Running Free

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Yesterday Karen and I took Matt to see this amazing cave that we found last week. Sometimes it is so much fun to just relax and EXPLORE. Sometimes we find bones and sometimes we find caves. You just never know what you may find when you start to bushwack and explore.

Thursday, Suzanna and I are leaving at the buttcrack of dawn for Hawaii! I am excited about seeing the Hurt 100 course and to be pacing Suzanna. Matt will join me on Sunday where we will stay a week in Makaha. I am looking forward to some R&R.

Today I swam for a long agonizing 45 minutes. My arms felt like they weighed a ton and it was quite a chore to stay in the pool today. I need to commit to getting into the pool more often so that it is not such a pain in my butt to do it. I should be able to swim for 45 minutes easily.

"Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it." Oprah Winfrey

2 comments:

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...: Very Nice Pics...I hope ur being careful cave exploring...I saw on a tv show u are suppose to throw a rock in and yell to see if anyone is hanging out in there--I am sure u know this but myself as a city slicker I am sure I would be about 50 feet away and yelling and heaving rocks in the cave--lmaoooo

Have a great time at Hurt100 that is an insane course & should be a great test even as a pacer. Look forward to ur report & pics when u get back ...Enjoy the RR time as well!; January 13, 2008 at 11:54 AM
Anonymous said...: Awesome cave pictures! Remember touring the Carlsbad Caverns!? Sending you the warmest, positive wishes toward your run this Saturday! Don't forget your sunblock! And drink lots of fluids. Mostly, have FUN and any worries or cares you have, write them in the sand and watch the waves wash over and carry them out.; January 16, 2008 at 12:02 AM

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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.''