Potatoes & Parkrunners - Spud Run 5k Race Report 2025

Clockwise from me: Ava, Kristen, Luis, Samuel, Cliff, Jon, Dustin, Troy

I've never been a trendsetter before, but you guys! I spread enough awareness of this run amongst my parkrun people that there were a bunch of us there! Whenever a group of us at parkrun are standing around, it never fails that we talk running and races! Last year, two people heard me talking about Spud Run and they ran it (I didn't know this at the time). A few weeks ago, I saw one of the guys wearing the 2024 shirt, and we started chatting about it, and he told me that he never would have known about it if not for me. As we were talking, another person asked about it, so I told them about it, and they told me the following week that they signed up to do it in April. Word got around and by race day, I think we were up to almost 10 people! Luis, Cliff, John, and Samuel all did the 15k challenge, where they ran the 10k first then the 5k. The rest of us just did the 5k. 

I got there pretty early and got a good parking spot really close to the starting area. The library was closed off this year, so packet pickup was outside. I got my bib and shirt, and I was a little frosty... They didn't have any 2X shirts - why offer them if you aren't going to order them?! The XL fit, but is definitely tighter than I'd like, so for now, it's been relegated to a "hang around the house" shirt. I picked up my bag of potatoes and brought everything back to the car. I walked toward the finish line to cheer on any 10k parkrun finishers, but I could see Clifford's Big Red Truck and he was already done, so I made my way over there instead. We BS'd for a while then I went looking for others. I found Luis, who said that he finished the 10k in about 40 minutes! After that I found Kristen & Troy, the rest of our parkrun people, did the group shot (above) then lined up for the 5k. 

I tried, y'all... I was looking forward to getting some running in, but my IT Band was not happy, so by Mile 1, I went back to straight walking. Kristen & Troy caught up with me and we walked together for about a mile, then took off on their own intervals (they finished maybe two minutes before me). 

I actually beat my 2024 time, coming in at 56:32, wow! 278th out of 317 total finishers, I was the 160th female (out of 190) and the last finisher in my age group.  

Yes, that medal is shaped like a potato!

Finish Line Video

Afterward, we all picked up our potatoes (I got a second bag, in lieu of cabbage) and went our separate ways for the day. I was kind of bummed, because I'd psyched my introverted self up for a group breakfast or something, but at the same time I was relieved that I didn't have to suffer through a group breakfast or something. 

These potatoes were so freakin' delicious!

I changed clothes and got a soda at the nearby RaceTrac then spent the day shopping around St. Augustine. I was on a mission to find a nice pair of work pants and/or a nice dress that made me feel pretty. I've been feeling down on myself lately, and I wanted to change that. 

First stop was Bealls Florida, which I thought was going to be a Beall's Outlet, but was actually their department store. I've actually never been in a Bealls Department store! Their Plus Size section was a good size, but their dress selection was small. I found a cute A-line dress that fit well, only made me look like a small tent, but none of the patterns were cute on me. I found a few cute shirts, but they didn't fit well (either too big or too tight across the bust). This store is interesting in that it truly is just how they advertise... "The Florida Store." All of the clothing was light, breezy fabrics that would be cool in the Florida sunshine. Lots of pineapples, flamingoes, nautical, or tropical vibes. The only problem is that I'm not much of a Florida fashion kind of gal. So all I ended up with was a blousy blue top and a cool running hat with a hole in it for a ponytail (I've been wanting one of these, and this one was on clearance for about ten bucks!)

Next up, I checked out the Burlington; now, I always have pretty good luck at the Burlington in my town, but boy, oh, boy... this Burlington was nasty. It looked like the store was going out of business, and there was about a month left before it closed its doors for good, and management didn't give a shit if the store looked good anymore. It wasn't going out of business, of course, but it looked that way... The Ladies fitting room was closed and blocked off by two tables full of clearance items and surrounded by carts full of junk. The wired locks that secured the more expensive purses were just dangling from hooks in the purse section. There was random crap on the floor. Racks were picked over and messy and overstuffed so you couldn't move stuff around. After about five minutes of walking around and trying not to flee from the ick of it all, I gave up... I felt like I was in a thrift shop where bad things happen in the back. And don't get me wrong, I LOVE thrift shops! 

