Oh wow…the Warrior Dash was AWESOME!!!

I was a little worried about it…it was my first sleep-away race.  It was in Quarryville, PA and my roommate was supposed to go with me as she’d registered to do it too, but she backed out last minute (even though she’s known about it since we signed up 8 months ago..grrr..).  I drove down on Friday, a nice little 6 hour drive to the middle of Amish Country in Pennsylvania. 

I woke up early because, like I said it was my first sleep-away race and I was nervous.  It was cold when I started out for the race, but it ended up being about 70 degrees midday…awesome weather!!  This wasn’t just a run, which I could handle…there were obstacles involved!  I got there a little after 8 and the first wave was set to go off at 9 – I was in the 11am wave.  There were waves of up to 500 going off every half hour until 5pm….and that was just on Saturday; Sunday was every half hour 9 till about 2 (I believe).  It was awesome…the first wave went off and I made my way over to the finish area to watch them come in….you couldn’t really see any of the obstacles from the main area – it was smack in the middle of a Yogi Bear Campground and a paintball course.  The finish area consisted of a gigantic mud pit that had barbed wire strung across it…so there was no walking through the mud, you HAD to crawl.  Then you ran and jumped over two flaming piles of wood to the finish chute.  Watching that first wave come in made me nervous…they were sooooo spaced out finishing, made me wonder if I had any sense in my head at all signing up for this.  Oh well…I did some stretching and walked around…hit the port-o-potties about three times, checked my bag and was off to the starting line area for my wave.  I put myself toward the back…I wanted to pace myself.  I had three goals…do ALL the obstacles, don’t die and finish.  Okay, I had four…I didn’t want to come out of it with a cast either.

We started and there were gigantic flames coming straight up out of the starting line sign…awesome – I love fire!!  For the first five to ten minutes it was hurry up and wait…I walked because there were so many people and we couldn’t go anywhere.  People spaced out as we got running and to the first obstacle…the dark tunnels!  You crawled through on your hands and knees came out and continued running through the hay field.  The second obstacle was part of the paint ball course…we had to climb up and over five or six small buildings about 6-7 feet off the ground.  There was a window cut into the side you could use and a rope hanging off the top…not so bad going up.  I’m scared of heights….and the 5-6 foot drop on the other side scared the crap out of me!  By the last one I was good to go!!  The next obstacle was 5 or 6 gigantic piles of dirt, rocks and metal pipes you had to scramble over…kind of slippery going down, but no injuries here!!  Next was the haybale pyramid…as a farm girl this was cake! Up one side, down the other...and off to the cargo net climb!!  I was nervous about this one, you could see if from the parking lot.  I instantly had flashbacks to when I was a kid, a very fat kid, and couldn’t get up the cargo net at the playground…yikes.  Dude, who knew that losing 200+lbs and working out would make that damn cargo net so easy!! 

     From there we had a nice ½ mile straight run…kind of down hill to a water tent.  Grabbed some water and off I went!  There was a nice trail run through the campground, over giant trees and into the SPIDER WEBS!!  Actually it was just tons of rope strung between the trees you had to get through…without falling on your face…again..success!!  More trail run, then there was the balance beam over a culvert..cake!!  More trail run…then you come to what they called the “blackout” where you go under on these tarp covered structures in the dark…probably should have listened to the guy and done the bear walk because I have a crap load of bruises and cuts on my knees today…oh well…Warrior scars!  Then more trail run, and as you rounded the corner there was the water.  The ICE COLD water…covered with nasty green sludge/slime.  The water was just below my chest and you had to go over 6 logs….logs 1-3 – no problem.  Logs 4 & 5…kicked my ass.  I went COMPLETELY under water…thought my heart was going to stop, it was SOOO cold!!  Log 6…no problem.  Getting out of that nasty slimy mess was another issue…it was just a mud slicked hill…awesome! J  I made it up and back down the other side without falling…and off I went to the next obstacle.  There were about 8 walls, all about 3 ½-4 feet high that we had to get ourselves over…not bad, as I’m 5’10”.  The guys staffing that obstacle did tell us to be extremely careful as they were just finishing loading up two guys to be taken away to the medic tent…knee and shoulder injuries….yikes, glad it wasn’t me though!! 

     Off to the next one…it was a pit of nasty brown watery mud that seriously smelled like poop.  The guy I was running with at that point totally cannon-balled into it, so I figured it couldn’t be that bad.  Made it out of that one and I was headed up the hill….of pure mud.  It was awesome…and I didn’t fall!!  Then there was one more hill, no mud, but also lots of stumps trying to trip us up…I didn’t succumb!!  At the top of that hill was the finish…the infamous mud and barbed wire pit.  Which as the day wore on got muddier thanks to the volunteers who were continuously throwing on more dirt and water…awesome!!  I crawled through the pit and was absolutely covered from my chest down…and made my way to the fire.  Leapt over both sets of flaming logs and into the finish chute!!! 

