30 miles

I walked 30 miles in a 30 hour span this weekend. I led 2 training walks, 1 for 17 miles on Saturday followed by a 13 mile training walk Sunday. Although the weather forecast wasn't promising and it started raining about 2 minutes before we were about to start walking on Saturday, we actually ended up going 2 straight days without rain (it stopped as soon as it started on Sat). Wish I had known the weather-people would be wrong and I could have left my rain poncho at home for 2 days!

Saturday there were 7 of us in total, but 2 different pairs headed out and were well ahead of my pace from the get-go....not suprising! But, that gave me the chance to walk the whole day with Caroline and Eileen, 2 of my previous Training Walk buddies. We had a great day topped off with an ice cream at Sullivan's on Castle Island. I swear ice cream is the motivator I need to keep walking! Clearly these 2 girls are like-minded and I like that way of thinking! Not to mention it was actual Caroline and not me who suggested stopping for a cone. How could I say no?! ;-)

Sunday their were 10 of us in total, and 8 stayed together for most of the route. It seems like we all really like it when there's a bigger group walking together because you have the chance to talk to a variety of people during the day. Caroline and Eileen were real troopers and came back to join me for 13 miles today after walking 17 miles the day before. Then there was my buddy Cecelia from last years walk. And Lee, a 71 year-young woman I met last year, who is walking in THREE events this year, and will have walked a total of 20 walks over the last 9 years come September. She manages to do all of this with arthritis and scoliosis of the back. What an inspirational lady!!!

Then we had 3 newbies to our training walk: Ann, who had just walked 19 miles alone on Friday. I know from first hand experience that the pro of walking alone is you go much faster, the con of course being you're walking faster because you're bored and hoping to finish soon and hang out with someone! Then there was Danielle and Mandy who are close friends but were kind enough to slow down their pace to hang with the rest of us on the walk. Great talking to both of them and I found out what a small world it is. Danielle's parents live in the same neighborhood as my parents, and as soon as I heard her last name I knew her parents had been Flocked by the Flamingo's last year! Mom, I know you're reading this - remember Colin & Ofelia Reddy? :-) Turns out Danielle's Mom had even passed on my fundraising letters from this year to Danielle. Who knew!

Both walks went great! The only downside is my knees. They were hurting a little after walking yesterday, but after another 13 miles today they are really sore. I've spent a good chunk of the afternoon googling Knee Ice Packs. If you have one you really like, can you post a comment here or shoot me an email? Seems like this might be a $100 investment for a good one I can use with heat or ice, and can re-use for years, so would love some first hand reviews! You gotta love getting old.