Okay, so that was a bust; I regrouped with a corn dog and pretzel from Sonic then headed over to my all-time favorite Dollar Tree and found lots of goodies to bring home! I got some snacks, some root beer, a ready-to-finish vase, and some fake flowers to make a few new arrangements for my office. I bought a bunch of acrylic (okay, plastic) drawer organizers, but now that I'm back home, lord only knows what I'm going to use them for... It seemed like a smart buy at the time, I swear!

Next up, I wandered around Beall's Outlet, since I was still on a mission for pants and dresses, but they had nothing, so I went over to Marshall's. I was ready to give up at this point... These types of stores rarely have anything Plus Size, and if they do, it's of the Clown or Tent variety, so I didn't even look for anything really... I ended up with some undies and a bag of Butter Toffee popcorn. 

At this point, I was super-tired (I've been dealing with some PMS-like symptoms this week), so I decided to call it a day. I picked up some Chick-fil-A nuggets and a drink and made my way home. 

Three...! Two...! WTF?

Ladies of a certain age, I know you feel me on this one!

There is this common misconception that Menopause is a thing that lasts for years and years, a ceaseless torment that must be battled, to get to the other side, where a woman can finally enter her Crone Era. I'm here to tell you that isn't true. 

Menopause is not a decades-long hell that we all must suffer. It is but an instantaneous blip in our womanhood, a blink and you'll miss it moment. Because Menopause is simply the ceasing of menstruation. One moment, I'm a young female who menstruates, and the next moment, I am an old female who no longer menstruates. Boom. Just like that. Menopause is when periods stop for good. It's "diagnosed" after twelve full months without a period - including vaginal bleeding or spotting. Typically, menopause happens around 51 years old. 

I can hear you out there, you young folks... Why is my mom so crazy then, huh? What's she dealing with? Ah, youngsters, let me tell you... 

That's our good friend, Perimenopause! That is what everyone misconstrues as Menopause. THAT'S thing that lasts for years and years, a ceaseless torment that must be battled, to get to the other side, where a woman can finally enter her Crone Era. It's that transitional time before Menopause. During this time, estrogen levels begin to decrease, you get those well-known hot flashes, and irregular periods. You don't want to get freaky with your spouse. You have a dry vag, so even if you wanted  to get freaky, it probably would hurt. You need to pee all the time. You can't sleep. You sweat through the sheets (and we all know it's not because you got freaky... we already covered that). Your PMS symptoms get worse. You have mood swings, irritability, or depression (huh... I just did a post about that!). 

{gravelly voice}: I gotta look pretty!

Peri can start as early as your mid-30s, or start as late as your mid-50s, though most women start in their 40s. Some chicks are lucky and it's over in a short amount of time while others suffer for years. So what's happening up in there? Well, your hormones are changing; your estrogen is decreasing, which throws off the balance of progesterone, like a little hormone rollercoaster. Eventually, your body will begin to make so little estrogen that your ovaries no longer release eggs, you stop having your period, and you lose the ability to get pregnant. Oh, but hold on... during that rollercoaster, if you did avoid the dry vag and you did get freaky with your spouse, you could still be just fertile enough to get pregnant! In your 40s! Oh hell, no. Kids are great and all, but I certainly don't want to look like Grandma Yetta at my kid's graduation!

Anyway, Peri typically starts about 8-10 years before Official Menopause, and typically takes about 4 years (though, god help me, it could take almost a decade). And how do you know you're in Peri? That's the best part... you don't, really! Every woman is different and every woman experiences it differently. But generally speaking, the first sign is typically irregular or missing periods. You may start to sputter out with a few months of light to spotting periods, and then skip one or two, then chug along with another light month, then a spotting month... think of an old car engine, how it keeps trying and trying until it finally gives up. One day, your system just gives up. You won't really know it's given up unless you track this stuff, or do some backward counting. Now, if I were a highly-organized woman, I would be keeping track of these things, but I never do... I start to, but then after a few months I forget. All I can say is that it's been quite a while with no Panty Action down there. 

Until last week. 

Yep. It's time to reset the clock back to zero and resume counting again. 

