July 11, 2009 - I originally thought I was going to run the 15 mile or one loop of this race. However, life does have a way of messing things up. It is not really messing things up but more of life's challenges that I must conquer in order to get better that kept me out of this race. When I realized I was not up to the task of running, I volunteered to work at the race. I was placed at the start/finish, which also served as an aid station for the 50K runners who ran two loops of the Psycho Wyco trail. Once again this experience proved to be quite a learning experience for me.
The day was a hot and humid one. I arrived shortly after 8:30am, which was after the start of the race. So there wasn't much going on for awhile but we prepared for the runners and chatted a bit. It wasn't long though and they started to come in. The first to arrive was a 50K'er who decided not to go out for the second loop as he was dealing with an injury. I pretty much filled bottles for the runners going back out and that proved to be rewarding. The runners were all very sweaty and nice. I love seeing the pain and agony of such determined people and then to witness the enjoyment of the accomplishment when their race is done.
Like I said, it was a pretty miserable day on such a tough course. Many 50Ker's stopped with the 1st loop, which was still quite an accomplishment for that day. We had two runners go down with heat injuries and had to be taken out by the local EMS. Really not much to report as volunteering is pretty much uneventful but rewarding and educational. There really is a great deal that goes into putting on a race, especially one of this caliber. If you ever run a race, be sure to thank the director as they a considerable amount of work for something they are very passionate about. This race was put on by the Kansas City Trail Nerds and directed by Ben Holmes.
As previously mentioned, I have been struggling physically and mentally with functioning which also effected my training. I did contact my physician and my ENT and it was determined that I was having an episode of the Meniere's Disease. It appears to have lasted about 3 weeks and was getting worse. I did get a 6 day course of Prednisone beginning on July 14. I felt awesome while I was on it. My runs were great and I was full of energy. I accomplished a lot with my work and time spent with the kids was oh so happy. I felt like my old self again. Traditional medicine does have its benefits.
When I came off the medicine I felt a little yucky again. Not quite as bad as before but certainly not like I was when I was on it. I was strugling a bit but knew I had to keep training for my next challenge - two races in one day! I set out on my bike one day feeling a bit yucky. It was a short ride but within one hour of finishing up I was sitting at the computer workng, feeling the endorphins, and ahhhhhhhhh ........ it was like the fog just lifted and my head cleared up as the pressure eased off. I am not really sure how to explain it to someone who doesn't know what it is like to try to function with what I felt. And life goes on!
Please check out the link below to a slide show that Rick Mayo put together that really is AWESOME!!!
http://gallery.me.com/writebirds#100117
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