Saving Tyrion Lannister - Tuesday

While we didn't hear from Tyrion's resident veterinarian by phone today, she did send us a picture and a note this morning...

"Tyrion is looking a bit better this morning.  He licked a little bit of his food overnight.

He will have to have another blood transfusion today (I will spare my readers the details of why).

Tyrion is sitting up and looking around a little, which he has not done in a few days.  He definitely has more energy! One baby step at a time!  Also, the ulcers on his tongue look much better today!"

As I mentioned earlier, Dr. Cleroux also sent a picture, he certainly had a little liveliness in his eyes, but I don't feel comfortable sharing it right now.  It kind of gives me the sads looking at it.  I just have to keep in mind that he is getting a little better every day now.  There will certainly be more set backs, I'm sure, but I still feel like the worst is behind little T.

We are *really* happy he was looking a little more alive today.  It's what Dr. Cleroux was looking for from him today.  I anticipate he will do dialysis again tomorrow and follow a more traditional three day a week schedule (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) from now until he can receive a transplant.

Keep praying for our little lion.  The power of your prayers have proved amazing so far!

Until tomorrow...

Saving Tyrion Lannister - Monday

Just a quick update on how little kitty is doing today.

Ryan returned to Dallas today and we left Tyrion in the hands of the team at U Penn.

Today Tyrion had 8 hours of dialysis and tolerated it very well.  Another really good day for him. They were able to get his renal values down by 50% again today, which bodes well for him.  We are praying that he starts looking better tomorrow.  So far, he hasn't really perked up at all.

He has developed some sores in his mouth and GI tract (stomach and likely intestinal tract) that were being treated, but probably still made him feel pretty rough.  These were almost certainly caused by his high renal values.

Tyrion remains in the ICU, but we are hoping that after he gets his red blood cell levels up he can be weaned off the oxygen and be placed on a medical floor.

We also learned that all of the test that Tyrion needs to have done to clear him for transplant have been completed.  Now, we wait for results.  We've already learned he's passed one, some of thehttp://jojocouture-southernfriedsoul.blogspot.com/2015/05/saving-tyrion-lannister-monday.html?m=1m can take up to a week.  Sunny day scenario: T goes for a transplant the week of Memorial Day, BUT as we have already found out, a lot can happen between now and then.

Tomorrow will be a rest day for little kitty.  I think he deserves it!

The main resident, Dr. Cleroux (spelled correctly here) on Tyrion's case was kind enough to send us a picture of him while he did dialysis today.  Like I've mentioned before, these vets are just amazing.  One example: since Tyrion's catheter is in such an unusual spot, Dr. Cleroux and Dr. Foster (one of the department heads) have taken it upon themselves to be the ONLY two people that can handle the site or the dressing around it.  Last night in the middle of the night, after being at the hospital all day, Tyrion's dressing became soiled.  Dr. Cleroux got up, came into the hospital and changed the dressing herself in order to prevent any infection in the site.  I've said it once and I'll say it again, I cannot even comprehend the dedication that these veterinarians have to seeing their patients through to health.

I'll leave you with the picture we were sent today.  If you look closely, past all of the machines and tubes and blankets, you'll see Tyrion all tucked in, warm and cozy.  What I wouldn't give to cuddle that little kitty right now.

Want to help Tyrion Lannister on his journey to a transplant?

http://www.gofundme.com/u5dp6x5d9s

Saving Tyrion Lannister - It was a good day

To say today was a great day would be an understatement.

First off, it's Mother's Day.  I got to spend the day with my super cool almost 9 year old!  We really needed each other this weekend...it was a rough one.

But it was a good day.

A good day that could have spelled sheer disaster.

Today was the day our precious kitty, Tyrion, underwent what could have been the final step in our journey to save him.

Dr. Clarow, the main vet who has been working with us on Tyrion's case (this kitty actual has a whole team behind him) called early (8:30am CST) to let us know the surgery was about to take place.  We had agreed upon parameters in which certain events would or would not take place.  If the catheter could not be place, Tyrion would not be woken up.  If there was no flow in the catheter, the same.  Minutes seemed like hours.  I felt sick to my stomach and was crying at the drop of a hat.

