Day 1 dawned dry, but very breezy. We got to the Convention Center early, which gave us plenty of time to fill our CamelBaks, read the first day's newsletter and look for our teammates. The opening ceremonies began at 7:00, followed by all 4,558 walkers venturing out into the city! We continued through Baltimore City and into Baltimore County as the day went on, and the afternoon brought us through Howard County. Our pit stops included a "rescue station" (with crew members in fire fighter hats), Seussville (although they did not serve us green eggs and ham), and some birthday celebrations. I always thought Main Street in Ellicott City was pretty to look at, but I don't think I ever realized just how steep of a hill it is! We made our way into Columbia, with a very welcome stop and Darcy's Grab-and-Go in the parking lot of the Dorsey's Search Village Center (complete with knock-knock jokes on the portajohn walls). She told me she was proud of me, and reminded me that even if I had to take the bus back into camp I had already accomplished a lot. By this time, we had walked more than 18 miles, which is the longest distance I have ever done in one day, but I felt that I could keep going for the remainder of the route. We reached the last pit stop five minutes before it closed, so we did not linger. By the time we reached camp in Oakland Mills, we had completed 22.5 miles. We were toward the end of the group of walkers, so most of the participants were already in camp. It was very touching to have people lining the entry to camp cheering us in. By this time, all I wanted was a hot shower, dinner and sleep. Victor and I pitched the tents and retrieved our luggage, then he waited for Darcy to finish her crew meeting. Once Barb and I had finished our dinner, we were so exhausted that we decided to delay showers until morning. Night 1 was really cold. I was huddled in my sleeping bag with an additional mylar blanket trying to stay warm. Even though I knew that my middle of the night portajohn trips were indicative of my good hydration state, I was really wishing I had laid off the Gatorade a bit...
It was still pretty cold when I woke up on Saturday (Day 2), but the hot shower and breakfast had me feeling much better. I broke down the tent, packed up my gear to drop off at the truck, and Victor and I headed out by around 7:00. We continued through Columbia with a stop in Pit Stop 1's Margaritaville (OK, more like Gatorade-aville). There were many people along the route who waited to cheer for us, which really made a big difference. One woman and her 6-month old baby were waiting and cheering for us, with a sign that said "Mommy and I walked last year- way to go Avon Walkers!" If she could walk the 3 Day last year while 2 months pregnant, I thought, I can make it too! After a few more miles, though, I started to feel a bit clumsy. I asked one of my teammates, Maura, to come off the route with me so I could take a small rest and stretch (I had lingered at an earlier pit stop, so I had told Victor to continue without me). I asked Maura to signal the sweep van when it came so that I could be taken to the next pit stop. As I stretched and sat, I started to feel cold. I moved into the sun, but continued to feel colder. Maura gave me her jacket, but I still couldn't get warm, even when we took my emergency blanket from my pack to wrap around my lower body. By the time the sweep van got to us, I was trembling. The van took me to Pit Stop 3, and Maura took me to the Medical tent (as soon as I made a portajohn stop). The nurse took my vital signs and had me lie down on a cot with additional blankets. The initial concern was that I had dehydrated, but upon hearing the account of how much I had consumed at the pit stops, the nurse determined that my hydration and eating were not the problem. My body temperature had dropped below 96 degrees , although it was coming back up gradually. I continued to hydrate, as directed by the medical staff, and as a result needed to continue...unhydrating. I imagine that I looked like a baked potato, walking around wrapped in foil. I boarded the bus to take me to the lunch stop, were there are more medical facilities where I could wait until camp was open at 2:00. When I arrived at lunch (still wrapped in mylar because I couldn't warm up) and approached the Medical tent, I saw Darcy already there with Victor, who has overheated. He was feeling better by the time I arrived, but had decided to bus back into camp. The nurse was ready to hook up an IV, but Darcy suggested that I call home and have Ken come pick me up and let me sleep at home on Saturday night. The nurse agreed that sleeping in a climate controlled home would be better than being in camp, regardless of how much rest I got once I got to camp, so we called Ken and made arrangements for me to go home in the evening. I'm sorry to say that I panicked a lot of people, including my walking team leaders. Again, I was hydrating and visiting the facilities, and the med tent was at the opposite corner of the area from the portajohns, so I had lots of opportunity for my shiny, silver blanket to attract attention. I ate some lunch, and was escorted between pit stop areas by Darcy, Barb and Victor (I told Maura to continue without me). I've determined that all my traces of modesty are gone, now that I've had to maintain a running commentary while relieving myself, just to let everyone know that I hadn't lost consciousness. I was feeling mostly better, still not back to normal, but at least I didn't need the emergency blanket. Darc lent me her fleece to wear to camp (in Laurel) and promised to check on me later. Victor and I returned to camp, and I stayed inside for an hour or so, then put on an extra pair of sweatpants so I could go outside to cheer for the walkers coming into camp. When Darcy and Barb arrived, we set up the sleeping area (our "tent" area was in the gymnasium on Saturday night, so no tents were required) and went to dinner. Ken called while we were eating to let me know he was on his way, so I took my luggage and went home for the night. After a hot bath and a good night's rest, I was ready to return to the walk.
