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| 19th annual Step-a-thon Oct 18, 2014 |
Life is one
step at a time and boy, what a good view you have when you reach the top!
The thought of trying the Finview Step-a-Thon which is a
5mile run/walk careening up and down 14 different city steps and hills started in September (see Day 52 ) . At first I thought that this race would be as much fun as sticking
a needing in my eye because I am not in
that great of shape but after a month of
exploring Fineview and making it a personal challenge, I was excited when the race
day finally arrived.
Reflection
This race gave me a reason to explore an area of Pittsburgh
that I knew nothing about. Since I did not want
to have a coronary, my cousin and I walked the steps weekly the month before the race, passing
familiar streets, making friends, and realizing that this place was a little “gem
in the rough” with a fantastic view (See Day 53). (I must admit that my cousin
who is in great shape, joined me as my supporter since he could have easily tackled this race without any preparation.
Thus we laughed our way though most of our “training” walks). A resident that we met talked about Fineview this way, “people come
up here for only three reasons: 1) they live
here, 2) they are visiting someone that lives here or 3) they are lost.”
The Step-a-Thon is a festive race were some just want to tackle the
steps to have a good reason to hit the
bar afterwards in celebration. We joined
a crew of walkers who where jockeying to be the last to finish. These “end
walkers” were a group with the right lighthearted attitude. Crossing the finish
line, I broke out into a rendition of the Rocky song and our excitement to others may have seemed misplaced
since we all were within seconds to being
last. We did not care because we all had overcome the burn in our thighs and finished! For me, finishing was confirmation that I
could complete any journey. Maslow would have been proud of me and I am ready for round two
next year!
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| Happy Face -We did it |
Spiritual Reflections
The end is often the beginning.
Then I saw a new heaven and new
earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. (Revelation 21:1)
Other Sources
Fineview Step-a-Thon: http://www.fineviewcitizens.org/tags/stepathon