Just recently I completed another Diamond 10K event. This one had a 13K challenge race. Which I had talked about in the past. It is just over 8 miles and I didn’t have any plans to run hard or run fast because I have a lot going on. I am currently training for the runDisney marathon in January so fast isn’t my style. Plus, I can’t keep the speed for long distances. 

I am struggling more between my Scoliosis and my chronic migraine fight. I am running less mileage throughout the months and it is getting frustrating. Not because I don’t want to, but because my body won’t let me. It’s the constant battling of wanting to do things and the chronic pain life. 

Being that I can run longer distances, I knew I was going to be able to tackle the 13K challenge. How well it would go was something else. I reached out to someone I knew to see how I could better perform and finish upright with a decent finish. He suggested longer training times and some better cross training. So I implemented that into my schedule. Between the electrical stormy days here, and that affecting me, made it pretty difficult to even function let alone train. But somehow I did.

I had planned to run on race day, but I was having a spinal cord simulator temporarily implanted in my spine and I would be extremely limited to movements. So I decided to do the race a few days early since I did the virtual option. I had trouble in the past doing a 10K because it takes me about that to get into a good rhythm. But this day I was focused, felt OK, and was ready and I think I did OK!

I never looked at my watch, always cover the screen on the treadmill(because it bothers me) and I put Annabelle on the tv just for noise. I just felt the run if that makes sense? I could feel my watch alert me to each mile and I never thought it was the pace I was going at because I kept making the treadmill go faster because I felt like it was going a lot slower than how I felt at the moment. 

At first my rotated ribs that broke at the TCS NYC marathon started to REALLY bother me and I struggled to breathe right, but after I got over that, it was smooth sailing. I looked at my watch once, at exactly 6.44 miles and again when I stopped it at 8.11. Good thing because I went over a bit. But I had sped up a bit and I was tired at that point. I was proud of my effort, the hard work I put in and I will never run that fast again for that long because I paid for it for 2 days straight.

The swag that I earned is incredible! Diamonds everywhere! And the theme of the phases of the moon?!?! This is by far my favorite yet.

I got a necklace as the medal and a ring that states “Shoot for the moon land among the stars” a super soft racing tank, a hat and a bib. It’s all perfect to commemorate a great race. This was a tough one but I didn’t think I would end up with the time I ended up with. I just knew I could do a faster time.

Exhausted and ready to pass out, I sat on the treadmill for a bit and Lyssa had come in immediately after to check and alert me. She didn’t leave me. But now I am off to focus on marathon training. 

-gelcys