June 2012 has marked a historical natural disaster in the area I live in, that will forever be remembered. News reports of the flash flood that hit us all too hard and suddenly, came from all over the US. Some of our roads were washed away as the water found routes of escape, (as shown to the left). The pressure of the water caused uprooting of trees to be swept far away from their original grounding. Our precious State Parks are devastated, as well as our city's Zoo, which lost a dozen animals to drowning... It has been a crazy roller coaster of unbelievable chaos that Mother Nature has specifically put in our path.

I must say how thankful I am for not having to endure the pain of loosing precious items that you can't replace. I ride my bike (now that we only have the one vehicle) to work everyday and go past three homes, (Photos below) that were sitting under water for a week after the flood. The water line still shows on their siding. It's unbelievable to see the furniture, belongings and trees/branches that keep filling up in the dumpster outside their homes. No one has flood insurance around here, as our city resides on a hill! I pray that those affected, without homes and who have lost so much bounce back from this disaster with strength and determination to keep loving life after every up and down it gives.

As our city begins to assess the damages and plan to build and repair, we are not out of the clear completely. Future storms that are most likely going to happen this summer will bring on more rainfall and not allow the worst flooded areas to recede and dry. The mold damage, the algae and anything else that's under the standing water in people's basements, is just sitting there until the water goes down. It seems everyone is watching the weather lately. Rain is a scary forecast for some.


We are working on getting a new vehicle, but for now I'm having fun riding my bike to and from work everyday. I get to take different routes due to some road closings and see the construction crews working on the roadways... My husband has been driving my car and will pick me up sometimes, saying how much fun it is to be my driver
:)

This disaster has yes, been a disaster. But also it gives us an opportunity to see not only how powerful Mother Nature can be, but how precious our lives are. How in-disposable our belongings, our homes, our "things" can be. How the important things in life are really the people in our lives and the power of communities coming together to help and support one another. It's been a beautiful experience to see. It makes me excited for the future, the renovations of the places we love (like our parks) and gives me reassurance that we are strong survivors that can and will stand strong and pull through what's been washed away.

The BIG day....

Can you say......... HURRRRRRAY!!!!! YIPPIEE!!!! YES!!! and WHOLLY TOLITO!!!??

I DID IT!

13.1 miles of one-foot-in-front-of-the-other, "stompin' pavement" (as a friend says), good ol' time!

Yes, I did.

I'm a Finisher.

I'm a Radiant Running Rockstar!

:D

(ok, so can you tell I'm happy?!)

Before I begin to tell you how "race day" started, let me fill you in on the days leading up to, as this crazy journey unfolds.....

Training for this Half Marathon was not my best. Typically you start training 15 weeks out and the program I was using required me to run most days of that period, usually a minimum of 3 miles on average weekdays, longer runs (7-8 miles) on the weekends.

As you can imagine, this is a big time investment, not to mention the mental determination to get your running shoes on ev-rah-day!

My training started out with a bang, hitting the treadmill or pavement on schedule to get in those miles.

But about a month and a half out my motivation tanked.

"WTH?" I thought to myself over and over... I just didn't know why, but I wasn't feeling running, even with the nice Spring days and sunshine...

Then there was my lovely ankle injury, which you can read more about from my previous blog post on Limitations...

A few weeks back I excepted a extra shift at the hospital I work at, which meant I'd be working a double (7am - 1130pm) that day. I didn't put the dates together in my head, and turns out my double shift would be the day before my half marathon race! UGH!

Needless to say, I got through my double shift, went to bed by 1230pm-1am and my alarm broke my peaceful dreaming slumber at a wonderful 4:14 am... GOOD MORNING TO ME!

Feeling like a truck ran me over (even before the race!) I quickly got ready and scurried out the door, driving myself to the bus pick up area.

*The start of the race is blocked for traffic, so the only way to get to the start line is by bus*

Standing in front of the bus, I see other Half Marathoners lined up to board. Now I see a flashback of my bathroom... my BIB number (the number runners wear on their shirts), lying on the floor.....

I forgot my number. Bleepedy-Bleep-Bleep-BLEEEP!

How does one forget the most important thing to prove they're in the race??! Seems if it was going to happen to someone, it would be me!

BUT....

Lucky for me they didn't stop me from boarding the bus and once I sat down.....I thought, "WHEW...that was close!" BIG sigh of relief.

SO, that's how my morning started.... Now on to the RACE!

Me all lined up ready to go! ------------------------------------------------->

(This is after I had to wait in line for 40 minutes just to use the bathrooms!)

The race itself was really, really fun with the crowds cheering, dogs and kids watching us pass by, the endless amounts of water, poweraid, bananas, oranges and strawberries, and the great live music consisting of anything from piano, trumpet, chello to bagpipes! There were cow bells, lots of motivational posters and signs and photos being snapped everywhere. It truly feels like you're a super star out there!


Ready, Set.....GO!

Starting off, I was feeling good! Miles were rolling by, my ankle was feeling fine and I had my tunes blasting in my ear buds... Lady Ga Ga, Gorillaz and Sigur ros (LOVE)..

By mile marker 7 I was feeling progressively tired and mostly dehydrated with a dry mouth. Each water station I grabbed a drink and felt a boost of energy.


