Bean dropped me off at Collin Creek Mall in Plano, and I was so nervous driving over that my stomach ached. I jumped out of the car to avoid holding up the rest of the line and dropped off my bag at the truck for 'B' tents. I asked the volunteer where we were supposed to go to get to the opening ceremonies and he pointed me in the right direction. Then, a girl around my age said, "Did he say to go over there?" and we walked in stride with each other and somehow decided to walk together.
She said she was in a team but they 'are all older and they don't walk together' but they hang out at camp together. We got into the area for opening ceremonies and just people watched until they started.
We were right near the center circle where survivors carried these flags. The white ribbons have names of people who have died of breast cancer written on them. You can see the survivors holding hands around the flagpole. It was kinda strange to get teared up standing next to someone I just met and that I was going to be walking with that day.Then we hit the route! We were told the first day was about 19 miles, but some people with pedometers said that it was more like 22 miles. One of my highlights of the weekend were these kids who got a break from class to cheer us on! They were so cute and gave lots of high-fives.
We ended up on Campbell, a few blocks away from the SW store at Coit/Campbell. It's right near:
Instead we turned down a residential street. One of the pit stops that day was 'Welcome to the Mammo-Grammy's'. Nicki and I took a picture with Elvis and Lady GaGa.
I found out Nicki is 22 and is in school at TWU for Psychology. She wants to get her doctorate and eventually have her own practice that focuses on sex and relationship therapy. We both thought this sign was funny:
It says, "Ching Chong". haha!
We crossed over and/or under 635 at least 4 times that weekend.
Lunch was sandwiches, chips and cookies. There were delicious graham cracker/peanut butter/jelly sandwich things at the pit stops and the gatorade mixture they had didn't taste that great. At least halfway through the day I realized that Nicki wasn't exactly an open book. She didn't talk about her feelings, and she didn't ask me about mine either. I asked why she was doing the walk (the easiest way to find common ground on an event like this) and she said her older sister was diagnosed in March and she signed up the month after that. Her sister is still in treatment.
Lunch was sandwiches, chips and cookies. There were delicious graham cracker/peanut butter/jelly sandwich things at the pit stops and the gatorade mixture they had didn't taste that great. At least halfway through the day I realized that Nicki wasn't exactly an open book. She didn't talk about her feelings, and she didn't ask me about mine either. I asked why she was doing the walk (the easiest way to find common ground on an event like this) and she said her older sister was diagnosed in March and she signed up the month after that. Her sister is still in treatment.
We got back to camp around 4:30 and found out that neither of us had tent mates! We both were on row 'B' and we both had our own tents. We were able to eat dinner with no wait, take showers with no wait, and get a good seat for the Camp Show they do each evening. That night, the Energizer bunny showed up!
They played a game where 3 walkers had to get ping pong balls out of the kleenex boxes tied around their waists. The girl who won was super energetic and weird and she was humping the air trying to get those balls out. Here's a picture (she's in the middle):
After a freezing night in my tent...I burrowed down into my sleeping bag and had my head covered all night...plus I slept in the clothes I planned to wear the next day, Nicki woke me up for breakfast on Day 2. We knew this would be the hardest day but we enjoyed our powdered eggs and hot beverages (tea for me, coffee for her), and set off walking. We went in a tunnel:
There was a long line of walkers ahead of and behind us:
At the first pit stop there was a lion water fountain:
We went over a bridge; the scary ones that are covered in chain link fence so you won't jump off of them and that go over a freeway (of course it was 635):
At another pit stop there were cheerleaders that sang, "Hey, Hey walkers, show us your knockers!"
The funny thing about this walk is there are all kinds of boob references, whether it's a cheer, a guy wearing a shirt that says something about loving boobs, to a guy wearing water balloons under his shirt and jumping up and down. Seriously.