It seriously was the craziest race I’d ever done, but it was also by far the most fun I’d ever had in a race.  I don’t even know what my time was…I’m sure they’ll post them eventually.  It was a special race for me because this week was my two year mark for my RNY…the Warrior Dash was my present to myself…which I did, and I rocked it!!  I’m definitely signing up for next year….perhaps multiple dates?!? J  I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone out there….the run is cake, it’s only a 5k and there’s lots of start/stopping…so no worries!!  Anyone want in???  They’ve already got dates up on the website for next year – www.warriordash.com  

So it’s my two year surgi-versary and I’ve been thinking an awful lot about how my life has changed over the past two years.

I went from being the largest person in my family, both size and weight wise, to being the smallest. My father told me he was proud of me, this is the first time he’s EVER said this to me, because of all the weight I’ve lost and how I’ve really stuck with it. He tells his friends about my running….because he’s proud of me.

Over the past year I’ve become a runner, doing my first 5k last November. Since then I’ve run a bunch of 5k’s (shaving over 5 minutes off my best time), 4 milers, a 10k, a ¼ Marathon, the running leg of a Tri and even a Half Marathon. I NEVER would have imagined that I’d be able to do all that…and to top it all off, I actually LIKE running. I’m planning on driving to PA this weekend for a 5k race that is filled with all sorts of crazy obstacles (www.warriordash.com) as a two year present to myself. And I’ve decided that in January 2012 I’m going to run the Disney Full Marathon.

I just got back from a weekend trip to Milwaukee…I had absolutely no second thoughts about getting on that plane. I wasn’t the least bit uncomfortable; there was no need for a seat belt extender and I was actually cold on the flight instead of sweaty.

I can fit on rides at Six Flags…with room to spare.

I shop at the Gap…a lot…which is AWESOME because I used to shop only at Lane Bryant until I couldn’t fit in their clothes anymore, and then it was just online. I went from about a 26/28 in college to a 32/34 (my biggest) about three years ago and I am now wearing a 12, a TWELEVE!!! I used to wear a 3x top….I’m now wearing a large…a LARGE!!!

I bought my first bra at Victoria Secret…and it’s a NORMAL size (38C in case you were wondering….I used to be a 48D).

These are the kinds of things that make me so happy to have had my surgery. Not to mention the fact that I used to be on three different blood pressure medicines and have to sleep with a CPAP machine…all gone within a month after surgery.

I finally got the courage to try kayaking…and I like it…a lot. I camp, a lot. I hike, a lot.

Here's a good quote for everyone that I've got hanging up on my fridge - it's where I hang all my inspirational & motivational stuff… it’s been there since about six months before my surgery…

"You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be." -David Viscott

I am FINALLY the person I’d always imagined myself being…I never thought I’d make it this far in the RNY journey…I was convinced it wasn’t going to work for me. There was no way…I weighed 467 lbs, there was no way I was going to be a “normal” sized person. Dude, I am!! I weigh 208lbs and am technically still considered “obese” for my height, but I don’t care. I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been and in the best shape of my life. I got my approval letter for plastics last week, which makes this anniversary today that much sweeter.

I’ve never been so happy with myself or happy in my own skin. I always thought I was happy, but I never really knew how happy I could be. I didn’t know that life could be THIS good.

I just want to thank all of you guys for everything, this is a hard journey, but it is SOOOO worth it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

Katie :)

One of my goals at the beginning of this year was to run 30 competitive miles...I thought that was WAAAAY out of my league and almost impossible...but seeing as I was turning 30 I thought why not?!?

So far in 2010 I've run 42.1 miles....and I've got another 28.6 miles worth of races that I'm already signed up for...giving me a total of 70.7 miles....and I've got my eyes set on a few more fall races already...who knew this was all possible?! I sure didn't, but I'm happy with it. 

So today I found what I thought was a lump in my breast.  I checked it like three times, looked it up on the internet to make sure I was checking properly, checked it again..twice. Checked the other one, thought to myself..."holy crap, you've got two lumps!"

Needless to say, they weren't lumps.  They are in fact, my ribs.  WebMD was waaaaaaaay off on that one!

I haven't updated my profile in a while, but I felt like I should. 

