Apple Valley 5k

Having run the Blossom to Bottle 5k at Johnson’s Orchard a couple years ago, I have wanted to run the Apple Valley 5k race that is put on by another Bedford Orchard for some time now. The Apple Valley 5k race takes place at Gross’Orchard just below the Peaks of Otter in Bedford, VA. You could not ask for a more beautiful setting for a race. With the mountain views and the fall colors all around, the location is perfect for a fall 5k.

Finding out that my Dad had already registered for the race gave me the final incentive to sign up. I have only run one 5k race this year and that was at the D-Day memorial in May. So it had been sometime since I had tried to run a shorter run at a much faster pace. My regular runs these days range in pace from 8 min/mile to 9 and ½ min/mile. Knowing that I wanted to run a mid to lower 7 minute/mile pace, I was going to have to run much faster, for much longer than I have run in months.

Running faster is usually a recipe for injury for me, but I had pushed myself some during my normal weekly runs. I will pick out a mile in the middle of my regularly paced runs and I would pick up my pace and run in the 7 minute/mile range. I knew my legs to turn over at a quicker rate, but I knew it was going to be a challenge to keep my energy up to keep up that pace for over 3 miles.

I arrived to Gross’ Orchard about 30 minutes before the race starting time. This gave me plenty of time to check out a section of the course and warm up. Since the race course was a two lap format, I knew I could possibly complete an entire lap as my warm up. But after making it about a half mile around the course, I decided to retrace my route and make one last pit stop at the porta-johns.

After my much needed break, I spotted my parents. After talking to them for a little while, Dad and I made our way to the starting line. It was located about ¼ of a mile from the finish line, in the middle of the apple trees. The weather forecast had called for the temperature to be in the low 40’s with precipitation. We had lucked out though because the sun decided to pop out and the rain decided to stay away. So at the start of the race, it felt much warmer than 40 degrees.

Once everyone had gathered at the starting line, the shotgun was fired and we were off running. Like all the other races I have run in the past, I tried to settle in with the group of runners running my desired pace. This process too several minutes and I almost lost an eye to an apple tree branch. But I eventually found a nice spot to pace myself for the first section of the race. By this time we were just crossing the finishing area with all of the spectators. A quick smile for my Mom, who was taking pictures and we were back on the gravel road heading back into the rows of apple trees.

About a half mile into the course, we came to the only major hill of the route. The main issue I usually have with cross country style courses is the unsteady footing. If running off-road, I would much rather be on a dirt trail where I can determine which way my foot will bend when it strikes the ground. When I am running in a grass field, it seems like every time my foot lands my ankles are pitched at a different angle. It may be my age catching up to me or it may be all of those past basketball, football, and soccer ankle injuries catching up with me. Either way, the mounds of grass are always my enemy!

I made it over the worst hill of the course, back down the decline, and over the first set of hay bales. After a couple snake like turns through the orchard’s rows of trees, we were making our way to the side of the property that bordered the road. I had finished the first mile of the course in 7 minutes and 19 seconds. I quickly found out that that pace was a little too fast.

Over the next mile, we passed back through the finishing area again to begin lap number two. I also found out that as much as I hated running in the tall grass, I despised running in the loose gravel road even more. Luckily I was still able to think enough to run in the grass strip that ran down the middle of the two gravel car tire paths of the road. It was much firmer and my legs no longer got that “running in sand” feeling. As we made it up the bad hill again, my legs started disagreeing with the rest of my body.

Breathing-wise I was fine, but my legs no longer wanted to keep turning over at the same rate as my first mile. They quickly started feeling like they were turning to stone. I knew need to just concentrate on being loose and letting my body glide through this tough stage of the race. I finished the second mile in 7 minutes and 58 seconds. My pace had fallen off quite a bit from my first mile. I knew I needed to dig deep to finish the race strong.

I tried to zone out and think of other things during the last mile of the race. As we made it back to the front side of the property and back near the main road, I knew there was less than a half of a mile to go. When I get to sections of runs, I like to think of the distance in terms of laps around a track. Two laps around a track always sounded better than a ½ of a mile. Before I knew it, there was only a quarter of a mile left or in my terms, 1 lap around the track! I just continued to keep my feet turning over at the quickest rate possible. I finished my 3 mile in 7 minutes and 31 seconds.

With only 0.1 miles left, I was able to make it through the finish line with a time of 23:34.94, according to my watch. I was very pleased with my time. It was faster than my 5k in May, but well under my PR, which I set on a very flat course a couple years ago.

After grabbing some water and banana, I went to cheer on my Dad as he came through the finish line. This was the first time he had run off the pavement and it was a very challenging course. I was so proud of him has he came into sight. He was looking strong and finished with a very respectful time. It is always great to see him running and I hope that I will be doing the same thing when I am his age. I hope to be taking part in races with my sons!

Dad had done so well that he placed third in his age group and won a piece of pottery from Emerson Creek Pottery. I came to find out later that my time had not registered correctly when I crossed the finish line and my recorded time was almost 7 minutes slower than my watch’s time. They handed out little wooden sticks at the finish line with your finishing pace written on it. My stick said 14^th but according to the results, I was in 42^nd place with a time of 30:43.5.

I am not sure what happened with the timing but none the less, it was a great race day! The weather ended up being half way pleasant and the fall scenery was absolutely beautiful! I got to run another race with my father and we were both finish injury free. I couldn’t have asked for a better November race!

2014 Virginia 10 Miler

The Training:

This was supposed to be the year that I set a new PR for the Virginia 10 Miler. This would be the third time that I ran this race and since last year was the “appendicitis” year, this year’s race would be my first attempt to beat my original time. But life tends to get in the way of my training these days. I spent too many of those Saturday mornings drinking coffee and watching cartoons with the boys, instead of getting long runs logged (I really don’t regret spending my Saturday mornings with the boys).

I only logged two runs greater than 6 miles in the month leading up to the 10 miler. So I wasn’t too prepared to beat the 1:26:12 time I had run in my first 10 miler in 2012. So this year’s goal was to run comfortably and finish the race in the least amount of pain. To accomplish this goal I had a three step plan.

The Plan:

First, I would run the first mile as slow as possible. One thing I have learned from running races that 10 miles or greater is that starting too fast can come back to bite you, later in the race. Starting too fast is very easy to do on race day, when the excitement, adrenaline, and fresh legs can override your brain. The 10 miler course can also add to this struggle. The first 1 ½ miles of the course is downhill. Combining this downhill section with the early race energy, can create a scenario that you can pay for later in the race.

The second step of my plan was to make it to the halfway point by running a pace that was one tick above a comfortable pace. Once I got the first slower mile in, I had planned to pick up my pace just slightly. I would continue that pace until I got to the 5 mile turnaround in Riverside Park. At that point, depending on my physical state, I would decide the final step of my race plan.

If I made it to the 5 mile turnaround and my body felt good, then I would push myself harder during the second half of the race. On the other hand if I made it to this point in the race and felt horrible, then I would limp back to the finish line at any rate necessary to complete the race.

The Race:

Getting our two boys up and out the door is always a challenge. So that task is always the first goal of race day. Thanks to my wonderful wife for helping them, while I eat and triple check my gear and packed bag. We did very well this year and I got to the race with enough time to drop by bag off at my company’s tent and use the porta-john. I threw a Gu gel in my pockets and I was off to the starting line. Just like previous years, I couldn’t actually get onto the road until after the race started and the crowd at the starting line thinned out some. Once I was able to get on the course and through the starting line, the race was on!

The start of the 10 miler is very crowded, so it helps me slow down and not start with such a fast pace. I took the time to look around and enjoy the people cheering on the sidewalks and the overall excitement that all the runners were showing during this period of the race. It wasn’t long before I spotted someone I knew, Charlie Coleman. I was able to run the first mile or so with Charlie. This allowed me to ignore my pace and run comfortably for the first segment of the race.