They played a game where 3 walkers had to get ping pong balls out of the kleenex boxes tied around their waists. The girl who won was super energetic and weird and she was humping the air trying to get those balls out. Here's a picture (she's in the middle):
After a freezing night in my tent...I burrowed down into my sleeping bag and had my head covered all night...plus I slept in the clothes I planned to wear the next day, Nicki woke me up for breakfast on Day 2. We knew this would be the hardest day but we enjoyed our powdered eggs and hot beverages (tea for me, coffee for her), and set off walking. We went in a tunnel:
There was a long line of walkers ahead of and behind us:
At the first pit stop there was a lion water fountain:
We went over a bridge; the scary ones that are covered in chain link fence so you won't jump off of them and that go over a freeway (of course it was 635):
At another pit stop there were cheerleaders that sang, "Hey, Hey walkers, show us your knockers!"
The funny thing about this walk is there are all kinds of boob references, whether it's a cheer, a guy wearing a shirt that says something about loving boobs, to a guy wearing water balloons under his shirt and jumping up and down. Seriously.
There were public cheering stations and private ones, including this one that had a gorilla in a tree:
There were funny things posted on all of the porta-potties. This was my favorite, not only because he is shirtless and has a hot bod, but because he is holding two guns, and the expression on his face, and the quote they put with him ("Every journey begins with a single step"):
Since Nicki wasn't all that interested in talking about her life and/or her feelings, we started playing a game where we would name all of the 80's or early 90's movies we could think of. I suggested it by saying, "Ok, name all of the 80's movies you can think of!" and she said, "I was born in '88!" So I said, "Ok, then early 90's"; while thinking 'Oh my word, she is younger than my brother.' Then we moved on to TV shows. We talked awhile about Saved by the Bell and how Slater had a short, curly mullet. Then we saw this excellent poster at our next pit stop:
Right under the 't' there's a picture of Slater with his mullet!! Hilarious.
There were funny things posted on all of the porta-potties. This was my favorite, not only because he is shirtless and has a hot bod, but because he is holding two guns, and the expression on his face, and the quote they put with him ("Every journey begins with a single step"):
Since Nicki wasn't all that interested in talking about her life and/or her feelings, we started playing a game where we would name all of the 80's or early 90's movies we could think of. I suggested it by saying, "Ok, name all of the 80's movies you can think of!" and she said, "I was born in '88!" So I said, "Ok, then early 90's"; while thinking 'Oh my word, she is younger than my brother.' Then we moved on to TV shows. We talked awhile about Saved by the Bell and how Slater had a short, curly mullet. Then we saw this excellent poster at our next pit stop:
Right under the 't' there's a picture of Slater with his mullet!! Hilarious.
Once Day 2 started getting tedious, we had this amazing cheering station that went on for several blocks. When someone says to you, "Thank you for walking!" it makes you feel good. But when hundreds of people tell you over and over, you really feel like you are making a difference. It makes the hurt worth it.
We passed the 7-11 at the corner of Montfort and the street Elissa and Melissa used to live on.
And that same cheering group all of a sudden had a pink monkey, instead of a regular black one in a tree. He jumped out and wrapped Nicki up in a hug!
We came out at Beltline, and crossed over it right by Buffalo Wild Wings and Pete's Piano Bar. We really thought about stopping for a beer but our feet were so tired we might not have been able to start walking again!
After another quick pit stop, we had the highlight of the day- the Addison bridge!! I've heard of it and seen pictures, but I've never driven over it. But now I have walked over it!
At the last pit stop of the day, we snapped a photo with Thing 1 and the Cat in the Hat. There was a picnic table and after sitting down, I really did not want to get up. It felt good to sit in a chair instead of on the ground. And it's a little easier to get up. Although when you have blisters (as I discovered I did at lunch) it doesn't really matter, you just want to stop moving.
And here is my favorite private cheering group. They are the ones with the gorillas. Their wigs and face paint made me laugh.
