tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12228562201156886492024-02-20T14:50:04.614-05:00Always looking for a new challengeJennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-88126418475822576852016-08-16T13:42:00.002-04:002016-08-16T13:42:34.624-04:00We All Need a Push Now and ThenThis is very hard for me to write because I am typically such a positive person that can motivate others so easily, but I have found myself in a funk and I am having an extremely hard time pulling out of it.<br />
Im not sure how or when it began but it has been going on now for way too long. I gained weight before my spinal fusion and during recovery and just haven't been disciplined or motivated enough to take it off. I get super mad at myself because there are clothes that I want to fit in and just don't. I know weight does not define someone and I know I am in great shape but I do feel best about myself when I am a little thinner. I also know that in order for me to get thinner and stay thinner that my calorie intake must stay super low even with all the exercise and calorie burn I have. It never has made sense to me that I can burn so many calories yet if I eat over 1400 a day then I either gain weight or stay the same. In the past I have found myself going to extremes to get rid of the calories that I put into my body and that essentially will only lead to more health issues down the road so I have to watch myself and be sure to keep myself from those impulses. I really believe most of the population men and women have some sort of eating disorder. Whether is it overeating, to not eating to binging and purging most of us have one or are fighting one. I find it sad that society as a whole has taught us that our bodies and looks is who we are - sure we may say that we don't fall into that category but I would be willing to guess that very few of the population wake up and look into the mirror and honestly say to themselves "I love you...you are perfect just the way you are" We compare ourselves to other physical traits where if we want to even compare ourselves to others we should be comparing ourselves to those that are compassionate to others, giving to others, and loving to others and want to be more like them rather then have a body figure of Jennifer Anniston or Channing Tatum. <br />
Currently my funk is not only weight and food related but fitness related. I moved at the end of the year to Southern Utah and the summer is super hot....whoever says at least it's dry heat has no clue. When you step outside in the heat of the day it actually feels like you have stepped into a wood fire pizza over.....your eyes burn and your body feels on fire! Granted I could get up and head out the door at 5am and go for a run or a hike and not be in the major heat but I am not an early morning person unless I am getting up at an event. Work has me working most days from 2-10ish which I prefer because then I would have the mornings to bike, hike or run but with my lack of motivation I don't do it! I miss going to events every weekend or 2 out of 4 weekends a month like I did for a couple years but some sacrifices had to be made in order for me to move to this amazing place! The dog kenneling expenses are 5 times what I would pay in Portsmouth so that makes traveling hard, I sold my business and am currently working at a park for shit wages but I did want something to keep me busy some of the days...I will be leaving there right after Labor Day as I agreed to help them through their last super busy weekend. No room for any growth there and for roughly $60 a day there is so much more I would rather be doing with my time and energy and can pinch pennies a little more and travel less to make things work. All I need is a roof over my head and food for my body.<br />
I think some of it is burn out and some of it is that I don't think I need to train to do an event. I look back and think - damn in 2015 you could barely stand up due to your back. I finished 2014 with my 50th State marathon/ultra finish did the New Years Double Double, paced Mississippi Blues January 10th then ran First Light Marathon January 11th. When I got back from the Blues/First Light Double I had one more test on my spine and after that test I was unable to stand up at all for more then 30 seconds at a time without crying! My first surgery was at the end of Feb and it took the pain away for 6 weeks. We then knew I would have to have a 3 level spinal fusion....I was able to hike after the first surgery leading up to the fusion in June of 2014 but no running and actually my depression had gotten a little better. I was depressed thinking that I would be 1-2 years without running but I was also hopeful that I would be out of pain. I had the fusion in June of 2014 and even though that first week of recovery was like nothing I have even been through and I didnt see light at the end of the tunnel I was determined to come back! The doc said walking was the best thing for recovery and that I did...I walked and walked and walked and took breaks in between and was walking so much before you knew it. The doc said he knew I would recovery well and to just listen to my body and if it hurt don't do it. 3 months post spinal fusion I was doing a super hilly 20K called The Indian Run. Who does that shit?? I took it slow and easy but still how was I running/hiking a 20K technical trail just 3 months after a spinal fusion. The following week was the Adams County Marathon.....being a 2 loop course I thought well I will do one loop and see how I feel and if I feel good I'll do another. My friend Heather said she would hang with me for whatever distance I decided to do. I felt really good after loop one and seeing some friends from out of town that I hadn't seen all year and being around the atmosphere of an actual event just made me feel like I was back! Granted my time was a little over 6 hours but this course is a pretty hilly up and down course so I was pleasantly pleased, plus this was only like 16 weeks after major spine surgery and 37 or so weeks since I had ran a marathon and really ran any kind of distance. I think doing these 2 events so soon afterwards and considering the NO training at all and feeling really good after totally has messed up my mindset.<br />
I continued running events and ran a total of 5 half marathons and one I felt so good I ran it in 2:20 almost 4 months to the date of the spinal fusion. Granted thats not fast for some but a 2:20 not running much at all for 9 months and 2 spine surgeries leading up to it freaking blew me away! From October to June of this year I really still couldn't get into training because now I totally have that mindset that I am fucking super woman or something and training is totally over rated. I continued to run events and completed the 1 20K 4 half marathons 11 marathons 1 50K 1 56 miles and 1 100K.....but I haven't ran since the Bear Lake Trifecta in June. These were all completed from August 2015 (3 months post fusion to June 2016) These numbers are super low in comparison to what I did in 2013 and 2014 but I could go a month or so without running a lick and head out to a marathon or 50K or more and just do it and feel totally fine afterwards! I have done some hiking and have really been busy trying to get my new house built and moved into - so this on top has helped create more great excuses in my mind. <br />
Each afternoon and evening I go to bed with the intention that I will wake up early and go for a run...even if it is only 2-4 miles I tell myself that is better then nothing. On the average when 6 out of the 7 mornings roll around my mind reminds my body that look what all you have done...you don't need to go out this morning....get some extra rest and you have to work till 10 or 10:30 tonight anyways you may as well finish getting things done at the new house. The good news on that I did manage to get my house completely unpacked and really organized within the first couple days of moving in! So now I don't really have that excuse any longer.<br />
I need some goals, I need to dream again and I just don't know where to begin. I want them to be fitness related. Some have said after finishing their 50th state they felt like they had reached a huge accomplishment and got depressed because what would be next.....I was told this would happen after my first Ironman Triathlon.....well it didnt as I did 3 Ironman's and actually they were my very first marathons as well. I did however get bored with triathlons after completely 3 ironman and thats when I decided I wanted to do an ultra. My goal of the 50 states never was a goal as when I thought about it I thought there is no damn way....maybe I will do a half in all 50 states. That changed quickly after I finished my first 50 miler and of course I needed more so I had to try a 100miler! In training for that I found it easier to sign up for events, whether it was a single marathon on a weekend or one on a Sat and one on a Sun....this kept my training in check and I couldn't convince myself that I had some laundry to do or I needed to clean the house since I was too far away to come home to do it.<br />
I did set a goal to complete 100 marathons/ultras as I was leading up to my 50th State and things were actually set to be completed by May of 2015.....my spine issues put that on the back burner and I did choose to skip a couple events and repeated states because Hawaii for state 50 was the most important. On Thursday June 9th in Wyoming I finished my 100th marathon/ultra at the Bear Lake Trifecta. I did 101 the next day and decided to do the half on day 3. Ever since this I have not been on a run longer then 3 miles and have done limited hiking, mostly due to the heat and work but I still can't get my mindset back.<br />
I need to as I managed to get registered for one of the most exclusive events in the west called Canyon De Chelly which will take place October 8th. I do have a marathon and half in Sept and a marathon the week before Canyon De Chelly but I have to figure out how to convince my head that I must get out and train for this event.<br />
Not only do I need to convince myself that it needs to train, it needs to convince itself that enough is a enough. Stop eating the cookie dough the ice cream the pizza the amazing corn chips from Lins with mango salsa and all this crap food that taste so yummy but afterwards when you look in the mirror you ask yourself why the hell are you doing this!? The easiest part is taking the weight off once you set your mind to it but the hardest part is keeping it off. I still sometimes find myself comparing the current me to the me from 2002 and rationalize where I am now is still a huge jump in a positive healthy lifestyle but I also know I am more confident even for a person that lacks self esteem confidence on every level when I am about 20 pounds thinner.<br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-68083710017907627492016-01-26T20:09:00.000-05:002016-01-26T20:09:04.222-05:00So much going on!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFj1NEfEs-RcJypklJj0W1dA6wYLg2rFBCEYDrsbvPtSRriZyO9lSUbyiZDhi9C86_hr2yTVNMYkSsxeOLmjmGY6BaLkPY3aVwkUkEWfHG-0YEF_uqszgaIMw3yNQSYrIDn3uf9702nH4/s1600/BMHalf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFj1NEfEs-RcJypklJj0W1dA6wYLg2rFBCEYDrsbvPtSRriZyO9lSUbyiZDhi9C86_hr2yTVNMYkSsxeOLmjmGY6BaLkPY3aVwkUkEWfHG-0YEF_uqszgaIMw3yNQSYrIDn3uf9702nH4/s200/BMHalf.jpg" width="150" /></a>This is going to be one heck of an update. I have not posted since September and so much has happened! I know my head will think faster then my fingers will be able to type and I will be all over the place as I normally am.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj304xCZ0fWHTtGFzbBn6vqKcfEzXoCSosyryOncdQbXtkWERo70uHAhjMvTFg5mS4mo9VrVZX618FK4JFitU38mcpv61osJHpXpJTH4gPjYV-2I2439IB5NjYGkTa7dG7vSxjHcml1pP4/s1600/TPfull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj304xCZ0fWHTtGFzbBn6vqKcfEzXoCSosyryOncdQbXtkWERo70uHAhjMvTFg5mS4mo9VrVZX618FK4JFitU38mcpv61osJHpXpJTH4gPjYV-2I2439IB5NjYGkTa7dG7vSxjHcml1pP4/s200/TPfull.jpg" width="150" /></a>Lets go back to after feeling so good after the Adams County Marathon.... Full marathon 114 days after a L4-S1 Spinal Fusion....who woulda ever dreamed that possible. So let the possibilities grow endlessly! The following weekend October 4th; Heather, Jackie and I went and ran the Broke Mans Half Marathon....I felt really good during this event too but think I went a little too fast for it being so soon after surgery finishing in 2:20. The next couple days I did have some aches but nothing that had me alarmed. <br />
Then the next weekend we all heading to Northern Ohio where Jackie and I did the Towpath Marathon - Jackie did the half in which she qualified to be a Half Fanatic!!!! It was a very pretty course I got to run into my friend Joe and again I felt super finishing in a time of 5:36? Still not back to my normal speed but I will take it!!!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWLsMtoxcG-6fmocf5RwIhZaRsAPc2DCq3rRBDHPymGIBn_XWKRbUUT1Dybr9NTcGjFRA9tiCsUQCx5cvLIxQ6XJvQ5dzeqz-sHFywoDKfRjq1vopxFs5vQqTNi-Sy6j-b7T4gmq_1cg/s1600/EKY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwWLsMtoxcG-6fmocf5RwIhZaRsAPc2DCq3rRBDHPymGIBn_XWKRbUUT1Dybr9NTcGjFRA9tiCsUQCx5cvLIxQ6XJvQ5dzeqz-sHFywoDKfRjq1vopxFs5vQqTNi-Sy6j-b7T4gmq_1cg/s200/EKY.jpg" width="115" /></a>We took a break the next weekend then Heather and I found a marathon called Eastern Kentucky marathon which was only about an hour and a half drive away so we just drove the morning of the event. This marathon promoted that it had the largest finisher medal. Now I do love a nice finisher medal but its not all about that for me. This things was crazy huge and heavy! I honestly think I like the cute and simple medals best. Heather stayed with me this entire race and we had a super fun time. I got to see a couple of my maniac friends that I hadn't seen all year which was awesome! I started to feel like I was back and also feeling like I had not been laid up for 9 months!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCcra-Zi7ADRQZNPXqae6pG-MFumK3lHgIhMdwgv88Tv-tCw2AqXeb9kuDvfiM62zDhKZX-eRxVU5qCfmVJRteqeQi-Y9urABy4WZUeoOVWza2xVTrD6k-sUhzL19U2B7eWkrLjQZtAI/s1600/RNRVegas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCcra-Zi7ADRQZNPXqae6pG-MFumK3lHgIhMdwgv88Tv-tCw2AqXeb9kuDvfiM62zDhKZX-eRxVU5qCfmVJRteqeQi-Y9urABy4WZUeoOVWza2xVTrD6k-sUhzL19U2B7eWkrLjQZtAI/s200/RNRVegas.jpg" width="181" /></a>After the EKY marathon I found a house in Hurricane Utah that I would rent. I had to go ahead and pay for December rent since this is when it would be available knowing I could not move until after Christmas. It worked out really nice because on November 15th I was running the RnR Vegas and it is only a 2ish hour drive so I was able to at least physically see where I would be living before hand.<br />
RnR Vegas - what can I say about this event! To start Kid Rock put on one hell of a pre show and trying to get motivated to run while listening to him put on a kick ass show was very tough!!! The race starts at 4:30 and I had already signed up for this before my surgeries and had talked to them about dropping to the half due to their 5 hour course time limit but I thought I may as well try for the full if I felt good. I was able to start in an early corral but the weather was not as predicted! 40 mph winds came, rain and cold! It was miserable. I knew about mile 6 that I was just going to do the half and I had no ego problems telling me this was not ok. I didnt take that many photos on the course because the rain was so bad. I had a great time meeting some new people and since I knew I was only going to do the half when a group of Texas gals saw I was running with Fireball they started calling me Fireball. I had 4 on me so knew I didnt need them all and I convinced them to give one a taste. They debated for awhile thinking they should wait until they finished but I convinced them it would be ok. One swig and their eyes lit up and they passed the bottle to each other in amazement of how great it tasted!!! I continued on the course and I was wearing my Team Beef jersey when I had my first heckler come upon me. She was yelling "yeah go team beef murder all the cows,,, you cow murderer - good for you" I didnt waste my energy to saw anything back and all I could do is laugh.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw604Z4hyb6m986vUpOT6UcVKe0e5fCLgEO_4g1Mm4V_IHigJYRezPXonHjIB5u3wVYibNh3Z22GJMeYw5Pl9SWFOdJH6lZCq-T3HZLn-U3tn-B02Tt5En7im9hgEWOeuPsFtou-wJ9nA/s1600/FMonkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw604Z4hyb6m986vUpOT6UcVKe0e5fCLgEO_4g1Mm4V_IHigJYRezPXonHjIB5u3wVYibNh3Z22GJMeYw5Pl9SWFOdJH6lZCq-T3HZLn-U3tn-B02Tt5En7im9hgEWOeuPsFtou-wJ9nA/s200/FMonkey.jpg" width="200" /></a>The week after Vegas I went to Nashville to do The Flying Monkey...I was so excited to be able to do this this year because the past 3 years I have had other commitments and have been unable. I really worried I wouldn't be able to do it this year due to my surgeries but it all worked out!! I stayed with Cathie and Troy the night before and was so great to be able to catch up with them. Hard to believe I had not seen them since they ran with me when I finish my 50th State in Honolulu in December of 2014! We took an early start at the event and got to see so many folks that I have missed all year! I ran about half of the run with them and Troy's hip was bothering him and he had to go a little slower on the uphill and I had to go a little faster on the uphill or I would use my back too much so I went on. The course was very hilly but beautiful!!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cnHSYQ2bZT0vbHZxcF1tYAEudk6wNkgqtGfs1N0kOpaP4gH0hwRAPpKikpIKSdeGlZi8qmHc00z2garXSwMO_VIbqCkzAFaDBaVj1IIuuasURFMtw2PuZ8qLCbXNlAMd8mlkMlXJPLw/s1600/CIM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cnHSYQ2bZT0vbHZxcF1tYAEudk6wNkgqtGfs1N0kOpaP4gH0hwRAPpKikpIKSdeGlZi8qmHc00z2garXSwMO_VIbqCkzAFaDBaVj1IIuuasURFMtw2PuZ8qLCbXNlAMd8mlkMlXJPLw/s200/CIM.jpg" width="200" /></a>I didnt run any for the next couple weeks due to packing for the move and working on getting things together for the run I host the First Day of Winter Half/Full/50K but I was also signed up for California International Marathon on Dec 6th and I had to go! My friend Nicole was there and introduced me to her friend Jerry who just wanted to party on the course......and all I can say about that is ....this is what we did! Super fun time - My friend Jenine was doing the event and she said her goal was to catch me! Around mile 22 she did! Just in time for us to find a bar serving Guinness. By this time Jerry and I had too many to even count along with shots and gin fizzes and wine! After we finished Jenine and I hung out a bit and got to visit.<br />
The First Day of Winter run was another huge success for Portsmouth! This year is was held Sunday December 20th. I had one guy come from Japan to run his 685th marathon...a couple that came from Brazil, one from Canada and 22 other states represented!<br />
We were leaving December 28th to drive a 17 foot Uhaul while towing a car carrier with my car on top 2105 miles to Hurricane Utah. The northern route we decided against due to the Colorado Mountains driving the truck and snow so we opted for the southern route. This would add a couple hundred miles but safety was much more important! Tanner, the dogs and I headed on Monday the 28th. There was a nasty snow storm that hit a couple days prior but it did not effect us and also Missouri received a ton of rain and flooding but our timing was perfect. Some of the highways had high water when we went through but the day after we went through some of them were actually closed due to high waters! Timing was perfect. It took us 3 days and we really had an uneventful time! Once we arrived we inflated an air mattress to sleep on since it was already late on the 3rd full night and got some decent sleep and got up to start unloading the truck in the morning. My realtor who I had been working with for a year and am still working with came and even helped Tanner unload! We then had time to go to the furniture store down the street to get a couch, table and things like that and they even delivered it that afternoon to us. For the next week it flew by! Tanner stayed until Jan 6th and we shopped for furniture and other necessities. We never had a single get on each others nerves time in the entire 10 days that we spent 24 hours a day each day together!<br />
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I took him to the airport on the 6th and then on the 8th I was flying out to pace Mississippi Blues on the 9th and run First Light the 10th. I flew into Dallas since it was so much cheaper and rode with my friends Bre and Andrew 6ish hours to Jackson...just because i hadn't had enough time traveling in a vehicle.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjyIQwIPnWpaaoZtjRI0kRD-MUEQll9F5KGSCVw22rO2as1TEHsMc1nKTd1_1N_a4fmwJxwGELYdQT7m5nBj2youHGgW3TXzwEVWe2DFhRmYwo5edySnNAyjRYxOKc3KoQl5dt_5IYno/s1600/MB2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjyIQwIPnWpaaoZtjRI0kRD-MUEQll9F5KGSCVw22rO2as1TEHsMc1nKTd1_1N_a4fmwJxwGELYdQT7m5nBj2youHGgW3TXzwEVWe2DFhRmYwo5edySnNAyjRYxOKc3KoQl5dt_5IYno/s200/MB2016.jpg" width="110" /></a>I was a little concerned but knew I would be ok because i had not ran a single block since CIM on Dec 6th and there was no way my base was built back up to par. I had made a commitment to pace and I wasn't going to back out on that. I had no business going as I wasn't even settled into my place nor where my poor dogs who had to go to the kennel...and the kennel here ...holy hell are they expensive!!!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNODzWUtBxlhmbMVSAxqJAXr596WEeB_bQw1Eh4a2Lypvg_kn-yM1ScuwkNYo_MKXk9c2WH3q10xkKbMA_wvJd6M92U4FobsX7XmXHjM1nxOGPBpDcLdWq9pioFwNhLTNsbiVbZOGotE/s1600/FL2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNODzWUtBxlhmbMVSAxqJAXr596WEeB_bQw1Eh4a2Lypvg_kn-yM1ScuwkNYo_MKXk9c2WH3q10xkKbMA_wvJd6M92U4FobsX7XmXHjM1nxOGPBpDcLdWq9pioFwNhLTNsbiVbZOGotE/s200/FL2016.jpg" width="200" /></a>I had a fun group with me while we ran Mississippi blues, we ended up about 15 min over our pace time but we had one of the runners fall into a hole while trying to cross a culvert to go to the bathroom. She went to the bathroom and was there for awhile before we could be sure she was ok and we all agreed we were not leaving her behind. We had all been together for 14 miles and someones well being is way more important then coming in at 6 hours. Our pace group wasn't a time that was going to qualify anyone for boston and with everyone feeling the same way we waited. She felt bad because she knew our time was going to be off but I reassured her it was no big deal at all!! The weather for Blues was raining....and when I say raining it was pouring!! Then the thunder came and them warning us to be careful but we were not going to stop!! We all finished and then I took a quick shower and headed to Alabama with Clyde and Gary. <br />
Cathie, Troy and I were going to run this one together and I felt like I should drop to the half and not risk any issues since I had not been running much. The night before they almost had me convinced to just walk the full with them but then with Troys hip we all decided it was best for us all to just walk the half together. We had a super time!!! Afterwards we grabbed some food and a shower and they brought me to the airport. It was a long weekend of travel but I was glad I went and got to see everyone!<br />