While we were waiting, Ryan called to tell me his flight from Philadelphia had been cancelled due to the weather in DFW (it was a L O N G night).  Nothing says Mother's Day like sleeping through tornado sirens at 7am! It was almost a blessing that his flight was cancelled because I can't imagine having to land in Dallas only to turn my phone on to see if the kitty you'd hung your hopes on had lived or died.

We decided the longer it was that we heard from them, the better.  For the shorter time would've meant they were unsuccessful.

Finally around 2:30, 6 hours after this had begun, the phone call came.

I held my breath, said a little prayer, and tried to hold back the tears.

When we were deciding to take this step with Tyrion, we were told that this top notch, world class facility, had only attempted this type of procedure in a cat one time.  It was not successful.  They were able to place the catheter, but adequate blood flow was not achieved. Those aren't good statistics.

Just a little side note on the U Penn veterinary facility....

These doctors work tirelessly to heal the broken animals they take care of.  They are there day & night, weekends, weekdays, from sun up until sun down.  Quite honestly, I'm not really sure when they sleep.  They spend hours on the phone with us & want ever step to be a success just as much as we do. You can tell they are invested in the patients they take care of, just as their owners are.

I answered the phone.

Tyrion DID IT.  They were able to place the catheter in the first femoral artery they tried, with no crazy corkscrewing or detours to the area in his heart where it needed to be.  Not only had the renal team nailed the procedure, but Tyrion had already been on the dialysis we longed for for nearly 20 minutes and was doing well.

My oldest friend Lisa told me yesterday...good things happen on Sundays.  (Remind me to *always* listen to her.)

Dr. Clarow sounded just as ecstatic as I was.  This time instead of tears of sadness, there were finally some tears of joy.  She said Tyrion's entire team celebrated this large victory.  Good things happen on Sundays.

Dr. Clarow called again this evening and told me that Tyrion did a full 6 hours of dialysis.  I know that sounds long, but they had to go very slowly due to his size.  They pulled off 40% of the toxins in his blood in just one treatment (they can't totally clear the blood as it would send his little body into a tailspin).  She was pleased.  We were pleased.  This is the good day we all prayed for.  All I kept thinking all day was 'good things happen on Sundays.

Tyrion will have dialysis again tomorrow.  Likely for 8 hours if he can tolerate it.  His feeling tube was removed from his nose and placed in his belly which will be much more comfortable for him.  He will likely feel pretty badly tomorrow, but come Tuesday or Wednesday, he should start feeling really good.

So for the next few weeks, he just needs to maintain, pass a few more tests to be cleared for dialysis and be matched with a donor cat.  Sounds easy, right?  Knowing Tyrion, there will be many more potholes along this path, but he is our lion.  I told y'all he was a special kitty.

Continue your prayers.  We really need and appreciate them.

Happy Mother's Day to all of my skin and fur mom friends!

It was a great day.

Saving Tyrion Lannister - Saturday, May 9th

Today was another long day.  An emotional day.

Tyrion was scheduled for his dialysis catheter placement this afternoon.  We knew he was fourth in the lineup, and didn't anticipate that surgery would start until late this afternoon.  Afternoon turned into early evening and we had heard nothing.  The main veterinarian on his case finally called me around 7pm and said that surgery #3 was underway, but turned into an emergency situation and she didn't think Tyrion's procedure would start until late this evening and would likely go into the early morning hours, depending on any complications along the way.

Earlier in the day, Ryan went to the U Penn hospital to see Tyrion, which was likely, but not a certain, to be the last time he would see him.  While we continue to hold out hope, praying for a miracle and documenting one for the books, we know this procedure comes with great risk.  One of two things would be the outcome of this.

Our favorite scenario:

The catheter passes, good blood flow is achieved and he starts dialysis hours after recovery.

Our most unfavorite scenario:

The catheter does not pass, or he has wonky venous pathways, like they saw in his jugular veins.  Or the catheter does not allow for good blood flow, something essential for dialysis treatment.  At either point, we have agreed with the veterinarian, that the procedure will be aborted and Tyrion will not wake up.

This scenario is devastating to me.

I am sobbing just thinking about it.