And here's a quick photo of my feet at the end of the day:
The last mile or so was really tough. Maybe it was because I was remembering the last time I walked- the last mile of Day 2 that time consisted of me and two team mates (the youngest and fittest of the group) staggering along, crying because it hurt so bad. I remember feeling really close to the two of them; and this time I was essentially by myself. It's amazing how you find this inner strength you didn't know you had when you push your limits. When we finally walked through the gates to camp, a volunteer hugged me and I started crying. I think I hid it pretty well though, I just walked it off. ;)
I'm going to be honest- that day was really tough. After two nights burrowing down in my sleeping bag with my feet all cramped up and being freezing cold for the first and last few hours of each day, I was ready to quit. I really wondered if it was worth it.
We passed the 7-11 at the corner of Montfort and the street Elissa and Melissa used to live on.
And that same cheering group all of a sudden had a pink monkey, instead of a regular black one in a tree. He jumped out and wrapped Nicki up in a hug!
We came out at Beltline, and crossed over it right by Buffalo Wild Wings and Pete's Piano Bar. We really thought about stopping for a beer but our feet were so tired we might not have been able to start walking again!
After another quick pit stop, we had the highlight of the day- the Addison bridge!! I've heard of it and seen pictures, but I've never driven over it. But now I have walked over it!
At the last pit stop of the day, we snapped a photo with Thing 1 and the Cat in the Hat. There was a picnic table and after sitting down, I really did not want to get up. It felt good to sit in a chair instead of on the ground. And it's a little easier to get up. Although when you have blisters (as I discovered I did at lunch) it doesn't really matter, you just want to stop moving.
And here is my favorite private cheering group. They are the ones with the gorillas. Their wigs and face paint made me laugh.
And here's a quick photo of my feet at the end of the day:
The last mile or so was really tough. Maybe it was because I was remembering the last time I walked- the last mile of Day 2 that time consisted of me and two team mates (the youngest and fittest of the group) staggering along, crying because it hurt so bad. I remember feeling really close to the two of them; and this time I was essentially by myself. It's amazing how you find this inner strength you didn't know you had when you push your limits. When we finally walked through the gates to camp, a volunteer hugged me and I started crying. I think I hid it pretty well though, I just walked it off. ;)
I haven't mentioned that halfway through Day 1, I started getting this shooting pain along the left side of my left foot. It felt like a hot rubber band was snapping inside my foot every step I took. At the medical tent, she said it was a tendon that runs along the side of the foot and up around the ankle. That's what the pink tape was for, to give it more support. She said the only solution was to stop using it (because it's an overuse injury), ice it (not in 40 degree weather!), and take motrin. That was the beginning of my 'motrin is candy' theme for the weekend. Obviously I ignored her 'stop using it' advice and walked 22 miles that day. According to various pedometers it was 24-26 miles.
That night, we tried to sit as much as possible. We found out we were still kinda leading the pack so we didn't really have to wait for our steak and potato dinners, or for our showers. We split up for a little while after dinner because I wanted to go to the medical tent and have my feet fixed up before going to sleep and she wanted to wait until the next morning. Before hitting the showers, I stopped by the memorial tents.
There are white tents for each city and walkers can write on the tents- messages about who they are walking for or in memory of. There's a large tent with pictures hanging of past walkers who have since died and a table with pictures and letters people brought. It was a place to really get some tears out. I felt kinda stupid walking through there alone, but I wanted to make sure and read every picture and every caption, to pay tribute to those walkers who had this experience and are not here anymore. I couldn't stand reading the letters from walkers to their inspirations ("Dear Mom, I miss you.....") so I just left and figured if I needed to cry I would finish up in the shower. I got a message from Liz saying that she knows Donna would be proud of me and that did it for me.
After I showered, then waited in line for the medical tent, I got my foot wrapped up (she didn't have the pink tape) and one blister popped, and a few more small ones wrapped to prevent them from getting bigger; I went back to catch the last part of the Camp Show. I met up with Nicki again and for some reason we were both able to participate in the dance party! Who knew after walking so much we would want to do the cha-cha slide?! It was really fun and a great way to get tired since Daylight Savings Time started that night.
