You can get blisters between your toes. Bet you didn't know that...
I didn't know that, but I found out last weekend when I did the Avon Two-Day Walk in San Francisco with my friend, Sophie.
Highlights of the event:
1)Sophie. She had me laughing from Mile 1 to Mile 44 (I know they said it was 39 miles, but the GPS said otherwise).
2)Kevin. My last post was in September of 2009. On September 1, 2009, I met Kevin. Since then, I've been showered with love, acceptance, generosity and patience. Kevin got to Sausalito at 8:00, waiting for me and Sophie to walk by and cheer us on. We didn't get there until 10. He had a big smile for us and big kiss for me :)
3)San Jose Cops. They were our mountain bike escorts. Great guys. Ridiculous calves.
4)Rest Station Nurses. Saved my feet, actually. And, later, my knees.
5)Wellness Village dinner. Big, piping hot plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Rivals dinner in Rome, Italy, as my best meal, ever.
6)"Freelance" roadside well-wishers. Ok, a couple of them gave us incorrect ETAs (only one mile to go!), but they were great support.
7) Co-walkers. The spirit of the event was one of mutual support and camaraderie. I felt part of a big, loving community.
8)The gals who put up our tent. Thank you! Sophie and I, dog tired, got in our tent and fell asleep unshowered in our walking clothes by 8 p.m.
9)Sophie laughing at me as I made it, sobbing, down the steep hill into the Wellness Village. I had done serious damage to my knees and almost couldn't walk. Thank God for a friend who can laugh with me at my stunning stupidity. PS, don't train for a 40mile walk on a mountain bike. I thought that because I could ride my bike up Mt. Montara two times in one morning, that I was a total stud. You actually have to train as a walker. And you have to get good shoes, not your old lawn-mowing shoes.
10)Finishing. Walking up the hill to Fort Mason, my relief at having made it was huge. One for the bucket list. And Sophie making me laugh until I wet my pants. No worries. I was still in yesterday's clothes.
11) Purpose. At Rest Stop 5 on Day 2, I was interviewed by a Canadian documentary crew, who asked me this question: Why are you doing this? My answer: I got health insurance two months before my diagnosis, and I received excellent care by the best medical team I could find. Going through breast cancer treatment is hugely stressful (to say the least). No one should have to go through it and have to worry about how they’re going to pay for it or how to get the care they need. More importantly, even though I had 10 tumors in my right breast, I found my cancer early. Walks like these raise funds for research and prevention, the best reason of all to participate.
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