Great Strides- Scottsdale

6am: I'm not sure who thought it would be a great idea to wake up at 6am on a Saturday, but I sure don't like that person right about now. It was really tough to get out of bed this morning. I got to bed a little late last night due to watching my Cousin Jason's posse. It was a great time and as I knew going in, they are some super cute kids. As any kid under 5, they had their moments, but they always made up for it with an adorable comment about 5 minutes later. Just for example (and I know this is off topic, but who really cares), I was with three of the kids downstairs watching a video while Mandi was putting the baby asleep. We were watching something called Princess Stories, which, as you know, is my favorite. So we were on Ariel's story, who, if you don't know your Disney characters is a mermaid. The story was all about her wanting to be able to dance like a ballerina that she saw on land. Ariel ended up going to a starfish, that she wished upon, who she figured could give her legs to replace her fin so that she could dance. It ended up that the wish didn't come true and she didn't get her legs. When that happened, I said, "Ahhh, that's too bad, now she can't dance". To which Noah replied (one of the 3 year olds), with the sweetest look on his face, "But she can still dance underwater". Now that is a solutions oriented man! I thought it was absolutely adorable, but maybe I'm just a sucker.

Back to my morning. This morning was a different routine that Jezzabel was none to happy about. When I woke up and got out of bed she was crazy excited about getting to her walk. Sorry, ain't gonna happen there J Bell. I jumped on my treatments so I could get my lungs nice and open for the Great Strides event in Scottsdale today. For those who don't know, Great Strides is a walk that is used to raise money and awareness for CF. I love going to the walks, because I'm always able to meet new people and share my story with others. Generally, I go to my hometown walk in Tucson, but a friend of mine formed Team Ronnie for the walk up in Scottsdale, so I figured I had to be there.

After finishing my treatments, it was off to Dunkin Donuts for some coffee on the road. It was another beautiful morning in Arizona and I was so thankful that I could get up nice and early and walk on behalf of CF. Not only do I get to meet some great people, but I also knock out my morning walk. Two birds with one stone I believe they say? This year was no different. I met a handful of CF parents that I was able to chat with and hopefully they walked away with a sense of who I was and how I handled my disease. I always stress the mental aspect of CF and how important it is to stay one step ahead.

The walk itself was 3.1 miles around a track of sorts at a city park. There were slight hills during the course which made the walk even better for me. I was able to keep a good pace and definitely worked some garbage out of my lungs. For a good portion of the walk, Mandi and Whitney (friend who formed the team), were trying to keep up with me, which isn't a situation I'm all that used to. My body is starting to get the hang of walking and I feel a lot more natural when I do it. I get in this sort of rhythm that feels very smooth and that I'm not forcing my body to do anything it doesn't want to do. It's a very nice feeling and definitely encouraging. The only pain I had while walking today was in my left foot, but it was very slight and I believe it was just my foot adjusting to the ortho insert. I even ended up finishing strong by jogging the last 50 yards! Take that Great Strides!

Total Distance: 3.1 miles Time: 54'54"

6pm: Mandi and I decided to walk up to the local grocery store to pick up some stuff to make for dinner. We picked up some chicken breast, tomatoes, and zucchini. It was also a good opportunity to give J Bell her walk. She was whining all day because she didn't get her walk this morning. She's starting to become a spoiled walked brat. We walked up to the store and I stayed with Jezz outside while Mandi got the goods. I was surprised that my feet didn't hurt at all after what we did this morning and I am very encouraged that they are recovering quickly. My treatment routine got a little thrown off today, and although a little tighter than normal, overall my lungs felt pretty good. I'm looking forward to a longer walk tomorrow morning and I'm really hoping that my feet hold up throughout the week.

Total Distance: 1.0 mile

Total Distance Walked for Day: 4.1 miles