Well, I did it! No, I did not complete an Ironman or stand on any podiums, but I got off my ass consistently 3 days a week for months to get my feet and legs in shape for a 32K walk from the Juan de Fuca Rec Centre to the Sooke Castle! My first "Linear Walk"...
I must admit, it was not as hard as I thought it would be, primarily because I stuck to a formal training schedule, for the first time in my life... The schedule was not very technical, but it was created by 2 physiotherapists and a marathon runner, so it was well thought out. For 3 months, it was shuffled around my kitchen, as I had intended to type it up formally, but I grew to love the doodling and coffee stains. It was my guide to fitness as my training became one of the most positive aspects of my crisis-filled life. It was my time to think, cry, reflect, re-energize, and listen to my ipod without any distractions!
My training gave me some sanity through two of the most difficult months of my life, as my father was found to have a recurrence of an aggressive form of colon cancer, from which he received a whirlwind of tests, subsequent surgery, only to be followed by a poor prognosis and rapidly declining health. At times, I thought that my walk in May would become a memorial walk for my dad, but he is continuing to fight to this day. I was proud to visit him the morning of the walk to administer his medication and to tell him "Today is the day I do my walk, Dad". From his bed (where he spent 23.5 hours/day on average), he smiled, nodded his head, and said "Don't forget to drink lots of water".
It's hard to believe that when I started training in January, he was up and about 16 hours/day, and puttering in the yard every chance he got, working on my sister's truck, tinkering with old electronics or doing yard work. I almost felt guilty during the following months - as I was working on gaining strength, my dad was losing strength so profoundly. I never skipped a day of training, other than taking a week off with a bad cold, and not a kilometre went by when I didn't think of him and his enduring strength....
What a well written piece, and what a story! I look forward to reading more!
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