I DID IT!

Here's the text of an email that I sent to my sponsors after the walk last year. I couldn't stand the dangling blog...

10/15//2007
The 3-Day--I DID IT!!
This message is going out to all of you that contributed to the fundraising portion of my 3-day walk. I raised over $2800, with the promise of coming in closer to $3000 when more recent cash and check donatations are posted.

As I shared in my original plea for help, my original concern was whether I could raise the minimum to walk ($2200) but I reached that mark on July 4! I walked and walked and walked. But as The Walk date approached, I became apprehensive about whether I was really going to be able to do 20+20+20. The longest walks I had done were 15 and 18 and none of those were followed by another long walk. But I did lots of 5-10 miles walks and finally figured out that a 1 or 2 mile walk was better than No Walk when I didn't have the hours to devote to the longer ones. I guess the one thing I didn't foresee when committing to this walk is the sheer number of hours it would involve over the months of preparation.

And while I am sure I walked well over 60 miles over the last 3 days, the official walk was Day 1: 18.1 miles, Day 2: 18.9 miles and Day 3: 15.? miles. But the long walks were broken up into smaller walks with frequent pit stops and "grab and go" stations where water, gatorade, snacks, and port-a-potties were abundant. So I focused on going the next 2.8 or the next 3.1 to the next stop instead of the total distance. And to be honest, the last couple of stops of day 2 and every stop of day 3, I wasn't convinced I was going to make it to the end. But I didn't quit. One of the things that kept me going was my sister, who has undergone surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation while I was doing my training walks. She didn't have the option of giving up and getting on a bus--so I didn't either.

One ugly blister, a bruised hand, and sore feet are my only casualties. But it was a very rewarding and inspirational experience. If you've ever considered doing it--do it. Am I going to do it next year? I'm uncertain. But if I don't, I'll crew. While we had somewhere around 3000 walkers, there were 350 people who spent four days feeding us, keeping us safe in crosswalks, manning the pit stops, driving the sweep vans, patching us up in the medical tents, and cheering us on with their costumes, music, and enthusiastic attitudes. They worked as hard as we did--not for 3 days but for 4.

Thanks again for your support.