keep us moving.
We came down the hill and into the Holding area amidst cheers and high fives. L and I were the last walkers for the day and now was just the short walk over to the Lincoln Memorial for the finish. It was tough. There was elation at finishing the route, anguish that we still had a short way to go and excitement coming off of all the people around us. Words can not really describe the feeling of accomplishment, of completing a goal and of being a part of something special and wonderful. Those feelings were all that carried me through the next 45 minutes to an hour waiting for the ceremony to complete.
At this point, the body was done. Everything was screaming to be allowed to stop and sit down. The feet especially just wanted me to get off of them. L's sister-in-law was kind enough to hang back and walk with me to the car when she noticed that I could not keep up with the others. This really touched me and I thanked her very much. She just thanked me for walking. And that is what kept me moving to get to dinner. Which was an incredible relief.
The more I thought about it, the more difficult it seemed to vocalize this last leg of our Walk. As always, the length between the sign that said "Holding Area 1 mile" and the Holding Area seemed much longer than the advertised mile. By this point, everything was hurting and it was through sheer force of will that we were making it through this last mile under our own power. Laurie was walking about 20 yards ahead of me and the "Caboose" was riding just behind me as we marched on towards the end. The cheerful encouragement from the Moto and Bike Safety people as well as just the average people on the street helped to buoy our spirits and keep us moving.
We came down the hill and into the Holding area amidst cheers and high fives. L and I were the last walkers for the day and now was just the short walk over to the Lincoln Memorial for the finish. It was tough. There was elation at finishing the route, anguish that we still had a short way to go and excitement coming off of all the people around us. Words can not really describe the feeling of accomplishment, of completing a goal and of being a part of something special and wonderful. Those feelings were all that carried me through the next 45 minutes to an hour waiting for the ceremony to complete.
At this point, the body was done. Everything was screaming to be allowed to stop and sit down. The feet especially just wanted me to get off of them. L's sister-in-law was kind enough to hang back and walk with me to the car when she noticed that I could not keep up with the others. This really touched me and I thanked her very much. She just thanked me for walking. And that is what kept me moving to get to dinner. Which was an incredible relief.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Walking for a Cure: The 3-Day Part XIII: The Home Stretch
Despite picking up a pretty good lead again at lunch, by the time we made it to Pit Stop 3, we were racing against the closing of the route again. We got to Pit Stop 3 only 5-10 minutes before they were closing for the day but we took the time to stop and rest anyway. We both iced our wounds for a few minutes and watched as people started clearing up, but we wanted to make the rest of the day under our own power. So we got up and got going again.
Side Note: Pit Stop 3 was manned by a Crew Team called "Save Second Base"...they wore baseball uniforms and attire and were generally an all around great bunch of people in larger bunch of awesome people.
We only had 3.5 miles or so to go at that point. At least to the "Holding Area" -- the last section of the walk we would do together, en masse, once everyone was rounded up at the "Holding Area" first. Sheer will power and the inspiration of our loved ones was probably all that kept us going. Every chance we got, we stopped and stretched.
At Pit Stop 4 the one blister I had all weekend made it quite clear it needed attention. As the wonderful girls at the Medical Circle bandaged me up, L took the chance to sit back, take a breather and stretch a bit more. She was drooping quite a bit, and it was a lot easier to keep up with her but it was obvious that she was determined. We were going to finish this day.
At the "1 mile to Holding Area" sign, we stopped and took pictures of us pointing and laughing. There's that "1 mile" promise again... I still don't believe it. By that time we already had the "Caboose" on our tail but she wasn't really pushing us along as we were doing just fine for time. L's pace kept her about 10-20 yards ahead of me, depending on how hard I was pushing myself at any given point. The chant for my Mom was being spoken out loud without reservation: "Left...Left...Left, Right, Left".
Side Note: Pit Stop 3 was manned by a Crew Team called "Save Second Base"...they wore baseball uniforms and attire and were generally an all around great bunch of people in larger bunch of awesome people.
We only had 3.5 miles or so to go at that point. At least to the "Holding Area" -- the last section of the walk we would do together, en masse, once everyone was rounded up at the "Holding Area" first. Sheer will power and the inspiration of our loved ones was probably all that kept us going. Every chance we got, we stopped and stretched.
At Pit Stop 4 the one blister I had all weekend made it quite clear it needed attention. As the wonderful girls at the Medical Circle bandaged me up, L took the chance to sit back, take a breather and stretch a bit more. She was drooping quite a bit, and it was a lot easier to keep up with her but it was obvious that she was determined. We were going to finish this day.
