Background on my Seattle 3-day experience:
Since April, I have walked over 500 "official" training miles; I'll admit that I ran some of them, but not that many in the scheme of things. I probably walked 25% of them with Kita. I walked in rain, in snow, in scorching heat indices, and spent a lot of time walking in the dark (both early and late). I learned it's exactly 4 miles from my house to the entrance of Sugar House Park. I created a 10 mile loop that included the Farmer's Market- so I could get a My Dough Girl cookie as a treat for walking. I invested in a Garmin so I wouldn't have to pre-map my mileage. I walked in Salt Lake City (mostly). I walked in Austin & San Antonio, in Istanbul, in Bodrum, in Paris, and in New York City (the source of the scorching heat indices). I tried to walk when I was developing pneumonia but ended up giving up that week of training to sleep and heal. I walked and I walked...and then I walked some more when I flew to Seattle last week to walk the 60 miles that I spent all of that time training for.
Top 10 list of what I learned on the 3-day (in no particular order):
10. The Redmond (WA) Firefighters look good in pink.
9. There are limits to how much candy and how many cookies one can stand to eat in a single day; another cute three-year-old handing you more candy will convince you to violate those limits.
8. "Thank you for walking" are four simple words that can help you find your second wind...your third wind....the determination to go on when you're just plain worn out. I know that when I heard those words it would remind me of the people I was walking to honor. It also reminded me that my dear friend Amy won't be able to walk this November as she planned, so I felt like I was walking on her behalf (and in memory of her Mom).
7. The last walker in camp for the night is sometimes (often) one of the biggest heroes. This was certainly true on Day #3.
6. A freshly cleaned porta-potty is cause for celebration!
5. Look right and left at the people standing with you. You'll be surprised to find out who amongst them is a survivor.
4. I'm grateful at how much I've learned to be "in the moment" in the last year- it made the walk an even more rich experience for me.
3. Motorcycle Safety Crew guys give awesome bear hugs at Closing Ceremonies :)
2. It takes a couple of days to re-adjust to the "real world". I kept looking for people applauding and telling me "Great job! Thank you!" on Monday and Tuesday. If I wouldn't have been in self-imposed sugar detox, I probably would have been looking for cookies too.
1. I would do it ALL over again- both because of the wonderful memories of a special weekend with wonderful friends and for the difference we're able to make "just" by walking (and by pestering friends and family for donations....).
So to those who sponsored, and to those who sent thoughts and prayers, and to those who cheered via Facebook all weekend- thank you. Your love meant everything.
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Now playing: Wade Bowen & West 84 - Walking Shoes
via FoxyTunes