I'm slowly getting healthy!

Since my surgery, I've made a resolution of sorts about my eating habits:  No fast food burgers, tacos, fries, fried stuff, etc and no pizza.  Well, I had pretty much kept to that until this past weekend, I started off great Saturday morning with the delicious grilled protein omelet here (which I couldn't even eat half of-I didn't eat the biscuit and only ate half the potatoes), but after hanging with some friends that evening at the local burger joint, I decided to cheat & eat a burger.  However, my tummy wasn't so happy that I was eating grease again so my "first post-op run" that was scheduled for Sunday morning got pushed back to that evening.

Yummy grilled protein omelet!

So, Sunday night, I did it!

I RAN!!! After almost 7 weeks of no running, and only a couple of walks, I ran 2.5 miles (did the Galloway run :30/walk :30 method) and I went slow, just to make sure I didn't injure my now-untrained-legs or my incision sites.  I mean I went REALLY slow.  Like, I was walking faster than I was running.  BUT! I didn't feel any pain from the incision sites or any discomfort and, I can say that 2 days later, I have no soreness either!! Also, even though it was SO hot and humid, it felt GREAT to be hitting that pavement again!  Which means that tonight, I'm hitting the road again with a 3 mile goal as well as to try a faster pace!

Here is my time/stats from the "First Run"

I'll be sure to report back after tonight and let you know how Run # 2 goes! :)

On another note:  I would like to dress in a Disney related costume of sorts for the Disneyland Half soon... Ideas? I'm a big fan of Tron and Tron:Legacy (see my photo below from this weekend!) and think with my new Brooks Pure Connects or Even my Asics that a Tron:Legacy Quorra costume would be fun but all black might get hot really quickly... I dressed as Red Fraggle for the WDW Half this year (although NO ONE knew who she was or that I was trying to look like her FAIL!) and it was fun trying to figure out a costume, so I'd like to do it again.  I don't want to be Minnie or any of the princesses, everyone dresses like them.  There's nothing wrong with that, but I'd like to err on the side of originality!  I'd love to hear suggestions or ideas!

My Tron shirt from my husband, I love this shirt!!!

Thanks for reading and I'll be back tomorrow with a run update!

Expedition Everest 5k Challenge race recap

In my last post I teased my race photo, (here it is for those that missed it) and said I'd share my race recap and here it is!

Expedition Everest 5k Challenge race recap

I wasn't planning on being able to race up until the last minute. But, I was lucky and secured a last minute spot and thanks to a wonderful friend, got a great deal on a condo rental. We even ended up getting to invite and share the trip with our friends Allison & Kevin, who I was able to do a mini photo session with in the Magic Kingdom.

But, back to the race! I had been trying to work on speed a bit more in April but mainly, I wanted to run this race as my first timed 5k and add to my runDisney medal collection! So far, I have the Fiesta 5k plastic medal from January 2012 but it's just a family fun run, not an individually timed race, as well as the 15th anniversary Donald Half Marathon medal from January 2012. Also, with this race, the runner and family or friends who want to purchase tickets can experience select rides at Animal Kingdom after park closing after the race is over during the after party! Too cool and I love seeing Animal Kingdom in the dark, it's so majestic!

I knew this medal would be shaped like a compass (very cool!) and it was the 5th anniversary as well. One thing that I've learned in my short time running, anniversary years are even more fun because they normally have special medals to commemorate the occasion and I LOVE medals especially special commemorative ones (swag hag!!)!

Also, I knew multiple people running this race and was really excited to see them again!! So, after getting in that afternoon after an 8 hour drive, we drove straight to package pickup at The Wide World of Sports Complex. I walked into the package pickup area and all the names were on boards correlating to your corral and bib number. This race can be run by individuals (like I was) or as a team (like a majority of people did). I found my name on the individual list as bib number 9, in wave/corral 1.