Day 3 started and I decided to skip the powdered eggs and really enjoyed my bowl of oatmeal and hot tea. We broke down our tents, packed our bags, and loaded up the trucks. Then they put us on buses and we rode (in the heat!) over to Ursuline, where we started the last leg of our journey. We were close to the end of the line because Nicki had been waiting for help at the medical tent and she was 2 people away from being forced to take the bus to the second pit stop. Meanwhile, I was waiting with her bags (I broke down her tent) and starting to freak out about being forced to take the bus. We made it onto the bus just in time.
At the same time that I was guarding her bags, I got a text from my friend Ryan who was volunteering at the medical tents that day! I was so excited to see him at the first pit stop!
I'm going to be honest- that day was really tough. After two nights burrowing down in my sleeping bag with my feet all cramped up and being freezing cold for the first and last few hours of each day, I was ready to quit. I really wondered if it was worth it.
Here's when I realized I really should stop walking. At lunch, here's what my feet looked like:
I'm holding back the wrapping so you can see how swollen it is! We barely made it over the bridge into the lunch area. Nicki said she was thinking of taking a bus to the last pit stop. By this point, we were no longer at the front of the pack (we had been getting to lunch, sitting for an hour, and still leaving an hour before it closed); this time we stayed until about 15 minutes before it closed. I got frustrated, and she reminded me that lots more people were taking the bus on Day 3 than on other days.
I'm holding back the wrapping so you can see how swollen it is! We barely made it over the bridge into the lunch area. Nicki said she was thinking of taking a bus to the last pit stop. By this point, we were no longer at the front of the pack (we had been getting to lunch, sitting for an hour, and still leaving an hour before it closed); this time we stayed until about 15 minutes before it closed. I got frustrated, and she reminded me that lots more people were taking the bus on Day 3 than on other days.
Then I had some visitors!
Jess' aunt was walking too and they saw each other at the first cheering station. Somehow I missed these two girls; they met me at lunch and realized they brought the wrong sign! So funny! Cool fanny pack, huh?
There was a pink fire truck that you could sign:
But by the time lunch was over, we knew we only had 5 miles to go and we knew it would take a long time. So we set off again. We had some great city views:
The last cheering station of that day was in the West End.
This is my favorite picture of the entire weekend. It's our last pit stop of the weekend. So beautiful.
I really didn't want to get up after this one. But I knew the next stop was the end. The end!
Jess' aunt was walking too and they saw each other at the first cheering station. Somehow I missed these two girls; they met me at lunch and realized they brought the wrong sign! So funny! Cool fanny pack, huh?
There was a pink fire truck that you could sign:
But by the time lunch was over, we knew we only had 5 miles to go and we knew it would take a long time. So we set off again. We had some great city views:
The last cheering station of that day was in the West End.
This is my favorite picture of the entire weekend. It's our last pit stop of the weekend. So beautiful.
I really didn't want to get up after this one. But I knew the next stop was the end. The end!
We had some ring pops that we saved from the day before (and it was included in our 80's conversation of candies). So we had those. And took this ugly picture:
Things that keep a walker going at this point: nerds. Ring pops. Cheering people. And those cool airbrushed bikini t-shirts. So funny.
Another walker asked to take a picture of the back of my Team Donna shirt. It says, "Fighting cancer best friend style". Here's the conversation we had:
Things that keep a walker going at this point: nerds. Ring pops. Cheering people. And those cool airbrushed bikini t-shirts. So funny.
Another walker asked to take a picture of the back of my Team Donna shirt. It says, "Fighting cancer best friend style". Here's the conversation we had:
Her: "Where did you get that shirt?"
Me: "Oh, we had them made when she got sick. We surprised her at the hospital."
Her: "How is she doing now?"
Me: (uncomfortable pause) "Uh...she died about 3 1/2 years ago."
Her and several others: "Oh...I see."
Then I tried to diffuse the situation.
Me: "Yeah, that jerk left me 6 months before my wedding, she was supposed to be a bridesmaid!" (said in a joking tone)
Her: "Well you are a really good friend to be doing this."
