Nanci is a cheer coach. I figured maybe she could give me some pointers since we've been doing handstands more frequently at Crossfit. We practiced all day with only minor injuries. I horse kicked her in the eye but no bruising or major damage. Later that night, CJ stopped by to work on planning Lauralee's bachelorette party. CJ is a fellow Crossfitter from another gym, so I wanted to show off my new skills. I still need someone to hold my feet while I practice them. CJ spotted me and gave me a couple of pointers. By this point, my arms were tired and shaky. I told CJ to let go of my legs so I could rest for a second.
Homegirl just wouldn't listen! I told her again to put me down, and before I knew it, my arms buckled underneath me and my forty-something inch legs came crashing down onto Nanci. I knew immediately something wasn't okay with my arm. I was 99% sure I dislocated my shoulder. I was laughing...and crying...and freaking out because I was in a lot of pain, but I couldn't really measure the severity of it because it all happened so quickly. Usually I can withstand a fair amount of pain. Not this time!
I was going to brush it off and see how it felt in a couple of days. I knew my race was coming up the following weekend but I didn't think a shoulder injury would prevent me from training in the days ahead. I took Nanci to get some food, and as I reached for the bag from the cashier, my arm pretty much gave out. It began shooting pain from my neck, down my arm, and into my fingers. We went to an after hours doctor across the street from her apartment. We explained the situation to the nurses, and they were shocked when we told them no alcohol was involved. Like I said, when Nanci and I are together, trouble always follows. The doctor told me the x-ray looked good. If it was dislocated, it wasn't by the time we got to the doctor's office. He began wiggling it and poking it in all the worst places and concluded that I had strained my rotator cuff. He wrote me a prescription for a sling (which was cheaper OTC) and Lexapro. The next couple of days were miserable. It's incredibly difficult to teach special ed. with your arm in a sling! Some of my kids are aggressive and some like to run away, so I really had to work to immobilize it. I kicked the sling to the curb on Wednesday. It just wasn't working out. I wasn't sleeping because it was the shoulder I like to sleep on which was causing me to be a MAJOR grouch. My shoulder is back to 100% now... I think.
Fortunately for me, I was able to keep it steady while I ran.
Fast forward to this weekend! Blakely's amazingly wonderful parents bought us tickets to the Alabama vs. UTC game! It was my first AL football game, so I was super stoked! Blakely and I woke up at 6 to leave by 8 in order to meet his parents in Tuscaloosa by eleven.
Poor Blakely, he's so not a morning person.
It was rainy and windy when I walked Marley Saturday morning. I knew it was going to be a loooong and freezing cold game, so I dressed and packed accordingly. Marching band taught me to always travel with spare underwear, pants, and socks in case it rains! The rain let up by the time we got there, thank God! It was a breezy 46 degrees and dropping during the first quarter. By the end of the game, I had no feeling in my toes. My face was numb, and I looked like the Marshmallow man from Ghost Busters I had on so many layers. I don't do cold weather well...
We won, of course! We met his little brother for dinner at Olive Garden. It was perfect since I needed to load up on some carbs before the big race! We had a fantastic time, despite the bitter weather!
Crazy kid forgot his jacket!
We got back from the game around 9:30. I wasn't expecting to get much sleep last night; I never really do when I have a race the next day. To my pleasant surprise, I passed out immediately upon arrival. However, I woke up several times during the night to check the time. I overslept my first half and didn't want to do it again. I'm the bitteriest Betty when I am late.
I knew it was supposed to be cold today. All I could do was pray that it was only cold and not windy like the day before. The wind was mild, but the temperature was agonizing. Within the first 5 minutes of being outside, I lost feeling in my nose. I only knew that I was snotting all over myself when it would roll down onto my lips (gross I know; no shame).
We arrived in Birmingham right on time and picked up my packet. The Magic City Half is a race that benefits Ruben Studdard's charity for music education. This is the first race I've been a part of where the money goes to a charity I am passionate about. If you know me, music was always a big part of my life! I heard through the grapevine that he was running in the 5k, fresh off his Biggest Loser season! I am a loyal BL fan and have been following his progress all season!
My goals for this race were to:
1. Meet Ruben Studdard
2. Make him horribly uncomfortable so he would remember meeting me!
I got my packet and headed for the bathrooms. Blakely waited around in the lobby where it was warm for me to get done. He sent me a text telling me that Ruben had arrived, so I hauled tail to be the first in line for a picture! He looks fantastic! I would have never guessed he weighed over 400 pounds a few short months ago. I felt really bad asking to take his picture before the race because if he's anything like me, the minutes before the gun fires are spent mentally preparing myself for what's to come. He was only doing the 5k and other people were lining up, so I didn't feel so bad. I opted out of making him uncomfortable. I really couldn't think of anything awkward enough to say on the fly! I thought I had the whole race to prepare something vulgar enough to leave a lasting impression, but I failed!