Today when Ryan saw Tyrion, Louis and I got to talk to him over the speakerphone. We told him how much we loved and adored him over and over and over, to stay strong, that we knew he could do this; that he had to.  I apologized for all of the times I got upset that he knocked over giant glasses of water on my office chair, my computer and kitchen floor.  Those things seem like such minor incedents right now.  We miss him so much.

Even though it's only been a week since he's been hospitalized, I fully expect to see him bounding around the corner when I get ice out of the dispenser in the fridge or run the faucet (this cat has a thing for water).  The house misses him.

Loves water so much: fell in the tub.

So for today, no set backs, just pauses.  Since the procedure was delayed, I came to a conclusion with the vet, that we would hold off until tomorrow.  He is not in grave danger, he is just feeling punky.  I felt more comfortable having a surgical team that was rested, versus a team that had been on their feet in an OR all day.

So we wait.  Again.

Hopefully things will go as planned and he will be in surgery by mid-morning.  It may be a little later, but things will no doubt happen tomorrow.

We continue to pray for a miracle.

If you'd like to help support us in kitty's care:

gofund.me/u5dp6x5d9s

Saving Tyrion Lannister - Friday

First and foremost, Ryan and I are overwhelmed by the incredible amount of support that we have gotten from our friends, family and even a handful of strangers.  We will never forget this or the kindness people have shown us.

It's hard to believe that it has been a week since this nightmare started, especially when the days are long, spent waiting for anticipated phone calls from the amazing vets at U Penn.  It seems as though one bad day precedes just another.  When we get a kernel of hope, it is crushed with more bad news.

Today, a veterinary cardiologist would evaluate Tyrion as part of the transplant requirements and just to check on what we were dealing with.  This was not an invasive procedure, so it was almost another day of rest. Early this morning we had learned that Tyrion had maintained his red blood cell count over night, actually increasing a little bit independent of another transfusion; a good sign that his bone marrow was still functioning somewhat.  How things change so quickly....we waited all day for a call from the lead vet on Tyrion's case.  It was a long day.  She finally contacted us around 8pm to tell us some abnormalities were seen on Tyrion's echocardiogram, but that this wouldn't necessarily rule him out for a transplant, but it didn't help matters either.  We learned that Tyrion is kind of like the cat version of Benjamin Buttons.  He is a little old man in a little kitty body.  The things that were presenting on the echocardiogram were things that were typically seen in a much older cat, as were his issues with his kidneys.  His case involves more twist and turns everyday.  The transplant nurse warned us this would not be an easy road, but I'm not sure anyone could ever be prepared for this pothole filled path.

At this point in time, medical management (medications and interventions) are failing Tyrion.  Our choices were laid out very clear in front of us.  Go for  a possible dialysis catheter in his femoral (thigh area) artery or give up.  As long as I've had pets, I have never wanted to be presented with this choice.  I'm always reminded of my black lab, Kirby's passing.  While sudden and unexpected (even though he was 12), it was fast.  We didn't even have a choice in the matter.  He was gone before I could get dressed to take him to the vet.  I've always been thankful I didn't have that choice.  It's hard to know when to say when and while there will always be those people who have vastly different opinions than what we have regarding what we will or will not put our pet through, it is ultimately not their choice at all.  We took Tyrion to U Penn with the intention of doing everything we could to get him back home happy and healthy and we reaffirmed that commitment to him tonight. Through many tears, we decided that we are going forward with the placement of the femoral artery catheter.  It is all we have left.  Our last hope that Tyrion will pull through.  All along, I've felt that the dialysis process would be the most difficult hurdle to overcome for him due to his size and frailty.  We feel if he can just get through this, he can overcome anything.  Tyrion - our little lion.  We are hoping for a Game of Thrones (for those who don't watch, Tyrion is a main character on the show and his namesake) ending to this, with Tyrion persevering.  If there is a day that we could all use some extra prayers, it's tomorrow and Sunday.  There are many risk not only to placing the catheter, but to performing dialysis thereafter.  If we can get him through the first treatment, I have no doubt he will prevail.  Some people may feel silly praying for a cat, but like I said earlier, this kitty is not just our pet, he is a family member just as all of our pets are.

