I DID IT!!

This past weekend in Seattle I walked 60 miles. Most of you know by now that I participated in the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk for Breast Cancer. I don't have any pictures of the event, because I tend to be a don't break the rules type of person. The packing list said no cell phones, no cameras, so I didn't bring them. Turns out most people did. I'll just have to recap in words (hopefully there will be some pictures somewhere, and I can add them later!)

So here's a "quick as I can" version of my experience.

I couldn't sleep at all the night before. Not because I was excited, but because I was very apprehensive about the whole thing. I was scared. I've had tendonitits in my left ankle all along, I'm not an especially athletic person and I didn't know anyone participating.

The starting point was Bellevue Community College. It began with Opening ceremonies, a group stretch and then we hit the road around 7 am. There were around 2500 participants. It was so cool to cross overpasses and have cars honking and waving. Along the street you could see commuters in their cars - some wouldn't look at us, some were moved to tears. Very inspirational. We crossed over the I-90 bridge into Mercer Island, then into Seattle. Walked down towards the Stan Sayres pits where there was a cheering section, (I saw Patty and Mary driving by - they had been passing out knitted sweatbands and saved me one!) I saw some rowers in the distance (hey Patrick - it was Mt. Bakers masters, 2 8's, 1 quad and a pair), and had lunch at Seward Park. This was my first exposure to how much food they give you. We had pit stops every 2.5 miles or so - port-a-potties, water, gatorade, snacks like chips, pretzels, animal cookies, bananas, oranges. At lunch they gave us a sandwich, chips, an apple, potato salad and cookies. They are constantly telling you to "eat, drink and pee". I ended up carrying a good portion of my lunch along the way because I just couldn't eat it all, and didn't want to throw it away. After lunch we headed down through Renton, and to another cheering station in Tukwila. My mom and her fiance were at this one. she had a poster saying "Go, Ellen", a candy bar (Big Hunk -her favorite - I didn't take it) and a small battery operated fan. The fan was great, and it was great to see someone I know. The cheering sections were fun because so many people were there cheering on not just their family members, but all of us. Lots of cute little kids with spray bottles, candies, stickers, popsicles. I don't normally buy Otter pops - but they sure taste good when you are walking! Lots of cheering and positive things to say. The best is when you see survivors, and they are thanking you. Very moving.

We finished up the first day by heading to Burien, past the back side of Sea-Tac airport. There was this long, gradual hill - it just seemed to go on forever. I was pretty exhausted at that point but I kept going on. It was great to be done the first day. 23.5 miles. Wow. The furthest I had ever walked in my life. Got my gear, grabbed a tent to set up and found my designated campsite. There were two angel-girls there that showed up out of nowhere. They were local girl scouts who were doing community service, setting up our tents. How sweet. I know it's just thread the poles through the holes and pop the tent up, but it was so nice that they did it for me. Waited around a bit for my randomly selected tent mate to show up, but she never did. Turns out some people don't show. I had the tent to myself, good and bad. Good, in that I could spread my stuff out, and sleep in the middle of the tent (there was so much dew, the sides leaked the first morning). Bad, in that I didn't really have anyone to hang out with. It was a bit lonely. Went to dinner, had spaghetti, salad and an eclair (they ran out of green beans and rolls in my line) and then a shower after.

Ah yes, the showers. One of my greatest fears - communal showers. So this wasn't really communal showers, just communal undressing. I did it, but very quickly. Harumph.

Went to bed around 9. I had brought some knitting along - I'm a knitter, I had to! - but only got half a round on a sock and decided I was too tired and just went to sleep.

Day 2: Didn't sleep at all the night before 'cause I was too cold. I knew the route opened at 6:30 so I was up at 5:30, ate breakfast, group stretching and off I went. Day 2 was 19.5 miles - we were by the Sea-Tac runways, saw lots of planes taking off, down to Des Moines along the waterfront there, and past gorgeous homes along the way. There is a fun looking farmers' market on the waterfront. I'd like to go back and visit it. Very, very nice day, lots of breeze. Lots of hills too. It's much harder to go downhill than uphill I found out. Really hard on the knees and toes. We basically did a loop from our camp south, then back to camp.

Day 3: Slept a bit better, had a sleeping bag warmer pouch that helped a bit. We had to pack up our gear and tents before hitting the road, so I planned to get up at 5:30 and get on the bus at 6:30. People in tents behind me had a different idea, as they were up at 4:30 talking and packing. I rolled out at 4:45, packed up, ate and ended up on one of the earlier buses. We were bused up to Lincoln Park near the Coleman ferry docks. Day 3 took us through West Seattle (more pricey homes!) and along Alki. There were quite a few people out on Alki, cheering us on. Headed across the West Seattle bridge into Seattle, up towards the stadiums. There was a Seahawks game yesterday, so we were in the midst of all that craziness too. What I didn't know at the time was that I was in the front of the pack so to speak. We were having to try and get these people who were having tailgate parties to get out of our way, and they didn't really know what was going on yet. Were they going to be in for an awakening later! The last pit stop was right by Qwest field. Awesome - they said we were at the 57-mile point. At that point I knew I was going to be able to finish - 3 miles was a piece of cake! I got a quick snack - I usually grabbed a half banana, filled up my water bottle, and a bag of pretzels and I was off with a new spring in my step. I ended up getting to Seattle Center at 1 pm. It was so cool - there were lots of people lining the sides as we crossed the 60 mile point. People cheering inside the holding area too, where we picked up our tee-shirts. There weren't very many people there in the building at the time. I asked one of the staff people where everyone went, and she said they hadn't arrived yet. This shocked me. For three days, I had been passed by so many people. I actually was one of the first 100 or so to get to the finish. It's not a race at all, but I really pushed myself all three days to be in the middle of the pack. I think I did okay.

Thanks so much to all of you who donated. I needed to raise a minimum of $2200 in order to participate. With your help, I raised over $2700. I am inspired. You guys kept me going. I didn't want to let anyone down. Thank you so, so much.

So, what did I learn?

Just do it. Don't put things off until you are in better shape or whatever. You never know when your time will come. The time to do is now.

Eat bananas. Good for their potassium. Great for achy muscles. Who knew?

Chat with people. Reach out. Share experiences. Take time to listen.

It's okay to break the rules sometimes. Next time, I'm getting a bigger pack to carry, and my cell phone and camera are coming with me.

Burt's bees lipgloss does not have sunscreen. Yes, wonderfully minty fresh, but now my lips are swollen. Ow. Need better sunscreen too.

Last, but not least, push yourself but don't hurt yourself. You can do more than you think you can. There were all sizes and abilities on this walk. Very athletic people, very non-athletic people. Cancer survivors, current cancer patients, old people, young people (16 and older). Some were men who lost a wife or mother to breast cancer.

Okay, I'm off. Have to work and teach tonight.

One more thing. I am definitely doing this again. Hopefully next year. Want to sponsor me?? (I'm starting early!)