Well, where was I? I don’t even know what happened last week. Monday was Labor Day so the rest of the week was just… off. All week felt like I was playing catch up. Which means my training suffered, and I’m honestly very nervous I’m going to pay for it on race day, but I’m pressing forward regardless. I’ll have my guide runner with me, so if anything happens and I am unable to run, she can drag my a$$ to the finish line. Kidding. I’m really just hoping to finish without dying first.
So what training happened this past week? I ran 5 miles on Wednesday. That’s it. No more running, no strength training. However, late in the week I did start doing more leg exercises randomly throughout the day. Step-ups, squats, stuff like that. Because I need to get these legs ready for hills, and if I don’t have time to run, the least I can do is work my legs. So, I’m trying not to look at the week as a total loss.
As if to back up that assumption that the week wasn’t a total loss, last week was also my “fatigue week”, yet I only had one day of extreme fatigue, with the rest of the days feeling pretty normal energy levels (read: not struggling to move). That was definitely encouraging.
I finished the week with a trip up north with some of my closest girlfriends. We take this trip every year, and it’s such a great time of relaxing, laughing, chatting, all the things. We did a really fun thing this year and ended our time with a dune buggy ride! There are dunes near where we vacation and they run tours during the warmer months. I have lived my life in Michigan and never been on one, so it was a pretty cool experience. I am a little scaredy-pants, especially going down the hills but I survived and also really enjoyed the adventure.
The ride over the hills of the sand dunes had me thinking a lot about this race I’m training for, because it’s also over sand dunes. The Sleeping Bear Dunes in northern Michigan. I won’t be running on sand, thankfully they’ve built trails for people to trek, but the hills will be quite similar, I’m sure. I have my work cut out for me. Hopefully this coming week I’ll have more to report. We’ll see. So far it’s not looking great, but I do hope at a minimum to be able to complete a long run. I’ll let you know how it goes 😉
Okay, here’s the recap of week 8 (I feel like I’m really slipping on getting these out in time):
Sunday – Rest and stuff
Monday – Some medical stuff, helping prep kids for school starting on Wednesday. Basically all the family management tasks that wear me out. But it was a good day. Lots of steps (Also there may have been a donut or two).
Tuesday – 5 mile run, all the hills in my neighborhood and the one north of us. I need to kick up the hill training cuz these hills are getting too easy for me. Might mean a trip out of the neighborhood!
Wednesday – school started! I had the whole house to myself all morning (it was a half day). I did a 35 minute Fitbod workout: quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and abs.
Thursday – I ran 2 beautiful, glorious miles. It was the first full day with kids at school, so I’m sure that was a factor in my enjoyment lol I’m pictured here with my two doggies. They love to greet me after every run and love running around in the yard while I stretch and rehydrate.
Friday – I ran 11 miles! I decided to move the long run from Saturday because the weather looked better (cooler) and also I had some afternoon plans on Saturday I didn’t want to be feeling half-dead for. This second try at a selfie near the “Trail Ends” sign was successful. The trail ends, but the low traffic side street begins, so I continued on.
Until that road ended, and you’ll see another selfie here of me being slightly disappointed I had to turn around sooner than I anticipated. It was fine, I still got my miles in. And I still might find a way to go farther. Hubby says we can take a look at it from Google Earth and see how it might connect because he’s pretty sure there’s more trail to run.
Can I just say though, how *aware* I am of the muscles in my legs when I’m running? Wednesday’s workout was short but effective, and I was feeling the burn, for sure. But also, I could really sense that those muscles are getting stronger and it really is helping add more ease to my running. On my long run this week I chose to play my 180 beat playlist so it would keep me on a steady pace while I focused on my form and breathing. I’m still amazed at what the human body is capable of. Focused breathing really helped with my stamina, especially with those later miles on the long run. It’s nice to have these good runs to remind me on the harder days that it’s still worth it.
