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I have decided that I’m going to make a point. I’ve had it right up to here with the bitching and meaning about how impossible it is to go even to the store with a mask on. It has become … Continue reading
So… In just a short time, we will be heading out and doing Disney. No, not today, but frighteningly soon (Squirrel and I looked yesterday at the Run Disney page and saw how close the race weekend is). It’s hard to believe it’s here already. It’s hard to believe how much things have changed in such a short time.
Life is short
It’s prompted me to look back at the past year that I’ve been working on getting more healthy, getting more fit, improving my time. It’s been quite a year and I can’t believe that it’s already almost here.
This year, I’m making a concerted effort at capturing the entire trip (good, bad, indifferent, scary, ugly, whatever) because… well… because.
This year we will be doing Disney differently in a few ways.
So, I’m planning on chronicling everything as we go. I’ve spent so much time digging and digging for information, I want to be able to pull together what I’ve discovered with what I learn so I have one place for it to be.
Spent yesterday (most of it) packing. I will spend a good chunk of today packing and repacking as well. I want to travel with the least amount of stuff as I can. We always take too much and I know that I already have too much packed. I’m so used to packing for any eventuality and there are so many unknowns and eventualities this time. I need to pare it all down so I know we are good… and still don’t have to pay a billion dollars on overweight bag fees.
I will probably repack ten times. sigh…
I’m up for this (kinda)
I know we can do this (sorta)
Love and Light
April
1/27/2019
Posted in disability, disney half marathon, Half Marathon, travel
It’s January.
It’s snowing very lightly. It’s 26 degrees Fahrenheit .
Sorcerer Radio is on my my Echo (I really really want to thank my boss for not getting me a gift card this year. I’m in love with Alexa).
Coffee is… well… everywhere…
Gym is done for the day yesterday (I clocked 7 miles on my “I need 4 miles today” training schedule… today is 11.5… yay). If I follow my Google Pedometer plan, I’ll hit 13.3. Next Sunday the high is supposed to be 18. I’m really really really glad it’s not supposed to be a training day and that we will likely ‘only’ end up at the gym.
In 30 something days we fly to Disney. I think I honestly have to say that for once I’m actually ready for a race (or three). I’ve been watching people post on their races from this weekend (WDW marathon weekend) and I’m so jealous. I never in my life thought I would be looking at a marathon racer and thinking… maybe…
It’s hard to believe that just about a year ago I was watching people run a RAGNAR on From Fat To The Finish Line thinking that I would love to be able to maybe possibly some day do that… but that I would never ever be able to get to the fitness level that they were able to do. I don’t know if I will ever be able to quite get THERE… but… maybe… But here I am, at goal weight (still… I weigh myself almost every morning just to make sure… and I need to lose at least 5 pounds before Disney to give myself a little buffer) and actually hitting a little better than the goal I set for myself for my races, time wise. Maybe I’m okay.
It’s been really stressful lately and I can tell that it’s been playing havoc with my body. A week out from my last infusion and I’m feeling way way more human (otherwise I wouldn’t even be considering a half marathon distance today) but my body feels off. I know that the stress is poking me in the ribs (literally). I have this interesting bump on my elbow. Six months ago my PCP told me it was just a little cyst and it would be fine. Except it’s gotten bigger… and it’s where I rest my elbow on my chair arms or my desk so it’s kind of problematic. So I engaged my Rheumy… who sent me for X-rays (nothing… duh… it soft tissue) who sent me to ortho… who said huh… PCP? Oh wait… I guess we can do an ultrasound and make you an appointment with our ortho-rheumy-surgeon…. it’s probably a cyst.
