Many times throughout our stroll through the beautiful streets, beaches and forests of Vancouver last weekend, I thought about that statement. Because I have to admit, at times walking was a little bit hard.
Lovely little scenes like a decorated neighbourhood traffic circle made it easier....
So did the amazing volunteers who fed and hydrated us, and who stopped traffic so we could safely cross the street.
The scenery wasn't bad, either. It is so easy to take Vancouver for granted, or to whine about the 2 months of rain we had this spring/summer (and 4 months of rain we have every winter), but an hour strolling the sunny beaches, bridges and boulevards of this city quickly erases those memories and has one feeling rather thankful to live here.
What really made this event for me -- what really got me to the finish line after 35 km on Saturday and another 25 km on Sunday, however, was my TEAM.
Walking, talking, listening, laughing, LAUGHING, sharing, comparing blisters, waiting in line for the Starbucks (flush) toilet, stretching, snacking, encouraging, sighing, smiling (okay, and I did a little bit of whining, too). We did it for ourselves, for each other, for our two amazing survivors and for all women.
My movie-star boyfriend even showed up. It was an incredible weekend. If ever you've thought about participating in something like this, I can't encourage you enough to dive in and just do it. The sixteen of us worked together to raise over $41,577 and it wasn't even that much work, honest. As we walked together holding hands, towards the finish line on Sunday, the announcer said "and here comes the team that was always together, at every pit stop, encouraging each other...it's Team Kicking Cancer with Creativity!!!" I felt no pain in my knees, my blisters had momentarily disappeared and I had the biggest smile on my face. We all felt amazing.
Unfortunately, this will be the last year for the Weekend event in 5 cities across Canada. Participation is down (last year 1100 walkers in Vancouver, this year 800). The great news is that Ride To Conquer Cancer, an event benefiting all cancers has really taken off and is raising millions. Good thing I bought a new road bike this spring......
24 comments:
yeah!! congratulations to you & the team!! Go Girl Power!!
What a monumental amount of moolah to raise for this charity event :O)
Congratulations to you Krista! Can you ride ok with your knee troubles?
You go girl, good for you and I'm so glad you got to kiss you know who
Congratulations Krista to you and the team! That’s a long way to walk in a weekend!
Some years ago I took part in a 3 hour spinning (on a bike) event to raise money for children with chronical longue diseases. It was so wonderful to be able to actually do something in stead of just donating money!
Well done guys! Brilliant effort - what a great amount of money raised!
Thank you Krista from me and lots of other breast cancer survivors!
That is an incredible thing your whole group has done, for each other, for cancer research and for yourselves. So sad that numbers were down that much. I would think an event like that would just grow year to year.
Congratulations! I am still so floored at the huge amount that your team raised. Such an incredible group of women :)
Well done my friend - you and your team are all amazing ladies! Congratulations on raising that fantastic amount.
You think your feet ache this year, don't even think about how your butt will feel next year! xxx
Well done to you and your team! Great spirit!
And what a huge amount you raised!
Well done Krista and congratulations to your team for it's great effort. Glad to hear that the weather was co-operative for you!
congratulations on your challenging walk. I am so proud of anyone who is willing to walk to end breast cancer. What an achievement to raise such a significant amount of money as a team! Way to go
Thank you!
From one geologist to another: You ROCK!!!!!! Well done!
This is an awesome post Krista, I am all teary! The $ raised and the bond formed would not have happened without you. YOU. ARE. AWESOME. sister!
Now that's a truck load of $$$!!! Good for you girls!! And it looks like you had a blast!! Just ask Johnny!!
Paulette
Congratulations to you and your team. What a fantastic amount of money your raised. Well done!
love the boyfriend! lol
Awesome!
~Monika in Saskatoon
Bravo honey! You are a role model to us all! Looks like you had a good time though, even with the blisters.
Congratulations, Krista, on a walk well done!!
Wish I could have been there for day 2, but so glad for the day 1 experience. Thanks!!
Thank you Krista!
you're a rock star Krista! :)
looks like hard work to me, but I think the slogan is right.
(and I'm especially in awe of your accomplishment right now, as I find it difficult to walk out to the mail box). ;)
congrats! you are AMAZING!!!
x
oh good for you!. my mil is a twice over surviver and i've sat with her on those logs on that very beach.
Post a Comment