Growth-Part 2

In my last post, I left you hanging.

Sorry about that.

I hate cliff hangers. 

So, I get it. 

However, because there is so much to share about this journey, I felt the need to break it up into several smaller posts.

I left off where my world was about to be turned upside down.

After the races at Disney, I took a week or so off from running to allow my legs a break.  When it was all said and done, I clocked over 100 miles that week between the races and all the walking in the parks.

 I tried to get back into my regular running routine because I had another half marathon coming up in a month, and I needed to stay in shape for that.

But...

I.could.not.run.

My IT bands (a band that stretches from your knee all the way up to your hip) would not loosen up.This is a common injury among runners, and it's due to hip instability.

Here again, I thought I was just like everyone else.

I just needed a little physical therapy and everything would be fine.

 I was not missing this next race for anything.

Hubby was running, and it was his first half marathon.

I wanted to share that with him.

And I did.

I WALKED 11 of the 13 miles because I couldn't run. 

It hurt too bad.

However, it was fun, and it's a memory I will always cherish.

I realized after that race it was time to take an extended break, and really hunker down with physical therapy.

The therapists worked so hard to help me find relief.

Bless 'em.

They guided me in hip strengthening exercises, they massaged my IT bands, and they even did dry needling (which hurts like the dickens!! I almost passed out the first time).

Nothing seemed to work. 

I got tired of the therapy not giving me the results I wanted, and as much as I loved the girls who were working on me, I was really tired of seeing their faces.

So I quit going.

I had other things to focus on like my sister's wedding.

The weeks turned into months, and running was no longer and option. This disturbed me greatly because running was my outlet with homeschooling. 

It was imperative that I run in order to cope.

I was a much nicer person when I could run.

Also, I could eat whatever I wanted, and it not really effect my weight.

Since my coping mechanism had been postponed until a later date, I began to deal with my stress in other ways.

 I ate my feelings.

And folks, when you eat your feelings, your skinny jeans become vulgar.

Just sayin'.

I started gaining weight.

I wear a lot of Matilda Jane clothing, and that stuff just stretches along with you.

You don't know how much you have gained until you go to put on your jeans, and the waistband stops at the base of your saddle bags and says loud and clear, "I ain't doin' it."

Even though I had ditched my physical therapists, they did not forget me.

I thank the Lord for their dedication and their kindness because they were able to figure out what was going on with me, and get me to the right doctor, to properly diagnose me.

Never in a million years would I have dreamed I would end up in a geneticists office.

To read Part 1, click
HERE

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Growth-Part 1

I have made mention a few times that we switched over to Paleo for health reasons, but I never divulged why. 

Over the last 5 months, I have been on a new health journey, and it has been one of the hardest things to do mentally, spiritually, and physically.

Feelings of hopelessness have been overwhelming at times. 

Deep depression set in for a bit...something that I previously thought only the "mentally weak" struggled with (a prideful thought on my part).

There has been a lot of anger mixed with grief.

And my family has suffered right along with me because all of these feelings weren't staying bottled up. 

So basically the five stages of grief, minus the bargaining stage because I don't bargain. 

Unless it's at a thrift store or a yard sale ;-)

I finally feel like I am in the stage of acceptance. I have pulled myself up by the boot straps, and I'm no longer fighting against who I am and how I am made.

I'm just going with it.

So a little history for you...

I have struggled with digestive issues as long as I can remember. 

I have memories of lying in front of the toilet of our little farm house in Tennessee, clenching my stomach, and sobbing because the pain was so intense.

I was diagnosed with IBS in elementary school, after a humiliating visit to the doctor, and just went about life after that...taking Milk of Magnesia (the worst tasting over-the-counter medicine known to any child of the 80's) when my symptoms would flare.
(That's me on the far right...my dress looks like it should have been wrapped around an arm chair instead of a child, HA!!)

I also struggled with other health related issues along the way, but they all seemed to be random.

I could do funny tricks with my elbows and fingers, and could gross people out with how bendy I was. Unfortunately, my "bendiness" started causing problems when playing basketball in high school.

I believe it was my freshman year when I reached in to steal a ball, that my shoulder subluxed (partial dislocation). 

Super painful.

From there on out, I suffered from shoulder subluxations frequently.

My senior year, I turned my ankle, a common basketball injury, so it didn't seem out of the ordinary.

I continued to have issues throughout my years of college basketball, and when you play contact sports, you assume that injuries will be par for the course.

I wore ankle braces on both ankles, and constantly sprained them WITH the ankle braces on. 

I had surgery on my shoulder as a junior in college to tighten the ligaments because the subluxations were getting so nasty that all I had to do was sneeze and my shoulder would pop out. 

Gross, I know.

Fast forward a few years...

Pregnancy opened new doors to new subluxations.

