Running Free: Wasatch 100 time!!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Wasatch 100 time!!

In 15 days, I will line up to start the Wasatch 100 mile race just outside of Salt Lake City Utah in the Wasatch Mountains. I am starting to get excited, because last year at this time, I struggled to stay up with my running friends and I felt sick and very tired. It wasn't fun starting a race feeling that way. This year I feel good and I am excited to start this tough, challenging course.

Today, my friend Suzanna and I ran for about 4 hours in our favorite park called Sugarloaf. We did a lot of climbing and a lot of sweating! If I didn't know better, I would think that I was running in a humid part of the U.S. It felt very humid and hot out there. We came across a large rattlesnake that warned us with a loud BUZZ and a coiled body. Suzanna just about stepped on it. She is training for a 100 miler called Angeles Crest 100 which is in 3 weeks. She is an awesome runner and I know that she will totally kick butt there.

For me, it is time to taper. I know that I need to get more rest and to prepare myself for any kind of weather. I have been out on that trail when it was so cold that I could hardly move. I don't ever want to be that cold again.

I was thinking about what it takes to be an ultra runner.... Many people run short distances and never feel the discomfort of really pushing yourself. Ultra runners need to become comfortable being uncomfortable. It's just that simple. Long distance running hurts. You must dig deep and keep on digging. There is a great sense of accomplishment in finishing a race that you did your best on. Whether you came in first or last, if you put everything out on the line and didn't quit, you are a winner. "To be successful you need a unique mindset. You need the ability to deal with fatigue and discomfort. It's a skill that comes through repetition and hard training. You learn to keep going even when things feel horrible." Matt Aro

In closing, I would like to thank my dear friend Tom Crull from Dallas, Texas who sent me a beautiful granite plaque honoring my Western States 100 mile finish. I got it in the mail yesterday and was so surprised. He is so special and I am honored to call him my friend.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend filled with lot's of laughs and beautiful runs. Happy trails.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...: good luck Kelly at Wasatch. i am sending this early so that i don't miss you. i will be leaving tomorrow to run GTR 100. i hope you have a wonderful and safe race!

Leigh; August 27, 2007 at 1:33 PM
kelly said...: Thanks, Leigh. Good luck to you too! Are you ready? Go get em! Take care of yourself out there, and have fun.; August 27, 2007 at 2:56 PM
Dave's blog said...: Hi kelly, I'm Dave from memphis, and a long-time friend of Shawn. I am a runner but have as of late been in a slump, but I do have 2 full marathons and a bunch of halfs under my belt. I hope to do an ultra someday, but with this Memphis heat, not anytime soon. I just checked out your blog, and wanted to drop you a line to say how inspiring you are. I'll keep pluggin' away till I do my first ultra. I'll throw a prayer your way for your good health and success!
keep on goin'!
Dave.
ps. Shawn's pretty doggone proud of you, but I'm sure you know that.
You must be a good sister.; August 27, 2007 at 11:27 PM
kelly said...: Thanks Dave, for stopping by and checking out my blog. I look forward to reading your's as well. Keep running, it is great therapy and such a wonderful way to see places you might never get a chance to see. I know how hard it must be to get out the door in that Tenn. humidity!! Hold on, winter is coming!!; August 28, 2007 at 5:38 AM
Anonymous said...: Good luck at Wasatch! I know you're ready.; August 28, 2007 at 10:34 AM
Olga said...: Kelly, best and best of every bit of everything at Wasatch to you! I'll be "watching" you and wishing you great run!; August 28, 2007 at 2:48 PM
Bryon Powell said...: Kelly,
I just searched to see what bloggers were talking about the Wasatch 100 and yours came up. It turns out we're teammates! :-) Anyway, best of luck at Wasatch in two two weekends. What a great race - I ran (awfully) at Wasatch in 2005, paced last year, and will pace again this year. I don't think I could NOT be in the Wasatch Front on race day with the spectacular course, great weather, and wonderful/inspiring people. I can't wait to fly to SLC tomorrow!

