First 10K done!

I did it!  I finished my first 10K race.  And pardon the bragging, but I did pretty darn well. This post is long, I apologize.

I spent the night with my parents the night before so they could drop me off and pick me up.  After my ninja obstacle race, I learned to not drive myself to/from a race.  I get very exhausted and emotional, and it's hard to drive home after all that.  My parents were super sweet and made an amazing dinner the night before.  Side note - it was their 38th wedding anniversary!!  Mom made delicious vegetables and Dad grilled delicious steak.  Steak.....

When mom said we were having a steak, I had a moment of hesitation.  My inner voice said, "hmmm, is it a good idea to eat steak the night before a race?"  But I was a guest, and it looked DELICIOUS, so I couldn't resist.  I ate less than I normally would.  But, I think I should've listened to that inner voice about the steak.......

I got my stuff together, filled my Camelbak, attached the bib to my shirt, and went to bed around 11pm (early for me).  I got up at 5:30 to take a nice hot shower and eat some breakfast.  I had a few tiny pieces of of rotisserie chicken, a Kind bar, and some coffee.  Not great probably, but it's most similar to what I would normally eat.

My race started at 7:15.  My dad drove me to North Hills and dropped me off at the start line at about 6:30.  There was hardly anyone around, barely any roads were blocked, and it was still dark.  I almost wondered if I had the wrong day!  But it's a small race I guess - the final numbers on the website were just under 1,000 total racers.  I looked around at all the unfamiliar faces and felt alone.  Why didn't I ask anyone to race with me?  Why didn't I ask anyone to come be a spectator?  I was by myself, which is what I wanted.  But apparently it's not what I wanted at all.

I walked around the Lassiter shopping center and looked at all the "new" places that were there.  I worked at Pharaoh's in that shopping center in the early 2000s, and my how it's changed since then.  I don't get over there much.  I stretched, walked, and jogged around in circles.  We eventually lined up to start - the half marathoners and 10K racers started at the same time.  The pacers had signs with goal times for the half, so I wasn't sure where to line up.  A half is a little over twice a 10K... so my time would be half-ish of what they are showing... maybe?  Sort of.  Wait...  Blah, math is hard at 7am.  I picked the middle of the pack and waited.

As the start time got closer, people crowded in, and the energy level rose.  I thought about Andrea, about my race ahead, and choked back tears.  Why do I get so emotional at races???  They played a recording of what sounded like Whitney Houston singing the national anthem... then started "Eye of the Tiger."  More tears.  I thought about how the houses right there must have some pretty irritated people inside them.  I thought about the hill at the end of the race.  I thought about how alone I felt, how I knew nobody there.  I thought about the people around me who looked like seasoned runners compared to me.  I thought more about Andrea.  I looked at my arm where I had written "Be brave."  They counted down the start clock and blew the airhorn.  Off we went!

I trotted my way over the start line and focused heavily on the people around me.  Who's going faster?  Who's going slower?  How far to the right should I be?  People were passing me on both sides, so I stayed sorta to the right, but not all the way over.  I don't remember passing a single person - they were all passing me.  I must've done my pacer time math wrong.

I jogged along and felt like I was going a pretty average pace for me - not too fast, not too slow.  There was a girl with a braid who had her music playing out loud on a speaker.  Annoying.  Who does that?  Cheesy pop music, too.  And of course, she ended up being my pace buddy for the first few miles.

On my normal runs, I usually run for a few minutes until I feel whiny, and then I walk for a minute or two, then start running when I don't feel whiny anymore.  I didn't feel whiny, so I just kept jogging.  I saw the mile 1 marker... then the mile 2 marker... oops, I really should probably stop and walk some.  My tracker app shows my first mile being 9:54 and my second mile at 9:43.  Wow!  That's awesome for me.

And then, the stomach cramps began.  I thought I might be facing a potential bad case of "runner's stomach" and was glad I had on black shorts.  But it was ok.  It was painful, but I focused on other things and did my best to ignore the cramping.  I sometimes would stop to walk and would whine quietly to myself about the cramping, and then I'd tell myself, "Let's just get this thing done," and I'd start running again.  Ugh ugh ugh.  It was rather unpleasant.

