Mom and I stayed in Keystone at the base of the ski resort on Friday night after checking in and getting some good "boobies" loot. We got up early, ate breakfast standing up, cried through the opening ceremony, and were walking by 7am. We completed the first 13.1 miles in 3.5 hours, walking from Keystone to Frisco, and stopped to eat lunch. We then got ourselves back up to walking speed and managed to complete the second 13.1 mile trek in just 3.75 hours, walking up and back down 11-mile canyon...Mom says I'm tough to keep up with despite my short little legs. This picture is Mom & I after completing the first day of walking...a whole 26.2 miles. It was taken before I took my shoes off...and discovered the blisters!! After Mom & I got our tent set up and drank some Gatorade, I headed to the Medics' Tent to get my 4 blisters popped. I tried to pass out on the nurse, so finished the popping while laying on the grass with my feet in her lap, then just laid there for a while. We showered in "shower trucks", which were big semi-trailers filled with excellent shower stalls. After showering we watched the Rocky Mountain wind blow other participants' tents across the ball fields we were tenting on (hilarious because it wasn't our stuff)! We had dinner, then sat in the massage chairs which were set up with back and foot massaging apparatus (most excellent)! The wind gradually died down, I went back for another popping session (no pass out threat this time), and we sat in the grass visiting with a very nice woman from the east coast. What a beautiful location and day! Turned in around 8 and I got up at 5:30 to beat other walkers to the Medics' Tent. They had to do more blister popping, as they discovered I had blisters under blisters on my right heel (yay!). They mole-skinned my left heel and made a reservoir around the blisters on my right heel and wished me luck. We started walking at 7:30 for our last 13.1 mile jaunt, from Frisco to Breckenridge. The morning medics suggested me stopping at every medic's tent, so stubborn me just kept walking. We got to the lunch stop at the 9th mile around 10 and I cried 'Uncle.' The balls of my feet were killing me from walking 9 miles on them and I had another blister on my left big toe. I peeled off the walking shoes and resigned myself to my flip-flops for the rest of the day. Mom continued on without me and completed the entire 39.3 miles, I got a ride and met her a block before the finish line with her lunch. We walked across the finish line together around 11ish! I later decided I probably could have finished the last 4 miles in my flip-flops...alas, hind sight is 20/20...and it would have taken me forever. Mom and I hung in Breckenridge, talking to other walkers, drinking lots of fluids, and trying to find shade. The closing ceremonies were incredible...the whole experience was incredible...despite my blisters, I look forward to doing it again. Mom & I took a shuttle back to her car in Keystone and drove through Sunday afternoon I-70 traffic back to her house. When we arrived, we discovered my truck had a flat (and I mean FLAT) tire, so we got to challenge ourselves just a little bit more to wrap the weekend up. We met some amazing people, many survivors, and lots of tear jerking stories. Warriors, supporters, and people who just love boobs walked together for 2 days to help raise awareness and hope for a cure for cancer. I will never be the same!
My feet are still healing and I have a few muscles that are still sore...and I haven't had anything but flip-flops (or ice packs) on for 8 days now. I didn't pre-register for next year yet...but that doesn't mean I'm not thinking about it already! I've already had 3 others express an interest in walking with us next year. Mom and I both reached our fundraising goals and consider the weekend a complete success, so thank you to all of you who donated and supported us!
Boobies everywhere are smiling and healthy thanks to you!