By the time I got to the Farm Basket at the bottom of the first long decline, I was feeling pretty good. I knew the next few miles were going to be rolling hills. This challenging section of the race would lead us up to Rivermont Avenue and can really tire the legs. I just tried to keep a steady pace through this section and not over work my legs too much. I still had my plan of making it to the halfway point as comfortable as possible.

Before I knew it, we were making the turn onto Rivermont and running by the Randolph campus. The course is pretty flat during this section of the race. I knew I had about a mile until the turn around in Riverside Park. After being a little jealous of all the 4 milers who were splitting off for their finish at Randolph, I concentrated on keeping a steady pace until the turnaround.

At the five mile mark, I took a look at my time and saw that I covered the first half of the race in 44 minutes. After doing some quick math in my head, I realized that I could finish with a time very close to my previous two 10 miler races. I had finished both the previous 10 miler races with a time of 1:26, just seconds different. As planned, I was going to pick up the pace on the second half.

I decided to take my Gu gel at this point in the race, so that I may help give me some energy for the last mile up Langhorne. As I made my way back down Rivermont and back on the rolling hills of Langhorne Road, I tried to pick up my pace and run a little out of my comfort zone. As I made it back to the Farm Basket, I was hoping that I had left enough in the tank to make it up the last hill. This was the worst part of the race course. The last hill up Langhorne that stretched over a mile was very challenging on tired legs. I attacked the hill with everything I had left. By the time the finish line was in sight, my legs were dead. It took everything I had to make it to the finish line.

I crossed the finish line with a time of 1:26:58. It was the third straight year that I had finished with a 1:26 time! I was about 48 seconds slower than last year, but without setting out to set a PR for this race, I can awful close. Without putting in the training that I really should have, I was able to run a time that was very consistent with my previous attempts. That gave me a really good feeling about the next time I run the 10 miler!

I quickly found Anna and the boys, as well as some other friends and family at the finish line. As always, it was great to see my family at end of a race. We enjoyed some food and festivities before heading back to Bedford for some Centerfest fun (followed by a nap with the boys)!  

We Honor Veterans 5k

Back in May, I was able to take part in a 5k race that took place at an awesome venue. The “We Honor Veterans 5k” is located at The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia. If you are not familiar with D-Day Memorial or why it is located in Bedford, you can get more information from the memorial’s website. 19 men from Bedford were killed in Normandy on D-Day and one of those men was my great uncle Ray Stevens.

I never had the opportunity to meet Ray. But if was anything like his twin brother Roy, it would have been a blessing to know him. Roy Stevens was like another grandfather to me. Roy always lived next door to my grandparents and I have many fond memories of playing on his farm. I will never forget those post Sunday lunch tractor and truck rides on the farm to count cows. I have learned so much about what it means to be a family man from the Stevens men in my life. Harold, Roy, David, and even Brad Stevens have taught me so much about life, through the years. It is hard for me to believe that knowing Ray would have been any different.

Because of my personal connections to Bedford and the D-Day Memorial, I was very excited to be taking part in a race there. I had been looking forward to this race for months, but I found out that one of Eli’s t-ball games had been scheduled for the same morning. Just like many other races this year, it looked like I was going to have to miss the race, in order to not miss an important family event. During the week leading up to the Saturday race, I began to think about the timing of the race and the game. The game was in Montvale at 9am and the race was starting at 8am. It was doable!

I knew I was going to have to leave immediately after finishing the race, so that I would have enough time to make the drive back to Montvale. Since the start and finish of the race was at the D-Day Memorial, I knew I would not be able to park at the memorial itself. The only road leading up to the memorial parking lot was going to be closed until at least 9am. I was going to have to find a place to park where I could make a quick exit.

Since I had not preregistered for the race, I decided to park at the memorial and register before stashing my car somewhere. After registering and using the restroom, I decided to park my car at the Bedford Visitors Center, which is located about ¾ of a mile from the memorial. I would use this opportunity to warm up a little. So I made my way up the hill to the starting line. While doing so, I had to climb the worst hill in the 5k course. For anyone who hasn’t seen the memorial, it is situated on top of one of the highest hills in the town. So naturally, the trek to the top has a little incline. This warm-up session did allow me to judge how difficult the hill was going to be during the race. I would be running back up this same hill during the 3^rd mile of the 5k. I was going to be a lot harder at that point!

Once I made it to the start/finish line, I realized that I didn’t have the timing chip that was supposed to be tied into my shoe laces. I just assumed that since there was no chip on my race bib, that the race would just be manually timed. At that point, I just figured that I would be running the race with no official time. It didn’t bother me because I was more excited about just running the race at the memorial. Then some of the race organizers came to the starting line and asked if there were any runners that didn’t have timing chips. I was not alone in the chip-less runners group. It was nice to know I was going to have an official time, but this development pushed the starting time back and therefor threw off my schedule of making it to the game.

When the race was finally started, we were already about 15 minutes behind. I knew I could probably finish the race in at least 25 minutes. So that would still give me 20 minutes to get the game. So I just concentrated on running at a comfortable pace while descending the hill. I have a tendency to start races at a much to fast pace, especially when the first section is downhill. In my mind, I had broken the race up into three sections; downhill, flat, uphill. So I had planned on doing three things during these sections; comfortable pace, maintain pace, attack hill!

The first section wasn’t all downhill, like I had expected. We started just below the memorial and we had to run uphill to the memorial and make a loop around the circle drive that surrounds the memorial grounds. Then it was down the hill to the visitor’s center. This was the downhill section that I to keep myself under control and not let my pace get too quick. I made myself go slower that I could have run this section, in order to save some energy for the climb back up.

Once I was to the race point where the terrain leveled out, I had to ensure that I didn’t lose momentum. I needed to carry my pace that I was running downhill through this second race section. I pushed myself to be consistent through this part of the course that ran by the visitor’s center and to the cul-de-sac at the end of the Bedford Elementary School’s road. Once we looped around the cul-de-sac, I knew I was half way there. My strategy was paying off. Because I made myself keep my comfortable pace through the downhill section, my legs still felt strong at the halfway point.

The trek back to the base of the hill went by quickly. Before I knew it, I was ready to finish the third leg of my race strategy; ATTACK! I gave that hill all I had left. I started a pretty decent pace and went my thighs started to feel the effects of the incline, I stayed strong and tried to keep my foot speed consistent.

A few months ago I started developing pains in my side while running. After doing to some reading on how to prevent side cramps, I found a technique that seems to work well for me. Since my side cramps always occur on my right side, the article I read recommended timing your exhales while the opposite foot impacts the ground. This was difficult to do for a while. But once I mastered the pattern of exhaling ever other time my left foot landed, I found myself doing it all the time. A positive side effect of running with this breathing pattern, is that my foot speed has to keep at a consistently fast pace. This method helps me avoid the long lunging strides, because I can’t keep my breathing pattern going with longer strides.

So I was able to make it to the top of the hill with just enough left in the take to make it to the finish line. When the finish line came into site, I had a dreadful realization. The course took us one more lap around the memorial before returning to the start/finish line. I was so concerned with monitoring my pace on my watch that I hadn't really looked at the overall distance covered. If I had paid more attention, I would have realized that if the race finished at the top of the hill, it would have been a half mile short of a 5k. I started to panic a little bit because I wasn't sure if I had enough energy left to make it another half mile around the memorial. But there was only one thing I could do, try my best. I put mind over matter and pushed myself around the last loop and made it safely back down the finish line for a finishing time of 24:52.

I hung around the finish line to see my buddy Charlie finish and then I was off to Eli's t-ball game. I had a nice cool down run by slowly making my way back down the hill to my car, which was parked about ¾ of a mile from the finish line. I made it to Eli's game just as they were starting, so everything had worked out. I got a text message later from my cousin Jennifer. She told me that I had placed first in my age group, so that was a nice surprise! Another great race day was in the books.  