Last week, maybe around April 15, I was having horrible bloating and abdominal pain. Funnily, it's been so long since I dealt with PMS, that my brain didn't immediately think of "that time of the month." I thought there was something wrong with me! Maybe I pulled a muscle at the gym on Monday. Maybe I ate something that didn't agree with me. There wasn't any bleeding or spotting so I was really confused! I just kind of dealt with it, but when I woke up on Thursday, it was bad enough that I would have played hookey from work, if I didn't have a huge meeting to run. I popped a Gas-X, hoping that would take care of the bloating and went to work. I was miserable all freaking day. 

All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball for a week, but I had a Mommy-Daughter day planned with my mom on Friday the 18th, and I knew that she was looking forward to that. So I popped some Aleve and soldiered on, having a great day with my mom; we went out to a place called Weeki Wachee Preserve and walked for about 2.5 miles or so, relaxed at home, then had lunch at Long John's before I had to head home. 

On Saturday, there was less bloating, but still I was feeling crampy and miserable. I walked at parkrun and didn't do much after that! Sunday was Easter, and the gym was closed, so I headed out to a local trail I'd been wanting to explore. It was a nice 3 miles, mostly shaded, slightly sandy, and harder than expected. 

 

By Monday morning, I felt like hot buttered ass, so I only did 20 minutes at the gym before admitting defeat and coming home. My feet were super-swollen all day Monday and Tuesday (so bad I could barely get my loosest-fitting sandals on!). Back at work on Tuesday, I saw it... the slightest bit of pink on the TP. Believe me when I tell you I just kind of stared at it in shock. Oh HELL NO. But there it was, all day long, the littlest bit of spotting and a teeny-tiny blob in the toilet. 

Oh, but wait... is this truly a period, or am I having issues with my IUD? My brain latched on to this in both a hopeful and apprehensive way. On the one hand, maybe it's not my period, so I'm still on the Menopause Countdown, but on the other hand, that meant I'd need to go to the gyno and have the IUD removed and replaced... Neither of these were good situations, really. So I waited it out a few more days to see what was going to happen. If it was a period, it'd be over in a few days, but if it was the IUD, I would continue to be miserable. 

As of today, the bloating is just about gone, my feet are no longer swollen, and there's no more Panty Action. I'm going to call it a period and start the countdown over. 

Today is Day 9 of 365. 

Sigh.

What If This Was the Depresh?

The past year has been hard. Hell, the past two years have been hard. Mostly emotionally (at least for me), but physically for Hubby. I’ve worried about his health. I’ve worried about his paycheck. I’ve worried about our finances. I dealt with the loss of a beloved pet. It’s been a roller-coaster of things are horrible then things are better then things kind of suck then things are okay then WTF is happening??? I think last winter, I just kind of checked out… I had to come to grips with the death of Clover just a few months after realizing that there was a possibility that Hubby simply no longer cared about his own medical issues and wasn’t going to do anything about it, thus making me face some deep truths about the change of losing him far too soon. 

The new year came around, and I was just… existing? I don’t know how to really qualify what I was feeling. I just didn’t give a single shit about anything. I wasn’t in a good mood, I wasn’t in a bad mood, I was just moving throughout my daily life like I was in a fog. I didn’t have any motivation to do anything fun or new. I used Hubby’s issues as a way to skip a lot of things that I should have been doing (like parkrun, gym, shopping, etc). I was moving from one day to another with blinders on, just doing daily tasks because I had to, not because I wanted to. Thinking about it now, I feel like there are large swaths of time that I cannot differentiate between other times, like all of January is a blur. 

A few weeks ago, Hubby was able to get back to work, and (knock on wood) things seem to be getting back to “normal,” or at least our version of normal. I take him to work, which means that I have no excuse not to go to the gym. So I’ve been going back to the gym. And I’ve been going back to parkrun. And we’ve been eating better on a normal dinner-time schedule. And we’ve been sleeping better. 

And I began to wonder…

Did I just make it to the other side of depression? Like, is that a thing that you can suffer from and then get better, without the help of anyone else or meds or anything? 