Now I am trying to get settled into my new location. I am loving every minute of it and have been exploring new trails. I did decide to apply for a job at a State Park and got called in for an interview so will see what happens on Feb 11th.<br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-6328393476977650532015-09-29T17:58:00.003-04:002015-10-02T09:47:33.666-04:00Listening to the body can cause you to run a marathon by accidentThis past weekend my friends Clyde and Kelly Shank decided to stop here and do the Adams County Marathon on their way home from MD to TX. Heather had said she would hang with me for the run no matter how slow I went and no matter what distance I decided to do. I had done 3 weekends where I did 12-13 ish miles on one day but during the week I've still been walking most of the time....not due to any pain just due to pure laziness. The only pains I feel still remain in the right hamstring and upper ass.....its the same little pinch all day and night and no matter what I do it doesnt get better or worse. It still doesnt radiate down the leg or foot any and it is not painful enough to require any pain medication....its just annoying to have a pain in your ass all the time. I had Louvina my friend who is the race director put me in for the full even though I figured I would have to stop at the half. I didnt have any goals and would not have had any disappointment at all if I had to stop at the half because honestly a half marathon 114 days after a 3 level spinal fusion is most likely unheard of as well. I think sometimes there is something weird that goes on with my body the way things recovery....one day that may not be the case but the past couple years it has been and I will live like there is no tomorrow until that day knocks me completely down.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZ1EBR9HPPmaGvjuWpx04VtcoGTqs6V-IogO5W6KWB3rZOsVFxhuyFyFBIZQEWuuG2HwNX9Cwx7YySgnaTJFhF6jVCBFc7tzuZ3c43ZiePiC0CEfr5_DEhbumDYZe5jFq7MBb81MahE8/s1600/spine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZ1EBR9HPPmaGvjuWpx04VtcoGTqs6V-IogO5W6KWB3rZOsVFxhuyFyFBIZQEWuuG2HwNX9Cwx7YySgnaTJFhF6jVCBFc7tzuZ3c43ZiePiC0CEfr5_DEhbumDYZe5jFq7MBb81MahE8/s200/spine.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Our minds are so powerful it is truly amazing. Sometimes I do worry that my mind is so powerful that it somehow tells my body it is perfectly ok when its not? The only reason I say this is because the shit I have been able to do not only after this spinal fusion but back tracking back to the end of 2009 when I had the 3 micro fractures on my left knee then going for a year and a half with doctors telling me I would need a new knee if I would start running again...remember back then I also had only done a couple marathons!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiznJx-StMmefDs-DFoMiJtOLjUg1A0JUtXxGOAN6S79NolrPYWDyNBHSfiwiCuSaULtkDKpVCFwO9R-de0KKAn21gP6T1hD4VAZwECuvDY3ERTErwGO9X5CCM5keBQXQayL1rUtmCpV0/s1600/ac6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiznJx-StMmefDs-DFoMiJtOLjUg1A0JUtXxGOAN6S79NolrPYWDyNBHSfiwiCuSaULtkDKpVCFwO9R-de0KKAn21gP6T1hD4VAZwECuvDY3ERTErwGO9X5CCM5keBQXQayL1rUtmCpV0/s200/ac6.jpg" width="200" /></a>Kelly and Clyde arrived friday afternoon so we got to spend the day together. They came bearing hydration and nutrition so that I would be able to give 100% at the run on Saturday! ha..... I love these little airplane size bottles of booze....you just can't find them in Portsmouth Ohio like you can in Texas! They are perfect size to fit right in the little holders of a fuel belt....I think maybe those places were meant for gels but I think these work out best!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqTHankDAXGgPI8LMzEfz8vcoMMMicsh2X7C7HWs5A6_J1EtERBB2WpjEir3mjJQNZuxNYg35YI7qEG1RcLJ6b3F8DCwor1nF8_-LRynfA-ZEW08OcoeXd3yzDNv_y-7xm74r_cLj77g/s1600/ac3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqTHankDAXGgPI8LMzEfz8vcoMMMicsh2X7C7HWs5A6_J1EtERBB2WpjEir3mjJQNZuxNYg35YI7qEG1RcLJ6b3F8DCwor1nF8_-LRynfA-ZEW08OcoeXd3yzDNv_y-7xm74r_cLj77g/s200/ac3.jpg" width="150" /></a>Race morning we got up early, Heather and Jackie drove to my house and Clyde and Kelly followed us since they would be heading back towards Texas after the run. I think the weeks leading up to this I was most excited one to see Clyde and Kelly and two the baked goods from Millers Bakery after the event!! CREAM HORNS and HOMEMADE PRETZELS.....those are the two items I was dreaming about. They have so many other things too that will make you drool a little as you walk back and forth while you debate on what to get but my mind was set on just those items. I have really been watching my food intake to get this weight off that I have gained during this whole spine ordeal. Trying not to worry too much about the number on the scale which is hard but how things fit and Im not into some clothes that I want to be into.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3thdNxDCTApnx3dSzaQPSgDs3vxeLzgNCvA8GZ4pJDyMkTNqwMWYCqN47YABKEQ2lwlPKLo5_6hKdpKlgwurQSiMdZM1bRHOSamYU3T4wEA103XEZyBOsru_hn643h4OXaRjsYqWBa-s/s1600/ac2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3thdNxDCTApnx3dSzaQPSgDs3vxeLzgNCvA8GZ4pJDyMkTNqwMWYCqN47YABKEQ2lwlPKLo5_6hKdpKlgwurQSiMdZM1bRHOSamYU3T4wEA103XEZyBOsru_hn643h4OXaRjsYqWBa-s/s200/ac2.jpg" width="150" /></a>We got to the race with plenty of time to visit and had a maniac/fanatic/50 staters photo before hand. The race started about 15 minutes late due to some issues but I don't think anyone had a problem with it. Kelly and Jackie were working an aid station near the half way part of each loop. Heather and I got started and the weather was cloudy to start with chances of rain and temps about 60...so perfect running weather!!! Im not sure how far into the run it started but a light misty rain came and pretty much stayed all day. Sometimes it was heavier then others but no downpour. When we got to Kelly and Jackie I told Heather we were half way to the half way if we were going to do the full....I was feeling really good, only issues is the hamstring and upper glute/hip pinch on that right side which like I have said I feel all the time. I still didnt care if I would drop to the half, I was just out having fun and listening to my body. One thing about this course is it is very pretty scenery with all the horses we pass and hilly but not many guardrails to pop up your leg to stretch - I kept saying I wanted to do that at the next opportunity but that opportunity never really came. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8e0BtlXuUeb3XCLvKT076Hs6z9o8-MGKnNH0NqOXtPCXGgNV6aP75dCsx5qnwyZBPgwdFMlaFeWJU6lNjU59SY7EqtQiv25pugKHFASUVgnqIQC60G6biqBN_3lDWUh2YigyMa3tWoGs/s1600/ac4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8e0BtlXuUeb3XCLvKT076Hs6z9o8-MGKnNH0NqOXtPCXGgNV6aP75dCsx5qnwyZBPgwdFMlaFeWJU6lNjU59SY7EqtQiv25pugKHFASUVgnqIQC60G6biqBN_3lDWUh2YigyMa3tWoGs/s200/ac4.jpg" width="200" /></a>After loop one I was still feeling really good and we just decided to keep on trucking and see how things go......Clyde was ahead of us by about a mile or so, so when we he hit the turn around and we were coming back to the turn around we passed each other. Later he told me that he could see it in my eyes that I was feeling great and that I was going to do the full marathon. He was right!!!<br />
During the second loop I decided to turn on my iPhone an play some music over the speaker and sing to entertain us. A gal from Maryland that had come to run a 20 mile training run but decided she may as well just do the full ran into us. She stayed with us for the course entertainment on and off for about 8 or so miles. She was training for NYC marathon in November and is also planning on Vegas Half mid November.....I may have talked her into signing up for that full instead :-)...............<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdOrRF14qQhAVf9MpMuSZpBYz8I8y2LeVYt58sWNs44tyyjOLztcyFZmh-idYUdpzXQUMnvJz1dN_bKVSpSMQGexUUUhoZw8fp6IVXFHnNVqZx5mfmrSCMYEaCsBqBo-aSSxQ9_uFPPQ/s1600/ac7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbdOrRF14qQhAVf9MpMuSZpBYz8I8y2LeVYt58sWNs44tyyjOLztcyFZmh-idYUdpzXQUMnvJz1dN_bKVSpSMQGexUUUhoZw8fp6IVXFHnNVqZx5mfmrSCMYEaCsBqBo-aSSxQ9_uFPPQ/s200/ac7.jpg" width="200" /></a>We finished with a time of 6:08 which honestly for that course being hilly isn't that bad. I can't believe I ran/walked the full and felt amazing! I had doubts about doing the Full at Vegas because they have a 5 hour time limit but they do allow those to move to the sidewalk to finish in 6 hours but I have never seen them allow anything more then 6 hours. Any given day I can run 6 hour marathons or for that matter a 5 hour cut off doesnt make me nervous but not any given day after 2 spinal surgeries and one major one and not running a marathon since January 11th so this is why I had doubt for Vegas....I no longer have that doubt at all.....that course will not have the hills this one did ( i like hills) so I should be able to finish it in under 6 hours easily. Im not going to push it and just go out and have fun but I WILL beat the cut off but I also will listen to my body....if I feel any pain while running then I also have no problem dropping to the half. Vegas is an evening run which will be different but Kid Rock will be playing an hour beforehand for us so that will be motivating!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxnDrF6XWE9_EZVVW1BbJvDVkTlPRr_IK_BcrP61p13iADVPl4KmGeL19MAsQwDxPjlWQ78SP8kq3Eb5sIjuAd51f50bBaJM9jHe7QFzAKY9PoMMh7C_3X0_GIgu7bRPy0DSNB1krHsU/s1600/ac5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBxnDrF6XWE9_EZVVW1BbJvDVkTlPRr_IK_BcrP61p13iADVPl4KmGeL19MAsQwDxPjlWQ78SP8kq3Eb5sIjuAd51f50bBaJM9jHe7QFzAKY9PoMMh7C_3X0_GIgu7bRPy0DSNB1krHsU/s200/ac5.jpg" width="200" /></a>I still don't think I have wrapped my mind around being able to finish with no issues what so ever.....even the next day I didnt feel like I ran 26.2 miles?? I do know that I felt at home again with all the runners and seeing some friends I haven't seen in awhile.<br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-57719045447027381202015-09-20T19:05:00.001-04:002015-09-20T19:05:51.044-04:00Life Is GoodI haven't posted for awhile because I am just amazed with how good I feel. I can't even comprehend that I had major surgery with pretty much a new titanium lumbar spine that connect to my sacrum 98 days ago??<br />
Im still running by feel and not paying any attention to my watch so that it doesnt temp me to try to set any time goals....not that I ever was one to set time goals. <br />
August 29th and September 7th I decided I was going to try to run/walk a half marathon distance. I had no time goal in my mind and a typical half takes me anywhere between 2:00 - 2:25 depending on what Im running and how many shenanigans I partake in while on a course. These were not official Half Marathons just the distance...leaving my house and running up Rt 23 to the Highway Patrol Office and back....its just a tad more then 13.1 miles. Now I did have in the back of my head that I would like to do this in under 3 hours but again I was not going to have my watch set to see the overall time so that I wouldn't push. I stopped a couple times to stretch when I needed to...walked a lot and just enjoyed being out there for some quality time. On the 29th when I finished my time was 3:01:13...I was glad I didnt look at my watch because I probably would have skipped a stretch break or picked up the pace into a run instead of a walk and would have easily been under the 3 hour mark...but I feel like I needed those stretch breaks and the walking when I did. Nothing to prove just wanted to have no pains. The 7th Heather came with me and we met up with Jackie and she went with us for about 9 of these miles. This was her longest for awhile.....this trip we were around 2:57 but again didnt look at my watch. The first long one my feet got really tired....like they would feel when you're out there for a 50 miler...or I guess how they would feel for your first half or full marathon. The second trip my feet didnt get that tired feeling as bad. <br />
Two days before the second 13.1 mile trip I decided to go ahead and run our local 5K.....Heather said she would do it with me and we were not going to look at our time because again...no pushing and no goal...just have fun and enjoy the atmosphere of a race. I decided on the 5K over the 10K because I knew in the race atmosphere we all tend to get caught up in it and I may run a little harder then what I needed to be doing at this time. We hit mile one and my watch does beep to tell me what each mile pace is and we were running a 9:45....shit it sure didnt feel like we were pushing that hard!!! My body felt great...I was breathing a little heavy but kept pace and Heather would keep making sure nothing hurt and all was well and if I wanted to walk it was fine....I really wanted to run this entire 3.1 miles, I didnt care what pace but I wanted to run it all. Mile 2 comes up and we are still under a 10 min mile...this one averaging 9:54....still body feeling good but my breathing at this pace has not returned....but it hasn't seen this pace in a long long time either. During the last mile we slowed the pace down a tad bit and crossed the finish line with a time of 30:30! Who does this shit!! I must be some sort of medical freak!!! I again was glad I did not have my watch set for overall time because if I knew I was 30 seconds slower then having a sub 30 min 5K 3 months and 1 day after a spinal fusion I think I would have kicked it up at the end instead of slowing down a tad.<br />
After the 13.1 on the 7th I have only ran a couple of shorter runs, I have been getting my steps in each day and doing strength training as well. Early this week on my FB page a post popped up about the Indian Run in Hocking Hills....for the past couple years I always heard great things about this run but I was always out of town doing events when it took place. They have a 5K 10K 20K 40K and 60K.....I also read the 5 10 and 20K can start anytime between 9-11am so that meant I didnt have to get up at some God awful early hour and drive or find a place closer to spend the night. Its only about an hour and 20 minute drive too. I knew Heather would love to do this and the price of only $25 even made it more appealing!! I quick message with the details to Heather and the next thing we knew we had both emailed each other a photo of our entry fee that we were mailing in! We make a good team!! I had never been to Hocking Hills so had no idea what the course would be like. HOLY MOTHER HILL BALLS!!! Major Major climbing and long decents in the beginning made for some tired quads and painful lungs but it was a wonderful day and we had a blast!! We chose the 20K just over 12 miles....Some of the steep climbs really kicked my ass and Im usually a power hiker up hills but that was not expected out of me today and I honestly didnt even think they would have climbs like that! WOW......I kept moving forward each climb....even the one in the beginning that had to be over a mile long and 1000 plus feet of gain..I wanted so bad to stop and catch my breath but I knew I couldn't catch it even if I stopped so I may as well just keep moving forward. Heather was loving it and she would stop and turn around to check on me and giggle and say Im enjoying the view....because Im usually the one way ahead on the climbing up where she kicks ass going down. The course was on some road and when it was on the trails they were beautiful. Nicely shaded and we crossed a bridge that was above Old Mans Cave. I would like to return and hike out here and check out all the offering the park has. The last couple miles was mostly walking....the trails started to have a lot of roots around and being tired I was a little nervous trying to maneuver my feet with all the roots in fear of falling and hurting my back. We were in no hurry at all....we kinda had a goal with it being trails and lots of climbing of 3:30 and came in in 3:08. My garmin showed we had 3,819 feet of elevation gain and 3,428 feet of elevation loss! WOW!<br />
Next weekend is the Adams County Half Marathon and Marathon....Clyde and Kelly Shank are coming up - Kelly is going to volunteer with Jackie and Clyde Heather and I are going to run it. Clyde will run the full and Heather is going to run what ever I decide to run and hang with me. This course has a lot of hills too but after this weekends hills I think I will be ok....I worried about the downhill pounding on the spine and the uphill use of the lower back muscle to help you climb would bother me but so far everything is good. The only issue I have and have had is the tightness in the right ass cheek.....there is still no nerve pain radiating down the leg and I don't think doing nothing will take it away and I don't think doing what Im doing will make it worse since it hasn't been getting worse just staying the same. Part of me really wants to do the full but I won't push myself if after the half I have pains that are not normal marathon pains.<br />
I would love to go to my next appointment with a marathon finisher shirt and medal for the Doc....I also can't wait to let him know that he is a hashtag :)<br />
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Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-20608031313014317892015-08-21T14:08:00.000-04:002015-08-21T14:08:25.196-04:00And the comeback beginsThe past 2 Saturdays I have gone to the forest to do the fire road trail which is an 8 mile roundtrip course I have been doing for a couple of years. The first Saturday I decided to jog down a few of the hills and walk the uphills but listen to see how my body would react. The doctor did say I could start adding some running in in about 6 weeks and this was 11 days later so close enough to try??? I was with some friends and it actually felt really good. One friend was struggling to keep up so we decided just to stick with walking after a couple of downhills. On August 11th I then decided to run the local 5K route that I have been walking a lot and just do a run/walk and again go by feel...nothing to prove no need to push. I ran that in 41:47 - not too bad only 68 days after major spinal surgery!! Afterwards I still felt pretty good. The only pains I have are some sciatica nerve pain in my right upper glute area and its not shooting pains down the leg nor does it pinch to make it hard to sit up and stand up. Doc says it could be a permanent nerve damage, could be residual pain, could be just a flare up. I will keep listening to my body and not push to much. Next appointment is October 20th so if I am still having that discomfort he may do an MRI just to be sure nothing is still wrong. <div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeik7rQqvX9_lMwZH9B0iqiaRjYo4wfs3wYN5CtPAh9YnyzOtJylO7XuN4WOLzpOUzRJk9hf_4rxq7c96U5eQWxCnybh5sg2cjkoNeZywjtqlRqvW5LIBcMI0zuAcz-7-lWjPk5LXX9M/s1600/icecream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFeik7rQqvX9_lMwZH9B0iqiaRjYo4wfs3wYN5CtPAh9YnyzOtJylO7XuN4WOLzpOUzRJk9hf_4rxq7c96U5eQWxCnybh5sg2cjkoNeZywjtqlRqvW5LIBcMI0zuAcz-7-lWjPk5LXX9M/s200/icecream.jpg" width="200" /></a>So back to my comeback..... The second Saturday...this time 2 friends and Andi my 4 legged running partner went out to the fire road trail....things felt amazing!! My friend that struggled the week before was doing awesome as well.....we ran the downhills power walked the uphills for the majority of the 8 miles. Towards the end there were a couple of the downhills that I decided maybe it wouldn't hurt just to walk them because I know going downhill is going to be more pounding anyways then just running on flat surface. After we finished we stopped for some ice cream. </div>
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This week on Monday Tuesday and Thursday I ran/walked the bear run as well. My goal for the week was to run under 40 minutes but not to push myself...so even though I set my garmin I would not look at it because I didn't want my head to tell my body to move faster I wanted my body to tell my body how to work. All three runs were under 40 minutes with two of them at 37!! I am trying to figure out if I am some sort of medical marvel or just a plain ass freak??? </div>
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Today I was going to run/walk with Heather but after doing my upper body strength workout my nerve pinch was telling me maybe just to walk. So I was glad I listened and we did a nice 4 miles with a super nice clip and no nerve pain what so ever during the walk. </div>
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My head and heart tells me its ready to do a marathon but I know not running one since January 11th and all the trama my spine and nerve endings were put thru it may be like starting over for awhile? All I can do is get out there and see what happens but remind myself to not push too much. Its also hard to believe that December 31 January 1 January 10 and January 11th I did a marathon each of those days!!! Wonder if my first one back is going to feel like the first marathon I ever did? Well I won't know that since my two marathons I ever did was after swimming 2.4 miles and biking 112 miles :-).....but I remember what I felt like after my first half marathon! I think we feel the same after each distance that is a milestone. I got to a point to where I no longer hurt even after a 50 miler or a 100K. Since I only have done one 100 miler I never got to a point of not hurting after that...I can't even imagine not hurting after that. </div>
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Well I have rambled enough for today.....looking forward to tomorrows 8 miles in the forest and I have been biking a 50K each sunday and have been feeling good on the bike as well.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-41088294170690077872015-08-11T10:52:00.001-04:002015-08-11T10:52:52.862-04:00Life is journey <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOFOtpuvMXQYVdiFAlbdIZPZ5o-9LZT35eDe1T1KbqD_LaxDhREezudJXhleWQyCR26iVr5CUlIAz8y1wiFsjKq1aV2H7F_8ptQ-54qnVVnfnWG5Zm3e8EeaqcNsa3GjV3SxWtr0jWQs/s1600/7-28-15back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOFOtpuvMXQYVdiFAlbdIZPZ5o-9LZT35eDe1T1KbqD_LaxDhREezudJXhleWQyCR26iVr5CUlIAz8y1wiFsjKq1aV2H7F_8ptQ-54qnVVnfnWG5Zm3e8EeaqcNsa3GjV3SxWtr0jWQs/s200/7-28-15back.jpg" width="200" /></a>Life is a journey and if we didn't have set backs that we could pick ourselves back up from in order to start a new journey it would just be plain boring. <br />
I had my follow up appointment on July 28th and knew I was going to be able to fly after that appointment so I had already made arrangements for my son and I to go to Vegas and Southern Utah. I couldn't wait for him to see what I am so in love with!<br />
We arrived in Vegas on Wednesday evening and stayed for 2 nights....On Thursday we toured the Hoover Dam and that evening watched the amazing Blue Man Group!! We also played some penny slot and black jack and both of us cashed out ahead with about $150 each more!<br />
On Friday morning we drove to Hurricane and met with a real estate agent Ive been working with for about 9 months and this time we were planning to check out the small town of Kanab. This was also our base for the next 5 nights. Kanab is home of the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary and only has about 4,000 folks but it is more centrally located to all the different National Parks and ranges about 10 degrees cooler in the summer then Hurricane but 20 degrees cooler in the winter. I liked one home but due to some differences in communication from the seller I started getting an uneasy feeling about it and went with my gut. It wasn't the one either.<br />
