OT100 or bust

DESCRIPTION 

'The Ozark Trail 100 Mile Endurance Run is a point-to-point 100 mile ultramarathon on the Ozark Trail through the Mark Twain National Forest in south central Missouri.  The race is mostly on single track trail with several water crossings and approximately 12,000 to 15,000 feet of elevation gain. The trail surface varies from smooth dirt trail to moderately technical trail with lots of leaves covering the trail.  The date for this event is November 5th, 2011.'

In early October, my running buddies were talking a lot about this 100 mile race that a few of them were planning on running or pacing. They were making cabin arrangements and discussing sleeping, driving, pacing and crewing logistics. I told Coleen that I was interested in going and I honestly don't think she even gave it a second thought, knowing I must be joking, right? As we neared the race, I reiterated that I wanted to go and that I would be happy to crew her for the race since Debbie was going to pace for a large part of it, leaving no one to meet them and take care of them at aid stations. I was also excited to watch Adam run his first 100 and planned on being there to cheer him on anyway. He had all of his pacers and crew lined up, but I knew he'd be with Coleen for at least the first 20 miles of the race. She now knows that when I say I'm going to do something, I'll do it! And now that I've been bit by the bug, I'll be asking her to return the favor someday :) What follows is my 'race report' (from a crew perspective of course)...

Debbie (pacer extraordinaire) changing headlamp batteries 

We left early on Friday morning since I had chemo on Thursday. I wasn't sure how I'd be feeling so we opted for 'better safe than sorry'.  As it turns out, I felt fantastic. We got to Bass' River resort in Steelville, MO early afternoon and it was an absolutely beautiful day. There were about 11 of us staying in the cabin so we arranged ourselves in tetris form and relaxed a bit before the pre-race dinner. Amanda (one of Adam's pacers) and I went for a couple mile run to stretch out after the 5 hour drive. We took some time to get organized and prepared for the next day. Coleen and Adam were going to take the bus to the start line (since it's a point-to-point race), not expecting anyone to be up early enough to drive them. Clearly they didn't know my enthusiasm for crewing...of course I would drive them to the start line!! 

It was tough to sleep with so much energy in the cabin, but we all got at least a few hours before we got up at 2-3 am. Coleen, Adam and I were up but of course so was Debbie to say goodbye, give hugs and go back to bed for some good rest before her pacing duties started. So we followed the buses to the start and had some great conversation the whole way there. Religion, politics, why not?! 

Yay! Pre-race self portrait :D

Stu (co-RD) sending Coleen off with a hug

Hugs are always good luck!

So I sent Coleen and Adam off on their merry way at 6 am...

After I sent them off, I drove to Sutton Bluff which was the first crew access aid station, around mile 17.6. It was in their plan to stick together for the first 20 miles so I expected to see them come in together. I knew it would be quite a while before they got there so I attempted to close my eyes and perhaps get a little snooze. My body was having none of it. I got out of my car and made friends with Ginger McLemore whose husband Clark was racing (he took 5th place!)  What a nice lady! And while we were chatting, I realized that I had forgotten to fill up with gas before the day's events. I really didn't realize how deep in the Ozarks we were and that there really weren't any gas stations on our route. She loaned me a map of Missouri and I got directions to a small town within 10 miles where I could get gas. Yikes! Anyway, I had to wait for Adam and Coleen before that anyway, so I did. And along they came, bouncing and happy :)

Looking good!!

Bathroom or aid station first?

Pink Pigtail Ultrarunner running her 7th 100 miler...in and out in moments. She's a pro!

Adam filling his pack with help from a 'local' 

After seeing them both through, I headed to Centerville to get gas and had my first 'banjo moment' of the trip. As it turns out, the gas station wasn't in the center of town anymore...or so the five or so people in the diner told me. The reason I drove right past it on the 'highway' was because there was a huge flea market in front of the pumps. Well, of course there was... Anyway, I filled up. :)

The next crew access was Brooks Creek, mile 43.5 where Coleen and Adam could start picking up pacers. Amanda and Debbie were eager and waiting for them to come in. First Adam came through looking fantastic and full of energy...

Hugs for Mom and Dad

Quick shoe change

And then we saw Coleen bopping through the woods...so easy to spot with the pink hair!

Pink Pigtailed Ultrarunner!

