26.25 Miles

Which equals 105 laps around the track at MHS. I truly wish I had a pedometer with me but I suppose I can go calculate that once I can walk again.

On Saturday May 22nd 2010 a group of Mathews residents joined hands to begin the Relay for Life events for our town, as I was standing there holding hands with my cousin Kathy Gwyn and my Mom Ruth Ann Hutson during the opening prayer, with my hat in my hand (because Edwina Casey yelled at me to take it off..I think she was channeling my daddy) and my cell phone ringing (some people have the worst timing) I had absolutely no idea what I was getting ready to do or accomplish.

After the opening I had my mom finish writing the list of people I was walking in honor or memory of on my legs (hey it is the largest part of my body other than my rear and I didn't think anyone wanted to be hanging out there all day) I started walking... just walking and before I knew it I had three miles in.. then I started on the next three but didn't stop and kept going until I hit ten miles and I figured if I hit ten miles I could do another five and I did, it was about then that I decided if I had gone fifteen miles that there was no reason I couldn't just keep going and walk 100 lap which was 25 miles and if I walked 25 miles why stop there I should just walk a marathon and that is exactly what I did. I walked a marathon.

I will say that I could not have completed it without the help of some people walking with me a few laps and just talking so thank you to Sandra, Lynne, Cindy, Kelly, Kelly, the dude that just started talking to me, Tammy, my husband, Mrs Small, my daddy, Angie, Chelly, Anita (who cheered me on the entire day) and my mom who walked the final 5 with me and the entire group of ladies that fell in and walked that final lap with me, it meant the world to me just to have you all walking that final with me. I want to thank each and every one of you for not only your support in helping me finish something I didn't even know I had started but also for supporting such a worth cause.

On Friday I spent 10 hours at the hospital while my best friend had surgery for breast cancer on Saturday I spent 10 hours walking a track to help defeat and beat the same disease.

The ugly part of the whole day was when I actually got home, I hurt so incredibly bad that I didn't think I could stand in the shower my whole body just ached which luckily didn't happen until when I stopped, I figure I just should have kept walking and walked home and fallen on the bed. After I stood in the shower and got the layer of track dirt off of me I laid on the bed and had my daughter cut the bandaids off of my toes. As I was laying there just aching I said to her "I don't know what I was thinking trying to walk a marathon." She replied with "Mom you didn't TRY to walk a marathon you DID walk a marathon and you were thinking about each person that you have written there on your legs." The child has never said anything more true.

I will share with you now the list of people who walked that track with me on Saturday and I truly believe that some of them were the angels that helped carry me around that track.

Kris Summers Ashberry
Anita Cecil
Anthony Busic
Eric Greene
Faye Burroughs Duncan
Bernard Cannon
Rita Alice Thomas
Annabelle Cannon Sutton
Alice May Cannon Miller
Teenie Cannon Johnston
Doris Cannon Respress
Weldon Cannon
Weldon Cannon Jr
Bryon Thomas
Susan Cox
Henry Burroughs
Betty West
Tucker Armstrong
Gene Haywood
Angie Summers