Tomorrow

It was just over four years ago that I was lying in a hospital bed, fighting for my life. The doctors had no idea what was wrong with me, so they put me in the oncology wing. I slept most of the time. I couldn't keep any food down. I looked like a skeleton and had dark circles under my eyes. I endured so many tests. I had transformed into a human pincushion. I was so dehydrated that they had trouble taking my blood; the barely twenty year old lab techs had to stick me five or six times every test just to hit a vein. I remember one time one of the techs just came into my room and I burst into tears.

Lying in that room, I felt closer to God than I have at any other time in my life. I prayed a lot. I was edging close to the end of my life, and I had an overwhelming feeling that if I went, I would be okay. I had lived a good life. But I thought of my sweet husband. I thought of my three boys - six years, three years, and two months old. Still babies. They needed a mother. I had so much left to teach them. I prayed fervently to my Heavenly Father that I would get to raise my boys. And then, somehow, I knew that my prayers would be answered and I would live. The next day, the doctors figured it out - Addison's disease. Within a day or two, I was playing cards with my family, bored, ready to get out of bed and eat anything salty.

I'm not sure if I would trade that experience. I hate that it caused my family stress, especially Sparky. I hate that I did not have enough energy to be a good mother for months before I was diagnosed. But I don't take life for granted. I thank God every day that I am alive. The time with my children is precious. My time with Sparky is a gift. The little things don't matter as much as they used to.

When I was sick, and even just after I was diagnosed, I never thought I would be able to run again. But over the last four years, I've slowly built up my strength so that now I can run regularly. I do it for my kids. I want to be as healthy as I possibly can for them. Tomorrow is a big milestone for me. I'm running the Seattle Rock and Roll Half Marathon - my first half marathon since my diagnosis. I am dedicating this race to my kids. I'm pretty sure that they are the reason that I'm alive today. And I'm so happy to be doing this race with Sparky. Everything is ten times better when he's around.

Viking Fest 2008

A few weeks ago, Thing 1, Thing 2, and I participated in various races at Viking Fest in Poulsbo. Thing 2 squeaked out a win in the 50 yard dash:




And Thing 1 ran his first 1 mile race in an impressive 7:38.





















Thing 3 said when do I get to run my race?





















And I ran the 5 mile race. It was a gorgeous day, and the course was breathtaking (in more ways than one, ha-ha). Most of it is right along Liberty Bay, and it ends in downtown Poulsbo. I counted 12 women and one man from our stake who ran the race. It was nice to run with friends! I ran with a friend from basketball for the first mile or two, then I caught up to another friend around mile three and ran with her for a bit. I was really pleased with my time - my goal was to be under 45 minutes, and I finished in 41:38. Thing 1 admitted to me that Sparky had told them that I would finish sometime between 45 and 50 minutes. Thanks for the confidence! I took fourth in my division. I was bummed about not placing, but third place finished two minutes ahead of me so I didn't feel too bad.




















Before this race, I had only run in 3 races since I had been diagnosed with Addison's disease in 2005, and all of my performances had been... less than stellar. This is the first race where I felt good before, during, and after the race. Sparky said I felt too good afterward - I guess it looked like I still had a lot left in me at the end. I don't know, I totally crashed on the couch when we got home and was completely worthless for the rest of the day. Anyway, it was fun, I'm looking forward to doing it next year, and I'm planning on doing more races this summer. And I'll have to remember to sign up Thing 3 for one of the kids dashes next time!