Running Free: Age is only a number

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Age is only a number

I celebrated my Birthday last week. It was a "hard to swallow" Birthday. 53 years old , sounds and looks so OLD. I hated every minute of turning that horrid number. I didn't even feel good on that day. I felt old, ugly and used up. But, today, almost one week later, I am feeling good and moving on with my 53 year old bad self. Enough said!! Matt surprised me with a Greg LeMond spin cycle that is big and beautiful. It is displayed in our living room (for now anyway), and it is as quiet as a mouse. Now I can watch all my reality shows and get in shape at the same time. I am really excited.

I was also given the okay to start running again. My Doc gave me his blessing and then said, "but you can not fall!" Duh....who goes out running and plans a fall? Come on, Doctor K! If I had any control over the subject, I would never, ever ,chose to fall!

I have power hiked until the cows have come home and I still am sucking wind at every hill. I guess I have a lot of running to do before I am feeling fit again. Hopefully the spin bike will help me achieve my fitness goals.

I don't think I have really ever talked about my dog, Jada. I feel like a first time parent these days. Everything is about Jada. I go to the dog park, I take her on runs, long hikes, I kiss her a hundred times a day and I talk baby talk to her. I think I've lost my mind. Maybe its time to go back to work.....

It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end. Ursula K. LeGuin

4 comments:

Generation X (Slomohusky) said...: happy birthday again! great post. glad to read you can RUN!; June 12, 2011 at 9:22 PM
Unknown said...: Happy Birthday! I too celbrated my 32nd Birthday last week!!!!! "You are only as old as you feel" !!!!; June 13, 2011 at 7:10 AM
Olga said...: Kelly, your number is never right anyway, I think you defy the numbers! Glad you can get back to running, and yes, lets not fall, well, not too much, ok? :); June 13, 2011 at 8:47 AM
Tienda virtual Plain Lazy Ltd said...: I ran across in this article bookmarked and that i in fact loved some tips i read through. will surely take a note of it too as well as read through an individual’s several other content down the track.; October 31, 2011 at 2:46 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.''