day two challenge

After trailing me worriedly all day Friday, Jesse decided to walk with me on Saturday which I welcomed. We got up early, got dressed and ate breakfast which was decaf coffee, oatmeal and bacon for me. Breakfast of pregnant, gluten-intolerant champions. We took a shuttle to the top of Torrey Pines hill which cut out the first five miles. That hill nearly knocked Jana out of the race last year, and after my pulling/straining sensation on the uphill stretches the day before, we thought it best to skip.

We stopped at every rest-stop for water or sports drink and so I could visit the porta-potty or reapply sunscreen (got a little burn on my neck/chest on Friday). I was looking and feeling MORE pregnant on Saturday then I did on Friday. It was so good to have Jesse to visit with – he was a real trooper.

We walked along the coastline and some pretty busy streets, past the La Jolla Cove Bridge Club where we got married more than seven years ago, and into La Jolla. Jesse got some cioppino which is a seafood soup (we walked right past the place) and we continued toward the event lunch stop. My feet were starting to wear out… that’s a lot of steps to take on pavement, especially with the extra pounds this year. Leia, Lyn and Hannah met us at lunch and visited while we ate. I took my shoes off this time. The feet needed some air.

Leia joined us for a few miles after lunch until Tom picked her up. It was getting awfully hot and I was tired so we stopped to cool off in the shade several times. It’s not a race you know. We stopped at one rest-stop for about a half an hour, and I thought that I was ready to call it quits for the day and take a shuttle back to the hotel. But I had some candy and cooled off, and then Debbie showed up on her bike. We decided to walk further, heading toward the bay which I thought would be a LONG hot stretch.

Turns out we accidentally short-cutted a whole mile off the route and the bay walk was partially shaded. Plus we had Debbie riding her bike alongside us, taking my mind off my sore feet. And candy – one team of walkers set-up camp by the bay walk including a cooler FULL of cold candy bars! I don’t know when the last time I ate a whole full-size candy bar was – not a king size, but not a snack-size or fun-size either.

We finished up the day at a shady park and hopped on the shuttle back to the hotel. I was STIFF getting out of that air-conditioned shuttle after 30 minutes. Back at the hotel we showered and visited the lounge for a snack (too late for a massage tonight), then headed to the bar for a drink before dinner.

The event dinner was great. A walker whose wife has MS spoke about why he walks – it was my friend Greg. David Osmond (one of the original Osmond’s sons) who has MS sang and spoke. And the candle ceremony of course.

After dinner I laid out my clothes for Sunday and fell in to bed.