Hahahahahahahaha!!!! If you're a runner, you know why that's funny. If you're not a runner, what it normally means is that you're in the fastest group of elite runners. At large races, they group the elite runners with the lowest bib numbers in the first corral. When I say elite runners, I mean like Kenyans and Olympic record speed peeps. Well, I am NONE of those. Totally not even close. Like they look at me and wonder why I'm walking at a race. You'll see below how not speedy I am when you see my time, but it was a PR for me! But for a second there it was hilarious and it continued to be for the rest of the night really.

After that fun discovery, I stopped for this cute photo op, where I kind of look unclothed due to the sign covering 75% of my body:

I was hoping against hope that there might be some extra pins (race and tour pins are really the only ones I "collect") at the teeny tiny "expo" but alas, they were sold out just like the website said. We walked down to pickup the shirt and I was stuck with a large (that I'll never wear) since I had registered so late.  Maybe my husband will wear it?

After a quick trip to Epcot to celebrate a little Cinco de Mayo through food and beverage in the Mexico pavilion (see below) we went back to the room so I could get ready for the race. I wore my purple shirt since its dark and I figured I'd be pouring water all over myself since it was so hot and my go-to Adidas capris as well as my compression sleeves and Asics shoes.

I packed my bag that I was going to check with Gatorade, fresh socks and shirt for post race (since I knew I'd be drenched with water & sweat), Chapstick, body glide and a few other items and headed over to meet my friends Larry & Kayce who were running as a father/daughter team and who graciously let me ride to and from the race with them.  They're such a fun family and it was their first ever race!! (They did awesome, by the way!)

We got to the starting area in the Animal Kingdom Parking lot and it was crowded and hot!!  The blacktop was sot hot my shoes were getting warm!  There were a lot of people there already and the line for bag check was crazy long so we hopped in and waited and waited some more! Finally, after dropping the bags off, I was able to meet up with my running buddy Deanna from Canada as well as a few new people who I have become acquainted with through twitter (it's like a massive pen-pal service I think!). As I was standing there with them, they called for the first corral and we traded a couple more jokes about me being a Kenyan, they wished me luck, and I was herded into the corral to begin the race!

While standing listening to the announcers, I started to feel my feet burning.  A lot!  I started jumping around just to get some air under them!  Finally, the fireworks went off, I started my MapMyRun app (which didn't end up recording my race route BOO!) and my music and we were off!  The first obstacle was hay bales.  Oh, did I forget to mention, this race has 1. Obstacles during the 5k and 2. A scavenger hunt after the 5k race which is included in the overall time (more on that later).  Well, I am about as graceful as a brick.  I fall UP the stairs.  I trip on cracks in the sidewalk.  I broke my baby toe in a laundry basket.  I broke my shoulder falling off the bathroom counter (long story-I was 13 & stupid).  So, these obstacles had me worried, but as we approached, the runDisney volunteers assured us we could go around them if we didn't think we could do it.  I wanted to try and I hopped over all of them (but I'm sure anyone watching me would've thought I was flailing my arms like I was trying to fly away or something!).

We continued to run through the parking lot of Animal Kingdom and headed toward the entry gate to begin running through the park, as I approached mile marker 1, I realized that since I was in wave/corral 1, the projected time was actually mine, and not the total race time that I normally see during the other races I've been to.  As I approached, It was still under 11 minutes, I speeded up and crossed mile 1 right as it hit 11:00 (I was actually 6 seconds behind that based on the Disney time, so it was technically a 10:54 minute mile!!) and I yelled out "I JUST RAN AN 11 MINUTE MILE!!!" Haha! Everyone around me could've cared less and I got a couple crazy looks, but that was probably a personal best, much less in 90 degree + heat!!

I really did enjoy getting to run through Animal Kingdom, I think it's really underrated as far as design goes.  Maybe it's because I love animals so much, or that Animal Kingdom isn't always packed with people, but I enjoy the time we spend there.  Those park days are always relaxed and laid back.  However, the race route was wet in many areas and I won't lie, a few times I was worried I, or other people, might slip!