It’s not a cyst. It’s, apparently, a subcutaneous thickening without a discrete cyst. Not a cyst. Not an RA nodule. MAYBE this could be the result of irritation to the tissue… maybe… or maybe this pea sized lump in my elbow could be my imagination or something… who knows. I almost don’t want to go see the surgeon on Wednesday. I’m terrified at this point. There are things it could be. Surgery would mean 4 weeks no infusion, then surgery then two weeks more no infusion. It would be 6 – 8 weeks without orencia. I don’t know if maybe I just don’t want to keep the bump. The devil you have and all that… but I’m scared.
So yeah, stress.
And I have three races in about 6 weeks from today (half is 6 weeks from today, 10k from yesterday and 5k from Friday). Surgery doesn’t fit into my plans right now.
If something is really wrong, how will I take care of Bear? How will I hold my world together?
Just keep swimming
One day at a time
one breath at a time
For now, it will be daylight soon. Time to work, a little, on my playlists for my races… and pull together a backpack for my ‘run’… I need to get my Starbucks free for January coffee while I’m out… and take some water and some Milk Duds along for the walk. Wish me luck…
Love and Light
April
1/13/2019
Posted in Disney Princess, fear, Half Marathon, running, stress
This race review is written from the back of the pack… no judgement on that at all just information… the experience is probably different for the people who were nearer the front.
The Made In America Half, in Massilon Ohio was last weekend. I was torn as to whether (weather) or not to do the race. I kept thinking that it was going to be 25 degrees Fahrenheit. The race only cost me $35 to register. Bear was feeling really really crappy and wasn’t going to be able to go even sit and wait for me (for three hours) in the car in a parking lot. I was torn as to whether or not it was going to be worth going.
I went.
I wanted desperately to come in at about 2:43 start to finish.
I didn’t.
I finished at 3:01:50. Not awful. Not time to turn in form corral placement for Disney, but not awful.
I’m used to being at the back of the pack. I’m not fast, but I am strong (~Baymax). This race only had just under 300 people who started the race. I didn’t finish last. I didn’t not finish. It was all okay.
It was a really hard race, though, in a lot of ways.
The first four miles are hilly. They don’t actually close the roads. For a ways they close one lane. For a ways they don’t close any of the lanes. For a ways the route is sketchily market at best. But it is a $35 race. And you get a shirt and a medal.
The last 9 miles is on the Towpath. The Towpath in Massilon isn’t as well kept up as the Towpath in Brecksville. I think it might have been paved at some point in its life, at least parts of it, but now it isn’t. It’s packed dirt. So this can actually be said to be a combination road race and trail race. They did (I think they did) salt the course so the ice that likely was there melted even where the tree cover was heavy.
For a while I was sort of traveling near people, but the herd soon thinned out considerably. There were a couple people I could see (if the trail bent right) ahead of me (the yellow jacket helped), and there were a couple people who were behind me that I knew for sure were still back there (there the red jackets stood out) but I was kind of the half way point between people who were a half or 3/4 miles apart. One woman passed me at about mile 9, I passed another woman at about mile 11. For most of the race, though, I was alone. I had entirely too long to think.
There wasn’t an issue with being in the way of anything after mile 4. I passed a couple water stops, but for the most part it was flying alone. There was a train track for a while, there was road for a while, there were even a few houses, but when you are all alone, you are pretty much all alone.
It was a good race. I would probably do it again. The biggest thing that was a let down for me was, at the end, there were no bananas. There was nothing even resembling healthy. There were cookies and chips and water. I would have given anything for either chocolate milk or bananas or even an apple… but… it was not to be.
I did it. I finished. I enjoyed the scenery and I did use it as a training “run” but… it was a very hard morning in a lot of ways.
Posted in Half Marathon
Tagged Half Marathon, Made in America Half Marathon, Massilon ohio, running
So, I’m following the Galloway training plan from the RunDisney site. 19 easy weeks to a 10K/half marathon.
Yeah okay
Easy peasy
I don’t usually get to do a mid week training run during the daylight. I typically run at about 4:30 am. It’s nice to see what I’m passing better.
It was in the 40s and bright and sunny.
It bodes well for the rest of training.
