For the first time since having a baby, well since before I was even pregnant, I started running again. If you had told me in middle school that I would be running as an adult I wouldn’t have believed you.
I had joined the track team in 8th grade to hang out with some friends, but I wasn’t very good. I think my coach hated me because she didn’t let me go to meets. I wasn’t any good at running, frankly. I could jump over hurdles, but I couldn’t run. What good is someone on the track team who can’t run?
But is wasn’t my fault. Two years prior I had been diagnosed with a genetic degenerative neuromuscular disorder called Charcot-Marie-Tooth. Basically, the mylene sheaf is a protective coating over the nerves, and that mylene sheaf is deteriorating. CMT isn’t considered a “life-limiting” disease, so I could still live to 100. But it certainly isn’t easy. I had hit a growth spurt when I was 12, and almost reached 6 foot. Then in the next few weeks I had shrunk back down. Because the nerve lining had deteriorating, the muscles supporting my spine do not receive the proper electric shock stimulation, resulting in the deterioration of the muscles supporting my spine, causing two curves. Same with my hips- my right hip was about 3 inches lower than my left hip. I saw an orthopedic specialist who gave me a shoe insert. CMT also causes a neuropathy in my hands and feet. I have trouble maintaining my balance. And there are times when my extremities will tingle with numbness or stinging pain. There are no treatments, and they are very far from a cure.
I let my body deteriorate in high school. In college I realized that the opposite of muscle degeneration is muscle growth, and I began to use Strength Training to combat the CMT. Surprisingly it worked! But running still wasn’t something I was good at.
This was the beginning of my Finding Fitness Journey.
I decided my first race would be more of a fun run, so there wouldn’t be as much pressure to do well. At the very worst, I can powerwalk 3 miles in about 45 minutes. When I mentioned the race to some fellow GTStrutters, one told me that the course was a great one and I’d love it. I just wanted to survive it.
The race was in Port Arthur on the Lamar College campus, which is almost a half hour from our apartment. Thankfully the race wasn’t at an ungodly 6am like Jon’s races. We still left by 7 to make sure we got there with time for packet pickup in case of delay, weather, or street closures. I’m glad we did, because the gps still got us lost. You can never trust technology.
Before the Race
We still got there early, because I am a chronic “don’t be late” kind of person. We picked up my packet with tee-shirt and beads, made friends with the Chik-Fil-A cow, then went inside the Carl Parker Multipurpose Center to change and feed Charlotte-Ann. I think they did a Zumba warm-up while we were in there, because I saw pictures after the event of Zumba and it definitely wasn’t before we arrived. I ate some oatmeal that we brought from home, and set up a chair in the grass by the finish line.
Before my race was the Kids 5k. It was so cute. When they took off down the road these little kids were booking it top speed straight out the gate. Arms flailing and legs pumping. They had no idea how to pace themselves. And, they were zigzagging across the road which took time and energy. They made it down the road and lost their steam then came jogging back. Except for the winner! He had a pretty consistent speed throughout. All of the Kids 1k participants received a Finishers Medal.
The Race
The 5k course was pretty simple: run down the road, up a sightly steep ramp onto the seawall, run along the seawall to the halfway point, stop for hydration refueling, then turn around and go back. We had run into some Strutters before the lineup, and they were eagerly at the front of the pack. Not me. I found a comfy spot in the middle and waited for the cannon to sound. I figured I would be behind the runners but in front of the walkers, so the walkers didn’t get in my way but I didn’t get in the competitive runners’ ways either.
When the airhorn sounded I set my Garmin fitness watch to start, and I took off. I decided to stay on the yellow line to make sure I was running in a straight path. Plus, how often do you get the chance to run down the middle of the road? The runners that were in front of me turned out to be less experienced than I thought. Everyone I chose to pace with ended up going slower than I’d prefer to have gone, so before I knew it I was passing people. I knew better than to over exert, so I maintained a slow but steady pace down the road and up the ramp. The beads I had put on were terrible. I tucked them in my shirt and said forget that festive spirit. I don’t know how people were running with feather boas and masks.
