Running Free: Winter blues and making goals for 2008

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Winter blues and making goals for 2008

Happy Saturday! I just can't believe that it is almost Halloween. The air is crisp and it smells like Fall. I don't really like the winter months. I am more of a summer kind of gal. Long days and warm nights are what make me happiest. I always struggle with motivation when the days get short and colder. It's hard for me to "want" to get out the door and run, where as in the summer, the desire is usually there.

I have been thinking a lot about running and fitness goals though. I want to remain very fit through the winter months and start thinking about races I want to do in 2008. In January, I am pacing my friend Suzanna at Hurt 100. I am committed to getting in awesome shape for that race. I think that cross training on the stair master might help me prepare for all the power hiking that may be needed there. I want to enter Western States 100 too. The odds are not good for getting in, but you never know. I just love that race. I don't think my family wants me to run a 100 again after my illness at Wasatch, but I want to keep my options open. As for the rest of the year, I want to concentrate on 50k's and 50 milers. I just may have to let go of the 100's and just enjoy myself at the shorter distances.

I do have to admit that I am still tired from Wasatch. I don't feel like the race really happened. Believe me, I KNOW it did, but it was slow and painful so it just doesn't seem real. I have to realize that despite it being a painfully slow race, I did run 100 miles, and the muscle damage I got from the Rhabdo is keeping me from having the recovery that I should have had. I am just doing the best that I can and I know that I will be back on the trails soon.

I hope that you all are seeking out running or fitness goals for 2008 too. Having goals will help us all through the winter months and have us all ready for an exciting year in 2008. Start today and see what happens.

Your limits are defined by the agreement you've made about what's possible. Change that agreement and you can dissolve all limits. Wayne W. Dyer

2 comments:

leigh said...: hi kelly, the winter months are hard for me also but i am keeping my 08 goals in my mind. my application has been turned in for Western also. i hope i don't get picked for nextyear though. i want to still enjoy my experiance from this years just a little longer. i will never have another first time WS.; October 31, 2007 at 1:21 PM
kelly said...: Leigh, I am glad that I am not the only one who struggles in the winter! Good luck in the lottery! I hope your training is going well. Maybe we will meet out on the trail this next year.; November 11, 2007 at 8:08 PM

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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.''