I ran?

Tonight, after being out of commission since an unfortunate CrossFit incident 197 days ago (not that I’m counting), I went on a blind date with Running. My physical therapist said running was just my type with a great personality. As I walked through the gym doors, I was nervous, like heart racing, butterflies in the stomach, nervous. I wasn’t sure if Running was going to be awesome and hot or awkward and painful. It turns out Running was all of those things.

It’s been a long year, a year that isn’t even over. A year in which I still have a lot of work left to get back to “normal”. In April, after having the best running race to date, it all came crashing down at my first CrossFit session. I’m sure there are places where CrossFit is awesome, this wasn’t one of those places. Telling new people to squat deeper and go faster, while you have your back turned to them and their form, is negligent. That’s all I’m going to say about that.

I did 10 minutes on the treadmill tonight, alternating walking and slow running every 100 meters. It felt good and it hurt. I tried to listen to the pain since my body is in a precarious position now and I have to make sure I don’t push too hard too fast. This is a challenge for me. Even though I may have never stood on a podium, I am still an athlete. As endurance athletes we are taught to ignore pain, we bottle it up, we push it down, we let it wash over us. But we don’t listen to it, we don’t give in. But tonight I realized, I have to embrace it. This time, I have to listen.

And so, as my father would say, I mush on.

The race is over, but journey is just beginning.

The race is over. How was it? It was unbelievable. After almost 4 months of training I had a perfect race. I woke up very early on the morning of Sunday March 17th and I felt electric. I knew right then it was going to be a good day. The weather was perfect and I managed to time hydration and fueling just right. After over 13 miles of racing through downtown Sacramento, my training partner and I, ran into Raley Field, and with our picture up on the Jumbotron we crossed the finished line. The last few miles were hard, it hurt and in answer to the misery of our bodies we just ran faster. When we crossed the finish line, my tank was empty. Just like I wanted. I left it all out there on the road. We shaved 5 whole minutes off of our goal. As our friends and families predicted, we killed it!

 Ok, not quite Olympic golds.

For me this day was more than a race. It was finishing outstanding business from 2009, it was running to raise money for the PKD Foundation, and it was above all to prove to myself that I’m healthy and strong. To prove that I am not my disease.

Again thank you to @the_jenny who logged almost 300 miles with me. Who was patient and kind even though we often went weeks on end of seeing each other 7 days a week. Thank you to our husbands who supported us on race day and through all our training. I extend my deepest gratitude to those who contributed to my campaign to #EndPKD. The generosity of my friends and family raised $1,120 in the fight against Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Team #allthemiles on the home stretch of Raley Field.

Thank you all.

@EKurze

Yeah, sorry I haven't called...

Yeah, so I've been a terrible blogger as of late. However, the good news is it's been because I've been so busy running. I've logged over 300 miles in the last few months and it's been amazing. Since I was injured 7 days before my last half marathon in 2009 it has been a long road back to running. Once again I've gotten my legs back. That (mostly) effortless feeling where I don't even noticed that my legs are moving, let alone carrying me over miles and miles. It's absolutely AMAZING! I still can't quite put it into words.

Training for the Shamrock'n Half Marathon in Sacramento has been a fantastic experience. I've logged almost all my miles with @the_jenny, who is an absolutely remarkable lady. She is funny, kind, patient, and resilient. I'm so lucky to have has her as a friend and training partner. I can't wait to kick out an awesome and very green 13.1 miles tomorrow. We made it through the cold of winter, rain, a little heat, days when we didn't feel like running but went anyways, and some long days on the road. We even made it through almost eating ourselves out of house and home. It may have been said our appetites resembled those of teenage boys. I questioned if we were actually training to run, or instead, cross-training to eat competitively. A special thanks also must go out to @Naked_Bob and @CitizenSilva for putting up with us sweaty, ravenous ladies.

@the_jenny and myself @Ekurze

While training for this race I decided to turn it into my own personal Run for PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease), a cause very near and dear to my heart, or more specifically my kidneys. Due to the generosity of my friends and family I've raised over $1,120 for the PKD Foundation. What a way to celebrate National Kidney Month. I can't thank them enough for their support and generosity.

So tomorrow is race day. Alarm clock goes off at 5:30 a.m. Boo. Our wave starts at Raley Field at 8 a.m. Woo! Today I've had the house to myself and I've been trying to keep busy with laying out all my gear, resting, eating, hydrating and running errands. Why do I need to keep busy? Because otherwise I sort of neurotically over-analyze how my legs and body feel. Do they feel tired? Is my gait even? Yeah, all that. Not untypical for me. I used to do the mental run-through before roller derby bouts too. I settled down eventually.

Now it's almost time for me to turn in. Tomorrow is a big day.

Goodnight!

#ShamrocknWhiskey