As the race went on, it was so hot and humid, it was pretty miserable! I poured a little bit of water from my bottle on my head and neck and pressed on.  Obstacle 2 was a "silent obstacle" and don't even ask me what they meant by that other than you weren't supposed to talk.  It was as weird as it sounds.  Anyways, like I said, I'm not graceful or coordinated but I wanted to try it.  It was a tire hop obstacle, I tried hopping in about 4 and fell over, right on my butt.  Yep. So graceful.  I decided, I tried-but better to not injure myself on a 5k, you know?! So I skipped the rest of the tires and pressed on.

As I passed the 2nd water stop, I poured part of a cup over my head to wet my hair and a bit over chest and then a well-meaning volunteer proceeded to pour a full cup down my back.  A full cup of water ended up down my shirt, pants and underwear.  NOT what you want for a race and pretty over the top for a 5k.  I was pretty mad, but just kept going.

By the end of mile 2 I was getting ready to be done.  It was just so hot and my feet were on fire still.  The 5k finish was in sight and as I rounded the bend, the last obstacle was a crawl under a rope net.  I wanted to just walk around it, but I stood there for 2 seconds and decided to "just do it!".  The astroturf we had to crawl on hurt my knees like heck, but as I crawled out I was proud that I decided to try all the obstacles.

After crossing the 5k finish, we were given a mini sharpie and a clue.  At this point, I was drained from an 8 hour road trip in that morning, walking around Epcot, running a 5k at 9pm, then they hand me a clue and expect my brain to work?! Eh, let's just say that first clue was rough!  I don't even remember what they all were, other than word and number puzzles that my brain was not happy about having to complete.  And, the clues are just part of it, you have to get to other areas of the Animal Kingdom park to get more!  So, a lot of people kept running to get good times, I just walked since I was pooped and thanks to that oh-so-sweet volunteer lady, I was now a soggy-bottom girl.

During the "scavenger hunt portion, I remember starting outside the park again, thenvisiting The Camp Minnie-Mickey area, then on to Africa, then the walkway between Africa & Asia and then crossing over the 5k track which still had runners, and then on to the Expedition Everest ride where the official "Finish Line" was.

I "ran" that finish since I has recouped some by then and then grabbed my shiny new medal, a banana, a yellow powerade and I walked straight on to Expedition Everest!!! It was really fun to run a race based on the ride and then hope RIGHT ON IT!  Not only that, but Expedition Everest is a great ride, but it's MAGICAL at night!  I hopped in the first row, and by this point, my body has cooled down enough that I'm chilly from the sweat/water soaking incident and the breeze on the ride.  I actually felt like I was at Everest in May in Orlando, FL! Pretty fun!

After I hopped off the ride, I decided to go to bag pickup and I'm glad I did because bag pickup got CRAZY BAD as the night went on!  I changed my shirt and socks and then waited for my friends Larry & Kayce and then we all rode Everest together which was a blast all over again!  We decided we were pooped and walked back to the car where we happened upon Brett & his wife, new runners who we know through the Disney Flickr photography community!  We were parked on the same row and everything!  It really is a "small world after all!"

All in all, I enjoyed the race, the people I got to see again, and the new people I was able to meet.  The medal is really cute and the course was fun and obstacles/scavenger were pretty challenging, although I'm no navy seal or rubik's cube champ! Haha!  I wasn't sore the next day and I wore my medal although no one seemed to notice it, but I was proud of it!  While we were waiting in line at the Epcot Character Spot I saw a tweet that times were out and so I found my time and for the 5k it was 34:42!! That's a PR any way I slice it, since it was my first timed 5k, and probably the fastest pace per mile on any race or training run yet!  I'm very happy with it and maybe one day soon I'll be able to do a sub-30 5k!

Until then, I'll just have my shiny new compass medal, my #9 bib and keep dreaming of being Grete Waitz ;)

Thanks for reading and let me know if you have ever run this race or if you want to!  I'd do it again, especially if I have a partner or team, I think it would be extra fun!

