My Ice Bucket Challenge for SMA Awareness

I am sorry this took a week to get together and post. As dumb as it sounds, I needed my husband to be home to dump ice water on my head. He works crazy hours, and I really wanted to do this at a time other than midnight or 4 am. It's not like our neighbors don't have enough reasons to think we are odd.

So the Ice Bucket Challenge; you would have to be living under a rock to not have seen this going around. Even then, your rock would have to be a complete dead zone, because we all know people who live under rocks still have their smart phones on them. It's the times, folks. Anyway, my lovely cousin Felicia nominated me for this challenge. The gist is, you have 24 hours to dump a bucket of ice water on your head, or you donate $100 to the ALS Association. I broke basically all the rules other than the actual ice water dumping, but I digress. This "silly little internet fad" has raised SO MUCH money for ALS research! Since SMA is very similar to ALS, a lot of folks have been doing their bucket dump to do the same for awareness of SMA. I have also seen a "Pie in the Face Challenge" going around for SMA, which is pretty awesome too. 

So what exactly is SMA? It stands for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. SMA effects the motor nerve cells in the spinal cord taking away the ability to walk, eat, or breath. It is caused by a mutation in the survival motor neutron gene 1. This mutation causes debilitating muscle weakness that is often fatal. It is the number 1 genetic cause for death in infants. 

Some Facts:

-SMA doesn't discriminate. It can effect any race or gender.
-SMA affects approximately 1 in 10,000 babies.
-About 1 in 50 Americans are genetic carriers.
-SMA interferes with basic abilities such as breathing and swallowing, however it does not effect a person's ability to think, learn, love, and build relationships with others.

SMA and ALS are very similar, the biggest difference being that SMA is genetic and affects babies. This chart was very helpful to me in learning about the two:

August is SMA awareness month. One of my oldest son's very best friends has SMA. A year ago we didn't know this disease existed. Since then we have learned more through our friend and her family. She is an amazing kid full of wit and joy and beauty. She brightens my son's day, as well as anyone else she comes into contact with! Her mom has become a good friend of mine and one of my favorite people to run with at dark o thirty! There may not be approved treatments for SMA, but through my research I have learned they are on the verge of major breakthroughs that can strengthen and extend life in people affected. I have hope that if we continue awareness and raise money, and PRAY, we can find a cure.

So here is my ice bucket challenge, complete with the husband making silly faces behind my back. My donation is going to The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. Click around on their website to learn more about SMA and how you can help.

-Teacup Runner

"Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise."-Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭14‬ NIV

Week 2 Training Recap and a Health Update

Week 2 of Hal Hidgen's novice 1 marathon training is complete. I had a bit of a health setback this week, which was just piled onto the heap of stress that was happening. Car breaking down in the middle of nowhere, anyone? So what ultimately became a bad alternator on my car, turned into a major migraine with 2 kinds of aura by Wednesday. Thankfully it hit AFTER my training run, but zapped me Thursday to where I could not make myself walk efficiently, much less run another 3 miles.

But look at how shiny my new healthy alternator is!

To top it all off, I developed a new symptom of strange pin prick sensations that decided to stick around, and found my neurologist to be no help. She (by way of her nurse) was basically all, "no clue, go get anxiety meds" which was not helpful considering her lack of explaining anything is a big source of anxiety! Grr! I had wanted to ask if it were yet another sensory aura symptom or perhaps a nutritional deficiency side effect. Pretty rational I think. She wouldn't even let me ask the questions I had, so basically she is fired.



I managed to get through the last 3 miler on Friday when my good friend K rescued me from the treadmill and agreed to meet me at dark o' thirty for a run.

Saturday due to the husband's work schedule, I was once again confined to the treadmill for my long run. Honestly, the heat index was so absolutely ridiculous that the mill was probably safer anyway. I didn't get around to it until that afternoon. It was a mentally tough run, but I got through it. I forced myself to take walk breaks, as that is something Hal encourages in this program. If you know me, you know this is such a struggle for me! I lose my steam if I walk. I can run a half without walking with ease, but I know a full is going to be a different story for me. So I imagined walking through water stops with my 7 miler and still pulled off a 10:33 pace and negative splits. Not too shabby!

How I feel during walk breaks on the treadmill. I think I need netflix in my life.

Sunday I met with K once again to cross training for an hour. We went to a local nature trail to walk.

I find that place so pretty and relaxing that I almost didn't jump every 5 minutes thinking sticks were snakes...remind me to tell you about the time I almost ran on top of a huge black snake and then almost ran out in front of a car and became road kill.

This is what I saw.

Meanwhile, I still feel pin prickly, occasional dizziness, and a moderate amount of annoyance towards doctors. One of the things I wanted some guidance on was nutrition. I KNOW I eat horribly. A donut and 2 cups of coffee is not the way to fuel a run, people. Not to mention, I do not take in enough calories for what I burn. So I am taking a page out of the old pregnancy handbook, and I am going back to eating every 2 hours on the dot. I have an alarm on my phone. I am going to pre-stuff snack baggies with fruits, veggies, and protein so I am taking in the right calories every day. If I don't plan ahead, I get busy and it will be 4 pm with me running off my post run PB and honey sandwich and coffee. As a mom, I focus so much on making sure my kids are eating the right foods, that I forget about myself.  There are days that 1 veggie with dinner is the only veggie I take in. I don't know how I got this way, but I need to find my way back, and fast. The good news is I drink more than my weight in water most days, so I can check hydration off my list. I am going to have rein in my baked goods sweet tooth. I am so bad about grabbing a cookie and then heading out for a run. Not the best game plan.



