There are some things in life that you do, and you just KNOW that in the moment, it sucks, but it will be something you look back on in a rosy light. For me, that has included any and every morning swim practice I went to in high school, any trip to Disneyland, our honeymoon in France, and this past weekend.

Friday night I was immensely nervous, mainly about what time I had to set my alarm for the morning. I was envisioning exhaustion, freezing temperatures, blistered feet, and much crying. I’m quite the optimist.

That morning came, and I got dressed, gathered all my gear, and Cale and I hit the road towards San Francisco. In case you haven’t been up at 4:30am recently, IT IS STILL DARK OUTSIDE. Wah. We got to the location, and I stared at all the people around me who were so excited. The excitement I would expect from a fabulous shoe sale. Clearly, I have different priorities. Once the rest of the team got there, I started to buzz off everyone else’s excitement. Then there was the opening ceremony where I fought off any tears (heart of ice here), and before we knew it, we were walking.

And walking.

And walking across the bridge!

And more walking through adorable Sausalito where I dreamed of raising an adorable family of six blond-haired children in a water front cottage. Seriously, that’s a dream location.

And then up a huge hill and back across the bridge. Then there was walking through the city. And more walking. Seriously this may seem boring to read, but I’m talking about walking from 7am to 5pm. All walking. And stopping at rest stops for water and snacks. Then walking again.

Towards the end of day one, we were all amazed with how well we were feeling. That is until we got to mile 25. The mile that would never end. The mile with the million hills. The up and down and OMG my knees. The one that broke us down. Because we knew we should be done! Eventually, we finally crossed the finish line on Day one, and it felt amazing. Indescribably amazing. That is, until we still had to walk places. You mean, this did not include dinner in bed and a bedpan? Everyone at dinner was talking about how they GPSed the route and it was actually 29 miles. Did you read that? They added on another 2.8 miles. You know, just a little bit more…

The second day feels like a blur to me. We marveled at how well we felt the next morning. My ankle was just slightly sore, but otherwise, I felt fine! Throughout the 13.1 half marathon, my legs got progressively sorer, but I just kept in mind that in just a few short hours I could be in the car on the way home. Crossing that last finish line, the feeling of accomplishment was almost crippling. The weekend was such a mental challenge, more so than physical. Those moments during the walk where you felt your worst, you would come upon a cheering station. There were some cheering stations during the second day that just overwhelmed me with so much emotion that I was holding back tears. The feeling of exhaustion, accomplishment, and overall love from everyone around was unparalleled.

Now being three days post-walk, I feel so positive about the whole experience. I’m glad it’s behind me, and I’m glad I was able to be a part of something so very large. Over $5.5 million was raised through the SF walk. That is amazing. I’m so thankful for all those who donated towards my walk, and that my fundraising efforts will go towards finding a cure and towards helping someone who has been diagnosed with this disease but who may not be able to afford the medical help they need. Seeing the massive amount of people walking in honor of a loved one makes it so clear how important this cause is.

photo credit for last picture goes to my teammate’s husband Chad. High five!