-Diana

Hit the Road

So, in my last post, I explained my absence quite succinctly with a trip and surgery.  Well, the surgery was pretty major; I had a total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo oophorectomy.  "Say what?"-you say?  What it means is, they took out my ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus & cervix.  I've dealt with endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome the past 15 years and I'm done.  Every person is different, and needs to make their own life and medical decisions after much thought, and I made this one.  I opted to remove my reproductive organs to help curb a majority of my pain and symptoms from those conditions.

I dealt with a lot of pain, bleeding, multiple procedures, a lot of worry and then a lot more worry, not to mention a lot of hormonal ups and down for way too long.  I'm really glad that I decided to have this surgery and my recovery has been great, albeit longer than I thought.  I thought that I would be back up and almost normal within a week or 2, but when they say 6 weeks for recovery, they mean it!  I missed 3 weeks of work, then did half days for a week, then back to normal.

I knew I was going to have this procedure at some point, but I decided to do it this year, at this time because of my running goals.  It might sound flippant or crazy to a non-runner, but I really enjoy setting new goals and chasing after them and running has provided me a healthy, low-ish cost way of doing that a rewarding myself with the accomplishment of finishing and getting sweet medals (I'm a swag hag!).  So, again, I decided to do it at the beginning of June since I knew recovery would be 6 weeks, and my race schedule as of today is the Disneyland Half over Labor Day weekend (now less than 7.5 weeks away ahhh!!) and then, the full marathon in January at Walt Disney World!  I knew I'd need as much time as possible to train, I didn't want to suffer in pain any longer, and if I put it off, I wouldn't be able to do the former, and would have to deal with the latter.  So, surgery was scheduled and completed in probably record time on June 5th.

My Dr. was great, the surgery went great, I stayed overnight in the hospital and had some friends and family visit in my drugged-up state, and then I was released the next day.  My mother came into town to help out for a few days while my husband went back to work which was really nice.  After she left, my husband took great care of me and I've been getting better slowly each day.  The major changes: no more of the old pain and surgical menopause.  Yep, I'm now a 29 year old-old lady.  Haha, seriously though, night sweats, hot flashes, changes in my skin, hair, mood, all of it changed like the flip of a switch. But, I'm working through it and it's totally worth the no pain trade off!

Lastly, when I met with the Dr. pre-op, I told her my racing plans and she said she was proud I had it all planned and that I could start running again after 6 weeks.  Well, I saw her this week (It's been 5 weeks) and she was hesitant to release me to begin activity, but after explaining my training plans and pacing, she released me to begin walking this week and start jogging next week!!! I have been really struggling with not being able to run when I want.  I didn't feel up to it for the last 4 weeks, but I still missed it a lot.  Well, last night I hit the road for the first time since the surgery and it felt great.  I could still feel some pulls here and tugs there from the incision sites on my stomach (there are 4, they used the da Vinci robot assisted method for my surgery), but otherwise, no pain!

The only pain I felt was some discomfort from my new shoes!  Since I haven't run since May, I decided to try to make the switch to more neutral shoes and after checking my stores, I landed on these babies:

They're the Brooks Pure Connects and I really like them, but I can definitely tell a difference from my old Asics support shoes but I think I'm going to switch completely since I'm starting out at square one with walking and working back up to long distances.

And, last but not least, a teaser for my next post, the Disney Expedition Everest Challenge recap!  Here's my post-race photo!  Come back soon to see my race recap!  Thanks for reading!

Expedition Everest Finish ©Brightroom.com

Yeah, I still blog!

Yep, I'm still alive!  May and June were pretty busy in crazytown!  There was a trip to Walt Disney World (yay!!!) at the beginning of May and a surgery at the beginning of June (boo!!).  So, I'll go with the happier of the two first:  Vacation photos! We went to Walt Disney World with friends at the beginning of May and it was a blast!!! I mean, absolute blast, maybe me favorite trip ever even!  Points that made this trip rock:

• It was Flower & Garden Festival (which we've never experienced)!
• Antonio Ballatore (who I love!) from the HGTV's The Antonio Project was the featured speaker and I got to meet him!
• I got to run in the Expedition Everest 5k Challenge (and I PRed!- I ran under an 11 minute mile the first mile, that was a first!!)
• We got to eat at Le Cellier-So good!!
• We got to enjoy the trip with friends, visit with some far away friends and meet new ones as well!
• I took some fun portrait photos in Magic Kingdom park!
• We FINALLY rode Dumbo, I don't think we've ever done it!
• We got to experience the new Storybook Circus area-Loved it!
• Got to be in Walt Disney World, doesn't get much better than that!!!