Happy Trails,
Bryon; August 29, 2007 at 11:00 AM
kelly said...: Byron, thanks for the note. Have fun out there pacing. I am excited to be going too. Wasatch is so beautiful. I will keep my eyes out for you.; August 29, 2007 at 3:07 PM
Lisa B said...: Have a great race at Wasatch, Kelly. You will do great there! It's gonna be a good year...
I'll be cheering for you from here.
-Lisa; August 30, 2007 at 7:34 AM
Julie B said...: Hi Kelly, thanks for the note! Good luck at Wasatch, I'll think of you too while I'm running Superior.; August 30, 2007 at 5:15 PM

Not Even Lupus Can Slow Ridgway

NOT EVEN LUPUS CAN SLOW RIDGWAY Published on June 26, 2004 © 2004- The Press Democrat BYLINE: BRUCE MEADOWS Three years ago when she was diagnosed with lupus, Kelly Ridgway didn't take much time plotting her course. ``I figured I could lay on the couch and be a drug-seeker for pain or I could choose to be as healthy as I can be,'' said Ridgway, 46, an outpatient surgery nurse at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Ridgway, defying the odds, is entered in the Western States 100 Endurance Run, which starts at the base of Squaw Valley at 5 this morning and ends 100 miles away in Auburn. ``I see people at the hospital in horrible shape because of lupus, but I realized I had a choice how to deal with it,'' Ridgway said. Lupus is a chronic auto-immune disease affecting mainly women. The immune system attacks the body's own tissues as a foreign substance, producing antibodies to fight it. The cause of the disease is unknown although research has shown it occurs when a specific set of susceptible genes is exposed to a combination of environmental factors such as infectious agents, certain drugs, excessive ultraviolet light, physical trauma or emotional stress. Ridgway said she has been a ``serious runner'' for 14 years and has also competed in 50- and 100-mile events on horseback. She started running to get in shape after the last of her three children -- Caleb (18), Chelsea (16) and Courtney (14) -- were born. ``I've found I really love ultras,'' said Ridgway, a single mother who graduated from Montgomery High, then earned a nursing degree from Santa Rosa JC. Dr. Lisa Kremer, Ridgway's rheumatologist said, fatigue is the most universal symptom of lupus. ``For somebody to run 100 miles with an auto-immune disease is incredible.'' Ridgway first experienced flu-like symptoms, then fatigue. ``But when I started having problems with cognitive stuff, I knew there was something more to it.'' She was having trouble doing simple math or even finding her way around town. ``I thought of all sorts of things, including a brain tumor,'' said Ridgway. Ridgway has been training with Santa Rosan Karen Hanke, 42, and Suzanna Bon, 39 of Sonoma. This is the second Western States for Hanke, who finished last year in 29 hours, 47 minutes, running the last 70 miles on severely blistered feet. It is the first Western States for Ridgway and Bon. Because of the glut of applicants -- more than 1,000 annually apply for 400 spots -- runners must not only qualify with an acceptable 50-mile run time but also get lucky by having their name drawn by lot. Bon, whose goal is ``just to finish although I'd love to do it in under 24 hours,'' is impressed with Ridgway's effort. ``Kelly is strong and smart about training,'' said Bon. ``We'll run at our own pace this weekend, not together, but we want to do the best we can.'' Ridgway sees herself as a runner who happens to have lupus. ``My case is relatively minor and medication has really helped,'' said Ridgway, who logs 75 miles a week. ``But I don't know anybody with lupus who runs as much as I do.'' She has bouts of fatigue and deals with them. ``There are days I am really tired and need to come home and rest for a while,'' she said. But this weekend there will no place to rest. ``I'm not the type to quit,'' she said. ``I will persevere.'' Kremer said people with lupus react differently to the disease. ``Some have a real tough time with it and others take it as a challenge,'' said the doctor. ``In general, a disease like lupus provokes self-evaluation ... some patients look at it as a way to straighten out their lives, physically and socially.'' Kremer said most lupus patients with a positive outlook exercise to some degree. ``For them, making an effort is a personal victory.'' Ridgway, who left for Squaw Valley Thursday, has been on the Western States course before, having competed in the Tevis Cup horse race and also working the run the past two years as a medical helper. ``It's beautiful ... I fell in love with the trail,'' she said. ``I'm excited but not nervous.'' Ridgway will be tested following the race to determine how running 100 miles affects a lupus patient. ``I know I am capable of doing this.'' She likes to run, even 100 miles, because it makes her feel healthy and alive. ``Maybe in some ways this will speak to people who are trying to make choices,'' she said. ``You can push ahead and take charge of your life.''