April
10/23/2018
Posted in Disney Princess, Half Marathon
Tagged disney princess half marathon, Galloway, Half Marathon, running, training
It was an awesome race slash training run. I mean, seriously… training run with bling! What could be better? It was a small enough race that it didn’t take fifteen minutes to cross the starting line but a big enough race that you didn’t feel like it was a bunch of people from work who decided to run together on a Sunday morning. I’m pretty sure I will do this one again (although I may make it a half instead of a 10k next time).
Started out feeling really good. The morning was fantastic. Kind of on the damp side and cool enough that wearing a light hoody was comfortable. Bear didn’t bring one and, riding on his scooter, he regretted it. He looked really cute wearing my Figment hoody. Walking kept me warm, but driving his scooter (given the speed he was going) made the trip from Tower City to the Rock Hall a bit chilly for him. It was even worse when he was chasing the pigeons.
The only problem I really had with the race itself was that the half started at a different place than the 10k and 5k and finding where we were supposed to line up was a little less intuitive than some other races I’ve done. 
It was kind of neat to see other people wearing getups too. I absolutely loved the guy in the gorilla outfit. He said he would so anything for a laugh.
Squirrel Girl was just a little stressed over the race. She didn’t train so much and was really feeling the stress lined up at the starting line. She was worried about finishing at all… about finishing in under 3 hours… her knee giving her issues… she was stressing quite a bit.
Turned out she didn’t need to stress all that much. She and I ended up finishing about one chip second apart. I would have beaten her by about 5 minutes but about mile 2.5 pushing too hard and the humidity absolutely made me feel crappy. Crappy enough that I spend precious minutes being sick in the park. NOT how I wanted to do this race. BUT it did give me a reality check and make me slow down to a very fast walk the rest of the race.
I suppose Squirrel could have reminded me that you’re not supposed to push too hard too fast the way I remind her all too frequently, but I have to give her credit for not.
I have to admit though, that even slowing down (for me) and not having trained (her) didn’t really impact either of us finishing strong.
I went in to this race having my doubts. I was worried about the temperature and humidity in August, especially this year (it’s been really bad this year). I was worried about how my weight loss was going to play in to my race. But thanks to supportive people I met through WW who are as crazy (if not more so) as I am I’ve learned to listen to myself, to my body, and how to fuel my body for long runs… and not stress nearly as much as I have been over possibly eating too much or gaining back what I’ve worked so hard to lose.
Did we both push too hard? Oh yeah. Squirrel tends to be very light headed and shaky when she gets through most any finish line. I know the last mile she was fighting to keep herself going. I keep impressing upon her that she needs to take training a little more (than not at all) seriously so her body doesn’t get shocked by the race effort. She did eat watermelon (me too… beat the heck out of even the thoughts of a banana)after the finish line. But this morning her thighs and her abdominal muscles are complaining quite a bit.
Me? Despite the fact that I should have finished sooner (I will plan better next race for feeling crappy), I felt really amazing at the finish line. I finished strong and (yeah, I was tired) didn’t really feel like I wanted to pass out in the grass. The ice packs that PNC handed out were very welcome as were the towels that one of the vendors was giving out (after I soaked it in ice water in the water pools at the finish line).
I’m proud of myself.
I’m proud of Squirrel Girl (and will now be highly harping at her to train better for February).
Onward and upward.
Next race?
Amish Country 10k in just under 3 weeks. With any luck, this race will be less humid and chillier. If I can just keep timing my Orencia infusions so they fall shortly before races, I will be in pretty decent shape!
Love and Light
April
8/20/2018
Posted in Half Marathon, running
Tagged 10k, Cleveland, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 10k, rock hall 10k, training
I refuse to tell people that this is what to do… or this is what will work for everyone… because that is a bunch of hooey. Everyone knows that nothing works for everyone and what works for one person simply can not work for others. It irritates me when other people do it. I won’t.
