From Awe-some to OW-some

Monday, June 10, 2013

Hatfield-McCoy Marathon, 2013. I was supposed to run a full marathon on June 8th. I'd been having trouble with my right knee, but I figured it would be okay.

The trip to the mountains was great. I am a mountain-lover, and I'm a fog-tourist. I take pictures of fog. Weird, I know, but it feels safe and homey to me.

Saturday morning was a beautiful day for 26.2 miles. Really. It was in the mid-60s, fog hanging in the mountains, lots of good energy in the air. I started out with Suezette and a few other people. We stayed together for about 8 miles.


We were having fun, laughing, taking pictures. The scenery was amazing!!




I've run the race before, so I knew what to expect at Blackberry Mountain. Yes, up and over. The up part wasn't bad. I knew the down part would hurt. The other ladies went on down the hill at a good pace. I told them I would hang back, go slowly, catch up. My knee wasn't going to do the downhill, not at all.

Almost to the bottom of the hill. Pop. Yes, that was my knee. Mile 8. OW!! It felt broken. I slowed way, way down. I could still see the other ladies up ahead of me, and when they stopped at the port-a-potty, I caught up to them. They went on afterward, and I hobbled along. I was getting slower and slower.

I was determined to make it to the half marathon finish line. I know it wasn't the full, but I was going to cross a finish line one way or the other. 13.1 miles is nothing to sneeze at, especially with what felt like a broken leg.

Everyone kept asking me if I needed a ride. I said no. I was going to take pictures along the way, and at least enjoy the scenery.



The ambulance people saw me at mile 12. They asked me if I needed a ride. I said no. The half marathon finish line was only a mile away. I was going to get there with my own two feet.

They followed me. Really. An ambulance followed me all the way to the finish line.

I finally crossed the Half finish line in 3:28:36. How slow is that???? Oh well. I finished, I got my medal and my mason jar (hillbilly themed race), and I got in the ambulance and had them drive me to my husband. He was waiting for me at the full marathon finish line.

We went to the ER, and I discovered my tibial plateau was broken. Ugghhh. After an ortho consult, they gave me a gigantic robo-brace, some crutches, and told me the ortho clinic would call me with an appointment.

The thing is, the injury wasn't due to running. It was due to osteoporosis. I am NOT happy with that, but what can I do?? I suppose I'll have to ask the doc when I see him in his office.

For now I'm rockin' the robo-brace look.

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Never too young to start

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Today was a beautiful day for a race. The 5K along the Ohio River flood wall seemed like the thing to do. The 5K was part of a multi-sport racing event, consisting of a Triathlon, a Duathlon, a Sprint Tri, and a 5K.

My daughter and two of her children decided to run the race, too. Marshall is 7, and it was his first 5K. Melanie is 9. She has run several 5Ks. We told the kids we were racing, and they would have to run on their own. They were good with that. They would just follow the crowd.



We got down to the river about 45 minutes before the 5K started. We got our chips and went to the river to watch the swim. What an amazing swim they had! The swimmers jumped off the barge and swam with the current down the Ohio River. We cheered when they came out of the water.



Soon, though, it was time to line up for the 5K. The air horn sounded. Marshall took off in front. Melanie was close behind him. Within a quarter mile or so, Melanie had dropped back. Marshall was about 5 seconds in front of me. Brandy was behind me, and Melanie was behind her. We kept that placement through about 1.25 miles. Then came the stairs to the flood wall. They were tough stairs!! They were very steep. We got to the top of the wall. I’m not sure what I expected. For some reason, I didn’t expect grass. Not at all. If I’d known there was going to be that much grass, I would have run in cheap shoes and removed them on the wall.

I like cross country events, but they make me nervous. The grass was wet with dew, and it was slick. The ground had quite a few mole holes. It was very uneven. It wasn’t very wide, and it seemed if we went down for any reason, we’d have quite a slide to the bottom. It also included a slick downhill portion (they had a rope to grab) and a run behind the wall, and then back up a slick hill to the top of the wall again. I slowed my pace by almost 2 min/mile. Ever since my shoulder replacement in 2000 (3 of them in the same shoulder), I am extremely guarded with my shoulder. I did not want to fall down.

Marshall’s lead got bigger. Brandy passed me, and she caught up with Marshall. Melanie fell further behind. We didn’t see her anymore. I kept Marshall and Brandy in my sights. They finished about 30 seconds ahead of me. Marshall’s first official 5K results: 28:26. I came in at 28:56. That is the slowest 5K I’ve run in forever! I’m good with it.

