London (Marathon) are you calling????

Received Saturday, April 27

One message to a Salt-Wasting Adrenal Insufficient runner...

That is all it took to change my life. It is something entirely not expected, but makes you realize that what you're doing is more important than you can ever imagine. People get all the feels when they read about people who have an unbelievable impact on others.

"That happens to others, not me!"

Well holy moley, let me tell you, life smacks you in the head when you least expect it.

This Instagram post began the craziness:

 

That post was after the Kings Mountain Running Festival marathon on Saturday, Apvril 28. I actually didn't finish the marathon. I was able to do 15+ miles before I needed to say no more. It was one of the most brutal races I have ever done. The Wife even agreed. She did the half-marathon as a last minute sign-up. Around mile 9 or 10, I don't remember where, I started losing it. My mind began to blur. I thought of using my Solu-Cortef emergency shot when I got back to the start-finish line for the half-way point of the marathon. That thought has never come into my mind as something to do. Somehow, I was scored for completing the half-marathon and finished third in my age group. LOL Life has little surprises like that.

It was a beautiful race and I would highly recommend it for someone who is trained to run a mountain marathon. I was trained for a relatively flat marathon with some mild hills.

Pre-race! We look so happy.

I was trained for the BHM 26.2 Marathon in Birmingham, Alabama. It was originally scheduled for April 14. God and his plans for the weather had a different idea. Terrible storms were scheduled to roll through the city the morning of the race. And, those storms did go through. So, the race was rescheduled for April 28.

We had spent the week after the original race date in Memphis, Tennessee. This is a 12 hour drive from home. The drive home was long and we had to make the hard decision not drive to Birmingham a week later. The Wife quickly found the Kings Mountain Race and suddenly I was signed up. 

This meant I would not get to see my good friend who runs a camp for those with a special form of Adrenal Insufficiency. That was the really sad part. We will see each other in July, along with many others.

Now, coming back to the comment from luclu36. If you haven't learned anything from me while reading my blog posts, I am "crazy." Something Merrill and I joke about in our relationship is that plans mean nothing and we make decisions that my Dad has, rightfully, many times called into question.

This happened:

April 26, 2020

Results of the ballot (lottery) won't be known until October. I will look at charity bib entries to get "guaranteed" entry. There are plenty of cons about trying this, Oh, like MONEY and time and family and...the list could go on and on and on! This is why there is fundraising. I have never been good at that, but for this I will work all avenues of opportunity.

What is the pro of this craziness?  There is the need to reach out to those in London, and the United Kingdom at large, that have CAH and Adrenal Insufficiency. Several of them have already said, "Yes, come!"

Right now, it is early in the planning stages. The race is one year away, but plans need to be completed well enough in advance. As soon as I get the GoFundMe page up, I will let everyone know about it. If there are any of you out there or know someone that would be able to contribute immediately let me know and I will get that information to you or them so that it shows people are already interested. This will take planning and coordination to be successful!

There will be a charitable aspect to this, also! More on that to be determined.

Thank you everyone for emotionally supporting me. It means more than you'll ever know.

I have two fundraising pages. My GoFundMe page is to help with all London Marathon expenses. The JustGiving page is specifically to donate to St. John Ambulance, the charity that I am running for at the marathon and that has generously allowed me to get an entry into the London Marathon.

Thank you for any help you may be able to provide. Share the links with anyone you know that may want to help.

It is a blessing to have all of you who follow the adventures of the Adrenal Insufficient Warrior Athlete!