Salt Lake City Half Marathon

The alarm went off at 4 AM. 

I got dressed, woke up Becca, and we headed downtown to meet up with Sonja and AJ. It was fun talking and walking around downtown so early. We parked about 4 or 5 blocks away, got down to the TRAX and saw Sonja. We were just about to get on the train when we realized we left Sonja's packet down at the car. Ugh! We walked all the way back to the car and got it, but decided to drive up closer to find a parking spot. We found the perfect spot about 2 blocks from the starting line. 

We caught the TRAX and headed up to the start. I've never done a race before that uses corrals and this one was doing it for the first time this year. I kinda liked it!

 Before the race we did a half mile warm up around the track at the U. It was a nice track with a great view. I try to warm up a little before each race and it was really nice to be able to run around this track instead of the roads/sidewalks like I normally do. 

Becca, Sonja, and I before the race. These ladies are the best. I just love running with them. :) 

The race started and Becca and I were in the E corral. We went to the back of the corral, which was nice because we didn't have to deal with a lot of pushing through people. The race started and I felt great. I was averaging a 9:30 pace for the first 6 miles. At mile 4.5 I took a couple chomps and got some water at the aid station. I felt like I needed to take something so I didn't crash. 

Around mile 6.5 I started slowing down. I took a GU at the aid station and got some water. My body was aching all over. It was a feeling I never really felt before. Kind of like every muscle in my body all the way to the top of my head and to the tips of my fingers ached. And it wasn't like a painful ache, but more of a completely drained ache. I slowed my pace and tried to take it easy. Around mile 7.5 there is a nasty half mile hill and I walked it. I knew I'd totally be burned out if I pushed up it instead of walking it. 

Mile 8-10 I tried to get out of my head, I walked 2 or 3 two minute breaks and then kept running. At mile 10 I kept saying to myself, "Forget all the other miles... This is just a 5k. You can do a 5k. It's just a lap around the lake. You can do this..." It really helped to stop thinking about my body aching and to slow down my pace to something comfortable. 

There was a group of drummers around liberty park that were amazing! It made me think of when we lived in Okinawa. That really helped get me moving. Even though my pace was slower those last 3 miles, they were comfortable and I felt pretty strong. 

Becca ran with me for the first 4 miles and then fell behind. She caught back up with me when I was walking at mile 8. We ran together some and around mile 11, she fell back again. I kept going. I wasn't going to let myself walk those last 3.3 miles. 

Can I just say...if you're planning a race, please, please, please measure your race correctly. People running a half and a full marathon do NOT want to run extra. I know it sounds funny cause we're already running, but it's tough mentally. Plus, it throws off our times. 

All in all it was a good race. It was tough, but good. My body ached like crazy when I crossed the line. My lower back ached the most. It's been aching a lot for the past 2 months or so. Maybe it's from picking up my pace and tight hamstrings. Maybe it's from the Hashimoto's. I don't know. I'm hoping it's the tight hamstrings. 

The medal was pretty cool. It even doubles as a belt buckle. :) 

We had a great time! I love it! Next race is Provo Half in May. I'm hoping that since it's a canyon run it'll be a breeze. I'd love to beat this half's time. We'll see if I can do that. :) 

My journey with Hashimoto's

I went in for a annual physical last week. They did the normal stuff... checked my weight, height, blood pressure, blood work, etc. A couple days later I get an email saying my blood work results are in. I don't think much of it cause I've never had any problems with anything physically. I've always been the boring patient with nothing to report. I check the results and see

"thyroid is showing low (when the TSH is higher like this is showing, the thyroid is actually low). We need to repeat this and a few other thyroid tests to be sure it is actually low". 

Ok, That's weird... I've never had any problems with blood work before. Everything always come back normal. So, I call them back and see what I need to do to get retested. I go back in and get my blood drawn. Of course while I'm waiting the next few days for results I'm googling everything about low thyroid and what that means. The first few things I read point to Hashimoto's. 

Hashimoto's can be explained HERE and, well, it makes a lot of sense and explains a lot of why I'm tired all the time and lately I've been feeling like I'm about to get sick, but nothing happens. I get the sore tired muscles like I'm sick. I thought it was just the time of year, but no... it was my body. A year or so ago I went in to my OB to get my thyroid levels checked because I was feeling tired and he said it looked normal. 

 We were headed out of town and it just kept nagging at me. I wanted to know what the other results said! 

We get to Oregon and I see that the results are in. 

"this indicates that your body has created antibodies to your thyroid which is why your thyroid is currently on the low side. This indicates your thyroid is slightly low. We should start on low dose replacement,as this may get worse due to the antibodies your body is making against thyroid. We will call in prescription."

Ok, well... I'm in Oregon, a few states away... do I wait until I get home or do I call the Doctor now and find out what this is and what I need to do? He hasn't called me and I'm really wondering. So, I call him up and get the nurse. Ugh... CALL ME BACK!!! I wait and I wait and finally they call me. The doc doesn't sound concerned, says it's Hashimoto's, and makes it sound like I can wait until I get back, but I don't want to wait for the meds. I might as well start them now. I want to have energy again. Yeah, I've been running and training and I feel alright when I do that, but after I'm SOOO drained and before I run it takes everything in me to get out the door and run. 

Well, he ends up sending my prescription to a Target in Oregon and I start my meds right away. The whole time I'm in Oregon I'm noticing every little ache, every tired muscle, every lack of interest in things and I have to tell myself to knock it off. I've lived with this for heaven knows how long and just because I know what it is now doesn't mean that I should let myself become defined by it. 

Jason and Derrick gave me a blessing after I got the official diagnosis and that always helps. It also helped that the friends we were staying, the wife, Missy has something similar and takes the same meds. So, it was really nice to talk to someone about it all. She said the meds would start kicking in around 2 weeks. I can't wait until that happens so I can see if the meds help. 

Another thing that was interesting was how many people came out saying they have thyroid problems when I said I had mine. Why does no one talk about it? Is it that normal? A couple of my cousins have thyroid problems, my aunt, both of my grandmas... I never knew...

So, this is the beginning of my Hashimoto's journey. I'm interested to see how it effects my running and weight loss.