I had to go to physical therapy during both pregnancies because my hips started to sublux. The physical therapists worked on tightening the muscles around my hip flexors so I could walk without falling apart.

It didn't seem too out-of-the-ordinary because I had always heard that when you're pregnant, things start to loosen and spread apart. 

I thought it was normal.

And things calmed down a bit after the babies were born, thankfully.

Six years ago, I started running. 

It was a great way to relieve stress, and it was helping all my joints stay in place. I was becoming stronger again, and I was feeling great.

There were injuries along the way, but I didn't care.

That was normal for me, and I just pushed through.

I ran my first half marathon in Nashville TN, and I was super proud of myself.

I didn't run the entire way because I started to struggle with my IT bands tightening up, but I finished.

I had caught the running bug, and in a sense, taken on apart of my old identity as an athlete.

I have several half marathons under my belt, and my biggest accomplishments were competing in weekend challenges where I would run or bike in multiple races over the course of two days.
I keep all of my (participation) medals and trophies in my craft closet because, let's be honest, nobody cares :-D!!

The Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend will always and forever be my favorite challenge to participate in.
The Glass Slipper Challenge, a10K race followed by a half marathon the next day, was what started my body's downward spiral.

Little did I know that this would be the end of running for me.

To hear more, make sure to come back.

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Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend(Part 1) 10K Recap

 Hey Friends!

I am finally getting around to posting about my experience at my first runDisney event, the Princess Half Marathon weekend.

The Princess Half Marathon races had been on my bucket list for about 2 years, but I could never remember to register for them until 4 months after registration opened...which is too late because the whole weekend sells out in hours. Crazy, I know.

So, January of last year, I decided to start planning a surprise Disney vacation for the family with this particular race weekend in mind. 

I wanted to participate in the Glass Slipper Challenge (10K and Half Marathon), and I was so excited to see that the half was scheduled on my 35th birthday.

Happy Birthday to ME!

I was a nervous wreck on registration day because the runDisney site and Active.com froze 5 minutes before registration opened. 

Thankfully, I was part of a Facebook group that had the direct link posted immediately at 12 p.m. EST, and I was able to register in 2 minutes. 

After a near nervous break down, and $330 later (budget buster, I tell ya), I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

I spent the rest of the year saving money towards the trip, and working on my training, making sure that my body was ready for the back to back races.

That was the easy part.

The part I wasn't ready for was the getting up 2 days in a row at 3:00 a.m. EST...which is 2 a.m. here.

B.R.U.T.A.L.

The picture below is me trying to act like I am happy, when really, I am questioning why on Earth did I sign up for this torture.

It was chilly and I was sleepy.

The 10K started at 5:30 a.m. 

RunDisney wanted all runners on the bus by 4 a.m. to ensure that everyone was at the start line on time. The bus ride was short for me because I was staying at Port Orleans Riverside, and Epcot was a quick 10 minute ride away. After arriving, you had to stop at the tables for bag check. I didn't have a bag, so I was good to walk on through.

I got my picture taken in front of the PHM flag, and made my way to where all the action was.

There was a fun little dance party near the start line, and there were several people dancing and having a good time. I didn't join in because I was alone, and I didn't have the courage to jump right in on my own. :-) 

We lined up in our corrals around 5:00'ish, waited a bit, and then we were moved to the start line. I was in corral A, so my group got to go first.

The start of the 10K was really underwhelming compared to the big production of the Half Marathon start line.

Fairy Godmother had a few words to say and then she counted down.

There were fireworks.

But the fireworks were kind of like a little baby sneeze. 

Just a spurt.

They do that for each corral, so that was pretty cool.

I will say I prefer the fireworks over the shot guns they use here in Alabama!

 The race went by fast, and there were just a few character stops. There are only 6 miles to fit characters in, so there isn't the ability to have that many.

This was the only stop I made. I figured I would never see these two in the parks, so I stopped for a quick pic and moved on. If I hadn't made this pit stop, I would have gotten a PR, but I wasn't there for PR's. I was there to have a good time!

 At the finish, we were handed our medals, and a box of goodies. Then you had the ability to take pictures with different princesses. I chose to take one with Aurora. She's one of S.R.'s favorites.

 And here's the box of goodies they give you along with a Mylar blanket to keep warm once you cool off.

 So...my thoughts on this race.

It was fun, and fast. I loved running through Epcot's World Showcase and the Boardwalk area. It was beautiful with all of the lights glowing, the fire blazing, and the Disney music blaring. 

But it was too quick.

If you are new to running, and all you can do is a 10K, then yes, you should do this race. 

However, if you think that you could possibly do more, I would go for the half. The experience is so much better!

And you have around 7 months to train once you secure your spot in the race.

If you would like help planning a race-cation at Disney and participate in the Disney Princess Half Marathon weekend, contact me at crystalw@destinationsinflorida.com and I can help you plan a magical vacation!

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