Relay for Life 2008

So... how was RFL you ask? Well, it was a lot different than I had expected, mainly because we were moved indoors because of the weather. It did rain horribly last night, which was beyond the control of the RFL staff, but it changed the mood for the whole experience I think. Plus the whole night just started out kind of.... off.

First, I showed up at 5:15. I was to be on a team with other people from my parish, mostly undergrads, and two of them showed up at 5:45. One of them left shortly after, because she was bored. Um, okay. Way to go with the commitment. The opening ceremony was good, although it was really hard to keep everyone's attention indoors... the track was hot and humid. Basically, gross. The survivors were lead in by the WVU cheerleaders and did their lap around, and they were then joined by the caregivers, and then all of us. The walking began, and my team decided they didn't really want to walk, but play board games instead. I played with them for a bit, mostly in between walking, but they decided to leave by 10PM, which was when I decided to join another team from a different department. I knew one of the walkers, because she is sisters with one of our secretaries from my department. They were a great group (the picture above was taken right before we left), and were running a raffle on a WVU blanket with all proceeds going to the ACS. We walked, talked, ate and had fun. However, by 2AM, everyone was ready to call it quits. People had been leaving all night, because it was just too hot in the gym. And it was.

One thing I was a bit disappointed in was the Luminaria ceremony. First, we couldn't actually light any of the luminarias because we were indoors. Boo! Second, these kids just couldn't shut up during this touching ceremony. They kept talking and talking... there was a real lack of respect for the survivors and the caregivers present. I think next time I do a cancer event, it's either going to be a 5K (which I'm starting the Couch to 5K program on Sunday) or the county's RFL event. The university one was just too... studenty. There were some groups that took the event seriously, and then others, like my first group, that just showed to show. Maybe get a free t-shirt? I don't know why they even got involved.

In the end, I ended up raising $440, putting me in the top 20 individual fundraisers at the event. In total, the event raised over $65000 for cancer research, and I'm proud at all the work that we did, even though I wasn't able to last until 6AM. And I'm kind of glad I didn't stay. It's obvious to me that I was dehydrated, even though I tried my best NOT to be. I've been nursing a hangover (LOL) all day, a bad headache and just tired. I went to bed at 3AM, after a quick cold shower, and then slept until 11:30, only to take a nap again from 2-4PM. I feel better now, but I'm planning on taking it easy tonight, just rehydrating and resting. Tomorrow it'll be on to the Couch to 5K workout!

How many miles did I walk? Quite honestly, I don't know... I'm guessing a lot! I kept trying to keep count of my laps, but then forgot about it. I spent a lot of my time while walking mediatating on cancer, my loved ones who I've lost, those who are still with us, and making the commitment to those who need us. I was touched by all the survivors who were there, especially with their loved ones. It's necessary for us to see the evidence of all our hard work, because that is what will keep us motivated in order to continue fundraising.