Saturday we decided to try to drive down a sand road to a trail that would take us to dino tracks...the rental agent upgraded us to a Kia for an additional $278 and swore we would be fine. I told him exactly what the directions to get there said about needing a high clearance 4WD and he said this vehicle would be ok. Well we got 1.9 miles down the road which I still don't know how we got that far and the bottom of the car was completely under sand. Thank God I had met a local SAR guy Paul from the area before we had gone to Kanab and I had all his contact info or we could have been out there all day! We did keep a case of water in the car at all times in case anything would come up. Paul made it out in his truck and taught Tanner how to shovel the sand out from under the car and wheels so that we could get a chain around it and he could start pulling us out. I felt bad for Tanner but there was no way I was going to be able to get down there and shovel. It took some time and there was no hurry but we finally got out!!! We spent that day hiking local trails and checking out the Coral Pink Sand Dunes.<br />
Sunday we drove to Willis Creek Slot Canyon...I love slot canyons and after my trip out there in April I decided I could be considered a Slot Canyon Junkie...I don't think I could ever tire of them!! Willis Creek Slot I read was a nice slot and good for beginners...not super technical and not much having to wedge through the slots or boulder climb to get to the other parts....this was perfect with my back still just shy of the 2 month mark and I really wanted Tanner to experience a slot canyon. We <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKl15Bjfqoml7Q4QeIFE04A1DMxNoAueWB44usOmZDarpSeI2-vjW4frMjaHQE95C7OqeGJ_YXRf9B6GR5c4TaY3P3ovcbrP6_aRmZDcvab2KjAsuG0ARiJuddw_saeWBIFLpipH2d_4k/s1600/rattle+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKl15Bjfqoml7Q4QeIFE04A1DMxNoAueWB44usOmZDarpSeI2-vjW4frMjaHQE95C7OqeGJ_YXRf9B6GR5c4TaY3P3ovcbrP6_aRmZDcvab2KjAsuG0ARiJuddw_saeWBIFLpipH2d_4k/s200/rattle+2015.jpg" width="200" /></a>had to leave fairly early to get there as we were watching the weather and rain was due in around 1pm. If it rains within so many miles of the vicinity you don't wanna be in a slot canyon due to flooding. When we arrived a couple other cars were there so that made me feel more at ease. Off we headed and in a short time down the slots we went! We caught up with the other groups that were down there with their children. When we got to the end and turned around Tanner heard a rattle...and said what was that. We were told we would hear a rattle snake before we would see a rattle snake and sure enough we did!! It was so funny cause Tanner was a little worried about the rattle snakes and I kept telling him that the chances were so slim that we really would run across one and here we see it on the first real day of hiking. It rattled once, Tanner saw it and we stepped over the creek to move away....it kept slithering away from us all the while you could tell it was keeping an eye on us...and never again did it rattle. They must do one warning and then you move away and they move away. I did get a photo but I didn't try to take a selfie like the idiot on the news a couple weeks ago did.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFpeoWVpL7qN4NP4mKWYxICl3YXCnHsr2C8rYvVWWATXjv7CMdu9voPWVRaOXWC0eoC7_EoMaZotRwsGfZnXxnN-6sWKsJ6jK9OM23FX4i21_dUHxh7w6qvD-tA7_eO2c97lmpVqIEr0/s1600/8-3-15+northrim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFpeoWVpL7qN4NP4mKWYxICl3YXCnHsr2C8rYvVWWATXjv7CMdu9voPWVRaOXWC0eoC7_EoMaZotRwsGfZnXxnN-6sWKsJ6jK9OM23FX4i21_dUHxh7w6qvD-tA7_eO2c97lmpVqIEr0/s200/8-3-15+northrim.jpg" width="200" /></a>Monday we drove to the Grand Canyon North Rim....this was both our first times here and we decided to hike down into the Canyon. Once we got tot the first check point we were told the next one has a water refill and a tunnel....we knew the trip up was going to be rough but also knew it would be worth it to keep going! It was starting to get pretty hot and mules were sharing the same trail....oh boy the smell of mule piss and shit lingered for a long time!!! This hike took us down about 1700 feet through switchbacks with view after view. We took out time and just enjoyed everything about it. At times I would just stop and tell Tanner to just listen.....listen to just nothing! The air is thinner, the sounds are just nature. My favorite photo came from some folks we met at the first check point...I wanted one of the two of us just looking out over the canyon, not posing just admiring its beauty. I know have this one framed in my family room.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnGp6b3sQi_-AQM8hgOCMwdDiIOPqxfuEuasrQ7Rl7wQsaDkL7eY1r7i6DLCsNYGFcurQDb6u1UY9dP72no_qSAAK8ie069rr_1DwVeH2ybeygDGme2Awd5muWUl8ONeDyqx9zqo9ERI/s1600/hoodoo2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqnGp6b3sQi_-AQM8hgOCMwdDiIOPqxfuEuasrQ7Rl7wQsaDkL7eY1r7i6DLCsNYGFcurQDb6u1UY9dP72no_qSAAK8ie069rr_1DwVeH2ybeygDGme2Awd5muWUl8ONeDyqx9zqo9ERI/s200/hoodoo2015.jpg" width="200" /></a>Tuesday was all about Bryces Canyon.....I was there in April but only drove to the lookout points and admired the views. I was so excited because I wanted to hike down into the canyon and see the hoodoos all around me. The hike we had planned was a figure 8 loop that combined 3 of the top trails. It would be about 2000 feet of elevation change and we both knew it would be work but the payoff would be worth it. We followed the directions from someones hiking post and did the Navajo Trail and connected into Peek A Boo loop....When we finished the Peek A Boo loop it was getting hot and there were no water refills on these trails at all? We then looked over the directions trying to see which way to the Queens Garden trail but something was off a little bit so we decided to start heading back up the navajo trail loop...We got in about 6 miles and it really was spectacular!.<br />
Wednesday we drove back through Hurricane and I showed Tanner the house that I had placed a back up offer on in April but didn't get. One of those things were timing is just right...at that time I didn't know I would be needing MAJOR back surgery so all things work out for a reason. He really liked the Hurricane area more then Kanab and felt I would be happier there because there is much more to do and its closer to some bigger cities. Even though its a little further to the north rim by an another hour then Kanab there is a 10 screen movie theatre not a one screen and there is plenty of food and grocery choices. When the timing is right it will happen. I think my plans now are to try to find a place that will allow my dogs that is furnished after the first of the year and just rent on a monthly basis....I will be running my business remotely and have a place to store my furniture here if my home here sells. 2000 miles is a long way away to go alone after being in a town for almost 48 years so I want to be sure things run smooth with the business and I feel comfortable before making that huge leap. Hiking new trails every weekend will be amazing!!!<br />
Now we are back home and I am able to start lifting some weights and adding in some other cardio. He told me on the 28th to wait about 6 more weeks before running but Im such a slow runner I had to give it a try today. My first mile was around 14 something....it takes awhile for the legs to get ready to move...they feel stiff easily and still tire quickly, the inner thighs and such feel weak as well but I know that will all come back. I had no goal today except to add some jogging in...whether it was pole to pole or flower pot to flower pot I wasn't going to push I was going to stay comfortable and be connected to how things felt. Mile 2 came out to be a 12:14 min mile...wow...I will take that being 2 months and 7 days after major spine surgery!! Mile 2 was a 12:41. I have no desire to beat my time at all...right now its about coming back slow and smart. I still feel the slight pinch in the right butt cheek and still no radiating down the leg and the inner thighs are really tight but will have to start stretching more.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJFDqBkian981HAtF5B2ry5CnNKVX0_aRfue2CtFY-HzAp6f9V9M5LH7v5b9y6BnM1nOl4NDHF2KzLFzr5d-EA2QNeOJ8H_akziS2LXOusDUXT0BHNSPVTYsuPIQgrb61NLufgqgswWk/s1600/8-11-15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtJFDqBkian981HAtF5B2ry5CnNKVX0_aRfue2CtFY-HzAp6f9V9M5LH7v5b9y6BnM1nOl4NDHF2KzLFzr5d-EA2QNeOJ8H_akziS2LXOusDUXT0BHNSPVTYsuPIQgrb61NLufgqgswWk/s200/8-11-15.jpg" width="150" /></a>Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-9397224740444913852015-07-01T19:35:00.003-04:002015-07-01T19:35:54.331-04:00Day 24 Post L4 L5 S1 Spinal Fusion Checkup Today was my first follow up with my Neurological Surgeon Dr Gregory Balturshot. I was kinda hoping we would get to take X-rays and see my cool looking new titanium spine but he said he won't do that till the next appointment which will be July 28th. He asked how things were and I did tell him I hate to say because I don't wanna jinx things like the last time. I told him that the area just about my butt but below the lower back all the way across still had a tenderness type pain that is best described as a burning.... I also have that same pain on the left side of the incision and I can feel it there more when I pull open a door, pick up a plate something weighted but not near 5-10 pounds which is my limit for lifting. It feels like muscular pain and he said that will go away. I also told him my right hip had some sharp pains in the rear and he explained this could be from where my spine is not stabilized and my walking gait may have me kinda walking crooked...like one leg is slightly longer or shorter then the other but in time it will all get strong again and be fine. I then told him I feel best while I am walking and told him during the week of post surgery day 16-22 I walked 56 miles with the 3 previous days before my appointment I was doing a little over 10 each day. This is not at one time...this is spread out through the day and my longest walk is about 4 miles. He said he knew I would do well with this procedure and said as long as the walking is not hurting any and when I get tired I stop that I can continue. So then I asked....since I am a goal oriented person and while walking the couple days before I thought...hmmm wonder if he will let me try to walk a half marathon 13.1 miles each day but of course spread out throughout the day. He said YES!!! BUT....if it hurts don't push and if i get tired STOP! I agreed. Since I can't work because I am a gym owner and teach class and train clients and there is absolutely NO BLT...bending lifting twisting....which this is one abbreviation I would like to change because when I hear that I just want a bacon lettuce and tomato sandwich! I was also told I was allowed to swim and pool jog...but no EFX yet. I could try the indoor bike but if the push and pull of the legs bother me I should stop.<br />
So today is actually day 25 and I started my goal of trying to do a half marathon each day and the pool is open on Mondays Wednesdays and Fridays so today I was also going to try the pool. I go up and did my first morning walk....I am finding that around mile 2 ish that my feet and legs start to kinda ache....an ache that I felt after running my 100 miler. Once I stop and chill for a few then Im fine. I walked a little over 3 then went to the pool. I tried some laps and only did 250 meters because it made that area of my right hip hurt. I then decided to do some pool jogging and did a little in shallow and even though it takes some impact off I found I didn't want even that little bit of extra impact on my back so I took it to deep water running as well as frog kicks, flutter kicks and outward frog kicks so that I could work on some leg muscles that had not been worked. I did high knees I did heel to my rear and it all felt great! I then went to the swim blocks and did some pull ups and one arm pull ups just to have some upper body while even though I was lifting my body the water kept all the strains off my back. Since there is no impact with deep water aqua jogging my garmin won't pick up the distance but I stayed active in the pool for a little over 45 minutes. As soon as I was done Heather met me for my second walk of the day. Same thing here I noticed my feet and legs getting achy and we sat down on some stone under a tree for a bit and just let things calm down.<br />
A couple hours later I was meeting Jackie for a walk and this time I decided instead of wearing socks and my hokas or asics I was going to wear no socks and my keen sandals....believe it or not we walked a little over 4 miles and my feet and legs didn't bother me at all. Im wondering if maybe where the nerves were so traumatized and they are trying to heel if the socks and the shoes keep them from breathing??? I don't know but Im going to walk in my Keen sandals in the morning and see if it feels ok again. I did get my 13.1 miles in walking plus the 45 min in the pool which I would assume would be atleast another 2 miles...but my head had to see at least 13.1 on my garmin today - OCD - The pool is closed friday for the holiday but back open on monday so I will return. I may not be as obsessed and depending on how long I'm jogging in the pool maybe i will count it like a 20 ish min mile and allow it to count towards my 13.1.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-51916360128725425662015-06-27T16:01:00.000-04:002015-06-27T16:01:23.732-04:0021 days Post Spinal Fusion L4-S1So today is 21 days post surgery.....I hate to even type how things are going in fear of jinxing the recovery process. After the double Laminectomy I felt great immediately upon waking with the nerve pain gone but felt some left hip pains that were pretty sharp. I walked and did the EFX and some stationary biking during the recovery and had a total amount of stepping miles of 146 for the month of March. In january I had a step count of only 126 miles and that included 3 marathons and a 5K so you can tell how debilitated I became.<br />
In April my step mileage count was 137 miles...when I did stationary biking it doesnt register as steps so I did have some other forms of exercise as well. It was in April 6 weeks after the first procedure when the nerve pain returned but to the opposite side....nothing as severe as before but would have advanced to that over some time. Knowing I would be having surgery on June 6th during the month of May I pushed myself to walk and hike and get myself nice and strong in hopes that it would be an advantage in recovering. I walked and hikes 161 miles during the month of May.<br />
Surgery was June 6th and 3 days prior I went and walked a half marathon in northern ohio so that I could be surrounded by my running family and have a little bit of mental therapy before the big day. I was incarcerate from Thursday the 6th and was released Sunday the 9th. The first evening was the worse where I didn't even have the strength to move my body...actually all 4 days were horrifying but each day did get a little easier. By saturday the 8th I was walking around the floor of the hospital 3 times and did that 3 times during that day. I never pushed and one time I cut it short and did only half a loop because I was tired. When I got home it was still tough getting up and down but I have always felt better when I moved rather then the pain from sitting or laying on the incision area and then the initial movement causes some pain as well. After I was home for a couple days I began some short walks outside. They started with a couple .25 mile 3 times a day and they rapidly increased each day...again I have not once pushed myself...I have paid close attention to how I feel and if I would get the slightest feeling of discomfort I immediately turn around and head for home. It was day 11 and I was out walking and things just felt so good that instead of turning where I had been for a 1.50 mile total walk I just kept going...nice and slow. I ended up going 3.2 miles. I was concerned and called the doctors office to see if this was bad even though I wasn't pushing at all. The nurse said to listen to my body and that was a lot for someone that isn't even quite 2 weeks out and to absolutely not do anything else but walk...No bend lift or twist and no other forms of exercise. The next afternoon and evening I had more of the hip sharp pains that I had been having so I decided to back down to my 1.5 mile distances for the rest of that week. I still went and did a walk every couple hours but just kept them shorter in distance. By Saturday I was feeling ok so started to bump them back up again and I could feel my pace getting a little faster....still I AM NOT PUSHING myself. This week now I have been averaging about 15,000 steps a day,,,Tuesday thru today I have been doing in excess of 7 miles each day...with the longest walk being the 3.2 mile route when I wake up and then I follow it with distances that range from 1.5-2 miles a couple more times during the day. I can say today my hip pain is starting to disappear. I still have incision pain when I sit back or lay down on it but I feel the best when I am moving and walking. My pace is getting much faster too. I managed this mornings 3.2 in about 50 minutes but I wasn't going for speed just walking comfortably. I also stopped during this 50 minutes and talked to some people I say.<br />
I have no intentions of trying to run or jog until the doctor tells me I can. I know the titanium has to heal in there and make my spine strong again so jarring things could really mess things up....but the way I am feeling I believe some speed walking and some longer distances will be there much sooner then I ever dreamed! I think running will be there much sooner then I ever dreamed but I would guess its going to be still at least 4 or so months out...but thats a lot better then 1-2 years as suggested before the surgery!!<br />
My first follow up will be this Tuesday and I believe he will X-ray and see how things are looking and then give me a plan of action.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-90697680951825957472015-06-17T18:00:00.001-04:002015-06-27T15:21:10.121-04:0011 Days Post Spinal Fusion L4-S1So Im 11 days post op and I start to feel like I am some sort of medical marvel...first with the knee years ago being told I can't run or would need a knee replacement within 2 years but then year and half later decided to run and did 88 marathons/ultras and now don't have any swelling or bruising of the knee? I feel like I should be hurting more but my walking get longer and stronger everyday.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NIFasSWf2Fb81wyRP2cYdD85zyT86sVzlTxSodhxk5gRrjJWeiDFsfRvQpR_MgVOa7ZCW1hF0CngaRvYcnYHnCScRn47NnQyeli0CKyx2Pr9QH0TLsmqmH7eyHI0fKMnZIrz644XdK4/s1600/day11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NIFasSWf2Fb81wyRP2cYdD85zyT86sVzlTxSodhxk5gRrjJWeiDFsfRvQpR_MgVOa7ZCW1hF0CngaRvYcnYHnCScRn47NnQyeli0CKyx2Pr9QH0TLsmqmH7eyHI0fKMnZIrz644XdK4/s200/day11.jpg" width="150" /></a>I had my staples removed last friday afternoon - there was 23 of them...I had my mom take a look at it and it looked like a couple places where the incision was pulling apart some and I called my family doctor who removed them and sent a photo to his text but didn't hear back so I had mom go ahead and get some butterfly's and try to close the gap. It seemed to work then my son saw a gap in the middle where the incision was really deep and he did the same and the next evening it seemed to have gotten much better. There is some itching where it is healing and when I sit or lay there is some surgery pain in the center right side of the incision....kinda feels like a burning sensation when it hits me. My right hip still has some pain and I have some itching in the left upper hip. I am not sure which side he took part of my bone out to use as a harvest bone and I am assuming some of this itching and hip pain is probably from that. <br />
Walking feels great! Its so hot and humid outside but it feels good to walk. I started last week with just walking up the street and back 3 times a day and then by the weekend I was up to half mile 3-4 times a day. When it was too hot and humid I got on the treadmill at a 2.5-2.8mph walk for half mile. Things really don't hurt much when I'm walking...seems to hurt the most when I am laying and then have to roll or move positions. Nighttimes are still a little rough and I have to take pain medication at bedtime to help sleep and lighten up that pain of laying on my back or side and then having to move some. Yesterday it got pretty hot and humid so I took to the treadmill at a very slow pace and things felt so good I just kept going....I stopped at 1 mile and felt as though I could go more without any issues but chose not to.<br />
I woke today and had to go to work for a few to get a deposit together and a couple other things then when I got done I headed outside for a mile walk...but when I got going I decided that I would go on to Kinneys lane and back and I know this is 3/4 of a mile each way. It was 100% humidity but there was a little breeze and wasn't hot hot hot. I really felt good that it was almost scary. My mind started questioning if I will mess things up by walking too much but the doctor said the more I walk without pain the faster things heal. If it hurts stop...that simple. I know I am strong willed and stubborn and I can block pain very easily so i then question myself and wonder is it hurting and I just have blocked it??? But really it feels much better when I am moving. Steps are very easy, I am NOT lifting anything more then 5 -10 pounds and that is one area that I will not attempt. That area is one that I know can make things worse and there is no reason nor need to attempt to lift anything. I am able to do laundry and when it's finished Tanner brings the basket upstairs for me...even though it most likely isn't 5-10 pounds I will not risk that. I am not using the sweeper as tempting as it is when I see dog or cat hair laying around it is not worth it. I was glad Moxie (the cat) got her hair cut yesterday as that will keep down some of that.<br />
Most people who go into this surgery are older then myself and are not nearly as active. Last year even with the pains before surgery I averaged 250-300 miles a month of walking/running then after my surgery at the end of February I still averaged 150-176 miles of walking each month. I didn't run but stayed walking. Even when the laminectomy didn't work as we hoped I still stayed active knowing this recovery would be less painful the healthier I was going into it. I had stopped the pity party that first part of May and stopped eating all the ice cream and junk and took 10 of the 30 pounds I had put on since last year and 20 some alone since Jan off. I had a couple bad days this week but when your son makes you a homemade banana cream pie, crust and all then banana bread from scratch whats a mom to do :)<br />