According to SAMHSA (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration), there are multiple types of Depression. I feel like, if actually diagnosed, I’d fall in “Major Depressive Disorder” or “Persistent Depressive Disorder.” To be diagnosed with any type of depression, doctors say that a person would need to have symptom(s) every day for at least two weeks. I looked over the long list, and I saw many symptoms that hit home, including: 

Continuous low mood or sadness

The amount of times I’ve caught myself walking around the house, or sitting on the couch, and just letting out a huge sigh for absolutely no reason is massive, so I can imagine that there were plenty of times I did it and didn’t hear myself.

Feeling hopeless or helpless

I can’t really put a concrete example for this, but I know I felt it… It was more of a I suck at X so why do I even bother? kind of feeling. I'd randomly look at my messy house, or slow run time, and just feel... stuck... like I can't change anything.

Feeling irritable and intolerant of others

This being a symptom caught me off-guard, because it happened a lot and I just thought that I was being bitchy. But oh yeah, this was a big one. I’d snip at Hubby. I’d yell at people in other cars while I was driving. I’d make snide comments about my coworkers. I'd attack people online. 

Having no motivation or interest in things

I was perfectly content to watch YouTube videos and read Reddit for hours at a time. I didn’t want to read a book, or go to the park, or do anything new. I didn't want to clean the house or cook dinner or bake cookies. I wanted to fart around and do nothing. 

Not taking care of yourself (not showering, not cleaning your living space)

This is actually the symptom that made me look into what was wrong with me… Eh fuck it, I’ll shower tomorrow was said many-a time in my head. Who cared what I looked like, especially if I was going to work from home the next day. Or, I could just wear pants to work instead of shaving. Or, I could just put my hair up instead of washing it so it looks fresh and curly. And I didn’t care that my home office was a hot mess, my kitchen was nasty, or that the backseat of my car was covered with random jackets and hoodies. I didn't take into account that my husband deserved clean home and a wife that smelled nice. I didn't take into account that my coworkers deserved a put-together employee. I didn't take into account that *I* deserved to be clean and surrounded by cleanliness. 

Not getting any enjoyment out of life

Looking back now, there hasn’t been a lot of smiling and laughing, and I love laughing. You know that “heh” smile you give people when they show you something that they find hilarious, but you don’t? Yeah, I feel like I did that a lot.

Changes in appetite (decreased, not wanting to eat)

This is another surprise, but I totally see it… I love junk food. I have an entire shelf in the dining room dedicated solely to my junk food. I was organizing our pantry over the weekend, and I realized that my shelf was overflowing with tons of snacks that I’m just hadn't been eating… none of it calls to me, none of it looks good. Some of it just requires too much effort (like opening a bag of chips is too much work, because then I’ll have to find a container to put it in so it doesn’t go bad… so I just don’t open it). 

Unexplained aches and pains

UNexplained? Maybe yes, maybe no… Have I felt extremely achy over the past few months? Yes. Is it simply because of this, or because I’ve been sitting on my ass for hours on end instead of taking care of myself, because of this? I don’t know.  

Lack of energy

Same as above, really… Am I drained simply because of depression, or because I sit on my ass for hours (a body at rest will remain at rest, and all that)… I don’t know.

Loss of libido

So, I didn’t think of this either! TMI, but we’ve not been intimate for months and months and months… Sometimes I’d be in the mood, but he’d be in pain. Then he’d be in the mood, but I felt like ass. I haven’t felt “sexy” in months.

Disturbed or Disordered Sleep (hard to fall asleep, stay asleep, or waking up very early)

There was a stretch of time around the beginning of the year when this was a problem. I’d be awake until 11pm at least, with a racing brain, then I’d sleep like death until around 3am, wake up to pee, then be awake again for an hour. There’d be many mornings that I’d wake up at 5:30am or so, and just stare at the ceiling until the alarm with off 45 minutes later

Neglecting hobbies or interests

I’d been calling this “lack of willpower” but I think now it’s something deeper. If I had no concrete reason to be awake at 7am, I was skipping gym and parkrun.  I haven’t gone out on a trail (for walking) in forever. I didn’t care about this blog or our YouTube video (making or editing) - I have five videos just sitting on my hard drive right now, waiting for me to edit and post them. I haven’t baked anything delicious because it’s just too much… I didn’t even really make Christmas cookies this year! I haven’t read a book in months because I just don’t care. 