Explore Your Limits 10k

I had not planned to run in the Mountain Junkies’ Explore Your Limits this year. I had already picked out a handful of races that I was going to run the first few months of 2014. I have really enjoyed running at the Explore Park, but I just need to limit myself on paying too many race entry fees. After sitting down in January to decide what races I wanted to enter this year, I came up with a list of 5 races I definitely wanted to take part in during the first half of the year.

 This list consisted of the Montvale 10 Miler, the Mill Mountain 10k, the BlueRidge Half-Marathon, the D-Day Memorial 5k, and the 25k at Carvin’sCove. The Mill Mountain race would be the only repeat (including distance) from last year. I would be trying the 10 mile course in the Montvale race, as opposed to the 5 mile race that I had run for the past two years. The last three races listed above would be brand new to me. These include a 5k around the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, in which I have very strong family ties. I would also be taking part in the most difficult half-marathon course I will have ever run and my first race longer than a half-marathon (on a trail too).

So, needless to say my plans for the first half of the year were going to keep me very busy. But was the Explore Your Limits race was getting closer, I had a strong desire to take part in the race again. So, with just a few days till the race, I broke down and registered. With the Montvale 10 mile race coming soon, I knew I needed to spend Saturday morning getting a good trail run in. So I figured that there would be no better way doing it that with a few hundred Mountain Junkies!

After reviewing my race recap from last year’s Explore Your Limits race, I remembered how I had got to race too early and ended up sitting in my car for 30 minutes trying to stay warm. So, I decided that I didn’t need to leave the house until around 8am, in order to get to the race and get my packet. In order to get out the door then, I knew I needed to get up between 7:00am to 7:30am. So I went to bed knowing that I had to get up before 7:30am, to make sure I had time to eat and pack my bag. What happened next was crazy.

The boys came into our bedroom and woke us up. I glanced at the clock and saw the “20” in the minute’s section. Of course, I was too tired to pay much attention to the “hour” reading. I guess I assumed it was 7:30am, so I stumbled out of bed and went to the kitchen, while the boys climbed into our bed to snuggle with Mommy. I made my pre-race cup of coffee, bowl of oatmeal, and grabbed a banana. Then I sat down in front of the computer at the kitchen table and enjoyed my breakfast and coffee. After a few minutes of browsing Facebook and eating my breakfast, it was time hop in the shower.

As I went back in our bedroom, Anna said, “What are you doing?” I said, “I’m getting in the shower.” Then she said, “It is 3:30 in the morning!” What!? In my sleepy stupor, I failed to realize it was 3:20am and not 7:20am. This was not my brightest moment. Anna asked why I didn’t realize the sun was not up yet. So, after eating breakfast and drinking the majority of a cup of coffee, I had to lie back down in bed and try to sleep for a few more hours. Luckily, I feel back to sleep very quickly. The next time I woke up, I was sure to check entire time on the alarm clock!

I woke up again, ate another bowl of oatmeal, drank another cup of coffee, browsed Facebook again, and hopped the shower (talk about Deja vu). As planned, I made it out the door by 8am and to the park by 8:30am. There was plenty of time to get my packet, pin my number, and take a short warm-up run. It was very chilly on this March morning. The temperatures were going to be below freezing up until race time. So, standing around waiting on the race to start was not too much fun. But after a short wait, we were off running.

After having run my best 10k time last year at this race, I told myself that I was not trying to beat any personal records. I went into the race with the game plan of running a comfortable race. After dealing with a couple injuries the past few months, I just wanted an uneventful race. Even more important, I didn’t want to be dealing with any extra pain for days after the race. So, with this in mind I told myself that I was not going to look at my time once during the race. I would hear my watch beep for the mile markers, but I was not going to peak at my time or pace.

The first mile of the race is mostly on a wide gravel path and the majority is downhill. It is very easy to fast and pay for it later in the race. I made myself start very slowly. As much as I hate having a bunch of people fly past me, I just ignored them. I even enjoyed the views of the Roanoke River as we ran adjacent to the river on the lowest section of the course.

By the time we made it to the single track, most of the faster runners were well out in front of me. This gave me the ability to take my own pace without feeling like I was holding up everyone behind me. As we started a section of incline, my side started hurting a little bit again. This is something I have been dealing with for the past few months. The doctor believes that is scar tissue from my surgery last year. I wouldn’t say it is painful. It is more of a nagging issue and it feels like someone is just sticking their knuckle right below your rib cage.

I had recently read an article in Runners World about side stitches. Since my pain is very similar to side stiches, I decided to try one of their recommended tips for dealing with this type of pain. They suggested that you exhale at the same time your opposite foot strikes the ground. I started concentrating a lot on my breathing and it seemed to help. I don’t know if it was just taking my mind off the pain or if it was actually helping relieve the pain. Either way, I was able to make it through the next couple of miles pretty comfortably.

The worst part of this course is that the 10k runners actually share the same first 5k as the 5k runners. So the 10k runners get to see the finish line, only to have to dive back in the trails for another 5k. It was sort of nice to know that I had made it to “halftime” very little discomfort. I finished the next couple of miles at an easy pace and I started to think about what my actual finishing time was going to be. After my 53:38 finishing time last year, I figured with my slower pace I was probably going to be well over an hour. I expected to see an hour and twenty minutes on the clock as I approached the finish line. So you can imagine my surprise when I turned the last corner and saw 58 minutes on the clock.

I came through the finish line with a time of 59:11. I was very happy with this time because I had run my own race at my own pace. I felt reasonable good for just having run 6.2 miles through the woods. I am very glad I decided to run this race at the last minute. It was a beautiful morning to be running through the woods with a bunch of other people. Sometimes it is nice to not being running by myself on the trails. As always, the Josh, Gina, and all of their volunteers put on a great race. I had some good food and enjoyed visiting with some friends after the race, even though I didn’t win any door prizes! I look forward to doing it all over again in a few weeks on my home turf! Until next time, keep on runnin’!

2013 Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic 5k

I have taken a break from blogging, once again. Over the past few months, I have been dealing with some nagging injuries and I have been hardly running at all. The holiday season is always extremely busy for our family. Thanksgiving, Eli's birthday, Christmas, New Year's, and Coy's birthday are all bunched together during the winter months. So it was a great time to be with the family and let my body heal a little.

In November I decided to cut back on my running because I was having a lot of pain in my right side. The doctor thought it was probably scar tissue from my appendectomy last summer. After taking a few weeks to give my side a break, I started back up running but was soon sidelined again with foot pain. After a little research online, I self diagnosed myself with plantar fasciitis. So I decided that after I ran in the Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic 5k in Bedford on December 7^th, I was going to take some more weeks off to let my foot heal.

There was no way I was going to miss this 5k in Bedford. This was going to be the third straight year I would run this race. But the main reason that I was anticipating this race was because I would be running it with my father. Over the previous few months, my dad had started running around the loop in Bedford. I remember the first few times I passed dad running, on my way home from work. It made me very proud of my dad to get out there and get some exercise. I think after his retirement, he had some extra energy to burn. During the fall months, I started bugging dad to sign up for the 5k in Bedford, since it was going to be about the same route he was running during his normal runs.

My father wasn't the only family member taking part in the running that cold December morning. Eli was going to be running his first 1 mile race and Coy was going to take part in the kids' ¼ mile race. I love how my boys get so excited to run in races. They are so cute when they so happy about having their own bib numbers to put on their shirts. I couldn't wait to race day, so that I could see three generations of Stevens' boys running down the streets of Bedford!

First we had to make it to the race. If anyone knows our family, you know that we are not the most punctual group. I usually blame it on having little kids, but it is probably more Anna and my fault. It wasn’t until we were in the car, heading to Bedford, that I realized how late we were running. We had about 15 minutes before the start of the race and since we live about 10 miles from Bedford, I knew it was going to be close. Since parking is limited at the middle school, I had Anna just drop me off and I would run use the short run to the starting line as my warm up.

