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.