The Flaw in the Plan

Well, I've found the flaw in my training plan. My kids have swimming lessons on Friday afternoon. The younger three are together in a beginner class with 10 students and 1 teacher. It wasn't going to work, so I volunteered to assist. After 30 minutes, I'm exhausted. And of course, swimming is between my short-long run Friday mornings and my long-long run Saturday mornings. I was so tired this morning, I forgot to turn around and ended up doing an extra quarter mile! Oh, well, on race weekend when I *don't* have to swim between runs, I'll be that much more prepared, right?

Now for some good news: I haven't had any discomfort in my foot during my last three long runs! I think it's finally healed. Just in time, too, because I'm heading into high mileage. I did 7 miles yesterday and 14 today. Only 8 weeks until race day(s)! And now I think it's time for a nap.

Lighting a Candle

*Note: I intended to post this on October 15 for Pregnancy and Infant Loss Rememberance Day. Better late than never, right?

Last night I heard a friend is pregnant. My first thought was to wish her a long and boring pregnancy, but I wasn't sure she'd get what I meant. Another friend is in her 41st week. She might consider my blessing more of a curse at this point. :) But anyone who has known the heartbreak of a non-boring pregnancy that ended too soon can relate. Being 41+3 weeks pregnant and miserable sounds pretty good to me!

Speaking in general terms, it seems our society doesn't handle death very well. We expect the bereaved to keep a stiff upper lip, put on a brave face, and get on with their lives. We definitely don't want to be reminded of our own mortality or be made uncomfortable in any way. This is bad enough when someone has lost an adult friend or family member, but it's even worse when a child dies. Children aren't supposed to die.

As for losing a child before birth, well, for too long that just wasn't talked about. Things have started to change, but pregnancy loss is still taboo for a lot of people.

I want to tread carefully here. Some women (like me) choose to be very open about their pregnancy losses and grief. Others choose to grieve privately. Still others don't feel much grief at all, especially if the loss was very early. All of these responses are okay. There is no one right way to grieve, and I would never presume to tell a woman how to feel. I expect the same consideration. I fear there are many women who suffer in silence not because that's how they prefer to grieve but because it's what is expected of them.

On October 15, I lit two candles for my angels, Grace and Ian. I wish peace to all mothers (and fathers, too) who are missing babies.

Running in the Rain

Today was a perfect running day. All of my best runs, training or race day, have come in rainy weather with just a bit of wind and temperatures in the 40s and 50s. As I headed out this morning, it had been sprinkling off an on. It started raining around mile 2 and kept getting heavier and heavier until around mile 6 it was a torrential downpour! I loved it, couldn't stop smiling and laughing. Yeah, I know I'm goofy. I have to be, right, to be training for the Goofy Challenge?

This weekend was my second of back to back long runs. Last week, I did 3 miles on Friday and 6 on Saturday. Yesterday I did 4 with another 8 today. Next week I plan to do 5 on Friday and 10 on Saturday, followed by a "cut back" rest week.

Nine Years

Nine years ago today, the course of my life changed forever. I went to the OB's office that afternoon to follow up on what we thought was an allergy attack. Instead I was diagnosed with preeclampsia. He wouldn't even let me drive myself to the hospital, asking a nurse to take me instead. Once there, we found I had cerebral edema (brain swelling) and was at very high risk for seizure or stroke. I was also in heart failure and struggling to get oxygen even with a mask on. My liver was heading toward failure, my kidneys were struggling, and my blood cell counts were dropping quickly. Long story short, I would die unless my baby was born in the next 48 hours.

My baby and I both survived, for which I praise God. She will be nine on Friday, and has grown into such a lovely young lady. As for me, I have become active with the Preeclampsia Foundation, raising awareness so others can get the care they need and raising money for research into better detection, treatment, and maybe even prevention/cure. If you had told me 10 years ago that pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding would be my passion I'd have thought you were crazy. But here I am, all thanks to that moment nine years ago.

It's Been a While

A lot has happened in the 7 weeks since my marathon, and blogging has temporarily fallen by the wayside. The biggest thing is that I had surgery 2 weeks ago. This happened rather suddenly (went from no symptoms to debilitating pain in 5 weeks) and has set me back in a lot of ways, but I'm heading in the right direction again. The surgery was unrelated to my foot injury, by the way, but a silver lining is that I've been mostly off my foot for a while and has improved a lot. I still get a twinge or two when I run, but no outright pain.