That said… this is where I am this morning…
This morning I hit what my PCP suggests ought to be my goal weight. That means I’m about 15 pounds from my actual goal weight. THAT means I, very soon, need to start going to the stupid Weight Watchers meetings so I can hit goal there and become lifetime. I still resent the hell out of that little ploy, but it is what it is. Yay Nestle…
In celebration I drank a cup of coffee with creamer as a morning treat.
Then I got ready for my run.
I started playing Pokemon Go as a way to see if I can do something distracting during my run. Hatching eggs. Unfortunately, the app calculates really badly… I can run 2.5 miles and not QUITE accumulate 1k distance in egg hatching. But steps is steps and they eventually hatch. I thought maybe that my fanny pack would count the distance better than my flip belt… Turns out it didn’t… but… in the process… I had to put my fanny pack on. This is the utility belt I had always used in races. This is the utility belt I used before I started on my little weight loss adventure… and my little running adventure. It fit. The way the strap was… it fit… 6 months ago… it fit.
This morning when I put it on, this is what I found…. When I strapped around me and held the pack side… I could see my feet between my stomach and the bag.
When I let go of it this is what happened!!!
I have officially lost enough weight that my fanny pack needed to be VERY much tightened. I was, suffice it to say, not only SHOCKED, but very pleasantly surprised.
Today, I adjusted my run/walk/run time so that I ran 30 seconds and walked 45 seconds… I did 2.37 miles this morning in just under 30 minutes.
It got me thinking…
When I first started running (2008… 2009… ish time frame) it was right before I was diagnosed with RA. RIGHT before… I was doing pretty well… but I was no where near as quick or consistent as I am now.
My first several ‘runs’ I did in the middle of the darkness in the morning around our cul de sac. I would leave our driveway, jog to the next driveway… make it to the end of the street… walk the rest of the way… and fall down into the yard. I started adding a little distance. I would go to the next driveway plus one sidewalk square. Sometimes the next dandelion. I worked my way using the First Day to 5K pod cast.
I eventually worked my way up to being able to finish about a mile and a half… run walk running… but I was doing it at about a 16 minute mile.
I finished my first half marathon two months after I was diagnosed with raging RA… 37 joints involved… inflammation everywhere…. My hips screamed the last mile. I almost couldn’t make it into the house from the attached garage.
When I finished my first Disney half marathon 4 years later, I managed to stay ahead of the balloon ladies but not by much. I half way trained. My RA was kind of mostly controlled but I had just started on Orencia. I was still on MTX.
I was determined to finish Disney…. and it was a personal best time for me. It wasn’t a great time, but I finished it.
I was 218 pounds when we moved to Cleveland.
I refused to do the math on what that meant BMI wise. I didn’t want to know.
That was 4 years ago.
February I started back walking very fast to train for Disney.
Then I read that for every 10 pounds weight loss you can shave off 20 seconds per minute off of your run time. I was determined to get to a 14 minute mile so I could half way comfortably finish ahead of the balloon ladies and still get my picture taken coming out of Cinderella’s castle and maybe even with Goofy on the golf course.
So after my PCP told me that WW is the silver bullet and that I should only EVER eat 0 point foods, I got pissed and joined. I was determined to make it work.
I needed to shave my time.
I needed to get healthier and stronger so I can help Bear as much as I can through everything that is to come. I need to be as strong as I can possibly be. I need to be healthy enough to support him enough through everything. It matters.
And here I am at 165 pounds… 15 pounds short of MY 150 pound goal…
The walmart leggings I started out running in stay MOSTLY up but slide down a few times during a 2 to 3 mile run.
People at work who haven’t seen me in a while have started to comment on how much weight I’ve lost. I kind of look at that sort of in a hard way… I didn’t really think of how heavy I was. I didn’t think about how I looked to other people. I didn’t think… Now I think.
I’m down 4 pants sizes. I’m running in between a medium and large pair of running leggings.