I didn't continue the conversation because it would have been me saying this, "Well, she was the nicest person I've ever known. She was nice to everyone. I'm not like that." The rest of the walk was pretty quiet.
The adrenaline really set in when we could see the finish line:
It just felt like relief. We walked every mile. Every single one! We were proud, but we could be even prouder because we knew we didn't quit. I told Nicki that if she tried to take the bus I was going to talk her out of it.
It just felt like relief. We walked every mile. Every single one! We were proud, but we could be even prouder because we knew we didn't quit. I told Nicki that if she tried to take the bus I was going to talk her out of it.
Bean was there, and at this point, I handed my camera to him. Here are some lovely shots he took:
That's the 'my feet and body really hurt' look.
That's the 'I really need a haircut and I have no makeup on' look.
When the closing ceremonies were over, Nicki and I had to go different directions to find our familes. We hugged each other...and that was it. We didn't exchange phone numbers or even last names to find each other on Facebook. There was no pressure to be friends after that, and that felt like a relief. We were able to share an experience with each other and leave it at that. I'm so glad we were able to meet and walk together.
That's the 'my feet and body really hurt' look.
That's the 'I really need a haircut and I have no makeup on' look.
I really didn't think I could stand up again, but I did make it to the closing ceremonies. The emcee said, "How many of you are here today with your best friend?"
Can you imagine my breakdown? It was so extreme a stranger patted my shoulder. I was thinking how I wish I were there with my best friend and how my other best friend is the reason for me even attempting to do this walk again. I just couldn't wait to get out of there. I was tired of standing, tired of crying in front of strangers, and tired of being dirty and cold.
Here are some photos Bean took from his vantage point:
When the closing ceremonies were over, Nicki and I had to go different directions to find our familes. We hugged each other...and that was it. We didn't exchange phone numbers or even last names to find each other on Facebook. There was no pressure to be friends after that, and that felt like a relief. We were able to share an experience with each other and leave it at that. I'm so glad we were able to meet and walk together.
After finding Bean in the crowd and slowly hobbling all the way to the car, we picked up some Grandy's for dinner and sat on the couch. Here is a shot of my feet without all of the wrappings:
So swollen! Now that is a cankle! My whole body was swollen from drinking so many sports drinks and the sodium they have in them. I laid on the couch the entire next day, and worked on getting ice on my really swollen foot.
So swollen! Now that is a cankle! My whole body was swollen from drinking so many sports drinks and the sodium they have in them. I laid on the couch the entire next day, and worked on getting ice on my really swollen foot.
The next night, I took this picture. It's one of my favorite places to be- in my living room with my family (Eucie is upstairs).
Do you see Brooklyn in her chair? Here's another closeup that Bean took:
Seeing my family was the greatest reward after that weekend of cold, hard work. Bean really took care of me and within 3 days I was off the Motrin and ace bandages!
Do you see Brooklyn in her chair? Here's another closeup that Bean took:
Seeing my family was the greatest reward after that weekend of cold, hard work. Bean really took care of me and within 3 days I was off the Motrin and ace bandages!
Thank you so much for your support and donations, I never would have been able to put myself through it without you.
Next time I participate, I plan on being on the crew- no donations to raise and no walking! :)
In the end, I had 2 actual blisters, one hot spot (almost blister), one very swollen foot, and a very achy body. It really felt like it was worth it. If one person is saved before dying of cancer, my blisters were worth it.
To close this out, I'll tell you about the shirt of another walker that made me cry. It was a middle-aged guy, and his shirt had a picture of his mom. It said, "Mama, I'd walk a million miles for one more day with you."
I just think that says it all.
4 comments:
Ali, you are amazing!
Ok, I'm crying! So proud of you!
Alli- So wonderful to read. i felt like I was with you. D would be very proud and walking right beside you all three days.
I love you, Honey! Great work .... don't think I'd have been able to complete the walk with the swelling in the feet ... and what a great donation!! BRAVO!!!!
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