Bataan Memorial Death March 2006

Gee,
I don't even know where to start. This past Sunday was the Bataan Death March which is a marathon.http://www.bataanmarch.com/index.htm
My hubby and I both participated. This was my first time and my hubby's second. We trained here around were we live which is mostly flat land. Our longest walk was about 14 miles. I have been looking forward to the march and I was looking at this as being a fun event to do with my husband in remembrance of the Bataan. Early Sunday morning we started off and I managed to walk the first 8 miles through sand and dirt before telling the hubby I was ready to quit. He told me that we would just sit and take a short break at the 8 mile he convinced me to eat an energy bar and some beef jerky I felt much better and was ready to go again.
The next section was on black top and at mile 9 we hit this huge hill. And I mean HUGE!! LOL It was about 4 miles up this hill. My hubby and I decided about every quarter of a mile we would pick a shrub, sign, clump of grass would be our stopping point for me to rest for a minute. I was huffing up all the way up that darn hill. When we reached the top everyone told us it was all down hill from there. and I was so excited!! Well all I can say is that they lied!! We hit the dirt trail again to work our way down off the hill and it was up and down and up and down and up and down and up and down... well you get the idea!! I did great on the down hill part (hubby struggled with this part) and every time I saw another hill to go up I was so deflated. After several more stops and refueling with more energy bars, oranges, bananas, Gatorade and such I managed to keep going. When others asked me about hot spots on my feet I told them my foot was one big hot spot!! LOL I had no problems with walking on the blisters so I just kept going although I did stop every few miles to change socks and to add mole skin to the new hotspots!!
About mile 17 I told the hubby I was starting to feel sick.. I looked down at my hands and arms. They were red and swollen about twice their normal size. I also noticed when I drank my water that it wasn't quenching my thirst.. I felt like I was in the desert with out water. At this point I let the hubby know I had given it all I had to give. I would keep walking to the next stopping point.. about 30 minutes later and only covering 1/2 of another mile I gave it up and flagged down the next ATV to pick me up and take me to the next rest stop at mile 18 1/2. I asked the border patrol lady where to sit and she just said hop on the back.. so I did. OMG I thought the thing would tip over!! I just kept going down, down, down.. OH did I tell you that I weigh just over 305 and I am a stay at home mom to three teens?? Well anyways after a few hills I didn't know if she would have enough power in the ATV to get up.. we managed to get to the Aid station where I went in and they put cool towels and such on me to help cool me down. I also had a blister on one of my feet that was the size of a large egg. OUCH!!
I then waited for a bus that would take me to the start line. During that time a guy who was in the Army dressed in full fatigues in the "Heavy" division sat down beside me. We had passed each other several times during the walk. Always checking on each other to make sure the other didn't need something. When he sat down this young, healthy, fit Army soldier told me I was his inspiration. He said that the entire march he told him self that if "She" can do it I can do it and kept walking. He said that when he saw me go by on the ATV he said he quit!! LOL It made me feel good that this overweight woman could motivate anyone. So many fit soldiers were with me waiting on that bus. We had all given our best but couldn't go any more!! Of course the bus for participants never came!! So we got tired of waiting and snuck onto the bus that was taking the medical personal back to the base's medical center. The bus driver let us know that it was about a mile from the start line where he was dropping us off at. I figured heck if I walked 18 miles I could walk another mile :)
So I walked back to the van and got my chair and sat down at the finish line to wait on my hubby to finishing. I cheered for every person who walked by. Many of the military had entered the "heavy" division which meant they had to carry 35 pound extra weight in their back packs. They were truly struggling to cross the finish line and a total inspiration. About 11 hours after we started the walk I saw my husband slowly jogging for the finish line. I have never been so proud in my life. He finished the entire 26.2 miles of the march. He is also a larger guy who weighs just under 300 pounds!! During the march I pledged to never do this again!! I also swore I would never walk another mile :) But now looking back I realize that I looked at the walk as being more of a "fun run" (no I didn't run!! LOL) instead of a test of endurance which is truly what it was. I am still unsure if I will do this again next year but if you would like a challenge you might want to check out the link above.

I must admit that several times during the walk I thought of Steve Vaught. http://www.TheFatManWalking.com Of how he must feel as he walks. I went from every feeling you could feel during the march. From wishing I was alone, to being glad my hubby was with me. From being tired and feeling energetic, from being in pain and from reaching that point where you feel pain no longer. When I ran out of water between rest stops I thought of Steve walking across the desert in Arizona and not having rest stops only a few miles away. I ended up with about 2 blisters on one foot and about 5 on the other foot after only walking 18 miles. What must Steve's feet feel like. When I read someone's comments about how Steve should be walking more miles each day.. I wonder if they have ever walked 10, 14, 18 miles, a marathon??? I truly thought I was prepared for this. I trained for this. But I have never walked in New Mexico in the White Sands missile range. The elevation was about 6000 feet and the hills were endless!! Amazing how a 4-6 mile walk at home in your own neighborhood can NEVER prepare you for walking in an environment you have never been in before...