Betty's Run Today

I am exhausted. What a day! Today was the 20th anniversary of Betty's Run for ALS. I was there. I was there last year, and the year before, and the year before that. This is the fourth run for me. I didn't expect to make it this far.

The exhaustion I feel has more to do with the totality of the day rather than the run itself. I was up early this morning, long before my normal wake-up hour. Even with going to bed a bit early last night, the 8:00 AM start to the day was brutal for me. I barely managed to get out of the bathroom before we had to rush into the truck so we could make it to the run by our planned 9:30 AM arrival.

Once there, greeted by many friends, Ricky and I did the run with him pushing me part of the way, Tonny pushing me part of the way, and Brian pushing me part of the way. The odd thing is, even with others pushing, I was tired at the end. In fact I was tired by half way. Yet, thanks to those helping me, I complete the 5 KM roll in my manual chair. My neck was quite tired by the end, from the work needed to hold my head steady as the chair bounced and jounced along the uneven sidewalk.

The weather was wonderful; the air warm, a steady breeze coming off the reservoir, a few clouds here and there to keep the sunburn down. We rolled along a tree lined pathway right along the edge of the reservoir, the sidewalk dappled with sunlight, shaded much of the way. By the end, I needed a nap.

The nap was to come, but first I entertained. I asked those who walked with me to join me at home for pizza. They came to visit, and it was terrific. I love having them around. It was even better to see Ricky interacting with them. Then, an hour or so later, they left and I finally got a 2 hour nap.

Now it's time to do laundry, to prepare for tomorrow's voyage to Vancouver. Once laundry is done, I need to pack. And finally, I will have to take a shower, this time without assistance. My only concern is if the wheelchair slips on the wet floor as I attempt the post shower transfer. If that goes well, then I will sleep, get up tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM once again, and, after bathroom and dress, get into the truck and let Ricky drive for the first shift. I plan on sleeping some more.