My first post of 2017 and it will be a long one. My last post had me talking about the NYC marathon so let me fill you in on what has happened since then. Some of it good, some of it not so good. Some has to do with running and some doesnt but ill spill it all.
After the NYC marathon in 2015 .. yes 2015 I was gearing up for my next race which was supposed to take place in july of 2016 and it was going to be the Rock and Roll marathon in Seattle. I went to seattle and met up with a friend who lived there. The morning of the race it was cold and rainy. I got to the start line and just wasnt feeling myself but i was going to run anyways. Well i got a half mile into the run and realized i couldnt do it. I had to walk myself to the first medical station on the route and tell them that i couldnt continue. I had to wait an hour for a van to come and take me back to the start. THey were so nice that they drove me back to the hotel. I was so cold .. shivering down to the bone. I took a long hot shower and climbed into my hotel bed and it took hours for me to warm up. I had a slight fever that day but i didnt know it when i started the race. After rest and relaxing that day in the hotel i woke up the next day feeling better. I knew something was wrong because even when im sick im able to run, but this time i had no energy. When i went home i went to the doctor and we got labs drawn just to make sure things were ok. Well long story short it turned out i was severly anemic and after some blood transfusions, an overnight stay in the hospital and numerous tests it turned out that i had a couple ulcers that were bleeding and causing all the problems. It took me awhile after that to get back into my old running pace and distance but when i was finally feeling better and getting my energy back i decided i was going to take 2016 off of racing and just focus on my health and not so much training. I still ran but i ran for fun instead of a specific goal.
In OCT of 2016 we got news that my mom only had about 6 months left. She had been battling multiple myeloma for 8 years and her body was not reacting to the treatments anymore. I had signed up to run a marathon in Nashville in April before we got this news and i wasn’t going to go anymore since i wanted to be home to be with her. Three weeks after the prognosis my mother passed away and it threw my life upside down. If you read my first entry on this blog then you will know that i started running because of her. I started running to earn money for LLS. SHe was my inspiration and she fought hard for 8 years. Its only been 6 months and its still like it just happened and these days im just putting one foot in front of the other some days. My sister and I decided that my mom would have wanted me to go and do the race, so i went and my sister came with me ( ill get to the race in a bit). In the 6 months since mom died, I sold my house and bought a new one that is closer to my siblings and my nieces and nephews. It felt right and Im so glad i did it .
Flash forward to last weekend. Nashville Rock and Roll marathon. It was on saturday April 29. My sister came with me as support and a bonding sister trip. We needed to do something together and just be sisters (not moms, nurses, wives etc). It was a great trip. We did all the touristy things, Grand Ole Opry, Country music hall of fame, walking food tours, bars, bus tours. The night before the race they informed us that it was supposed to be hot so they changed the start times so that we would be starting earlier than the 730 start time. I got to the start line at 530 in the morning for the 645am start. It was already 83 degrees and 80 percent humid at 0530 am. The race directors were encouraging the marathon runners to consider downgrading and running the half. It wasnt even a consideration for me. I trained hard and I was going to do the full marathon. It started out great. I was on about a 9 min mile pace ( which is slow for me but in marathons you always start slow and then speed up).
It was very hilly and hot and humid. By mile 2 i was dripping in sweat but i kept going. It got hot and more humid as the day went on. People were standing in their front yards spraying us with garden hoses and sprinklers. At mile 15 my quads were sore from all the uphill in the first half. It was the first time i had to stop and walk. By mile 20 i knew i wasnt going to make my 4 hour goal but since it was soo hot and humid i was ok with that. I passed so many people that were in the medic tents because of the conditions of the weather, people collasping on lawns, being taken away by paramedics. I finised the race in 5 hours and 3 mins and just as i crossed the finish line they informed us that they were calling the race early because of the heat.
Im happy that i was able to finish the race and that i was not hurt or that nothing happened because of the heat. Im so glad that i was able to experience this weekend with my sister. My mom is usually the one that i would call or text after the race and i got emotional as i crossed the finish line and realized that I wouldnt get to talk to her. As soon as I crossed the finish line i was barraged with texts from my sister who was waiting back at the hotel and my brother and sis in law and step dad who were all cheering me on from home, and I knew I would be ok. It will take some time but I will be ok.. we will be ok.
Running Across America 