Walk MS DC 2009

On Saturday, April 25th I joined my friends in Washington DC for Walk MS 2009. There were 6 walks that weekend in our area with one goal in common: A world free of MS. My good friend was recently diagnosed with MS at the age of 30. I don't know what to do to help her or how to make it better. All I can do is be there when she needs me. She signed up for this walk and I immediately became a sponsor. All in all she raised $1,700! Incredible!

This walk was my first for MS and my first 5K ever. I'm out of shape, it was rough but I made it through. The route was a great tour of the city. I saw places I've driven by but walking was a whole different experience.

We checked in around 9:45am and filled up our water bottles, enjoyed an Apple and set out on our way at 10am. About an hour Sadie (our friend's pup) gave up. She sat down in the grass and refused to get up. It was hot and I don't blame her.

Halfway through the walk we stopped at a re-fueling station (is that what it's called?) I don't know, but I had to use the potty. I stood in front of the Port-a-Potties and said a prayer, held my breath and went in! It surprisingly wasn't bad. The Hand Sanitizer was a bonus. We continued on our walk until we ran into the Ice Cream truck. Oh Lordy. My best friend and I were the only one's who didn't give in. I won't lie and say we are saints, more like we are lactose intolerant. HA!

Finally (ok only an hour and a half later) we crossed the street and saw the finish line but we had two friends left behind hanging out with Sadie. We waited and waited and waited. I didn't want to cross the finish line without them since we all started together.

At 11:30 we crossed the finish line together. I was proud of my lovie for raising $1,700 all by herself. I was proud of all my friends for coming together to support her. And hell yeah I was proud of myself for walking my first 5K.

For more information please visit: The National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

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