Cindy's Walk - DF

Dan Foley

Cindy and Denise both finished the 26.3 mile walk no worse for the wear. These photos were taken at the closing ceremony just past the finish line. Cindy was the top fundraiser in the Washington, DC walk with over $27,000 raised! Thank you to all the Wallies and Wetstock-ers who contributed to this worthy cause. -DF

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Dan Foley

Denise, Cindy, Christy and family. -DF

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John R. Hall

Bravo!

Nice job ladies! I only wish I could walk 26 miles (I may stall out a few times!) Great cause and great support from many people who CARE about people.

John R. Hall

Bravo!

Nice job ladies! I only wish I could walk 26 miles (I may stall out a few times!) Great cause and great support from many people who CARE about people.

DanHolohan

Great job.

Well done. Let's do it again next year.

Cindy Rea

Summary of My 2003 Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

I did it – I walked 26.2 miles in one weekend!

FRIDAY EVENING

Christy and I rode the Metro down to the big city on Friday night, checked in for the walk, and met up with our family and friends to have a kickoff celebration. Now, mind you, the guidance is to have a good dinner and to go to bed early. Who in our group picked the Capitol City Brewing Company for dinner?? Dan Foley and Black Flag were there to cheer us on. Flag didn’t know the walk was tomorrow, he was only there for the beer. We filled him in and everyone was back on track.

SATURDAY WALK

Saturday morning, we heaved ourselves out of bed at 5:15 AM – ouch! We greased our feet, packed up and headed out. We had a quick breakfast at the starting point, viewed the mandatory safety video (please do not get hit by a car, etc.) and off we went. The key to avoiding sore muscles is to eat, drink and stretch every hour during the walk. We ate so many snacks I think I gained weight on this walk! There were pit stops every 2 miles and lots of support from both the trained “crew” as well as regular folks out to cheer us on, give us water, candy, etc. There was a guy in a cow costume (the Moo Cow Guy) and a guy singing and playing a mini-guitar who cheered us on every morning and afternoon somewhere along the route. First we were leery – why is this guy dressed as a cow? But after 10 miles, we loved the Moo Cow Guy, we hugged him, took pictures, slapped his hoof, etc. The weather was partly cloudy and warm – really perfect walking conditions. There was a big lunch break around Mile 10, then just 3 miles left to go! I had special support at the 12.5 mile cheering station. My Mother, sister Christy, and friends Carole and Kelly had been cheering people on for hours waiting for me to come by. Other walkers said they were the best cheering station of all! We chatted and cheered then all walked to the 13.1 mile finish line together. Mile 13 ended at an Irish Pub (fate, or what?) so we had a little lunch. I rested and hung out with them until the last bus was leaving at 3PM, then hit the road back to the Wellness Village.

SATURDAY EVENING AT CAMP

I checked in at camp and went to find my luggage. I was SO thankful for the volunteer who set up my tent because I wasn’t paying attention to the tent instructions at all. I stood in line for about a half hour to take a shower in a mobile trailer – really nice setup, not bad at all. A hot shower with lots of Avon products. When I was in the shower a huge storm blew over and it started pouring rain. I ran back to my tent for shelter. The tents were 2-person tents, but really perfect for just one camper! I had my own “suite” because Denise wanted to stay at the hotel again Saturday night. I had dinner in the dining tent (pasta, meatballs, veges, etc.) and went to bed at 7:00. The band played from 8 – 8:45 and I heard every song right from my sleeping bag. It sprinkled or rained on and off all night long. I kept dry because I was in the middle of the tent. Others got wet because their stuff touched the sides of the tent. It was the perfect temperature, neither hot nor cold, but at times the wind really blew and the rain came down. The village was on the athletic field at Catholic University in Washington, DC. A noisy generator ran all night long to light up the medical tent, and the occasional freight train rumbled by. Add to that people organizing their stuff, zipping and unzipping their tents, whispering, and walking to the portable facilities, it was pretty active all night long. People started getting up and collapsing their tents around 5AM. I have no idea why! I slept until the outside noises made me think I was the last tent standing in the field – and it was only 6:40AM! I ate a good hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and blueberry pancakes and met up with Denise for Day 2.

SUNDAY WALK

I was not sore on Sunday and I had no blisters. Really, I’m amazed by that. During my practice walks, which were 6-8 miles long, I was always sore. (I can use the plural “walks” here, because I did one for 6 miles and one for 8 miles, so there, the cat is out of the bag!) Again on Sunday, we ate lots of snacks and drank lots of water and Gatorade (I recommend the purple). Carole and Kelly cheered me on at the 3 mile mark in Tacoma Park. We were tired on Sunday, but we knew we were getting close to the end. Again, lunch was at the 10 mile mark. (Brother) Ken met us for a visit at lunch. Only 3 miles left to go! It was the hardest 3 miles, I got 3 blisters during those 3 miles. We were finally getting back to the ‘touristy” part of DC. My husband, Dave, got impatient waiting at the finish line, so he walked about a half mile following the flow of walkers until we met up. He has the nerve to tell me on Monday that he’s a little sore from his walk! Lots of cheerers at the end including Mom, Dave, David, Stephen, Jenny, Christy, Dan, Richard, Carole and Kelly. I will post pictures as I get them – I am at the mercy of my digital friends. I met some really special people over the weekend. I met 5 people who will walk all 6 Avon Walks around the country this year! Can you imagine that? And I met Barbara Jo Kirshbaum (see her website at www.bjkcounselor.com ) who has raised over $350,000 in 6 years for breast cancer prevention and research. Barbara Jo is 66 years old and will walk all 6 Avon Walks and all 10 Breast Cancer 3•Day Walks (Susan G. Komen beneficiary) around the country this year. Amazing!

THANK YOU

Thank you for all your support over the past 2 ½ months. It was a wonderful accomplishment made possible by MANY people working together. I’ll always remember this event and all my wonderful supporters. Any yes, I’ll do it again next year!

Love, Cindy

DanHolohan

What a wonderful story!

I'm glad that we could be a small part of it, Cindy. Thanks for all that you do.

Pat Clark

Great job Cindy

Thanks for sharing your story. I'm glad I got to meet you at Wetstock IV and appreciate what you have done this weekend. Glad you had a good time and not much the worse for wear.

These fundraisers are great for raising money to help fight each of their causes. It's great to be a part of them and then later see the impact it has made. Sometimes little steps, but ultimately more people can be cured as time goes on. I usually do a 4 mile walk for MS here in Anchorage (which is plenty far for me). Missed it this year as I was in Baltimore on the 17th of April, but my wife walked with other freinds.

Congradulations on being the top fundraiser for the DC walk, you earned it.

Pat Clark

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Two thumbs up

for a job well done.

hot rod

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John Abbott

Way to................

go Cindy we are all proud of you .

John