#Run4Rob #Run4Him #Runforthosewhocan’t
Shortly
after Rob was diagnosed (Jan 2016), I decided I needed to be stronger so I can
take care of him.
Plus,
Rob will never run again, but God gave me the gift and the ability to run, so
therefore, I should run.
I
used to run - in a different lifetime ago… but, I battled 6 months of
bronchitis/walking pneumonia in 2015, and still had some lung issues that were
slowing me down…and I really felt the need to get my lungs back in shape.
I
thought it was absolutely ridiculous that I couldn’t run 3 miles without
stopping to catch my breath (or cough for 10 minutes). So, I set a goal to be able to run 3 miles
without stopping. It was slow going,
getting in shape, because my lungs protested.
Every time I was around anyone who coughed, I would instantly feel my
lungs tighten up and a cough would settle in to my chest. It was a long, slow, haul, healing those
lungs back up. But, I signed up for a 5k
in early June 2016, with the goal of running the entire length without
stopping. I mostly made it…there was one
hill that gave me some trouble, but I did it, and I ran it much faster than my
time goal.
Then
what? I didn’t have a goal anymore, and
it was hot out, so I didn’t always like to run during my lunchtime workouts. I started slacking off…and I didn’t want
that. So I signed up for a 4-mile night
run the end of the summer. I had to stay
in shape enough to at least finish a 4 mile run. I am not a fast runner. But I can fight my way through and get to the
finish line. It takes me at least a mile
to get warmed up and into a rhythm. But…I
managed to run the 4 miles. My goal was to run it in 46 minutes (12
min/mile – slow, but I’m old and “broken”).
I was able to cross the finish line in 41 minutes!
Well…I
no longer had a goal to work for. So I
wanted to end the winter in the same running shape as I entered winter…so I
tried to incorporate running at least once per week to my workout routine. It was fairly hard in the winter. But I needed to be able to run 3-4 miles by
spring, so I could then build upon that.
To force myself to work hard on my winter running, I made set 2 crazy
goals.
Goal 1) turn my June run into a 10 k – I mean – I know
I can run 4, right, so I just need to add another 2 and keep going.
Goal 2) I signed up for a 23 k (15 miles) trail race
in the mountains. Surely, I could do
it. I usually walk 3.5-4 miles per hour,
so I thought I should be able to cross the finish line in 5 hours at the
worst. Yup. I’m nuts.
I’m
insane…BUT, it forced me to do much more running over the winter and early
spring than normal, and roll into spring in relatively decent running
shape. There were a lot of days I didn’t want to run,
but I knew I SHOULD run, because I CAN run…I needed to Run for Rob.
Let
me reiterate…I am not a good runner. I
am slow. I am old. I have many broken joints, ligaments, tendons,
etc. But, I can honor God and my husband by just going out and doing it. I put in my headphones with either praise and
worship music or one
of my favorite sermon series (Confessions of a Happy Sheep, Philip DeCourcy,
Know the Truth Radio - https://www.ktt.org/broadcasts/confessions-happy-sheep)
and just listen and pray. I don’t think
about the running. After the first,
painful mile, I finally get in a “zone” (slow zone, but zone), and plod along
without thinking. My brain is focused on
the Word and the One who made me. It’s a
chance to “be still” and focus on God (even though I am moving along, “picking
them up and putting them down” as Rob would say).
Goal
1 - June 2017 rolled around, and I ran my first 10k. I didn’t do as good as I wanted. It was hot out. I was dehydrated. The sweeper kept talking to me, and I was
like, dude, I’m trying to breathe, here!
But I did it – a little slower than I wanted, but I did it. Then I went home, loaded the wheelers and
took everyone riding, which was fine until I got a migraine waaaay up the
mountain. We had planned to swing
through Helena for a cousin’s graduation party, but the migraine won. It was interesting, but with meds, I got back
to the truck and everyone home. As
usual, bit off more than I could chew.
