Racing Success & Scournging up from the Depths of Phlem Hell!

7 days...12 hours later, and I 'may' be turning the corner.  You know when you're sick and you say 'I think I'm turning the corner'.  Well, last Wednesday at about 5pm as I was on the train with my husband heading home, I turned to him and said, I REALLY need to turn the corner tomorrow.  No....I didn't feel like I was turning the corner, but I NEEDED to turn the corner. Because, well, I had plans.  I, like most humans on this planet, don't allow time for getting sick.  Heck, I haven't even been on antibiotics for the cold or flu in over 7 years.  I haven't been to a family practice doctor in that same amount of time....as I'm a chronic 'self diagnoser'.  So, Thursday of last week, I didn't turn the corner.  Friday afternoon I had REAL PLANS.  I was planning to run the I-Challenge in Champaign, IL starting that evening:  Pushing the twins in a 5k at 6:30pm and running a half marathon 13 hours later at 7:30am.  Yep, no time for any little 'phlem' to get in my way!  So, turning the corner - or not, I wasn't backing out of my commitments, and my MONEY I had already paid 5 months ago for this event! 


So, we drive down...really I was nearly at death's door, but truly optimistic for this race.  I pushed the kids and really felt great.  With a time of 29 minutes to push over 100+ pounds of toddlers/stroller, I was really happy!  That evening I got nearly no sleep.  Up all night with horrible sinus pressure, blowing my nose, soar throat - you name it!  Well, 5:30am the alarm went off and I was bound and determined to start the Half - and finish!

And guess what - I DID!  And not only that, I finished strong.  Crossing the line at 2:08:47, I finished in only over 9  minutes over my Half PR set at the Calumet Half Marathon in 2007.  Today I had to stop every mile and blow my nose and hack on the side of the road so I could breathe.  The temperature was a perfect 50 degrees, but the wind gusts at times were nearly 30mph.  So, definitely not an ideal situation, but considering I was so sick that I was tempted to not even drive south for the weekend, I was more than ecstatic with the results!

Here are some great images from the day:

Half of the Wernsing girls were represented in the race and the entire family was there to support us all!  What a fun sight twice along the route to see familiar faces cheering us on :)

Of course, we felt like super-heroes by the time we were done.  So yes, this is the 'gun show'.

Family is GREAT...especially when they let you crash for free at their house the night before the race, and sacrifice their bed for someone who is trying to run two races 13 hours apart, who is near death's door at the time.  Thanks guys!

With my good friend Barb, from high school....it was her FIRST Half Marathon and she did great!  I hadn't seen her in years either, so what a great reunion at the race :)

Two of my biggest fans...catching me near the end of the half before we headed back towards Memorial Stadium.  Two quick hugs and then on I went!.  My mom is taking this photo.  She is always there to lug the kiddos around and cheer me on too!

So, Saturday after lunch we headed back home.  The twins slept and I put the car on auto pilot north for the next 2 hours.  I was feeling still pretty good.  I thought I would maybe take a nap once I got home, but well, that didn't happen.  I mowed the yard and helped Chris build our new raised garden beds.  I noticed myself getting progressively worse throughout the day, and finally at 9pm, had to roll into bed.  I took a half hour shower, mostly sitting in hot steam, trying to relieve my lungs which seemed to be getting progressively worse throughout the afternoon.  What was happening....I knew it wasn't an asthma attack.  I remember telling Chris - I think I have pneumonia.  He laughed, I went to bed.... I was pretty sure that by the morning, I would have 'turned the corner'.

Well - guess what?  I didn't.  Sunday I didn't have time to 'get sick'.  I took 5 trips to Home Depot to buy 77 bags of soil for our new garden beds.  While Chris and the twins did the 'carpentry' jobs, I was the 'labor force'.  Yes, 5 trips, 77 bags, 45 pounds a piece....you do the math!  Almost 800 pounds per trip.  I would haul each load home, transplant it into my new wheelbarrow, and push 200 pounds at a time to our back yard.  This took me 5 hours and sure didn't help with my cold.  I just kept trudging ahead and assuming 'I was turning the corner'.

Well - Sunday night I hit the wall.  Nope, not the running wall.  The wall of - I HAVEN'T BEEN TO A DOCTOR FOR A COLD IN 7 YEARS AND IT WAS TIME.  So, from my previous post on really NEEDING a new family practice doctor, I decided to call up Shannon's doctor and set up an appointment.  And guess what happened:

• I called at 8am when they opened.
• They gave me an 11am appointment
• I was home by 11:30 am with medications!
• AND - I NEVER HAD TO WAIT AND HE WAS NICE!

Wow....not at all what I expected.  I have healing medications, a nice doctor, and he is walking distance from my house.  Score!  He diagnosed me tentatively with 'walking pneumonia'.  He called it a 'pretty severe' case and drew some blood to be sure.  You know it's bad when he asks to look in your throat and actually cringes when he sticks the flashlight in.  Yes, quite lovely. 

Another side note on that.  He mentioned we were both 32!  I then nearly corrected him and said...oh no, I'm 31.  But heck, I had FORGOTTEN I turned 32 last week.  Not really, but I did for a split second.  The the next question in my mind was - how can I trust a doctor who is so young....only 32?!?  ha ha.... You know, SO YOUNG :)

Anyway, it's now Tuesday, I'm still home sick, but very optimistic I am finally 'Turning the Corner'.  I have been on prescribed meds for 24 hours, and some great liquid gold of Mucinex-D - in addition to what seems like a constant IV drip of orange juice.  And guess what....even better news...

Today is my husband's 34th birthday.  And guess what, he is now home sick too with my contaminants of a version of my 'walking pneumonia'.  And you know what, he called at 9am and got an appointment today to also see Dr. Campbell!  Yes, home sick on his birthday and he gets to see a friendly doctor to help him get healthy, and check out all the other minor ailments he hasn't talked to a doctor since his last visit, in well over 5 years.

So, it's a good day in the Stine house.  We're hopefully on the mend and recovering.... and giving in to western medicine.  But he does have a new reservation about visiting the doctor today.  I told him the doctor was only 32....needless to say he isn't too jazzed about seeing someone so young on his 34th birthday :)