Epilogue

It’s been three weeks since the 2007 Twin Cities 3-Day ended. In some ways, it feels like months have passed; in others, it feels like it was only yesterday.

I met my teammates a week or so after the 3-Day for our monthly get-together. We talked and laughed and shared stories and pictures. We celebrated each other’s accomplishment, particularly our survivor friend Bette, who walked every mile – sometimes painfully – and was usually one of the final walkers to arrive at the end of each day. Yet, at the same time, our gathering was casual, as if we were just hanging out as we always do – as if the 3-Day was still several weeks away.

I’ve now moved back into my “normal” (non-training) weekend routine – going to the store, tending to yard work and household chores, even playing a round of golf. The transition has been almost seamless. During the first post-walk weekend, I consciously reminded myself what I was doing “at this time last Saturday…”. Since then, I’ve had to struggle to convince myself that the whole event actually occurred.

I went for a walk yesterday…no waist pack, no water bottle, not even appropriate walking clothes. The sun was shining and there was a gentle breeze. I walked by a park where a youth football game was in progress. I saw a discarded shoe – a black, leather, basketball sneaker – in the middle of the street and I wondered how it got there.

When I got home, I sat out on the deck and read a book, in the shade of an elm tree. I listened to the sounds of the neighborhood – lawn mowers, children playing, birds chirping. I wasn't thinking about aching muscles or blisters or whether I should meet my training partners to walk the next morning.

I closed my eyes and turned my face up towards the sun for a few moments, then returned to my reading.