At the "1 mile to Holding Area" sign, we stopped and took pictures of us pointing and laughing. There's that "1 mile" promise again... I still don't believe it. By that time we already had the "Caboose" on our tail but she wasn't really pushing us along as we were doing just fine for time. L's pace kept her about 10-20 yards ahead of me, depending on how hard I was pushing myself at any given point. The chant for my Mom was being spoken out loud without reservation: "Left...Left...Left, Right, Left".
Walking for a Cure: The 3-Day Part XII: Cute of the Day
There was a lot of cuteness along the route. There were several places each day where kids were cheering us on with bells or pom-poms. But there was one instance of particular cuteness each day:
Friday: The cute was also extremely surprising as a walker came along side of us with a baby sling across her front. Carrying her 7-week old newborn with her this walker was still recovering from labor and delivery but was doing the walk anyway. The absolutely adorable pair were moving along at a really good clip too. She walked with us for only a few minutes before she was off again.
Saturday: Saturday is when we met Gorki. Gorki was a gorgeous Alaskan Husky who was sitting out in his front yard. Just above him was a sign that said. "Hi, My name is Gorki. I support your cause." He was very quiet and gentle, patiently accepting attention from all the walkers who stopped to say hello. While we were there the crowd around him got a bit big and I started to worry that this may not be the best situation to leave a dog in but looking up at the house, someone was standing at the window keeping an eye on Gorki and how he was doing. I smiled and waved at them. They nodded and waved back.
Sunday: A tiny little toddler who probably only recently started walking was writing in pink chalk on the sidewalk. As we came by his Dad encouraged him to give "high fives!" and the little man put his hand up to give us "high fives". It was very very cute.
Friday: The cute was also extremely surprising as a walker came along side of us with a baby sling across her front. Carrying her 7-week old newborn with her this walker was still recovering from labor and delivery but was doing the walk anyway. The absolutely adorable pair were moving along at a really good clip too. She walked with us for only a few minutes before she was off again.
Saturday: Saturday is when we met Gorki. Gorki was a gorgeous Alaskan Husky who was sitting out in his front yard. Just above him was a sign that said. "Hi, My name is Gorki. I support your cause." He was very quiet and gentle, patiently accepting attention from all the walkers who stopped to say hello. While we were there the crowd around him got a bit big and I started to worry that this may not be the best situation to leave a dog in but looking up at the house, someone was standing at the window keeping an eye on Gorki and how he was doing. I smiled and waved at them. They nodded and waved back.
Sunday: A tiny little toddler who probably only recently started walking was writing in pink chalk on the sidewalk. As we came by his Dad encouraged him to give "high fives!" and the little man put his hand up to give us "high fives". It was very very cute.
Walking for a Cure: The 3-Day Part XI: Coming round the bend...
Both L and I were rather creaky and struggling on Sunday morning and I could tell she was worse off than me because I didn't have that difficult a time keeping up with her that morning. Sunday was the shortest day, because Saturday had been so long (the route was 22.5 miles on Saturday and only 16.5 on Sunday). We were looking forward to the finish and really hoping to do at least the majority of the route for the day.
We did take a Sweep Van that was so overloaded that I had to sit up front in a bucket seat with the Van's shotgun rider. It was tight and cramped but the feet were really quite hurting again so it was worth it. I did fall a bit getting into the van, but I wasn't hurt at all. The Sweep Van Crew were awesome in trying to get everybody all set. The Shotgun rider had to hold on to me to keep me from falling into the Driver but I assured her that I was very huggable and didn't mind being touched at all. She was relieved to hear that and quite happy to give out hugs at random.
We were on the home stretch and though there were a lot of walkers taking advantage of the Sweep Vans the atmosphere was excited albeit somewhat tired. It was the last day and we just coming around the bend to the final step. Everyone was happy and relieved. It was Sunday morning that we broke down and gave in to L's desire for Starbucks. Considering we were constantly passing them along the route, I was quite proud that she was able to hold off until then. I'm more of a Dunkin Donuts girl and we only passed a couple on the route so I was able to restrain myself. Though I did get an ice coffee at Starbuck's it was not really my cup of tea and the small size cup wasn't worth savoring the way I do with DD's.
We were falling a bit behind so when we hit the last Pit Stop before lunch and it was about to close, we grabbed the bus to Lunch. We were hoping to get ahead of the game again and so we got ourselves lunch, heard a few more people's stories and headed out again. That was the last time we took the bus or a Sweep Van. We made it the rest of the way under our own power
We did take a Sweep Van that was so overloaded that I had to sit up front in a bucket seat with the Van's shotgun rider. It was tight and cramped but the feet were really quite hurting again so it was worth it. I did fall a bit getting into the van, but I wasn't hurt at all. The Sweep Van Crew were awesome in trying to get everybody all set. The Shotgun rider had to hold on to me to keep me from falling into the Driver but I assured her that I was very huggable and didn't mind being touched at all. She was relieved to hear that and quite happy to give out hugs at random.
