My dawgs are barkin'
Yesterday at about 230p I finished walking 39 miles with some of the most inspiring and entertaining people I've ever met. As captain of team Fire Walkers I merely planted the idea of walking, but that's where my leadership ending. All I had to say to the 3 other women was "we are going to walk in our turnouts to raise awareness of the increased risk of breast cancer we female firefighters face" and they signed right on.
This is what I concluded:
The human body is not built to walk 39 (actually more like 42 or so) miles on its feet...that's why we invented mechanical advantage such as the wheel and gears.
Everyone in the world knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer. Men, women, kids, rich and poor. And they cheer you on regardless how they feel about who you are.
The San Jose Police Department bike team are angels on wheels. They volunteer their time, their money and their leg muscles to this 2 day event. And they are frickin' hysterical to harass!
And did I tell you my legs are killing me?
But the weekend was great. Some of you may know I've been running a lot lately, and dieting like an idiot! So the cardio aspect of walking about 16hrs was not bad. But there is what I affectionately call the AVON walk shuffle. Not a soul (or sole for that matter) was immune to this shuffle. It's the "I just walked my ass off, got blisters in place I didn't know existed and things are burning that never have before" walk. But you're carried forward by your commitment and the cheers of the bystanders and by the support of your other walkers. It's amazing to watch so many people from so many walks of life come together and just be friends for one day. It was inspiring. But damn it's like christmas...there's a certain amount of let down when it's over.
May I recommend to anyone who might be interested in such an event...do not return directly to work the next day...station boots are a bitch on swollen and blistered feet!
This is what I concluded:
The human body is not built to walk 39 (actually more like 42 or so) miles on its feet...that's why we invented mechanical advantage such as the wheel and gears.
Everyone in the world knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer. Men, women, kids, rich and poor. And they cheer you on regardless how they feel about who you are.
The San Jose Police Department bike team are angels on wheels. They volunteer their time, their money and their leg muscles to this 2 day event. And they are frickin' hysterical to harass!
And did I tell you my legs are killing me?
But the weekend was great. Some of you may know I've been running a lot lately, and dieting like an idiot! So the cardio aspect of walking about 16hrs was not bad. But there is what I affectionately call the AVON walk shuffle. Not a soul (or sole for that matter) was immune to this shuffle. It's the "I just walked my ass off, got blisters in place I didn't know existed and things are burning that never have before" walk. But you're carried forward by your commitment and the cheers of the bystanders and by the support of your other walkers. It's amazing to watch so many people from so many walks of life come together and just be friends for one day. It was inspiring. But damn it's like christmas...there's a certain amount of let down when it's over.
May I recommend to anyone who might be interested in such an event...do not return directly to work the next day...station boots are a bitch on swollen and blistered feet!