Throughout the Million Step March, Kathy and Gary are joined by a guest walker from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Kimberly Hargrove, a customer service specialist at BCBSNC, joined the walk last week near Fayetteville and gave us this report from the road:
I must say that after last week, I can't be the same! When I was chosen to participate in the Million Step March, it felt like winning the lottery. To me it was a long shot. I mean, I was probably in the worst shape I have ever been in my whole life, and my three beautiful and vivacious kids were paying for it. I was in denial. I thought, "Hey, I've been an athlete all my life. I can never be out of shape." I was wrong, and after having kids, reality set in and I had to come to terms that I don't get enough physical activity - and some weeks I wasn't getting any. I needed an intervention, and BCBSNC gave me that, and I couldn't be happier or more appreciative.
I had a short week because of the holiday, so we got started early Tuesday morning. I met the road crew and Gary and Kathy, and I must say I had never felt so comfortable around a group of strangers in my life. Gary is the definition of "real" and Kathy is an inspiration!
About two miles in we were joined by Gary's longtime friend, Russ Surrette, and he added many laughs to the journey. At first I thought while walking, "This is easy. The pace isn't grueling and although I'm out of shape for the most part, I'm keeping up." But then reality set in. In the words of fitness instructors everywhere, I started "feeling the burn." But Kathy made sure that I was stretching and wasn't pushing myself to the point of injury. She would always assure me that even if I don't do 15 miles, the miles that I can do are all worthwhile! She would say, "Take this time to really focus on your health, Kim," and for once I was.
By day two, however, we traded in our sun for rain. I was so sore I couldn't feel my legs anyway. The rain was icky at times, and walking and dodging huge mud puddles was the task of the day so everyone picked up the pace to try to get the miles in a little quicker. Once I got loose it was better and I could feel my body starting to relax, and my feet were practically moving on their own. The ride home was uncomfortable because our backs were wetter than our fronts, but Gary and Russ had jokes galore to make the ride enjoyable. I also got a nickname from Gary. For the rest of the week I was known as "Little Kim."
A few hot baths and bag of Epsom salts later, I was leading the pack for a while on day three. I finally got over my plateau and I was feeling good. The wind felt good on my face even if it was courtesy of the big stinky livestock 18-wheelers that flew past. I just kept thinking of how I couldn't stop now if I wanted to.
My mind raced with thoughts of how to incorporate 10 miles a day into my schedule (just kidding - more like two or three, but that's still good compared to the zero I was doing before I left). We were joined on that day by another BCBSNC employee, Mark Stinneford from Corporate Communications. He was a great guy and he added even more humor to the pot. I also began to look around at my surroundings more and appreciate what a beautiful state we live in. I thought to myself that you really don't even notice these things when you're driving by so fast, but when you're walking you see everything.
My last day was bittersweet because I had begun to miss my kids, but I really didn’t want to leave. We had two events that Friday at Stoney Point and Bill Hefner elementary schols in Fayetteville. They were having a great contest between them to see which third grade could take the most steps during their day, and they had fabulous prizes for the winning school, teacher and top five third-graders. The children's excitement and energy was infectious! If adults had half that much energy we would not have an obesity epidemic.
After my walk last week, the hard part was over. The pains in my limbs are gone and I feel great and very energetic. To be healthy you have to make a lifestyle change, and I am making the decision to do just that. Change is necessary and it's guaranteed to happen, so why not go with it? Besides, I'm hoping that over the next few months instead of me telling my kids to slow down, they'll be telling me that.
I am just an average person. I'm not getting paid to say anything about BCBSNC or write nice things about my experience. I was just lucky enough to be afforded this opportunity. But we don't necessarily need to walk 600 miles to make a difference in our health; we just need to take the first step in the right direction. Small changes in our daily routines can do so much. Take the stairs instead of the elevators or park farther from the store than you usually do. If you don't want to do it for your family, do it for yourself. We only get one body and it is past time for us to start treating it better.
I just want to say thanks a million to Gary, Kathy, Russ and Tangela and the other road crew and BCBSNC employees that have worked so hard to make this a success. You guys have really changed my life. I owe you big time!
Kimberly Hargrove
Shared on June 5, 2008 Share your story
