Tour de Fun

Last week was a week of peaks and valleys.
Sunday, Sept 23, started out well. It was a lovely fall day, with a little breeze. I got out and stained both my side and front porches. That's a chore.
I was so busy I never came in for lunch, and thus, never came in to check Facebook. Turns out, that was probably a good thing for my productivity. Because once I was done and sat down to "check in" I found that a fellow breast cancer survivor had died -- of a blood clot, a week after giving birth to her son. I was devastated.
The evil that is cancer means that I have been to far too many funerals of my contemporaries, and I'm in my 40s. This should not be happening. Women in their 30s and 40s simply are not supposed to die. I'm supposed to go to funerals 30 to 40 years from now.
Kat's death put a cloud over me for nearly all week. I went to work and distracted myself well, but at odd times I'd think about her and begin to cry all over again.
But I had the Tour de Pink 5K race on Saturday, Sept. 29 -- the day of Kat's funeral in Virginia -- that benefited Young Survival Coalition, an organization that benefits young breast cancer survivors. It's an organization that helped me tremendously when I was going through treatment, and continues to help me today deal with post-treatment life.

I was excited to see my "pink sisters," but I wasn't sure how I'd feel, given how raw my emotions were after Kat's death.
The morning was overcast and humid, but thankfully, the rain held off.
I'd signed up about a month before and my friend Joyce urged me to join her team, The Self-Examiners. She even designed some T-shirts for our team.
I got there pretty early. It was still dark when I arrived at Verizon Amphitheatre in Alpharetta, just outside of Atlanta. As my car pulled up, volunteers were already there, and my friend Vanetta, a tireless volunteer for YSC, recognized me and alerted the others that a survivor had arrived.
"Survivor! Survivor!" the shouts went up. I was pointed to the survivor area parking lot -- the closest to the event. Honestly, I'm 6 1/2 years out of treatment and I could very easily have parked in a far lot and walked over, but it is nice that survivors are put up close. Those who are still in treatment, or just out of treatment, can have very low energy, and parking up close is a huge benefit.
I got my race number, got my information, and ran into Joyce early on.

Joyce and me before the race

 She gave me my T-shirt, which was hilarious -- two hands strategically placed in the front. I didn't wear it right away. I put it on AFTER I ran the 5K. I was very glad to have a new T-shirt to put on after sweating through the 5K.
But I'm ahead of myself.
The Tour de Pink is actually a bike ride. The 5K was added just a couple of years ago -- I like to think I had something to do with that, since that was my loud suggestion of how to get more participation. There are more runners/walkers than cyclists in Atlanta.
Just prior to starting the bike ride, the survivors met on stage and were honored, then the events began.

An early start

The bicyclists all took off first, then the 5K started.
My friend Bridgette ran/walked the race with me. Bridgette runs about an 11 minute to 11:30 minute mile. I was certainly feeling the push I was getting in running with her. Thankfully, she let me take my walk breaks when I needed them.
We jogged along a mother and her 5-year-old son, who stopped and dropped to do push ups at the water station "because he needed the exercise." What a pip!

Wish I had his energy!

We finished up the race and then the fun began! There were bands, there was food, and there was pink champagne! Now, this is the way to end a 5K race!

What a way to finish

In the end, it was a great race and event to catch up with women who have survived and thrived.

Me and Bridgette. Aren't the Self-Examiner shirts great?!

The Self-Examiners

The Self-Examiners

Me, Vanetta and Bridgette

Suzanne and me

Nancy, Vanetta and Bridgette

Princess and me

I did think of Kat during the race. And the way to remember her best is to live life each day for those who are no longer with us. Experience all we can, for those who cannot.
It was a great race, great event, and great way to honor a fallen sister.