Atlanta 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer

I signed up for the 2 Day Walk for Breast Cancer before I found out I was pregnant (which was a long time ago!). You walk 20 miles on Saturday and 10 miles on Sunday. Unlike the 3 Day Walk, you spend the night in a hotel. I did it last year, and I swore that I wouldn't do both days again (my feet were telling me that). However, the very next day, some of my good friends told me that they wanted to walk the next year. I completely forgot my misery (but for a good cause!), and told them I would be happy to captain a team. So, The Mamhandlers were born. We had 6 2-Day walkers (Shanna, Casey, Brenda, LouAnn, Tracey, and me) and 3 Sunday walkers (my mom, Susan, and Casey's mom- all the way from NJ!) on the team. We raised funds all year and were able to meet and even pass our fundraising goals- $1,000 for 2 Day Walkers and $500 for Sunday Walkers. The event was this weekend. Shanna, Casey, and I shared a hotel room Friday night. I love the night before a big walk--- eating PASTA! You have to carbo-load, right? Maggiano's made for a delicious dinner. We got up early Saturday morning to check-in and warm-up. At about 8, we started walking. It was really perfect weather- a little overcast and a bit cool. My plan was to walk 10 miles to the Governor's Mansion where lunch was on Saturday, and then I would walk the 10 miles on Sunday. I was doing pretty good, if I do say so myself- we all were enjoying all the "Brest Stops" (instead of Rest Stops) along the way. They reward you with stickers to put on your nametag- like a badge of honor. I loved catching up with Shanna (miss you!) and getting to know Brenda's sisters better, plus talking with Casey and Bren! Each stop had a reality tv show theme, lots of water and Powerade, port-a-potties, and snacks. I made it to about 8 1/2 miles when I decided Daniel and I had walked enough for the day. There are lots of sweep vans (also decorated- think of the theme here- everything revolved around a certain part of the female anatomy), so I hopped onto one at the next Brest Stop. The van cheerfully delivered me to the Governor's Mansion where I waited on my teammates. After lunch, I headed back to the hotel, while my friends continued walking. They did an amazing job! I am so proud of all of them. 20 miles is such a huge distance, and every step after mile 15 is one of pure determination. All the walkers ate dinner at the hotel, and then everybody headed off for an early night. All along, I was planning on walking Sunday, but I just did not have a good night Saturday night. Rather than pushing it, I decided to sit Sunday out (and it was not just to avoid walking through the Georgia Tech campus- kidding!). I went downstairs with everybody and cheered my friends on their way. The weather was even nicer than the day before- very overcast and cool- the perfect walking weather. The finish line was at Centennial Olympic Park, which is not where the hotel was. I drove the car and luggage over the the park so that we wouldn't have to worry about walking back to the hotel. Mom and Susan kept me updated on the progress of the walk. I met up with them at the World of Coke, which was just a little bit before the finish. They convinced me to cross the finish line with them, even though I felt a little bit like an impostor because I didn't do the whole thing. Oh, well! I did help raise money. After crossing, I cheered on everybody else who was finishing up. I know from last year that doing all 30 miles creates quite a feeling of accomplishment as you cross the finish line. I had an absolutely wonderful time, and all of my teammates were so great to me the whole weekend. Shanna and Casey are even talking about next year. I have to say--- I think I'm in- for the whole thing! It's a very emotional and very fun time. I don't think I've ever had another experience like it where everybody is going through the same thing, the same pain, for the same goal. Here's the website if you're interested in checking it out: http://www.2daywalk.org/