Sudden Change in Bowel Habits

For the first time since starting Remicade I find myself constipated.  I felt a little backed up on Saturday, but I attributed it to my period. Well, my period is over and I'm still struggling to poop. I don't want to wait this out, so I took some laxatives tonight in hopes it will help get me regular again. In the past, laxatives don't usually work right away, which makes me skeptical of how quickly I'll actually find relief. I've also been trying to eat less to decrease the potential backup. It's hard because my appetite is raging! I'm so hungry that only having one dinner is making my stomach growl. I desperately want to poop so that I can EAT.ALL.THE.FOOD!

This is My Story

The TCS NYC Marathon website has a page for runners to submit their stories.

"Who or what has inspired you to run the TCS New York City Marathon? If you have overcome a challenge or are raising awareness for an organization or cause, please include the details. (500 characters or less)"

I'm thinking about submitting my story, but first I want to get your feedback on what I have so far:

My inspiration to run has come from different places over the years. In the beginning, my dad inspired me to run kid fun runs and 5ks. Not only did I run because I wanted to be like my dad, I also ran because getting matching Turkey Trot t-shirts excited my six year old self.  In first grade, I always ran hard to be at the front of the pack while we ran around the track during P.E.  In high school, I was inspired to run to stay in shape for basketball season. Eventually, after high school, my dad inspired me to run my first marathon in 2008. We got matching t-shirts for the marathon, too!  Because my dad inspired me to become a runner, he also inadvertently inspired me to run the TCS New York City Marathon.

My struggle with Crohn’s disease has also inspired me to run the TCS New York City Marathon. Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease. It causes chronic inflammation in my gastrointestinal tract, which can lead to diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, stomach pain, and weight loss among other symptoms.  Crohn’s can be extremely painful and debilitating. Even though there is not a known cure for Crohn’s disease, there are drugs available that can help reduce the symptoms.  

While struggling through symptoms at the beginning of the year, I entered the 2016 TCS New York City Marathon lottery because I needed motivation to start running again. I needed a bucket list race to train for to inspire me to get back on the roads. During the thirteen years I’ve struggled with Crohn’s disease, running has become a symbol of strength and perseverance for me.  There have been days when I was in too much pain or  was too fatigued to get out of the door. There have also been days I ran through the pain and the fatigue to prove to myself that I can still be strong, I can still persevere.  

Since winning the TCS NYC Marathon lottery, I’ve had minor surgery and I’ve started different medication to treat my condition in an attempt to limit my symptoms.  In the months following my surgery and medication change, I have felt better than I’ve felt in a decade. I refuse to let Crohn’s permanently take running away from me. Every time Crohn’s disease knocks me down, I will get back up and fight. I will get back up and run. I will be running the TCS NYC Marathon to prove to myself that Crohn’s disease will not beat me in the long run.

One Run Does Not Define the Season

This morning's run was really difficult. It was already in the 80's when we started at 5:15am. It was super humid and sticky (95% humidity). Sweat was just sitting on my skin and not evaporating to help cool me down. My pace group is 10:30 - 11:30 minutes per mile; however, on long runs they say we're 11:00 - 11:30 minutes per mile and suggest that we should slow down further to adjust to the hot weather. Well, this is MarathonFest and apparently MarathonFest is always in badass beast mode because when they say we should slow down, we don't or we run faster. During my 10 miles this morning, I was wondering why it felt challenging to keep up with my group.  At the end, I found out that we were maintaining a 10:38 per mile pace!  Clearly, that's on the fast end of our pace group. Furthermore, the 10:38 pace includes walk breaks and water stops, so we must have really been booking it when we were actually running. Nonetheless, I survived another "long" run even though I didn't finish as strongly as I would have liked to. One run does not define the season. I'm sure there will be more difficult runs along my journey to the finish line in NYC. After all, the reason I'm training is to make race day easier. If it wasn't for my group, I would have quit at mile six. I should embrace difficult runs and be proud of the fact that I got out there and ran 10 miles today. I'm stronger for it!

2016 Annual State of the Business Meeting

I attended my company's Annual State of the Business Meeting today. My favorite part was finally being able to put faces with names. The meeting was very insightful about the overall health and direction of the company. I am so proud to work for this amazing company!  Everyone in attendance received sunglasses with our logo on them because "the future's so bright" for us.

I can't get over how healthy I am!

Since I had to go onstage with my entire department, I decided to wear a dress. Obviously, that's a big deal to me because dresses aren't my favorite thing. I even wore baby heels!  By some miracle I didn't fall or trip onstage while I was being introduced. My sister, Kelly, took pictures to document the rare moment in time that I actually looked presentable. Now I have a new LinkedIn profile picture. By the way, I don't remember if I mentioned that I have business cards now! Go professional me!!!