The miles sorta blur together to be honest.  I listened to the sound of people's feet hitting the pavement, occasional chatter, people's breathing patterns as they passed me... ("Wow they are breathing fast, how do they keep running like that?")... I tried to pay attention to the houses I passed, small cracks and bumps in the road, trees and the creek on the greenway... anything to distract me from the fact that I was running ;)

Somewhere between mile 2 and mile 3, I realized that I was on the same greenway that I had run with Andrea during my leg of the City of Oaks marathon relay.  How cool!

Near the McDonald's near Blue Ridge & Glenwood, there was a VERY cool drumming group - they had big awesome drums, and they were playing the heck out of them.  I LOVED it!  So freaking cool!

My app says mile 3 time was 10:21.

There were two water stations throughout the race, and there weren't many spectators along the way.  It was a pretty low key, laid back race.  Which was cool, but I think I could've used some more external stimulation and encouragement.  The turn-around point was a young lady with 3 little cones in the middle of the pathway and a sign.  The whiny part of me wanted more fanfare about being halfway done.  I smiled, waved, thanked her, ran around the 3 little cones, and headed on.

I got to pass the drummers again - yay! But according to my run tracking app, mile 4 was more of a struggle - 11:34.

The number of racers around me was pretty thin the last couple of miles, and I was tired.  I'd only done the full distance once before.  I told myself, "You will be done in like 24 minutes. You got this" and "It's not actually BAD, it's just hard." I was definitely walking more by this point.

Mile 5 - 10:55

The last mile-ish was mostly uphill.  Ouch.  This is my edited version of the elevation chart - it was originally for the half marathon - I estimated and pulled out the middle section that didn't apply to the 10K.

Cramping stomach, tired body, tired mind... Be brave... Just get it done... one more mile... ugh ugh ugh... &^%$#@... I passed a guy who was struggling, too - he said, "These hills are KILLING ME."  I half-ass chuckled and said, "Yeah, this is kinda brutal." At the top of that hill, there was a flat section with a couple of spectators cheering.  A woman said, "Good job guys!  It's all downhill from here!"  I looked at her with what I imagine was a look of skepticism, desperation, and mild hope and said, "Are you sure??"  She looked at me with a big smile and said, "YES!  I would not lie to you!  It's all downhill!"  I thanked her, and once I'd passed her, I cried.  I found it hard to breathe as I choked back the tears.  Geez, what's up with the tears anyway??  The end was near, and it was downhill.  HOLY SHIT, THANK JEEBUS.  And she was right.

Mile 6 - 11:58 (ugh)

My stomach cramped, my hips ached, and I couldn't wait to finish.  I trotted along and could see the last turn.  People cheering.  Not many, but a few.  I could hear the music and the announcer cheering people by name as they crossed the finish line.  I composed myself, wiped under my eyes, straightened my shirt (gotta look decent for the photos!), and made that last turn to the finish line.  I ran strong those last few feet and lifted my arms in victory.  Maybe the guy said my name, I don't even know.  A smiling man handed me a cold water bottle.  I was FINISHED.

I walked up a hill where nobody was, and I bawled.  I thought about Andrea, I thought about my cramping stomach, I looked at the grass under my feet.

After my much needed port-a-potty stop, I saw the long line for what I thought was a barbecue buffet and decided to go for the Tito's vodka tent instead.  I had a bloody mary the size of a shot glass and got my two free Mich Ultras that I stuffed in my bag to give to my parents.  My stomach was still cramping, and I had no appetite.  But then I noticed that the food tent had a Sassool sign - OMG!  They had free Sassool food!  Sassool is owned by the same family who owns Neomonde - both are wonderful local Mediterranean restaurants that are very gluten-free friendly.  So hell yeah I went and stood in line.  I stuffed a box full of chicken, sweet potato salad, bean stuff, and hummus.  I looked forward to being hungry enough to eat it.