I made to the starting area with just enough time to find my dad. He was already lined up and ready to go. It was really awesome to see him out there. Not only did I see my father, but my cousin Jennifer was also lining up to run. She was also going to push her 2 year old in a stroller. This was going to be a family event. We only had few minutes to talk before we were running.

Once we were running down Peaks Street, dad started telling me to go ahead and leave him behind. He didn’t want to slow me down. It was great to run with my father by my side. There was no way I was going to run ahead. I didn’t really need to leave him behind anyway, he was moving at a pretty good pace. The weeks leading up to the race, I had been dealing with a couple different injuries. I had already decided that after this race, I was going to take some time off from running to let my body heal some. So I was not trying to break any personal records during this 5k.

By the time we made it to Witfield Drive, we had found a comfortable pace. Now we just needed to maintain this pace until we got to the base of the dreaded hospital hill. Jennifer was also holding strong. She was keeping pace with us, even while pushing her stroller. I always try to break down difficult activities into smaller, more manageable tasks. So while running up a long hill like the one on Whitfield, I like to break it down into smaller sections. First, you just have to make it to the gate to the field on the right side of the road. Once you make it to that point, you set your sights on the fire hydrant. Next goal is the speed limit sign, followed by the intersection with Newton Circle. By this time your legs are usually burning so bad, that really just want to get to Oakwood Avenue.

I think one of the more difficult things about the hill section of this 5k, is that you will have another 1 ½ miles to the finish. You legs are really spent by the time you get up to the top of the hill. Dad and I took some time to slow our pace and let our legs loosen up some after the hill. By the time we got to Longwood Avenue, we were ready to make the final push. We made it back to the middle school in no time. I can’t tell you how proud I was to come down the final home stretch running in stride with my father. I was honored to take part in my dad’s first 5k, he did great!

Soon after the end of the 5k, the kids were lined up to run the ¼ mile race. Coy was taking part in this race around the front parking lots of the middle school. As we lined up, so seem a little apprehensive about the race. He tends to be shy around people he doesn’t know and since we were surrounded by strangers, he was not quite his usual wild self. Coy told us that he wanted Papa to run with him too. So we started the race with me holding his one hand and his Papa holding his other hand.

We made our way around the sidewalk on the front side of the school when I saw the bigger kids’ race starting. Eli was running in the 1 mile race for the older kids. His race’s path was down the Longwood Avenue’s sidewalk. It was a ½ mile down and back route that ended back at the school. Since they had opened Longwood back up for car traffic, I didn’t want Eli running by himself down the sidewalk. So I made sure Coy was okay with me leaving him with dad to finish his race. Then I sprinted to catch up with Eli. Anna had run a short distance with Eli, so he was not alone when I got to him. Both Eli and Coy did incredible jobs in their runs.

I couldn’t be more proud on this chilly December morning. I got to run with my father while he experienced his first 5k. Then I got to run with each of my son’s in races of their own. I have been blessed with such wonderful parents. I know no one can choose their own parents, but I would not trade mine for anything. Eli and Coy didn’t get to pick their father either, but I sure glad God has let me be a part of their life. Life is never easy and there are always going to be obstacles in my way, but with the all the loving people in my life I know I can make it through anything!

I am Falling Apart

Since my last race in October, I have been dealing with a couple nagging injuries. First I developed a pain just below my right rib. Since my surgery this past summer, I have been experiencing side cramp frequently during normal runs. I just thought it was due to not running in July and I thought I was just a little out of shape. But as the pain became more and more regular and once it started bothering me hours after running, I decided to go to the doctor. The doctor thought I was dealing with some scar tissue from my surgery and it was causing layers of muscle and tissue to stick together more than normal. He recommended that I take a break for a couple weeks and see if it got any better.

Fast forward a few weeks and I was able to start running again. I started with some easy runs on the treadmill, planning to increase my mileage gradually over the next few weeks. At that same time I began planning in a basketball league organized by my company. I think the combination of running again and making some lateral movements in basketball, I developed a pain in my heel. When I would get up in the morning, I could barely put any weight on my right foot. The pain would gradually get better as I loosened my foot through the day. But each morning and short 3 and 4 mile runs, my heel was very sore.

After doing a little research online, I came to the conclusion that I have developed a little plantar fasciitis in my right foot. All the all the recommended treatments for plantar fasciitis began with rest. Since I was just getting back into running, I really do not want to take a break. But to ensure that my foot problems didn't turn into a chronic issue, I have decided to take a few more weeks off from running. I had already signed up for the Peaks of Otter Christmas Classic 5k on December 7^th, so I would try to run that race at a comfortable pace and start my rest after the race. I will use this time away from running to get in some mountain biking and weight training. I will pick back up running in January and see how my foot responds to slowly reintroducing a few miles a week running.

2013 Anthem into the Darkness Night Trail Race

This past weekend I had took part in my second ever night trail race. It is actually the second time I have ever trail ran in the dark, period. I took part in this same Mountain Junkies race last October and I had a lot of fun. After last year, I promised myself that if I ever ran a night race again, I would invest in a better headlamp. Of course after 12 months, I still didn't upgrade my headlamp. At least I splurged on some new batteries (even if they were Family Dollar specials).

I was very happy to find out that Jennifer (Overstreet) Abbott and Catherine (Saunders) Abbott would be running in this year’s event. After finding out that Anna and the boys were going shopping in Roanoke before the race, I ended up bumming a ride with Jennifer and Catherine to the race. Jennifer led us on a very scenic route, but we got to Explore Park with plenty of time to spare. I will not elaborate any further about Jennifer’s navigation skills, she may hurt me!

Once we got our race packets and I put my racing bib on as straight as possible (crooked numbers drive me crazy), we were off to the pre-race meeting. I really should have taken some time to warm up prior to the race starting. The next thing I knew, we are lining up at the starting area. After remembering that I forgot to start my watch last year, I was sure to start it sooner this year. I had a strong satellite signal and my headlamp was on when the starting horn went off.

The first 1 of the race is downhill on a half paved, half gravel road that snaked down to the edge of the Roanoke River. Once at the river, the trail started but it was pretty wide and flat for a while. During this first section of the race, you can really separate into different paced groups. I was determined to get out as quickly as possible this year. I had taken it easy the previous year and ended up behind some slower runners later during the single track portion of the race. My plan worked just as I had hoped and I got through the first mile in less than 7 minutes.

I probably should have planned my strategy a little better. By the time I made it to the top of the first hill climb, I was spent! This hill climb was no joke. It was up a very steep hill with lots of large, loose rocks and leaves. The trail was also very washed out during this section and it was very difficult finding a solid place for each foot step. By the time I got to the top of this hill, I realized that this course was going to be a lot more difficult that I remembered from last year. It was also at this moment that I tried to remember the last night I was on a trail. I don’t know why I didn't train more on trails for this race. I had not even run on a trail since before my surgery in June. I definitely was not as prepared for this race as I should have been.

The next couple of miles went by pretty fast, considering how tight my legs were feeling. I think the combination of no stretching and spending the majority of the day at the pumpkin patch with my family had taken its toll on my legs. Even though I didn’t break 10 minutes on any of my remaining miles, I felt like I was running a lot faster than I was actually traveling. Since I was spending a lot of time watching each foot step, the grounds seems like it is flying by you at a much high rate. Also, since you really can’t see anything too far away, you cannot pick something off in the distance to stare at while you are running.

I knew the course was just over 4 miles, but since there were so many switchbacks on the course, my watch’s measured distance was off. So when I popped out of the woods just after my watch said 3.5 miles, I was pleasantly surprised. I knew that once I was out of the woods, there was just a short run on the paved road to the finish line. At this point, I decided to finish with a final kick to the finish. I really pushed myself during this last section. When I got to the finish line, I didn't feel too good! It was at this point that I thought I was going to puke! I heard Anna and the boys cheering at the finish line. They had met me at the race, following their shopping trip. I decided to walk away from Anna and the boys, so they didn't have to watch Daddy throw up.

