Breast Foot Forward

BEEP BEEP BEEP! Normally the sound of an alarm going off at 6:30 a.m. on a Sunday is a rude sound. I had to get up early to participate in the CIBC Run For The Cure. That’s the official name. The reality is people run 10 km, 5 km, walk 5 km, walk 5 km with strollers, walk 5 km with pets, or even walk 1 km. The one thing they all have in common is they are doing it for Breast Cancer. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce does this from coast to coast.
It hadn’t been an easy goal for me to achieve. Between a twisted ankle, ear infection and medication that has a side effect of shortness of breath, by the time I was healthy enough to participate, there was only a week to go. Big Lug surprised me by being my biggest contributor. A gal pal also made a contribution.

Due to the temperature, I had to layer up. I wore a long sleeve pink shirt, a short sleeved pink knitted vest, and grey sweat pants with grey shorts on top. When I poked my head out the door, I threw on my dark brown knitted hoody. Thanks to the v-neck, you could tell that I was wearing pink underneath. To finish the ensemble, I put on my black western hat with a pink & blue breast cancer hatband I had crocheted.

I was a bundle of nerves before the race. It took seeing a few familiar faces and getting some real food in me to get settled down. I dedicated the walk to the memory of my Great Grandma Kate and my Auntie Joan. Although my great grandma passed away at a young age due to a heart attack, she was a breast cancer survivor. My aunt is also a survivor.

The walk itself was an amazing experience. Men and women, some pushing strollers, some walking dogs, some walking, various ages, some women wearing pink CIBC t-shirts, thankfully most women in CIBC white. Pink is usually a sign of a breast cancer survivor. I caught up with a 60 something woman who was glad to have someone to pair with. It was touching to see how some yards were decorated as a show of support. It was sweet seeing an old woman sitting in a lawn chair, with her tree bedecked in pink coloured toilet paper, waving to the walkers as they went by. Another household had booked a yard decorating company to put pink flamingos out and a sign of encouragement. I almost cried with joy when the woman I had paired with looked at her watch and thanked me for helping her get her best time ever. We both made the walk in just over an hour.

My son decided to join me for the final corner to the finish line. It was a thrill to have him beside me, Big Lug enthusiastically taking pictures. Afterwards I had the delight of meeting Catriona Le May Doan, getting her autograph and even her being willing to pose for a picture. As well, I was able to get my picture taken with Dan, Robyn and Doug, Country 105’s The Odd Squad. With Country 105 being one of the radio sponsors of the run, they were busy representing the station.

My feet are sore; it’s taken me more time than usual to create this blog but I wanted to make a blog entry while everything was still fresh in my mind. Many thanks to those who sent prayers and positive thoughts in my direction, as well as Marchmount Cleaning Services Inc. for providing me with workout gear. A special thanks to Big Lug and Ell for being my two contributors.

Proverbs 6:4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids.