Last night was more nightmares and weird dreams for both me and Tracy. So a good portion of this morning was dealing with this stuff and comforting each other. But soon we were up and at 'em. Lots to do today, no time to hang out in bed all day.
We dropped off the truck we had been borrowing back to our friends house. Tracy was in his house for a while and came out with 2 pugs and I thought he was bringing them home. I would LOVE another dog and these puppies were so dang cute! But alas, they were just coming out to show me how adorable they were. Then of course, Tracy's allergies went completely nuts after holding the fur ball of love!
We discussed therapy animals. Omi's therapist had suggested a guinea pig for her. A cage was being donated to her and we just needed to take care of the rest. Omi has been on pins and needles all weekend. Tracy and I talked about cats and dogs, but honestly, I am allergic to cats and Tracy is allergic to dogs (so am I..though I try to deny it). We already have 2 cats in the house and 1 dog. When more dogs come into the house, my allergies get set off. So.... a Guinea Pig it is, but we needed to wait until we got the cage.
In the mean time, Omi and I went out for our 7 mile training run for the 1/2 marathon which is February 14th. I decided the route would be he Eagle Greenbelt starting at Eagle road and traveling east. I like that route because it can be pretty secluded and it also takes us through a couple of areas with gorgeous homes. It's not near as busy as the Boise Greenbelt. Thankfully there was a bathroom about a mile in cause, we needed it! *laugh*
We had gotten a few miles in and we were going at a faster pace than last week when I finally checked on Omi. She said her knee was hurting her and her heart felt like it was stabbing her chest. This was the perfect time to talk about "the first mile is a lie" thought process. Granted, we were already past the 1st mile, but when you are walking, it is really about mile 2 1/2 to 3 that you start feeling like you might want to slow down (instead of the 1st mile of running). Your body starts screaming at you. "Stop! You are killing me!" "I can't breathe! Slow down!" "These legs are never going to keep going at this pace!" This is a complete lie. In running, its the first mile that gets you. Your body screams, "WTF???!!!!! Slow down!" But once you get past that 1st mile your body is over the temper tantrum. But for walkers, it takes a bit for that to kick in. And it's much like a panic attack. It is your body have a physical panic attack and screaming at you to stop. But this is all part of the mental game. I told Naomi what to expect and what her mind and body will try to tell her. I encouraged to say back to her body, "I am stronger than that!" And to keep her visualization of crossing the finish line fresh in her mind. Not just visualize it, but FEEL it! What will it feel like to cross that line? What will she hear? How will that hug feel from Christie? How will the weight of the medal feel around her neck? What kind of relief will she feel when she has done something she has been working so hard?
Omi worked through the heart stabbing feeling, and we kept going. We got to our turn around point and I had a gut punch memory. Nick is dead. Now, I know I KNOW this. But sometimes, it still feels like a gut punch when I remember. I felt like crying. Last week I felt like I was making a bargain with the gods, "If I walk 1000 miles maybe I can have Nick back." This week I know better than that. This 1/2 marathon is not about bringing Nick back. It is about time with my daughter. And I realized today that part of this is passing down the healing properties of long distance running. So I started again. "Naomi, sometimes while you are training or on your long distance races, you may feel emotional. You may feel like you want to cry. It's okay. Cry. Let it out. Feel it. And keep moving." Lord knows I have cried at every single one of my races for one reason or another.
I guess I never realized the healing properties of long distance running/walking. When we push ourselves beyond our limits, our minds really want to scream and tell us that it is impossible. When we spend HOURS alone on a trail or on a path, we spend hours in our heads and sometimes when we do not have any distractions, it can go to dark places and this time alone is a good time to feel them and work through them. This is also a time when lots of creative thinking happens. It's a magical time.
All of this, I get to share with Naomi. She is learning so much about herself in this training. She is learning so much about how to face life's struggles while doing this training. It is an absolute privilege to be training with her.
When it was all said and done, we finished 7 miles in 1:54:37 with a 16:21/mile pace! We shaved off over a minute/mile today!!!! Omi did such a great job today! And honestly, that is the fastest I have gone since back surgery.
On our way home from our walk, we got the phone call that the Guinea Pig cage was ready to be picked up. Tracy picked it up for us while we showered then we went shopping for the new therapy critter. Studies show that Guinea Pigs will bond with their owners and know their schedule and when paired properly will be calming for their human counter parts. When Omi's little critter was brought out of the cage at the pet store, she was all kinds of nervous. But when put in Omi's hands, she was instantly calm, and even OMi's energy changed. As a matter of fact, there were 2 pigs in the cage. One was hiding in a little box and one was in the corner and neither was coming out. But when Omi got close, the little one came out. Omi knew that is the one she wanted. She held her and there was an instant bond. They chose each other. Funny. Once Omi had her in her hands, the other pig came out of hiding. *laugh* Anyway, we picked out all the necessary items and brought them all home. On the way home, Omi named her Annabelle. A sweet albino Guinea Pig. Suzy helped me get the cage set up while Omi cleared off a space for the cage. I carried Annabelle upstairs (still in her carrying box) while Omi and Suzy carried the set up cage up to Omi's room. Then we put sweet little Annabelle in her cage. Omi spent the next hour upstairs with Annabelle. She is not supposed to get her out and hold her until Monday afternoon. Annabelle needs time to get used to her new surroundings. But for now, they seem to be in love with each other. Omi will use Annabelle as a means to help her with her anxiety and panic attacks in the middle of the night. We took away her electronics and gave her a Guniea Pig. When Omi wakes up in a panic attack, she can take Annabelle out of her cage and love on her and Annabelle will help her calm down.
Whew! It's been a day! Time to go cuddle with my hubby.
Thanks for reading!
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