Running Free: June 2009

Friday, June 26, 2009

Don't Quit

I thought this video seemed fitting for everyone lining up at a starting line this weekend. Good luck to everyone running Western States. I can't wait to be up there and see how it all unfolds.....

Sunday, June 21, 2009

So many trails, so little time

Today I ran on a different trail in a different town. Nice. It helps break up the monotony when you run in new places. The run felt easy, effortless. I kept thinking about all the people gearing up for big races. Western States is next Saturday, and I can feel their excitement with every step I take. The thrill of that race fills my soul and I am suddenly there, standing at the start line anticipating an outrageous race. So many friends are racing this year. It is going to be fun watching it all unfold. All the training and time that goes into training for a 100 miler make for such great memories. You seem to remember every long run and who you ran with. Then it is race day and everything you have trained for is staring you in the face, and you hope you have done enough. Good luck to all my friends that will stand at Squaw Valley on Saturday morning. May you find a buckle in Auburn.

"The eagle, who believed he was a chicken, wasn't. However, until he discovered what he was, he was limited to live as one." Unknown

Happy Father's Day

I can't believe that my Dad has been gone for 19 years already. I think of him everyday and wish
his life had been different in many ways. I wish he could see how my children have grown up. I wish he could see what special kids they are. He would be proud of them, I know. I wish he could see how I am as a middle aged adult. I was only 32 years old when he left this world. I am a better person as a result of him. I learned from HIS mistakes, and have tried to live a better life. Thanks Dad for being my Dad. You had some rough times, but I hope you knew that you were loved very much. I can laugh about things now, it's taken me a long time, but I can do that these days.

To all you Fathers out there, I wish you a Happy Father's Day. The best gift you can give your children is to love them unconditionally and to live a clean life.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Excited about Western States

I am a blog slacker and it has been several days since my last post. These are my sins. Oh, I reverted back to my Catholic days, I mean these are my excuses. LOL. Seriously, life has been crazy lately. Lot's of things going on and lots of inter turmoil. Nothing serious, I have just been preoccupied. My son Caleb graduated from UCI last week and I was such a proud Momma. He looked so handsome standing up there with his cap and gown. He has worked very hard for five years and I am so honored that he is my son. In Sept. he starts Chiropractic school in Southern California and we are all excited for him.

On the running front, life is good. I feel strong and my injury is feeling status quo. I am pacing at Western States next weekend and I am excited about that. I am pacing Leonardo Soresi from Italy and he is an awesome runner. I am a little nervous that he will outrun me but I am prepared to do my best. Just being out at States is such fun. Matt will be crewing Tom Crull from Dallas and I hope we see him running on the track on Sunday morning. This will be Tom's last WS. Tom and I met at the WS training camp several years ago and have been best friends ever since. Have a great weekend!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Age is only a number, right??

Today is my birthday. I am so happy that I was born, but feeling a little sad that I am getting older. I look at my kids and they are adults now. Wow.
I have a several friends running in 100 mile races today. My thoughts are on them as they push through this evening and into the night. Running a race can make you feel so young despite the pain and fatigue you may encounter.
Started my day off with a swim and the weather is beautiful. What more can I ask for?

Taking it all in.
...we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens once a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems so limitless. Paul Bowles

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.''