Lots of Luck to Monarch This WEEKEND!!!

[monarch64]

And we''re off! What a perfect day for a nice, long walk!

 

[monarch64]

This is why small pics suck...this is a shot of the harbor, the skyline, and the sea of pink...

 

[monarch64]

Here I am at the first rest stop...only 2.2 miles in! Can you see my pink ribbons??

 

[monarch64]

Ooops forgot to upload that last pic! Here I am!

 

[monarch64]

My team eating lunch and resting! I think that was around 12 miles...but who''s counting?

 

[monarch64]

One of the many, many shows of support we saw along the way...it was hard to stop and take pics while walking so I didn''t get some of the cute little kids or lemonade stands unfortunately...but I managed this one!

 

[Kaleigh]

Congratulations Monarch!!! Love the pink ribbons!!! That''s a lot of money that was raised. You should be very proud.

Do your feet hurt??

 

[monarch64]

Our first finish line...at 26.2 miles...WOW, WE DID IT!!!

 

[monarch64]

crap, I forgot to upload again, lol!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 6/5/2006 1:57:46 PM
Author: kaleigh
Congratulations Monarch!!! Love the pink ribbons!!! That''s a lot of money that was raised. You should be very proud.

Do your feet hurt??

ROFLMAO! Yes my feet hurt! LOL! (I''m actually in too much pain to roll on the floor laughing, but I feel like doing it!) Thanks Kaleigh!

 

[monarch64]

Our tents...no, they weren''t very big. Sleeping in a tent after 26.2 miles was harder than walking the marathon itself. Next year I am going home for the night or getting a hotel room, I swear!

 

[monarch64]

Here I am downtown on the second day, with about 4 miles left until the finish line!

 

[monarch64]

Here are two of my teammates and me in front of Buckingham Fountain about 1 mile before the finish line on the second day...

 

[monarch64]

Those are all the pics I took....there was too much confusion at the end of the marathon to do much else but gather my gear bag from the truck, get more water, and let my husband whisk me into the truck and go back to home sweet home!

What a great experience...I would definitely do it again! Thanks everyone for all your support--the extra encouragement from you PSr''s really helped me stay motivated! I couldn''t wait to share my story and pics today as soon as I was able to stagger downstairs and turn on the computer!

TG for ibuprofen, really!!!

 

[Mara]

awesome monarch, even though i couldn't see your MINISCULE pictures very well, girl!!!! where's my loupe?!

i am SO PROUD of you!!! you look fabulous and i am sure your sense of accomplishment feels amazing. i was actually thinking about you all weekend and going 'hmm maybe next year i should do our local walk!!!'. i did about 8 miles myself from fri-sunday which is nothing like what you did but it was something. hehee. CONGRATS!!! and take some more advil.

 

[Lorelei]

Yay Monarch!!!! You did GREAT!!

 

[FireGoddess]

YAY!!! That''s so awesome. I do wish I could see more details in those pics - they are great! I''m so proud of you and all that money you guys raised for research! I''m going to show mom the pics of your ribbons and the sign.

 

[monarch64]

Date: 6/5/2006 2:23:58 PM
Author: Mara
awesome monarch, even though i couldn''t see your MINISCULE pictures very well, girl!!!! where''s my loupe?!

i am SO PROUD of you!!! you look fabulous and i am sure your sense of accomplishment feels amazing. i was actually thinking about you all weekend and going ''hmm maybe next year i should do our local walk!!!''. i did about 8 miles myself from fri-sunday which is nothing like what you did but it was something. hehee. CONGRATS!!! and take some more advil.

Thanks Mara...

sorry about the small pics--I uploaded them and resized to PS specs, and that''s just how they come out.

Just to let you know

, the Avon Walk in Los Angelos is September 16-17th this year...that would give you 3.5 months to train!!!

Once again, the website is www.avonwalk.org for more info if you are interested!

 

[Mara]

Date: 6/5/2006 7:20:15 PM
Author: monarch64

Date: 6/5/2006 2:23:58 PM
Author: Mara
awesome monarch, even though i couldn''t see your MINISCULE pictures very well, girl!!!! where''s my loupe?!

i am SO PROUD of you!!! you look fabulous and i am sure your sense of accomplishment feels amazing. i was actually thinking about you all weekend and going ''hmm maybe next year i should do our local walk!!!''. i did about 8 miles myself from fri-sunday which is nothing like what you did but it was something. hehee. CONGRATS!!! and take some more advil.

