This weekend I did a 5K that served as a stark reminder that I do have a heart condition and I do need to take it easier than I really want to. I really don't even like admitting I'm dealing with CHF or any kind of heart issue. I've tried to talk all my doctors out of that diagnosis and no one will budge off of it. Saturday's race has helped me refocus and I'm spending this week resting and regrouping. Here's how it all went down. My blood pressure has been running a bit high and was up a little at my cardiologist appointment last week. He didn't offer me any meds for it as he knows I want to manage it, if possible, with diet and exercise. I was also given some paperwork for being overweight . That kind of hurt my feelings. lol. But I am barely at that marker and if I lose one pound I'm not in the overweight category. (Side note - I've lost 5 pounds since then! lol) Some of it can be water retention - which should also be a clue I pay attention...

This past weekend was lots of fun. On Friday night, I pushed my son for the first time in his new racing chair. My daughter and I had pushed him in a borrowed one a few weeks back, but this was our first trip out in his own chair. First off, it was hot, hot hot. (We won't do that again!!) It was actually too hot to be safe for either of us and if my friend hadn't helped I would have probably overdone it. Secondly, Chris' chair kept malfunctioning - I gotta make some adjustments for sure. I knew I had to take it easy as the heat and I do not get along any more. My heart rate ran quite a bit higher than I am used to and it stayed up. It wouldn't come down to my "normal" even when walking - even though it really wasn't dangerously high. A lot of it was due to several factors: I have not trained in the heat this year - only on the TM inside I have not been eating right I have not been training right I've gained a little weight back I had not ...

I just finished up a 5K and had a blast! I was a little concerned about the heat tonight but it broke right before the race started and there was a breeze so it didn't end up being much of a factor. This is the first race I've done since I stopped taking the blood pressure meds. And you know what? I felt great!!! One thing I wanted to do was listen to my body and I really don't know how it's going to act  until I get on the course. I walked quite a bit and went out slow. Once I got warmed up and crossed the halfway mark - I experimented with pushing it a little. I think this is the first race in the last 18 months since all this actually started that I had absolutely no  issues. No shortness of breath, no chest pains, no dizziness, no chest tightness, no left arm pains.. nothing, nada, zero lingering signs of congestive heart failure. As I was pushing along I thought about my mantra - every step a victory  I kept my mind on it as I thoughtfully felt for each step ...

Today I ran my 75th 5K. I didn't check to see how many races I've done overall, just 5Ks. I actually did pretty good. I had the best chip time of any 5k since my CHF diagnosis. I'm still really slow in comparison but I'm very happy to be under 40 minutes again. That just puts me closer to the 30 minute mark and my old PR which I honestly hope to reach one day. This week I did a total of 20 miles and completed my second week of marathon training. I'm very happy with that, but it sure got me to thinking a lot about the journey I've been on. Last year I remember doing this race, the Oklahoma Strong 5K and just not feeling good. I felt like I was very sluggish and it was actually cold last year. This year it was 72 at the beginning of the race - which is really hot for me anymore. Even though I slowed down each mile, I still had all 3 under 13 minute miles. I'll take that for today. I can't get where I want to be without starting where I am. Oh, I woul...

I have been running for three years now and actually next week will be the third anniversary of my very first 5K - runners you know the one when running gets in your blood? Yeah, that one! Well, this spring I did three half marathons in 72 days and I think I am finally ready to go for the full marathon. My goal is next April's OKC Memorial Marathon. I've done four half marathons now and will probably do a couple more this fall if I can find them in my area. Mentally I have already begun training. This means I really have to change up my diet and training schedule. I pretty well live in that mode anyway but tackling a marathon seems way out there for me and so I have to make a few adjustments. I hope to keep up this blog and share my training triumphs and woes. One thing I have noticed already is that it is difficult to work on everything all at once. When I started adding miles to prepare for half marathons, my speed suffered. It's a whole different mentality altogether. ...

When I first started running, my son was in a nursing home in Bernice. I would get up early in the morning and go for a run so I could get back and get a shower before they started the patient showers. (yes, I literally stayed there with him!) So tonight, I ran it in my mind...but there's more to the story.  My own life is filled with much stress - just like everyone else! Part of my struggles means that I am limited to running on a treadmill and not outside. Did I mention yet that I hate  the treadmill? And running in the evening is even worse because I can't see out the window so I stare at the living room wall! This just makes it more of a struggle to get on the thing! lol!  Quite honestly, I get depressed and just want to quit! Imagine that! So I had stayed off for nearly a week... even though I already signed up for the half marathon for April. So I had to make a choice - am I going to be a runner, or not? If I want to be a runner, then I will have to make use o...

Last weekend I finished my 21st race! I will now think of myself as an "of age" racer! lol! This was my 18th 5K and I've done two 10Ks and one half marathon! It's been quite the journey and I have learned a lot about myself and my walk with God during the process. This race was very special though because I got to run it with my sister, Tina. It was our 5th race to do together! (all 5Ks.) We both starting running because of adversity in our lives.  I started about 3 years ago while my son was in the hospital after a tragic automobile accident. I am still his caregiver as he slowly makes progress. My sister has a brain tumor. She has several brain surgeries before they finally got a shunt in correctly. We actually decided last year to make the Race for Hope (for the Oklahoma brain tumor foundation) a yearly event for us. We three sisters have done it now 3 years in a row. And we kinda branched out from there.  We had done a race in June and met a new friend and she...

Yesterday's run was very discouraging. It was so hot...But I probably pushed it a little too hard. I did the first half of the out-and-back in record time...then the heat started sucking away at my stamina and energy. I had to walk two or three times. I even ran on the wrong side of the road because there were a few more trees and I could bask in their shade for ten second increments as I slowly glided by! It was hot!  I wanted to go 6 miles to prepare for the 10K this weekend. But I barely made the 5. I really don't like hot anymore! Today I will rest and then Wednesday and Thursday I'll do a couple of short 3-4 milers. Then Friday off and Saturday my second 10K.  I must be honest and say I am very frustrated with myself right now. The time of day I run cannot be changed as I have to run when the aid is here with my son. So 8-10 in the morning is it...or there's nothing. (praying for a treadmill for Christmas - then I can train for the full marathon!!!) It's di...

Yesterday I ran a 5K with my sister. Going back to the 5K after training and doing a half marathon was interesting.I think my heart will always be in the 5k - I just love the whole thing! It's a great atmosphere and a very positive experience. But I will continue my half marathon training. Training for the half actually helped me out a lot with the 5K, even though I didn't do any speed training - only building endurance and distance. I still came out only about 30 seconds off my last PR and won the third place medal in my age division. (And yes there was more than two of us in the division! lol) It's just kind of funny how preparing for something else builds your confidence in a totally different area. Sometimes when we are working on spiritual matters, it seems like maybe it's ineffective or we just are not getting it - but it is totally strengthening another area of our lives...and we just need to keep pushing through! No matter what hits us in this race of life...