I woke up this morning to see the sky dark, the air thick, and the weather HOT. Usually I avoid running in the humidity at all costs, but what if its this humid on the day of the race? I figured I'd have to get used to it and tough it out.
As soon as I started running I felt the humidity drowning my lungs. I decided I would take it slow, as long as I finished the two miles it didn't matter how fast I got it done. Halfway through I started sweating profusely, it was dripping down my face, into my eyes, and into my mouth. As I tasted the strong salt in my sweat, reminding me of my faulty chloride channels, the negative thoughts began clouding my head: "It's too hot"; "Its too humid;" "I can't breathe;" "I can't do this;" "I have CF...."
I hit the last hill and was down to nearly a walk. I hoped at that point my aunt would come out of her house I was passing and give me a little cheer when I wanted to quit (where were ya Auntie C!? ahahah). But there was no one but me and the pavement, so I had to be my own cheerleader when I wanted to quit. I thought "Yeah I have CF... soo what?!" This has always been my motto, I mean come on, its the name of my blog! I started thinking how much I wanted to prove CF wasn't going to slow me down, and finishing despite the pain I was feeling makes my run all the more worth it. So I kicked it up, ran hard up the hill and all the way back to my street. The moment I stopped running I felt dizzy and I was breathing hard... it HURT, but that's what it takes to get stronger.
Every tear about CF has made me stronger, every sick-bout has made me stronger, every day spent in a hospital has made me stronger, every friend with CF I've seen pass has made me stronger, has made me want to fight harder, for them. This. Run. Made. Me. Stronger. This run was me fighting as hard as I could. So on the day of the race, if its 85 degrees and humid I can say "Been there, done that" and be ready to push it!
