Saturday, August 14, 2010
The Last 20 Miles and Beyond.....
Waking up Day #3, I opened my eyes and thought - wow - I really slept good. It felt good to finally be rested and what a difference it made. I also slowly did inventory to see if each of my body parts could move and how sore they might be -- nothing hurt! Even my feet, upon standing, felt fine. We all got up early ate a quick breakfast and packed our bags, packed up our tents and headed out. The team was all feeling pretty good and up to the last 20 miles! The film crew was back and we were so happy to see them and have them along for our last day.
Walking that last day was bittersweet - I truly didn't want it to end, but it was hot and we all wanted to get to the finish line.
The most awesome moment of the last day was arriving at one of the cheering stations and seeing all of our supporters and signs. It was so good to see friends who had come in to stand in the heat and cheer for us. It was very emotional. It gave us the energy to keep on trucking. At the last mile, Alexa and Dylan, our Youth Corp. members got released and were told they could walk with us to the finish line.
As we arrived near the finish line Alexa and Dylan held our Tough Warrior Princess banner that had been signed by hundreds of our family and friends. As we got to the end and I saw people who had come in to support us, it was awesome. We had done 60 miles - 10 of us - together. But it was about so much more than 60 miles and really about so much more than breast cancer. I dare say it was a learning experience like none of us could have even imagined. We crossed the finish line and went into the gymnasium of UMass Boston and.... you guessed it.... DANCED!!!! The music was great and we just felt as though we had accomplished so much and really needed a release. Yes, the Tough Warrior Princesses all jumped on the stage and started a dance party. It was hot and we were tired, but you never would have known it.
Our last interview with the film crew as a team was sad. I think the question for each one of us was something like what have you learned through this experience. We each stood there as a team and gave our answers. It was our last moment together as the 2010 Tough Warrior Princess team. We also got a picture taken as a team with some of the crew members from Element Productions and Marketing Drive. Follow this link to see the press release and picture from Element Productions. http://elementproductions.com/blog/paul-canney-walks-with-susan-g-komen/
It was an honor and a pleasure to get to know each of these people and have them on the journey with us. Look for the short film release in October. You can be sure I will post an update with a link to it. There is even talk of a premiere party.... How funny!
As soon as that was over we were divided up for the walk's closing ceremonies. Survivors and walkers walk in seperately during the closing. Sherri was back to her duties of carrying the flag and the other team members went to file in as walkers. Tina, Maurine and I got to be together as Survivors. We were held backstage, as a few of the survivors got to enter into the ceremonies from over the main stage. What a honor to be standing amongst a group of survivors. It was the perfect ending to 3 Days. Special thanks to my family members and my friends who were there - it truly means the world to me. Saying goodbye to everyone at the end of the walk was really hard.
I am slowly learning that life can be difficult, but you have to make do with what you have been dealt be grateful for it and do something positive with it.
I recently started up a running program following the Couch to 5K plan. Most of the Princesses and lots of others have committed to running the Race for the Cure 5k in Boston in September. We have brand new runners and runners just looking to get a workout and increase their 5k speeds. It's a great group! Lots of our children have also started running as a result and that is AWESOME! We run at 6:00 on Tuesdays at the Amesbury High School track and all are welcome.
Enjoy the last days of summer and thanks for following my journey. More to come! I have signed up for the 2011 walk and plan to keep on blogging. Please feel free to share this blog and comment!!
Walking that last day was bittersweet - I truly didn't want it to end, but it was hot and we all wanted to get to the finish line.
The most awesome moment of the last day was arriving at one of the cheering stations and seeing all of our supporters and signs. It was so good to see friends who had come in to stand in the heat and cheer for us. It was very emotional. It gave us the energy to keep on trucking. At the last mile, Alexa and Dylan, our Youth Corp. members got released and were told they could walk with us to the finish line.
As we arrived near the finish line Alexa and Dylan held our Tough Warrior Princess banner that had been signed by hundreds of our family and friends. As we got to the end and I saw people who had come in to support us, it was awesome. We had done 60 miles - 10 of us - together. But it was about so much more than 60 miles and really about so much more than breast cancer. I dare say it was a learning experience like none of us could have even imagined. We crossed the finish line and went into the gymnasium of UMass Boston and.... you guessed it.... DANCED!!!! The music was great and we just felt as though we had accomplished so much and really needed a release. Yes, the Tough Warrior Princesses all jumped on the stage and started a dance party. It was hot and we were tired, but you never would have known it.
Our last interview with the film crew as a team was sad. I think the question for each one of us was something like what have you learned through this experience. We each stood there as a team and gave our answers. It was our last moment together as the 2010 Tough Warrior Princess team. We also got a picture taken as a team with some of the crew members from Element Productions and Marketing Drive. Follow this link to see the press release and picture from Element Productions. http://elementproductions.com/blog/paul-canney-walks-with-susan-g-komen/
It was an honor and a pleasure to get to know each of these people and have them on the journey with us. Look for the short film release in October. You can be sure I will post an update with a link to it. There is even talk of a premiere party.... How funny!
As soon as that was over we were divided up for the walk's closing ceremonies. Survivors and walkers walk in seperately during the closing. Sherri was back to her duties of carrying the flag and the other team members went to file in as walkers. Tina, Maurine and I got to be together as Survivors. We were held backstage, as a few of the survivors got to enter into the ceremonies from over the main stage. What a honor to be standing amongst a group of survivors. It was the perfect ending to 3 Days. Special thanks to my family members and my friends who were there - it truly means the world to me. Saying goodbye to everyone at the end of the walk was really hard.
I am slowly learning that life can be difficult, but you have to make do with what you have been dealt be grateful for it and do something positive with it.
I recently started up a running program following the Couch to 5K plan. Most of the Princesses and lots of others have committed to running the Race for the Cure 5k in Boston in September. We have brand new runners and runners just looking to get a workout and increase their 5k speeds. It's a great group! Lots of our children have also started running as a result and that is AWESOME! We run at 6:00 on Tuesdays at the Amesbury High School track and all are welcome.
Enjoy the last days of summer and thanks for following my journey. More to come! I have signed up for the 2011 walk and plan to keep on blogging. Please feel free to share this blog and comment!!
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