Tomorrow evening will be make or break for this precious kitty.  We had a choice to allow him to die without intervention or at least try.  We have decided this is his very best chance at life and we will not look back with regrets or what ifs.  Maybe we are prolonging the inevitable...but, maybe we aren't.  At this point, we think Tyrion's legacy will long live on at U Penn.  We think he is teaching them more about treating small kitties with very strange disease processes.  At every turn he has run into an unexpected road block.  We hope this is not the case tomorrow.

Some people have asked (or incorrectly assumed) about where the kidney donation comes from.  The kidney donor would come from a pool of cats that they have at U Penn that have already been cleared to be donors.  Tyrion would have to be typed and cross matched, just like any other human getting a transplant.  Whichever hero cat matches him then becomes ours, which we welcome with open arms.  If a donor can save little T's life, we will give that cat it's best cat life.  Cats, like people, can also live with just one functioning kidney.  I'd give that kitty my OWN kidney if I could.  The donor cats are never euthanized.  Ryan told me these donor cats kind of live the high life at the hospital (which happens to be named "Ryan Hospital").  They have a huge cat playground and have the run of the place, in areas where they are allowed of course.

So for tonight, I try to think about all of the fun/good times we had with this little kitty.  I don't want to imagine how he looks right now.  I know he feels bad and I can't explain to him the rhyme or reason behind his feeling crappy.  Some may say this is inhumane treatment of an animal, putting him through all of this, but quite honestly, this kitty is getting better medical care than some people.  Because we stay committed to him.  Every person makes their own choices and limits for their animal.  I'm choosing not to share some of the outcomes that may occur tomorrow, because there is only one good scenario. As Ryan said tonight, tomorrow evening he will either be getting better or he will be at peace.

So until tomorrow, I'll share some of the good times (which there are so many) we've had with this kitty in the short time we have had him in our lives.

Not even 24 hours in his forever home.  This is one of his favorite tricks; jumping up on us (and scratching the bejesus out of us in the process) and sitting on our shoulders like a parrot.  Eventually, Ryan had taught him to do this on command. 

Tyrion LOVES the warmth of the computer and when he was teeny tiny, he used to fall asleep on the keyboard!

I'm not sure if this is a trick?  It sure is funny though!

Best pals.

Little T *loved* his Christmas stocking.

Another "trick".  Seriously, this kitty is constant entertainment, but at the same time has made some huge messes! Open glasses are never safe! Chocolate milk was his very, very favorite thing to swipe.

Curious kitty in his first snow.  He was so cold, but inquisitive (and pretty stunning in the snow).

Tyrion is a one photogenic cat!  He put up with my incessant picture taking without complaint.

Always finding him in silly places. He was originally named "Joker" (his brother was Batman) because of his "mask" marking.  He definitely lives up to his original name.

I told you he likes his picture taken.

The boys. Biggest and smallest. Even though Roscoe outweighed little kitty by 100lbs, he had zero fear of him.

If you'd like to contribute to our fund helping with Tyrian's medical cost, please visit:

http://www.gofundme.com/u5dp6x5d9s

And once again, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

Saving Tyrion Lannister

Last November, we decided as a family that we wanted to welcome another kitty into our brood.  After careful selection, we found an adorable kitten that was for adoption through the SPCA and it was pretty much love at first sight.

While our other kitty Khleo, wasn't exactly pleased with these new developments, eventually she grew to love her little brother.  Our little family, fur and skin was complete.

Tyrion, who lived up to his character's name (we love 'Game of Thrones'), was always a small kitty.  He didn't grow that much in the five months we've had him.  We thought this was a little odd, but just chalked it up to him possibly being a small cat like his sister Khleo.  Over time we noticed he was becoming more sleepy.

Instead of going up to Ryan's office to hang out with him at night (vampire hours), he was cuddling up with me when I went to bed (which I didn't mind at all).  We again, discounted this and thought that he was just growing.

These two have the most unique bond, but he still likes my breath better. :)

But this past Friday, things started falling apart.  Ryan noticed that little kitty (Tyrion) was staring into space, we were finding him in areas he'd never gone in our house before and he wasn't getting overly excited about food or coming when called.  He was a very veracious eater, but last Friday, he didn't come when called...his call was shaking a bag of treats.  This kitty has always come when called.  We think of him more like a dog than a cat.  He is always in the dog food, our food and his food and now he wasn't.