I walked around, but there wasn't much to see.  I went to Total Wine, bought some cider, and called my dad to come pick me up.

For hours, I was in agony with my stomach.  Mom gave me some stomach medicine, but it didn't help.  I took an epsom salt bath, drank water, and was super lazy and whiny.  I eventually took some Advil, and my stomach got better.  YES!  I was able to socialize, help Mom do some things, and I went with my parents to pick up Mom's friend from the airport - she is visiting from Egypt for a couple weeks.  It was good to see her.

I finally got hungry and ate some of my delicious Sassool from the race.  SO GOOD!!  But, within half an hour, the stomach cramps were back.  I took Advil, but no dice.  I laid in the floor and fell asleep with my face on the rough wool rug until I was jarred awake by my mom calling her cats.  I was miserable and grumpy, and decided I needed to go home immediately.  I gathered my things, made apologies, and ran out of there.  I got home and went straight to bed.  I slept off an on for 14 hours.  I woke up with a mild ache in my stomach, but no cramping.  WHEW!!  I was starting to think I had done some permanent damage to the structure of my intestines or something.  Haha.  I read online that fatty, high protein meals before a race can contribute to stomach problems.  So, that steak the night before... doh!

Over all, the race was good.  It was hard, and I was miserable with my stomach, but I did it and in good time.  GO ME.  *shamelessly pats self on back*

Notes to self for next time:
- Don't eat steak the night before.
- Try to do a race with someone else and/or ask people to come spectate.
- Maybe do a bigger race with my hoopla.
- Don't try to be functional after a race, and don't eat large amounts of food afterwards, even if it's delicious.  Just go home and rest.

Wait... did I just say "next time?"  SIGH.  I can already hear Andrea giggling.

:)

Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who helped me to raise almost $700 for ALS research, and to everyone who has supported me on my journey.  I will close out with a series of photos from the last 3 years of Team Drea.  Selfishly, I really am proud of the progress I've made on my health.  And I am proud to support such an amazing woman and to raise money for research to find a cure for the awful disease she is fighting.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, all of you.  And most of all, thank you Andrea Peet for being such a bad ass, beautiful inside and out, wonderful, inspiring person.  Much love to you, woman!!

Team Drea 2017

So, I said I was done running. However, when I quit running a little over a year ago, I started feeling less great on a daily basis. I tried things to fix it, but that level of cardio seems to do something that nothing else can. My personal trainer caught me on a good day and talked me into doing running/walking intervals. It's a lot less horrible! Then came time for me to figure out a new challenge for Team Drea this year - to push myself and raise money for ALS research for Andrea. Last year was a year of reflection for me, so I hiked 179 miles over the course of the year and donated the money myself, which was awesome, but it's time to step it up. So here I am, that girl who said she quit running, committing to doing the Race13.1 Raleigh 10K this fall (10/7/2017). And I will be bugging people for donations again :) because each of us is lucky to be alive and have the health and abilities that we have, even if it's less than what others have.

I apologize for my bluntness here, but this is what Andrea is facing. She has a disease that sounds like a person's worst nightmare. Being totally mentally aware and watching your body slowly stop working, piece by piece, to the point where you can't walk, talk, use ANY of your muscles, and eventually swallow or breathe. I saw a video that rocked me to my core - a man with ALS who could communicate only with his eyes. So, when his lungs or breathing tube get clogged, and his muscles no longer allow him to even cough to clear his own lungs, he triggers an audible alarm that alerts someone to walk over to him and suck the fluid out. The thought of sitting there, choking, unable to do anything about it, waiting for someone to come help... that is purely horrifying to me. And this is only ONE specific scenario in this man's (and his caregivers') daily life. I challenge you to stop and think about this once in a while. Inhale and exhale, and appreciate how easy that is. When your coffee goes down the wrong pipe and you cough it up, appreciate that ability. Walk through the grass, or even across the room, and feel your leg muscles move with ease, and appreciate those neurons and muscles that allow you to do that. Reach down and scratch your leg... reach over and pick up a glass of water, drink it and swallow it... reach out and touch someone you care about, and appreciate that moment. Say hello or thank you to someone, and feel how easily your vocal cords respond and how easily your mouth and tongue move to enunciate. Every little movement is a gift.

