Thursday, June 10, 2010

Walking in the Rain

It’s raining out there! Waking up takes a little bit longer on mornings like this – the sky is glazed with grey and the sunlight that usually streams in my bedroom window is diffused and weak. Generally, I’m a fan of rain. In summertime, rainstorms remind me of childhood – when we would run outside into the rain seeking puddles to stomp through. Even now, as an adult, mid-summer thunderstorms are a joy that I share with my children and we laugh and dance around the yard until our clothing sticks to our skin.

But today, the rain is triggering a different thought, one as grey as the sky itself. That thought? “I’m going to walk in this pouring rain.” Today, after work, Matt and I have planned for an 8-mile walk. Training for a 3-day/60-mile walk takes a lot of time. It takes many hours every week. It takes scheduling finesse to fit all those hours around full-time jobs and parenting and taking care of our home. Our walk is still almost 4 months away, and yet we are “supposed” to walk about 20 miles this week to stay on track with our training. This is my 9th year walking in The 3-Day Walk for Breast Cancer, and I have learned over the years how incredibly important it is to train, train, train. And so, recognizing the importance of training, we schedule our walks carefully to fit everything we must do into our busy lives.

So, here’s the thing. Today it is raining. And today we are going to go for a walk that will take 2-3 hours. Because we are in training, and we have to make 20 miles fit into our week, we will be walking in the rain. It’s not just rainy, it is also colder than usual for June. But we’re walking anyway. We’ll dress warmly, and we’ll don our rain pants and rain jackets and we’ll suck it up. Cause here’s the thing about training for The 3Day Walk for Breast Cancer: it’s just a walk. After all, at the end of our 8 miles, when we are cold and wet, we will come home, drink hot tea and take hot showers. Even if we were “on event”, we would still do those things (and then sleep in a tent). But through all of it, it’ll still be just a walk. It won’t be cancer. I won’t be facing frightening treatment options. I won’t be watching my hair fall out. I won’t be waiting for a surgeon to decide whether I will keep my breast. I won’t be facing cancer. I’ll just be getting a little wet.

Get out there and walk, no matter what weather you are facing. It is just a walk. So, we’re gonna just keep going – rain or shine.

11 comments:

  1. AMEN! Way to look at the bright side. :o)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hear hear! Rain won't stop training, just adds to the experience. It is indeed just a walk, and you're so right in thinking that this and the fundraising is so much easier than anything a breast cancer patient has to go through. Cheers to you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love it! I haven't walked in the rain yet. I don't have shoes for rain either :( Guess I really should invest in some 'cause I heard it rained all 3 days in ATL last year.

    ReplyDelete
  4. But it's so WET! WHINE WHINE WHINE.

    Seriously, though, I am always so inspired by you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Colder than usual for June" -- Man, I would kill to hear those words down here in Atlanta!

    Great post, as usual!

    ~ Kristen

    ReplyDelete
  6. tip for wet shoes after a training walk - remove the laces and stuff the shoes with newspapers. They'll dry out fast!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just retrun from my walk and found your post. Thanks for the inspiration and putting it all in perspective! We walk for those who can't. One step at a time...

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've found walking in the rain to be a GREAT Learning Experience and help in preparing for the walk. Definately learning Blister Care and Prevention (as much as is possible with wet feet). It's going to not only help me finish the 60 miles, but to finish 'strong' ... for my sister who did have to face all those things you mentioned and then fast the ultimate with her head high.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oops ... typo ... should have read ... and then faced the ultimate with her head high.

    ReplyDelete