Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Silo District 5K Race That I Didn't Run Recap

The medal.  It's simple and goes along with the Magnolia look - Karen and I liked it but Diane thought it was too plain.
Shirt front and sleeve detail - it's a unisex technical shirt.  I like the design and the shirt color - last year's was white, and for some reason I don't like wearing white technical shirts.

On Sunday I did not run the Silo District 5K.  This is yet another race that I signed up for and couldn't run - I'm amassing quite the collection of race shirts that I paid for but didn't actually get to do, thanks to my herniated disc.  I wish I could have run this race because the route for the 5K is really nice - I enjoyed it last year and had been looking forward to this particular race for that reason.

I passed my bib on to Jeff - yes, it's against the rules but I'm a renegade and at this point I really don't care.  This is more of a casual race because a lot of the participants are Fixer Upper/Magnolia fans who come from all over the country, and there's a lot of walkers  I told him to not win my age group and he'd be fine.  This was the first time he ran the Silo race and he liked it.  The weather was nice - overcast and fairly cool considering it was late April.  It's doubtful that we'll run this race again, for reasons I'll get into in a minute, but first, here's the details of our day.

There were only five of us going to this race, so we carpooled - Jimmymeow drove, with Karen in the wayback, Jeff and Diane in the back seat, and me in the front, reclined to keep the pressure off of my leg nerve.  We needed to arrive early enough to get our bibs (more on that in a minute), plus we knew we had to park at Baylor University and take the bus to the Silos.  I got up at 3:30 am, dressed and took my pain medicine and anti-nausea medicine, threw an extra anti-nausea pill in my purse just in case, and we were on the road by 4:00 am.  It's about 85 miles to Waco.  We made good time but had a little trouble getting to the parking area because roads were already closed for the race.  Eventually we parked and walked to the buses, where we got on and rode to the Silos.

My plan for the day was to do as little walking as possible because while I was feeling OK, I didn't want to overdo it and end up feeling horrible afterward.  That plan was thwarted when the bus stopped to let us off.  We were nowhere near the Silos!  The race crew at the bus stop told us to go down the street, make a right, walk four blocks (!) and we'd be there.  What the what?  The trolleys usually stop right in front of the Silos!  This ended up being at least half a mile, which normally is no big deal for me, but on Sunday, it was a big deal.  Jeff and I slowly made our way there - at least we had plenty of time for that walk but seriously, they could have had a closer bus stop!

Grumbling ahead:

Bib pick up is why this race has been crossed off my (and Karen's, and Diane's) list.  The organizers announced that each runner had to pick up their own bib at the expo, which was held in Waco on Friday and Saturday.  You weren't allowed to pick up bibs for friends.  Runners from Austin, Dallas, and yes, College Station were telling them that making (for us) a 170 mile round trip the day before the race to pick up a bib was excessive, especially when they weren't allowing extra bibs to be picked up.  At first they said no bib pick up at all on Sunday, but eventually they amended that decision.  After emails and Facebook posts questioning this decision, they stood firm on this, saying that you could pick up your bib before the race but you couldn't get your race shirt and swag bag until after.

I still can't figure out why they made this policy, because they allowed for one person to pick up extra bibs last year.  And every race that we've done allows this - even the big races, like Houston!  It was really irritating because that meant we had to get there even earlier than necessary to get the bibs.  And then knowing we had to go back to the tent to pick up the shirt and swag afterward added to the irritation.  They were insistent that you had to show your ID to get your bib, so when we got to the tent, I held out my ID and the volunteer said "just tell me your name, it's too dark and I can't read it" - seriously?  After all the fuss about ID?  That was the kicker to this whole mess.

I'll be honest, I had to work really had to not let myself get soured on Magnolia in general.  I really like Magnolia Market and the Silos; it's a lovely place to visit and everything there is done so well.  The race organizers, though, could have taken a page from how Magnolia accommodates their guests and made packet pickup a better experience.  At $45, this race is pretty expensive for a 5K - it's a fundraiser for cancer research which is great and why I didn't mind paying so much.  But don't make it so difficult for Texans who live in outlying areas to get their stinking packets!  It's off my list for the future.