I checked in with the Medical crew at camp on Sunday morning, and they took my temperature to verify that my hypothermia wasn't a problem anymore. Although my temperature was still low, it was in the normal range, so the nurse gave me clearance to walk on Day 3. I met up with Victor and many other members of the Needwood Sole Mates team. Deb, one of the Sole Mates, had suffered from medical problems last year and was unable to walk on Days 2 and 3- she pushed herself too hard and ignored the warning signs. When she saw me, she gave me a big hug and told me that she was proud of me for listening to my body and recognizing that I needed to stop. Lots of people have said they admired me for walking 60 miles, but Deb was the first to tell me she was proud of me for stopping. I felt ready to walk, but promised to be careful and to stop if anything felt amiss. Some of the ladies were spraying their hair with pink hairspray, and we even convinced Victor to spray his beard! We began with a short walk to the busses, since there was not a route that was safe enough for all of us to walk because of traffic issues. Once we got started and the weather warmed up, I was feeling even better, and my problems getting warm seemed like a distant memory. At each pit stop, I put my sweatshirt back on to prevent chills, though, and my teammates were keeping tabs on me. People I didn't even know were approaching me along the way asking if I was feeling alright, since so many had seen me at my worst the day before. A number of walkers told me that they admired my courage in realizing that my health was in jeopardy and doing the right thing by stopping when I did. That helped me get over the disappointment of missing two-thirds of Day 2. We continued through Prince George's County and into the District of Columbia. By the time we reached lunch at Archbishop Carroll High School, the excitement of finishing was almost palpable. I found Darcy long enough to let her know I was OK, since she had left camp before I arrived, but she was very busy helping walkers get their lunches, so she didn't have a chance to talk. By the time we reached the streets near the Reagan Building, we were all so anxious to make it to Closing Ceremonies that we could barely stand it. I was so overwhelmed when I got my t-shirt, I started to cry. There were many tears shed all around, believe me! The organizers lined us up and we headed up Pennsylvania Avenue. There were spectators lining the streets from 4th to 7th Street. The first portion of the victory march was the survivor circle, which is a memorial to all of the women and men who have lost their battles with breast cancer. The crew entered the stage area, to thunderous applause (which was well deserved- they are the backbone of the event and we could not walk without them) followed by the survivors in their pink shirts. The event organizers announced the net amount raised for the breast cancer charities- $6.75 million! Mom, Dad and Ken were there to greet us as we came down the street, and we met Darcy when the ceremony was over.
The weekend seems almost surreal to me now. I started training and planning in November, and May seemed like such a long way away at that point. As the date got closer, I became more excited, but it still seemed out of reach. Now that I've experienced it, I realize that no one could have really prepared me for what to expect. I could listen to everyone's accounts, and even see the photos of the cheering spectators and the closing ceremonies, but you have to live it to really understand it. The feeling of not being able to take one more step, then seeing a sign on a tree saying "Deb sez: You can do it!" or hearing the music coming from the pit stop, so being able to go that extra distance. The sight of a spectator, the same one who came and cheered yesterday and the day before, letting you know that people don't need to know you to appreciate what you are doing. I have some blisters and some very sore muscles, but they will go away soon. The memories will last much longer.
What will I remember most? George, in his college attire, cheering for us along the route. The guy in the cow suit. The lady with the baby. Deb's signs near the end of the route on Day 1, pushing me to make it to the end. The way my mylar blanket sounded like a potato chip bag whenever I moved. The Mr. Yuck on the dirty ice sign at Grab-and-Go D ("Walkers- do not eat this ice!"). The way my heart sank when the nurse said, "I have to pull your credentials." The way my heart soared again when I realized she only meant for the day, not the rest of the weekend. The sea of pink at the Closing Ceremony. The realization that I raised over $2,200 for the cause, and the hope that it brings us one step closer to finding a cure.