 After gaining my composure and pulling myself together, I made my way over the see Anna and the boys. I ended up running about a minute slower than I ran this course last year. Considering how spent my body felt during the middle of this race, I was very happy with my finishing time of 37:12. We hung out at the finish line to cheer on Catherine, Jennifer, and the other runners. Congratulations to Catherine and Jennifer on completing their first trail race! They did awesome! After getting some dry clothes on, I helped myself to some good food and a cup of coffee. The Mountain Junkies put together another great trail racing experience. All in all, it was a great evening of running in the dark! I look forward to my next race, whatever that may be.

Fleet Feet Pub Run at Wasena City Tap Room

Anna and I have been wanting to take part in one of Fleet Feet's Pub Runs for months. Fleet Feet Sports is a running store located in Roanoke and they organize a lot of local events promoting running, as well as socializing as a community. These pub runs take place on Tuesday nights at 6 pm. The locations alternate between the Fork in the City and Wasena City Tap Room restaurants. Runners can choose between 3 or 5 mile runs on the nearby Roanoke River Greenway. The runs conclude at the restaurant, where there are food and drink specials.

Having just wrapped up Eli's fall soccer season, Anna and I were finally able to find a Tuesday night to take part in a Pub Run. Since I work in Lynchburg and we live in Montvale, just making it to Roanoke by 6pm is an adventure in itself. I made it home just in time to hug the boys, change my clothes and hop in the car with Anna. It makes me a little sad to not spend the evening with the boys, but Anna and I need to make an effort to do some sort of "date night" sometimes. I would like to say thanks to my Mom and Dad for watching the boys for us, so we could have a date night.

We made it to the Wasena City Tap room with plenty of time to spare. The run didn't start at exactly 6pm, so we had a few minutes to relax before we ran. A very nice gentleman saw my Mountain Junkies shirt and came over to talk with Anna and me. He was friends with the Mountain Junkies' organizers and actually takes pictures at their races. He asked if I was going to take part in the Into the Darkness race this coming weekend, which I am. So he told me to make sure to not look at the camera when I am running. Since the race is at night and flash will temporarily blind you! Meeting new people is what these pub runs are all about. It is nice to get outside and enjoy the beautiful evening while getting some exercise with people who also enjoy running.


Anna told me to do the 5 mile run and she could just run the 3 mile course, but this was our date night and I enjoy running with Anna. So we both ended up taking part in the 3 mile run. As usual, Anna put in her ear pods (to prevent me from talking her head off while we run). I don't mind Anna listening to her music because it allows me to take in the scenery without running my mouth the entire time. Plus, I caught a hint of "Paradise City" by Guns N Roses while running a section of the course!

The run went by really quick. It always love running on the Greenway. Not only were there a lot of people taking part in the Pub Run, but there were a ton of other people out running, walking, and biking. It is so night to see resource like the Greenway getting so heavily used. The people of Roanoke are blessed with beautiful scenery and wonderful parks to enjoy the outdoors!

Once Anna and I were done with our run, we got a table at the Tap Room. It was our first time at the restaurant and we were very impressed. Not only was the inside beautiful with all its brick walls and exposed ceilings, but the employees were so hospitable. We got a sausage and green pepper pizza and a couple draft beers. The pizza was awesome and we are definitely going to come back for a follow-up date night!

So, if you live in the Roanoke area and you are bored on a Tuesday evening. I would highly recommend taking part in one of these Pub Runs. It is hard to beat a good run, with awesome people, followed up by awesome food and drinks! Also, if you have never been to Fleet Feet in Roanoke, check them out. You will not find nicer people to help you get the running gear you need. Anna and I enjoyed our first experience at a Pub Run and we will definitely try to make it back another one soon.



**Some of the pictures used in the post were borrowed from Fleet Feets' Facebook page.

2013 Virginia 10 Miler – To Pee or Not To Pee?

I had been looking forward to September 28 for quite some time. Not only would it be my second ever running of the Virginia 10 Miler, it was my target race for my post-surgery training. I had spent the past two month building up my weekly running totals, as well as my running distances in order to be able to finish this tough and hilly course.

I found out a couple weeks before the race, that I would be without my favorite cheerleader. Anna was going to Baltimore with a friend to see the Orioles play the Red Sox. I was glad she was getting to have a girls’ weekend. As much time and energy she spends taking care of her three boys, she was well deserving of a weekend retreat. Her absence was going to throw some few logistical issues in the race weekend though.

With Anna leaving town Friday afternoon, I was going to have to keep the boys by myself for the first time over night. Since I had needed to leave the house before 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, I recruited some help. Grandma and Papa were eager to lend a helping hand. My Mom and Dad came up to the house Friday afternoon and watched the boys until I got home from work. After eating dinner and taking part in our normal weekend “Movie Night”, I laid down with the boys.

The morning came around very quickly and it was a good thing I had my parents over. I sleep very soundly and Anna is usually my alarm clock. Since I had to rely on an actual electronic device, I decided to set my phone as well as the normal bedside clock. My phone’s alarm when off around 5:50 a.m. and it woke my parents up a few doors down the hallway before I ever heard it. I am sure I would have heard the second alarm because it was set much louder (at least I hope I would have). My Dad woke me up after my phone had been going off for a few minutes.

The original plan was that I would leave early and my parents would bring the boys to Lynchburg a couple hours later. I gave them the option of just staying at home and playing with Grandma and Papa, but Eli really wanted to come to the race. I know how difficult it is to get the boys up, fed, and out the door. I felt bad about putting that burden on my parents. So we ended up waking the boys up just after 6 a.m. and in the car. We had to drive separate cars because we could fit in one. So they were going to McDonald’s to eat breakfast and I was off to the starting line.

I thought I had left with plenty of time to spare, but I didn’t account for some traffic in Lynchburg. Traffic stopped dead on Lakeside Drive, well before Lynchburg College. I had planned to park at the Plaza, so I had about another mile to go. By the time I got to the Plaza and found a parking place, I had about 15 minutes before the start of the race. I decided that I would warm up by running from the car to the porta-john farm near E.C. Glass. I always like emptying the tank before I run. I found myself about 30 people deep in a line for a stinky portable toilet. After waiting in line for about 10 minutes, I was half way to the front of the line when they started making the countdown to start the race. I had to make the executive decision to postpone my prerace ritual.

I knew there were going to be a lot of porta-johns along the race path and I really didn’t need to go that bad. So, I was able to make it to the starting area just as the gun went off. Since there were several thousand runners and walkers at the event, it took me around 3 minutes to make it to the actual starting line. With no time to wait around for the race and get nervous, I was off. My prerace plan was to take the first few miles very easy. I was going to run at a very comfortable pace and not pay any attention to my watch. Having the weave around slower runners for the first couple miles, I really didn’t have a lot of time to look at my watch anyway. I made myself take the time to look around at the scenery. It is not every day that you get to run straight down Linkhorne with no traffic.

With all the adrenaline flowing early in the race and with the first two miles being downhill, it is very easy to start this race too fast. I made myself look around at the scenery and take the in the sights, as an attempt to slow myself down some too. It is not every day that you get to run straight down Linkhorne without the threat of being hit by a car. It was during this portion of the race that I saw several friends and a cousin too (great job Jennifer!).

After the two mile downhill portion of the race, we had made it to the rolling hill section of the course. This is the 1.5 mile section that goes “up” and “down” on its way from the Farm Basket to Rivermont Avenue. I think this is one of the more difficult sections of the race. The constant changing of elevation can really do a number on your legs. I have been doing a lot of training on hilly Lynchburg streets in 2013 and I really think it has paid off. This section ended up not being as bad as I had remembered from last year. By the time I made it to top of the last hill approaching Rivermont, I could feel my legs tightening, but I still had a lot of energy.

 

The 1.5 miles up to the turnaround in Riverside Park was not too bad. There is a slight uphill climb, but the elevation gain is very gradual and not too noticeable. It was also during this section of the course that I started seeing all the leaders heading back to the start line. It is amazing seeing how fast those men and women are. They are definitely blessed with running great running ability.

