Running Free: 2 weeks to go, but who's counting.......

Friday, January 16, 2009

2 weeks to go, but who's counting.......

In 14 days The Coastal Challenge will start. I am so excited! I have begun packing my Action Packer, a large 24 gallon box that will serve as my suitcase with everything that I will need for the race put in it. Today I bought a tent and a travel alarm clock. I think I have enough food and I am trying to be good and only bring a few different running clothes. I should be able to rinse out my dirty clothes and re wear them so I don't over pack. Decisions, decisions, decisions. It's hard to figure out what exactly to bring when I have had no experience with anything like this.

Yesterday, Karen and I ran at Rodeo Beach in the Marin Headlands. We ran for almost 3 hours and it was a gorgeous day for the middle of January. We both wore short sleeve tops and never once felt cold. The sky was clear and the ocean just sparkled. About a half mile from the finish, we ran into Rick and John. They had just completed a
40 mile or so run. You know, just a jog in the park. John is running the Rocky Raccoon 100 in 3 weeks. It was nice to run with those guys. Both Rick and John are fast runners who live in San Francisco. They love to run in the Marin Headlands and know these trails like the back of their hands.

Today I went to the gym and did some free weights for a very short 15 minutes. I then got into the pool and swam for another 20 minutes. It felt so good to swim today. It has been months since I have been in the pool, but it felt wonderful. I think today was definitely a rest day.

The Coastal Challenge has a new updated website. Please go to here to check it out.

Suzanna Bon, my "twisted sister", finished the HURT 100 today. She came in as 2nd woman with an awesome time of 30:32! I will have to find out the details about her race as soon as she is conscious enough to talk! Have a wonderful weekend!

5 comments:

Drs. Cynthia and David said...: Hi Kelly,

How exciting! I thought of you today when I read about this new book "Nature of the Rain
Forest: Costa Rica and Beyond" Here is a link to a youtube slide show about the book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-wsZTEpHVs&eurl=http://www.the-scientist.com/templates/trackable/display/news.jsp?type=news&o_url=news/display/55341&id=55341&feature=player_embedded

So amazing about Suzanna. Does she have a blog where we can read all about it? I'm sure having you as a training partner helped her too.

Cynthia; January 19, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Drs. Cynthia and David said...: looks like the last bit of the URL got cut off. It should read
... 55341&id=55341&feature=player_embedded

Hope it works.; January 19, 2009 at 11:53 AM
kelly said...: Thanks, Cynthia, I will have to check that youtube video out.
Suz doesn't have a blog. I wish she did, but she has yet to join the land of the bloggers. She has been a great training partner. She is my "twisted sister". She is a very driven and gifted athlete. She also happens to be nice too!; January 19, 2009 at 3:38 PM
Mechelle said...: Well I'm counting because I can't wait to hear/read the full race report! It looks amazing and somehow running somewhere always makes a place more special.; January 21, 2009 at 10:36 AM
Rick Gaston said...: Kelly it was a pleasure running into you and Karen Saturday. It was meant to be. You called us fast, shucks I'm blushing under my tan. Jon is on his own this weekend though, I told him I'm not getting up at 4AM again this Saturday:)

So we can keep track of you on the new site right? Send you messages and such?; January 21, 2009 at 10:38 PM

Post a Comment

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.''