This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Tales of a Pink Walker

Walking to help fund and find the Cure.

 Hi, I’m Cheryl Stephens.  For the next six weeks I will share my thoughts about preparing for an endurance event like no other.  This is the tale of highs lows and the inspiration of doing something incredibly difficult. I am walking in the Susan G. Komen 3 Day for the Cure.  A 3 day event, were the participants walk 60 miles in 3 days to raise funds to assist in finding the cure for Breast Cancer and each participant has to raise a minimum of $2,300.

 It is now six weeks to the main event. This is the fifth year that I will walk (and raise funds) in my mother’s (Frances Stephens) memory and in honor of her best friend from nursing school (Adra Distefano) who survives Breast Cancer today.  Laughing, talking, walking, remembering and crying for three days.  The most amazing part of this story is the more you do the better you feel.  60 miles in 3 Days seems insurmountable, but each victorious step makes you feel more confident, prouder and honored to be able to do your piece to help make a difference.

 I’ve been walking 3 to 5 miles, since April mostly on Saturdays and Sundays.  On Saturday, June 18, I walked from my house in Cleveland Heights down Forest Hill Blvd to Terrace Blvd, up Superior Road to Coventry Road, turned onto Mayfield Road and walked north to the lake on Mayfield, Ford, and MLK. It was an inspirational day, the sky was a clear bright blue and the air was fresh with a playful breeze the closer that I got to the lake. 

Find out what's happening in Cleveland Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As I started out I had my ipod tuned into an R&B station and later I would turned some itunes that I had downloaded that could keep me stepping and smiling.  This is of major importance, keeping yourself motivated.  I think about things I need to do for work, city council, volunteer opportunities for NEO Komen for the Cure, and of course my own domestic tasks ( you know laundry, housekeeping, lawn care).  As I get my pace going in the second mile  I have to pay attention to the road so that I don’t trip and fall.  But I’m prepared for falling because I’m committed to getting back up and laughing at myself and moving on. 

 Laughing at myself happens at least once in any walk in excess of 3 miles.  Today’s laugh would be courtesy of my inattention to detail at the lake as I watched the sea gulls and people fish, after I had eaten half a sandwich I picked up in Little Italy.  About mile 10 as I walk south on MLK Blvd, the back of my left calf starts to feel wet and I thought I was stepping in water and it was splashing up on back of a leg. As I walked in the center of the path with no water any where around my leg got even wetter.  I turned to look at my back side saw water dripping for my light weight back pack, opened the pack and found a small water bottle upside down and the bottom of the pack filled with water.  I smirk and laugh at myself for not checking the bottle top carefully.  I’ve done this before it should become automatic to check bottle tops. Fortunately, it was just water.  Is this a parallel for life?  If you make a mistake and its not life or death just like water, laugh at yourself and keep walking.   Down a hill, up a hill, a flat distance ahead just keep going cause that’s how you endure and finish 60 miles, the 60 to Zero is one step at a time and laughing at the mistakes.

Find out what's happening in Cleveland Heightswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

 This Saturday, June 18, I walked 17 miles cleared my head, made a long mental to do list, laughed at my self and built endurance in my system for the 60 mile main event at the end July. 

 More from me over the next 6 weeks.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Cleveland Heights