It was also this section of the race were you really start to realize how many race “cheerleaders” there are at the 10 Miler. There were tons of volunteers stretching the entire race path and each one did a great job of cheering the runners on as they passed. I believe a lot of them were college students and I greatly appreciated them getting up early on a Saturday morning to give us some extra boost. I am sad to say that I don’t think the college aged Ryan would have been getting up at 7am to cheer a bunch of running strangers.

Once I had made it to the Riverside Park turnaround, I felt great. My pace had steadily improved over the first half of the race and it was then that I realized that I could still finish with a pretty decent time. I couldn’t remember my exact finishing time from 2012, but I thought it was somewhere in the 1:26 range. Doing some quick math in my head, if I pushed it harder in the second half of the race I could possibly beat that time.

After 50 minutes into the race with about 4 miles to go, I grabbed my Gu gel packet out of my pocket and began to slowly consume some extra calories. I have found in the past that any runs under 50 minutes; I don’t usually need any other than water. But anything over 50 minutes, my body reacted better to getting a shot of gel. It was about this time in the race that I started contemplating about using a porta-john. I decided to wait as long as possible and hopefully wait until after I ate my gel packet (they upset my stomach sometimes). I decided that I would just keeping running until I really, really, really needed to go.

During the return section of the rolling hills, I was still feeling pretty strong. But in the back of my mind, I was still second guessing my current pace. I was definitely running faster than I had the entire race and I knew the last 2 miles were going to be that awful hill climb back to E.C. Glass. Those thought consumed my mind during this section of the race. By the time I got to the base of the hill, just by the Farm Basket store, my legs still felt pretty strong. I tried to attack the hill with everything I had left. After about ¾ of a mile, the hill starts to decline in slope some. But by that time, my legs were pretty tired. I found a comfortable pace and tried to think happy thoughts for the last mile.

As I got close to the finish line, I could see my time was close to 1:29. So subtracting 3 minutes for my chip time, I knew I was going to be close to last year’s time. I crossed the line at 1:26:18. As soon as I crossed the finish line, I spotted my Mom and Dad with Eli and Coy. It was great to see them. I felt great for just finishing the race and I immediately knew I could have done better. But that was not my goal for today. This was a race that I had picked out two months before, when I had to start running all over again. My thoughts drifted back to those early days of July. I was struggling to simply walk laps around the backyard without getting dizzy. My body had done its job healing my wounds and I put in the time training for this race.

This feeling of satisfaction is the reason I love to run in races. I love setting a goal and working towards that goal. It is really good for my self-esteem to be able to accomplish goals. My parents, the boys, and I hung around the post-race area for a while after the race. We got some food to eat and relaxed for a little while. I was able to catch up with a few friends afterwards too. I was nice seeing Jennifer, Catherine, Missy, Samantha, Coach Cutler, Kevin, Travis, Holly, Shannon, and Mary Carter. I hope I didn’t forget anyone.

After a quick visit to Bedford’s Centerfest and eating a yummy jiro, I was able to go home and look up my previous year’s time. I found that I had actually run 13 second slower than last year. I was pretty happy to finish so close without really trying this year. I felt much stronger during and after the race this year. I know, God willing, I will really be able to push for a PR next year. I was really pleased when I looked at my splits from this year’s race. My slowest 3 miles were miles 1, 2, and 3. My fastest 2 miles were miles 8 and 9. I had finally stuck to a race strategy and it had actually paid off.

  My 2012 Splits

(ignore my final time, I forgot to stop my watch)

 

My 2013 Splits

 

Since I felt so good running this difficult 10 mile course, I think I am going to try and get a half marathon in before the end of the year. I can just keep on training until then, so that I don’t lose my current level of endurance. Other than that, I am just planning to run in a few 5k races to close out an interesting 2013. I am sorry it took so long to post my race recap, but sometimes I get too busy living life (and watching Breaking Bad on Netflix!).

Training and 10 Miler Prerace Thoughts

So, it has been almost three months since my appendectomy and about two months since I started running again. I have pretty much stuck to my initial plan for getting from the couch to the 10 Miler. Each week I have been stepping up my weekly mileage, as well as increasing the length of my weekly long run. The only planned run I missed was when we had a surprise trip to Blacksburg to watch a Tech game. I didn’t get my long run in that week and it caused my weekly total to dip for that week (week 36 in the graph below).

Weekly Running Totals (weeks 26-38 of 2013)

Overall, I am very pleased with my progress. I have not tried to push my pace too much during these runs though. I was more concerned with getting miles in and now on my tempo. So going into the Virginia 10 Miler this weekend, I am going to run comfortably. I am not going to try and beat my last years’ time of 1:26:05. I would like to finish in less than 2 hours. But other than that, my main goal is to finish!

If you are not familiar with the route of the 10 Miler, the first 1 ½ miles is downhill. It is very easy to overdo it early. Since last year was my first time running this race, I made this mistake of starting to fast. I am going to try very hard to start slowly. I am going to use my watch to make myself slow down for the first few miles, when my adrenaline is making me run faster than I know I should. Hopefully, by setting a slow pace early, I will have much more fuel in the tank at the end. I really would like to attack the last 1 ½ mile hill to the finish.

No matter my finishing time on Saturday, I am very happy with my current running ability. It is hard to believe that just a few months ago; Anna had to help me out of bed in order for me to go to the bathroom. I remember taking those short walks down the hospital hallway, pulling my I.V. cart along beside me. These walks, just days after my surgery, would leave me lightheaded and completely drained. So when I cross that finish line on Saturday, I am not going to be concerned about my time. I am going to smile and thank God that he has blessed me with a healthy body again.

Couch to 10 Miler Plan

Due to my surgery at the end of June, I went 28 straight days without running. This doesn’t include the week leading up to my surgery that I didn’t run my normal schedule. When I started back on July 24^th, I walk/ran 1.5 miles. At this point, I decided that I needed to come up with a strategy to get back to where I was before my appendicitis. My company is a sponsor of the Virginia 10 Miler, which takes place in Lynchburg. I ran in the race last year and really enjoyed the experience. My company pays the majority of the entry fee for its employees, so it made a good target race for several reasons.

I knew I was going to have to be dedicated, in order to be ready to run a 10 mile race at the end of September. I sat down and planned out all my runs for the 9 weeks leading up to the race. To limit my soreness and to reduce injury, I concentrated on three areas; distance of each run, distance of longest run for each week, the weekly distance total. I wanted to be sure to slow step up each of these categories as the weeks progressed, but not a rate that could cause me a setback.

I am a dork and I like spreadsheets. So, of course I had to make one for my 9 week running plan. Here my final plan. All numbers (minus the percentage) are mileage totals for each day, as well as weekly total mileage. I used the weekly total distance % change  to help verify I wasn’t upping my total mileage too much.

Here is my actual mileage chart so far. Since I have been feeling good during most of my runs, I let myself add a little more distance with each run. But I limit it to only a ½ mile extra.

 

My Appendicitis Story

About two months ago, I had one of the more scary experiences of my life. Although, I didn’t quite realize how dangerous the situation could have been until it was over. In hindsight the outcome could have been horrible for me and my family. For the most part my life is back to normal now, but it was far from normal during last few days of June.

 

Anna and the boys had travel to Douthat State Park with her family on Thursday, June 20^th. Since I had to work on Friday, I stayed at home and made the trip up on Friday evening. After a couple days of eating junk food and sleeping on a small air mattress with Anna and the boys, I began to have a stomach ache. I thought it was just my bowels causing me some discomfort or possibly a weird sleeping angle had caused my stomach muscles to be sore.

Sunday morning I got up and went for a run. I thought that running would help align my body. Running has always made my digestive track speed up (to put it discretely as possible). The pain didn’t go away during my run though. I could actually feel the pain in my stomach with the impact of each foot. I didn’t think anything more about it. Again, I just thought my stomach was just upset from the weekend of camping.

