Day 5: Pushing The Limits

Given the fact that I had to take a day off yesterday because of the infection in my foot and the severe shin splint in my left leg, I decided to start making up lost miles by adding 2 miles to the usual 26.2 that I intended to walk each day.  By doing that, I can still arrive in Detroit on August 13 and have walked the equivalent of one marathon each day.  My plan was to start where I left off on Tuesday and walk just under 3 mph on average.  I started out slowly because of the continued rough road leading into Petoskey and then I increased my pace to 3.5 when I got onto the paved walking trail.  Surprisingly, that allowed my shin splint to start healing.  I am now more optimistic about this journey than ever before.  I'm glad that I was able to come up with a plan that seems to be working.  I'll know for sure in a few days.

Walking 28.2 miles each day for the next 13 or 14 days will be a true test of my endurance and determination to follow through on my original plan to finish in 18 days.  I'm loving every minute of it because I'm LIVING every minute of it. 

Even though it was one hell of a long day, and there were moments when I questioned how much I wanted to do this, one brief moment on the main street of Charlevoix reminded me of what this means to me.  A woman, about my age, stopped me as I was walking down the main street of Charlevoix....and she asked me, "Are you walking to benefit breast cancer research?"  The moment I responded she told me that she is a recent survivor, and then she just started crying right there in the middle of the street.  No more words were necessary.  I reached out, put my hand on her shoulder, and asked her to tell me her name.  "Susan," she said...and then our conversation began.  After talking for a few minutes, she invited Patrik and me to have dinner with her and her family tomorrow evening as we make our way toward Torch Lake.  I accepted and continued to walk.  I had 24 miles behind me with 4 more to go and didn't want to risk injury by standing still too long.

At that moment, all the rough roads, aching legs, humid weather and long miles didn't even seem to have ever been a part of the day. 

I'm so looking forward to whatever tomorrow has in store for me.

Day 4: Just A Bump In The Road

Instead of walking to Charlevoix this morning, I had to go to the urgent care center in Petoskey.  I woke up with a very swollen left foot and inflamation on my shin.  I was very tempted to try to walk on it, but I had to consider that I have a long way to go and that it's better to take care of it now before it gets worse.  My instinct was right.  The doctor told me that I have an infection on the bottom of my foot and it's starting to travel to the ankle area.....that's why it's so swollen.  Fortunately, my white blood cell count was normal so the infection is not as severe as it would be if I had continued to walk on it without treatment.  I started antibiotics immediately with a shot and will continue to take capsules for the next ten days.  I spent the day just hanging out at the hotel napping and watching The History Channel. 

Despite this setback, I have permission from the doctor to continue the walk tomorrow.  Fortunately, there is a flat walking trail for the entire route to Charlevoix.  Instead of extending the walk by one day, I will first try to add two miles to each day remaining.  There are 14 days left so the math works out to allow me to still finish in 18 days.  My feelings range between optimism and determination, with some confidence and tenacity in there somewhere as well.  I see the road ahead of me and, more importantly, I see myself on it.  I might have to walk slower for the next few days, but I will walk.  

Once again, no one said this was going to be easy. 

I just keep reminding myself that I have been through much worse.

Day 3: My Left Foot

Well, my worst fears from yesterday have come true. Although the blister on the bottom of my left foot has taken a break, the shin splint has gotten much worse. A combination of favoring that foot, a gradual uphill slope, and absolutely unwalkable roads sloping to the left for the first twenty miles have made my shin scream at me with pain for most of the day....

Then, something came over me at a village named ":Brutus" of all places on Earth. I had been dragging myself along on the gravel shoulder for 17 miles, barely going 2.5 mph instead of my expected 4 mph, when I decided to just stop bitching about the road and my leg. I told myself that I would just continue the best I could and let it go. Much to my surprise, 300 meters later, I arrived at Brutus where the State of Michigan had recently resurfaced the road and widened the shoulder, which was almost even with the rest of the road, and above all, it was almost flat. It took all of the pressure off of my left shin. It allowed me to finish 26.2 miles today, but my shin was so swollen I could see the bump through my walking tights. I'm icing it now and will continue to do so until the morning when I'll see what happens next. As far as I know, I'm walking 26.2 again starting at 5:30 a.m.

I'm going to walk with a lady named Louise and some of the staff reporters from the Petoskey News and Review after 9 a.m. so that should be fun. It will be a nice break from the lonely roads I've been on so far. As an added bonus, the last 16 miles will be on a paved, flat, even, smooth walking/biking trail between Petoskey and Charlevoix.