We were on the home stretch and though there were a lot of walkers taking advantage of the Sweep Vans the atmosphere was excited albeit somewhat tired. It was the last day and we just coming around the bend to the final step. Everyone was happy and relieved. It was Sunday morning that we broke down and gave in to L's desire for Starbucks. Considering we were constantly passing them along the route, I was quite proud that she was able to hold off until then. I'm more of a Dunkin Donuts girl and we only passed a couple on the route so I was able to restrain myself. Though I did get an ice coffee at Starbuck's it was not really my cup of tea and the small size cup wasn't worth savoring the way I do with DD's.
We were falling a bit behind so when we hit the last Pit Stop before lunch and it was about to close, we grabbed the bus to Lunch. We were hoping to get ahead of the game again and so we got ourselves lunch, heard a few more people's stories and headed out again. That was the last time we took the bus or a Sweep Van. We made it the rest of the way under our own power
Walking for a Cure: The 3-Day Part X: Really Cold Night
Though the mylar blanket lining my sleeping bag kept me fairly toasty, I could feel through my face that it was *damn cold* out there. Sometime towards the morning, I had another conversation with my bladder:
Bladder: Uh, I need to go...
Brain: No, you don't.
Bladder: Yes, yes, I really think I do.
Brain: It is fracking freezing out there!!! You can wait a couple of hours.
Bladder: I'm not so sure...
Brain: I am... go back to sleep!
Bladder: but...
Brain and Body: GO BACK TO SLEEP!
Bladder: ok... ok...
When I heard L calling my name later (SHOCK! She was the first one up all three mornings!!), I still felt like it was too cold to get up. But we had to take our tent down and pack up our stuff. Since the medical tent visit last night robbed me of any motivation to take a shower before bed... my first move was to get a shower. And though the hot shower did warm me up for a bit, there weren't as many people showering so it wasn't nearly as warm as the first time. By the time I got dressed, I was starting to feel cool again. Then came the joy of packing up our tent, our stuff and L was running into the problem of not being able to get all her stuff back in her luggage.
The work was slow moving, with the cold and wet making our fingers even less interested in working right. But we muscled through it and finally made our way to breakfast. Several of the walkers still had their mylar blankets from the previous evening. Silver was shining everywhere are the walkers used the wonderful invention of mylar to keep them a bit warmer. I was really wishing that one of the set of pants that I had brought were full length instead of capri. My ankles and lower shins were FREEZING. As we waited in line for the buses to ferry us to the starting point for the Last Day's Route, I wrapped the mylar around my lower body to keep my legs and shins warm. It helped.
It really did take far far too long for the day to warm up though. The first couple miles of the trip had us still cooler than we wanted to be. Thank Gods that exercise generates body heat.
Bladder: Uh, I need to go...
Brain: No, you don't.
Bladder: Yes, yes, I really think I do.
Brain: It is fracking freezing out there!!! You can wait a couple of hours.
Bladder: I'm not so sure...
Brain: I am... go back to sleep!
Bladder: but...
Brain and Body: GO BACK TO SLEEP!
Bladder: ok... ok...
When I heard L calling my name later (SHOCK! She was the first one up all three mornings!!), I still felt like it was too cold to get up. But we had to take our tent down and pack up our stuff. Since the medical tent visit last night robbed me of any motivation to take a shower before bed... my first move was to get a shower. And though the hot shower did warm me up for a bit, there weren't as many people showering so it wasn't nearly as warm as the first time. By the time I got dressed, I was starting to feel cool again. Then came the joy of packing up our tent, our stuff and L was running into the problem of not being able to get all her stuff back in her luggage.
The work was slow moving, with the cold and wet making our fingers even less interested in working right. But we muscled through it and finally made our way to breakfast. Several of the walkers still had their mylar blankets from the previous evening. Silver was shining everywhere are the walkers used the wonderful invention of mylar to keep them a bit warmer. I was really wishing that one of the set of pants that I had brought were full length instead of capri. My ankles and lower shins were FREEZING. As we waited in line for the buses to ferry us to the starting point for the Last Day's Route, I wrapped the mylar around my lower body to keep my legs and shins warm. It helped.
It really did take far far too long for the day to warm up though. The first couple miles of the trip had us still cooler than we wanted to be. Thank Gods that exercise generates body heat.
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