The evening before Tyrion started showing more signs he was not feeling well.

We decided that maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to take him into a 24 hour vet.  We drive down to Hillside Veterinary Clinic in Dallas and I was fully expecting to learn that maybe he had an eye infection (he had some dark matter in his eyes) and was possibly a little dehydrated. We nearly took the vet's advice of conservative treatment of sending him home on fluids that would be administered through a subcutaneous injection and some medication to help stimulate his appetite.  For some reason, in a twist of fate, we thought maybe we should go ahead and at least get some lab work, a complete blood count and a kidney profile at the least.  What we learned next can only be described as shocking.  Tyrion was in kidney failure.  At 8.5 months old.  He was also severely anemic.  Little kitty's gums were white as was his nose. His hematocrit level (one measure of red blood cells) was 10.  Normal levels are around 35.  We new he would need a blood transfusion, but that posed another problem.  There were no available packed red cells (the type of blood he needed) at this particular vet and none to be found/available at surrounding vets.  We were desperate.  In an incredible act of kindness, one of the veterinary techs at Hillside, Jesse, volunteered her cat to be a donor for Tyrion.  Her kitty provided him with two lifesaving transfusions, but we were still getting nowhere.  His levels continued to peak and then drop.  The vets at the practice were confused, as were we.

Saturday

We received a call Saturday morning from the vets stating his condition was not improving.  They would continue to monitor his kidney function and level of anemia.  None of these numbers improved during the day, in fact, they got worse.  By the time we got down there to see him Saturday evening, he was being prepped for another transfusion, his third.  This time another vet tech whose name we never learned, volunteered her cat, Mittens, who looked like an older, fluffier version on Tyrion, to be another donor.  When he saw us, he perked up a little bit, but he was still very lethargic.  He was sleeping in his litter box, but did eat a little bit for us.  The first food he'd had in awhile.  We left feeling defeated.  This poor little kitty wasn't getting better, in fact he was getting a little worse.  He was unable to receive any fluids at that time as they didn't want to dilute the fresh blood he'd just had.  He was being tested for anything and everything, looking for a reason for his kidney failure, which is odd in such a young cat.  His symptoms have never fit into a neat little box of symptoms.  We always knew he was kind of a weird cat, in an endearing sort of way.

Sunday

Sunday brought some difficult decisions, a great deal of tears as well as worry.  We felt there was nothing more Hillside could do for him. We had a sonogram done, which didn't show anything terribly significant, which left us even more confused.  We made the decision to transfer him to a critical care facility in Lewisville, the Center for Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Care.  We were told this facility housed the best of the best veterinary nephrology (kidney) expert in the area.  We rushed him to Lewisville where he was re-evaluated.  Even though we had no idea what was going on inside this little guy, we were told his only hope for survival was renal dialysis, something that is also performed on humans with kidney failure.

This was a very trying decision to make.  On one hand, I didn't want my poor little kitty having to live with tubes sticking out of this neck and having to be fed by a feeding tube, but on the other hand, both Ryan and I wanted this kitty to have the BEST chance at life.  We discussed how very special this kitty is to us.  Tyrion isn't just our pet, he's part of our family.  We had to think about what we would do for any other of our family members.  Because the Lewisville facility was only equipped to do dialysis on larger cats, with larger dialysis catheters using a higher quantity of blood, we were advised to possibly pursue treatment at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia as the treating physician, Lisa Thompson (who is the BEST in this area), was familiar with their program and knew one of the heads of the department.  It was an option, but we just weren't sure yet.  We wanted to see how he did through the night.  When we left Tyrion, he was quite playful.  He didn't even look sick.  He was rubbing his cheeks on our hands like his normal self.  He's always loved smelling my breath (I told you he's a *special* cat) and he was doing just that.  It was hard leaving him.

Monday

Monday morning brought no new answers, few changes in his condition other than that little Tyrion's potassium level was climbing because of his kidney's inability to perfuse correctly; a condition that could ultimately send him into cardiac arrest.  We quickly decided that U Penn would be his best shot.  So we purchased a plane ticket for Ryan and he was off to Philly just 4 hours later.

