These feet are made for walking...

And that's just what they did! Woot, another year, another 60 km walked to raise funds for and awareness about breast cancer. Although there seemed to be less walkers involved this year (around 1,600), the total amount raised for the Vancouver walk was incredible: $4.1 million! I raised almost $2,400, short of my $3,000 goal, but given that I did not invest much time in special fundraising events, it's quite the amount. Many, many thanks to everyone who contibuted!! I posted a few pictures from the event here.

Once again, the weather cooperated and we spent a sunny weekend walking around the city. This is the fifth year of the event in Vancouver and the third in which I participate. I've been lucky, because the two years I didn't participate endured rainy weather throughout the weekend. Was I better prepared? Well, not so much as far as the walking was concerned, I didn't do any long training walks but since I do walk all the time and everywhere, I managed pretty well. I was better prepared and educated about the event itself: stretching every hour, using Vaseline between the toes to avoid hotpots from rubbing (I have only one blister, not bad), changing sox at lunch, drinking lots of water throughout the day, and pacing myself were all factors in my making it to Sunday without major problems. Today, I am sore (especially at the hips) and my feet will prefer sandals for a few days but I feel great!

It was a tiring event, if only for the fact that you end up awake at 5:30 on both days. This year, I slept like a baby in the tent. It wasn't extremely cold, but I did wear a thin hat and I think it helped. I also took a muscle relaxant before going to bed, something I believe did contribute to my peaceful night. Joanne, who did the walk with me this year, and I were part of the lucky ones who did not get a rude awakening in the middle of the night. Someone forgot to turn off the sprinklers in the park and all of a sudden, some time around 2 a.m., it started pouring in a section of camp. Some sprinklers even came out from under a few tents. I heard about the commotion in the morning while chatting with other walkers. Sweet, sweet oblivion. Even then, you have to give it to participants to exhibit such positive attitude, campers who were soaked during the incident found the story quite funny the following morning.

And that attitude is a good reflection of the attitude of all participants, crew and supporters throughout the entire weekend. No matter how tired people are, how much pain they feel, the event is always a mixture of cheers, laughter, and overall camaraderie. Breast cancer is a terrible disease, but the fight against breast cancer truly brings the best out of people.

Fundraising

I had the pleasure of encouraging my friend Steve through a fundraising stunt that had him post 48 blog entries in 24 hours, all in an effort to raise funds for the Montreal Childen's Hospital Autism Clinic. Steve raised almost $1,800, which is incredible. His initiative was also the focus of an article in the Montreal Gazette on Saturday. In the article, Steve talked about the 24 hours of blogging really being a stunt, maybe a bit of a silly way to raise funds for a cause, just like walking two days for breast cancer. I had a laugh when I read this, because indeed, this is what I'll be doing during The Weekend to End Breast Cancer in September.

A lot of fundraising these days is done through such "stunts". Some are physical challenges that most people could train for and complete safely (CIBC Run for the Cure 5km run for breast cancer, or The Weekend, for example), while others are incredible endurance events that most people would not sanely embark upon (Running the Sahara, 7,000 km in 111 days straight by three endurance runners, raising money for clean water in Africa). I think the common thread of all these events is that not only do they raise funds, but they also raise awareness. When the media covers the different stories, they also publish some background about the illness, or issue. That, I think, is the key driver behind the stunts. It also gives the opportunity for people who want to get involved to feel like they are physically doing something to help a cause.

I challenge you to get involved in a fundraising event in the future. Find an activity that you enjoy doing (you can walk, bike, dance, and even write blog posts) and raise funds for a cause that is close to your heart. Then, tell everyone that you know about your initiative. The biggest donations often come from the most unlikely sources, friends you haven't seen for ages, colleagues you don't know very well... But as I have discovered, raising funds is not that hard because people are really generous and want to encourage you. To this day, I have raised over $7,000 for breast cancer research, $1775 for this year's edition of The Walk.

Go ahead, give it a try.

At it again...

It's a year from now, but one thing I learned from fundraising is that the early bird gets the most donations. Ready for the 2008 edition of The Weekend to End Breast Cancer?

A weekend that changes your life

I made it through the workday today, not too sore, had a bit of a headache in the morning but it went away eventually. I'm still feeling a bit tired, but this is nothing a good night's sleep won't fix.

I promised to tell you more about The Weekend to End Breast Cancer, edition 2006. Some of you have already seen the pictures, but there are so many stories behind the smiling faces and the sea of pink. Truly amazing stories.

Like the story of 2105 participants, hundreds of volunteers (crew members) and supporters who were up early Saturday and Sunday (5:30 a.m. if you were walking, probably earlier for the crew members), full of energy and enthusiasm, ready to embark on this crazy journey.

Like the story of all the walkers who had pinned pictures of a loved one on their shirt, who were walking in the memory of, and the ones who were handed a pink strap for their ID (these were walkers who were also breast cancer survivors).

Like the story of so many with brutal blisters who kept on walking, repeating to themselves that this was easier than going through chemo.

Like the story of hundreds of walkers who, after 35 kilometers through the streets of Vancouver, were dancing the night away after dinner, under the common tent they had set up at camp.

Like the story of so many residents who hanged pink ribbons from their trees, shrubs and fences, who prepared pink lemonade and handed out cold glasses of water, who presented us with sweets to keep us going, who even had pink flamingos firmly planted on their lawn with a sign saying "Thanks!".

Like the story of four firefighters who were walking for one of their colleagues, Dave Veljacic, who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although in Canada, less than 1% of breast cancer patients are men, this is not a disease that affects only women.

Like the ceremonial last walker to enter the stadium who is walking all Weekend to End Breast Cancer events this year (I apologize for not finding his name, they did call it out at the closing ceremony). This would mean seven events in Canada, several consecutive weekends of walking 60 kilometers.

