Monday, October 20, 2014

Looking Ahead

The last few months have been trying.  Lupus is no joke!  My once abundant focus, energy and determination comes and goes depending on the day and my joint pain and fatigue.  Training has gone up and down and has involved a few great weeks of running and quite a few weeks of non-existent running.

I'm quite probably crazy, but I needed to get out of this rut, and what better way than to sign up for a race, right?!  For me, that usually involves signing up for a trail race somewhere...but this time, I signed up for a ROAD marathon.  What the..?  I know, I know...  

Holly and I decided we need a girls trip and a good challenge, and we've always wanted to run the Little Rock Marathon.  So, we're making it happen March 1, 2015!  And this year the theme is pirates!  SO COOL!

 I really have NO idea how training will go, if I'll still be able to train enough to run a marathon.  If I have to go in to the race slightly under trained then I can handle that.  If if have to go in to the race highly under trained, well...I'll see what happens.

It's kind of been in my "bucket list" of things I want to do, run a road marathon, and Little Rock is supposed to be one of the most fun out there.

Training starts next week!  :)


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Lupus

Being an ultra runner has felt like such a part of my identity the past few years.  I thrived on pushing my body harder and going longer and longer distances.  When I started showing signs of fatigue and burnout early in 2013 during Rocky Raccoon 50-mile training, I took a break and hoped that it was just a little adrenal fatigue and that I'd bounce back after some active recovery.  That didn't happen and I know now that I have lupus.  Running has taken a back seat the past year while I sorted out my health issues and am finding my new normal.

I'm happy to say that after a few months on immunosuppressants and steroids, I'm feeling a little perkier and a lot less achy than I was.  I'm researching the heck out of natural treatments and committed to staying active and as healthy as can be. Will I ever run another ultra-marathon?  Probably not.

So along life's journey these things come up...and now I need to adjust my goals and prioritize.  And that's okay!  I can still run, albeit not as far or fast.  But I can run!  I can hike.  I can still spend time in the woods and I'm thankful.  Getting to spend a lot more time with my grandson is pretty awesome, too, now that I'm not running as much.

I'll try to share my journey here.  Running with lupus is definitely a whole new ballgame for me.  It's hard to be consistent with training anymore because there are good days, hard days, and NO WAY in the world can I run days (and weeks).

My favorite time of year is coming up...I love the fall so much!  Hopefully it will make training just a tiny bit easier with the cooler weather and I hope to see some of my awesome trail running friends at some trail races this fall.  Of course I'll be running the shorter distances for a change, but that just means I get to cheer my friends on!  :)


Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Monday, January 6, 2014

Running Through Sickness And In Health

2013 was my lowest mileage year in, well...I don't know how long.  After running 50 miles at Rocky Raccoon back in February of 2013, I just didn't feel quite right.  I couldn't put my finger on it exactly at first, just knew that I felt blah all through spring.  Running even the tiniest of hills left me gasping for air.  The gallbladder and digestive troubles got worse.  Fatigue plagued me and although I was eating healthy, drinking tons of water and getting lots of sleep, I was still tired.  Too tired to run much, or do much of anything physically demanding.  The foot pain started in late summer and I found I was hobbling and limping around in the mornings getting ready and for once, I could not blame my aches and pains on running since not a lot of running was happening.  My family doctor felt like it was some type of arthritis and referred me to a rheumatologist and my tests have finally (after a 2 week wait. excrutiating!) come back and my ANA test (Antinuclear antibodies) was positive.  ANA tests for autoimmune antibodies and indicates an autoimmune disease like RA, lupus or MS, although there are a lot of different AI diseases these are the most common. Another test all but ruled out RA.  Foot x-rays revealed moderate to severe arthritis in both feet and arthritis in my spine and hands as well.  Not exactly good news...but a part of life I suppose and I will do everything I know to do to fight this naturally and give my body all of the tools I can to heal, although there is no cure for autoimmune disease.  Hopefully a more definitive answer will come soon.

What does this mean for long distance running?  I don't know.  As long as I can spend time on the trails and stay active, I'll be happy with giving up ultras and running shorter distances. One of my first worries after I learned about the test results was if I'd be able to continue running and the doctor said YES, absolutely.  He said I'm probably going to ache and hurt whether I run or not, and movement is good so to keep moving.  I've gone back to basics and stopped timing my running at all.  Mr. Garmin sits in a drawer getting dusty and I'm loving the freedom from looking at my watch!  Very liberating.  No training schedules, just slow 3-4 milers at lunch or around the neighborhood.  Fun trail runs on the weekend with friends with no pressure or super long distances.  Trying to be kind to my body right now.  I've pushed it so hard for several years and I feel like it's screaming at me to give it rest. Finally, I'm listening.

I haven't posted here in so long because this is a running blog after all..and I wasn't running.  ;-)  But I did want to update on why, and where I'd like to go from here.  No big lofty running goals right now, just 100% focused on getting my health back and enjoying running again.

This past year has taken me on a journey of exploring a different way of eating and I will share that soon as I'm still figuring all of that out.  For now I'm eating Paleo but since it is looking like I have something autoimmune going on, I may switch to the very restrictive Paleo Autoimmune Protocol to see if I see any positive results and can identify any food allergies or triggers with that.

I'm still here, alive and kicking and working on getting stronger.  :)

Happy 2014 everyone, hope you are starting out the year healthy and happy.

Monday, November 18, 2013

My Favorite Central Oklahoma Trails

Interested in trail running in central Oklahoma?  See my post on EnduranceBuzz.com highlighting three of my favorites!  Clear Bay at Lake Thunderbird, Nu-Draper in SE Oklahoma City, and Bluff Creek in north OKC.  

Article found HERE

Monday, August 26, 2013

Nathan VaporShape Hydration Vest Review

Life has been crazy lately and I haven't made much time for blogging, but I have been running a little here and there and reviewed the Nathan VaporShape hydration vest for EnduranceBuzz.com.  Head on over there and check it out..best pack I've ever worn!

http://endurancebuzz.com/2013/08/26/nathan-vaporshape-womens-running-vest-review-cool-hydration-abundant-storage-and-cozy-comfort-but-strange-color/