Saturday & Sunday – These two days I just really focused on resting and visiting with friends. It was a wonderful respite for both my body and soul. I was ready to hit the ground running come Monday, and you’ll hear all about that in next week’s update! Have a great day y’all! Shalom…
This week, I’m pretty sure *I* was the sleeping bear. I’m gonna warn you right here, this is more than a running post. I’m gonna detour and touch on family matters and a little on perimenopause. If you can’t handle that, please move along. Thank you very much. If you’re game, please continue.
Sunday – I slept 8 hours, 43 minutes the night before. Not a lot of activity. I think I went to church. Yes, yes I did and I went to Planet Fitness afterwards to use the hydromassage beds. That was needed. I was still in a lot of pain from last week.
Me and the husband, hanging out in the parking garage like a couple of dorks in love. Scene behind us overlooks Detroit: Little Caesar’s Arena, Ford Field, etc.
Monday – Slept 9 hours, 36 minutes. I had planned to do strength training but according to my records, I did not. I did take a wicked nap in the afternoon in preparation for taking our daughter to her first concert. She was going with a friend to see Pierce the Veil and Blink 182, and hubs and I had a dinner date while we waited. I got a little teary eyed seeing her walk off towards the venue, knowing how much this meant to her. It was a good day. My babies are growing up so fast (more on that to come).
Cornfield behind me, this is one of the dead-ends in my neighborhood. This was just after I hit 4 miles and I so badly wanted to quit early and go straight home.
Tuesday – Slept 7 hours, 44 minutes. Ran 5 miles with hills. We’ve got a couple gnarly hills around our neighborhood and I was very pleased to see that my lungs and legs are handling them much better! This is growth, and great progress. It can only get better from here, if I stay consistent with the strength and hill training.
Wednesday – Slept 10 hours, 30 minutes. Took my daughter to the doctor for a well child visit. She’s doing well. Very healthy. Could use some improvements in her diet, which I’m sure is true of most teenagers (she’s 14). Right after getting a mom-requested lecture from the doctor about getting more fruits and veggies into her diet, she stood up and a package of Little Debbie Zebra Cakes fell out of her pocket. And, thank you for making my point, my dear! It was quite comical.
Thursday – Slept 9 hours, 40 minutes. I guess I didn’t do any training on this day. Probably more napping. I know I did have a lot of family management stuff I was working on so that’s probably what took all my time and energy. That and we took my daughter (Zebra Cake girl) shopping for some back to school clothes. I don’t remember what time we got home but I remember going straight to bed.
Friday – Slept 10 hours, 13 minutes. More family management stuff most of the day. Fitbod workout, 58 minutes. Triceps, shoulders, chest and lower back.
Saturday – Went to bed just before 8 pm the night before, which put my total sleep at 11 hours and 37 minutes. I was so tired. I did wake up around 4 am, read a book for about 10 minutes before going back to sleep. Because why not? This has been the pattern, and I believe it’s why I can “sleep” so many hours and still be tired the next day. It’s not great. I am blaming hormones and perimenopause, and have plans to see my ob/gyn doctor about it, eventually.
I say eventually, because I’ve been super preoccupied with managing my family’s schedules and clerical needs lately. I have one teenager just about to start driving and the other one entering his senior year of high school. And yes, the older is fully capable of doing many things on his own, but he is still living here and still in school and can always use some guidance. That and many things still require parental approval because he’s under 18. I don’t talk about my kids much here mostly because they have become their own people and they don’t need mom blabbing about their lives. They have social media, if they want to blab about their lives they can. But I will say that I am super proud of both of them.
My son is growing and maturing so fast I can’t keep up. Between his sports, friendships, and various jobs, he moves through this house like a hurricane and I barely get a chance to sit down and have chats with him. But when I do, I’m always blown away at who he is becoming and I’m excited to see where he goes in life.
My daughter is almost the polar opposite of her brother. She is an introverted homebody, and we always know where she is. I suspect that may change when she starts driving and working, but I’m enjoying having her around while I can. We have the best conversations, and I love hearing how her mind works. She is confident in who she is and I love that. I wish I had that at her age.
As we look to starting another school year, I’m reflecting on how far we’ve come as a family. We’ve been through so many challenges over the years. What I am proud of is the fact that we fought through all of our challenges as a unit. When one of us was falling, the other three were around to catch them. We work together to support each other, lend a hand, and let each other know we are not alone. Sure, we argue from time to time but overall we know we are loved no matter what. I hope we never lose that.
And that concludes my weekly training/life update. I imagine once the kids are back in school I’ll put more effort into writing more frequently. But still, I make no promises.
“There is no doubt that it is around the family and the home that all the greatest virtues, the most dominating virtues of human, are created, strengthened and maintained.” ― Winston S. Churchill
~ Sunday – Planned rest day. I stuck with this day’s plan and rested, sort of. I went to church and worked in the nursery, but there were only 5 toddlers so between myself and the other helper, it was a pretty laid back morning. When I got home I did spend some time vacuuming, which is not resting obviously, but I can’t help it. I enjoy vacuuming, and clean floors, so I felt better mentally even if it tired me out a little. No worries.
~ Monday – 4 miles. I did not think I was going to be able to get these done! I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning and I failed to get up early enough to run beforehand. However, I was able to run in the evening before it got dark. I happened to have a quick urge to go, and I quickly got dressed to run before the urge left me. I headed out to run the nearby gnarly hills on Huntshire and Holbrook and it worked out great. My calves and glutes were feeling it for sure, so I know I’ll be sore tomorrow. But I did it! And when I got back and saw my average speed of 12:15 minutes per mile I was stunned. I don’t expect to be able to maintain that pace for longer runs, but for a 4 mile run I was surprised. And with hills! So it’s fun to see evidence that I’m actually improving as I continue to train.
~ Tuesday – Rest! I had strength training planned, but pushed it to Wednesday. I was pretty fatigued the last half of this day as I was busy doing stuff with/for the kiddos, so rest was necessary. Also, note this is my “fatigue week” because my infusion is coming up on Friday.
~ Wednesday – Even though I had an appointment in the morning I was still able to knock out a Fitbod workout in the evening: 50 minutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. I’m working the lower body more and am curious to see how it affects my uphill running. I know I did some hard work because for the remainder of the night I was actually having trouble moving my left leg. An unwanted symptom I experience often but it’s usually only after I’ve been sitting for too long, and it always resolves itself quickly. This time it was slightly different in that I could still move the leg, but it felt like it was full of Jell-o, and I was nervous about putting weight on it, for fear it would give out entirely. Thankfully, a good night of rest resolved the issue and I didn’t have any more trouble with it.
~ Thursday – I walked around the block with a friend (first loop with my constipated golden retriever). Roughly 2 miles.
~ Friday – Infusion Day! And man, was I feeling the effects of Wednesday’s Leg Day. I was glad to have a little pampering at the infusion center (recliners, free beverages and snacks). This was another rest day, this time with no vacuuming.
~ Saturday – I saw that it wasn’t going to be terribly hot on this day so I didn’t worry about getting up too early. 7 am alarm was just fine, and I was out the door just before 8. I fully intended to run 9 miles, but about 3 miles in I started thinking I would turn around at 5 miles instead of 4.5, just to see how far the trail goes. And I did! I had some glute pain early on but I stopped, grabbed a signpost for balance and stretched it out and it was fine the remainder of the run. I ran past the signs that said “Trail Ends” and found that it basically just continues on a side street that gets zero traffic on Saturdays. I thought I took a selfie with the sign but got home and realized I had failed (I’m epically bad at taking pictures). So, all you get is a selfie of me turning around at 5 miles, and a pretty picture of the sun rising over the field.
After Wednesday’s Leg Day and Saturday’s 10 mile run, all my muscles are feeling the burn. From my glutes all the way down to my toes. Seriously. But I’m reminding myself that it means I’m getting stronger, and that is always good. I am really excited for fall, and cooler weather. And I’m really looking forward to this race I’m training for. It’s going to be a challenge, and in a completely new area to me. It will be a memorable adventure, I’m sure.
Next week my training looks about the same, but without all the appointments. I’ll just be preoccupied with making sure the kids (teenagers, they are almost adults so “kids” sounds weird now) are ready for school starting the following week. And one of these weeks I might find time to write about something other than running, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?
Week four! We are just moving along, folks. This week was interrupted by a quick family trip to Chicago but it didn’t hurt my fitness in any way because we walked everywhere. And you bet I’m including that walking into my week 4 recap. So here goes:
~ Sunday – 10,869 steps. A good chunk of this was a brisk half mile walk to Wrigley Field and then another half mile to the site of my mother-in-law’s old house, and then the mile back to the apartment we rented. We kind of took the long way, and determined the whole trip was closer to 3 miles. And since it was continuous walking, I counted it as a “base run”. Close enough, right?
~ Monday – 16,661 steps walking around Chicago. Some near Wrigleyville but most was after taking the L downtown. We explored Millenium Park and then took the L back to our rental to rest up before the Cubs game later that night. (The Chicago trip really deserves it’s own post but I don’t know if I’ll get around to it.)
~ Tuesday – 5,059 steps because this was our last day in the city. We did most of our walking around the Chicago History Museum before heading home.
~ Wednesday – 2,425 steps. Did you read the first three days? You can’t blame me, admit it. We were all toast.
~ Thursday – 13,161 steps. This was primarily a 4 mile walk. I’ve been walking on Thursdays with a friend so that’s been nice to have the accountability. Otherwise Thursday would have looked a lot like Wednesday.
~ Friday – 2,416 steps. To be honest, this lack of movement was less about Chicago and more about the 4 mile walk on Thursday. I can’t make sense of it, but my legs just don’t do as well with walking. Running seems to make them the happiest.
This adorable kitty was rambunctious! Loved to get down on the floor and play.
~ Saturday – 2,118 steps. This was supposed to be an 8 mile long run day. I had everything packed up and ready to go the night before, but when my alarm went off at 6 am my body was really making it clear it still needed more rest. So I laid there in bed and thought about it, whether I would regret skipping this week’s long run or not, and decided I would stay in bed. It was a good move, because that extra rest gave me the energy I needed later that day to take my daughter to the cat cafe and hang out with some cute kitties. My husband and son are allergic, so this is our way of getting some feline cuddles in. And coffee too!
Overall it was a good week for training, even if it was quite different than what I had planned. It was no running or strength training, but I did a lot of walking and stayed active, resting when my body required it. One thing to recognize is that all the walking we had to do in Chicago, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do if it weren’t for my regular running. At 46, I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been and it’s an amazing feeling. Sure, I still needed some assistance walking around the city (my husband held my hand the whole time and kept me from falling no less than 3 times) but I was able to do it on my own two feet. No wheelchair required. When I was first diagnosed with M.S., I pictured a future in a wheelchair, and I’m grateful every day that I still don’t require that.
Week 5 is already off to a really strong start and I’m excited to tell you all about it once it’s completed! Stay tuned…
I’m a few days late posting my week 3 training update, but it’s for good reason. We took a family vacation to Chicago to explore and catch a Cubs game. I might post about that later this week. It was super fun and super exhausting.
So, for week 3 I did not do any strength training, but that wasn’t exactly a conscious decision. I had been stepping back from it when I was having shoulder issues (which are almost completely healed now) and it’s hard to get back in the habit. I did all my planned runs, however, so I’m proud of that. Monday I ran 4 regular miles. Wednesday I ran 2.58 miles of hill repeats. There are two streets in my neighborhood that are on decent inclines, so I just ran up those streets, walked down, and kept repeating until I had reached my planned 2.5 miles (I went a bit over because I was running up the hill when I hit my mark).
