I have been a determined, goal oriented person since forever, even if it wasn’t a good decision.
- I remember missing the 1 mile run when I was in elementary school because we were running late and I was so stubborn that I was not going to miss running so I took on the 5k that was about to start. It was freezing and raining and I am pretty sure my dad thought I was going to die of hypothermia, but I finished it. I don’t remember if I had any fun, but I did it!
- I broke my nose during a basketball game in 8th grade and jumped into the next game because “She can’t break it any worse”. I would have gotten back into the game right after the break, but my nose wouldn’t stop bleeding.
- I trained my butt off for my first marathon at Virginia Beach. My Team Z teammates and I had trained together for months and couldn’t wait to run it together. Then I got one of my miserable colds. At the expo, I had to sit in the bathroom because I was too dizzy to keep standing and I didn’t want the others to know. I somehow pulled myself through 13.1 miles without too many issues, but then hit a wall. It seriously felt like someone punched my chest and it stayed depressed. I walked 13.1 miles with intense chest pain because I did not want to fail on my first marathon. I found out a few days later that I had pulled cartilage away from my ribs because of the intense activity while sick.
- Then there was the time that I had major knee surgery and still did an Ironman 3.5 months later because I had already paid for it and my family was coming to watch. I was cleared to run one day before the race, which meant I walked the entire 26.2 mile marathon…I don’t recommend it. I still think my doctor didn’t know what an Ironman was when he said I would be able to do it…now I guarantee he knows what an Ironman is.
So obviously, when I set a goal, I will do everything possible (even stupidly) to accomplish it. This meant that I was going to run a half marathon in November for American Cancer Society. I was able to postpone my Disney race for 2021 or 2022 so I was doing this race strictly for myself. I started 2020 with the goal of recovering enough to run a half and I was going to do it.
Fundraising
First, I will step back because running a half marathon was not the best part of this goal. Raising money for American Cancer Society was the best part of this goal. I pulled together 9 people from all walks of my life including Purdue volleyball teammates, Team Z friends, work friends, and family to join on this running and fundraising journey.
Thanks to my incredible friends and family, I personally was able to raise $7000! My team of 9 raised $13,813! I cannot thank everyone enough for donating money, especially during the crazy year of 2020. This money will go towards research and resources to help those fighting cancer and caregivers. I know ACS was one of the groups I turned to for research when I was diagnosed and I am so thrilled to be able to give back. Look at cancer.org if you need support in any way related to cancer or being a caregiver. And major kudos to Jenna from ACS for keeping us all on track, providing motivation, and being the best Disney virtual trivia host ever.
Training
I knew running a half in November would be hard. Chemo killed any cardio I had built up. The surgeries limited my activity for at least 6 weeks so I was starting over after each one. But I knew that I could at least walk through the miles and I would be in Disney with friends and family, so it would all work out. Running keeps me sane and races provide me extra motivation to get out so it was a win/win.
COVID changed everything again. Obviously the race was cancelled. I had planned on going to Tokyo for the Olympics to cheer on my friend and that trip didn’t happen either. On a positive side, I was able to get my reconstruction surgery done when I had planned on being in Japan. My reconstruction surgery was on August 4th. I was limited on activity for only 4 weeks…my doctor gave in to let me start slowly a little early. So my training started in September.
I started with run/walk intervals and shorter runs. Each weekend run added a little more distance. I wasn’t fast, but I was getting in runs. It wasn’t easy, but they were getting done. I stopped looking at my pace and just enjoyed being able to be out and running. I was even able to tag along for a mile or two with my friends. I had missed these group runs so much! Also I have the greatest run partner…Callie! She was the motivation I needed to keep pushing myself to get out there.
The cross country road trip wasn’t great for my training schedule, but I actually got in runs until I got to Florida. Running the mall in DC is still one of my favorite runs, especially when I am with friends. I even tried running in Florida, but park hours and humidity were not my friend. So I was behind schedule when I got back to Colorado.
13.1 Miles
I should have run on November 8 for the official race date, but I pushed it off a week to get in one more training run. My whole goal was to finish, regardless of time and how much I had to walk. I had ribbons on my shirt to dedicate the race to survivors and those we have lost. This run was for me, but it was also for them.
We had planned on running on Saturday, but 50+ mph winds made us push the run back to Sunday. Sunday was beautiful, even though still windy. Jess joined me on the run and I cannot thank her enough. It went relatively well. I hit the wall around 10 miles, but that is normal for me. We switched to a run/walk when needed. We did it! I finished my half marathon! Callie finished her first half marathon too and she was in much better shape than me.
I needed to finish this run. I needed to know my body was still capable of covering those miles. I needed to know that despite the changes to my body, I was still able to run and to enjoy it. I needed to prove to myself I could do it. Running has become something that I love and this proved that it was still something I could do. Cancer did not win.
I cannot wait to eventually get to Disney to run for American Cancer Society with friends and family, but until then, I am so glad I got out and did it myself.