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So glad I opted to walk the walk
THE Marathon Moonwalk for Breast Cancer scheduled for the night of June 24 in Edinburgh duly took place.
Eight thousand of us ladies lined up, decorated and prepared for a whole night of adventurous challenge/torture.
My sister-in-law and I decided to enter the walk a long time ago, but I pulled out because of my sister's illness.
As my sister passed away sooner than expected, I decided to re-enter the walk, and started my training just a little bit late.
I really did think I was a good walker. I am a good walker, and had practised quite well, upping my usual walks to five and eight miles on alternate days.
The best preparation for a marathon walk is months of walking practice, one walk of at least 20 miles under your belt, good food, with lots of high energy carbohydrates, good sleep, the right shoes, socks and clothing, and lots of rest and conservation of energy.
If I was to attempt this walk again, I would do things just a little bit differently.
As a fluke of timing, I had to attend a ball on the night before the walk. Reeling until 2 am is not the best preparation for a long walk!
Deliberately not eating carbohydrates because the dress I was planning to wear did not allow for a swollen stomach!
So I had to pack in my carbs in on the day of the walk, which was not really a good idea or adequate for the task. We did try to get some shut eye during the day, but not really enough to feel totally refreshed.
So with some trepidation, we set off for the Pink Tent in the Meadows in the late evening, with very little idea of what lay ahead of us. We were met by the most amazing sight: thousands of women in highly coloured and decorated bras.
We were all issued with T-shirts with an imprint of a bra. That did for us, but most people with busts of all shapes and sizes were determinedly getting into the spirit of the thing. There was a tremendous band giving us great entertainment, there were dozens of helpers serving out pasta, rice and flap jacks. There were massage therapists, photographers and balloons everywhere.
Onstage appeared Lorraine Kelly, a veteran of the Moon Walk. This was her fifth.
There was a breast cancer surgeon telling us where our hard earned money was going, and there was Lesley Howell, from Maggie's Centre Dundee, gratefully accepting a huge donation from The Moon Walk Charity fund.
Then came the keep fit specialist, who got us all warmed up for the big walk. So, as I started the walk, I had a headache from the noise, was exhausted from standing for two hours and the night before, stiff from the energetic warm up, and exceedingly nervous about what lay ahead.
There were so many people that it took us 10 minutes to get over the start line. Ahead and behind us was a sea of pink ladies, with fairy lights twinkling, bunny hats and angel wings - I thought I was in the middle of the biggest hen party in the world. One thing none of us had been doing however was drinking. That would have been crazy!
The first few hours went well enough. We were on familiar ground, the feet felt comfortable and the legs were going well. I knew that if we managed to keep up a pace of 4 miles per hour we would be finished by 8am. It seemed a very long way away. Up Arthur's Seat in the dead of night. Up and down Princes' Street amidst mystified late nighters, teenagers in micro minis, wedding guests and some very, very unwitty and repetitive men staggering their way home.
Gradually we saw off all the Saturday people, as we made our way down Queensferry Road heading for the coast. By 3 am the dawn was coming up. The feet were still doing o.k., the legs were starting to complain, but the company and the fun made up for it. Every time we passed the place where toilets were laid on, there were lines and lines of women.
However, most people seemed to be getting over their inhibitions and took to running behind any bush or hopping over walls for a little privacy. We became very skilled at the squat and run! If Paula Radcliffe can do it, so could we!
By 15 miles we were in virgin territory, as far as miles were concerned, and by 20 miles the agony was piling on. We were a bit hysterical with the desire to complete, with exhaustion and the determination not to give up.
I knew that if I stopped, I would not be able to start again. Even a pavement kerb became a challenge. Our families phoned us at 20 miles and for a tiny moment the pain was forgotten.
We started to sing, play games like 20 questions, and be mortified by the people who were overtaking us. Some of the walkers looked like spring chicks, as we entered the last few miles, but we couldn't help noticing a few people who were in a worse state than we were. I saw one young woman with tears pouring down her face, but with a look of utter determination.
As we approached the end, our husbands met us to do the last couple of miles with us and keep morale up, the clock was ticking towards 8 hours and that had always been our target. So if you can believe it, we ran the last twenty yards. I collected my medal and almost collapsed. The legs could hardly move. I felt like a mermaid. The feet had lost the will to live. My emotions were all over the place, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But we had done it. There were lots ahead of us, but we heard that there were still finishers three hours later. It was agony and ecstasy.
Would I do it again? I don't know. At the twenty mile point I thought, "definitely no", during the painful immobility of the day after, I would have been mad to even consider it, but since I've been feeling better, I have realised that whatever I suffered, it was nothing compared to my two sisters who have both died from cancer, or all the gutsy women who are in the middle of the battle right now as I type.
So yes, I probably will do it again, I'll have better shoes, I'll train better, I won't go to a ball the night before, and I'll stuff in as much carbohydrates as I need to keep my strength up.
The walk was a gesture from women for women. We were all healthy and that was something to celebrate. And thousands and thousands of pounds will go into research to make breast cancer history.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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