I’m probably the only person who likes hills. When we made it to the ramp I got a second win and powered up the hill. It was so pretty outside, considering it’s January. The sun was shining, it was not cold like the weekend before, and there was a beautiful breeze on the seawall. I saw a fellow Strutter, April, up ahead and knew from her Instagram posts that she was very good at self pacing. I decided to use her to pace myself to push through the desire to walk. When I caught up to her I asked if there was a Strutter Handshake, like Harley Davidson riders, but she said no- we just say “hi” and “Good job”. Bummer.
When I finally reached the halfway mark, I thought I was going to die. I wanted to curl up under the table and take a nap. It wouldn’t be too strange- there was a homeless woman on the seawall that we passed. I had been drinking a bottle of water each time I practiced running in the week prior, but didn’t want to look like a tool carrying a water bottle when I ran. Plus, my hands aren’t good at the whole gripping thing. So instead I stopped at the water station and guzzled down a cup of water. Everyone in front of me was taking sips then tossing the rest of the cup, but I was grateful for the surplus and enjoyed every drop.
I tried to maintain my slow and steady light run, but I was really feeling it. My lungs were burning and my thighs were throbbing. My hands were big and fat like Mickey Mouse. I thought I was going to roll down the hill and give up. I admit, I walked a bit on the back stretch. But only enough to recharge a bit so I could run a little more. There was a man who really made me laugh. Every time I caught up to him he would sprint off top speed only to stop and start walking again. I wanted to tell him he’d be more efficient just jogging the same pace as me, but I run alone. And stranger danger.
April shouted, “Come on girl,” before taking off towards the finish line. She does the devilish thing known as negative splits. I have never attempted this because I am pretty darned lazy and as long as I can tell people I’m “Not fast, not last” I’m fine. Once she was out of sight, Mad Mike passed me and I liked his speed. I used him as a motivator pacer until the finish line was in sight and he too, took off. I’m not sure how Mad Mike got his name, but he sure did earn it. He was running this 5k and a second 5k the same day, and a third 5k the next day. Truly Maddness.
I know you’re supposed to “finish strong” but I was so tired I didn’t think I had anything left. A woman playing music without headphones was keeping up with me but then suddenly took off and I couldn’t keep up with her. I thought I was going to crawl through the finish line. But as I neared the ending I saw Jonathan and Charlotte-Ann cheering me on, and by some stoke of luck my legs moved faster and I pushed through to the end.
After the Race
I was tired. The first thing I did was drink an entire bottle of gatorade. It was a small bottle, but I usually dilute my sports drinks by at least 50%. I made Jonathan get me a second one because I felt overly dehydrated but didn’t want to look like a glutton. I had looked up at the clock as I ran through, and checked my watch, but decided to check the computer as well. I like technology sometimes. I had run the race in 32:35, and was 57th Overall. I was so impressed. When I ran the Boilermaker 5k in July 2014 I trained for weeks and weeks and only ran a 30. Yet somehow I ran a 32 with minimal training, and only 4 months after having a baby.
Valero Oil Refinery had volunteers serving boudin and sausage, for free. I can never get used to the whole free food thing. One of the ladies on the cart saw my shirt and said “Strutters, represent!” It was really nice to know that I am now part of a community. I’ve seriously never felt this with anything before.
We knew that a few of the fellow Strutters had won medals, so we decided to sit and watch the award ceremony. It’s not like we had anything better to do. I set up my chair and ate my sausage while we listened and clapped as they called everyone’s names. On my last bite of sausage, I almost choked and had to spit it out. They had called my name! Somehow, by some miracle, I had placed 3rd in my age group (20-29). I spit my sausage on the ground, tried to swallow what was left in my mouth, and wipe the utter disbelief off my face as I went up for my medal.
I am still in complete shock, and got slightly teary eyed writing this post over a medal. I know it was just a fun run, many people in my age division were walking, not many dedicated runners came out, and my time wouldn’t have put me in the Top 10 at a more formal run… But that doesn’t matter for me. To me, all that matters is that I am running. I want to inspire my daughter to run. I don’t want her to grownup hating her body because she doesn’t match the unrealistic expectations in the media. I want her to grow up fit and active so when she’s running it’s because she loves her body. Not because she is trying to change it.
We can’t choose our genetics, but we can choose our attitude. A good attitude beats lousy genetics every day.
#EveryMileMatters