Debbie was ready for her 69 mile pacing duty! :) 

The next few aid stations have no pictures to tell the story so I'll have to dig deep. After leaving Brooks Creek, I headed to Hazel Creek, mile 68.5. When I got there, my intention was to help PT and Po Boy with their aid station. What actually happened was that I decided to rest a bit and read a book until we started to see runners coming through. There was a great campfire at Hazel so after I woke up from a little snooze in the car, I hung out by the fire waiting for the runners to come through. This is where Adam switched pacers and picked up Ang. He and Amanda had a good 25 miles and Ang was ready to kick him into high gear. After they took off, we roasted Adam's wet socks over the fire and dried out his shoes just in case he'd need them later on.

We saw a lot of drops at Hazel...the warm campfire and access to crew always makes it tough. When Coleen came in, she looked a little tired, but really pretty fantastic for having run almost 70 miles! We got her some vegan broth to take the chill off and let her take a 10 minute nap under a blanket in a chair. People were bugging her so I doubt she got much rest, but it seemed to be enough to get her to jump up and take off again. (Have I mentioned yet how much of a badass she is??)

The next stop was the Berryman aid station, mile 81.5. Adam's parents, Amanda and I caravanned to Berryman since it was a little tough to find. I honestly barely remember seeing Adam come through although I feel like it happened pretty quickly. He was so excited that he and Ang had been passing a lot of people and he had moved up to 8th place overall! I spent most of my time in my car after Adam's crew left, trying to rest. It was the middle of the night and I hadn't had more than a half hour nap at one time.  I finally got a decent hour under my belt when I woke up with a start. I ran to the aid station, realizing that there was a chance that I slept through my girls coming in! Serendipitously, I saw two headlamps coming and sure enough, there they were! My internal clock must have known Coleen's pace. She didn't spend long at Berryman, just enough to give Stu the evil eye for lying about the wet course and of course to refuel. After they took off, I knew that I only had one more stop to see them before the finish.

Are you SURE I'm going to finish? We all knew he was going to finish!!

I went back to the finish line before deciding to head to Henpeck Hollow, Mile 96, to see Adam through his final stop. At this point, there were hours between him and Coleen so I thought I could see him and still get some rest before the finish. He came in looking tired...finally!! I was starting to wonder if he was superhuman and I'm honestly still not sure :) He was concerned that he hadn't been able to eat. At one point, he grabbed me by the shoulders, looked me square in the eye and said 'I can't eat. Tell me the truth, am I going to finish??' My response of course was 'Of course you're going to finish!! You're only 7 miles from the end. Now go!!' :)

Adam and his last pacer off to brave the final 7 miles...

We went back to the cabin to get some sleep before his big finish... or to sleep right THROUGH his big finish!! Yeah, that's right, we totally underestimated how fast he would blow through his final miles. When he left Henpeck Hollow, he was power hiking but apparently got a second...or third, or fourth...wind! We woke up just in time to sprint to the finish line and see him *just after* he finished. I know his mom was so upset that she missed it :(  We might have missed the finish, but we're still so proud of you!! :)    

Who wears a 5k shirt to a 100 mile race? This guy! 

Cutest crew/pacing team EVER!

Me, Coleen, Debbie...These two inspire me beyond words :)

The next few hours were a blur, but I went back to Henpeck Hollow to hang out with Patsy and wait for our runners to come in. The ladies at the aid station were nice enough to make me a grilled cheese and Patsy let us use her chair for Coleen to check her feet. After seeing Patsy's hubby and Coleen through, we headed to the finish. I decided that I'd like to run/walk the last half mile-ish in with Coleen and Debbie so Amanda dropped me at the bridge where I could pick them up. After a long couple days, it was so exciting to see them come around the bend. 

Congrats Coleen!!! 

So we decided to compare what 100 miles does to feet...

Coleen...oweeeee!!

Adam...what the hell?? Did you even run?? 

 And then celebrate at the awards ceremony!!

Yay for Adam's first 100 miler!! 8th overall!!! 

Holy crap Coleen!! SEVEN 100 mile finishes. Such an inspiration :)

We drove back to KC immediately following the awards, stopping only to fill our faces with Chipotle in Columbia (I ate an entire veggie burrito while driving and didn't spill so much as a grain of rice!). What an amazing weekend with amazing people. Sometimes I wonder how it is that I got so lucky to have these people surrounding me during such a volatile time in my life. Watching Adam with his million dollar smile and positive outlook through his first 100 and Coleen, with her pink pigtailed badassness...Debbie with her maternal instinct and loving hugs... Deb & Stu for their kindness and organization, James with his ridiculous pineapple cookies...all of the incredible people I met through Adam (love his parents!! Ang, Amanda, Melody, Teri and Carrie), or at the aid stations (Ginger, Patsy...nameless people I could only recognize in the dark!). The Sheridans-best ((hugs)) ever!...PT and Po Boy...jeez, the list goes on and on...When I read my own words and think back on the weekend, it isn't hard to justify exactly why it is that these races and people are so important to me. I love you all!!

