Goofy Race Weekend, Contest

My Christmas Present: Race Shirt

It's finally here! I'm dropping the kids off at Grandma's today, and Papa Runner and I head to Disney tomorrow. I feel ready, but I'm the tiniest bit nervous about the course time limit.

I've run at Disney before. They do a wave start, and then the Sweeper Team starts a few minutes after the last wave. The time limit (3:30 for the half and 7:00 for the full) begins when the sweepers cross the start. As long as you are ahead of the sweepers, you will get your medal and official finish time even if you go over according to chip time. So someone who starts in an early group who, say, sprains an ankle and limps in with a 4-hour half will still get a medal. I've also heard that once you get past the final checkpoint (it's around 10.5 miles in the half, not sure for the full), you'll be allowed to finish even if the sweepers pass you.

Here's the potential problem. First, I'm starting in the last wave, so I have very little cushion between me and the sweepers. Second, I have to be under the course time limit according to chip time in both races in order to get my Goofy medal. If I finish in, say, 3:35 and/or 7:05, I'll still get my Donald and Mickey, but not the Goofy. I've been training for a 3:15/6:30 finish, but that doesn't give me much of a window if I struggle, especially for the half. Plus, the key to this race is energy management. I can't go out too fast day one and expect to have enough energy day two. I have to be in that 3:15-3:30 window in the half in order to have hope of 6:30-7:00 in the full and my medal trifecta. MUST! FOLLOW! the PLAN! I WILL do it, and it'll be AWESOME! (but prayers and positive thoughts are appreciated.)

And with that, it's time for another Guess My Finish Time contest. Once again, Price is Right Rules, closest to my official chip time without going over. (My sisters had quite the rivalry with my Little Rock race, one was over by just a few seconds and technically closer, the other won.) You are always so encouraging, telling me I'll be much under my stated goal, but this time I really do have to be between 3:15-3:30 and 6:30-7:00. So don't underbid too much.

Just leave a comment with your guesses for the Half and the Full. The two winners (one for each race) will receive a $5 gift card from Cold Stone Creamery. Not the healthiest, but hey, I'll be there anyway celebrating my accomplishment (positive thinking! See the crown; be the crown!) so it'll be easy to pick up the cards. Guesses must be submitted by start time the day of the races, so 5:30EST Saturday for the half and 5:30EST Sunday for the full.

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!