Running Free: A time for slacking and a time for Celebration

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

A time for slacking and a time for Celebration

I admit it, I am a blog slacker. I just haven't been able to get into this blogging thingy this past week. I think I lost my creativity or something. I just haven't been able to think of a damn thing to say. Maybe my meat eating diet is clogging my creative mind. I don't know. Help!

I guess I should start where I left off... On Saturday of the Memorial Day weekend, I ran up on the Western States trail with lot's of people. We ran about 27 miles in rain, mud, and cold. I had a blast! How can you not have fun when you're running with friends on the WS trail? A bad run just doesn't happen up there. There is just something so magical there. The rest of the week was spent swimming and resting as I felt a little soreness in my left achilles. I figured I better rest and nip this overuse injury in the bud. For once, I listened to the voice of reason in my head and did the right thing. After a few days I was just fine.

On Friday, May 30th, my daughter Courtney graduated from High School. It was a sad and a happy time for me. I will miss her when she goes away to College. It has been hard at times knowing that my kids are growing up and spreading their wings. Sometimes I want to hold them back, but I must let them fly. I have always kind of dreaded this time in my life when the kids would no longer need my guidance on an everyday basis. A sad time and a happy time all rolled into one. Friday morning I got up and ran for about 8 miles. It was one of those runs where nothing hurts and you feel like you are just flying. I know I wasn't running all that fast, but in my mind, I was hammering. I felt good inside knowing that I have given my all to my children and that I have been blessed. Courtney, my child, spread your wings and SOAR!

Sunday we had a graduation party and now it is Tuesday and I am finally getting to this blog. I am running a 50k on Sunday, June 8th. I think it will go well, as I will be turning the dreaded 50 on Friday. I will be in a new age group! I'm wondering if that is the only good that can come out of turning fifty. The good thing is that I feel about 16. My mind says I'm 16, my body says it's 30, and my face says, SH**!

I refuse to let an old person move into my body.

9 comments:

Dave Harper said...: Hi Kelly!
Congratulations on your daughters graduation! We go to an orientation meeting tomorrow for my oldest ENTERING high school.
And Happy Birthday a couple days early.; June 4, 2008 at 5:19 AM
Deanna Stoppler said...: 50 years old? You're my role model.; June 4, 2008 at 10:59 AM
kelly said...: Hey Dave,
It's hard to believe that your daughter is going into HS already. Time flies. I read your blog the other day and I just can't believe how creative you are. I love your guitar. Hope you are doing well. How is your running going?; June 4, 2008 at 12:57 PM
kelly said...: Thanks, Deanna. That's really a nice thing to say.; June 4, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Dave Harper said...: The running is coming along. I have a long way to go to be 'fit'. I will possibly be pacing at Leadville though, and probably going to do Rim2Rim2Rim in October. Never done that before, and MAYBE a November 100 miler. We'll see.; June 5, 2008 at 9:33 AM
Anonymous said...: Happy birthday, you half-century-old hottie. Let's see an age group win on Sunday.; June 6, 2008 at 7:11 AM
kelly said...: Dave, I ran the r2r2r last April. It was incredible. Very hard, but very fun. It's a must do. I hope to see you on the trails one day. Maybe WS next year?; June 6, 2008 at 7:43 AM
kelly said...: Well, anonymous, thank you. I will do my best on Sunday. This hot woman will probably only be hot because the temps will be up!; June 6, 2008 at 7:45 AM
I am a runner. "We are what we repeatedly do" said...: Most amazing dog picture ever!!! congrats on the milestone age. Looks like 2009 holds even more adventures for you. good luck and hope to see you on the trails someday,
Greg; June 15, 2008 at 8:01 PM

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.''