So, without much ado, here are my favorite shots from the trip:

Character shots with yours truly showing my pretty new medal!

The splendor of Epcot during Flower & Garden Festival- a must see!!

Bambi's Butterfly Garden

My Magic Kingdom portrait session with our newly engaged friends Kevin & Allison-I absolutely loved doing these!

Now, a Walt Disney World Photo Tip:

• Rain is no reason to run inside and hide at any park!  Rain and especially puddles can provide a wonderful opportunity for fresh views of the castle or any details of the park.  I was really eager to try it out and a rain shower one afternoon provided the perfect opportunity for the shot below!  I really like the way it came out!  Try it out next time, but of course, be sure to keep your photo gear nice and dry!

So, thanks for stopping by and I hope you had a great Memorial Day and Independence Day!  More to come soon, I promise!  No more 2 month hiatuses!

Running tips I've learned the hard way

I'm not always one for learning things the hard way, but sometimes, it just happens.  That's what happened for these points that I've gathered along my running journey in the last year.  I'm still learning each day, and sometimes I make rookie mistakes, my run this past weekend missed the mark on shade, but either way it's helpful to try to remember these tips:

1. Bodyglide does a body good.  Before I started running, I thought Bodyglide was some sort of weird personal lubricant that people strangely used for running.  No.  It's like a wax stick that you use to prevent chafing.  I had heard of it, but finally purchased it after I actually starting adding running into my training.  I can say, whether it's hot or cold out, I use it.  I'm "that girl" that sweats a lot.  So, I learned quickly where I need to put it and how effective it is!
2. Track your shoes' mileage!  With the amount of money that you invest in your shoes, and the protection that they offer your feet, do yourself a favor and track how much you run in them.  Whether you mark the box they call home, whether you track it through your Garmin or running app, just make sure to keep a running total.  I learned the hard way that my shoes that I had the ENTIRE year last year were in fact, NOT still ok to be wearing AFTER I ran the WDW Half.  Learned the hard way and got new shoes as soon as I got home and now I'm tracking their mileage!
3. Hydration and Fuel choices matter. Every person's body is different, but I have found what brands/flavors I like to use to fuel before, during, and after runs.  You may find that some don't agree with your stomach or your tastes (I hate chemical aftertastes).   Just make sure to start using them once your runs get longer, they help during your run and recovery afterwards!
4. For the girls: Good support makes sense. Everyone shells out the big bucks for shoes, so women of all shapes and sizes should invest in a good support sports bra or 4.
5. Blisters happen and your feet will not stay pedicured for long.  I haven't had a toenail fall off, thank goodness, but I know it can happen.  I do have blisters regularly due to the heat & humidity where I live and sweating but the best thing I've found is duct tape.  Bodyglide doesn't cut it on my feet for long runs.
6. For runs during intense heat (which I have to deal with in the Dirty South): Pouring water over your head and down your chest and back is a lifesaver.  Make sure you stay hydrates and replenish sugar and electrolytes since you'll be sweating so much.  Try to stay out of the sun as much as possible and run before the sun rises if you can.  Also, I use a Frogg Togg Chilly Pad for cooling off and wiping away sweat.
7. Form determines Function! For me, I've found that when my form suffers, so does my running.  Whether you run more upright or falling forward, find what works for you and stay true to that form.  I often repeat out loud "Run right, walk right" when I can feel that my form is faltering.  I have to remind myself often that if my form is making me hurt mid-run, that it's only going to hurt more during recovery!
8. Forethought in mapping your run is smart! Whether you map your run for the views, the breeze (me and the beach) or just for whatever is close by, keep these things in mind:

• Shade is your friend!
• Be careful running near heavily traveled roads (drivers nowadays are distracted!)
• If it is hot, carry water, place it along your route or map your route near an area you can get some water to pour some over your head to keep from overheating (my beach has shower heads that I run by!)
• Sunscreen is a must, no one wants sunglasses raccoon eyes OR skin cancer.
• I don't like carrying anything if I dont have to, but while training, I carry my phone (it is also my running app.gps and music) and mace in case of emergency.  Be sure to run in safe areas!
• Remember: runners travel against traffic, not with it! It kills me every time I see someone breaking that rule.
• Lastly, no matter where you're running, be aware! If you run with music, keep it low to hear your surroundings. Also, I like to look around every few minutes just to make sure who is or isn't near me. There have been many stories in the news lately about runners being harassed, kidnapped and killed and a majority of them were wearing headphones.

I hope these tips help you on your run. If I find any other tips along my journey, I'll be sure to share!

-Diana

Chronic Pain in Crazy Town aka Why I started running

So, this post is long, but it's more very important information about me:

In April 2011, against ALL and I mean ALLLLL odds, I decided that I wanted to try running.  For those that don't know me well just yet, I'm the person who used to see runners, point, laugh and say, "HOW IS THAT FUN?!" I don't "work out" much less decide to run for no reason unless a mountain goat is chasing me down a mountain (it's happened, but that's another story for another time...) So, why would I ever make the conscious decision to try to become that person, running to nowhere in particular and seemingly ENJOY IT?!

Well, it all started like this: In early 2010, I began having some pain in my legs during a trip to Walt Disney World, pain that was pretty bad, like I had just completed a long workout a couple of days ago and it was that unpleasant soreness but I, in fact, had NOT worked out in a long, long time.  After getting home and trying to soak in warm water, chew ibuprofen like candy, and spend a lot of time cuddling with the heating pads, nothing seemed to help and after a few weeks, the pain began to spread to my upper body.  I was beginning to get worried when my 15lb dog wanted to cuddle and lay near me and when she touched me, I yelped in pain.  With that, I decided to to visit the Dr.

At my first visit, he thought maybe it was a reaction to some medicine or something related to food poisoning, so I sat in his office a couple hours, he was on the phone with various people, they took samples and I went to the hospital for some x-rays.  A couple of weeks later, I was still feeling worse and worse so I had an appointment scheduled with a local Rheumatologist.   After more tests, this Dr. seemed sure that I had a transient form of arthritis.  I was unconvinced but he treated me with strong antibiotics.  After no change, and another couple visits, he decided it was probably fibromyalgia, since I exhibit the "tender points".  I was unhappy with this diagnosis (not that I think it's a bogus diagnosis, but that I felt the doctor ruled it that as a last ditch effort to shut me up) so I called my family physician and was referred to Oschner's in New Orleans an hour and a half away to another Rheumatologist.  This Dr. seemed more knowledgeable and willing to try to figure out what the ailment was so I was hopeful.  He took additional, more extensive bloodwork and xrays.

At this point, my pain had become debilitating.  I basically hurt everywhere, but especially my legs.  Worst of all, it hurt more to be still, to sit, to stand, and most importantly, to sleep.  Lack of sleep means the lack of ability to physically "recover and rest" which makes any pain you experience that much more detrimental and it just replays the vicious cycle of pain.

After the testing, this Dr. decided that I had Fibromyalgia.  He gave me Lyrica and told me that physical exercise would benefit, giving me better emotional and physical health.  I looked at him like he was on crack.  If it hurts to SLEEP why on God's green earth would I try to move MORE?! I said sure, I'd try, but I knew I wouldn't.  I mean, that was crazy... stupid Dr. dude...