I have already started thinking of new goals.....I know in November I will do just the half at RnR Vegas and walk it....but I am thinking I will be able to start back to running a little at a time by then and get training for RnR Nashville in April. I also am signed up for RnR NOLA in Feb and the full there has a 7 hour time limit so walking with little bits of jogging shouldn't be a problem if all goes well. I don't think I will be able to do California International the first of December since it is a 6 hour time limit and I don't think I will be running enough by December to get me there in that time but I have not written it off yet. I was signed up for several events when we hoped the first procedure worked and had no idea I would be having major spinal surgery. California International allows for deferral but heck its $49 just to defer so I am not sure what I will do and have till the middle of November to decide what I will need to do.<br />
My spirits are high and I have received so many cards from friends all over the place. I pick one randomly each day to read - my dream is to have one a day each day of my recovery...at first the doc said I would be 1-2 years with no running so I took it as 1 year....after the surgery he felt it was a realistic goal to look forward to possibly doing RnR Nashville as my comeback marathon.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-28400450431990389852015-06-10T15:02:00.004-04:002015-06-10T18:40:33.660-04:00Recovery Starts HereI only had six weeks pain free after the double Laminectomy on Feb 23 then the left glute area started with stage one of the nerve pain...I call it stage one because it was the same nerve pain that left me debilitated about 6 months prior when that began on the right side and wouldn't go away. I had plans a week later (first week of April) to spend a week in southern Utah where I was planning on do the ZION 100K again...I already knew I would be unable to do that but I love the area and decided to volunteer at the event and then spend the week with my friend Amber checking out places I didn't get to see the year before. The doc had put me on a steroid pack a week or so before going to Utah hoping it was just inflammation but that didn't help. Once I got to Utah I knew it wasn't going to be a good outcome since the steroids didn't help at all so I hiked and enjoyed every minute I could. I had to take some rest breaks but it was all worth it! About week 10 I went back to the Doctor and had another MRI.....I had the MRI locally on a tuesday and that evening the Doctor himself called me at 6:30 pm.....I knew that probably wasn't a good sign. Sure enough I was still a complete mess and one of the disc were completely gone. When I went back in to discuss it with him he asked me to be honest about my prior recovery since the one disc was completely gone and I told him...I was good...I only walked...no running at all. I told him about my hiking in Utah the week or so prior and he said that wouldn't have done anything as it was already done before I left for there so he didn't mind at all me doing what I love. I did have to shovel 18 inches of snow off my roof less then a week after the first surgery since my roof and flat and my drains were completely iced over so nothing could drain. A couple days before the big snow some water had started coming through and I got out there then to get the ice off while I waited on someone else to come up and help. They finally showed up and took over and I had made arrangements with them knowing that this big snow was coming to come out and shovel it for me. The day of the snow he was suppose to come in the evening but didn't show and said he would be there by 11:00 the next day since it was going to get to the 50's so it would start melting and i could lose the entire back room if that happened....11:30 came and I called...said he got tied up at another job but would be right out....1:00 comes...nobody and its getting warmer...I call no answer. Tanner was still in college so I had no choice and I had to get out there and do it myself. My doctor was aware but said you had to do what you had to do and then said it may not hurt anything that some do things by the book and still have problems so do something they shouldn't and don't have problems. We don't know if that played a factor and at this point it doesnt matter why and he knew the spinal fusion was going to inevitable anyways but we were hoping for a couple years down the road.<br />
Being such a major surgery it took time to get insurance to approve and with my age it took a little more since most people don't have this type of issue at my age. I was scheduled for June 6th.<br />
The Procedure that was done was<br />
1. L-4-L5, L5-S1 laminectomy and facetectomy<br />
2. Posterolateral theses L4-L5 and L5-S1<br />
3. Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion with preparation of interspace L4-L5<br />
4. Placement of 10X20 mm Crescent PEEK intervertebral biomechanical device L4-L5<br />
5. L4-S1 segmental pedicle screw instrumentation with pedicle screw system<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaHoCAmyi78tJo0xhZ74oyvagdJl2W6OZUkLkn8MX-gtTU6StLH7lU7DAWZx3SNSjD29rFG0S2-wi2tr5mqy6hjK5N-yruZGBhRUbtnxqiBZOCo6RUxBXb0nspEpvPIkVchxjbh8ulWA/s1600/SF1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKaHoCAmyi78tJo0xhZ74oyvagdJl2W6OZUkLkn8MX-gtTU6StLH7lU7DAWZx3SNSjD29rFG0S2-wi2tr5mqy6hjK5N-yruZGBhRUbtnxqiBZOCo6RUxBXb0nspEpvPIkVchxjbh8ulWA/s200/SF1.jpg" width="150" /></a>6. Harvest of local bone through same incision<br />
7. Use of Porgenix and Magnafuse moralized allograft for inter body and posterolateral fusion<br />
I was unable to eat of drink after midnight the night before and surgery was scheduled for 12:45 with an arrival time of 10:45. I took a xanax before leaving as I was very nervous. I arrived and found he was running late and my time would now be 2:00. My IVs were attached and the things on my legs so they would be able to monitor how close to the nerves he was during the procedure. My mom took me and was allowed to wait in the pre op room with me...poor thing couldn't stay awake.<br />
The doctor came in to talk with me and then the anesthesiologist and shortly after I was headed back to the surgery room. As I approached I started getting more scared- I am glad he started the anesthesia right away because I was almost in tears with fear...what if something went wrong..this is my spine<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7A17ysn-rzDXQHa08Ynp6TBxeFM46Lsu2hz7n_p1VkmFFZG9uLhx4M8X6LZVB4_PlYt9udI5I5JAMub-_f4UHc_j8TBiEsK8yOYAsz4CJTkAmS_57PZRJGvjwd_WblXUwGHrA5hCjzHg/s1600/SF2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7A17ysn-rzDXQHa08Ynp6TBxeFM46Lsu2hz7n_p1VkmFFZG9uLhx4M8X6LZVB4_PlYt9udI5I5JAMub-_f4UHc_j8TBiEsK8yOYAsz4CJTkAmS_57PZRJGvjwd_WblXUwGHrA5hCjzHg/s200/SF2.jpg" width="150" /></a>the back bone of my entire body and well being. It didn't take long and I was off in my happy place and had no idea what was going on. When I woke up in the recovery area they called my family to let them know but I was only able to lay there. After about 2 hours and no room for me to go to they allowed two family members to come back....Tanner and my dad had arrived by then so they came back. Tanner snapped this pretend it doesnt hurt like hell picture and we visited for a few and then the waiting game for a real room began again. It was almost 4:30 hours till I got into a room. When I arrived my folks and Tanner came in and it was rough. I had major hip pain going on...they thought from the position I was in during surgery as well as nerve damage and the position after surgery. I felt like if I could just stand up for a few it would feel a little better....now comes the most frustrating and scary part. I tried and tried just to raise my butt and hips off the bed and I had no strength to do that at all! I was scared I was so frustrated and I tried so hard and just couldn't do it. I said again I really need to stand up and move and so they had someone come in and teach me to try to bend the right leg then roll it over to the left...try to much and lift my hips up so my body would lay on its side using the bed railing and the bed and this was so hard!!! I finally got to a side position...next step was to let my legs roll over the bed and then push my upper body erect....again very difficult and painful but I finally made it up. They put a walker in front of me and I pushed and they helped to get me to stand upright. I asked to try to walk and they went with me a couple steps into the hallway to the nurses station and back...that was enough and it helped with the pain that I was having in the hips. My folks left and Tanner and my dad went on home...Mom was staying with my brother so she was close if needed but it was also my nieces bday weekend so she got to spend some time with them shopping and enjoying a visit. Im not one to ask for help and why come sit and stare at me in the hospital. Once I got settled into my room and bed they gave me an ice pack because the hip started to hurt again as well as my quads and every muscle and nerve in my lower body. I honestly felt so weak in the legs that I thought I had ran a Hundo! They started me now on stronger pain medication through IV and that would last about 3 hours so every 3 hours or so they would come check on me. Night one was rough and around midnight the new nurse on duty came to empty my drainage bags and my catheter - about an hour later I had so much bladder pain and the urge to pee that it almost had me in tears....I reached over to see what was up with the catheter and the nurse that changed it had it draped over my hand rail so all my urine was draining back into the bag. I called for help and finally someone came and fixed and got it going correctly but after that the bladder pain and pressure never went away. Morning came around and this same nurse told me I need to order breakfast at 7am...gave me a menu and left. About 6:45 I called and said I was told to order breakfast but have no clue how to do it because she gave me a menu and left? She came back in and said I need to call this number 3663.....I said ok...but how do I call that number with what??? She then reached way back behind me on a wall and says oh here is the phone. I ordered some raise bran and hard boiled egg. The nurse then came in and took my catheter out and did some charting and I told her I had to pee and she said no you don't you just feel like it because i took the catheter out...so 15 min goes by and the nurses are changing shifts...I start to try to get myself up when they both were in there and they said what do you need and I said I need to pee....now the nurse from hell said we can help..all you have to do is ask...I said I did...I told you I had to pee and you said I didn't. I finally got myself up and used the walked to get to the bathroom and I peed!!! I had to then have a bladder scan the next 3 times I went to be sure my bladder was getting empty or close to empty each time. The doctor came to see me and I told him about the nurse from hell....he said all went well but he wants me to have a bone scan when I am healed to see if it may tell more about my bones and what type of Arthur I may have. He said he was so surprised how weak my bones were with my activity level and that the 78 year old man before me in surgery had stronger back bones then me. He then said it is something congenial which the only person that had arthritis was my dads mom and she passed away very young so nobody really knows what kind. I don't have joint pain as would be expected either. He felt the surgery will be successful and we started talking running. I had walked a half marathon 3 days prior to the surgery...It was one of Mainly Marathons series of 7 states 7 marathons in 7 days and it was starting in Northern Ohio...about a 4:30 hour drive and the RD gave me a free entry and was sharing a room with a friend. It wasn't about doing any distance and I didn't care if I did half,full or just a couple miles...it was mostly for mental therapy as I needed to be with members of my running family before I would go under this major surgery and would be off for quite a long recovery. I am so glad I got to go...I stopped at the half and got an extra medal to give to my Doc....signed the back with a date and gave it to him after surgery and told him to keep that so if at 92 years old I break Harriet Thompson marathon record she broke the weekend prior he would have this from me :) He has done only one full marathon and he said he would like to do another but he cramped up around mile 20-22 and had to walk some and stretch...not that there is anything wrong with that but he really wanted to be able to run without walking...I told him he should do the RnR Nashville with me in April next year and that it is part of St Judes so he would have a medical connection and really think he would enjoy that....at that moment he said that will be our goal for me to be able to do that marathon in April! I loved this goal since at first he has to tell all patients that they should expect to not be running for 1-2 years. Of course we don't know how the healing and recovery process will go but hey its a goal and its a great goal!!!<br />
OT came in and taught me how to put my socks on and took me around the hallway. We started with the walker and when i got in the hall she asked if I wanted to try without the walker and I said yes...she had a tie around me for safety that she held onto but I managed a loop with out the walker. Mom Allison and the girls came over after bday shopping and stayed about an hour and the girls walked the hall loop with me once. I was not allowed to walk without someone being with me. PT was suppose to come but never showed up that day.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFU1h8g9dEVEOm_MGgw6exLgnmHITSvrTns2yvMRaEj8ZsTDKHRe40dCC-xYhdIMfnOhLngTEbYqAdrao9yCZQmbFxTPTzJpKSNFvQp_qOLdD1zwQWxiTT1F_hDGNZR1RxTJHIpo4AGM/s1600/SF3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdFU1h8g9dEVEOm_MGgw6exLgnmHITSvrTns2yvMRaEj8ZsTDKHRe40dCC-xYhdIMfnOhLngTEbYqAdrao9yCZQmbFxTPTzJpKSNFvQp_qOLdD1zwQWxiTT1F_hDGNZR1RxTJHIpo4AGM/s200/SF3.jpg" width="150" /></a>Friday they also came in and changed my bandage and took one of my drains out. The hook looking things on that photo are where the drains are. Throughout the night I had to pee so many times and its such a huge process just to get myself up. My ab muscles even feel like that have pulled away from my skin due to the stress of trying to maneuver my body and then I use everything in me just to push myself to a sitting position then on to stand. I do a count to three then deep breath in my nose and blow out the mouth before each movement. They giggled once and said they have never heard anyone count to 3 before but it works!! That evening I had a surprise visit from Tanner and his friends....It was nice because I was ready to walk the hallways but you hate to push the call button because they workers are so busy with other people you don't want to bother them to come walk around the hallway with you. They brought me a cream horn from Schmidts and I only ate the top off it with some cream - I was afraid too much sweets would cause some bowel issues and I think the body heals better with less sugar. The 4 of them took me two laps around the hallway, we looked like someone very important with a good looking posey around them.<br />
A big storm came through and they hung out for about 90 minutes and then I went to sleep for a bit. Sleep is very tough...I only needed the IV pain medication Friday night and stopped that in the early Saturday am but Saturday night about 1:00 it was unbearable again...I kept pushing the call button on both sides of the bed and nothing happened....the call button and remote was on the table but I must have forgotten to bring it closer to me during a potty time. I did some breathing and managed to get myself to sleep for another hour then tried all the call buttons again but those don't work....I managed one more time to breath myself to sleep and then the gal came for vitals and I told her the buttons on the bed don't work and i couldn't reach the controller...she got my nurse and the pain had gotten too far out of control that she had to do the IV meds to get me back to a manageable level...then I started back on the oral doses and things seemed to be fine.<br />
Saturday mom stopped over and brought me some chipotle...I ate a little but don't have much of an appetite still. She stayed for about an hour or so and told me about my nieces bday presents (they got her an electric guitar!!) My niece has been learning guitar for awhile and is really good...she is also super artistic...she just turned 14. She was excited to open her other presents and had to wait till grandma got back so there isn't much to do but sit and stare at wall in a hospital room so mom headed back after an hour or so. She checked to be sure PT would be there today too. We were hoping my other drain would be removed on Saturday but there was still enough drainage that they needed to keep it in. PT did come and taught me to do steps since I have steps in my home. She also walked me around the hallway walker free!!! She let them know that I could now walk the hallway with out assistance as I chose. I had another great surprises on Saturday...that afternoon my old Pastor that got reassigned Pastor Kym James and her husband Frank brought me balloons and he brought his guitar and they played and sand me a couple songs. We all prayed together and it was very refreshing.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7pHnlb7uKm3hMZJs9k2xVHCklcT4I-h4BxMpDtJdGJXzdCFDM3mwpCR5ye1TR9Nn9ImRImi5bRxJX0GPsUGm6kUOb6wPvlLXMrH1jEnRV4vi4II9PArsEpP1hxWJ-01ZbGIgCcKdAUo/s1600/SF5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ7pHnlb7uKm3hMZJs9k2xVHCklcT4I-h4BxMpDtJdGJXzdCFDM3mwpCR5ye1TR9Nn9ImRImi5bRxJX0GPsUGm6kUOb6wPvlLXMrH1jEnRV4vi4II9PArsEpP1hxWJ-01ZbGIgCcKdAUo/s200/SF5.jpg" width="150" /></a>Sunday morning came and I got the ok at 5am to take out the drains but the nurse was busy and had to check in a new patient. Then at 7 am the shift changes so I had to wait till the new nurse got situated....finally an hour or so later she came and changed the dressing and removed the drain. It thought removing it would be like a sigh of instant relief but it wasn't. I got released and we got home around 1:30 in the afternoon and got settled in. It felt good that night to be in my own bed and I really worried about not having the rails and such to pull on to get up but I found it easier getting in and out of my own bed. It is now Wednesday and I have been home for about 72 hours and things are improving. I am a little concerned with the top of the incision as it looks like a big sac of fluid and almost feels that way too. I iced it last night and today it seems to have gone down a little but I did call the docs office to let them know. She suggested it could be scar tissue forming and she would let him know and get back with me if I should be alarmed. I walked outside today about a total of 300 steps...my goal was to make it to the end of the street but I came up short and decided to turn around. As of around 9 pm last night I haven't taken any pain meds but I think I will have to after while. I had a headache and was allowed to take tylenol and that has helped. <br />
My son when he first saw my incision was like OH WOW....i said what is it draining or something wrong and he says no.....it just looks like you have a giant extended butt crack half way up your back.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpGXOB8mXnUizofPmgeYhVJhqXDR5TfAr1WP7kR-mROODD1ZsUHEEuS1AjNgqYU06rOJVEjcmKMA73qyeBCMBD1GxhonNAen03SRRIoFswHNnfG8qnUl8gbUSmhqLfE8-oVxEjQCvHeQ/s1600/SF4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpGXOB8mXnUizofPmgeYhVJhqXDR5TfAr1WP7kR-mROODD1ZsUHEEuS1AjNgqYU06rOJVEjcmKMA73qyeBCMBD1GxhonNAen03SRRIoFswHNnfG8qnUl8gbUSmhqLfE8-oVxEjQCvHeQ/s200/SF4.jpg" width="150" /></a>I managed another walk this evening and the total steps for it were 585. I have no need to push myself as I want things to recover the way they should. I have had a strange smell in my nose all day. Years ago I was told I had Ol Factory hallucinations where people smell a smell that is not there and I really haven't had them to to bad the past couple years but maybe being in there with all the nerve has brought it back on...lets hope it is temporary because its very annoying!! One smells something but can't even describe what it is...its not foul its not pleasant its just a weird ass smell!<br />
The first part of May I started tracking again with Whale Watchers since I had gained over 20 pounds since the first of the year. I was so depressed and the comfort food really did help...plus before the first surgery I couldn't even stand without crying for longer then 30 seconds so ice cream and junk became my go to. I lost about 8 pounds that month and the week since surgery I lost 3.5 so Im in the right direction. Trying to eat lots of protein so the muscle and such will heal quicker.<br />
Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-42765511110346773862015-02-25T10:42:00.001-05:002015-02-27T11:26:16.187-05:00Best Birthday EverI have to say this is one of the best birthday's and birthday week. I actually slept the best I have slept in over 10 months!!! I had surgery on Monday and had some anxiety and nervousness about it because when the doctor came in to speak to me and my folks before surgery he explained in clarity how I need a spinal fusion and his success rate with the procedure he decided to do Monday is usually 90-95% but he could not say that in my case. Then I wondered why didn't we just do the fusion...but he spoke before I could ask and said how he knows what my activity level is and he did feel mentally I could not handle the recovery from a fusion and it would be almost a year before I could run again with that. I understood this and he is right...the past 6 weeks of pain and being stuck on the couch caused me to have so many selfish thoughts of not being able to hold on another day but I did - I have a amazing son who called from college and checked on me everyday and told me how much he loved me!<br />
I only told a few friends about what was going on because I don't like people to know when I am in pain or not doing well. I learned a lot from doing that as well....I learned some of those that I thought were close friends really are not -I guess I thought telling those I felt were my closest friends meant I cared about them enough to let them know what was going on and thought they cared enough about me to support me and keep me positive. Instead I learned that there were a few who I told when I saw at a Doctor visit or if they saw me crippled over in the grocery and could tell something was wrong and came to me in concern that those were the ones that have really been there for me more so.<br />