I don’t hurt as bad as I did before. I don’t hurt as badly when I am nearly to infusion day. My hands still ache some days and I still am stiff in the mornings but I feel less bad (does less badly equate to better? I’m not sure).
And I’m starting to think of myself as a runner.
But it’s not all sunshine and roses in my own head.
Men have started to notice me… started to flirt with me. There was a guy in Pittsburgh when Bear and I were waiting on the Gateway Clipper who bought pop corn and brought it over so I could help him feed the ducks. It never dawned on me until Bear pointed it out later that he was flirting. People rarely ever talk to me so flirting isn’t something that ever crosses my mind. My first thought was… I want very much to go back to being invisible and I should stop trying to lose weight.
But I like feeling better. I like thinking that I might not need to be on some of the “you’re too heavy” drugs that I’ve been on for years. High BP meds… cholesterol drugs…
So… yeah… it’s been very much a thinking kind of day… a day of how far I’ve come over the years.
Running isn’t for everyone with RA. Knee damage, ankle damage, feet and toes… it seriously curtails what you can do with working out… but moving is a good thing and I’m convinced that weight watchers (much as I STILL hate trying to find the logic in stuff) and running have made an incredible difference and I know that I really really don’t want to go back to having a BMI of 36. Goal for me is now a normal BMI… and making sure I’m around to help when Bear needs my help.
And… of course… doing races…
August … Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame 10k
October…. Towpath 10k
Pumpkin run in Akron
November… Made In America in Massillon Ohio half marathon
February…. Disney!!!
Love and Light
April
7/13/2018
I’ve been haunting a lot of websites lately trying to figure out 1. just how weird I am and 2. how to get to be a better me. I guess maybe that makes me even weirder but hey.
I’ve been reading a lot about can’t.
And I’ve been getting irritated.
“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” ~Albert Einstein
Girls can’t
Boys can’t
fat people can’t
skinny people can’t
people with RA can’t
people over can’t
I heard a lot when I was growing up all of the things that I was told I can’t. I worked really hard to prove out that some of those were wrong. Some stick in the back of my head and I fight the words EVERY SINGLE DAY.
There are a lot of things I know I can’t do. I can’t “win” a half marathon (marathon) but that is because I never loved running when I was in a position to train that hard for it. I suppose if I really REALLY trained now, in several years I might actually have a shot at at least winning my age group. I’m not sure if I care that much, and that is on ME. It isn’t that I can’t. It’s that I won’t… that I choose not to.
I can’t do a full marathon. NOT because I can’t (believe me I have been thinking very seriously about training for one… and maybe some day) but because I can’t justify in my head putting in that much work to git-er-done. I am not incapable. I choose to not put my effort there. For now.
I got all caught up in my head that I couldn’t lose weight. I resented being told by the doctor that WW was the magic bullet and that all I needed to do was follow their sheeple and I would magically be perfect. “THE PLAN” works. It completely works if you work the plan. I just went out and bought (thank you for the Salvation Army 50% off clothes sale for Memorial Day) pants that are 2 sizes smaller than I have worn in YEARS and they fit (some actually are already baggy). It works. I’m kind of scared that when I reach goal that I won’t be able to maintain because the math really doesn’t work in my head still. Anyone can lose weight if they are running 2 – 10 miles a day and eating 900 calories. The trick is to be able to maintain a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle. I’m trying to learn.
I thought, I can’t. But I have, I am.
I was registered for a half marathon when I was diagnosed with RA. I immediately went out and googled stuff (duh… and DOH) and what I read suggested that I can’t do half marathons (or 10ks or whatever). My rheumy suggested that I probably ought not (at least then) run. I was not controlled in my disease. I am still only marginally controlled… If I insisted on this, I should train to walk very fast. So I did.
