Time to Hit the Road!

So this Feburary I marked my calendar for Augustad the Komen 3-Day walk for the Cure. 3 days=60 miles. So began the adventure! Little did I know then, just what I would learn along the journey. It began with many long training walks as I was told walking a long distance was very different on the feet than running. So, I found weekends were the time to take on 3 and 4 hour walks. It has been a great way to tour neighborhoods.
Then the time arrived and the training was over. I was armed with the advised Body Glide inside the socks and between the toes. I had the outfits which has been road tested ahead of time. And so began the opening ceremony which was so inspirational and a great way to keep us thinking of WHY we all need to find a cure for breast cancer.
My walkmates were Maureen and Jill. Maureen's husband is one my my hubby's dear friends. We joke they spend more time golfing with each other (or talking about it) than with us during the summer months. Both Maureen and Jill have done these walks for a decade. Maureen was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 and has beaten it! She and Jill were like grand marshalls there as they know everyone involved from the years of experience and so I was told many wonderful stories of others we met up with along the way.
One of those people was of Barabra Jo. Barbara is from California and has done over 100 walks, raising more than a million dollars! Her husband has always been a huge advocate for Komen and has always been the one to make the travel arrangements and post encouraging signs to greet her on the miles of walking. He passed from cancer this spring and so this was her first walk back without him. Her children came to Chicago and made sure they made those arrangements and posted those signs for her in his honor.

1)The gear
2)Opening Ceremony
3)Ready to go!
4)Volunteers at mile 17-dancing all day long.
3)Maureen greeting Barbara Jo.