Lets get back to the surgery/miracle for now - We stayed the night in Columbus on Sunday night as I had to be to the surgery center Monday am. I got all checked in and they came to do my IV. The girl doing my IV was rough and kept pushing so hard and the vein popped and I passed out...next thing I was hearing was 3 nurses saying stay with us stay with us and the anesthesiologist asking me questions about allergies while I was just trying not to hyperventilate and at the same time the other nurse starts to put the IV in my other arm. I then remember the anesthesiologist say she will wait a minute LOL...ok yes please do because I can't hear a word you are saying right now. I had to sit up for a minute to get bearings and then the other nurse got my IV in and it bleed everywhere. Wasn't my morning for needles and at this point I am so tired of needles and hospitals and doctors. After that is when the doctor came in to discuss what we were doing and what I need done etc. When I got to the surgery room I guess during the anesthesia I kept fighting it asking the doc if he thought I would be recovered enough to run 100 miles at Nanny Goat in May and all these other events. After the surgery when I woke up I just I started on those questions again. haha. He told my folks boy she's a stubborn one isn't she :) He also told them I have a lot of permanent nerve damage and that a spinal fusion is eminent. He did say no to 100 miles at Nanny Goat in May haha He also say no to even the 25K at Zion in 6 weeks mostly due to it being unstable trail and risk of falling right now. I am planning to volunteer but will get his permission and what duties and hours I can do it.<br />
I got to the recovery room and I did wake quickly and recovered quickly. My surgery took about an hour and I was on the way home by around 10:30. I could feel the incision pain and even though it was a small area it felt like the entire back of my lower back....I could already tell the pain in the glute hip and down the leg was gone. My folks went to get the car and the nurses said I probably wouldn't see him until my follow up because he has surgeries scheduled all day and typically just speaks to the family after the surgery and goes in for the next one. He stopped in to check on me as I was dressed getting ready to leave and I told him I could already feel the difference and again asked him about running LOL. I did this because my mother only heard that he said no to running trails and long events and NO 100 milers..and he said no to 100 miles in May and trails right now because of falling and injuring a disc since everything has just been opened up. Falling now could easily rupture something else so I need to let it heal and be careful. I respect that and I will follow orders but when my mother started telling me I wasn't going to be running I was completely let down because thats why we didn't do the fusion right now and did this procedure so I would recover faster and be at the things I enjoy doing quicker. I was so glad he peaked in before I left because I woulda gone crazy not knowing anything at all about recovery before the 13th when I go back.<br />
My mom came and washed the orange off my back yesterday and then I got into my shower and washed my hair....wow I washed my hair and body without having to hold on to the towel bar crying and praying for the shampoo to rinse out faster!! That was the first in 6 weeks and was an awesome feeling!! I can walk to the bathroom. I can stand and make a sandwich.....all the small things we take for granted and when they are taken away from you its a terrible thing but when a doctor can give them back to you its a miracle!Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-58549593195860078482015-02-20T10:07:00.000-05:002015-02-20T10:07:21.181-05:00Good NewsCT for the nodule on the lung...there are actually two of them and I was told a lot of folks that live on the Ohio River it is common for these to appear. I was told to recheck in 6 months and if no growth recheck again in 18. I feel positive about this and the Dr said not to worry.<br />
4 more sleeps and I should be pain free!!! This is going to be the best birthday present ever!!!<br />
In my free time I have been writing out what I want to sign up for as soon as I find out how long the recovery is going to be. If the doc feels he can fix me and that I will be able to train and complete Ironman Louisville in October then I know I will be able to add many more events! Zion is April 11th and like I said I know its not gonna be a go for the 100K as I planned but will see about the 50K and if not I know he should let me hike the 25K!! I will then have 3 weeks till the Flying Pig 4 way. This is a 5K 10K on Saturday May 2nd and then the marathon on May 3rd. I know I won't be as fast as I was not that I was super fast haha but I will be starting my comeback from a month off! Then at the end of May I am really looking forward to Nanny Goat 24 hour event in Riverside California. I do not have a mileage goal in mind...the only goal I have is to have a wonderful time and see old friends and make new. Next on the schedule is in July which is the Capital Reef 50 milers....this one is going to be amazing!! Amazing hard due to the altitude of the event...I think I read 25 of those miles are at an altitude of 11,000 feet! Hoping the scenery keeps that altitude sickness away. It didn't keep it away at Pikes Peak but I don't quit and will get the job done! Next thing on schedule is Ironman Louisville in October.<br />
So I've been writing out what I want to do once I see how my body rebounds and have some awesome things on tap!! I know on Labor Day Weekend I will do The Race of Ages in Tenn...this race is a timed event and you run your age in hours!!! So I will run as many miles as I can in 47 hours! Its kinda a handicap for older runners....those fast young'ens may cover 100 miles is 22 hours which is their age but someone 65 will have 65 hours to go further. I have read there are a lot of older folks going to this one already!! I can't wait.<br />
These are my must do this year list -California International, Flying Monkey - which I can not wait to do!! Last year I had a double state weekend that if I missed I would not have finished my 50th state in December and the 2 previous years JFK 50 miler was the day before and logistics just wouldn't work.<br />
St Judes, Will put in for MCM lottery and hope to get into that again this year. I am the type that loves to do double marathons on the weekends if I have to travel further then 6 hours to get there. I am hoping to do some of the Mainly Marathon series to be able to visit with those extended family members.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-3032110485979185282015-02-16T10:34:00.003-05:002015-02-16T13:23:12.232-05:00updateI haven't posted much because I have just been depressed and kinda stuck on the couch. I did the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Double Double which consisted of a 5K at 7am followed by a marathon at 9am each day. It was in Allen TX with unseasonably cold temps. NYE was just cold and windy and NYD was an ice storm. I still felt better when I was running and would get up a couple hours early to take my medicine so that when it gets closer to time to leave things start to kick in a bit and its a little easier to get dressed and put shoes on and move. After the Double Double I had 2 weeks off and then was a pacer at Mississippi Blues on Jan 10 and ran First Light in Alabama on the 11th. This was my first pacing gig and I had a blast. I think knowing I was going to be having a new experience helped me keep the pain at bay. I had 8 folks start with me and 8 finish with me. 7 were original starters. At first light I really was hurting and had to take a lot of pain meds....running with a group of anywhere from 6-18 and I had everyone high fiving at each mile like I did the day before makes the time go much faster. We were hooting and howlering and really had a fun time! When I returned home I was scheduled for a myleogram since the week before we tried one last injection...this time in the L5....it didn't help at all either.<br />
The myleogram was a test where contrast dye was injected into my spine and a CT scan was done after. The results of this test showed why the other options had not been working because things are much more severe then what the MRI even shows. There is severe spinal stenosis in 2 places, a synovial cyst near the L5, severe arthritis and a couple disc are blown or something? After the myleogram I had some spinal fluid leakage and was ill and on bedrest for almost a week. The pain in the hip/glute/leg has become unbearable and pain medication doesn't even touch it.<br />
My doctor got my appointment with the surgeon moved up because I was almost at a point to drive to the hospital in columbus and see if I got lucky with that surgeon being on call. I have never experienced pain like this in my life and each night I don't want to go to bed because by 8 or so in the evening the pain has subsided some and I know around 2or so am it will wake me up and start all over.<br />
I got to see the surgeon and his first impression after seeing my test results were that I need a spinal fusion...this scares me. We discussed this option and he became aware of my activity level and could tell what it means to me at this point of my life and then he decided he would like to try a minimally invasive surgery first to relieve the pressure on the nerve ending with hopes it will work and buy me 3-5 years before a fusion. I now am hoping this works and I again will be a medical marvel and not need the fusion in 3-5 years....remember 4 doctors told me I would need a new knee by 2012 if I continued to run and at that time I had only ran a couple marathons. I have to be hopeful even though it is unlikely as what I have are not injuries but conditions that are most likely hereditary but we don't know where they came from. My fathers parents were in there early 50's when they passed away..he was still in high school and my mothers family didn't have any issues and actually lives forever. I do however have those genes of my mothers side of the family with health related issues when it comes to cholesterol levels, sugar, blood pressure etc.<br />
Just when you think you can't worry more I had to have a pre op chest X-ray....this X-ray shows a small nodule on my right lung which is recommended to be checked better. So they have told me that being small it is probably nothing to worry about and that 1 in 500 people will have a nodule show up on a chest X-ray and 60% are non cancerous - but being a formal smoker of 3 packs a day - stopped 14 years ago - we are not just going to monitor it to see if it gets larger in 6 months they are going to do a chest CT with contrast this week.<br />
My back surgery is scheduled for monday the 23rd...2 days before my birthday. I have no clue what the recovery is but when I told him I was signed up for Ironman Louisville in October but I did buy the insurance because of my shoulder issues and not knowing if I could swim as well as when I signed up I was just getting my hip and back issues looked at and had no clue what was really wrong but knew the pain I was in things were not good. The good news is he felt that the surgery he is going to do will work and that I will be recovered to be able to train and do the Ironman - this is positive however I have not registered for any other events that I had not already registered for until after the surgery and I see if it works and how recovery goes. I can't wait to wake up after the surgery and see if the pain is gone!!!<br />
I am schedule for Zion 100K which is only 6 weeks after surgery and I haven't been able to really move since Jan 15th. I am still going but they have a 25K and 50K option which depending on what the doctor says I will drop to one of those...I can hike them - I know I won't be able to run the mountains and jerk the back around that much that soon but I would hike out there all day long!! I am staying a week and my friend Amber is coming down from Montana so we are planning to make it a girls week getaway....not focusing on the event at all rather then checking out the area and hiking lots of cool places. I think that will be great for recovery!!<br />
The downfall is weight gain....Im unable to do anything but sit on the couch in a certain position. I can't stand longer then a few minutes at a time without wanting to cry so Im not cooking anything healthy and grabbing what ever is easy. Being on different types of medicines trying to find something to help with the pain has it's side effects but right now I don't really care. Somedays I don't eat hardly anything because my stomach hurts because of the pain and then somedays lots of ice cream and comfort food is what helps. I know once I get fixed I will be back stronger then ever and will get the weight off...sometimes I tell myself the more I gain the more I have to lose but it just seems to be the less of my stresses now.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-8213751169434610492014-12-24T12:47:00.002-05:002014-12-24T12:52:50.578-05:00The spontaneously semi planned finish of a marathon or ultra in all 50 States<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-iYZU9QQ6B-tpOwnrBGLYXsIqw1r3q3yiiWDwS-hZ9042H7W4qLY-GLXekbcdOmwEWfR5iL68bHb3MF_N27Uv-aAg3j-eWGjC5G1z4x-0fkuW_tRkZgvI6kULsaPe0McGz7yzuPVdUA/s1600/before.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-iYZU9QQ6B-tpOwnrBGLYXsIqw1r3q3yiiWDwS-hZ9042H7W4qLY-GLXekbcdOmwEWfR5iL68bHb3MF_N27Uv-aAg3j-eWGjC5G1z4x-0fkuW_tRkZgvI6kULsaPe0McGz7yzuPVdUA/s1600/before.jpg" height="200" width="113" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">me in 2002</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I have been debating how to write this for a week or so now because I like to talk about the entire trip that I was on during a run but I decided to make this post just about my unexpected journey in finishing a marathon or ultra in all 50 states...then I will post only about our Hawaii trip.<br />
<br />
For those that don't know me in 2002 that photo in the Nebraska sweatshirt was me! I had finally kicked a 3 pack a day smoking habit but had not began the other part of healthier living yet. It wasn't until shortly after my birthday at the end of February 2003 when I saw myself next to a couple friends and I was twice there size that I decided enough was enough. I lost about 90 plus pounds by watching what I was eating and I started exercising and lifting weights. I found losing was the easy part....keeping it off was much harder!! I had also learned this once before in 1998 when I lost about 80 pounds but immediately gained it back plus a few more. I was not going to let this happen again so I decided that I needed to come up with different goals to keep me motivated and working out. I started biking and swimming and attempting to run. Boy do I remember the first time I ran a complete mile without having to stop and walk once!!! Heck I remember when I ran my first TWO BLOCKS without having to stop and walk!! I always enjoyed swimming and had done some century bike rides in the past....long past but I had done them....so I started researching triathlons. I discovered there was events called sprint triathlons....these were only about a half mile swim, 12 mile bike and a 5K run....sure I can do this!!! I ran into an old friend from school days at the local gym and convinced her we both could do these- she was already a runner and swam but wasnt into biking yet. Soon we were signed up for every sprint triathlon in 2004 that was within reasonable driving distance. Our first one wasn't as "easy" as we expected and even being swimmers throughout our lifetime, myself even certified in SCUBA...we both panicked in the water and doggy paddled, side stroked and laughed and cussed the entire way until we finished that swim!! We exited the water laughing and cussing about that was not what we expected as we casually walked to the transition area to get out our bikes for a "short" 12 mile ride....we then said to each other - opps we are in a race...lets get to our bikes. After the bikes it was off to the 5K run...wow that was weird...we had never trained to run after biking and learned that day we need to do this more often. We did finish and I tell this story because this was the beginning of my "obsession" some may call it? <br />
By the end of 2004 I was running my first Half marathon with my friend Ginny Sturgill...we did the Columbus Marathon as a relay...I did the first half and she did the second half. I believe my longest run was maybe 2 9 milers....I will never forget the last several miles of this run when I would stop at the water stops...I felt if I stopped I would not be able to start going again and so eventually I just had to keep on shufflin to get done. Oh my did it hurt when I was done and then I had to wait for 2 hours for Ginny to finish. After that half marathon I never would have dreamed I would do any distance longer then that!!! When the 2004 season ended we were already looking at goals for the next year....we had to bump it up a knotch so we continued with some sprint distance but also jumped into the Olympic Distance and did 3 of those that year. By 2005 we were ready to try the 70.3 triathlon distance...this was 1.2 mile swim 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run. Throughout the past couple years we met folks doing this crazy distance and were just in awe....and those that were doing FULL distance of 140.6 miles well that was just beyond reach!!! We signed up for a half in September of that year and low and behold we did it!!! Shortly after my left shoulder ended up having problems with swimming so I finally had it checked and I had tore my bicep tendon and labral tendon so I had to have surgery....the doctor put in 4 anchors and found a large bone spur that was shaved down and also pulled the ball/socket back together. This recovery sucked but I had it done in November so I had the winter off to recover. During the recovery all I could do is work on my schedule of what I wanted to do the next year.<br />
2007 rolls around and I decide we are ready to attempt a FULL IRONMAN!!! 2.4 miles swim 112 miles of biking then a full marathon 26.2 miles of running!!! I had never even done a marathon until this!!! We signed up for Ironman Louisville because it was the first year and it was fairly close. About 2.5 weeks before the event I had some bleeding in a place that was not pleasant and had it looked at from a friend sister that was a nurse at urgent care. It was a saddle sore that was bleeding and they gave me some ointment...however the next morning I awoke to the area being the size of my fist! I immediatly went to my female doctor and he had to lance it and stick some drainage tubes and sent me home with some antibiotics....the next morning I could not get my right leg to move out of the bed and was immediately admitted to the hospital and placed in isolation - I had MRSA Staph infection.....I was hooked up on IV's - nobody could come in without a gown and mask, they would change the medicine in the IV's every couple hours as they did not know what drugs would work for the strain I had so they kept changing them until the results came back 2-3 days later and they kept pumping me with those antibiotics. That was scary!!!! I was released the Saturday before Ironman Louisville....8 days before. I had 2 other friends doing the event and I took my stuff and promised my folks and Doctor that I would not do the event.....however I told myself and my folks the day before that if I can sit on my bike I will attempt it. And so I did - This was my first ever marathon too!!! I had about 1 mile left to go in the run (walk) and they came and took my chip- I was out of time...they told me I could continue or I could get in the truck and I said there is no way I will quit....there was a group of about 10 others around me....all had their chips taken but all of us decided to keep truckin. I finished the event about 30 minutes too late for an "official" finish but they did give me a finisher medal...I knew I wasn't an "Ironman" yet even though I finished the distance I did not finish in the allocated time so it kinda didn't count. I did the best I could and when you do the best you can you have to be thrilled with that!<br />
2008 comes along and it was time for redemption....I did the American Triple T which is a local event that consist of 4 events...friday night is a super small sprint tri saturday AM is an Olympic distance tri Saturday Afternoon at 3pm is another Olympic distance Tri and Sunday is a Half Ironman....all in the hills of the Little Smokies! I also did a couple other Half Ironman Triathlon and then complete Ironman Florida! My first official finish of a Ironman as well as my first official finish in a marathon since it was at the end of the event!<br />
2009 I decide I am going to do Louisville again and this time I was doing it with Janus Charities...a Charity group that you were able to chose the charity you would like to fundraise for and if you were one of the top 5 fundraiser they would also give your charity moneys!! I chose one close to heart...the Steven A Hunter Foundation <a href="http://www.stevenshopefund.org/">http://www.stevenshopefund.org/</a> With the help of the community I raised $14,000 good enough for 4th place and Janus graciously gave an additional $4,000 to the fund! Beside Ironman Louisville I did do two stand alone marathons for the first time this year...I did Myrtle Beach in Feb of the year and also was selected in the lottery for the Nike Womens Marathon in San Francisco. I stated seeing info about ultra running and boy I wanted to try this!!! 50 Miles or 100 Miles!!! Wouldnt that be freaking cool!!!! After the Nike marathon I was having lots of pain in my left knee. I am the type that will not see a Doctor unless conditions interfere with my daily living and it was getting to become an issue. I had the knee scoped in December of 2009 and they found that 3 of the 4 compartments were pretty much bone on bone so he performed 3 microfractures,,,,this is where they drill holes in the area to try to get new cartilage to grow. Recovery was very frustrating, I biked pretty much immediately with the seat high and eventually started on the AMT and EFX. After months I was trying to run but the pain in the patella was excruciating - We tried an unloader brace but eventually was told if I continue to run then I would most likely need a new knee within a couple years. I ended up going to other doctors for other opinions with the same outcome. After Doc 3 the very next day was the drawing for the NYC marathon and I had entered!! Of course I did get selected. 2010 was a recovery year but I was determined to get back. I did some triathlons, sprint, olympic and even a half, I also did one half marathon and I did walk the NYC marathon. In 2011 my right foot which was the opposite side of the knee was causing issues, issues to were I would have to crawl to the bathroom at night, finally that was diagnosed as Tarsel Tunnel, surgery was suppose to happen but the chance of fixing the issue was only 50% chance and it would require 1 month in a cast and 2 months in a boot and I was going to come back no matter what any doctor told me!!! I had seen people running without one of their legs, I was reading about folks running long distances the day after chemo-was I going to let these doctors tell me I can't do something?? There are no guarantees....I may need a new knee but heck I may not even be here in 2 years to have to have one!!! By 2011 I saw one last Doctor....he looked over all my MRI's, surgery photos etc and he said "I will not tell you NOT to run and I do NOT see a new knee within the next 2 years but I will say if you run you should try to keep it to a couple times a week and only about 3-4 miles each time." That's all I needed to hear and by the end of the week I had found my first 50 mile run that I was going to attempt!!! It was called Labor Of Love in Henderson NV. It had a 24 hour time limit!! I could do this!!! I did buy trip insurance just in case case. I had put on about 20 pounds of the 90 I had lost in 2003 and I decided to get serious about getting that off and so I did...I took off that 20 plus another 15 and believe it or not the tarsel tunnel got better!!! Or I just adjusted to the pain??? I leaned how to block the pain in my knee and at times it would swell and even bruise where the bones would rub.<br />