Only a couple months after diagnosis, and just a month (maybe 6 weeks) after starting methotrexate, I finished my first half. I almost quit. Thanks to Monkey Butt walking out to walk me in I didn’t. But I almost did. My hips were screaming about an 18 on a scale of 1 to 10 and it was all I could do to move. But I was stubborn and I was determined and I did it.
And I did it again.
And again.
This morning I have been reading.
One thing I read was the Cleveland Marathon Facebook page and I realized that my PR was even better than it should have been because the course was .18 miles longer than it was supposed to be (so I ‘ran’ 13.28 instead of 13.1 and I still shaved 19 minutes off my time). That was surprising. People are SOOOOO upset because there is a decent sized hill in about the middle of the half marathon course and it is a smallish brute. Austin’s was way bigger. And Cleveland had awesome signs to entertain you going up the hill.
Did you ever stop and think that a lot of life is kind of like a marathon? There are hills. There is pain. You get tired. There is rain and heat and utter exhaustion. But you keep going. You might bitch later. You might whine that you can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t… but you can. And you do.
Don’t get me wrong (and I know I could take a LOT of grief for the misunderstanding here)… not everyone is cut out to run. Not everyone wants to, cares to, thinks about, running races (or running at all). There are people with RA that are way more debilitated than I am. There are people who’s bodies will not allow them to get out of bed. There are people (I love you Bear) who struggle every day and finally take a deep breath and admit that they need assistive devices. But we all have our challenges. There is no shame in needing help. There should be no judgement in running our own races and learning what we need to learn from them.
And in trying to help each other up the hills.
If I was an elite runner (or an elite anything), I probably would have a different mindset. I would be determined to win at all costs. But for me, the races are mostly just life. We are all in it together. We are all running our own races, and we are running side by side up the hills, through the rain. Sometimes we fall and need help getting up. Sometimes we just do what we need to do and push through it all alone.
But you can’t give up.
You don’t know who is watching you.
You can sit down on the curb sometimes and cry until you can’t cry any more, but in the end you just pick yourself up, wipe the dirt off your butt, and keep plodding along.
Some time around mile 9 or 10 (or 19 or 20 as I hear tell) you start to feel so very very alone. Sometimes alone is accurate. And that’s okay too.
And when the course gets rough and the hills get long and steep, it’s okay to stop and catch your breath… rest a bit… and keep on plodding on.
Love and Light
April
6/2/2018
Posted in Half Marathon, motivation, rheumatoid arthritis
Tagged keep on keeping on, life, needing help, running your own race
And already it is over. Already it is the week after and I am wondering where the time went. All of the training for this one is in the bag… The hard work is done (for this one) and now it is time to sit back and reflect.
My first thought (because I just read a Women’s Running magazine article on oooo look at me, I ran my half marathon despite having the flu… isn’t that admirable… look at how awesome I am despite spewing germs over 13 miles and an expo!!!) has been… thank goodness I didn’t get sick through the last few days. Autoimmune disorder chick doesn’t appreciate the INCREDIBLE ADMIRATION OOOOOOO people get for deliberately spreading germs to 50,000 of the people they contact… If you wouldn’t go to work and slobber all over your co-workers, don’t slobber all over the race event…
Bear isn’t incredibly thrilled with my reflections… but… it is what it is. A lot of it is that I’m proud of myself (he’s good with that) a lot of it is that I’m beating myself up (not so good with that). Now I know, basically, where I stand, and where I need to improve.
My takeaways on the race…
It was nice to see people out in the rain cheering everyone on
That is a LOT of cups
Yeah, yeah, I have a thing for boats and reflections… Didn’t actually realize what pictures I did end up getting but this wasn’t bad with Tower City in the background.
It was very cool running across the lift bridges and seeing the G-Tugs hanging out in the fog…
It was kind of neat running where I walk every day anyway. It was much more comfortable on the street running than I think it would have been on the sidewalk.
I kept up with the “3 hour half” pacer for about three miles… but then I lost him along below Tower City. Shame, too because at that point I really had my heart set on making a 3 hour half. I wasn’t FAR off… but I wasn’t quite where I would have loved to have been .
