Running Free: An empty nest and a happy heart

Thursday, August 28, 2008

An empty nest and a happy heart

Our trip to USC went well. It was sad, but Courtney was excited about her new adventure. When we arrived and went to register she said, "Well, Mom, I can't believe this is my new home." Oh, to hear that was really hard. I told her that her home will always be in Santa Rosa.

Matt and I spent the night in Santa Barbara and had a nice dinner on the pier. The next morning after breakfast we headed home. It was weird coming home to an empty house.

Suzanna won CCC 100 last weekend in Washington. She was 8th overall and first woman. Her amazing time was 23:06:13! Fellow Wasatch team member Brennen Wysong and Monica Ochs finished in 25:36:50 and 26:52:36 respectively. Fellow blogger Steve Ansell finished in 27:38:17. CCC is a beautiful, low key 100 miler. I recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful but tough race.

It has been HOT HOT HOT here in Sonoma County the last few days. Our upstairs bedroom is the perfect setup for heat training. I am dripping sweat as I type this. Tomorrow I am running 18 miles in Armstrong Woods. Karen and I will sweat it out as it promises to be another hot one tomorrow. I got a pair of Muzuno trail shoes this afternoon, but after walking around the house in them, I think they may be too narrow. I am bummed because I was hoping to run the 18 miles in them. I guess I will have to try another pair. I have been running and loving the Brooks Adrenaline ASR shoes. I hate to try something else, but I am going to take a risk......

On the weekend of Sept.13-14th, I am pacing my friend Tamara Johnson at Angeles Crest 100. Suzanna is pacing Dan Williams. We are going to have a blast pacing them. I haven't been on that course before, so I am excited to see it. Both Tamara and Dan are great runners and it will be fun to see how they do. I just might have to put it on my bucket list. Ha!!

Winning is great, but sometimes just completing what you set out to do is enough.

2 comments:

HappyTrails said...: I have liked the Asics Trailsensor-:-). I tried the Mizuno trail shoe and it didn't have quite enough support for technical trails, for me, at least. Happy shoe shopping!
Kathleen; August 31, 2008 at 6:23 PM
kelly said...: Thanks, Kathleen. I may have to try them. It's hard to find the "perfect" running shoe. I need a lot of support so they might be just right. I will let you know.; September 7, 2008 at 7:18 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.''