In the 11th mile I was feeding off the crowd's energy to keep me going. My ankle was sore, but more than that, my knee was giving me hassle. Perhaps favoring my ankle created the knee pain?



No matter, just keep on going!

No way was I going to stop now. "Shut yo mouth body and MOVE It!" :)



Crossing that finish line I was HAPPY and oh, so relieved to be done!

My knee at this point was screaming.
My body was all like "What are you trying to do here??! We need sleep dammit!"

After a volunteer put the medal around my neck, it all sunk in.....

I really did it!

This race has been more than a fun experience.

More than a challenge to overcome....

More than the bragging rights....





This race has been a journey of real triumph and beauty.






I've learned...

* NEVER doubt my ability to do ANYTHING.   Period.

* I am powerful, skillful and amazing.

* I am proud of myself, my body and my mind.

* I am SO grateful to my strong body for carrying me through till the end, even when it said no.

* I have a new sense of hope, clarity and can see endless possibilities for my future!

* Although the goal of completing the race is done, I feel it's actually just the beginning for me.

My next physical adventure will be the MuckRuckus this August!

MuckRuckus MS is an unforgettable two days of fun in the great outdoors featuring a 10K - 6.2 mile (with a 5K - 3.1 mile shortcut option) challenge-course through mud, water and muck! Teams and individuals slosh, swing, slip and slide 20-25 obstacles OOZING with muck!


MuckRuckus MS raises funds and awareness for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society!

I sit here writing this, my first blog entry, while one foot is wrapped in a bag of frozen peas. This is my curse, I've decided. An injured ankle and a frozen bag of vegetables are what I'm embracing right now. Why? Because I have no choice.

How did this happen?

This isn't my first injury, nor my last I'm sure. Only last year, I tore three ligaments in my left ankle while twisting it running a trail near my home. At that time I thought for sure it was broken. It was my first major injury that limited me from doing my daily activities. I am an avid regular exerciser, or at least attempt to be, running being one of the ways I "check out" mentally and regroup myself after a stressful day.

This time though, the right ankle is the culprit and I have no specific answers as to how I injured it. This is extremely frustrating, as you can imagine. What makes my situation worse is the fact that I'm running a 1/2 marathon in 8 days! Yes, that's right.

Although I'm not attempting to go for a time or pace goal this race, I do want to finish it, and ideally that would include being pain-free.

As any stubborn exerciser does, I admittedly have been ignoring this increasing annoyance in my ankle for a couple days and continued to exercise on it. (WTF!?) Hoping it would work itself out, I am now at a point that I know it's injured, it hurts and I'm not happy about it. Period.

But what good does it do to be miserable and grumpy about something you can't change?

What benefit comes from complaining or putting everything on hold?

We all deal with limits

Ok, so not everyone injures themselves physically, but we all do a bit of emotional damage to ourselves, to some extent, everyday.

-That inner critic that tells you you're not "good enough" - for what? for whom?
-That thought in your head telling you to give up and forget about a dream - if you don't try, you'll never know!
-That voice that tells you you need to look, act, be, say the "right things" - why not be yourself!?

All of these, (and more), are limitations we put on ourselves daily and when dealing with a physical limitation as well, these inner critical thoughts can become louder and more obnoxious!

Limitations are wonderful for the soul

As anyone knows, limitations are cruel. We don't want them. They seem to only be reminders of how we "can't" or "won't" do something. They are bad, negative and horrible.

But are they, really?

Going through the first ankle injury last year, I let that physical limitation control my life, emotionally as well. I felt down, depressed, helpless, hopeless and useless. I felt it happened to punish me for something I did wrong....

But as time went on I learned a valuable lesson from that ankle.

It was like a big sign in front of me that read: "It's time to lean into something new!"

That injury allowed me to step back from my day to day, to really SEE my life through eyes piercing through limits and PUSH THROUGH those limits. No, I didn't push my ankle physically, but emotionally I pushed my limits, my inner critical voice that was telling me I deserved to be injured, to be limited.

"NO," I told myself, "I deserve to be free. This limitation is only a reminder to look within, to grow and to see with clear eyes what truly matters and what does not. To decide what truly lifts me up and helps me and what is holding me back. "

I realized that my inner dialog was negative, unhelpful in my recovery and I saw that for what it was. I made a choice to take limitation as a gift. To use it to support my next move towards recovery.

Embracing the changes

We all experience different situations and go through waves of life circumstances that build who we are and where we're going. That is what limitations are; just another experience we go through.

They do not block us. They do not stop us in our tracks. But they are there to encourage change.

I see them not only as a challenge, but a chore. We must continue on, and if we are physically unable to, we are able to grow mentally, emotionally, spiritually, socially....As long as we are alive, we posses will and choice inside us to change.

To decide to change your thought process in a way that supports and nurtures you is like giving yourself a gift filled with truth!

My journey

Now that I'm faced with another ankle injury I see it in a different perspective. I am grateful for the reminder to step back, take it slow and focus on my total health.

I will take care not to make it worse, but I am determined to finish this race.

How will I get through this 1/2 marathon?

Well, I'm planning to listen to my body and have fun!!! Those are the two most important things to me. Not time, not pace, not winning (haha)... But respecting my body for going through this incredible journey, for allowing me to run and for letting me know when it needs me to stop limiting myself and just be free!