Saying our goodbyes.

Ryan arrived at U Penn that evening and Tyrion was taken into their care.

Tuesday

We wanted to dialysis to start right away on Tyrion just for the sake of getting him to feel better, but several things had to happen before that could begin.  Because his kidneys were not working well, he began accumulating fluids in his lungs.  The veterinary team had to aspirate the fluid (through a small needle) and collected nearly 1/4 of a cup.  Keep in mind Tyrion is a 5lb kitty!  He still had fluid on the right side of his lung, but started to fuss during the procedure and the team did not want to push him.  Another day was about to pass without getting this little guy on the dialysis treatment he needed. Ryan was able to stay in Philly and was able to see him once that day.

Tyrion on Tuesday

His kidney values were holding and not getting worse.  We were able to speak with one of the department heads, Dr. Foster, about Tyrion's care and began to feel comfortable with their plan despite the fact that he still was not on dialysis.  A decision was made that he would be prepped the next morning for the placement of his dialysis catheter.

Wednesday

Tyrion's procedure was delayed because of other emergencies.  They did not start the catheter placement until around noon.  During this time he received yet another blood transfusion...another mystery to us.  Where were these red blood cells going?  We knew he had likely developed a small ulcer in his upper GI tract (I'll spare you the details), but that was not a good explanation.  His belly was not full of blood.  The catheter placement started around noon and around 6pm we received a call that it had been unsuccessful, despite the best efforts of the some of the best veterinarians and vascular surgeon.  This was a crushing blow to the hope that we had that he would get dialysis soon.  His jugulars, instead of heading down a straight path to his heart, both took corkscrew turns (again...,.a "special" kitty).  We were once again back at square one.  During the procedure, they WERE able to tap over an additional 1/2 cup of fluid from the right side of his lung, something that would enable him to breathe much easier.  The renal veterinary team, with the best of the best feline vets, would come together on Thursday to discuss the case and the next steps.

Thursday

Thursday was a rest day of sorts for Tyrion.  No poking or prodding.  The team was able to place a endotracheal tube that would allow him to receive liquid nutrition, something he desperately needed as he hadn't had any sizable intake since the week prior.  Thursday afternoon, the vets convened to discuss Tyrion's case, they will update us Friday morning.  He didn't get any worse on Thursday and his potassium level was actually coming down a bit, but he also wasn't getting better in any sense. Ryan saw him Thursday evening and it was hard for me to even look at the picture of this little boy.  My heart hurts for him.

Thursday - the day after an unsuccessful surgery

While all of this treatment has been going on, Ryan and I have been talking with the renal transplant team (yes, a kidney transplant for a cat) at U Penn.  This was our hope for him when we left Texas,  U Penn has one of the most successful transplant programs in the US.  This is Tyrion's only chance at an extended, normal life at this point. Many cats go on to live several years after an uncomplicated renal transplant.  While most pet owners would/could never consider this possibility, we did.  Yes, it's kind of crazy.  Yes, it's a huge financial burden.  But at this point, we are willing to do anything to save this kitten.  We made commitment to him when we adopted him from the shelter that we would care for him in sickness and in health and provide him with the best kitty life.  Did I ever think I'd have to consider getting a cat a kidney transplant?  Never.  But, for this one?  He's special.

Unique, I am.
Baffling everyone, I do.

In the meantime, we talk with veterinarians for a few hours every day, discussing what we can do to get this kitty stable enough to go on to transplant.  Ryan is still with Tyrion.  I am at home with Louis and the rest of the pets.  They miss him.  I miss him.  We want our kitten back.  We don't just want A kitten, we want Tyrion to come back.  We keep telling ourselves he can hold on.  He is a lion.  If you've ever met Tyrion in person, you know what a sweet, sweet kitty he is.  He loves and cuddles with everyone and anyone.  Our other cat Khleo, continues to search the house for him, won't go outside anymore because she doesn't have her pal.  The house just isn't right without him.

I will continue to update my blog as we get more information on Tyrion as it is difficult explaining to all of the people (we love that you all care!) what is going on with him every day.