I knew I needed to sign up for events to keep me running longer distances so that I could train for the 50 miler, I also knew if I didnt sign up for events then I would not stay out there by myself running these long distance in the cold of the winter. That winter fortunately was very mild but I did do my first 50K in January of 2012, a COLD nighttime marathon also in January in Indianapolis, and 3 other full marathons leading up to the 50 miler. On April 21st I did my first 50 mile run!!! I had also learned that if you do a marathon distance or more in at least 10 states you qualify for the 50 States Marathon Club. I had done 5 marathons including the ironman's in 2008 and 2009 and just the first half of 2012 I had now done a 50K 4 marathons and a 50 miler and all were in different states so I actually was qualified for the 50 states club!!! I then decided cool....I think I can do a marathon in all 50 states by the time I am 50........I was 44 so I had 6 years to do 40 more states....I stared researching my last state at this time...and I found one that happened the weekend of my birthday called Cowtown in TX...I also found that on my 50th Birthday it would be ON my birthday. Well.....things didn't happen that way. By the end of 2012 I had learned of another group called Marathon Maniacs<br />
<a href="http://marathonmaniacs.com/">http://marathonmaniacs.com/</a><br />
I also learned about double marathons/ultras where you do a marathon or ultra on one day and do another the very next day!!! FUN STUFF - I had finished 3 50K's TWO 50 Milers...I got into the oldest 50 miler in the US called JFK50 (named for John F Kennedy) <a href="http://www.jfk50mile.org/History/Default.aspx">http://www.jfk50mile.org/History/Default.aspx</a> and 10 marathons - Crazy as it sounded I waited by my computer on the day that the Umstead 100 mile ultra marathon registration opened because they sell out in a matter of minutes......It was meant to be because I got in!!! It was schedule for April 6 2013 so I now had my 2013 mostly planned starting it off with a 50 miler on the island of St Croix in the US Virgin Islands. That winter was not as forgiving as the winter before so I did do a lot more traveling to the southern states for double marathon training for the Umstead 100 miler. I was meeting the same folks at each event and truly formed a new edition to family....my running family! I finsihed Umstead 100 and I was on top of the world. It hurt and it hurt bad but I wanted more. I discovered a company called Mainly Marathons <a href="http://mainlymarathons.com/">http://mainlymarathons.com/</a> This company is owned by an amazing man named Clint Burleson. He puts on series of marathons on consecutive days in adjoining states....Now I thought this is cool and major crazy!!! So I signed up for the one called Center of the Nations....here I could knock off 5 states out west in 5 days! It is here where I honestly can say family ties were made. I met the most amazing people and made the best friendships that continue today.The 5 in 5 days was nothing like I expected....I never once went to bed or woke up thinking damn I have to go run another marathon...instead I woke up with a WHOO HOOO I GET to go run with all my new friends. My 2013 ended with 21 marathons, 4 50K's 3 50 milers and 1 100 miler. I thought to myself what in the world can I do in 2014.....I then started to see how my states were adding up and discovered that I could finish in June of 2015 if all went as planned. I would do CO/KS together with mainly marathons in the spring of 2015 and then finish in Kona in June of 2015......again....it didn't happen this way.<br />
I was having trouble with my right shoulder this time and it came to a point where I could no longer get my clothes on and off comfortably so off I had to go to the Doctor....damn...now the right bicep tendon is torn and I had to have 2 anchors put in.....as I told the Doc lets schedule it right away because in 3.5 weeks I have a series of 6 marathons in 7 days and then I have a lot more on tap for the rest of the year. The look on his face was priceless but he knows me well. I said it is perfect timing since I do have 3.5 weeks until my next event so I will have that time to start recovering.<br />
I did have to wear the sling and power walk the majority of the 6 marathons but I finished them. These 6 were in the New England States and my son Tanner got to travel along....he got to meet all my friends I run all over the place with and after that week he finally "got it" he realized why mom runs so much and saw how much fun we all have. He was learning about the marathon maniacs and started asking me questions about things he was hearing like how many "stars" do I have.....stars is a way the marathon maniacs credit folks for different accomplishments....I told I knew I had 8 because last time I logged in it showed 8 but I didn't know when I got them- I never really pay attention to those details...I just sign up for events and have a great time and complete them.<br />
He started checking my stats because folks were talking about 10 stars...this is the highest level you can achieve as a maniac. So during the traveling he started counting up the different states I had done and the period of time they were done in and found that if I did 32 states in 365 days I would reach 10 stars....he then discovered that if I finish the Storm the Dam in Kansas that would get me to my 10th star! I get asked all the time how many marathons or ultras I have done and I can honestly say I don't know unless I look on my results page where they are all listed and count them up. I didn't know which state was number what until I had 5 left...then I knew what state I was on. I know I will know what number 99 and 100 will be when that time comes and it will probably be next summer. It is not a "goal" and it will happen when it happens. I could get it done a lot faster if I wanted to back out of some 24 hour events and ultras but I would much rather enjoy the events then chase numbers. In looking I have done 81 marathons distances up to one 100 miler....with 76 of these being from January 2012 through December 2014.<br />
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For many years my cousin Maggi Apel and her husband Matt were stationed in Colorado Springs and out their window was a view of Pikes Peak - I would always admire those photos and I knew of the Pikes Peak marathon well before the days of me even thinking of running but I always though how cool would it be to climb that mountain and one day I will!! I then read a couple places that it is considered one of the toughest marathons in the World but I thought yeah right...they are just saying that...kinda like Warrior Dash and Spartan races are the "toughest" races in the world - I knew Pikes Peak Marathon usually sold out fast and it really wasn't on my radar for my 50 states journey but one evening before going to bed I made the mistake of checking my face book one last time and I read my friends Scott Sunday's post that Pikes Peak was still open however it was 98% full!! I had a qualifying time and I ran downstairs without any thought and accidentally signed up! Oh - and I do NOT recommend Pikes Peak for someone chasing their 50 states as your Colorado Marathons -Ok...so now I have CO scheduled so I won't be doing the CO/KS together in spring of 2015 so I need to find a Kansas marathon. This I did and my friend Heather Waugh and I drove 12 hours to do Storm the Dam Marathon!!! I was still recovering from my shoulder surgery and could not use my right arm...this was a muddy mess of a race where we had to pull ourselves up several mud slopes...at one point I wondered how in the world I would finish the second loop with my right arm- then I would remind myself if I didn't finish this I wouldn't get the 10th star and I also knew that I would be as smart as I possible could be when I am running and try to really listen to my body to not do more damage- I pulled through and I did finish!! I don't know whether it was from this event or not but after I returned home my shoulder was still hurting so he did a test by injecting dye and a MRI and found the rotator cuff was now torn.....IT is STILL torn because Im not doing that surgery again until I HAVE TO!<br />
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So now back to the states......I now had all states scheduled or completed except for Hawaii...I didnt wanna wait until June now and I really wanted my son to be able to go who is a Junior at University of Cincinnati so which Hawaii can I do???? HONOLULU!!! It is December 14th and his finals are the week before so if he could take any early he could go!!! I signed up and waited to book flight for awhile for him to check with professors and he decided he could not go...(of course he never checked cause at that age they kinda know it all) I went ahead and booked and I was going to finish state 50 with just my running friends. 2 and half weeks before I was heading to OK ad AR for a double and stayed with him at his apartment, the night before he tells me that his finals are over and he can go! WOW I was thrilled but also nervous with airfare that close and would the same flight be available- To my pleasant surprise his airfare was $20 less then mine and we got on all the same flights. My folks then decided they would get him the ticket as a Christmas Present....it actually feels like a present to us both!!<br />
I had another friend Jim Collins that was finishing his second time around the 50 states in Honolulu and also my great friend Troy and Cathie Johnson who have ran 221 marathons together- I was a little concerned because I hadn't ran in about 3 weeks...I have been fighting some depression due to the conditions with my back and hip (NO IT'S NOT FROM RUNNING!) I have had physical therapy, several injection one to the sciatica and one to the SI at this point with no relief and even though I do feel much better and less pain when I run - it is hard to get myself out there on a typical day to do it because I get into this poor me mode.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsT_A9onW7qBLhch6Oi7ejBafZAmjJL9RMggfm2IDbovH9TtImcjgVf23xMuNztS3HCGuu6AvZxsiTdSfPiQcYd2y2e6h2ukS5-edRc3vQzzJ-oGFy3u1seTQ6tE1u5VB45YJeo8B1tN4/s1600/IMG_4132.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsT_A9onW7qBLhch6Oi7ejBafZAmjJL9RMggfm2IDbovH9TtImcjgVf23xMuNztS3HCGuu6AvZxsiTdSfPiQcYd2y2e6h2ukS5-edRc3vQzzJ-oGFy3u1seTQ6tE1u5VB45YJeo8B1tN4/s1600/IMG_4132.PNG" height="200" width="112" /></a>The weather for the race was actually perfect....it was a light rain most of the day with some heavier rains sporadically and light winds with a few gusts but nothing unbearable. I think without the rain and winds it would have been tough with the heat. Cathie, Troy and I ran the entire run together and had a blast!!! I had taken a surfing lesson the friday before the event and Chris my surfing instructor was waiting for me at mile 20 with a stella in a plastic bottle for me to take along with me.<br />
Tanner was waiting at the finish with my 50 states finisher shirt and it was so cool seeing how big of a smile he had!!! It really didnt feel any different then any other events? Im not sure if it is because it was kinda an unplanned goal and one that finished much faster then when I started thinking it out? I just know I'm ready for the New Years Eve and New Years Day Double Double Event. Through out this blog are different write ups about most of the states I have been to - I usually type fast, nor do I prof read so read at your own risk. It is more for me to recollect later and for my son if he choses to.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpamgi3D8K5InuQZHGfIgFISLF8m_cYRge0LqmOjQrwOeOry7FRu3mghrIpcO-Sml-vtFpIBlmAFFfiVFsld9kaWLddHXR6xBJvARm3XjcwzAvEmdRYJzEULQBRan72JO-nD6IXYF-ruA/s1600/IMG_4106.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpamgi3D8K5InuQZHGfIgFISLF8m_cYRge0LqmOjQrwOeOry7FRu3mghrIpcO-Sml-vtFpIBlmAFFfiVFsld9kaWLddHXR6xBJvARm3XjcwzAvEmdRYJzEULQBRan72JO-nD6IXYF-ruA/s1600/IMG_4106.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-84716977736344279982014-12-04T18:29:00.001-05:002014-12-04T18:53:38.966-05:00"Don’t be discouraged. It’s often the last key in the bunch that opens the lock"This is going to be a lot of ramblings as my mind is just a mess and can't seem to grasp all this pain. I have never felt so weak, so "un tough" in my life. Somethings gotta give and soon.<br />
Tuesday while shopping for the First Day of Winter Half/Full/50K that I am hosting on December 21st with my mom the pain was so bad I was just trying to lean into the shopping cart to get the pressure off whatever is pinching whichever nerve that is being pinched and would just break into tears. I am at a loss? I hate to wake up because I know as soon as I step out of the bed the numbness in the toes and the right side of my anterior side of my leg will be pins and needles and my lower hip/glute area will be unbearable pain for the next 6 or so hours until I have enough pain meds in me to finally take a little of the edge off.<br />
Today's appointment was to do EMG's to make sure there is no permanent nerve damage- I asked if any of this could be related to the tarsel tunnel that was diagnosed in 2011 and he said that nerve issue run down not up so my hopes of that were shot down. The tarsel tunnel is still there and has not advanced (even though the doctors wanted to do surgery on that years ago I refused because it is only a 50% chance of fixing the issue with 3 months in a cast and boot) I do not feel the kind of pain like I use to from the tarsel tunnel but the kind of pain and pins and needles I face and have been facing for quite sometime is something I have never experienced and do not wish it upon anyone. We did find during the EMG's that there is no permanent nerve damage that shows up so that is something that I will take as a positive.<br />
After the EMGs we discussed what can we try next? He seems to feel this is a back issue and not a hip issue even though there is stuff wrong with both parts as reported on the MRI's but he explained a hip issues will not lead to the pins and needles that I have felt for 24/7 for the past 8 plus weeks now or the pain that is beyond words that I feel in my hip and glute. We have tried a shot in the sciatica....did nothing.....two weeks later we tried a shot into the SI joint.....again nothing. So discussing what's next aside from there is nothing else he can try we chose to try an injection into the L4. Injections are done on Wednesdays and we leave next Wednesday for Hawaii where I will finish my achievement of running a marathon/ultra in all 50 states!! So the injection will have to be for the Wednesday I return. My biggest worry is how in the world am I going to function while I am not running and enjoy my time with my son. The pain pills don't take the edge off until I have had 2-3 during the day and I can get into a position on the couch and the pain level drops to where I don't wanna cry. The worse part about pain like this is it can be so easy to get addicted to pain killers due to the unbearable pain that is felt and people take and take the pain pills just to get a smidge of relief. We did decide to jump up to a stronger medication to have with me in Hawaii but I try to not take anything until I am into tears....which lately has not been often. He also feels the tear that is next to the L4 where the spinal stenosis is is most likely the culprit....he knows how I feel about surgery and it scares the hell out of me. I don't have time to be down for back surgery! I don't want someone cutting on my back and my spine! What if they slip and I get paralyzed? So many thoughts but also what are the odds of it working.....I want 90 percent or above but don't think I will even get that. So far I have tried to just brush off that option and the look I got today about what is the next step I could tell that a referral to a surgeon was probably next if the L4 injection gives no relief. So when I asked what is next and that I really can't imagine surgery on my back and I got the look I said I pretty much have to learn to live with it? There is no way I can live with this pain so I pray and pray that the L4 injection will help on December 17th!!! If it doesn't I guess I will have to consider what to do next.<br />
I know I have said over and over that I want to take off 15 ish pounds that I have put on in the past 2 years-I get depressed with all that's going on and then eat crap and then feel worse for doing it. I also justify that I am healthy because who can go run a marathon every Saturday and Sunday and not be fit...which is true but I also feel better in my other clothes...I feel better when my shirts fit a little different. I then justify that I am still 85 pounds lighter then I was in 2002...but now I have to tell myself - Before surgery is even an option you MUST try to take off 15 pounds and see if it relieves any of the pressure that is on whatever nerve that is causing so much pain. The doctor does not see an issue with my weight and did not recommend that I need to lose weight but when I gave him my thoughts and analogy of weight on a nerve etc I then asked if he thought it would relieve any pressure and he said it is possible - anything's possible...so I think I really need to try this as an option as well....and if I tell myself doing so could lighten up the pain a bit it is worth the try!!<br />The reality is nothing can fix what is wrong with my body but we just need to find something to take the pain away. I do not have an injury that can be fixed. I have degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, arthritis and conditions that can not be reversed. What we are looking for is what is causing the pinched nerve that is keeping my foot,calf and outer anterior area numb.....what can help relieve the pain that causes tears multiple times a day in my hip, back and glute area. What can allow me to get into my car without having to crawl into it. How can I lift my leg without tears to put on my shoes and socks.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-63610840563366781102014-11-26T19:56:00.001-05:002014-11-26T19:56:14.392-05:00Arkansas / Oklahoma Double......States 48 and 49The Wednesday before the run I had the shot in the SI Joint....again - it was<br />
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not as painful as I expected however it didn't help either. I drove to Cincinnati on Thursday to stay with my son and he and I were going to get some Christmas shopping done and go to dinner as soon as he got out of class. While we were at dinner he said to me...."what day do you leave for Hawaii" and I told him Wednesday December 10th and he then informed me that he thinks his finals are finished on Tuesday so he would be able to go. I was so excited but also had to remind him that "I TOLD YOU SO" all through the summer before classes even began, and if they were not over by then if he simply emailed the professors and asked to take them earlier odds were favorable. I didn't harp on that point but I did have to make it. So now Im thinking - not quite 3 weeks out....how much is airfare going to be! I was pleasantly surprised that his ticket was actually about $20 less then<br />
mine. I was able to book all the same flights but our seats are just close, I<br />
am hoping someone will trade with us. He will have to drive to Columbus right after class on that Tuesday and we will fly out early am on Wednesday.<br />
Now to this weekend, i stayed at Tanner's apartment and he said he would get up and drive me to the airport Friday morning...yes it meant leaving his apartment at 4:15 am! He wanted to have my car for the weekend too and it would save on airport parking cost. I flew into Springfield MO and had a 2 hour drive to Cotter AR. The weather all week had been calling for pretty much 100% chance of rain. On race morning the weather then started to look like it would hold off until around noon or 1:00pm.<br />
The start and finish was about a mile apart and the run took place on a road that travels along the White River- It was cloudy to start but temps were in the high 40's and windy. It was an out and back twice- I made it to the half way mark and then the rains came. It got windier and I was getting cold. I passed an aid station and asked one of the volunteers if they had an extra trash bag and the guy working the station was wearing one and gave that one to me. The volunteers were great and aid stations were nicely placed but there wasnt any type of crowd support except for the aid stations....and no beer stations! It continued to rain and the winds would kick in and I was glad to have that trash bag! I hadn't been running much and knew I was doing a double so didnt want to go to hard but also wanted to get done at a decent time so I could make the 4 hour drive and get to packet pick up for Rt 66 before it closed at 6pm. I also thought if I go faster I will get dry quicker but then I would remind myself I was driving for 4 hours so wouldn't be able to stretch and after the run on Sunday I would be flying home that night. My hamstring,hip, glute on the right side would get a little tight so I would try to kick it up to stretch it out, as I did this my toes, calf and anterior tibialus would immediately turn to pins and needles. I hate this!!! So onward I would run so that I could wake it up. There was about 4 miles left and the rain had stopped and you could see a little bit of sunshine behind the clouds so I ditched the garbage bag....I jinxed that one!!! Within 10-15 minutes the rain and winds came back stronger then ever. I started to run 2 utilities poles to 1 utility pole until I got it done. I got on the shuttle right away and got back to the starting line and grabbed some dry clothes. They said the shower was just around the corner and I had a few extra minutes to spare to grab a quick one but I went around the corner to 5-6 different doors and never found the shower. I found a restroom off the gym and changed into something dry. They had some pizza and sandwiches so I grabbed a bite to eat and took it with me and off I headed to Tulsa.<br />
The drive to Tulsa was in the pouring rain...it rained so hard at times it was hard to see out the front windshield. My clothes were drenched so I decided to crack the windows in the car and turn the heat on high and full blast and placed my wet clothes on the dashboard to dry. I thought I can deal with the smell to get them dry because I could only imagine what they would smell like after being in my suitcase until Sunday night!<br />I made it to the pack pick up in plenty of time, stopped and got my marathon maniac corner wrist band as there was a special tent for maniacs and 50 staters at this event. I then stopped over at the 50 states booth to see Clyde, Kelly, Steve and some others. I didn't stay long because I was so ready for a shower and just wanted to stretch my legs.<br />