I tried the Lyrica but it didn't make a dent at all.  I decided I was still unhappy with the Fibromyalgia diagnosis, I didn't feel like it was the whole story of my chronic pain.  One night the next week at yoga (which I had taken up recently as a form of stress relief), my teacher pointed out my flawed form during an exercise.  She said, "your joints are hypermobile and you're turning your elbows out too far." I said, "Whaaa?" She thenshowed me how everyone else's elbows looked and then mine, and they were definitely different.  That got me thinking... I googled "Hypermobility disease" and the rest, I think, is history.

After much digging, I determined that I either had the symptoms of Marfan Syndrome or Ehler's Danlos Syndrome.  I called my Dr. and he scheduled some bloodwork to help determine more information.  Neither of these diseases can be definitively diagnosed with just one test, but my Dr. said he was positive I didn't have Marfan, but that it was possible I could have Ehler's Danlos Syndrome, but in his words, "even if you did, it wouldn't matter.  There's no cure, so you just have to treat the Fibromyalgia and hope that helps." He suggested the next step would be trying methotrexate, a  form of low dose chemotherapy. I left his office crying.  On the 1.5 hour drive home, I called and demanded to talk to him again.  He got on the phone and I told him, "actually it DOES matter to me, to have a TRUE diagnosis to at least KNOW what I'm dealing with!" He apologized but remained unchanged on only treating the Fibromyalgia and deciding to try different medication.

After I hung up, I vowed not to go back, for a long time, if ever, to visit him (I haven't been back in over a year now).  For a couple of months, I did nothing.  No medicine, no doctors, no caring, but still dealing with the pain.  The only thing that crept into my mind was trying the only thing that was left hanging.  Physical activity.  GULP.  I decided I had to give it a shot, even though I was not hopeful.  I resolved to walk our local bridge, 3.5 miles over the Gulf of Mexico, it's got a nice breeze, nice view, and that started it.  After I found I could actually do it and not have adverse or even worse pain afterwards, I slowly crept toward the idea of "jogging" some.  After trying it, running for just a couple of minutes during the 3.5 miles, I found it wasn't so bad.  And, the pain wasn't any worse, so I decided to keep going.  I began jogging more, maybe about 1/4 of the distance and decided I needed to set a goal... So this crazy-town talk went on in my head in the spring of 2011:

Diana the Disney lover: Why not shoot for the Disney Half Marathon?

Diana's brain: Wait. What? ....WHAT?! ......WHHHHATTTT???!!!

Diana the Disney lover: Yes, Diana-brain, 13.1 miles. You could do it.

Diana's brain: Wait. What? For REAL?! Seriously, girl, you CRA-ZY! I know it's Disney and all, but no. Haha NO!

Diana's the Disney love: Just shoot for it, and if you can't do it, at least you get a Disney trip out of it!

Diana's brain: Well, ummmm...... uhhhh....... ok, I guess?

So, that settled it.  I began training, full of self-doubt, but bound for Walt Disney World, either way.  I did it slowly but somewhat steadily.  I ran the runDisneyb beginner Jeff Galloway training plan and set a goal of a 13-14 minute mile pace for the race.  And somewhere in the late summer of 2011, I realized, my pain was diminishing. A LOT. Like, none. At all. I'll admit, I didn't even notice the benefits at first, because I was sore from the new activities that my body was NOT used to, but it was similar to the pain that I was used to on a daily basis from the chronic pain issue.  But once I built up a base fitness level, the soreness slowly went away and amazingly, the previous pain was gone with it!

Now, I'm not sure if the running has "cured me".  I still believe I have the disease, it doesn't get cured, just managed.  I have found, that if I don't run regularly, the pain and inflammation return, sometimes with a vengeance.  But I believe both the mental health and physical health benefits of running have changed my prognosis.  I know how to treat it now.  I run healthily, with low impact running-walking, and the soreness I feel after a long and/or hard run, are EARNED from my hard work, not as a side effect of my disease.  I'm proud of that and I know that with rest, that pain will subside, as long as I keep running.