Then Saturday I ran my long run of 8 miles. It was a beautiful day, and at 7 am it was perfect weather. Sixty degrees with a slight breeze. I ran the same paved trail as the week before, and that was really nice. I don’t know how far this trail goes, so I’m kind of excited to see a little bit more of it each time I add more to my long run.
I am still absolutely loving having the freedom to head out my front door and run down these trails. For this 8 mile run I was able to remember to take it slow and steady. There was a point when my left knee started giving me mild pain, but I just slowed up a bit more and it went away. One of the things I’ve learned through regular long distance running is that it’s not only OKAY to go slow, it’s advisable. Pay attention to your body and it will let you know when you are pushing too hard. My first year of running I had lots of minor injuries to my knees and hips and ended up in physical therapy for it. It was all because I was trying to run too fast on all my training runs. So now I slow down, enjoy the scenery at a slower pace. Or as Martinus Evans calls it, “sexy pace”.
Week 4 is halfway over already due to our trip, but we did so much walking in Chicago I don’t think the hiccup in training is going to make any difference. I’m going to just keep moving forward. I’ll let y’all know how it goes!
Week 2 of my half marathon training! I had a bit of trouble this week dealing with an injured shoulder, but I’m on the mend. I am scheduled to have an ultrasound soon, but in the meantime I’ve been gentle with the arm and have been doing most of the exercises that the doctor recommended. I believe all of that is helping a great deal. I actually woke up this morning not in need of pain medication. The pain level is down to a 2 or 3, which is a phenomenal improvement, and I’m almost embarrassed to be showing up for the ultrasound nearly pain free. Hopefully they are still able to see the root cause of the issue.
But on to the training update! >Monday – 27 minute Fitbod workout, quadriceps and glutes >Tuesday – No workout, I went to the doctor to check out my shoulder >Wednesday – 3 mile run, but no arm pumping lol >Thursday – No workout, infusion day wipes me out >Friday – No workout, I think I was still wiped out from the week, and chose to rest. >Saturday – Ran 7 miles on a trail I pass all the time and have wanted to run but was scared to venture out on my own. I just didn’t know how far it went, or if it was a smooth path away from traffic. After I was assured by both my son and husband that it was safe for me to run, I set out to try it out with this week’s long run and I am so glad I did! The path was smooth, shaded in several spots but not secluded, and beautiful. Yes, there is a street on one side, but it wasn’t terribly busy as far as cars go. The only traffic I really had to watch out for was other runners, walkers, dogs, and bikers. I can’t tell you how exciting it is for me to find safe, barrier-free areas to run on that are near my house. No transportation needed but my two legs. I love it.
I just had to get a shot of my view of the trail because it was so beautiful. This was on my way back so the street is to my left and the trees and fence are on my right. I believe I passed a small lake or pond on the right as well but I don’t know if that’s in this photo.
To recap, I ran a total of 10 miles and did one strength workout. Week three isn’t going to look a whole lot better but my legs and lungs are still holding up to the running so I have no complaints. I’m looking forward to an 8 mile run next Saturday because I’ll get to see a little more of the “new” trail. I may just keep running that trail throughout this training to see how far it goes! Until next time…
I ran a 10k on Saturday that I only half-heartedly trained for, but I had a blast. The weather was threatening thunderstorms all week, so the days leading up to it I wasn’t sure whether to be excited or bummed or nervous. The whole time I waffled between all these emotions I was kicking myself for not securing a guide runner for myself. The race was in my hometown, and 100% on trails I’ve trained on with a friend, so I just didn’t think I would need a guide. But adding rain to the mix would change the game a bit. I can’t see puddles well, or fallen branches. Also, my cochlear implants are not waterproof, and I did not want to have to remove them and run completely deaf.
