Walking Her Age in Miles Every Year the Week Before Her Birthday

Back in the day, in between leaving my abusive first spouse and discovering my amazing husband Mr. Kerrie, I dated a psychologist. We worked together when I was around age 23 and he was around age 46 and we were together about 18 months. A few times we went to stay at his mom’s house in Topeka, Kansas and his mother was a firecracker who used to be a teacher. Here’s the cool thing about Irene Walker:

She was a walker.

Let’s say she was turning 75 that year. She would work her way up to walking 75 miles during the 7 days before her birthday. Each year she would up it a mile.

I think that is super cool and I hope to be like that someday. 

I can currently barely walk 3 miles without being in pain the next day so the thought of walking 44 miles during 7 days this coming June would freak me all out.

I'd love to do something like this someday where I could walk a half marathon like Mr. Kerrie and I did in October 2001 when I barely even realized I was pregnant with our first child!

P.S. My ex's brother had a slew of kids and they homeschooled. I was in love with the idea of that even then. I loved how many kids they had and what a loving family they were. I wanted that for myself someday so badly and knew I was not going to have that with my ex, and he knew it too. Things worked out for the best and we both moved on and are happy and friendly.  There are people who come into your life for a reason ... my ex was there for many reasons: to help me out of my abusive marriage, to introduce me to his amazing mother (I walked my first 5K around the Plaza with them and another in Topeka with them and fell in love with the 5K), to introduce me to his fabulous brother and his large family, to let me know that I could have exactly what I wanted someday out of my life if I would just go for it.

Irene died of lung cancer from 30 years of second-hand smoke in 2004. My ex's cousin is preparing for the NY Marathon and is dedicating her run to Irene Walker. I hope to do the same sort of thing someday.