Guess what? I kept running.  And running. I ran the Walt Disney World Donald's 15th Anniversary Half Marathon.  I didn't win it, but I sure as heck finished.  I finished crying. No. Bawling my eyes out.  And I finished in my goal timeframe too!  It was not easy, but it was worth every mile.  I am so proud of how far I've come.  To know that a year ago today, I still wasn't even running a mile yet.  But now, a year later, I can say that I'm hooked.  Races are fun, but runDisney races are INCREDIBLE!  Since then, I've run another half marathon in New Orleans (another story, another day) and this coming weekend, I'm running in the runDisney Expedition Everest Challenge!  AND I've convinced my husband to run the runDisney Tower of Terror 10 mile run with me in September!

image copyright Brightroom, Inc.

But guess what?  Want to know what 's even MORE crazy-town?  I've decided to run a FULL MARATHON. Yeah, that's 26.2 MILES. Why?! It's a new goal AND January 2013 is the 20th Anniversary of the Mickey Full Marathon and that amazing medal has my name ALLLLLLL over it! I know I can do it and want even MORE MORE crazy-town? A week after that, I'm going to fly across the country and run the Disneyland Tinkerbell Half Marathon a WEEK after running the Marathon to win not only the Tinkerbell medal, but also the Coast to Coast Medal for completing a race at both Disney properties within the same year! Whew! Wish me luck!

So, in closing, sorry this story isn't so short, but this has been a huge part of my life.  I've found that for me, running is my cure, my medicine, and literally, a life-saver.  The stresses of life along with the mental health issues of dealing with chronic pain can be debilitating and I've found that running has given me an outlet and a purpose I never knew I could strive for.  Now, I have become that crazy runner; up early or up late, running in the heat, the cold, even on holidays, to run from pain and toward relief and happiness.

I hope you've found something similar, whether it's a physical activity or a hobby or a even just a friend that helps you come to grips with the pain and crazy of this life and "keep moving forward".  Hope to see yall back here soon and if you ever see me out running, yell hey at me!

Welcome to Crazy Town!

Ok, not "technically".

Actually, my town/city is rather on the boring side.  The most interesting thing down here tends to be well, probably hurricane season, but it's a nice artsy fartsy little town.  But, that's neither here nor there...

I meant welcome to crazy town as in: me, which leads me to the introduction department.  Hi!  My name is Diana Odom and in case you want to know, I look like this (Raybans are customary):

I am a twenty-something, I'm married to this cool guy and also live with my four legged kids: a dog named Sophie and a cat named Chloe (who thinks she's a dog).  I live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast but dream of moving to Florida to be closer to my "happy place": Walt Disney World.  I mean, if I'm going to live in hurricane alley the rest of my life, I'd rather be closer to rides and castles and such (can I get an amen?).

When I'm not getting strange looks trying to take photographs of people on the beach or around town (with their permission of course!), animals or my pets or random objects, I'm probably doing one or more of the following: planning my next Disney trip, endurance running (I've done two half marathons this year and am training for a full marathon in Jan 2013), listening to music (either Disney Parks music or indie rock), playing with my pets or daydreaming about Christmas.

As far as photography goes, I love Disney photography, but that's definitely not all you'll see here. I also love portraiture; be it infants, individuals, families or even pets, and I really enjoy interacting with my subjects and I am hoping to make a full time career out of it soon.

So, why are you here, reading my blog?  Well, I hope it's because you want to hear more about:

• Diana's crazy town-ness
• Disney related ramblings
• Photography
• Food (cause man, I love to stuff my face with it but try to keep smallish at the same time hence the next point...)
• Running and how I'm trying to get better and faster at it!
• Music, and just so you know, it will range from Jay-Z to The Black Keys to Pixar scores and any-and-everything between.
• and returning to the first bullet point, anything else that crosses my mind that I hope you too might be interested in.

So, please, stick around.  Things will be crazy, sarcastic, heartfelt, and most of all fun.  I hope you'll follow along, comment, and keep coming back for more.  I'd love to get to know you more and hope you feel the same about me and this blog!

Thanks for reading!

Diana Odom
P.S. Lastly, please don't use my photos without my permission. It's not nice to steal (come on, you know that).