Thanks Mara...

sorry about the small pics--I uploaded them and resized to PS specs, and that''s just how they come out.

Just to let you know

, the Avon Walk in Los Angelos is September 16-17th this year...that would give you 3.5 months to train!!!

Once again, the website is www.avonwalk.org for more info if you are interested!

hehe that might be nice except that LA is too far for me!!! i''ll check the site and see when the SF one is (if there is one)...I may be too late this year but i''m totally thinking of it for next year!! did you just sign up and then go walking with a local group of registrants or did you do it with friends?

 

[Carlotta]

Thank you for doing this!!!

 

[FireGoddess]

I checked - the SF one is in July - so about a month from now. I''m thinking next year for sure!

 

[Mara]

Date: 6/5/2006 7:29:40 PM
Author: FireGoddess
I checked - the SF one is in July - so about a month from now. I''m thinking next year for sure!

hehe FG I know...I was like hmmm train for a 2 day walk in a month??? I don''t think so!

 

[monarch64]

Mara, I joined a team of women from the gym I go to. I didn''t know any of them before I got involved, but I got to them inside and out by the time we had walked together every Saturday for a few months!

A lot of people just sign up by themselves...there is a message board on the Avon Walk website where you can find a team to join if you''re walking by yourself. Also, the organization provides you with a "walker buddy" who is a person that emails you on a regular basis to see how you''re doing and will even hook you up with a team if needed. They really do all they can to help people find a team, assist with training, and help with fundraising ideas, etc.

We "adopted" one lady who was walking by herself early on during the marathon...she was probably in her 50''s, and her longest walk ever had been only 7 miles! And darned if she didn''t make it through the entire 39.3 miles!!! I saw her after crossing the finish line and she said her back hurt a little, but other than that she was fine! What a trouper--she was one tough chick! My point is that honestly, anyone can do this if they have a good attitude and the desire to accomplish it. I probably could''ve done it with less training than I did, but I felt more comfortable in the end after learning how my body would adapt to such long walks.

 

[KristyDarling]

Monarch -- CONGRATULATIONS!!! What an accomplishment, I really admire you and your fellow walkers for your all of your love and determination. Way to go!!!!

Thanks for sharing your pics .... seeing those pics of my hometown made me homesick!!!

 

[Mara]

monarch i think you definitely did it the right way and also all that training WAS a workout in itself!! so even though you weren''t really doing the whole workout thread thing, i think you have done fabulously even without us!

i actually talked to my friend last nite, she is doing the local ACS relay for life here in a town close to us in July...she said I should come out and hang out with her for a while when she is out there in July and maybe I can walk with them next year. she said i was also welcome to come out there and walk with her for some of her laps, but she does them at 2am!! so i don''t know..we''ll see how brave i feel...hehee.

it''s pretty interesting how they have this one setup, it''s different than the Avon walk because this is at a track and it''s for a determined period of time, i think from like sunset one night to the next morning and you have to have a team member walking the track at all times. she said last year she had to fill in as needed for when no one from her team was on the track so she ended up walking about 70 laps total in 4 hours!!! that''s amazing, a little under 20 miles. she doesn''t train either, she says she just deals with the pain the next day.

she has lost her mom to cancer and her dad battled it this year so she is very dedicated. typically we donate $$ to her team, but maybe next year i will walk too.

 

[monarch64]

That''s so funny you mention the ACS Relay...I did it last year! I found out that it was going on in the park right next to my house, and I was like, jeez, how can I NOT do it, lol! So I got a couple of girlfriends together and we raised about $500 in a little over a week, and camped out in a tent for the night...we didn''t really "relay" in the technical sense, but we all walked together most of the night. It was a great experience. The luminaries they set up for the survivors or loved ones are just beautiful. The really great thing about it is that almost all of the money raised stays in the community the event takes place in.

I hope you join your friend--I know it makes for a long night and you''ll need to sleep in the next day, but it really is a great experience! The whole concept of doing the overnight deal is that cancer never sleeps, so for one night participants don''t sleep either as a show of awareness and support. Don''t forget your thermos of coffee, ha ha!

 

[sk8rjen]

Congratulations Monarch! You did great!

jen

 

[Mara]

yeah monarch you are totally right...i think i will try to walk with her for those few hours everyone else on her team is sleeping. or at least do some of it!!