I started back with light training this week, walking 2 miles on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday. I'm planning another 3 tomorrow and, if all goes well, 5 or 6 Saturday. I think I can keep ahead of the Disney Goofy cutoff time (16min/mile pace) even if I just walk, or with just a little running built in. I've already paid the money, so I'll do whatever I need to do to get those medals!

I hope to be more active again on the ol' blog. I've got a couple posts mostly written, just need to touch them up a bit. To look for this month: another bra review, thoughts on Pregnancy and Infant Loss Rememberance Month, and issues of informed consent.

Volunteer Profile: Marathon Runner

Volunteer Profile: Marathon Runner

How cool is this? I'm the featured volunteer in the September newsletter for the Preeclampsia Foundation!

Leading Ladies Race Report

So this is a rather sad race report because it ends with a DNF (did not finish). As you know, I injured my foot a few weeks before race day. My doctor had cleared me to run, and I spent a frantic few days trying to get my leg loosened up after 11 days on crutches.

My mom and I left early Friday morning for the 15 hour drive to Spearfish, SD. We spent Saturday walking around Mt Rushmore and picking up my packet at the Expo. I got a $500 gift card in my goody bag! I must have gotten the lucky bag, because that's a lot of money to give 700 participants. I also got to meet Yolanda Holder, who has the Guiness World Record for most marathons run by a woman in one calendar year (106). She's in the process of breaking her own record, and Leading Ladies was number 67 for the year. I got an autographed copy of her book. Really cool!

I got up around 3:30 Sunday morning and headed to the bus that would take me to the start line. It was about 55 degrees outside, not bad running weather. And then we drove 3000 feet up the mountain, where it was 42. Brr! I like running in the cold, but as the sun came up the temperature in the canyon quickly warmed up to almost 80. The wide range of temperatures was pretty difficult on top of everything else.

I started off slow but picked up the pace as my muscles loosened up. Things seemed to be going well, except for one problem. I had pain with every. single. step. It wasn't what I would call a "damage" pain, but it was uncomfortable. Despite that, I was still doing really well, finishing the first half in an even 3 hours.

I really enjoyed the beautiful course. There was a mountain stream next to the road for the first half, and you could hear it bubbling. There was a fresh pine scent in the air, and you could see the sunshine move its way down to the bottom of the canyon. This song kept running through my head as I ran.


Horrible pic, I was crying

While very beautiful, the course was absolutely brutal for someone with an injured foot. Because it's so small, and because it's run on a scenic tourist drive, they did not close down the road for this race. We had to run on the far left side of the road. If you've ever run on a highway, especially on a banked curve, you know it angles down at the sides. My bad foot was turned at an angle the whole way, putting the most pressure on the worst possible spot. I tried to move toward the center of the road where it's flatter when I could, but a car would always come along right as I got into a rhythm. I also tried running in the grass next to the road, and that was my undoing. Just after the 21 mile marker, I stepped on a clod of dirt directly under the spot where it hurts. I had immediate sharp pain that continued for the rest of the race. I had to walk another two miles to get to the next aid station, where I asked the ambulance for a ride to the finish.

It was so disappointing not to finish. However, 23 miles in 5:30ish on a bad foot is pretty awesome! As they say in Boston, I am wicked hard core. Thinking of my PE Sisters really helped me push through as far as I did. The race director still made sure I got a medal and a rose.

Mom and I headed back to the hotel for a quick shower, then had a 15 hour drive home so Mom could get to work Monday. I'm mostly recovered. My foot still aches, but hopefully is heading in the right direction. I'm taking a few weeks off before I start training for my next race, and I'll do that very carefully.

The most important thing is that I raised $4000 for the Preeclampsia Foundation. Thanks to all who donated and who prayed for and encouraged me during my training.

One more item of business. Since I did not have a finish time, I put the names of everyone who had submitted a guess into a hat, and Smartie pulled out Melodee! Mel, I'll make sure to give you your gift card on Friday when I see you.