Sarah Gone Wild

…and shouldn’t you help the mentally unstable? I vote yes!

Last week, I joined my friend Wally in her quest to raise money and awareness for MS and MS research. Both she and another wonderful friend of mine, Toofs, have MS and deal with it on a daily basis. The quest? Raise $1,000 by May 20th and then walk 50 miles over the span of 3 days.

Did you figure out the crazy part?

Yep, 50 miles. I don’t know why, but it never even occurred to me that the walk part would be difficult…until the other day. Now, I’m a bit nervous. I trained for a marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society a few years ago, but didn’t meet my fundraising minimum and stopped training at 22 miles. And let me tell you, those 22 miles HURT. Granted, I was running and walking, and this time I’ll just be walking, but that still requires feet and movement and blisters.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m really, really excited to be doing this for Wally and Toofs, and everyone else who struggles with MS every single day. And I’m excited to challenge myself physically…I’ve been wanting to do something like this for a while but didn’t have the right motivation. Now, I’ve got it and I’m determined to do this. And for that, I think maybe I’ve lost my mind.

So here’s the scoop. The more money we raise, the closer we get to a cure. That’s where you guys come in…some of you have received an email from me, but if you didn’t and are interested in chipping in even $5, I would be so appreciative. Just visit my personal page and you can make your tax-deductible donation. If you’re a lurker and don’t want me to know who you are, you can make your donation anonymously.

I’ve already raised $225 thanks to the generosity of super awesome people (like you). But this isn’t just about raising money. I need tips, people. Advice on how not to die on day two, when my legs have figured out what 20 miles feels like. I know a lot about clothing and all that from my prior training, but I’ve never attempted a distance like this and definitely not a journey over multiple days. Given that I’ll be staying at the community college at night, ice baths probably aren’t an option. As much as those suck, they’re a major muscle saver.

Bottom line, I’m really excited but really nervous to do this. I have less than 4 months to get ready (the walk is in June), but I can totally do this…right? Maybe I should plan on taking the following Monday off work as well in case I can’t walk much after day three.

Thanks in advance for being so awesome! I wish there were cures for everything bad in the world, but maybe we can knock these out one marathon at a time…here’s looking forward to the finish line!

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