xoxo

Shelley

Halloween 2011=Multiple Personality disorder

For the past 3 years, I have participated in a charity fundraiser fashion show for my hair stylist, part owner of Headmasters salon in Lawrence, KS. Three years ago, it was a fundraiser for Harvesters and the past two years have been for the Boys and Girls Club. Micki is the one who shaved my head and has been a close friend for almost 5 years. I wasn't really expecting to be part of the fashion show this year for obvious reasons (uh, yup, I'm bald), but Micki was insistent that we could do something cool. She had a femme fatale in mind and after doing some brainstorming, we settled on Alice from Resident Evil as a foundation for my costume. First, she is a badass. Second, she wore a red dress in Resident Evil reflective of the 'red devil' that I had just conquered with my AC chemo. Third, well...I have always wanted to carry a gun in a thigh holster. Secret exposed.

The show was under attended, but was a blast for me. The past couple of years I haven't really been nervous but this year, I freaked a little because I hadn't rehearsed...and maybe because in the past, my hair was the center of attention where this year it was the lack of?? Regardless, it was fun and I had a great night with my salon friends and Ben who came from KC to watch. I felt like a total badass in that costume and intend to wear it again :)

Pre-runway with a G&T to take the edge off

I was a zombie hunter after all... so I hunted zombies

As amazing as the costume was, I didn't think it was entirely appropriate to wear to the elementary school costume parade so I had to find another costume to wear that was 'kid-friendly'. With my counts so low, an elementary school isn't the ideal place to hang out so I really needed to wear a medical mask to keep the germs at bay. Thus was born the next personality...

Dr. Shelley Pepper, MD...you can call me Dr. Pepper :)

My kids cracked up as did most of their friends. It was a fun costume for sure! But when I got invited to an adult Halloween party, I decided that I really needed to rock the bald and find a costume that would embrace it. I mean, hopefully I won't have another bald Halloween, right?? What better costume than the female version of Mr. Clean? In a group setting, it is safest for me to have tons of hand sanitizer on hand anyway! So the next personality was an easy one...Mrs. Clean!

Mrs. Clean with party hostess, Alice in Chains

Me with the creepy clown guy. Nightmares.

All of that happened before actual Halloween so on Monday, the REAL Halloween, I reverted back to the most comfortable costume for trick or treating. We were lucky enough to have friends join us for Dinner in a Pumpkin and a really warm night of trick or treats.  

Josh's side of the pumpkin... >:-(

Annika's side :)

Dr. Pepper, Lego Josh, and Cavegirl Annika

What a fun Halloween and a chance to be so many different things... I still like who I am without a costume best but dressing up is fun. If you ever need to borrow a thigh holster...you know who to ask!

xoxo

Shelley

Happy Birthday to ME!!

Those of you who know me well know that I am *rarely* on time with birthday gifts, if you get one at all. It is with that in mind that I choose to post my own birthday wishes to myself a month late... Why should I be any different? :)

For 39 years, I guess I've taken my birthday for granted. When the word 'cancer' creeps into your life, somehow you learn to appreciate the finer things in life...like having another birthday to celebrate. I know it's a little crazy, but a few years ago, I started rounding my age up to 40. Really. Why? Hmmm...I'm not really sure, but I can't WAIT to be 40! Maybe it has something to do with running...competing in the Masters age group (over 40) is enticing... or maybe it's because turning 30 changed my life for the better. Maybe 40 will be even better yet? Either way, I've got one more year to know for sure and I will make it there in better shape than when I hit 30. And I will have a new set of boobs! But for now, I'm stuck with boobs full of cancer and only 39 years under my belt...

Regardless of still being stuck in my 30's, October 19 was an awesome day. Aside from the abundance of Facebook wishes ( I really love those by the way), my Dad was in town from NY (yes, AGAIN!) and Annika had a practice 5k with her Girls on the Run group. I got to do so many of my favorite things...spend time with my family, run, and drink wine/eat cake with my friends and family, kids included.  I also got the absolute BEST birthday gift a girl could ask for...my sisters got plane tickets to come see me for Thanksgiving!! It doesn't get much better than that! I can't WAIT!!!!!

Josh and Gramps rocked the cowbells and worked our aid station

Ready, Set, GO!!

My favorite running buddy!! <3

Congratulations Annika! You did it!! Girls on the Run is so much FUN!

It was chilly but fun!!

