Nothing goes better with mud and spandex than tulle!

Before

 So, this morning, just 12 days after gallbladder surgery, I ran another local mud run. It was cold (37 degrees F!), so of course I contemplated going shirtless... but after asking a volunteer and finding out there was no major water until right before the finish line, I kept my clothes on.

(I've learned the hard way that less really is more when it comes to mud run- if you're going to be immersed in water, dress like it's 80 degrees out- cold, wet shirts just lead to hypothermia. Trust me, I've been there.)

I got tons of comments/compliments on my tutu, so I'm glad I made it last-minute last night. No sew tutus may need to be incorporated more often, especially since it was so easy to make.

We met one of my husband's coworkers and his fiance there, which made it even more fun. Silly me, I was too cold at the end to get a group photo!

After

 We really didn't look too muddy when we were done, in part thanks to the dumpster full of water at the end.  

The race was small- I'd guess there were only about 60 people total- and ALL proceeds went to the area's Shop with a Cop program (lower income kids get to go shopping with a police officer for Christmas gifts for their families- it's great way to make Christmas dreams come true, and show these kids strong, positive role models). I love supporting small, local events because of this. No big greedy companies, just lots of love and community.

The course was on a boy scout camp property, and wound us through woods, over hay bales, over or under a hay-laden wagon (I went under- the sand looked nice), through the edge of a pond, through a small creek etc. They did a great job of using the natural landscape for obstacles, and added a few like the hay bales and the water-filled dumpster at the end. Halfway through, I thought we had to go over a trailer of boats (similar to an obstacle in Warrior Dash last August), but Tim notice the course went the other way. Silly me, I just assume anything big is meant to be climbed over!

Tim and I finished the 2.75 mile course in under 30 minutes (there was no timing system since this was meant to be a true fun run- Tim just kind of glanced at his watch). And, I'm very pleased to say (because even in a "fun run" I can't help but compete a little), I was the very first female to cross the finish line! Not too shabby given that 12 days ago, I was still under the influence of anesthesia, and one week ago, I was drowning that darn sinus/chest cold with literally a gallon of hot tea. I was grinning ear to ear when I heard the ladies "manning"the finish line double their volume, yelling, "First female! Way to show all those guys how it's done! And in a tutu!"

There you go, Mom. I made your wish come true- you now have something to brag about at that fundraiser next weekend, since you keep reminding me you need something to brag about in the absence of grand babies!

 The shirt, while not my favorite color (ugh, white, everyone will know what I ate all day), has a very well done logo, and we all got a good chuckle out of the race bags- it's an evidence bag! HAHA! That's what you get when police officers organize a fun run! They also gave everyone a plastic bag for your muddy clothes when you were done- though, since this wasn't my first rodeo, I actually had 6 bags, which was enough to share with our friends.

Check out the medal- a large nut with "MUD AND GUTS" engraved around it. Pretty clever for a small event like this.

I would definitely recommend this event. It was well-organized and the atmosphere, though no party like big name events, was so welcoming, friendly, up-beat, and just all-around great. Over the 13 events I've done this year, some of the smaller ones have been just as fun as the big productions. I love knowing that my money is going towards a good cause, too, not just making someone rich.

It's been a good weekend so far. I hope you've been enjoying yours!

:D

If I could bottle how I feel Right Now, the whole world would take up running by the time I hit post. This is why I run. This feeling of calm, of joy, of strength. No picture can capture it, nor do these words accurately describe just how WONDERFUL I feel.

Sometimes, life is slow, but good.

 This was my view all last week while I recuperated. Because of the pain meds, I literally spent hours just staring out our big window. At least the view is pretty good.

 And, my dear husbeast bought me flowers last Tuesday. He's so sweet.

 I've made much progress with the owl hats- 8 are done, just waiting for the eyes to be sewn on. These 2 got given to our friends' kids.

 And since I spent Saturday coughing/sneezing/sniffling, I drank a gallon (yes, a whole gallon) of hot tea, pouring each cup into my Tough Mudder cup to remind myself not to whine (too much).

And then, Sunday, I RAN!!!!!! Only 1.1 miles on the treadmill, but I RAN!!!! I don't even look like i had surgery- can you even find the one barely visible incision? It felt so good to get sweaty!

And I taught my Zumba class yesterday without issue!

WHEEEEEEE! On my way back to 100% !!

So, while I haven't been up to much, I'm moving in the right direction. Less than 3 weeks until the Freedom 1/2, and I'm no longer freaking out (since I know I can run at my goal pace without pain already).

Here's hoping I log more miles in the coming month than I have this month- I'll be lucky to break 30 for the month!

