Running Free: No UTMB for me this year- bummer!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

No UTMB for me this year- bummer!

Today was a great day! Caleb is here visiting for a week on his summer break from Chiropractic School and so we all went out on the San Francisco Bay for a cruise on a big Catamaran. It was a beautiful day, freezing but clear and we all had a blast! It was fun to do something a little different for a change.
My running is improving! It feels weird to know that we should be in France right now getting ready and all psyched up for UTMB, but instead I am running 10 miles and feeling like a big shot! Wow. My legs feel lighter and my stride is noticeable stronger in the last few weeks. I think I am finally getting in better shape. It's exciting and a confidence booster all in one.

It's sad to think that if I hadn't had to have my surgery, I would be very fit and just about ready to stand at the starting line of UTMB! Instead, I will watch from my computer and watch Krissy Moehl attempt to win once again. While everyone is lining up in Chamonix, I will be starting the HTC relay in Portland with some Team Diablo friends! I've never done a relay before, but it will be a blast hanging out in a smelly van for 24 hours and laughing the whole time. We will each run 3 legs of 6 or 7 miles and run from Mt. Hood to the sea. Should be interesting....I haven't ran on pavement in years......But- I did buy some road shoes. That's a start, right?

Medical leaves happen for a variety of reasons. On my last short "jog" before the Costa Rican stage race, I was pushed down by Jada and ended up having shoulder surgery. Of course I was totally bummed, but so many good things came out of it. Spending the summer at home was a big plus, but bigger was the time I got to spend with my dog, Jada. I loved my "alone" time too. Lot's of time to be thankful for.

This morning I am excited about planning another long race or some kind of adventure. I am feeling the need to push myself, to push the limits of what we think possible. Lot's of ideas......I think I need to go buy a lottery ticket! I hope you all can get out on dusty trail for a great run today.

1 comment:

Richard said...: Sorry you are not going, I look forward to reading your blog. I was just getting into the world of Ultras and had done my first 100M and was Diagnosed with Lupus as well. I am battling as hard as I can to get back and on the trails! I miss the therapy of a long run so much! I am sure your fitness will be back in no time!; August 23, 2011 at 6:58 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.''