After the freezing cold practice 5k, we headed home to get ready for our friends to come over for dinner and cake...

Josh with Asha, Aylin and Atticus chowing down

So happy to have my Dad and kiddos to celebrate! 

My Pops and Me (with my awesome new wine glass that Debbie gave me!!) 

Mark, me, Josh, Julia, Ger

The beautiful cake that my neighbor Toshia made! Toshia's hubby Mark^^^^ came over to celebrate for both of them because she was sick :( We need a do-over!  

DD lit my candles... 

I don't tell my wishes or they don't come true...but I bet you could guess ;) 

Erin and Danny...Erin is a big supporter of Blue Footed Boobies 

Great friends, good times... (Debbie is behind the camera!) Julia, me, Ger, Chris, Danny and Erin 

Through all of this cancer crap, my family in NY has had the opportunity to meet and get to know my friends and 'family' here. My family worries about me, I know this for sure. But when they see the amazing people that I have in my life, there is a reassurance that I will be ok if they can't be here for every step of this battle. Of this bunch, all have played the role of chauffeur, chemo date, running therapist, or chore support...some have played ALL roles :)  I cannot express how fortunate I feel to have so many incredible people in my life who do not waver in their support and abundant generosity and affection. Obviously not everyone could make it to the party since it was rather impromptu and on a random Wednesday night. Either way, I am a lucky lucky girl. I love you guys!!

Happy belated Birthday to me!

xoxo
Shelley
 

Kidlets

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in July, one of my biggest concerns...fears...was what I was going to tell my kids (ages 5 and 8) and how they would handle the news. So like I mentioned in previous posts, I got a stack of books from the resource center and sat down with them the same way Steve and I did when we told them we were getting divorced. We handled it responsibly, calmly and with their best interest in mind. The way they've handled my cancer is unbelievable really. They are not just kids, kidlets, sprouts, children...whatever you want to call them, but I've realized that they are just smaller human beings, little people with emotions as big as ours. We've laughed about it, cried about it, and dealt with it. Through all the rounds of chemo, sleepless nights and foggy brained Mommy, we've also managed to have some fun.

After Nana left, I was in a small state of panic. It was the first time since my treatment started that I was really going to have to stand on my own two feet. (Ok, so my Dad booked a ticket to come shortly after because he was worried about me, but I was on my own for a little while anyway.) It is always easier for me to manage the kids when we are outside with fresh air and space to move and breathe. I think that's my 'thing', but they seem to do well outside too. The Saturday after Nana left, we decided to spend our day Letterboxing. It's similar to geocaching and is still something new to us. Basically, there's a 'treasure' left hidden somewhere with instructions to get to it in a post online. There was one at the nature park close to our house so we packed up some water and snacks and headed to the park.

Annika and Josh

Mommy and Josh

Can you see the deer over her shoulder?

Are these kids cute or what??

Yay! We found it! The letterbox was under the pile of rocks that Josh is standing on

Treasure!

That's a happy kid :)

They are amazing kids, aren't they? One unseasonably warm day in the middle of October while I was cooking and cleaning, the kids were outside playing with sidewalk chalk. They had been out there quite a while when Annika yelled 'Mom, come see!!' So I went out on the deck and tears immediately filled my eyes.

Who are these little people?!? <3 I love them with my entire being.

Josh has gotten to a point that everything pink or shaped like a ribbon makes him think of cancer. While we were hiking, he noted a leaf on the ground that had turned red, but looked pink on the opposite side. He said 'Look! A cancer tree!!' And we went to an event where there was a balloon man and what did Josh have made? A cancer ribbon. He is so thoughtful!



Last weekend, while I was out of town with a group of amazing friends at the Ozark Trail 100 trail race (separate post to come SOON!), the kids were at their Dad's house. Annika and her best friend, Sydney, had a bake sale in the neighborhood to raise money for cancer (I think they mean cancer research, but it's the thought that counts) :) They have been talking about community service in the Girls on the Run program and Syd is part of the community service club at school. I got the pics texted to me from Sydney's Mom (and the GOTR coach) my awesome friend Sara. Once again, these amazing little people brought me to tears.

Annika and Sydney

The girls with their 3rd grade teacher, Miss O'Neal...we LOVE her!

The cupcakes they sold <3

These girls have HUGE hearts and I love them!

I try so hard to remember all of the thoughtful and anecdotal things the kids have done throughout this entire ordeal, but there are too many to note them all. I am just so thankful that we have raised such amazing little people who clearly love me as much as I love them :) We are all learning some valuable lessons through all of this and I am confident that we will all come out a little stronger than we are today.

xoxo
Shelley