The sound of torrential rain on the window was definitely not what I wanted to hear when I woke up on Saturday, 16th June as this was the day of the Moonwalk and we had hoped that the weather would be dry at least – it didn’t even matter if it was sunny as the walk takes place over night starting at midnight!  Never mind! We had been training for months and some wet weather was not going to put us off! The ‘we’ is myself and three friends Lynn, April and Rhona( our sons are all in the same class at school) and we had all decided that it would be great to participate in the Moonwalk whilst raising money for such a great cause.  The decision to take part was made – rather dangerously - the previous Christmas over a glass of wine in the local Bowling Club when we made lots of plans for our training regimes and whether we should go in fancy dress but even with a ‘clearer head’ the next morning we were all still committed to being part of this inspiring event!

He weather in January and February in Scotland is not best suited to outside activities but we walked whenever possible.  We came to love certain parts of Edinburgh ( all the bits that were downhill) and hate other parts ( the hill leading up to Ravelston Dykes is a very strong contender for most hated part as your legs really suffer the third time round! ) We really enjoyed the training though and we knew we must be getting fitter as in the beginning all the talking whilst walking had made us quite breathless but as the weeks went by the chatting and the walking became completely compatible and we even had breath to spare!!

Fast forward to the evening of the event when all the planning came together.  We had embraced wholeheartedly the pink theme and we went for it!  We had received a gift of beautiful pink pashminas and we had our Moonwalk t-shirts and baseball caps which we accessorized with some pink hair dye, pink deely boppers ( see photo ), pink lip gloss  and pink face jewels – the look was complete, we were doing this walk in style  and we felt ready for action!

We had some energy drink and set off to the sound of the Proclaimers ‘I will walk 500 miles’ on the car stereo (maybe a bit ambitious but the adrenalin and the energy drink had kicked in and we felt ready for anything.) We walked into the huge pink marquee  which had taken over the Meadows and the atmosphere was electric.  There were ladies ( and a few men ) from all over the world who had come to take part in this event and amidst all the excitement there was a time for quiet reflection as people thought of and remembered loved ones who they had lost to breast cancer or who had been affected by the illness.  There was a great sense of solidarity and unity as people from all over chatted to each other in the lead up to the start.  It was drizzly, cold and damp and we should have felt quite miserable in those weather conditions but nobody did! 

Then we were on the move and it felt great to start walking. The pace was quite fast but we soon got into our stride and before we knew it we  were walking round Arthur’s seat with the castle in the background and we had reached the 2 mile marker!  We were amazed that there were so many people lining the route in the rain all shouting encouragement and giving us a boost – thank you to all those brilliant people, you know who you are.

I saw the Provincial Grand Almoner of Linlithgowshire but in the midst of all the walkers I couldn’t stop to say hello! I have to say also that the Stewards on the route were fantastic – they didn’t just point you in the right direction they had an encouraging and supportive word for everyone and it made a huge difference. As we approached Princes Street the rain really started to come down but nobody cared, what did it matter in the scheme of things! We did briefly wear our plastic rain covers but power walking in plastic is not a good idea and we felt like oven ready chickens that were becoming a little overcooked.

Before we knew it we were turning at Blackhall and the 9 mile marker – this was quite close to home for all of us but we weren’t tempted to jump ship ( well if we were it was only for a split second!) Then we were heading back into town and the pace seemed to pick up a little and the rain went off. Suddenly we were nearing the Meadows again and heading to collect our medals – we all agreed that this part of the route was the longest 2 miles ever!!

Then we arrived and got our medals.  We felt great! Group hug! Relief that we had made it! Although the rain had dampened everything else it hadn’t dampened spirits or enthusiasm and we loved being part of this brilliant event.

The Walk the Walk Charity aims not only to raise money for Breast Cancer Charities but also to encourage people to get fitter in the process which benefits their own health so this is a win win situation. Back in bed in the early hours of the morning unable to sleep – not sure if that was because of the continuing adrenalin or the after effects of the energy drink! – I was in no doubt that not only had this been a fantastic personal experience but also that the benefits are immense both in terms of fund-raising for important care and research but also in raising awareness. I went to sleep with a great sense