Last year I walked over 60 miles in 3 days....for the Komen 3 Day walk....and it was probably one of the most painful and hard and yet amazing experiences of my life.
I had tried to train, but with a 3-4 yr old still at home and 3 other kids and a husband, life just didn't extend itself to taking off for 8-12 hours doing nothing else but walking....so my training had consisted of probably a couple of three hour walks and mostly a lot of one hour walks....so probably preparedness was not my greatest skill going into this.....
But I had a willing heart and old shoes, and moleskin and painkillers and two good friends to walk with....we were in high spirits as we set off....the cheers and jubilation of the opening ceremonies ringing in our ears and the joyful feeling like when you are happily pregnant for the first time, blissfully unaware of all that is to come....
At first we were surrounded by throngs and chatted nonstop to each other catching up on family news, enjoying the feeling of being swept along on a great and marvelous journey. Lunchtime approached and we were glad to sit and stretch and take off shoes and inspect for blisters. So far so good. We basked in the sunshine and then gathered our things and set off again....hours later...and 24 miles after first starting we kinda dragged ourselves into the camp, glad to have made it through the day....we had yet to make it through the first freezing....literally freezing...cold night in a flimsy tent....I wore two layers of clothing and my coat and sleeping bag and blanket and still was too cold and uncomfortable to sleep and when it was time to get out of bed and take off those layers my body was screaming at me.....I am a big wimp did I tell you that?
Once the floodgates were opened and the walking officially began, our blood started pumping and we began to defrost and then the sun came out and we actually felt warm again....Day Two was a little harder on the feet....the first blisters started to appear making every step painful. Our feet were mangled and sore. Conversations slowed as it started taking mental effort to keep on walking. I vaguely remember some pretty cool neighborhoods and scenery and a handful of people cheering us along at various stages, but at this point we were definitely in a little haze, slogging through it, administering band aids and moleskin at every opportunity...until we finally got back to camp. Thankfully night two brought extra blankets from loving husbands and with the knowledge that showering before sleep left one with a very cold wet head (so better not to bother) combined with sheer exhaustion I enjoyed a nice coma-like sleep....
Day Three simply took willpower to drag myself out of that tent and pack it up...and put on those hated shoes onto my battered feet...everyone was a little slower and things were definitely quieter...as we focused on one step at a time...with the "get out of jail free" vans following like hawks circling their prey waiting for one to falter or give up, it was literally, just one more step and then another, with no idea how many more "one steps" there were left to go...but as we thought we had reached our limits we would hear some cheering and suddenly be surrounded by people with costumes and banners and posters and pom poms just cheering and whistling and dancing and saying thank you...and we'd be buoyed up and able to keep on...
....at some point the shoes had to be removed and I began walking in flip flops. My toes were mostly numb but luckily I managed to keep all my toenails. Finally after hours of torturous movement we could hear the roar of the finish line ahead.....I thought we would get there sooner....the sound must have carried a long way, but we walked through the gates and literally there were hundreds and hundreds of people waiting and cheering and somewhere out of the masses, my kids and husband all run up to me and hug me and walk the last yards with me and somehow those last steps don't seem as hard and my heart is full and overflowing with emotion....
As I have mulled over this experience I have seen a bigger picture....Life is like my 3 day experience.....it can be fun and joyous, it can be a lot of hard work. We can experience trials and pain. We are being circled by those who are just waiting for us to fail, to choose the seeming 'easy' option. And yet we have hundreds and hundreds who are cheering and grateful and desperately want us to succeed. There are times when we have friends to walk by our side and keep us company and there are times when we are just on our own, just trying to take each next step. And it is simply by our willpower, our determination not to give up and the knowledge of those loved ones who will be waiting for us at the end that keep us moving. All it takes is one step and then another.....