This disease is horrible and often affects people who are far healthier and more active than most. We desperately need to find a cure for this. Even a treatment that slows or stops progression would be SOMETHING. Currently there is, for all intents and purposes, NOTHING.

I may set up a new fundraising page, but here is a link to my original one from the obstacle race I did in 2015. Any amount is awesome! And I'm sure these requests for donations get tiresome - I get that. I will try not to blow up Facebook too much with it. It just really means a lot to me.

http://www.active.com/donate/teamblazeman/carrieo

Company Mill Trail & Inspiration Trail

Hike distance: 7.13
Total distance hiked: 179.41 miles
Miles remaining: 0!!!

I finished! Just in the nick of time! It was a nice hike, even though it felt quite chilly. The trail looked different than normal... chilly, gloomy, and no leaves. I saw a downed tree from afar that I tried to get around during a recent hike and realized it was actually a huge tree that had split in the middle, and each piece had fallen in opposite directions. I also saw a couple of people riding horses on the multi-use trail - I don't think I've ever seen horses out there! They were pretty. Toward the end of the hike, I was walking down a stretch of trail with nobody around. It was perfectly quiet except for the sound of I-40 in the distance. I heard a strange sound in the woods - like a weird loud quack or caw. I never saw what it was, but after I reached the creek, I came across a great blue heron fishing in the water ... so maybe that's what it was. It was cool to watch him stretch his neck out and poke around in the water.

Christmas Day walk/jog

Hike distance: ~5 miles
Total distance hiked: 172.28 miles
Miles remaining: 6.72

On Christmas Day, I was feeling pretty worn down, lethargic, and anxious.  I needed to get out to exercise!  So I went on a walk/jog through the neighborhood around my parents' house. Kids were out playing with their toys, families were taking walks, and a couple of neighbors had some lovely chickens hanging out in their yards.  I went a little less than 3 miles.  I felt a million times better afterwards.  Then, I went on a little bit of a walk with my parents to tack on a couple more miles.  I then rounded up to 5 miles because the night before, my cat decided to jump out of my car window on Wade Avenue in Raleigh and run off into the woods (long story, ugh!!!)... and I spent half an hour tromping through the woods with my cell phone light, calling his name, and crying.  That totally counts as a hike, right???  :)  Luckily, my parents came to the rescue and helped me find and grab him.  WHEW.  Talk about a Christmas miracle!

Suburban "hike"

Hike distance: ~4 miles
Total distance hiked: 167.28 miles
Miles remaining: 11.72

This feels like cheating because it wasn't actually a hike, but I did take the opportunity to walk to the Lowe's down the street and back instead of driving in order to get some exercise and fresh air on a nice warm winter day.  I would've driven if it weren't for this challenge, so in a way, it totally counts!  Gaining some miles and getting Christmas presents and parts to fix a toilet - win win!  :)

North Cary Park & the Greenway

Hike distance: ~5 miles
Total distance hiked: 163.28 miles
Miles remaining: 15.72

I went on a chilly walk/jog through my neighborhood, through North Cary Park, and on the greenway behind it along a creek.  My asthma was being a bit of a killjoy, but it was good to get outside for some exercise. I've gotten sloppy about tracking my miles, so I am having to estimate.

Duck Walk

Hike distance: ~5 miles
Total distance hiked: 158.28 miles
Miles remaining: 20.72

I took a few walks around the Town of Duck, NC, over Thanksgiving - along the boardwalk, and through town.  The boardwalk is always a nice quasi-natural getaway - it goes along the edge of the sound with beautiful views and interesting trees and cool birds.  I also discovered a cool little outdoor bar near my uncle's house that had a cider on tap, which was a lovely treat for myself after a walk!