A Different Kind of Journey....: Day 30: YAY....BEGAY RAN A 5K! :)

I finished my 5k!! I actually did a pretty good time considering the fact that I have done nothing for a month (keep that in mind)....my time was 40:52. So that was about a 12:30 mile...for me that's SLLLOOOWWWW but I'm happy and proud of myself. The first mile was good. I focused only on keeping a slow steady pace as I passed by the Ford Center (where OKC thunder play), the Cox center, Harkins movie theatres, and up and around through Bricktown. It was great being surround by such a great support system also throughout the entire race. I had the best co-workers/boss anyone could ask for who stayed with me the ENTIRE time to make sure I was okay...and I had some of the best students ever push me through by giving me a friendly smile or a "there's Miss Begay!" or a "GO MISS BEGAY!" shout when I passed them or when they passed me. It just felt great. I took another long "snapshot" in my brain and filed it away....actually, i took a lot. :)

The second mile was probably the hardest. It started with the huge bricktown hill that I walked. At this point the adrenaline had worn off and I was "kicking" myself for running the 5k (i knew it would happen). I mean, why couldn't I have just been a fan and showed up at the finish line? geez. anyways, i looked at my watch 11 minutes in and we were all still doing pretty good. I had to stop and tie my shoes but it was so hard because my poor little hands were little ice cubes. And on top of all that, my hands LOOKED rough. My fingernails are naturally half purple now so with them red and cold it just looked pathetic. But i tucked them away in my sleeves and kept on going.

I almost fell once, it was kinda a slip but no one from Taft saw me. I didn't make a big deal out of it but just know it would've been BAD if i did fall and start to bleed. At the halfway point they had the first and only waterstop for the 5k and i thought to myself....OMG WERE ONLY HALFWAY. lol. Now i gotta turn around and run back. I didn't stop for water because i knew my stomach would hurt and there is no telling how clean those people's hands were who were holding the cups.....yuck. I had my mask on 90% of the time and MAN OH MAN was i hot. But I'm so glad I had it because otherwise my throat would've been hurting afterwards like it usually does. But it's NOT. :)

the last mile consisted of small up and down hills and as much as I hated walking, I had to walk up the majority of the hills. But i tried to "speed" walk when i did walk to make up for my time lost. I ran the down hill slopes and then.....the finish line was in sight. I then thought...wow, that's it?? lol. as with all 5k's it seemed a lot longer at the time than when I finished.

The feeling that I got when I saw the finish line cannot be described. I felt like a million dollars. Everything was perfect and what I had wanted it to be....except I wish my entire family was there to watch me finish or finish with me or beat me to the finish line....but it was still a great sensation and feeling of I can overcome. It was wonderful and worth every second of everyday I have been in the hospital fighting for life. it's great and I'm so glad I did it. :)

Anyways, after I finished I stood around as long as I could and tried to stay as warm as I could (having no hair makes a BIG difference) but I remembered that I was "sick" and couldn't get any sicker so my mom and I packed up and walked FOREVER to get to the car. I thought I wouldn't make it to the car (it was REALLY FAR AWAY and REALLY REALLY COLD and WINDY) but again, i did.

We then stopped at my place and my mom ran up the stairs to get me dry sweats and a jacket and we were off to the hospital. I got a regular cbc blood draw and my vitals were taken. my temp was a wee bit low but I then confessed to the nurses what i had just did and they were like...oooohhhh, that makes sense. They took my temp again after thawing a little more out, and it was normal. My doctor hasn't called me yet so I'm assuming that everything was good or at least the same from yesterday. which is GOOD NEWS. :)

So as we were driving to and from Mercy Hospital we saw the marathon runners and my heart went out to them because they were about halfway finished and I was FREEZING in my CAR....lol. But one day next year I'll try again to run a full marathon....I better start training. LOL. :)

As soon as I got home I requested my mom to make greasy potatoes for breakfast (and she did because she's awesome) and I laid on a heating pad until I warmed up. I eventually fell asleep and now I'm here. I have a dinner tonight at my boss's house that she is hosting to celebrate all of us completing the race and me going back to the hospital tomorrow....boo!

it should be nice to be around good company again...but this time in the warmth of a house and not outside in the miserable rain and cold.

thanks to those who sent me a "good luck" today and those who have supported my crazy (i know it was) decision to even run in the race. I couldn't have done it without everyone behind me shoving, dragging, and pulling me along. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT. I LOVE YOU ALL....

more to come later....

xoxo

kim

part of my support group of teachers....at 5am, we look pretty good.