Speaking of fueling, I got some Gatorade chews and Honey Stinger gummies to test out on upcoming long runs. Fingers crossed one of these work better than the Gu disaster of winter 2013.

Next post: I got nominated by the lovely Felicia to do the ALS/SMA ice bucket challenge! I will be doing this, as well as spotlighting the charity of my choice, nevergiveup.org. I want to get some good info together for you to raise awareness for SMA, which effects one of my son's very best friends. Be watching for the post later this week!

- Teacup Runner

"Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;"(‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭3‬ NIV)

Training and the Treadmill Slump

It seems crazy to be talking about this at WEEK 2, but any runner knows about the peaks and valleys of training. Some weeks we are on fire, while others we lose a little steam. For me personally, where I am in my training has little to do with this. I find if I am stuck inside on the 'mill more than a day or two, I get lazy. While there are many different ways we lose motivation in training, today, indoor running is what I am focusing on.  Last week I was getting up and out early. I had gotten in the habit in the weeks before training started to head out as soon as there was enough light to be seen. There is something exciting about getting out, not knowing what you will see on your run. It was nice and cool Saturday morning when I finished my first "long run" of the training plan. 6 comfortable miles in under 70 degrees, negative splits...ahh, bliss!

Fast forward to this week. It's HOT. We are right in that time of year in the Deep South where the heat index is over 100 and happy to sit there for a while. The humidity is has reached the level I like to affectionately call "Hell's Armpit" and the idea of pushing the jogging stroller through that soup just makes me ill. I just want to extend my morning coffee and couch time by like 4 hours, and call it good.



The problem with the ol' 'mill is I get distracted. I see all things that need cleaning. I can see what my kids may be doing that they shouldn't (why are we dumping another puzzle?? Wait...is that spaghetti? WHERE did you get spaghetti??) My cat is rather fond of using my treadmill time as his bathroom time. It's so very convenient that the litter box is in the laundry room, which is right off the rec room where my treadmill is.

To get through a run indoors, I almost have to enter another dimension. Today, that dimension included disco music along with Hal Hidgen interrupting to make me feel guilty about wussing out during unfavorable weather (oh shut up, Hal.)



Sometimes I study my devotionals while running and listen to praise music. Sometimes I like to listen to classic rock and envision myself at the end of the marathon. I am a total daydreamer, and I love thinking about my strategy for "the wall" that is sure to come. I always pray when I run. Still other days I browse recipes on Pinterest and think about what all I plan to eat when I finally escape. For the most part I always enjoy the run, but the treadmill is definitely the exception. This week my short runs are only 3 miles, but everyone knows that's basically 46 in treadmill miles.

Not that I have a huge following on here, but for those reading along, tell us: What are your strategies for getting through a treadmill run? Do you prefer road, trail, or the 'mill for your mileage?

-Teacup Runner

"We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ." (‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ NIV)

So You Want to Run a Marathon...

I have tossed around the idea of a blog for some time now. I've had them in the past for family to read and keep up with, but I was terrible at updating. A running blog seems much easier to commit to. After all, I love running, and I love to talk about running. Unlike my FB posts about running, people actually have the option to hear about it all here.

I have decided to run a marathon. I've been a runner my whole life, but only just started racing a little over a year ago. My first race was a 5k that rewarded you with endless cookies at the end.  That should tell you a lot about my running style. I love to run, and I REALLY love to eat. My goal last year was to run a half marathon. I succeeded in September with a time of 2:13:35.

My next big pace goal was a sub 2 hour half, but also two half marathons 2 weeks apart. I achieved the latter, but came seconds short of the first goal with a time of 2:00:13, and placed 3rd in my age group! I have decided to attempt a sub 2 hour again at the same race in March 2015.

My current focus is a full marathon. I've always assumed I would get around to running one, but the bug bit me this year while training for the back to back half marathons I ran in the spring. Unfortunately some health setbacks over the summer had me wavering. After about 6 months of noticing my migraines were having some new and somewhat scary symptoms, I was officially diagnosed with migraine with aura in April. I am one of the lucky ones that gets both visual AND sensory auras. Thankfully my migraines are not terribly frequent (especially during training), but the sensory auras can come on in between and are quite unnerving. In fact, my first major one mimicked a stroke, and I ended up getting an MRI done to make sure nothing serious was causing them. Thankfully, it's just me and my wacky genetics.

Add to that a chest wall strain that took about 2 months to heal, and a few other minor issues, I was ready to put the goal off another year. Feeling anxious and defeated, I felt like I would surely fail if I even tried. Then the week I was supposed to start training rolled around, and I just...did. I started training. I am on week 2, and still saving up to even register, but I want to journal my way through this awesome journey. They say you cannot train for a marathon without it changing you. What better time to start blogging?

Accountability and memories are what I hope to accomplish with this blog, as well as hopefully making people laugh and inspiring them along the way. Runners are a strange people. We have bizarre thoughts when running. We see crazy things. We discuss chafing in areas normal people don't even know exist. We learn what we can and cannot eat before, during, and after a long run. We never stop giggling when someone says "fartlek." Some of the best blogs I follow are fellow runners. I can only hope to be as uplifting and entertaining as they are.

So here we are! This is my blog. I will write about training, racing, fueling, and all kinds of random things in between. I hope you can find some inspiration for your own fitness journey. Enjoy!

-Teacup Runner

"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. ” (‭Matthew‬ ‭17‬:‭20‬ NIV)