Mission: Possible

Crossing the finish line with Danielle: 60 miles and three days after starting out.

VICTORY! 

WE DID IT! 

Yep, the walk is over and I am proud to announce that - with my dear friend, tent mate and doggedly stubborn walking partner Danielle at my side -  I made it all 60 miles. There is something to be said for walking three near-marathons in three days. Namely, that it's absolutely insane and it will show you that there are ways to hurt you never considered. Nonetheless, few things have ever been as rewarding as crossing that finish line, while holding my husband's hand, with a handful of dear friends at my side and with the knowledge that I made every inch of the journey under my own power. 

If you're considering taking or volunteering with this walk, don't hesitate. JUST DO IT! (If you want to form a team for 2009, just let me know ... I'm now an addict.)

It took us about 30 hours, gallons of Gatorade and even more gallons of water. It also required a dozen stretching stops, 15 pit stops, more trips to the chemical toilet than I even wish to count and lots of patience. There were plenty of laughs, a handful of tears and three trips to the medic from my four-member team. One person got red shirted when we found out his knees were too inflamed to walk more than the final mile on day three, another had fluid in his knees and a third suffered a serious sodium depravation. I finished with two blisters on my feet. Nonetheless, we persevered. 

More remarkable than our accomplishment were the men and women who overcame unbelievable obstacles. A group of eight para-athletes was recruited to do the entire course in wheelchairs - ostensibly to check if the route was ADA accessible. Another young woman trudged most of the 60 miles in a walking cast. When she got too sore, her walking partner pushed her in a wheelchair for a handful of miles. 

And none of these amazing tasks equals the performance of the hundreds of women and men who were sick from radiation, balding from chemotherapy and weak from their personal journeys through cancer. They did it anyway. 

Seeing these brave survivors, their families and their friends could buoy and drive me even when the exhaustion and fatigue seemed almost insurmountable. They are the reason we're doing this, and as the occasional sign along the route told us: "Blisters don't need chemo." 

Thank you to everyone who believed in me on this remarkable quest, and know that I humbly wish you the best of both health and love. Life is precious: Embrace it, and live it!

Love,

Regan

Safely in Chi-Town and ready to walk

It took long enough, but we made it to Chicago last night. Actually, this morning. 

Our plane was supposed to leave at 9:45 p.m. and touch down at 12:59 a.m. Instead, we got off about 1 a.m. and landed at 4:30. It was a massive fiasco that involved one plane being two hours late leaving Albuquerque, another being two hours late to push back from its gate and a last-minute, unannounced gate change. 

But we got here. 

Now time to hit the pavement. 

Loving that 5 day forecast!

I know it's probably bad karma to do this, but Thank-you Edouard! Yes, you've got a snooty sounding French name, and yes you're posing a threat to the Gulf Coast; but you're also losing speed now that you've hit land and most likely won't be anything more than a tropical storm. 

That said, Edouard, you're doing wonderful things for my walk. Here in Colorado, the temperature dropped like 20 degrees from Sunday to Tuesday. We had record-setting heat all last week: I haven't shut the windows of my apartment for two days! 

And check out this incredible 5-Day forecast. Would anyone have predicted this for Chicago the second weekend in August? It should feel like a sauna, but the National Weather Service (from which I took this forecast) says it will be more like a bathtub instead. Now, if we can just get WGN's Tom Skilling to agree....

    Today         Thursday      Friday Saturday Sunday

                            

    Mostly          Mostly          Mostly           Mostly        Mostly

Sunny         Sunny           Sunny            Sunny         Sunny

Hi 83°F       Hi 80°F          Hi 78°F          Hi 77°F          Hi 78°F

Fashion versus function: The debate continues.

As I've said before: Ah garb! I love garb but hate clothes shopping. Just one problem - the 3Day rules and Illinois state law require clothing in public. 

The reason I mention this is last week it occurred to me: Ah man! I only have one outfit that really works for hiking. Emphasis placed on hiking, which requires substantially more gear and fabric strength than a good long walk. On the other hand, in order to make it 60 miles in Chicago's humid temperatures, I'm going to need something soft and seamless that will wick away the sweat. Either way, one pair of denim hiking shorts and a tank top wouldn't cut it when I don't have access to laundry. (I did the wash-n-wear thing with my hiking clothes a lot this summer!) 

Fortunately, my dear friend Eve was with me Thursday when I happened to drive by a Sports Authority. On a whim, I decided to stop and see what they had for fitness clothes. Eve is always down for shopping - she's really gifted at it and has impeccable taste - so she gladly joined me. Her talent for finding things on the clearance rack was a God send, but I have to admit, we had slightly different opinions when it came to clothing priorities. 

Mostly function versus fashion. 

Eve would dig through the wracks, find really cute and really short blue and green hiking shorts and throw them at me. I would try them on, laugh at the fact that I thought I looked like a human Easter egg and shudder at the thought of walking in something with a 1 1/2 inch inseam for 20 miles. Granted, I know women who could get away with wearing those shorts for 5 to 10 hours a day, but they're distance runners -- not former equestriannes with thigh muscles the size of their heads. 

I, on the other hand, found the Champion (read boxing) brand shorts for women. They were on the sales rack and available in my size in both pink and white. They also hung down to my knees. Eve quickly vetoed this possibility, based on the risk of "man tan." Understandable concern, but at least it reduced the odds of people walking behind me getting more of an eye full than they bargained for. I'd hate for anything to think my clothes are working as hard as I am. 

Ultimately we came to a compromise: Champion had another line of really cute cross-training shorts that hit just about mid-thigh and that cleared the fashion test. They follow current trends in that they are designed to be folded over at the waist. I paired them with three nice Under Armor high heat tank tops (Eve's spectacular clearance find) and New Balance socks that support the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure! 

I tested the entire shebang on the tread mill and was quite pleased with the results. Especially when Eve - who works in the apartment leasing office - greeted me with "I love that outfit, it's so cute!" 

No man tan here, baby. 

A remarkable thought

Hard to believe that one week from today, this remarkable journey will be over. I have trained for almost a half-year now, have raised more than $2,200 and have officially lost 13 pounds. The walk has been an all-consuming passion for me since February; and I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with myself once it is over. 

Probably start training and fundraising for the 2009 walk!

Seven days to go

What a long, strange trip it's been from my February decision to sign up for the 3Day. It's also been a great trip, a hard one and an inspiring one. Again, my most sincere thanks to everyone who has helped me along my way with everything from offering me their words of encouragement or gifts of blister-proof socks, to acting as my walking buddies or dollar bills. I never would have made it without you. 

I'm looking at the clock (it's 9 a.m Mountain time) and realizing that just one week from today, I'll be nearing the finish line on day one ... or half-way there, at least. They're starting us at the crack of dawn each day. I don't know if this is for the metaphysical thrill of seeing the sun come up over Lake Michigan; or for the more practical reason that it's hot as Hades in Chicago at this time of year and the organizers have thousands of walkers to keep healthy and strong for three days of near-marathons. Probably the later: Get everyone done as early as possible so we can avoid walking in the heat of the day. 

Nonetheless, in a few days I'm leaving to head back to Chicago and the humidity. I'll keep updating right up to the moment I leave for the walk, then try to post a daily update once I'm doing it. (No promises, though, I'm not sure about computer accessibility at the camp site.) 

Keep reading and cool, and I'll keep writing! 

Love,

Regan