Post-op

I've stayed away from reading blogs and writing posts these past few days because, well, I'm on drugs. Prescription painkillers, to be exact, and not even the "good ones" because I'm allergic to just about every narcotic there is. So it's some sort of super Ibuprofen type stuff, but it still makes me a little loopy.

I finally felt like getting out of my recliner long enough to read through some of my favorites, which led me to some new ones, and to a surprise-- you know those comment moderation, prove you're not a robot capcha things? I just had one that read "ojduche." Wow, sounds like someone is still mad about that whole incident. Or maybe it's just the painkillers making me think that's funny, and y'all are like, "Wow, did they give her a lobotomy, too?"

If YOU ever have your gallbladder removed, here's a rundown of what I went through, so you'll have some idea of the misery that is supposed to alleviate misery (fingers crossed!).

The procedure only took 1 hour, 15 minutes once they got me back in the OR. It felt like a flash to me, thanks to those horrible burn-your-veins sleepy drugs. Why does that stuff hurt so badly? It's such an awful feeling before a forced nap.

For some reason, once I woke up, everything felt like it was in fast forward- music sounded sped up, the ride home seemed wicked quick, and even my husband sounded like he was talking quickly (normally, when he tells stories, I have to tell him to speed up to keep up with my ADHD). And the SMELLS! I now know how dogs feel when they ride in the car. My husband needs an award for listening to my smell-ramblings.... "I smell smoke. Dirty smoke. It's probably cigarettes but smells like pot. Oh, holy cow, peppermint. Ew, White Castle smells like chemicals. Chemicals! There's a Chevy in front of us, isn't there? I can smell its exhaust."

Speaking of giving him awards, he made for a great nurse/caretaker, even reprimanding me when I needed it. I'm too stubborn sometimes. And he bought me flowers. I could make millions if I could clone him and sell him, he's that great. But, i'd never do that, because I'm too selfish.

Pain wise, most people don't suffer as much as I have, since they can have narcotics. Either way, it wasn't that bad. I felt like a turtle Monday night and Tuesday, since I felt super weak, and without the ability to use my abs, I pretty much couldn't get up without it being an ordeal. Either Tim had to lift me, or I had to take about 5 minutes to scoot to the edge of my recliner, and use what little rock it had to semi-propel myself forward to get up.

I've slept in that chair since Monday, but I hope to be back in bed like a normal person tonight.

Today is the first day I've craved exercise. Everything hurts enough I know it's a bad idea, but I'm starting to plan my next run, and looking forward to being back to even 75% where I can run and teach Zumba like normal (even though I WILL teach tomorrow if I have a class, just a modified version).

So, basically, this surgery has been no big deal, and about as expected. I hope to run on Sunday, and may or may not have tried running in place a few times today. :)

I really hope this alleviates all the pain I've had when eating. In theory, it should. Any one want to join me for a bacon binge once I'm all healed to test it out? Just kidding. Or am I????????

All good

Thanks for all the well-wishes and prayers for my surgery. I woke up at 3:30 to run the Cupcake Classic 5k on the treadmill (put on by Run with Jess), and ate breakfast. And then waited, then went down and got it done. And now for recovery.

Who are you looking at?

It's been a crazy week. And the "fun" doesn't end until at least Monday- they're taking out my gallbladder. I've already set an alarm for 4 AM Monday do I can have breakfast :/

But, on a lighter note, a friend asked me to make 9 owl hats for her toddlers in her daycare... So, you know I had to make one adult-sized hat!

New PRs!

We ran the Cole Porter Classic 15K this morning- we both got PRs (personal records)- me with 1:22:30 something, and Tim with 1:31 and change despite suspecting he has a broken toe.
I also got 2nd in my age group and 7th female overall. It's a good day in our house.

Happy Mail!

Many thanks to Linda at Stray Stitches- she hosted a giveaway a little bit ago, and I won a gift certificate to everyone's favorite: FAT QUARTER SHOP!!!! 

I knew exactly what I *needed*- fabric with a B2 bomber on it for my commemorative race quilt for all the runs I've done- the B2 will, of course, be fore the Air Force marathon block.

And, since I went with a half yard of it instead of waiting for the whole line of fat quarters to be available, I had to find something else- so I picked out a charm pack and that book- both things that I normally wouldn't buy for myself (charm packs are kind of pricey when you break it down, and a book just for charm packs? So very single-minded!). It's nice every once in a while to be able to get something like that, something I normally wouldn't because I try so hard to be practical.

As Tom and Donna from Parks and Rec would say, sometimes you gotta Treat Yoself!

Thanks again, Linda! Time to go play!

PS- I've got a project in the works that uses the tiniest piece of that runner fabric from before- I can't wait to get it finished to show you all! I love combining running and quilting :)