OK, back to the actual race.  The grounds were much less crowded this year which was great for us - we snagged a coveted picnic table with a shade canopy which made hanging around very pleasant:
Jeff, Diane, Karen, and Jimmy, chilling before the race started.
This made everyone laugh:  Diane had just secured her bib to her shirt with race dot magnets when we heard a PING - one had stuck to the metal pole!  Those are some strong magnets!
Not impossible for these three.  Impossible for me, unfortunately.

It was time for Jeff, Karen, and Diane to walk to the 5K start line - from last year's experience we knew they should try to get close to the starting line because they do wave starts and it was 20 minutes before we crossed the starting line last year.  They did get in the first wave and had some time to play around taking pictures before the race began:
Cute...
And slightly disturbing, at least on Jeff's part, LOL.

Meanwhile Jimmy and I had a cup of coffee and relaxed.  There were girls riding bicycles around, handing out Target-branded sunglasses, so we got a pair, and then we also got a free Popsicle:
Neither of us had had a Popsicle in years so that was a fun treat.

Soon enough it was time for Karen to be coming in, so Jimmy went to the finish line to take her picture.  Jeff was right behind her; they both went to the tent to pick up the shirts and swag bag and then came over to the picnic table where I had been waiting:
I like it!  Jeff tried to take it but NO SIR.  He got the medal and the race experience.  I get the shirt and the bag.

Karen changed clothes and then she and I headed over to Magnolia Market to shop - I'd had my eye on a hand thrown sugar and creamer set since January, and they were now on sale so I grabbed them:
Shown with a coffee mug so you can see how tiny they are.  They might be perfect for holding my little knitting accessories - wouldn't that be cute?

...and then we walked around.  I like Karen's decorating sense - she is really creative and uses things in unusual ways that end up looking so good.  I have a long blank wall in my dining area that I've struggled to figure out what to do with, and in walking around the shop, we came up with putting a mix of large and smaller objects on that wall to fill it in while keeping it interesting.  I took pictures of some things that might work, and did buy two galvanized metal/glass vase sconces that could hold anything from seashells to flowers.  I'm not hanging them up until I have enough items to arrange, but at least now I have a starting point.

We got in the long line to check out and my nausea came on really strong.  I was hanging on, hoping to get through my purchase without having to abandon my goodies and rush outside; I made it to the cashier who rang everything up quickly and I swiped my card and signed.  Then Karen was by my side; I told her I was getting sick and ran out of the shop to get some fresh air while she stayed as the cashier wrapped everything up.  I bought a bottle of water and took the anti-nausea pill in my purse.  I was shaking and sweating and felt really horrible.  Eventually I felt OK enough to walk back with Karen to our table.  I laid on the bench and tried to recover while everyone was digging out food from their swag bags for me - because we'd gotten up so early I hadn't thought about eating breakfast and that probably didn't help with how nauseated the pain medicine makes me.  I'm irritated that on top of not getting to run - or even walk - the race, I ended up feeling crummy for a couple of hours as well.

After a while we walked to Hecho en Waco, the Mexican restaurant located just a few hundred feet from the Silos.  I got a Mexican Coke and had some salty tortilla chips to help settle my stomach; it was a very leisurely lunch so by the time our food came, I felt like eating again.  Afterward, Jeff and Jimmy headed back to the bus area to get the car while Karen, Diane, and I hung around the courtyard of the restaurant and shops.  Naturally, we had to play around with the props there:
King T-Rex.
Karen on her throne - it felt appropriate considering the big battle would be happening later that evening on Game of Thrones and she is a huge fan.

We drove back to College Station and were home by 1:00 pm - it felt so funny to have done so much and still have most of the day ahead!  Jeff hit the hammock and I hit the couch for some much-needed naps.  This was a fun adventure with our Renegade friends even with the hiccups.  Hopefully our next one will go a little smoother and not only will I not get barfy, I might even get to run the race!

24 comments:

  1. Even though you didn't get to run the race, at least you went! Feeling as awful as you have that is definitely something. I sure hope you feel better soon.

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  2. I'm glad you were able to get out of the house for at least a short trip. I hope the shot kicks in soon.

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    1. With not being able to drive, I'm very housebound, so this was a nice change.

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  3. Either something happened at last year's race that you don't know about regarding packet pickup, or there were a lot more registrations or a new race director, both of which would cause a change like that. I will all the races in our area that are half marathon or more, no longer allow race day pickup. They do allow others to pick your packet up though. This whole thing is so odd, I hope many more went back on that FB page and gave them post race feedback. It's too bad because it sounds like a nice race in general.

    Sorry you had issues with nausea but it does make me happy to see that you were able to get out and about a bit!

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  4. That's a neat place to visit. I'm sorry you're still hurting and missed the race. I know how much you like them. Always seem fun from where I sit and cheer you on. LoL

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  5. I like the sleeve detail on the race shirt. It sounds like you guys had a lot of fun, even if you weren't able to run the race. And those pictures before the race are awesome, especially the beret-and-lipstick one, ha ha.

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    1. I never knew how good Jeff would look in lipstick, LOL!

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  6. Delurking to say that it looks, at first glance, like your popsicle is two feet long! :-D

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  7. It seems like the Magnolia people didn't know what was happening with the race! I'm glad you got to get out for a while, and especially glad that you got home early enough to take naps :)

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    1. Yeah that's the nice thing about starting at 3:30 am...naps are completely sanctioned!

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  8. Congrats on getting out and about - and good call on the extra anti-barf pill!! Too bad the race wasn't up to par, but at least you got a good shirt out of the deal :-) I am crossing fingers that your pain gets under control. What is the treatments for a herniated disk? It all just looks so painful and frustrating. Hang in there, Shelley!

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    1. Treatments seem to be injections, exercises, and surgery. Yikes!

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    2. Well then, totally crossing fingers that injections and exercises do the trick!

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  9. That is a long drive for that race! Have you tried walking with crutches? That helped me a lot. I walked really slow for a few weeks, but the crutches took some of the pressure off and less movement of the leg, so I could go a little further.

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    1. I was using crutches in the beginning but I still felt pain with them because with my leg hanging off the ground, gravity was pulling it down and the nerve felt like it was being stretched from my groin down. :( So I stopped, and now I just walk/hobble slowly and carefully.

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  10. You are such a trooper to still go! Although, Jeff couldn't have run in your place if you hadn't. Or maybe taken your ID since the lady's eye sight was so bad. Jeebus. Why all the security for a 5K? That is ridic. I see this at the World Major Marathons and that makes sense but COME ON.

    I am sorry you had to walk so far and got sick in line! I hope the good outweighed the bad and you still had fun! Yay for finding some ideas for how to decorate that blank wall! I think you have great decorating sense, too!

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    1. That's it - I needed to be the one picking up the bib. Of course, we had no idea they'd be literally in the dark on Sunday morning, LOL.

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  11. Someone might have said, or you probably know, but just in case, if you are on pain pills, regular MiraLAX is vital.

    I went thru what you are going thru, many years ago. It was terrible. I have huge sympathy. I have a lot of cross stitch hanging in my house that was done that year, in bed.

    Physical therapy ended up working for me after everything settled down. But I had to find a therapist who was an athlete, and worked with athletes, not one who just focused on in and out of the car, on and off the toilet.

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    1. Sorry to hear you have gone through the same thing. It's horrible, isn't it? So far knitting has had to be put aside after making too many mistakes thanks to my drug-addled brain. I hope to clear up soon so I can knit again!

      I changed PT's and chose one who I know appreciates an active person and who wants to get them back to THEIR normal, not as you say, basics. Oh and I wish I would have been handed some Miralax or other along with my first pain prescription...again with the drug-addled brain, I didn't think to start that soon enough.

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    2. You mentioned broccoli. Are you finding that helps your GI system? It helps me.

      And yes, I have had to modify a lot. And continue to do so, but after working with the right PT, I was in better shape than before back issues. So there is hope.

      I think it took about a year to get back to a normal life. We worked on my core, in PT, to stabilize my back, a lot. She worked me very hard. Then, after PT, Yoga and Pilates and free weights and walking all helped.

      I do nothing with impact, and nothing sudden.

      I have now moved on to arthritis, everywhere, which impacted me hugely (psychologically and physically) last fall. But am now doing better. I walk a lot.

      This year I have worked to find natural exercise. For example I have been doing major gardening (rather than free weights). I walk neighbor’s dogs several times a day. Etc.

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