Brandy came in one second behind Marshall. Then she doubled back to find Melanie. That poor kid. If you look up "perseverance" in the dictionary, you will see Melanie's picture. When Brandy found her, she was crying, and she was bloody. She’d had a nosebleed when she climbed the stairs to the wall. She was by herself when her nose started bleeding. She said, "I looked around and all I saw were strangers." Even though she was bloody and crying, she continued because, really, where else was there to go? She was on a flood wall! She slowed to a walk, and then everything seemed to hurt her. It took her 41 minutes, but she did it -- with blood on her race bib!!

Both the kids took 2nd in their age groups, and Brandy and I each took first in ours. And the best part was, Marshall was waiting at the end for his big sister, and he high fived her and told her she was awesome!! The award was quite a confidence booster for Melanie. I'm so glad she got an award!





Today was such a good day. I’m so proud of these kids!! They both put out a hard effort, and they both did so well!!

Every day should be as good as today.

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We will not run with fear. Not ever

Monday, April 15, 2013

We are runners. We are a family. It doesn't matter if you run fast or slow, 1 mile or 100. We share a bond. Someone shook our family today, but we will not live in fear. We will love and support our runners and their families and friends.

We will not run with fear. Not ever.
Tonight our run was dedicated to Boston. 4/15/2013.

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"I went to the doctor. I went to the mountains..."

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

A beautiful post from my friend, Bob, with whom I shared 6 wonderful miles Sunday as he ran through my neck of the woods. A must read for anyone who struggles with life, with illness, with motivation. He was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer a few years ago. Of the 5 people who were diagnosed with the same cancer on the same day, he is the only one who remains. His struggles and his triumphs bring hope to others. I am so glad I met him.

pennsyrunning.blogspot.com/2013/04/6
23-running-long-falling-short.html?m=1

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Shamrock Shuffle 2013

Sunday, March 17, 2013

I love green. I'm a huge, huge fan. Green is the best color ever. Ever since I was a kid, green has been the color of most of my clothes. I love green everything! Growing up in Germany, there was even a German song I sang as a small child about wearing green clothes.

Grün, grün, grün sind alle meine Kleider,
Grün, grün, grün ist alles, was ich hab.
Darum lieb ich alles was so grün ist,
Weil mein Schatz ein Jäger, Jäger ist.

It translates to:
Green, green, green are all my clothes
Green, green, green is all that I have
So I love anything that's green
because my love is a hunter, a hunter.

Never was too sure what being a hunter had to do with loving green, but that's the way the song went. Haha.

So, my love of green, and some Irish heritage on my mama's side, is naturally going to translate into fun at St. Patrick's Day.

Every year I start my racing season with a green race -- the Shamrock Shuffle 3K. It's a short, fast race. It lets me know how well my 5K racing season is going to go. And, of course, I love the fun, green aspect. Where else can you run as fast as you possibly can, and wear green, ridiculous clothing?? The best of both worlds!!

This year I went so far as to make a tutu for the race. I figure you're never too old for a tutu, especially a green one. Next year I think I'm going to bling it up a little more, though. Gold sequins will look great!



The anticipation of the day race kept growing -- all week long. By the time Saturday morning came along, I was like a horse getting ready to come out of the gate. So much pent up energy! My daughter, Brandy, and I got up early and were on the road to Lexington by 5:45am. We parked, goofed around a bit in our green tutus, and then headed toward the start line. The greenness of everyone around just energized it even more!! Even the fountain was green!!



The race photographers kept taking our picture.



We lined up. The bagpipe lady played a few songs, and then it was time. We were running!!

A 3K race is so short, you have to start out fast as you can and try to hold on. By the time you feel like you're going to puke from effort, it's done. We both lost our headbands during the race. I've never been able to keep one on my head during that race. They always fly off.

I crossed the finish line 20 seconds slower than last year. I'm good with that. I've had a hip flexor injury, and I've only been running again for about a month. Brandy cut a full 3 minutes off her last year's time. So we were both super greenly awesome!! The power of the green!! AND... I even took 3rd place in my age group (3/84).

While we were standing around waiting for awards, who should come up? My awesome sparkfriend, Joy!! She was in town for her granddaughter's dance competition. With the bazillion or so people in town, I'm surprised she found me!



We chatted for a few minutes, then she had to get back to her granddaughter.

The power of the green cannot be overstated. St. Patrick's Day is a holiday about fun. No presents to buy, no house to clean, no pressure to do what everyone else wants you to do. It's just about fun. And that's exactly what we did yesterday. We got green and had fun.

And since today is actually St Patrick's Day, I'm going to wear some green and do nothing but relax around my house.

Enjoy the day... Chase your pot of gold

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