The Incredible Shrinking Krista

Sunday, March 29, 2015

3 years, and I'm STILL fighting!

Three years ago at the end of February my kids went to Florida to watch the final shuttle launch.  While they were there, my Mom and Dad, my kids, my niece and my sister stayed at Shades of Green on Walt Disney World Property.  As a last minute thing, my sister signed up for the 5k during Princess Half Marathon weekend.  She told me how awesome it was, and seeing all the ladies dressed up in princess costumes while running, and that she was going to sign up.  I had decided to seriously work on my weight issues, and thus, the road to me finishing a half marathon began....

I was working with a Personal trainer, and seeing significant changes in my weight and ability, but he ended up leaving the gym, and I was again lost at sea.  My trainer hadn't talked to me about the logic behind what I was doing, he didn't teach me what to do or why I should do it.  I was at sea without a rudder, so I went back to old, unhealthy habits, and pretty much quit working out again.  Not having any concept of what it took to run a half marathon, and in complete denial about just how miserable unhealthy I was, I decided to start training in early January for a late February race.  This was a horrible decision that led to a early diagnosis of having a broken bone in my right foot after just 1 run.  The follow-up with my orthopedist showed no break, so I was basically told that running at 270 pounds was of course going to hurt, but if I kept running and moving, my weight should go down, and thus, the pain in the foot would get better.

February 26, 2012, I attempted the Princess Half Marathon.  I made it a whopping 2 miles before I saw a charter bus pulled across the road, and the bus took me to the finish line.  We were encouraged that even Cinderella had to catch a ride to the ball.  We were given our medals, and congratulated for our efforts.  I found this laughable, and didn't feel like I deserved my medal at all.  To this day, I'm not even sure where that medal is.  I didn't feel worthy of that medal.

I'm nothing if not persistent, sometimes to my own detriment.  I hurried up and registered for the Battleship Half Marathon in Wilmington, NC for the first weekend in November of 2012.  It had a 3 hour time limit for runners, but walkers were welcome, and could start an hour earlier to have a 4 hour time limit.  I didn't train between the two.  I did a 5k here in town and then waited for the race.  Again, I was in complete denial of just out horribly unhealthy and out of shape I was.  That day, I made it 12.5 miles before I threw in the towel.

Attempt number 3 at a half marathon was the Princess Half Marathon 2013.  I again made it 10 miles.  My foot was really painful.  I reached the point where the pain in my foot was SO BAD that I was feeling nauseous with every step.  I sat down and waited for that oh-so-dreaded charter bus to take me to the finish line.  That afternoon I went to the ER and they suspected I had a stress fracture.  I again followed up with an orthopedist who said there was no fracture or break, just the expected pain from running at 260 pounds or so.

In June of 2013 I ran a local 5k here in my town, and it took me almost an hour to finish, and then I couldn't walk right for nearly 3 days.  I finally went to a foot specialist who sent me for an MRI.  They found a small break in my Navicular bone.  This is one of the bones in the foot that bears weight.  As a result of it being an old break, I got to spend 8 blissful, sweaty and hot weeks in a boot.  Bone healed.

On September 30, 2013, I went ahead with Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy surgery.  Once cleared to start exercising, I did...very slowly.  Then I decided to sign up for a transformation challenge at my gym.  in the first week of the challenge, I went to a Zumba class and tore up my left knee.  I ended up having to have knee surgery a year ago, on March 6.  about 6 weeks later, I had a friend who won an entry to the Diva Half marathon.  I signed up, and made it to 7 miles, but my knee wasn't ready, and locked up.  This is also the race where I learned about the horrors of a Neuroma in my foot.

On to attempt 5, the Rock n Roll Chicago Half Marathon.  I always end up getting a nervous stomach.  I tend to take an Imodium to prevent it, but forgot it this particular morning.  I started having to stop at every port-o-potty from mile 4 on.  Not a good thing.  Especially as a post-op WLS patient.  Dehydration is a serious danger, which I found out for myself in Chicago.  I got to mile 8 and asked for some Imodium.  When they took my blood pressure I was immediately pulled from the course due to dehydration.  I was transported to the finish line, this time in an ambulance, and got Salted Gatorade (the worst invention since Pitocin in my opinion) to get myself rehydrated.

Attempt number 6 was at the Wine and Dine race at Walt Disney World, otherwise known as "Splash and Dash"  There is nothing more hellish than a night race that starts at 10:00 in 50* weather an pouring down rain.  I was swept at mile 11.

I was supposed to do the Glass Slipper Challenge in February, but I got a stomach bug and ended up in the ER instead.  As a consolation my sister signed the two of us up for the Publix Savannah Women's Half Marathon.  It was so very worth it!!!

Race recap coming up soon!


1 comment:

  1. I chose to stay at the side. I have to respect his decision. I'm talking to money


    ไพ่ป๊อกเด้ง

    ReplyDelete