I reached out to Facebook the day before, for encouragement and advice. My Facebook friends did not disappoint. I made a plan to wear my waterproof rain hat, and bring ziploc baggies to hold my cochlear processors if the hat didn’t keep them dry. With everyone’s encouragement, and the added benefit of having my husband present for the entirety of the race, I felt confident that I could do this.
The morning of the race I had a dream I was running a half marathon, and I was killing it. Seriously kicking ass and having fun. So that was my mindset when my Garmin watch buzzed at 7:30 am. I opened my eyes and said to myself, let’s do this! I looked at the sky and the morning’s weather forecast and was pleased to see that they only expected rain up until 9 or so. No storms! I was pleased at that, for sure, but my stomach was still in knots. I was excited and nervous, as usual. My husband and I got in the truck to head to the race and I just kept focusing on my breathing, hoping to settle my stomach. As we pulled out of our neighborhood Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir came on the radio (one of my favorites) and Mike and I looked at each other with impish smiles. I said, “This is my good luck running song.” In my head I was saying “Let’s f**king go. You’ve got this.”
As predicted, it did rain for the first couple miles of the race but then it cleared up for the remainder. There are lots of wooden bridges on our local trails, and they can get pretty slick when they are wet, so I did a lot of walking on the bridges. I normally run with intermittent 30 second walk breaks, Jeff Galloway style (if you know, you know), and my Garmin watch alerts me with vibrations when it’s time to run or walk. The problem is that I didn’t verify my watch was on the correct setting before starting the race, and about a half mile into the race I realized I wasn’t getting my alerts. It was still on the walk setting. I was feeling pretty strong with the running though, and knew I would have to do all the walking over the bridges, so I decided to go with it. I would just run the whole thing, with the exception of walking on the bridges.
My last-minute strategy worked out wonderfully and I felt strong the whole race. My left leg was of course threatening to drag towards the end, but not in the way it has in the past. Certainly not as bad as the last 10k, where for the last mile I needed to maintain a constant clutch on my guide runner’s arm to keep from falling. That was the Rivertown 10k in April, and I forgot to post about it, but it was a really fun race. In spite of the leg trouble at the end. Shout out to my guide and friend Mandy for making that race way more awesome than it should have been.
I finished this race with both hands held high and a smile on my face. I searched the crowd for Mike but I couldn’t find him so I just walked unsteadily toward a clearing, and then kept walking sort of in circles to keep from falling. I was unsteady, for sure, but I was able to stay upright this time, without any assistance. I may be getting stronger, folks! As I completed a circle and was facing the finish line, I saw Mike walking towards me. He had been on the other side, so I had a 50/50 chance of seeing him, I guess. We hugged, and then walked over to the pavilion to get a banana and granola bar. A race employee came over and asked me how it went, and I blabbed that I think this was my new favorite race. And even now, I think that’s true. I know I can run those trails for free, but it’s a whole different experience when you are surrounded by other runners, you are cheering each other on, and you get a pretty sweet medal at the end.
And of course, a free banana.
Riding home post race with my medal and my favorite chauffeur, my husband Mike.
You guys. I’m so sad. I’ve been working on crocheting a tote bag a saw months ago on the Lion Brand Yarn website. The pattern said it was easy, but at several points throughout the pattern I was very unsure if I was doing it correctly. I finished the bag portion, all but the straps, and I knew it was wrong. I carefully compared it to the photo and it’s obvious to me that the straps were going on the wrong side. If I were to go ahead with the straps we would end up with a very strange looking tote bag. One that would not fit flat against your body the way it should. So I made the painful decision to frog it. Frogging, that means I ripped out all the stitches. Rip it, rip it, get it? Sounds kind of like a frog. I didn’t make that up. It’s a thing, I promise. Just look it up. It’s a great way for us crocheters and knitters to make light of having to completely undo our hard work and start over.