See… this is totally a hill. Not quite as long as the one in Austin, but a hill none the less. I loved the signs you pass going up, though… cheering you on…
This is most true!!!
I loved passing the interesting artwork.
and the cool photo ops.
I had never had Honey Stingers before. It is my new go-to race food.
This is an interesting house. Architecture is kind of interesting in Cleveland.
Next to the artwork… the people were awesome to pass
I loved this shirt at the point I caught up to her. It made me smile because it’s very true.
This was… interesting… it was kind of annoying when the marathon pacer decided that it was imperative that he cut off the people in the half marathon side of the road so he could high five the people on the stationary bikes because… you know… I was kind of busy running my own race that probably wasn’t as exciting or important as the high fives or the full marathon race… but hey… it was interesting…
I have to kind of pat myself on the back a little, though… I PRed both my races. I have NEVER EVER run as fast as I did for the 8k and even my Half Marathon time was better than I ever dreamed it would be. I was hoping to make it (before I set off in the race) in under 3 hours and 25 minutes. I did.
Now, all I have to do is better my time so I can better my corral in the Princess challenge and I will be set!
Now… onward and upward…
Rock and roll 10k in August
amish 10k September
towpath 10k October (maybe the half??? )
princess challenge 2019
and… next year’s Cleveland challenge series.
I’m trying to not hold out too much hope of being a race ambassador… but I think it would be wicked awesome cool to prove that someone with RA and who is more than a little overweight can ambassador a race and raise awareness!!!
Love and Light
April
5/22/2018
Well… day 1 (the 8k portion) of my challenge series weekend is done. The sun is back to shining and it isn’t even noon yet. Hard to believe… but there it is…
Race day? Epic
Had to be downtown Cleveland by 7 am. The race was to start at 8. Despite feeling shitty and it being windy and cold and humid and rainy (kind of) bear made it to watch. I was really glad that he was there to cheer me on, even though I know that he would much rather have been in it with me if he could have been.
The race started on time with a cheer and a shuffle. It was a pleasant surprise. What was just as awesome is that I crossed the starting line about one minute after the “gun”. Bear and squirrel both snagged pictures of me heading through the starting line. That was kind of awesome, because I totally wasn’t going to spend $80 on race pictures.
The pre-race, for me, was kind of interesting. I’ve done Disney race… I’ve done several others… I’ve done Austin multiple times… this was kind of neat. The starting corrals were the finish line only backwards. It was interesting walking past the medals and post-race snacks on your way through to the start.
It always makes me feel kind of weird that I’m one of the only one that is doing the race completely solo. I pass, or am passed, by people running together in twos and threes and more… there aren’t many of us (or not many that I notice) that are doing the race solo. I’t one of the reasons that I run with a bell (or bells) so I can remind myself that I am in this for the long haul and I’m all good.
When you are towards the back of the pack, you don’t get to see many people on the sidelines cheering… there was actually only one that I saw today (but then it was “just” an 8k) but that one was EPICALLY Awesome!!! “May The Course Be With Your” was at the top of the last hill and a most welcome sight.
And… at one hour and 4 minutes… I crossed the finish line. My chip time said I did a 12 minute 50 second minute mile for the 5 miles I ran today (and I honestly did do almost consistently a 2 minute walk and 30 second run). I don’t expect to be able to maintain that tomorrow, but so far I did PR my mile time and I’m hoping to PR my tomorrow half marathon time.
I did it.
And I don’t feel like my hips are going to fall off… My knees and feet feel pretty good (much better after a hot bath)… and my omelette I made me after we got home was incredibly wonderful.
I feel frighteningly good.
More to come tomorrow!!!
Love and light
April
5/19/2018
Lots of quality Rheumatoid Arthritis Information from RA Warrior.
You are not alone
Together, we can enlighten the world
A Figment Of Fitness 