He seemed aggravated by all of the attention, but as Blakely so loudly stated... "This is your thing, dude". He was the one sponsoring the run. His name is even on the freaking shirt!
THE MAN!
Shortly after this picture was taken, Blakely and I headed to the starting line! The race was supposed to kick off at 8 but didn't start until at least 8:10. We were all a little angry considering it was 30 degrees and windy. I jumped, I jogged, I did everything in my power to warm myself up a little before we started but it was no good. From the moment the gun sounded until the very end of the race, I poured snot. My undershirt became my handkerchief. I hope I'm not the only runner that experiences this!
I started off entirely too fast! I really didn't set a goal time for this race. I typically aim for 2 hours or less. I joined the 2 hour pace group and decided that I would stick with them as best I could. In the first mile, I passed them with an 8 minute pace. I tried to slow down, but running in the cold is deceptive! I haven't trained in this cold of weather. It throws me off when I'm not sweating and my muscles aren't on fire. I felt surprisingly comfortable at that pace but knew it would not end well if I didn't slow down.
The next 7 miles were all under 9 minutes! I couldn't believe it considering my norm is around 9:20. At mile 7, I sucked down one of the goo packets they were handing out. I wasn't exhausted, just wanted to see if it would give me a boost. I had two because they were passing them out at each water station. The first one I opened was apple cinnamon. It was the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted and the consistency was thick like Vasoline, so I chucked it. I opened the berry flavored pack, which was much better. I still didn't make it through the whole packet but I could tell I had a little more pep in my step after downing half of it.
For some reason in the middle of the race, I began crying- not out of pain or exhaustion. My head filled with thoughts of how my life used to be, how four years ago, I would never have dreamed of running a half marathon. It's overwhelming sometimes to think of all I have accomplished in these past few years. I'm proud, but I'm also humbled. I have a great deal of supporters that were so kind of blow up my phone and Run Meter with words of encouragement. Any time I felt tired, I thought of them and why I started in the first place. I want to prove to my loved ones that change is possible. I know you've heard it a million times from a million different people, but seriously... if I can do it, anyone can do it.
At mile 8, the stitch in my knee began acting up! I had a lot of knee problems when I was overweight. They seemed to disappear when I dropped the excess baggage but occasionally creep up on me when I least expect it. It was painful but not enough to stop, initially. Somewhere around mile 11, the pain became increasingly bad. I had to slow down a good bit. I couldn't get the pain out of my head. It was scary! I didn't want to stop for anything. After several motivational talks with myself, I decided to slow down until mile 13 and bust it out for the last leg of the race. My mile times for miles 11 and 12 were just over 9 minutes. I shouldn't complain because those are fantastic for me considering I NEVER run at that pace.
Mile 11 was the first and only hill of the entire race. I hate when they do that! It wasn't the worst, but after completing 11 miles, the last thing in the world I want to do is run uphill. It was only a few more twists and turns before I saw the flashing lights and heard the roar of the crowd ahead. I picked up the pace and sprinted to the finish line. I think I sprinted... maybe something like a sprint. It was definitely the fastest I was physically able to run.
I finished in 1 hour 58 minutes! Just shy of two hours, which was my goal time!
I was so relieved to see Blakely. Even though two hours had passed, it seemed like forever since I had any human interaction. I got my medal and banana and we headed for the car. I figured I didn't place and even if I did, they'd mail me the medal. All I wanted to do was shove my fat face!
After gorging on Moe's and my first soda in months, we headed back to Oxford. I couldn't believe how tired I felt. I slept a good portion of the way home. My plans for the rest of the day include laying around and binge watching Dexter on Netflix with Blakely. It's been so wonderful having him around this weekend. His support is overwhelming. For someone that despises all things healthy, he never fails to show his support for me. I always feel guilty for asking him to come to these things, especially when it's freezing outside, but he never complains. Even when his teeth chatter and his nose runs endlessly, he tells me how proud of me he is. Everyone needs a Blakely.
It was a fabulous race. Even though I felt somewhat unprepared, I surprised myself!
Best of luck to you this week on your journey toward a happier and healthier life!
My plans include lots of rest and recovery... maybe a little Crossfit!
I didn't even know I was sweating during the race until I took my jacket off! My undershirts were drenched!
Wow congratulations! Great run!!!
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