We have set up a Go Fund Me site for Tyrion's care.  We are prepared to take on what we need to to see him through this, but any help is appreciated.  All of Tyrion's care has added up quickly, an ICU for a cat does not come without a high price, we have learned. We even told each other today, we don't care if we get wedding gifts.  We'd rather have our kitty come home. I remain hopeful that I will travel to Philadelphia in the coming weeks to get Tyrion and bring him home; healthy, and with a new lease on life. 

We should have more news, which I will share later today or tomorrow.  If nothing else, please pray for this little boy.  He sure needs a big miracle right about now. 

The link to our Go Fund Me site, if you'd like to help save our little boy is:

gofundme.com/u5dp6x5d9s

#13

#13 – New Year’s Double

**This race happened like a month ago, but I just haven't gotten around to documenting it! Life...it's crazy right now, but crazy good!

So, I'll take you back to 12/31/14.

After waking up the day after Christmas with a horrid little “gift” (sore throat, fatigue & some good ol’ nausea) and having to take a few days off from work, I probably shouldn't even have been out there on NYE. 

With weather predictions getting colder and colder, rain and maybe even ice on New Year’s Day, I had pretty much decided that I’d only get to do one half of my double and was really kind of sad about it.

The NY Double of 2014/2015 just wasn’t meant to be, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t try and knock it out of the park on day 1.

I met my MRTT friends bright and early Wednesday morning because this marathon wasn’t just a marathon.  It was a marathon + a 5k.  An ultramarathon of sorts?

I ran the 5k easy with my friend Kelly (who just happens to be running for two!) and we became Team Penguin and Pistol Pete (see our hats).  The 5k pretty much flew by. 

The rest of my friends and I met for a picture and a few of us went back to our cars to warm up before the half and full marathon started.  That’s the great thing about this race.  There are no parking fiascos, if you forget something you can easily run back to your car, or in this case, use it as a refuge of sorts!

Warming time was soon over and the race started.  This particular race is a looped course of 6.55 miles.  So for the full (do the math), it is 4 loops around.  Now to some, this might sound really dull and monotonous, but in all actuality, it is *really* fun!  There were a few brave MRTT souls along with their mini’s that came out to cheer for a bit, so I saw them several times.  Plus, you get to see lots of friends and acquaintances between 6 & 8 times on the course.  It’s great to get that extra lift, a high 5 or even just a smile.  The drop tent is also key.  Because it was a cold day, I realized after my first lap that I was sorely overdressed and was able to drop clothes, pick up snacks, etc. each time I circled the course.  The race director is pretty amazing the way she thinks of all of these things…(an ultramarathoner herself). 

My celebratory #13 at mile 13 pic.

Since I wasn’t sure (ok…I had pretty much made up my mind) that I was going to run the next day, I decided to push the pace on this day.  I maintained a 10-11 min mile pace the entire way.  Towards the end it was getting cold and despite all of my layers my feet & legs were getting pretty cold and I feel like it slowed me down a bit.  Another interesting thing that happened…I used my amazing new Jabra wireless headphones (a Christmas gift from Mr. Southern Fried Soul) not realizing it would drain the battery of my phone at warp speed.  So basically, no music for over half of this race, just a lot of conversations in my own head.

Regardless, I finished.  #13 was in the books! 

4:46:33 (after completing a 5k earlier that day!)

Even though I was disappointed that this ultimate challenge (the double 5k/double marathon) just wasn’t going to happen for me (I felt horrible the evening of NYE), it was still super fun and a top notch race. 

#13 also brought a second place finish…missing 1^st by less than a minute (kicking myself now for poking around in a couple of spots for too long).  I was pretty stoked about this as I came in 4^th last year (this happens…A LOT).   I didn’t collect my finisher’s plate for doing both days, but I did get some pretty sweet glassware to toast my year in. 

This race will definitely be on my agenda again for 2014/2015.  I’m not sure if I’ll try to attempt the double again, but I know one day will be on my race schedule.  It was a great way to end 2014!

As a side note….I had a lot of brave souled friends who went out to complete day 2 of this challenge in the freezing rain.  You, my friends, have more mental toughness than I can dream of!