There were so many stories...

I was asked a few times if I was walking for anyone in particular. My answers was always no, I was fortunate to not know anyone in my family or friends who was diagnosed with breast cancer. But this all changed tonight. My sister called me to let me know that one of her good friends from high-school was just diagnosed a few weeks ago. She's 28. She's starting her treatment in two weeks and will be in treatment for seven months.

So there's no way I'm giving up this fight. Next year, I plan to get a few people together and form a crew to volunteer at the event. And the year after, I will walk again.

Typhanie posted lots of pictures on her site, you should check it out.

Wonderfully tired

I'll describe the weekend in more details tomorrow, but I can tell you it was a success. 2105 walkers, $5.5 million dollars raised for the BC Cancer Foundation, and a really amazing weekend.

Our team did so well, everyone completed and we raised over $17,500.

Until I get a bit more sleep, here are some pictures of the weekend.

Cheering stations

If you are in Vancouver this weekend, here are the locations of the cheering stations for The Weekend to End Breast Cancer. There is no published route for the walk since no streets are closed (we walk on the sidewalks, like everyone else). If you want to know where our team is along the course, call my cell phone, I'll have it on me during the entire weekend.

Obviously, if you can make it to Plaza of Nations for the closing ceremonies, that's where the big party will be!!

$2,500 goal attained!

Thank you to everyone who has donated to The Weekend to End Breast Cancer! Yesterday, I met my goal of raising $2,500 for the BC Cancer Foundation. If you haven't donated, there's still time: online donations are accepted until August 17 (correction from when I first posted, NOT August 18). There's nothing that says I should stop harassing people once I meet my target ;)

Who needs a man when you can BBQ your own lamb?

Another pretty nice weekend coming to an end. Another weekend spent with girlfriends.

On Friday, my promotion was officially announced and I'm starting the new position on Monday. I think the transfer of knowledge went well, although I expect to be fielding questions for the next few months. A few colleagues were stepping out for a drink after work, so I decided to join them and celebrate this big step in my professional life. I didn't stay for very long because I already had plans to meet Lara for a movie at 7:30.

We saw An Inconvenient Truth, the movie about Al Gore's crusade to inform people about the mess we are in (global warming). I wasn't originally really hot about seeing this movie, I thought it would be depressing. It's obviously not a happy subject, but the premise is not about negativity, but forcing people to realize how much of an impact we have on the planet. And when you see charts plotting temperatures and C02 levels for the past 650,000 years where the past 50 (and next 50) years are way off the chart, you know we've been up to no good. I have to admire Al Gore's energy and conviction. If only he had been elected president...

Saturday was spent walking, for most of the day. I did another training walk with Typhanie and Joanne, two other members of my team for The Weekend to End Breast Cancer. We walked for over five hours and probably covered over 20km. Those walks are also very good for getting to know your teammates :-) In the evening, I met up with Gerri and we went out for drinks with some of her colleagues from the train. The gang was heading out to a party after the drinks, but I was so tired from all the walking and the sun that I left them and went to bed early, around midnight.

Today, I did some grocery shopping in the morning and bought a few nice pieces of lamb. I was in the mood for a BBQ. I called Lara and asked if she had any dinner plans. We walked to Granville Island to have an ice-tea while watching the boats float by, and also to buy some veggies for dinner. I marinated the lamb with Dijon, fresh rosemary (from the balcony), oil, salt and pepper. Lara marinated the veggies with oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic and salt. Everything came out perfectly (except for the onions, didn't cook enough), especially the lamb. Yum! I'm really starting to figure out the BBQ ordeal, it's not that complicated ;)

Happiness is... (part 2)

1. Going shopping for a bikini, FINDING a very cute bikini in the first store you hit and then being told the price tag is only $30.

2. Walking 22 kilometers around Vancouver (wait, the happy part is coming up), taking in the sights and sounds of an entire city enjoying the summer heat and waking up the morning after NOT feeling sore at all.

3. Going for dinner with friends, at a restaurant that has a beautiful terrace overlooking False Creek and being able to WALK to the restaurant in 10 minutes flat.

4. Knowing that your best friend is back from her two-week vacation in Haiti, she DIDN'T get kidnapped and she brings back a gift of local rhum.

This was truly a weekend to remember.

Summer time

I woke up early today (8:30 is early when you go to bed late the night before) with no plans for the day. Maybe a little grocery shopping, maybe a little cooking for the week, if the weather was nice, maybe a visit to the VanDusen Garden.

Then, Gerri called and asked if I was up for a BBQ tonight. I'm always up for a BBQ! And since I'm the one with the full size grill, I offered to host the BBQ (it's a small crowd, Gerri, her boyfriend and myself). Gerri/Joe would bring the steaks, I would provide the veggies, salad, potatoes, and we could enjoy the bottle of wine Sherri brought me yesterday for giving her a deal on the parking space. Cool!

Then, as I'm making myself lunch, Soraiya calls and asks if I feel like going for a walk around Stanley Park. Soraiya works with me and she's also walking 60km for breast cancer in August. We get along so well at work, but never really have a chance to chat (she's busy all the time). Double cool!

The weather was iffy this morning, but the sun came out in the afternoon, with a nice breeze. Perfect conditions to walk around Stanley Park. It felt wonderful to get some fresh air, do a bit of exercise, and to finally have a chance to talk to Soraiya. Our views on the world and life in general are very similar, and she has so many good stories, we didn't stop chatting for the entire two hours. I think we will make more plans for "training" walks for The Weekend :-)

Summer must be right around the corner, people go out more, want to spend more time outside... I love it!