The start of the race was walking distance from the hotel and this race again finished at a different location then the start. This race didnt start until 8am so it was nice to be able to rest a little bit extra.<br />
Weather forecast was calling for rain again here all week but it looked like it was going to totally stay<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8dbBubwlOc2SsX6BC9ABHj9xOcSqr59TuBFtWtp_0PjaZwrDup9e-HIaTe_sZ6iQm1TQq9EfRdHAtNlo0vW0KsNGCHMvBbqmEwwt0QewqV2hTb2KU788Q9CP83cmvKCNRt5Ogv0AP8s/s1600/IMG_3806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8dbBubwlOc2SsX6BC9ABHj9xOcSqr59TuBFtWtp_0PjaZwrDup9e-HIaTe_sZ6iQm1TQq9EfRdHAtNlo0vW0KsNGCHMvBbqmEwwt0QewqV2hTb2KU788Q9CP83cmvKCNRt5Ogv0AP8s/s1600/IMG_3806.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKUcRq4BbmyEHgZIJeDdybXwIN18ZungLOG8K3qZgPljp48zFjY4BbFHO0mDLFaiHY5sXSsNBVI5oAf5opqNvjdDPQ2UtwyKS2LOJ0CLwHiTHXVaBCiOR3E76z_9fSnCBo6bBqP89B3Q/s1600/IMG_3808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGKUcRq4BbmyEHgZIJeDdybXwIN18ZungLOG8K3qZgPljp48zFjY4BbFHO0mDLFaiHY5sXSsNBVI5oAf5opqNvjdDPQ2UtwyKS2LOJ0CLwHiTHXVaBCiOR3E76z_9fSnCBo6bBqP89B3Q/s1600/IMG_3808.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>away for the day! It was however cloudy and the humidity was 90 percent! I was hot and thankful that I brought a singlet to wear. <br />In the beginning of the race I come upon a guy running in the lampshade from A Christmas Story...I ran ahead and jumped off to the side to get his photo...this was awesome!! I guess he has been running it the past couple years. I knew by mile 4 this run was going to be a blast when I came upon the first aid station with amazing jello shots....I grabbed two and they were strong but in a tasty way. Wasn't long after and I saw some folks out in their front yards with red solo cups, I have learned that when folks are in their front yard drinking from a red solo cup during a marathon this typically means they have beer somewhere....I have also learned if you ask they love to share it with runners!! I got my first can of Miller Light here and found that even though running with a can of beer still foams off the top it is not near as heady as a bottle...After 2 shots and a beer I could feel a buzz already, I am sure it was due to the high humidity levels and some dehydration going on. I was also hurting some from yesterday's run so I was glad to see up ahead another jello shot station!! They also had cherry bombs here. I drank a cherry bomb and grabbed 2 more jello-shots. I wanted a spare because I didn't know what the second half of the course was going to bring. I had a jello-shot and stuck the other in my pocket and ran on. About a mile or so later I came upon a guy who was really struggling and trying to do some stretching....so I stopped and said...you look like you need a jello-shot? He said yes I do...so I grabbed my spare out of my pocket and told him I took an extra at the last station for emergencies and I think this is an emergency....he agreed and thanked me as he ate the shot.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2WsDvWQwYQiCt2cZes_ZiLX3Scn_xhIy7zgcZhuL4ZloNQc_YJGP6DaL3250vPpIAzlVqsm0rO9R_1njxac3gmIXYO4rNBb0tDLfsduL3AIrOjuiH4oON_6Ldyi1Z6_TtVWVutVEy4w/s1600/IMG_3817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2WsDvWQwYQiCt2cZes_ZiLX3Scn_xhIy7zgcZhuL4ZloNQc_YJGP6DaL3250vPpIAzlVqsm0rO9R_1njxac3gmIXYO4rNBb0tDLfsduL3AIrOjuiH4oON_6Ldyi1Z6_TtVWVutVEy4w/s1600/IMG_3817.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>Up ahead were some other folks drinking from their red solo cups and I stopped and said "where is the cooler?" One of they guys pointed to another and they acted surprised by what I asked and then I had to say in plain terms..."where is the beer?" The girls then giggled and said on the back of the truck...would you like one and I answers please!! Here I got a bottle of Coors light....this is when I made the realization about drinking and running from a bottle verses drinking and running from a can.<br />The humidity and wetness did cause my arms to start chaffing and the Vaseline was not doing the trick. I had brought my marathon maniacs head buff and finally had the bright idea to pull that on the arm that was feeling the worse and tuck it under my bra for an instant sleeve!! It helped!!!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyC40nyrsOnSK9xKSqZrbNwxRgUqw0qBq1RbZVVIdCJpveWlo0tBu0pb6LFEDKWbHQho7AH9fjCD9MaaO_wTueENPhwYw3oPUojXgyvmnFjYc20jyeo5GogresxjPKa5C7lNacX3disY/s1600/IMG_3827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyC40nyrsOnSK9xKSqZrbNwxRgUqw0qBq1RbZVVIdCJpveWlo0tBu0pb6LFEDKWbHQho7AH9fjCD9MaaO_wTueENPhwYw3oPUojXgyvmnFjYc20jyeo5GogresxjPKa5C7lNacX3disY/s1600/IMG_3827.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0sjL6zPuQXJ5uANrM7RW16IUSxsVcBXg30IYVW3DB4ZWbtlX6XQ9g0kgJq8eIoX3bpmettNcU3lpUAUPyUgmNOei-lSAuaWzhscYkilVAZKVqORn6rlFRXp4O2EXdRY42-4Hil1RauU/s1600/IMG_3826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI0sjL6zPuQXJ5uANrM7RW16IUSxsVcBXg30IYVW3DB4ZWbtlX6XQ9g0kgJq8eIoX3bpmettNcU3lpUAUPyUgmNOei-lSAuaWzhscYkilVAZKVqORn6rlFRXp4O2EXdRY42-4Hil1RauU/s1600/IMG_3826.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>I never remember what mile is what and heck anymore I don't even wear my Garmin...but it was really cool when we got to the Rt 66 sign! On the second half there were quite a few folks set up with beer stations and I would just drink the baby cup instead of asking for a full one...by now I was feeling a good buzz and it was helping the time go by much faster. At a blue moon station I ran into my friend Dennis and we chatted for awhile - he was on a run walk ratio and I was on my own run walk ratio- the whenever I feel like running I ran when I didnt I walked. The foot and areas with pins and needles tend to be prevalent when I walk but I also wasn't able to run as much as I hoped. Before I knew it the sign to take the Center of the Universe detour was in front of me...signs counting it down...400 Feet...200 feet ahead then the turn sign. It was only .30 miles extra to take it and you received a little coin and a nice big glass of ice cold beer from a beer wagon at that turn around. After the detour there was just about a mile to go. The hotels offered 3pm check outs for runners which was amazing!! However, being an 8am start time and having ran a 5:10 the day before and all the pains I have been in and was in I really worried about making it back to the hotel in time...plus we had to find the race shuttle to get us back. I finished and was honestly shocked that I finished in 5:49. Not a good time but considering the circumstances I wasn't expecting that. I did go through the finish line quickly and headed to the marathon maniac area to get my maniac medal...i didnt go into the special area because the shuttle was there ready to go and I really wanted to be able to shower before heading to the airport. It all worked out perfect, got the hotel, showered headed to the airport and had plenty of time to grab a wonderful buffalo chicken sandwich and boarded to Atlanta then onto Cincinnati. I arrived at 11:30pm and Tanner came over and picked me up...he surprised me with my favorite Beach Club from Jimmy Johns. We got back to his apartment and stayed up talking for an hour or so and I needed to get a count on my race I am hosting on Dec 21st so that I could call and order the age group awards and stop and pick them up at the amish place on the way home the next morning. <br />I can't believe that I have now finished 49 States!!! Plus DC....plus US Virgin Islands - I still don't know how many total marathons/ultras I have ran without looking though. 2.5 weeks and all 50 will be done! WOW!!!<br />
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Today I went back to the Doc for more options. With so many things on the MRI's and paper it's kinda going to be trial and see what works. I trust my Doctor Terry with my life so what ever he recommends I will do. He doesnt just read the MRI papers, he looks at the actual MRI screens and watches for other issues the radiologist may have missed etc. He does still feel like treating the back before moving to the hip due to the foot still being asleep and the achilles and calf having the pins and needles and cold feeling. So tomorrow now I will go in with the same routine but this time he will go into the spine and find the sacrialic joint and inject there....I know that this is going to hurt! I asked him how bad it is going to hurt and he kinda looked up at me with hesitation trying to come up with a comforting answer and I just started to laugh and said it's gonna hurt like hell isn't it. He giggled too and of course told me some say its not bad some say it hurts....After that injection I will be running White River AR Marathon on Saturday and then Rt 66 Marathon in OK on Sunday....I will say again...once I start running I do feel better - it's all the other times I wanna crawl in a hole! So after the injection we will see if that helps at all but also will do EMGS on my nerves on Dec 4th. I really should be a study patient for some new Doctor out there!!!Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-51989542918699564342014-11-15T20:29:00.005-05:002014-11-15T20:29:48.806-05:00Chickamaugua Battlefield Marathon - Georgia - State 47!Getting closer to finishing all 50 States.....kinda surreal as it was not really a goal but became one when I started wanting to run long distance events and needed marathons for training. This is going to be short and to the point so I dont forget to write a little something about the event. The drive to Fort Oglethorpe Georgia was only about 6 ish hours so wasn't a bad drive at all. I arrived and went to the church for packet pickup and found a panera bread to grab a bagel for Breakfast. I had totally forgotten to pack and gels and at the expo the place selling gu said there would be plenty on the course so I didn't purchase any. I did however grab an extra cinnamon raisin bagel at a grocery and put a couple pieces in a small zip lock baggie to pack in my waist belt as an in case case and was glad I did....there was no gel on the course but there was bananas and some sort of strange liquid product in a packet a little larger then Gu's- I can not for the life of me remember what they were but I do know they were not that good...the texture was kinda applesaucy and were a company I had never heard of. The first time I tried one it was a quick taste and that was it....I stuck with my 3 tiny bagel pieces I had packed and a small little banana from another place. I found myself later getting a little hungry and sucked one down as fast as possible so it didnt touch my tongue. Now back to the beginning.....I decided to drive because the shuttles from the race to the hotels did not return until 1:30 and the hotel only offered late check out until 1:00. With the event starting at 7:30am I knew it would depend on the traffic if I would make it back to shower or not before having to drive back home 6ish hours. I thought if I left the hotel early enough I could get a decent parking spot so that would give me a better chance of getting back in time but the traffic getting to the race was unreal. This isnt a huge event either...maybe a couple hundred for all the distances but the traffic on the main road leading to the battlefield was bumper to bumper and not moving. Folks were sneaking around and trying to pull in front, typically in traffic I will let folks in but when there is only so many free parking spot near the race site Wait your Damn turn!! After not moving for almost 30 minutes I saw a church across the street where lots of folks were pulling into park so I switched lanes and headed that way. It cost $5 to park and was about a half mile or so walk to the start of the race but the church allowed you to stay warm inside and use their potties!! Totally worth the $5!!! I ran into my friend<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjwHsGPFtXI61Fwpw1V_nrT8pBx6C6KKpsaONBgLmngCWmOinlFlS6NRd-P8MrfxwgSj7kUMZQxdBEOEbB0GxdGwdacZk3PinYDG06lHFgO38Wrq00rn9OoYhYwc8s2e76hw_7m3zsu4/s1600/IMG_3552.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjwHsGPFtXI61Fwpw1V_nrT8pBx6C6KKpsaONBgLmngCWmOinlFlS6NRd-P8MrfxwgSj7kUMZQxdBEOEbB0GxdGwdacZk3PinYDG06lHFgO38Wrq00rn9OoYhYwc8s2e76hw_7m3zsu4/s1600/IMG_3552.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>Larry Wasson and George Boxley at the church. Larry and I walked over to the start together and it wasnt long after the cannon fired and off we went. This was a 2 loop course for the marathon with a couple loops around other areas but was very easy to follow. It ran on the roads mostly inside the battlefield and their were monuments representing different states and generals and such that fought the battle. There was so much history and it was a beautiful place. The weather started out chilly but soon the sun was out full and became a super pleasant day for 26.2 miles!! I know there were many times where I would look out across the battlefield seeing the cannons and all and just try to imagine what took place in that exact location I was running. I started searching the monuments for as many OHIO ones that I could find and took photos of about 5 that I found. I never was a history buff or did I listen in school much when it came to history but I had never heard of the Chickmaugua battle....even though the State of Ohio was involved I don't know if maybe we were not taught about it because it is further to the South or if I just wasnt paying attention.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCeflvp2uMiel9URO1025oGwfzrAIAbfaiy0EQ10BAFLv-4l6x_zxKkRmtUM_tuJN72amnB1j2KzTZj7kiLuhXJ5BDGC9UOekFrfV1xrv9KiLA9lXHjc9xYkf6GcxWa2kyLva0ocIr1s/s1600/IMG_3562.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCeflvp2uMiel9URO1025oGwfzrAIAbfaiy0EQ10BAFLv-4l6x_zxKkRmtUM_tuJN72amnB1j2KzTZj7kiLuhXJ5BDGC9UOekFrfV1xrv9KiLA9lXHjc9xYkf6GcxWa2kyLva0ocIr1s/s1600/IMG_3562.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>I havent been running with my Garmin now for quite some time - I knew what time it was but wasnt calculating pace or anything like that. When I finished I had about 15 minutes to get to the hotel and take a shower before heading home so the choice was do I grab some pizza and soup and kick back and enjoy the food and the park afterwards or do I hurry and try to get to my room for a shower before driving home....I chose to eat first. I walked back to the car and got to the hotel at 1:06....I walked up the steps to my room on the 2nd floor hoping the card would work but nope it was invalid.....so I headed to the lobby where the lady from the night before that checked me in was and I proceeded to the public restroom with towel and a change of clothes. The reason I bring this up is because she said they were doing something new by extending the check out to 1pm and I showed her where the shuttles don't even return until 1:30? She didnt seem to get it. I also told her a lot of hotels will have one room open for runners to shower - she didnt seem to get what i was saying about that either. So I went into the restroom and started running the water, washing my face, and other body parts in the sink.....I took my hair out of the pony tail and it was wet from sweat so I loved that when I brushed it out and it was wet it had the look of just being washed :) I packed my nasty clothes in a bag and walked on out with my towel draped over my shoulder....yes I was trying to have an attitude like you goofball...wouldnt you rather want someone to shower in a dirty room then in your hotel lobby sink ha. When I was walking out she asked how was your run? And I smiled and said it was great and I wanted to say and so was my shower in your sink but I didnt- ha<br />
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Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-3549122513047469162014-11-05T17:26:00.000-05:002014-11-05T17:42:17.740-05:00Running Conditions NOT Running Injuries<span style="font-size: large;">We all have "conditions" that cause pain during running just like we do in everyday life, this is why I call these pain conditions, not injuries. Shit happens and shit happens because it's life NOT because we went running. We can get knee pain, foot pain, back pain, hip pain, breaks and sprains just by getting off the couch and walking across the room. It is very hard for a runner to have these conditions and be able to talk about it because the general response we get is - oh you did that running, or see what running does to you, you shouldn't run so much.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I have been having some hip/hamstring and right side of the body issues now for a couple years. I recall right before Umstead being so worried that right hamstring and hip area was going to cause me major issues while running the 100 miler when in fact it never bothered me once, it was my left IT Band that acted up. Maybe the hamstring and hip did hurt but the pain for the IT Band was more intense therefore I didnt feel the other? I always say - if something hurts keep going cause it won't be long and something else will hurt more so you will forget about that pain.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">About a month ago I posted about my hip MRI results, I went ahead and had a shot in the bursa sac with no relief but refused to have the intravenous injection because I knew it wouldn't fix the issues but just hopefully relieve some pain. I want to be fixed!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The pain became more intense - I tried making an appointment with the Physical Therapist only to never have the receptionist call to set it up....now after 4 calls and still no appointment I am frustrated with that approach and no longer even trust that company to work on me.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Several weeks ago I had a lumbar MRI - Here are those results:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">FINDINGS:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Moderate degenerative facet arthritis at L4-L5 with grade 1 or mild degenerative</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">anterolisthesis be is edematous signal changes within the posterior elements of</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">L4 and L5 associated with the moderate facet arthritis. Combination of</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">hypertrophic facet arthritis thickening of the ligamentum flavum posterior disc</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">osteophytic ridging with a posterior annular tear and degenerative listhesis</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">contribute towards moderate spinal canal narrowing and moderate flattening of</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">the lateral recesses the neural foramina are mild to moderately narrowed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">At L5-S1 is mild underlying congenital spinal canal narrowing with mild to</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">degenerative disc disease with mild flattening of the thecal sac and lateral</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">recesses. No large focal disc herniation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">IMPRESSION:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Moderate degenerative disc disease.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Moderate facet arthritis most apparent at L4-L5.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Underlying congenital spinal canal stenosis.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">No compression fractures and no pathological marrow replacement</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> degenerative marrow edema.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Moderate narrowing of the spinal canal at L4-L5 and 5/1. Some flattening of the</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lateral recesses</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So now we have lots more "conditions" but not really sure what approach to take or if it is the back, the hip or both are causing all this pain and numbing down my right leg. My right foot has not totally returned to "normal" (no pins and needles) since Marine Corp Marathon which was 10 days ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I still honestly feel better when I am running but I have gotten myself in this sort of depression and I don't feel like going out for a run....I don't feel like being in town running where locals people honk, freaky guys wolf whistle and all the construction going on and dust flying everywhere. I don't know if its a "runners high" that makes me feel less pain while I run or if my analogy is correct when I think I feel better when I run due to having constant turnover of my legs which alleviates that constant pressure that is placed on the nerves that are being pinched by something when I sit, stand, lay or walk?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">On Sunday my friend Tiffany went and we ran out at Earl Thomas Conley park where I am putting on the First Day Of Winter Half/Full/50K on December 21st and we ran 8 miles...it felt fantastic! At one point I stopped to walk for a few and immediately my right foot started feeling the pins and needles so we started to run again and within a few seconds I felt better. I also felt good being away from the cars, the horns, the chatter, the rubber neckers and sorts.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Today I had another appointment with another Dr. I agreed we would do the spinal epidural injection to see if that would help relieve some pain. I trust this Dr. a lot and respect his opinions and options so that makes me more comfortable going into this procedure. I will have this done next Weds afternoon, I asked how long I would have to wait to run and he said about 24 hours then asked, do you honestly think you would listen if I told you differently. He knows I am going to do it anyways, but I think also if it was to be so detrimental that I not run he does know I would listen....(I think I would?) The good thing is that weekend I have decided against Bills Badass 50K so am going to take it easy, then have the double with Arkansas and Oklahoma the following weekend.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This weekend is Georgia for Chickamaugua Battlefield marathon, I would have had Georgia done except for last year the 100K got cancelled about 12 miles into it due to a blizzard. I have heard great things about Chickamaugua and am looking forward to running in a new place.....my escape from reality!</span><br />
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Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-48314635086772284082014-10-29T17:00:00.004-04:002014-10-29T17:06:09.143-04:00Marine Corp Marathon 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A couple of days before leaving for DC my mom and I found my fathers Marine Dog Tags from when he was in the Marine Reserve from 1961-1968 or 1969. He went through Basic Training but they never called him back in to do his weekend warrior things or anything else. Kinda lost in the shuffle. Good thing because<br />