 

Monday came around and I went back to work. My job consists of sitting behind a computer for the majority of the day. So my body is not physically taxed a lot. My stomach was still bothering me. But I thought that since I had not had a good bowel movement in days, my pains were due to a “back-up”. I even tried to go for another run on Wednesday. I ran 3 miles on the Treadmill before work. This exercise still didn’t seem to get my body back to normal though.

I put up with my stomach issues for a couple more days before I decided to take some medicine. The pains I was having were very similar to gas pains. So I thought taking some Gas-X would help. After taking several doses of Gas-X, there was no change to my condition. So, on Thursday I decided to take some Miralax. This did allow me to go to the bathroom with a little more success, but I was no wear to being on my normal schedule. Thursday night, I told Anna that I thought I should go to the doctor in the morning. Not only was my stomach upset, I was developing a very tender spot in my lower right stomach region.

Since I had been having stomach issues for 8 days and I did not seem to be getting any better, I decided to make an appointment with my local doctor’s office. I was seen early on Friday morning. The Physician’s Assistant that saw me didn’t think my issue was appendix related. Since I was not nauseous and I was not running a fever, it was unlikely that I was experience an infected appendix. She didn’t want to make me get the large dose of radiation that comes along with a CT scan. She ordered x-rays to verify there was no blockage in my bowels.

She told me that I didn’t have to wait around for the results and that she would call me when she was able to read the results. So I went on to work. I worked all day and didn’t hear back from the PA until I was driving home around 5 p.m. She told me that there was no sign of blockage and that there was not a lot of fecal matter in my bowels. I found this news very strange, since wasn’t using the bathroom much all week. She told me that if I developed any additional pain, fever, or nausea, to go to the emergency room as quickly as possible.

Saturday morning I woke up and the pain was almost gone. I was very excited and I thought I was on the road to recovery. I spent the majority of the day doing yard work. I mowed and weed-eated. I took all the trash cans and recycling bins to the dump. Then later that evening, we went to the Bucannan Fair. I spent the next few hours walking around the fair and watching the boys ride some of the carnival rides. I even went down the three story slide with Eli and Coy. Anna’s mom joked that if my appendix hadn’t burst yet, the slide down would probably do it.

 

We got back home and had a normal night getting the boys to sleep. I was pretty tired from my long day of yard work and fair fun. I went to bed and fell to sleep pretty easily. I woke up around 2:30 a.m. with stomach pains again. I could not situate myself in any position so that the pain would go away. This was the first time I couldn’t sleep due to the pain. After an hour tossing around in bed, I woke up Anna and told her that I was in pain. I got up to get some water and I started getting the shakes really bad. I think it was a combination of being cold and having anxiety about my stomach that was causing my body to shake so bad. Anna called her mom (she is a nurse) and I put on some pants and sweatshirt.

Anna’s mom told us to go to the ER and she came over to watch the boys. We decided that we would make the trek to Lewis Gale in Salem. We have always had great experiences at Lewis Gale and it was not that much farther than the other hospitals. We got to the ER around 4:30 a.m. and we were immediately seen by a PA. Since I still wasn’t running a fever and was not nauseous, they didn’t think it was my appendix. But to be sure, they ordered some blood work, another x-ray, and a CT scan.

The blood work came back fine. My white blood count was normal, so my body didn’t seem to be fighting off an infection. The x-ray didn’t show anything abnormal. Next they put in an IV so they could put the dye in my blood stream for the scan. Also, I got to drink a wonderfully delicious drink that helped my digestive track show up in the scan results. A nurse showed up and gave me morphine through my IV. I really wasn’t in a lot of pain and I told Anna that I didn’t want any pain killers. I really wanted to know if my pain was getting worse and by taking pain killers, I figured I wouldn’t be able to keep track my pain level.

Anna talked me into, saying that “you may be having surgery today”. I laughed and said, I don’t think so. So, the morphine was injected and I felt like an elephant sat on me. I was pinned to the hospital bed and I definitely had less pain. Anna thought I was pretty funny during this time period. The PA came back and said that since my blood work was fine and I was not having any other appendicitis symptoms, that after the CT scan they would probably send me home and call me a wuss!

So, I was wheeled into the radiology department and I got to slide in the slide in the CT scan “donut” a few times. Once I was wheeled back to the ER room, Anna and I found it hard to stay awake. We had been up for most of the night and it looked like nothing was going to be found during this visit. It seemed like hours before the PA returned. He said, “You are having surgery today”! He said that my appendix was ruptured and abscessed. He said that my lymph nodes were very swollen in that area as well. He said that there could be a possibility that some else may be at work, like cancer.

No one likes to hear the “C” word. It really hits you hard when you start thinking about what might be going on inside your body. My thoughts instantly turned towards my family. Anna and the boys are my world. The thought of leaving them without a husband and father devastated me. I tried to be positive and not think about the worst case scenario. After talking with the surgeon, she informed me that it was standard procedure to send the appendix to pathology for testing. The results would take 4 week days to complete though. So I would not hear anything back until at least Thursday. She said the main thing they needed to be concerned with is getting the appendix out and having my stomach cavity flushed of any toxins.

From this point, everything started moving fast for me. I was wheeled up to the pre-op room to fill out some paper work and to meet the anesthesiologist. Anna was able to come with me during this process. She stepped outside to talk to her Mom on the phone and caught a glimpse of her crying. That was the one time I felt myself getting emotional about the surgery. I think it was more due to seeing Anna upset, than any fears related to the surgery.

They started giving me my anesthesia through my IV, and they started moving me to the operating room. I had to say a quick good-bye to Anna and got a quick kiss. Once in the operating room, I had to move to the operating table. I just remember it being cold in the room and the table was less plush than my hospital bed. Once I crab walked over to the other bed, they began strapping my arms down to the arm part of the table, which darted out at a 90 degree angle from the table. I also remember the number of people in the room. I don’t know why that stood out to me, but it made the a bit worried that this was going to take so many people. Maybe I had downplayed the severity of the situation.

The next thing I remembered was waking up in the recovery room. I was shaking violently and it was freaking me out. I asked the nurses, “why am I shaking!” and they told me it was due to the anesthesia. I do not like not being in control of my body and to lie there while my body was jerking around was not pleasant. I was not in a lot of pain, as long as I was not moving around. I asked the nurse if my wife could come sit beside me and she told me no. I couldn’t understand why Anna couldn’t come see me. I knew that just seeing her and holding her hand would calm me down.

After some time passed, my trembling subsided and I was able to relax some. They told me that all my vitals were good and that there were just going to wait a little bit longer before moving back to my permanent room. It felt like hours, but it had to only be a matter of minutes before they started wheeling my bed to my new room. As they came down the hall to my room, I saw Anna, Doug, Mom, and Dad. I felt so good to see some familiar faces again. I knew Mom and Dad were on the way to the hospital when I was going into surgery, but it was a pleasant surprise to see good ole Doug there. Once I got into my room, I had to crawl into my new bed. That was when I discovered just how sore I was.

The surgery was laparoscopic, so I only had three small holes in my stomach region. There was one just above my bellybutton and two on my beltline about six inches apart. For such a “minimally invasive” surgery, I was extremely sore. I felt like I could not use my stomach muscles at all to sit up and I felt very bloated. Come to find out, they actually fill my stomach cavity with air so they can easily separate my organs and get to the appendix. So, I think the majority of my discomfort was due to the air and having my intestines shifted around.

The worst part of the first few days was getting up to use the bathroom. Since I receiving fluids through an IV, I had to go to the restroom a lot. Anna must have helped me to the toilet 100 times over the next few days. The first day, I made myself walk down the hall a couple times. I figured the quicker I could get up and move around, the sooner I would start feeling better. It was amazing how tired I got by walking 30 feet down the hallway, very slowly. I went from running 20 miles a week, to not being able to walk down the hall without using the railing.

