Running Free: My name is Kelly and I am a blog slacker

Thursday, October 18, 2007

My name is Kelly and I am a blog slacker

I have been a total blog slacker. There has been a lot of things going on and my mind has just been other places. Matt's dad died last Friday of Colon Cancer. He died peacefully with all of his family at his bedside at their ranch. He was a wonderful man with a great sense of humor. He will be missed by all. His funeral is tomorrow and we will celebrate his life.

My running is going well. I have slowly eased back into training and I am feeling quite good. I think I'm getting my MOJO back. Finally. I have also been getting some swimming in too, and that makes me feel good. On Saturday my friend Tom Crull from Dallas will be here to run the S.F. 12 hour run at Crissy Field. I am excited to see him as it has been a while since our paths have crossed. When I ran the rim to rim to rim at the Grand Canyon, he ran the rim to rim. Wow, that was 6 months ago!

I want to concentrate on getting in great shape and in keeping healthy. I will be seeing a couple of specialist regarding my recent illness after Wasatch and I hope to get some answers. In the meantime, I am committed to eating well and taking good care of myself. Winter is coming and that means less daylight for training and more cold, rainy days that can make getting outside running or swimming more of a chore. I will remain committed and motivated. I am pacing my good friend Suzanna at Hurt 100 in January so that is more reason to get out there and get my body hard. I have got to be at the top of my game to pace her, and I will be. I hope everyone who reads my blog is committed to getting in better shape this winter. We all know that getting in shape can be hard, but once you have made exercise a habit and a priority, it is so much easier to get out there and do it. With that said, Get out there and JUST DO IT!!

Refuse to let an old person move into your body. Aging is simply a learned way of being. Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

4 comments:

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...: sorry here about Matt's loss, never easy!

Glad ur getting ur MOJO back and back to ur trainings!! You sound good and focused for the upcoming months, way to go!!; October 18, 2007 at 10:06 PM
kelly said...: Thanks, Bob. I hope your running is going well, too.; October 20, 2007 at 10:21 AM
Anonymous said...: Kelly-please tell Tom george from bishop said hi-I ran Mikwok with him but I remember he ran a brave race at Avalon 50 after his surgery-A tough brave man.See you on the trails-george V.; October 22, 2007 at 8:56 PM
kelly said...: Hey George! I will tell Tom. He is a great friend and I always have a lot of laughs with him. I hope your running is going well. I hope to run into you soon.; October 22, 2007 at 9:43 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.''