I woke up early, to get myself ready for the walk. I finally got out my trusty resistance bands, so I could stretch my feet and legs and hopefully get them ready for the 10K coming up. I also, as usual, stuffed way too much junk in my fanny pack, so it was huge and looked goofy. But oh well. I'm high maintenance. But I seriously need to find a new pack that has a water bottle holder...
Thanks to all my dear, sweet, dedicated friends, I raised over $2600 this year! So I was determined to finish this year's Walk. You may remember that last year, I could only do about a mile, thanks to some uncomfortable tissue expanders. No such problem this year, thank heavens, though I was experiencing another female issue, which came into play later in the day. I made sure to wear my most supportive undergarments and my most secure pants. I probably should've went with my original instinct and wore my yoga pants, but oh well.
I got to the park around 8:45 am, a little before my meeting time with my best friend and co-walker. The Star Walker tent was really upgraded this year, as was the photo area. The breakfast was also much more involved. Usually, by the time I get there, the food is all gone, but this year, there were still plenty of bagels and bananas left. They also had a veggie omelet, but I thought that might be a little heavy on my stomach before the walk on such a warm day. Unfortunately, I didn't grab another bottle of water (I did bring one from home) before they ran out. That will also come into play later in the day. I went ahead and had my picture taken in front of the 'step and repeat,' just in case it got too crowded when my dear one arrived. I certainly love me a sceptre. :)
I needn't have worried - there was plenty of time for more photos once my dear one arrived. I love this photo! After having a little of the breakfast, we waited for our other friends who were going to walk with us. It was fun to walk with my grad school chum and her daughter, along with another handsome gent. We even ran into another friend of my grad school chum during the walk! So we had a nice-sized group to walk with.
After hearing the glorious Carolee Carmello sing "You'll Never Walk Alone" (I got video, but there's so much ambient noise, it's hard to hear Carolee), we started the Walk. Boy, it seemed especially crowded this year. And it seemed as if they really narrowed the streets this year too, with police tape on either side. So, I felt especially crowded. I also felt especially hot. I'm sure it's partly because I'm monumentally out of shape, and partially because we were so jammed together, it made it even hotter than usual.
I generally don't stop during the Walk. I like to take my time, but I also like to walk it in one stretch. Unfortunately, I was unable to do that this year. I felt bad for my walkmates, but at one point I had to stop and use a port-o-potty to take care of a female issue, and that took twenty minutes or so. Then, I started to get really overheated, and I needed to be in the shade, which was really only on the sidewalks once we left the park, and that slowed us down, too. One generous walkmate ran ahead and got some water for all of us, since I had already run out, which helped a lot. I also had to go inside a grocery store at one point to get a little a/c. I hate becoming 'that person,' but I really feel like I need to listen to my body and do what it needs me to do. It sort of was a perfect storm of unwellness, with the overheating and the female problem.
Once we got to Riverside Park, I felt like I was home free. We did make one more stop to sit in the shade for a few minutes, and I honestly felt like I would be good to finish. And when we made the turn onto 85th Street to head back to Central Park, I felt good. Then, suddenly, I had a really bad female problem episode and had to sit down again. A couple of our group went on ahead (it was already after 1pm by this time - I'm usually done and eating ice cream by 1pm!), but I made the really difficult decision to stop walking. I knew I wouldn't be able to finish without making things much worse. Luckily, my dear one and my other handsome chum understood and agreed with me and we stepped out of the Walk and went to a diner. Mainly because I had to get inside to a/c and also to use a real restroom.I hate being a slave to my body, but darn it, that's what happened. But I did my best and that's all anyone can do, I guess. My handsome and kind friends put me in a cab and I went home. I immediately put an ice pack on the back of my neck to bring down my body temp, put my little desktop fan on my coffee table and blew air right onto myself and then elevated the necessary body parts. Thankfully, once I reclined for a while, the problem lessened and I was able to relax, but there were a few nervewracking moments where I thought I might have to go to the e/r. I guess I over-reacted again, but that seems to be my modus operandi right now. Moving on.
Up until I felt extremely unwell, I was having a wonderful time. I was in the sunshine, walking for a wonderful cause, with my bestest friend and other beloved chums. Another dear one was waiting for us as we came out of the park to give us a hug. I wish the Walk could've ended for me in the same happy way, but there's always next year. But, let's look at the bright side - I'm proud to have such wonderful friends and to have raised so much money! Onward! :)
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