Running Free: Happy Birds, Happy Weekend

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Happy Birds, Happy Weekend

This weekend proved to be a good running weekend after all. The smoke and haze continues to clear and things are looking up! On Friday, my brother Wally and I went for a 3.5 hour run in Sugarloaf park. It was warm and humid with spots of blue sky threating to emerge. Our run was a good one. I hadn't been on that trail for several months. The trails were so overgrown and it was confusing trying to stay on the right path. Today, Karen, Leslie and I ran up to Big Rock. We ran for 3.5 hours also. We did a lot of climbing and descending. Up and down we went. It was a great run for me as I didn't feel tired or stiff afterward. I think that is a first in a long time. I hope that is a sign that I am getting more fit.

I heard recently that chocolate milk can be a great recovery drink. I tried it today after our run and did it taste good! I might need to make that a habit, we'll see. Findings suggest that chocolate milk has an optimal ratio of carbs to protein to help refuel tired muscles. I can drink chocolate milk so much easier than drinking some sweet recovery drink after a long run. Anything with the word chocolate in it has gotta be good! Try it, you might like it.

Have a happy Monday everyone. I am finding it increasingly harder to keep positive in this economy. Tomorrow I will focus on the positive aspects of our world. Keep smiling! Peace out.

4 comments:

Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...: WOW Love that Pic.

Yeah Lisa Bliss LOVES chocolate milk for her recovery drink...I have tried it a few times...seemed like it helped, it didn't hurt...yummy !

I think I shared this with you but RECOVER-EASE is my post capsules intake after long runs & races...pretty amazing stuff...google it, Ultra runners & TRI Athletes are loving it...
Michelle Barton has been taking it for a few years I think...; June 30, 2008 at 10:56 AM
kelly said...: Hey Bob, you did tell me about Recover-ease a while back and I read about it and then promptly did nothing about it! I am going to order some right now. Thanks! I will keep you posted about what I think. :); June 30, 2008 at 6:20 PM
Bob - BlogMYruns.com said...: lol ok Kelly ... Glad I repeated myself :-) it's good stuff!; July 1, 2008 at 10:12 PM
GB said...: Kelly, that pic is the coolest! So happy and smiley!

I usually drink slimfast shakes after a hard workout or long run. They're super chilled and go down easy.; July 3, 2008 at 8:00 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.''