I'm going to put my right leg in the jacuzzi and leave my left leg out of the water with an ice pack tied around it. I know I'll look silly, but that is what my life has become these past few days......and I love it. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Day 2: The Wilderness

I started out a little late this morning because Patrik and I had to drive to the starting point 4 miles south of Rudyard. The first few miles were fine, except for the 3 dogs that jumped out of nowhere and challenged me at the edge of the road. I stopped only long enough to check for traffic and cross to the other side. They stayed at the edge of their territory, but barked like the hounds from hell until I was well out of site. After that bit of excitement, I was stopped by a woman named Florence who recognized me from the local paper. We chatted for a few minutes while I stretched my hamstrings. She told me how she had gone to visit a friend who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and then she politely excused herself and I was on my way. The road then took me into an area of forest that seemed to go on forever. I didn't see another soul for at least 5 miles...not even a deer.

I'm worried about my left leg. I developed a huge blister on the bottom of my left foot so I favored that side while walking and that led to a mild shin splint. I just have a bad feeling that it's going to get worse on that leg because of the angled slope of the road. I'm favoring the foot and putting more pressure on the outside muscles of my left leg.....that can't be good. Despite the drama with my leg, I am determined to walk a marathon each day. No one said it would be easy, right? I guess if it was easy, more people would do this type of thing. Tomorrow should be interesting.

Day 1: The First Step

Wow....this day flew by very quickly. Although I barely slept last night, I wasn't lacking energy this morning. The whole day was one big adrenalin rush and before I knew it, it was over. I wish I could write about some drama that happened along the way, but it was fairly uneventful. I used the paved shoulder when possible, or just walked along the white line where the road is most level. There was very little traffic so I rarely had to move over to avoid getting hit.

At one point, I started to cry....and haven't really figured out why, but I think it was just one of those Hallmark moments. All of the emotions that had been building up since I started planning The Victory Walk just let themselves out for a little while. I got over it and kept on walking.

I feel great despite the huge blister that is growing on the bottom of my foot. I think it's going to get even bigger tomorrow, but we'll see about that. I'm so used to treating blisters now that I just tend to accept them as a part of the event.

I'm very optimistic about finishing in 18 days.....I guess if anyoneis going to optimistic about this, it should be me.

One last thing before I go.... When a photographer from a newspaper in Sault Sainte Marie stopped me on the road half way to Rudyard for a few pics, she asked me why I was doing this walk. I paused, and then told her that I hope to help people who are, and will be, going through what I went through as both the son of a cancer victim and as a cancer survivor myself.....and that was the absolute truth, but deep down, after everything is said and done....this is for my mom.

The Night Before...

The last three days have just been a blur.  Thursday was all about packing and making sure I had everything I thought I'd need for the trip and Friday was spent picking up the RV and driving to my cousins' house in Rochester.  I had a tearful goodbye with Jana and I'm already looking forward to seeing her at the finish line.

Patrik, Jana's brother, volunteered to come with me on this trip as my driver, videographer, photographer, and all around good friend.  He came from Slovakia to visit for the summer and is just learning English, so our conversations are interesting and lots of fun.  We spent most of today driving to Sault Sainte Marie, preparing for tomorrow, and then relaxing by the pool. 

I have been thinking about tomorrow non-stop.....tomorrow and the following 17 days.  I'm as ready as I'll ever be for this trek across Michigan, so now I just have to do it.  I'm feeling optimistic and positive, especially after driving all that way today. We took the most direct route to get here, but I will walk a different route which is more than 100 miles longer than what we drove today.  So what!!  I'm just going to do it.  The only thing that can delay me is severe weather, and that doesn't seem to pose any problems for the next 5 days so at least I'll have a good start.

Beyond thinking about myself and the challenge ahead of me, my thoughts are occupied by the people I'm trying to help through this walk.  The way I see it, walking consecutive marathons is a lot like it was when I had cancer.....and I know it's the same for people who are now facing "it" today.  I wake up everyday and wonder how I'm going to make to the end of the road on that given day...and then, somehow, I manage.....and then I do it again the next day, and the next, and the next.  The big difference though, and my main motivation for walking all these miles, is that people who have cancer and are undergoing chemotherapy and radiation do not have the luxury of knowing that it will be finished in 18 days.  When you are undergoing treatment, it's hard to think that it will ever end.  I just have to remind myself, while I'm on the road, what they are going through everyday.

I'm sleepy now and I have a long day ahead of me.  Good night.

Four Days To Go

I'll start walking from Sault Sainte Marie on Sunday at 5 a.m. At this point, with only 4 days left until the start of my journey, I feel optimistic and very much at peace with myself. I've already met so many positive people just preparing and organizing this event, I can't help but to think that many good things will come from its completion. I'm looking forward to the challenge ahead of me...