the thought

Stacie Bogan

I always thought my feet were perfect… and the basis for my claim was because each toe following my big toe descended in perfect proportions. I seriously believed I could be a foot model... until I developed bunions at the age of 13 because I shoved my poor little tootsies into unmerciful shoes.

My dream was crushed. I was crushed. And my feet were crushed, literally. I had to abandon my celebrity dream and do something grand with my feet.

So I am joining three of my courageous colleagues, April Thayer, Elizabeth Rector and Diane Svoboda, in an event that makes a difference - the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer http://www.avonwalk.org. The event is taking place June 24th-25th and will cover 39 miles of metro Denver. Our mission is to raise $7,200, train for the big walk, and, of course, shop for some new shoes to carry us through the weekend.

We did the shopping first. We walked over to the Boulder Running Company http://www.boulderrunningcompany.com to find some new shoes (actually that is a lie, we work too far away to walk to BRC).

Boulder Running Company is a leader in solving problems associated with bad footwear. At the BRC, our stride was videotaped and analyzed to ensure the perfect pair of shoes would be matched to our feet’s needs. Of course my stride was practically perfect with the exception of my left foot. I never did like my left foot.

Each of us then tried on more than a handful of shoes and we all left with the perfect pair in hand. I chose the hot pink Asics – I loved the color because it will match my Avon Walk for Breast Cancer t-shirt on walk day. http://www.asics.com

The BRC helped me find some shoes that will be comfortable and take me to the finish line, imperfect left foot and all.

Speaking of the finish line – the walk is this Saturday and to be honest, I’m frightened. 2-days and 39 miles of terrain is a lot for a pair of feet to handle. And I just got a pedicure. (at the best little nail store off Kipling and I-70; personalized DVD players for each person!)

As of June 20th, our team has raised $7,287. The proceeds will support medically underserved women and men, giving them access to the care they require. We have the shoes, we have the donations, and we have the passion for the cause.

In honor of our soon-to-be tired tootsies our team took a before picture…

…and we will be taking an after picture.

I’m hoping to only acquire a couple blisters and zero lost toe nails…but it’s all worth the fight.