Avoiding contact with friends or social activities

Most of my friends and social activities revolve around parkrun, and there were plenty of weeks where I just skipped out on going, or skipped the after-event coffee, so that I didn’t have to be social.

Thankfully, I never had more serious symptoms, like thoughts of death and suicide, attempting suicide, or any sort of self-harm behaviors. 

I found this bit of information especially interesting… Depression often hurts physically as well as emotionally, because the same biochemicals that influence your mood also affect how your body affects pain. Things like headaches, back pain, muscle aches, digestive problems, fatigue, sleeping problems, lightheadedness, or changes in appetite may all be due to depression. 

Depression can often come on gradually, so it can be difficult to notice that something is wrong, which is probably why I can only see it, in hindsight. While I was dealing with it, I just felt like I was moving through a pool of maple syrup or something. Depression is a compounding problem. Just feeling down, or just feeling irritable isn’t a huge deal. But behaviors + thoughts + feelings + physical symptoms can all interact and combine to keep depression going, making it harder to overcome. It’s a big nasty snowball that just rolls over you. 

If I’d reached out for help, my doctor would probably have started with a few different options, including self-help, talking therapies, and medicine. If depression seems mild (like mine), a wait and see approach may be the best option, to see if it resolves itself. Doctors or therapists may suggest guided self-help like a workbook or online course. Probably something like HeadSpace (which I hate). 

Ironically, there is a lot of evidence that exercise can help depression, and it’s one of the main treatments for mild depression… But if you see above, many of my symptoms include me skipping out on exercise or parkrun! 

Another lifestyle “treatment” is setting small, achievable goals; setting realistic goals to build confidence and motivation, such as making your bed, taking a walk, or doing a load of dishes. I began to notice I subconsciously did this – and felt better when I did the task. I would often set a goal of doing a simple load of dishes or finishing a load of laundry. They were easy tasks that I needed to do, and completing them made me feel accomplished, like I “did something” that day. 

So, in the past few weeks, I think I have unconsciously pulled myself out of a bout of depression I didn’t even know I was in? I feel like getting back into a daily routine has given me structure in my day to do what I used to do, which is what has pulled me above water. Like, I can’t skip the gym, because I have to take him to work anyway, and if I go directly home, he’ll get a notification from the safety alarm that I went home at 7am, and he’ll know I’m a quitter. He wouldn’t give a shit if I went home. I know he wouldn’t give a shit if I went home. But, in my head, him knowing that I didn’t go would confirm that I’m a quitter, and THAT’S the feeling that I want to avoid. Does that make sense to anyone other than me? So to avoid that feeling, I go to the gym. And then I get the good endorphins. And my brain is happy. So I go home and take a shower. And I feel soft and curly and clean. And my brain is happy. So I eat breakfast and lunch and dinner. And I feel full and sated and satisfied. And my brain is happy. So I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep through the night. And I feel refreshed when I awaken. And my brain is happy. 

But what do I do if this happens again? How do I recognize that I’m drowning before I drown? I don’t think I know the answer to that; I may not know what to do until it happens. I’m hopeful that I will recognize it next time, since I know what to look for now, but spiraling is a horrible thing, and I know that I could very easily spiral right back down to where I was earlier before I see a problem. I guess I’ll cross that bridge if I come to it. Until then, I’ll stay positive and try to keep my routines. They seem to be my Constant, what keeps me tethered to real life (IYKYK).

If you, or someone you know, is struggling or in crisis, help is available. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available for those facing mental health struggles, emotional distress, substance use concerns, or those who just need someone to talk to. You can call or text 988, chat at 988lifeline.org (deaf/HoH here). You will be able to speak with a trained Crisis Counselor any time day or night. All conversations are free and confidential. 988 is driven by area codes, so you’ll be routed to a Counselor in the location of your area code, no matter where you are geographically (this means that if you live in NYC but you have a 305 area code, you’ll speak to a counselor in Miami); if you would prefer to speak to someone local, you can request to be transferred to a local Counselor.  

Take care of yourself, my lovelies. Life is hard. Sometimes you just need some extra help to get through it.