I told Anna that I had a new respect for her after my surgery. I was in a lot of pain because I had something the size of the tip of my pinky removed from my stomach. She had surgery twice to remove 6 pound babies from her belly! Once again, I realized why God chose women for child birth. They are definitely stronger!

Since my appendix had ruptured, I had to have a drain tube. This tube was attached to one of my beltline incisions. I came to really despise this little contraption. Although I understood it was necessary, there was no way to move around without that tub shifting and hurting!

 

The first night, I ate some jelly for dinner. I really didn’t have an appetite, so it didn’t really matter. I was getting pain medication through my IV for the first day. The nurse told me that once I was able to eat some food, that she would switch me to some oral pain medicine. I had not slept too well the first night. From having to get up every 2 to 3 hours to use the restroom, my leg cuffs filling with air ever other minute, and nurses coming in to take vitals, I had a lot of broken sleep.

On the second day of my stay, I was able to get some more food in my stomach. So they switched my medicine. I still had to have an IV for the antibiotics, so that was going to have to stay attached for a couple more days.

My surgeon came to talk with us the second morning. This was the first time I had spoken with her since before my surgery. She told me that my appendix did not look too good. She said that when she tried to staple it off from my large intestine, that it just crumbled apart. She was able to suture the opening closed, but they thought for a little while that there were going to have to take out part of my intestines in order to get the whole closed. Also, since I had taken ibuprofen the day before my surgery, it took an extra hour for her to stop my bleeding. She told me that appendix was sent to the pathology department and that it would take four days to get the results. For her tone and the details she gave us about how everything looked, we were very worried.

In my head, I just kept thinking how my appendicitis was so atypical. I didn’t have signs of infection. I was not running a fever. My white blood cell count was normal too. There had to be another reason why my appendix was having issues. I remembered the day before when the PA was talking about my lymph nodes being so big. After the surgeon left the room, Anna and I were emotionally shaken. This was the lowest point of my entire stay in the hospital. I couldn’t get thoughts of cancer out of my mind. Every time I thought about Eli and Coy, I cried. Every time I thought about Anna, I cried. Even though I tried to be strong and not let Anna see me getting upset, at this point I couldn’t avoid it.

A few hours later and after talking with the infectious disease doctor, we felt a lot better. I decided that no matter the outcome of the tests, I was going to beat it. Mopping around and feeling sorry for myself, was not going to make anything better. I told Anna that I was going to not think about the “what if’s” until I knew for certain what we were facing. Plus, the boys were coming to visit for the first time since my surgery and they needed to see us strong. After our visit from the boys, our spirits were pretty good for the rest of the day. I can’t even express in words what if felt like to have the boys hug on me. It was so nice to just see their smiling faces. The combination of seeing the boys, moving around more, and eating more had me feeling a lot better by the end of day two.

On Tuesday, day three, I decided that I was going to take stop taking my pain medication. I was still in a lot of discomfort around my stomach area, but I thought the medication was one of the main reasons for my fatigue. I hated getting tired for just walking to the bathroom. I needed to start getting better and I needed to start as soon as possible. At this point, were getting cabin fever. Anna stayed by my side 24/7 the first few days. My parents and I made her leave the room for a little while and get something to eat, but we even had to talk into that. At this point we had watched too many episodes of Friends, Seinfeld, and Everyone Loves Ramon (my three favorite shows of all time). I guess since I was laying the bed, Anna let me watch my shows! Anna talked me into taking some pain medicine before bed Tuesday night, just so I would get some better sleep. I gave in, but it would be my last pain medication in the hospital.

 

One of the main reasons I wanted to slow down on the pain killers was that I needed to have a bowel movement before the doctor would release me to go home. I was determined that this was going to happen and I learned from the nurses that the pain killers cause constipation. So on Wednesday morning, after eating a country omelet and some coffee, we had success! Now, nothing was going to stop me from going home on Thursday. I am sure if you are reading this, you don’t really care to hear about these details. But it was too important of a topic to leave out.



So after one more night in our temporary home, Thursday July 4^th, I was cleared to return home. I finally got the IV out of my arm after over 4 days. I didn’t get to lose all of my new attachments though. I found out that I was going to have to keep the drain tube in for another week. I didn’t care at this point. I just wanted to go home. After a long walk to the car on someone shaky legs, we were on our way home. This was the first time I had been outside since earlier Sunday morning. I remember feeling the sun on my skin as I walked outside. It is amazing the little things in life that you don’t even realize you miss until you don’t experience it for a few days.

Mom and Dad were keeping the boys on Thursday and they were waiting on the front porch when we got home. It was so great to be at home with my all the people I love. The boys had even made a sign that was hanging on our front door, which read “Welcome Home Mom and Dad”. Even though I was well enough to come home, I still got tired very easily. I would say that was the worst complication of my whole experience. I would spend the next few days stuck on the couch in the living room. I found it was more comfortable sleeping while propped up some pillows on the couch, than in my bed.

 

Thursday was the day we were supposed to get the pathology results back, but since it was the 4^th of July, the surgeon’s office was closed. So, I had to wait another day, now knowing if something more was wrong with me. Not knowing was starting to take its toll on me. It was hard for me to not think about the worst case, while I was sitting around the house all day. I tried to not let it show too much, but I am sure Anna knew what I was thinking about during those quiet times. Friday morning, I called the surgeon’s office, but all of the doctors were out of the office on vacation. The assistant I talked with on the phone said only my doctor could read me the results. So, I was going to have to wait until Monday.

That made for a long weekend. Finally Monday came around and I called the surgeon’s office again. My surgeon was actually in surgery, but this assistant was able to give me my results. The test came back negative! It was only appendicitis! This was the best news I had received in a long time. A huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I feel for those individuals and families that are fighting cancer. Just the thoughts having to start to fight something so hideous just about wrecked my nerves. During my follow-up visit with my surgeon later in the week, we found out that the results actually didn’t come back until that Monday. The pathology office did extra tests on some of the surrounding tissue and that made the results delayed. The surgeon told me that the first radiologist that looked at my CT scan had really thought cancer was involved. This is why the doctors seemed so somber when they were talking with me in the ER and the first day after surgery.

So after getting this great news, the only thing left was to keep healing my wounds. Two of the three incisions healed up very quickly. Because I had the drain tube in the other whole for an extra week and a half, it was taking longer to close. They couldn’t stitch it closed either because it had to heal from the inside out to reduce the chances of infection. I started walking laps around the back yard to make my legs feel better. I was on the road to recovery and I was looking forward the challenge. I will talk about my steps to getting back running in a different post. This post has gotten too long and I wanted to keep this one more about the actual procedure and hospital stay.

 

I just want to everyone that helped me over the past month. Thanks all the doctors and nurses that helped me while in the hospital. We have had so many good experiences at Lewis Gale. I would recommend that facility to anyone needed medical attention. I would also like to thank everyone that came to visit me in the hospital; Anna (she never left), Mom, Dad, Eli, Coy, Barbara, Doug, James, Brad, Emily, Ben, and Tim. I would like to thank my co-workers for sending a fruit basket and cards. Also, thanks to everyone at work for being so understanding while I was out of the office. Thanks to Tim for the basket of food and bag of stuff to keep me busy in the hospital. Thanks to Mom and Dad for taking care of my flowers, mowing my grass, and taking my trash to the dump. Thanks to my parents and in-laws for keeping the boys while Anna and I were at the hospital. Thanks to Eli and Coy for being so understanding when Daddy’s “tummy” was hurt.

 

Most of all, thanks to my wife. She is definitely my better half and she gave me strength with just her presence at the hospital. She helped me to the bathroom, helped me clean myself, helped me dress, and even changed my sheets while in the hospital. She fetched the nurses when I needed more medicine and she sat through hours of classic comedy sitcoms! One of the worst parts of this experience was being so dependent on other people. But she everything possible to make the situation the best it could be. I am so blessed to have such awesome people in my life. May God bless you all.