Running Free: Falling apart

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Falling apart

This was a beautiful weekend here in Sonoma County. The sky was so blue and the air was warm. It was the kind of weekend that made you dream of summer. Spaghetti strap tops and shorts and flip-flops. I even saw some people laying beside the pool when I was swimming this morning.

Matt and I took Jada out for a long hike in the hills and she loved jumping in and out of the creek and chasing sticks as they rushed down the swirling streams. A great weekend!

Running has completely sucked for the last month. One injury after another. Frankly, it is really starting to get me down. I just don't get it. Right now I am dealing with a big toe problem. It really came to a head two weeks ago after finishing a 27 mile training run. It seems that I have arthritis in my toe and some bone spurs to boot! I am unable to push off without tremendous pain. I have tried having Rooster Comb injected into my toe and using strong anti-inflammatory meds. I have stopped running for 2 weeks and have gotten back into the pool. I am trying to form a relationship with lap swimming so I feel like I am doing something to keep in some sort of shape. Swimming just doesn't do it, though. It is so boring. Yawn......I do keep checking my arms to see if I can see any definition because this swimming thing has got to be doing something!

Yesterday was Lake Sonoma 50 mile, I was a DNS there. (did not start). That sucked. Today, I went out for a 30 minute slow run, toe taped and fingers crossed, and I am feeling hopeful. That is all I am going to say. Tuesday, I see another Doctor for a 2nd opinion and a MRI on Thursday. How much fun can a girl have in a week?

Next Friday, I am going to Zion to traverse the park with several of my running friends. It will be about 50 miles of running fun. I am going even if I have to crawl. I have wanted to do this for a few years and I am not going to let this injury stop me. I figure that I can go as slow as I need to go. It is not a race so the pace will be comfortable. I am really excited to do this. So..... that is what has been happening in my world. Happy Monday everyone.

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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.''