This is what the bag is supposed to look like.
And this is what I had to frog. The handles were going on the wrong sides!
So today I’ll be starting fresh with the tote bag, and hopefully this time the pattern will make more sense to me, having gone through it once already. That first run was just for practice, I guess! I suppose it’s fine, because I wasn’t really happy with how the base of the bag turned out anyway. It was kind of lumpy and uneven. I find that with crochet patterns it’s difficult for me to visualize how the pattern fits into the finished product, so having gone through it once already should help. This second try I’ll try to relax a bit and not rush through it. Wish me luck!
A few months ago I signed up for a new-to-me 10k. The entire race event is set up to raise funds and awareness for pulmonary hypertension (PH) and multiple sclerosis (MS), and it offered multiple distance options. The name of the 10k distance was “Melinda’s 10k”, which is my full name so you know I just HAD to sign up. I did not look at the course map, and I had no friends who were running it but I wasn’t worried about it. I would wear my DeafBlind vest and be extra careful, and it would be fine. I signed up, and then forgot all about it.
A month ago I received a message from United in Stride, which is an online database that helps pair blind runners with guides. The company was founded in 2015, so it hasn’t been around for long, but I do believe it’s growing. I signed up with them several years ago, when I realized I was getting serious about running, but at that time there weren’t any guide runners in my area so I just forgot about it. Then comes this message from Allison, who wants to know if I need a guide runner for any upcoming races. At first I told her no, because I had forgotten about Melinda’s 10k, but then immediately came back and said yes, actually I do have a race I need a guide for. She was immediately on board! Not only that, she was eager to run a couple training runs with me, which was a great way for us to get to know each other ahead of the race, and for us to practice running side by side.
Me & Allison before the race. Lots of sun! All smiles.
We ran this race together, and it was a good thing I had her with me. For several reasons, much of the course we were the only ones in sight (or at least in my sight): it was a small-town race, not a lot of 10k participants, not a lot of spectators, and I’m pretty slow so I hang at the back of the “pack”. There were several spots in the course where I could have easily made a wrong turn and gotten lost. I was super grateful to have her with me. I had been hoping to beat my previous 10k PR (personal record) from 2020, but that wasn’t meant to be. Not only was it really warm this day, but my fatigue this past month was pretty gnarly and prevented me from doing the amount of training I needed. I was happy to finish though, and I wasn’t too far off my goal, so I’ve got something to work towards for the next one.
Me & Allison after the race, holding up our medals. Still smiling!
The best part about this for me, what I’m really excited about, is that it opens up more options for racing. Up until now I’ve only ever entertained the idea of running races local to me, where I could easily get a ride from my family or friends, and not have to worry about inconveniencing them. The couple I have done outside of our area, my family and friends graciously took me to because they knew they were important to me, but I’ve run out of those bucket list type races. Now I just want to keep racing for the fun of it. It’s hard to ask someone to bring you to an out-of-town race when there’s nothing in it for them but standing around waiting for you to drag your sweaty ass over the finish line (thank you a million times over to my dear husband who does this without complaint, and is always more than willing to hug me and hold me up at the end, despite my level of stink).
So. All that to say, I am stoked to have yet another running buddy. Allison and I have been talking about what other races we could run together, and I love her enthusiasm. I’m old enough to be her mom, which took some getting used to at first, but I think her energy helps to motivate me so it’s a great thing. She made us matching bracelets that say “Unstoppable”, and I’m looking forward to wearing mine at all our future races.
The finisher’s medal and the bead bracelet Allison made for me.
As I was writing this it occurred to me that I don’t think I ever posted about my race from last month, so I’ll get that one started for you too. It will be another great opportunity to talk about my invaluable guide runners. I couldn’t do this crazy stuff without them!
Deaf and half-blind runner with multiple sclerosis
Little M.S. Runner 