Running Free: Calling all Plastic Surgeons!! STAT

Monday, February 4, 2008

Calling all Plastic Surgeons!! STAT

"Life is a great and wonderous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right here and right now. Don't miss it." Leo Buscaglia

I think I will walk to the Hospital tomorrow morning. That will force me out the door with plenty of time to spare. I start work at 6:00 and it is just sooo early! I am sure I will feel refreshed and ready to rock and roll by the time the first patients are there. If nothing else, I will have rosy cheeks and a smile on my face. Have a great sleep, my friends.

Oh, I just got a call from my brother. You will just crack up about this. At least I did.... After my last post on growing older, this conversation I had with my brother just did me in. He called to tell me that their friends were driving down south for the weekend with their 3 kids and watching Kermit the Frog on DVD in their car. Suddenly, their three year old twin girls started yelling, "that's Chelsea's Mom on TV!!" Apparently, Florence Henderson (the Brady Bunch's Mom), was a guest on the show. They thought that she was me!! Do I have permission to shoot myself or maybe I better sprint to work tomorrow instead of walking. I think I will also make an appointment with a Plastic Surgeon. Maybe a face lift is what I need more than strong legs. I hope you all feel better now that I have been totally insulted. I am going to moisturize my face and neck and brush my hair 100 strokes. So there!

3 comments:

Olga said...: Kelly, I couldn't believe my eyes when I read it and had to check on results - never in my mind did I think you are 49!!! You are a totally absolutely pure example of how fine women in their late 30's should look! Literally...but thanks so much for been bold and writing about it. We need a reminder. I need a reminder. That time break down looks something! While I don't watch TV at all (may be 30 min a week, we only have one program working, and it's in my ex's room, and too many nights out for my son's activities), I do spend extra time - where - here, blogging! Need to prioritize. When we move, no internet:) And I have no idea how that woman looked that you were compared to, but you are the last person to think plastic surgery!; February 5, 2008 at 8:49 AM
kelly said...: Oh, thanks Olga! That was sweet of you!! I hope that running and living a healthy lifestyle helps keep the aging away. You can't get rid of your computer. I would miss your blog too much. Please reconsider. I hope to see you out on the trails this year.; February 5, 2008 at 3:03 PM
Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...: LOLOL ahhhh those little rug rats :-)

I am sure ur brother was having fun with that one... ahhh family :-)

Anyways I agree with Olga, No way 49! fine women in 30's is more like it:-) so KEEP on building those strong legs and save that money for ur races -lol; February 8, 2008 at 12:56 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.''