I've been keeping up with my running over the past few months - even though I feel as if I've been plagued by one injury after the next.  At the beginning of April I ran the Greater Hartford 1/4 Marathon, finishing in 1:11:11 and placing 11th in the Athena division.  It was an amazing race for me.  I had never run a race that long and it was intense.  I was still battling some shin splints, but I managed to finish and felt pretty great.  At the end of April I did a local 5k in Worcester, had a pretty decent time 30:24 and 17 out of 35 in my age group and 99/181 over all...slicing some time off of my 5k time which was most excellent. 

I really laid off the weight training in May - mostly because my trainer up and moved to Vermont on me...booo!!!! I started increasing my mileage in May, building up my endurance and clocking some longer runs.  At the end of May I ran a local 5k (my first in my Post Op PR jersey - which I'm CONVINCED is good luck now!!).  It was in Holland, MA and I ran my best 5k time yet - 28:33 finishing 33 out of 130 overall!!! I ended up 4th or 5th in my division - I was one or two people behind the woman who came in 3rd in my divisions (I can't remember if it was a guy between me and the woman who finshed 3rd or a girl)...so I was pretty pumped about that!!   I  kept a pretty good pace throughout, the last 1/2 mile was uphill but I knew that going in so I was ready for it. I do wish that I pushed it a little harder up that hill at the end though...but I'm still STOKED about my time!! 

At the beginning of June I ran a 10k in Granby, MA.  I'm kind of OCD about my pre-race routine so it TOTALLY threw me off that I got lost on my way to the park, ended up running to the registration table to grab my number and then to where the starting line *used* to be...because I passed the I passed the starting line officials who were walking back to the registration table on my way to the course.  I asked if the course was marked better than the park and they told me just to keep taking right turns and i'd be all set!  I did pass three people, who were walking, right at the beginning which made me feel a little bit better...hey, at least I wouldn't be the last one over the finish line!!!  I had to stop and stretch my butt/hip twice but was non-stop otherwise.  It was a pretty flat course, a couple of small hills, nothing too major.  I kept this one guy in my sights the entire race until he passed the girl in the green tank and then she became my marker.  We ran the last 1/2 mile together, it was her first 10k as well...and I managed to finish a second before her...come on, I had to pass her at the end!! :)  I was satisfied with my time, 1:08:01, I was hoping it would have been better...closer to an hour, but I hadn't done an official 10k yet, so I have to start somewhere! 

Two weeks ago, June 13th, I ran my first half marathon.  I'm not going to lie, I was WICKED nervous going into it, but I was determined not to vomit before the race...I normally get queasy the last 100 yards, but before I even start...that's so not me!!  My longest run prior had only been 11 miles - and even then the last 2 miles had been a horrible run/walk/jogging combo. And prior to that run it was a 9 miler a few weeks prior. Well anyways, It wasn't a bad day for a race, it was low 60's and misty when the race started..much better than the humid mess from last weekend! Sue D. and I ran the first 5 or 6 miles together (go team!)...I didn't really keep track...that's just a guess from looking at the map.  It was a pretty level course overall.    A nice downhill right at the beginning, a few hills between miles 3-4 (did not know those were there) the first one was okay, but the second or third one threw me for a loop and I thought I was going to hurl.  Too early for vomiting, so I walked up that one.  Sue left me in her dust somewhere between mile 5 & 6 (I'd guess), she was kicking some serious half marathon butt!!  I started to drag around mile 7, but I'm glad I picked it back up because a couple of my friends and my mom were waiting at mile 8 for me! That worked for the next two miles...at which point it's really only a 5K left..and who can't run a 5K, right?! :) Mile 11-12 was a nice sloping downhill - on a road I knew well so I was pumped that I knew EXACTLY  where I had to go to cross the finish line.  As I came the the mile 12 marker the cop that was standing at the intersection yelled to the group I was with, probably 3 or 4 of us, that we needed to 'haul some ass because we only had 1.1 miles to go and it was going to start raining!!' I thought it was hilarious! :) 

My goal was 2:30 and finishing in the top 1000 and I ended up with a time of 2:35:07 and 962nd place! I was pretty pumped about how close I was to my goal...and really just finishing as my longest run prior had only been 11 miles, so aces!!

I've developed an achey butt muscle that likes to kick in at about mile 2 when I'm running which is AWESOME...was kick ass during my half.  I kind of forget what it's like to run without something hurting...but I guess that's what happens when you're an athlete..your muscles hurt.  I should probably take some time off from running as I don't have anything scheduled until the end of July when I'm doing the running leg of a Tri...just a 5k. JUST a 5k.  Oh hell, a year ago I couldn't even run a mile and now it's JUST a 5k. 

How kick ass is this RNY...I am LOVING the way it's changed my life. :)