Confession

I have a confession: I do not remember the last time I felt this well. This could possibly be the best I've felt in over a decade. I have so much energy that I don't know what to do with it. I've had no pain. My bowels are functioning better than I ever thought was possible. At the doctor on Friday, I weighed in at 151 pounds! I feel like a normal person, strong and healthy.  Is this how you people feel all the time? It's wonderful!

My life is amazing at this moment in time. Training for the NYC Marathon is going spectacularly well! I've found a pace group that challenges me just enough to keep me wondering if I can keep up. Since I managed to stay with them for 10.5 miles on Saturday, I'd say I can keep up even if it is out of my comfort zone at times.  My supervisor put in a request for me to get a raise and my employer is paying for me to become CRIS (Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist) certified. It's a total of 6 classes and I just registered for the first class this week. The class is online and I can work at my own pace.

Orlando is My City

I consider myself pretty disconnected from the world because I don't have cable television. In fact, I often intentionally avoid media news.  I first learned of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando through posts on Facebook early Sunday morning. Immediately I pulled a live news feed up on my laptop to learn all that I could about the horrific event.

I am sickened by this weekend's violent attacks in Orlando. I am shocked, heartbroken, and numb. Pulse is a mere 3 miles away from where I sleep at night. I drove by Pulse 17 hours before the shooting began on my way home from my Saturday morning run. Orlando is my City! 

Crazy Loves Company

I feel like I should warn you in advance. In the next five months, it is extremely likely I will be littering my blog with posts about running as my marathon training kicks into full gear!

I did the Echo Half Marathon on Sunday. I had a 10 mile run planned on my schedule, so I decided I might as well register for a half. I stayed with the 2:30 pacer for the first 9 miles, and averaged an 11:27 pace per mile for those 9 miles.  I slowed down on the 10th mile and after I passed the 10th mile marker, I walked most of the last 5k. My official finish time was 2:46:01.  I can't complain considering I slowed way down on the last 3.1 miles of the race because I wasn't fully trained for the entire half marathon. I'm excited to start MarathonFest this week! They will host group runs on Tuesdays for speed work, Thursdays for hills, and Saturdays for long runs. You might be wondering why I paid for training when I'm already able to do a half marathon before the training begins.  Well, running long runs solo is boring and I tend to doubt myself rather than finish strong. I really want accountability to stay on track and I want to be challenged in ways I wouldn't likely challenge myself. It would also be a bonus if I meet other runners going to NYC.

I'm hopeful to meet new running friends. Plus, I'm excited to challenge myself on group runs by pushing my pace out of my comfort zone. I can't wait for the gym I joined to finally open so that I can get to work on getting in the best shape of my life by November.

On Thursday, I'm going out to lunch with my previous supervisor in Payroll.  We were never into small talk so it should be an interesting outing.  As far as I know she hasn't filled the position I left yet. I really want to ask her questions about FMLA, but I don't know if I'll find the courage to because it might involve talking about Crohn's. I still struggle to discuss Crohn's with people I don't consider friends. It just seems too personal.  We will definitely talk about running. I know she's been running four days a week. I'm going to see if I can talk her into running a 10K. If she bites on the 10K, I'm going to try to convince her to run a half marathon. You know crazy loves company and if she's already running four days a week, she might as well be training for something.

Yes, Take a Cookie for Your Brother

While I was in line to get a cookie at Savanna's VPK graduation tonight a little boy asked me if he could take a cookie for his brother. I nodded my head and confidently told him, "Yes!"

My supervisor's mother passed away last week and my supervisor has been out of the office since last Wednesday. She'll be returning on Monday. I have just a little over two months of experience and I've been on my own at work. Executives have been coming to me for my input and comments on contracts and markups. Project Managers and Project Assistants have been looking to me to lead negotiations. Our vendors have been contacting me with questions and having me manage the process to get mutually agreeable contracts executed. Usually, I tell my supervisor my opinion on these things and ask her questions to better understand the issues and she tells me if I'm right or wrong, and then she explains our company's stance on the topic to me. This is how I've been learning in this position. Since she's not there, there's no one to tell me if I'm right or not. Don't get me wrong, I love the excitement of my job; however, I can't help but feel like I did when I told that kid he can take a cookie for his brother. Who am I to tell you what to do?  People are looking to me for answers, guidance, and solutions. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as telling them they can take a cookie for their brother. I'm doing my best and making, what I believe to be, thoughtful business decisions. Only time will tell if I've been doing a good job or not.

Sink or swim
Pass or fail
Get fired or get a raise