Goal 2 - August
2017: my goal for the race changed a
little, as I spent most of July in Alaska.
I would be happy finishing the race, 5 hours would be great, but…I wasn’t
sure I could do it or not. I did manage
to get up and run (with bear spray) a few mornings, but I fully expected to do
a substantial amount of walking on my race.
We arrived home from Alaska 2 days before the race. I went to work for 1 day, ended up working
late trying to catch up, came home, and headed out with the truck to spend the
night in the mountains so I didn’t have to get up super early the morning of the
race. Unfortunately, on a mountain pass,
the truck started shaking and wobbling and I knew I had tire trouble. I checked the tires several times, and they
all looked okay, but the wobble would start as soon as I drove down the
road. It was getting pretty late and the
wind was blowing hard, so I didn’t want to drive too far out into the boonies
and blow a tire. So I rolled off the
mountain pass and into the nearest town. Of course, everything was closed, so…I
didn’t have anyone to help me. I knew a
few people in town and tried to contact them, but no luck. So, I decided to drive all the way back home going
35 mph on the backroads so I didn’t blow a tire on the interstate or mountain
pass. I got home very very late, crawled
in bed, got up very VERY early the next morning and took my car up into the
Elkhorn mountains to run the HURL Elkhorn 23k (15 mile) race.
I was far
too tired, and not hydrated enough at the beginning, but I popped in my
headphones to zone out and just started putting one foot in front of the
other. The first few miles were pretty
easy. And then….the hills. The course includes over 3,280 feet of
elevation gain. There’s a lot of
downhill, too. I kept thinking, “I hope
I don’t have to run over that mountain ahead of me”, only to find out that I
did. But, it was in some absolutely
stunning and gorgeous country! I wished
Rob could see it, and was sad that he never will, because it is a non-motorized
trail and he is unable to get that far back in the mountains. So I did stop to take a few pictures here and
there along the way to show him. I was
not keeping on pace as well as I had hoped, because the hills were steeper and
there was more scree fields than I had anticipated. At one point, I just wanted to stay in front
of “the laughers” – a group of ladies happily laughing and chatting along the
way. I mean – really? But I needed more food, but couldn’t really
eat while I was running. I was able to
get a gel pack in, so that was good. Then
down into the valley and back up the mountain on the other side. 
Every time
I thought it was getting tough, I remembered it wasn’t as hard as anything Rob
is going through as his body slowly shuts down.
The laughers eventually caught up with me when I stopped to take some
pictures for Rob, and I made the mistake of pacing with them for the next 3-4
miles. I should have stuck with my own
pace and pushed a little harder. I
thought my time was still on target, but when my phone said I was 12 miles in,
I still had more than 3 miles to the finish.
When I got to the second aid station, I didn’t take any food or water,
because I was still sucking off my camel back, and the fruit looked a little marginal
from sitting out all day… Another ½ mile
or so down the trail and my camelback was dry.
Great. I was desperate for some
food and water, but just couldn’t stop to deal with it, so I kept plodding on. You
learn all kinds of new things when you try your first long distance mountain
trail race. I could hardly pick up my feet, but could hear
shouting in the distance from the finish line, so I managed to break into a
decent pace. I finished in 5:17 – so 17
minutes over my goal time. Shucks. BUT – I finished!!! Praise the Lord!
I’m insane
to even sign up for it, but I feel like I need to continue “running for
Rob.” It was beautiful, horrible,
terrible and amazing.
So…what’s
up for 2018?
Well, I’m
trying to continue running a little.
I’ll run
both the 10k and the 23k again this year, barring any injuries.
I hope I can finish the 23k in under 5 hours. I’m scared to set a goal of 4 ½ hours, but I
think that’s what I am aiming for – as long as I can keep my food and water
intake up a little better this year, I should be able to do it. After all, I need to #Run4Rob, #Run4Him and
#Runforthosewhocant.