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Geoff was born in 1966 and me in 1968 so who knows if we would be here today and he married to mom if things were different. Anyways...I put his dog tags on my Umstead 100 necklace I always wear but they clanked with each other too much and I knew that would drive me insane...so I found a simple ball chain necklace in my drawer and wore only his dog tag for the run. I left Saturday morning to drive 8 ish hours and stayed with my friend Nicole and her husband Brett. Another friend of hers from high school was running Sarah<br />
and she and her fiance Albert were staying as well. We had a couple beers and headed to this awesome place for sandwiches. I got to bed early because I knew i would be tossing and turning and even though the race does not start until 7:55am in order to get parking or even take the metro you must leave early. Albert stayed in bed and took the metro over later, we left shortly after 5am and where they are in the service we were able to park on the base and was a short walk to the start. We hung out in the car for a couple hours just resting then headed through security and stopped off for a quick potty trip and got into the start line right as the hand cycles were starting. There were about a dozen paratroopers jumping and in one group they were several jumping with the flag! Then the ospreys did a fly over and they were amazing! I already felt myself starting to get emotional just<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8d-PECshrnJ7AWJ01nKBHku8aY_XkWnzR9jSiGkkIus5yMUZtOtwNYVCSf79JS-Cwa7RgE7wbm7FsIEn7A7gWtuQn5h5EmZ1to05YgguUvkNXiKYfEZo94s___kVslJOxn8cc2aamlrg/s1600/IMG_3445.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8d-PECshrnJ7AWJ01nKBHku8aY_XkWnzR9jSiGkkIus5yMUZtOtwNYVCSf79JS-Cwa7RgE7wbm7FsIEn7A7gWtuQn5h5EmZ1to05YgguUvkNXiKYfEZo94s___kVslJOxn8cc2aamlrg/s1600/IMG_3445.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a>watching our flags being flown in the sky. <br />
I knew I wouldnt be able to keep up with Nicole and Brett but Sarah and I stayed together for a couple miles.<br />
I kept hearing BEAT THE BRIDGE...you must be at the bridge which is mile 20 by a certain time. They said typically in order to beat the bridge you must be able to hold a 14 min mile or less for the first 20 miles, however those that start in the back of the race and this race does not have timed corrals will be a little less then that due to the amount of time it takes to get to the start. I really wasnt worried about not beating the bridge and we started in the back of the race, taking us I believe about 10 minutes to get to the start line.<br />
I dont remember what mile we were on but I came across my friend and hero Steve Bozeman. I met Steve at JFK50 two years ago and got to see him again last year. This is one amazing man and athlete. Not only a running of marathons and ultras he has done the Double Ironman (4.8 mile swim 224 mile bike and 52.4 mile run 16 times) After meeting him at JFK in 2012 I thought someday I really wanna try a Double Ironman! He has also received two Purple Hearts for combat wounds as well as 18 Air Medals for meritorious achievement and is as humble as they come!<span style="color: #464646; font-family: arial, verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"> </span></span>I knew it was him from the back and came upon him and got to say hello...I decided to run ahead a little and stand to the side to get a photo of he and his friend as they ran with the flags. Funny too how the word facebook has become part of our daily conversations...he said facebook me with that one Jennifer :)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwzPt_NXfdEjYCO0R2mBdIy6CPZ39gnwOzpYJBrIesKzAV8Le54oj-8z7GFhDkfq5Jbj-33n9IBpTvW7I2u1hOSPsi54cU6MY0fZTZ8TvS6cmsI0k3sPf5s70Tqd3KoO52saXGgZle7A/s1600/IMG_3446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBwzPt_NXfdEjYCO0R2mBdIy6CPZ39gnwOzpYJBrIesKzAV8Le54oj-8z7GFhDkfq5Jbj-33n9IBpTvW7I2u1hOSPsi54cU6MY0fZTZ8TvS6cmsI0k3sPf5s70Tqd3KoO52saXGgZle7A/s1600/IMG_3446.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a>Sarah dropped off a little while after that to catch up with me a couple miles later. I had just dropped to either a 3 to 1 run walk or a 2 to 1 walk ratio and we got to run together for a little bit but it became a little too much for her. This was her 4th marathon and had not done one since last year. The temperature was super warm and sunny for the time of the year and I think that played a toll on many. Reading the FB post on the marine marathon page there has been so much talk about how hard the course was and how many people didnt get the times that they had planned or wanted. I kinda found it comical as I don't think I have ever had a time goal or time plan at hand...I just go out have fun and take it as it comes! If I worried myself with a time goal I would be totally stressed out and not having fun!<br />
I came upon what is known as the Blue Mile...here are signs of fallen soldiers with their photos and memorial - then there are folks lines up holding the American Flag and seeing all this I started to hyperventilate and my emotions were taking over. I found myself looking to the right into the river just to get my barring's back but had to keep looking away. It is so sad to see all those young soldiers photos that gave their life in order for me to have freedom.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_df79Z4mSawgPskQ0I4R1oG0kH9eiDa8E7fqkYdYTcONP59xfP3KQ3vysFx7PhpahQ9FiGSmCJDmV6ud0046KpXvwQzWxngilaTqOoPXa8M9vt0omUDiDdxjxtoBeMyNhe9D3LwQd3c/s1600/mcm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc_df79Z4mSawgPskQ0I4R1oG0kH9eiDa8E7fqkYdYTcONP59xfP3KQ3vysFx7PhpahQ9FiGSmCJDmV6ud0046KpXvwQzWxngilaTqOoPXa8M9vt0omUDiDdxjxtoBeMyNhe9D3LwQd3c/s1600/mcm.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>As we came into a park area and onto that running trail to the right was the river. There was a lady and her male friend making screwdrivers but they just offered a drink...I took a swig and didnt care about cooties or anything...heck there was enough vodka in that to kill off any germs. Just ahead a house boat came driving by and the man was holding up a sign that said KICK ASS! This was awesome!!! There were a lot of great signs on this trail and reading them kept me entertained for the entire time. There was a fire boat I believe is what they are called- it was putting on a great water show spitting water out in all directions. I don't recall seeing one of these in person before and I found it pretty darn cool. I am terrible when it<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hdmzKvZOa_xqZ16_LmjRjlI6r2WsueC5xcy-ZKSHIRNTR1fTG7pfFqV1cxV-PqdSSZhWNMd37HquacgERabF2q8NTrpPmwDgImRPGP32fqOhbWiKmdoEQBIibASKsj8Qg8r2dgDd4Go/s1600/IMG_3448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hdmzKvZOa_xqZ16_LmjRjlI6r2WsueC5xcy-ZKSHIRNTR1fTG7pfFqV1cxV-PqdSSZhWNMd37HquacgERabF2q8NTrpPmwDgImRPGP32fqOhbWiKmdoEQBIibASKsj8Qg8r2dgDd4Go/s1600/IMG_3448.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a>comes to remembering what mile was what during these events but I know it was super hot out there and I found myself cramping, I usually don't cramp during runs and I even took a small water from some folks handing them out and refilling at the aid stations so that I had water on me most of the time. I also recall after I BEAT THE BRIDGE my entire right leg and side went totally numb....this really scared me with all the hip,back and foot issues happening with it and running seems to be the only time I am not feeling pain. It scared me to where it has me questioning if I really cant feel the pain while I am running or if I have merely just taught myself how to ignore the pain with my "running highs" It took a couple minutes of rubbing and mind games to get the feeling back and I just continued on with a slog and walk. My foot never really recovered and still today is totally pins and needles. My calves seized up after the run and I tried to drink as much as I could to rehydrate myself. I got in line for a jacket and met up with Nicole and Brett and shortly after Sarah and Albert found us and we headed back to Nicoles. I took an amazing shower and Nicole had a glass of cold chocolate milk waiting for me when I got out. That was the best chocolate milk in my life and was so needed! I got on the road and headed home. I did have to drive without my shoes on as my feet continued to try to cramp up if I wore them. I had a super weekend and decided to get into the lottery again in hopes to<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtYU385eFeng7Oxtb2eN1xhNtibNKfqCOoJgf0IiTYxjkPhOl1Q2Q4P4BZ5S9KeyiBXfgbGj6ChWohu_yn_u9B1ATxHQ23vSQYKrqWN5h-hhx4QsGITdYev6tU6TD9oQ4WNPcFh81ZceM/s1600/IMG_3455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtYU385eFeng7Oxtb2eN1xhNtibNKfqCOoJgf0IiTYxjkPhOl1Q2Q4P4BZ5S9KeyiBXfgbGj6ChWohu_yn_u9B1ATxHQ23vSQYKrqWN5h-hhx4QsGITdYev6tU6TD9oQ4WNPcFh81ZceM/s1600/IMG_3455.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a>get in next year!<br />I am suppose to do Marshall Marathon this weekend but am considering taking a rest as I don't want to risk not finishing my 50 states. The next weekend is Georgia, one week off then AR and OK double and then Hawaii Dec 14th. I also have other events in the midst but the most important right now are these 4. I had a lumbar MRI done yesterday and the results from that came in today so am waiting to hear from my Doctor about putting together the back/spine issues with the Hip MRI results as well as the tarsal tunnel syndrome from 2011. And for any haters out there....THESE ISSUES ARE NOT DUE TO RUNNING....SHIT HAPPENS!!!<br />
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This was the weekend to knock off States 45 and 46. I flew into Kansas City Mo on friday and headed to the expo for my packet and my friend Larry's as he wasn't going to make it in time. I also was doing the I-35 Challenge so I had to check into that booth. The I-35 Challenge was simply a challenge they created for those running both events whether it be half's or full's and you got an extra shirt and another metal. I usually and in and out of expos fast as I have so much stuff that I really don't need anything but here they had a booth set up to make screen printed shirts on the spot. You picked your style then you picked what you wanted to have printed on the front back or both. I picked out this shirt<br />
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they called game day which is oversized and super comfy. I was up early to fly out so I grabbed a sandwich for an early super and was in bed by 8:30 which was 9:30 my time zone. I slept pretty good and woke up the next morning and brought my bag down to the front desk to check as they only had late check out at noon....I tried to turn my gar garmin and it was dead so I took it back to my bag. I heard the cut off was a strict 6 hour cut off and I really thought i would be close to 6 hours, I had only ran a couple times in the past 3 weeks and was running Iowa the next day so all I wanted to do was finish in time. The event was much larger then I expected and thought there is no way Im gonna find Larry for our Pre Race Photo but sure enough there he was! Always a pleasure. We chatted for a bit and the race started and off I went. I actually felt really good and had no watch and no way to watch pace but in reality it didn't matter as long as I got in within 6 hours. Larry and another friend said the trick they heard was to be at the 13.1 mile mark in 3 hours and they will let you finish within reason...I knew that wouldn't be an issue as I usually am faster the first half then the last. The town was so gorgeous....so many fountains and they were all colored blue for the Royals since they were heading to the World Series. We ran through one area of the<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFhsGR2SCE6aDcUklAx2A2OsGEzDbjkPTHWxnGtRxGXEliY3K-51ICGBrbltuXcnoT2VK7Ei2jNmlDRYN0nMSFxE5ys1Xt0KnTBdWOzbQFUtnCifWDRjji8zVM-TdqxLS7qCXqv3Pj4M/s1600/IMG_3318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFhsGR2SCE6aDcUklAx2A2OsGEzDbjkPTHWxnGtRxGXEliY3K-51ICGBrbltuXcnoT2VK7Ei2jNmlDRYN0nMSFxE5ys1Xt0KnTBdWOzbQFUtnCifWDRjji8zVM-TdqxLS7qCXqv3Pj4M/s1600/IMG_3318.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
town with some amazing homes!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeyE4POKPb0vRXroeIziduhmF9IycM20OUB7ww1b4w8Z-d3prG2PiwreCDIVRH8mPbeV_f6lVFvqFTk6Z6DQl1QjGqMBaMrKmN3t4CntfntIkVT9r09RPJNKTWQdrsUlAMjA2N1E4Mrg/s1600/IMG_3326.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBeyE4POKPb0vRXroeIziduhmF9IycM20OUB7ww1b4w8Z-d3prG2PiwreCDIVRH8mPbeV_f6lVFvqFTk6Z6DQl1QjGqMBaMrKmN3t4CntfntIkVT9r09RPJNKTWQdrsUlAMjA2N1E4Mrg/s1600/IMG_3326.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a> One section overlooked a waterway and the changing colors of the trees along this route added to the stunning landscape. There was one huge house with mostly glass windows for the front and the pillsbury doughboy was staring out the window....on up the road across the street was another house with a giant clown peaking at you....I co couldn't et a good shot of the clown being across the roadway but it was actually kinda creepy. Around mile 13 there was a couple men sitting along the course watching the boring parade going by and their cooler was opened with about 8 Bud lights on ice....so I said thank you and grabbed one and headed down the road. It was tough drinking it with the foam spewing from the spout but I drank it fast and just enjoyed the journey. Folks running and watching got a great kick out of as I heard over and over I like your style! Or from runners How can you drink that? My stomach has learned to handle it plus I do go out super hard I just go out to have fun. I notice everything! I finished that beer in about a mile and continued on. It caught me by surprise how hilly the course was...I guess thinking of Kansas City Mo with tornados you think flatlands. I don't mind the hills at all...I actually like the change of elevation to use different muscles during the course of the day. Arriving at mile 19 was a Second Presbyterian church handing out water and gatorade - at the end of the table was 2 men drinking some Samuel Adams and I said oh thats what I need a beer....they said here ya go and poured a cup about half full, they asked if I was doing Des Moines the next day, they noticed my umstead necklace and asked about it and we just had a great little visit. I got to around the mile 23 mark and noticed a new sign I had not seen at any other events and loved it!! "Mortuary ahead....look alive!" I tried to take my own photo in front of it but was not successful and a spectator noticed and came over and snapped one for me. Believe it or not I finished this race in 4:59??? All that goofing around and still a sun 5? I headed back to the hotel and changed clothes in the lobby restroom and headed to Des Moines. It was about 180 mile drive not real exciting but wasnt bad either. The weather was absolutely perfect, clear skies, light winds and around 60 degrees. When I arrived in Des Moines I checked into the hotel first, took a shower then headed to grab my packet and check in again at the I35 booth. Tanner was messaging me about different places to go eat and I chose Fongs Pizza. It was a good choice! I was looking forward to Sunday morning run because Cheri and Jeff Linwood were going to be here and I havent seen them since New England series. We found each other at the start a<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9yzvOeWEPeMoPBHrvXEaEgHcDyFqkplMlaO0B_sEAPJ1mfwvc3NmXwB-S3m8YvWDo8ADNpOIVIZd_zVv4GLO4ZqtH0F5V3uvNtVs4ZCLadcXf84oxq6SJEwb6oz3OduMmpxE6j-b4yc/s1600/IMG_3339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9yzvOeWEPeMoPBHrvXEaEgHcDyFqkplMlaO0B_sEAPJ1mfwvc3NmXwB-S3m8YvWDo8ADNpOIVIZd_zVv4GLO4ZqtH0F5V3uvNtVs4ZCLadcXf84oxq6SJEwb6oz3OduMmpxE6j-b4yc/s1600/IMG_3339.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> and ran together for the first 4 or so miles. At mile 4 was the first alcohol I spotted.....2 older ladies making mimosas- heck yeah...so I stopped and grabbed one....met another runner here and we ran together telling some stories while we drank our drink....it was kinda bad placement for this as it was on a long downhill, so when we were trying to run downhill with our mimosas the beverage was spilling out and getting our hands sticky...we decided to walk down the hill and drink it up. I got to around mile 9 and there was a<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNk0PSZmJMUlvlHsG6fGZA5tBeMhWXDTJRjjNEIsVijYiUZ0Nq50WoUkokdkLIdkAkq5-_OxCQIG4bW9fmIA7MY7mvvadsYv9sOu8wZeuJVCvvwwd1NbqLJ469anyd5iVbDWWhtL6qX4M/s1600/IMG_3344.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNk0PSZmJMUlvlHsG6fGZA5tBeMhWXDTJRjjNEIsVijYiUZ0Nq50WoUkokdkLIdkAkq5-_OxCQIG4bW9fmIA7MY7mvvadsYv9sOu8wZeuJVCvvwwd1NbqLJ469anyd5iVbDWWhtL6qX4M/s1600/IMG_3344.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>couple of guys at a turn cheering us on and drinking some beers..what else do you do on a sunday when you are stuck because your neighborhood streets are closed down for most of the morning and day. I asked them if I could have one and they looked at me funny and said sure but it's glass...so I said yes and it's a beer...I won't be dropping a beer! They opened it and off I ran. The trick is you have to drink it pretty quick to keep the head from foaming out the top of the bottle. This beer was called All Day Pale Ale - first time I have had that and I<br />
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really liked it. Actually I don't drink often because I usually do things to the extreme and that included drinking if I'm out on the town. I finished this one and was on a part of the course that was split by landscape in the center. On the opposite side of the road I saw and heard some guys pouring beer and stating this is the only Sam Adams on the course...they didnt see me with my bottle in hand. Just past them I was finished and I left the empty on the ground where some musicians were playing, I couldnt find and garbage containers. I was calculating in my head how far I had to go till I got back to the guys with the beer and figured it was at least 3 miles...so I had something to look forward to. I wasn't at all worried about my time for the event as I knew there was a 7 hour cut off- It was around mile 14 and there was no more Sam Adams but they had a Pale Ale called<br />
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Boulevard, another beer I had not had since I really don't just have a beer with dinner or at home sitting around in the evening. They had some smaller cups full and I took one and thanked them and said oh just a baby beer and they asked if I wanted a full and of course I said yes...but I also said with hesitation - lets pour a quarter of it in this cup (after I drank that) because the last bottle a couple miles ago kept foaming so bad and I found myself having to keep blowing the head off...then i went on to say I dont recall ever running a marathon and blowing so much head. Yes I thought that was the funniest thing ever and they also got a giggle. So off I go...beer 2 for the day and 1 mimosa - after I finished this one I was going down a hill searching for a place to throw the bottle away and now I come across 3 couples in their front yard at the edge of the street...I asked if I could leave<br />
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the empty with them and they all laughed and one said here...you want a refill and handed me one called a caraboo....it was about half full...perfect but boy was it strong. I drank it pretty quick because it was so strong and by now I am starting to have a buzz...I put my headset on one ear and started singing and just checking out the town. The course moved onto a trail system through a park and ahead of me I noticed a couple with some ruk sacs on and I wanted to catch up to them and see what they were training for. As I approached I noticed they gal reaching in her pack and then taking her hand and kinda covering her face and she was lighting a cigarette! Awesome...this gal is running with a backpack smoking a cigarette and I am really buzzed!! I had to get a photo of this! I run up to her and said I've had a couple beverages and have a buzz but always<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkezeoIsQFDu013q4AbPH_HeYrUxlztFD0tSttSKu6Djk1s58SqO7HnGhPyev3kX99tcFug-hGYGBDS99AHxTPDb0IG_UaMsWdX0cGz0omriHG3o7prTHKZCfIOqxkn2ch_v2UKehUNzw/s1600/IMG_3380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkezeoIsQFDu013q4AbPH_HeYrUxlztFD0tSttSKu6Djk1s58SqO7HnGhPyev3kX99tcFug-hGYGBDS99AHxTPDb0IG_UaMsWdX0cGz0omriHG3o7prTHKZCfIOqxkn2ch_v2UKehUNzw/s1600/IMG_3380.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> post play by plays on my FB page of my running adventures...can I take your photo with you smoking and she said sure! Do you need another beer? What do you think we carry in our sacs? We carry our own! My new bestfriend! Her husband took our photo and we chatted for a few and I took off. This was probably around mile 18 or 19 because when we left the park it was mile 20.<br /> I don't remember which mile but it was before the half way mark we got to run the 400 meter track at Drake University and there was a camera set up and we could see ourself right before we exited on the big screen..I thought that was a nice little touch.<br />
I finished day 2 in 5:25 which completely surprised me as well- 1 mimosa, 4 beers, 2 strands of beads collected on the course and one leigh! I had a blast out there this weekend. The hotel had a 2pm check out and the run started at 8 so my goal was to get done in around 6 hours so that I didnt hold the hotel house keepers up too long. Got my shower and went to another place my son told me about called zombie burger...the burger was pretty good but the unicorn zombie milkshake was amazing!!! Vanilla ice cream, marshmallow cream topped with fruity pebbles!!!<br />
<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-58560901976407685042014-10-08T10:44:00.000-04:002014-10-08T10:44:27.320-04:00That Weekend didn't turn out as plannedLast weekend I was scheduled to run the Run Like a Girl Half marathon on Saturday in Columbus Ohio then a couple hour drive to Findlay for the Red White and Blue Marathon on Sunday then 4 hour drive home after. My friend Heather had planned to do this with me and we also persuaded another friend to sign up for both 10K's. The day before Heather let me know that she could not do Findlay due to some family issues and we have always said Family comes before a run.....Our friend Louvina signed up 2 nights before. So now we were figuring out logistics and I drove up and stayed at my brothers the night before and they were going to drive up the day of the Run Like a Girl, meet me for their packets my sis in law picked up and Heather would drive back and Louvina would go on with me to Findlay. Several months ago my friend who also works at my gym agreed on the weekends that Im gone for just a night or two he would come take my dog in and out so I would not have to take her to the kennel....my mother always keeps my little guy but Andi is still too big and wild for her. Around 8pm I messaged my friend to check on Andi and he informed me that he had some hip issues the day before and had spent the day in Urgent Care and now was unable to take care of Andi due to having crutches and driving a stick shift. I hate that he was hurt but it was soooo frustrating that I didnt leave town till almost 4pm on Friday and all this started on Thursday so there was plenty of time to let me know to take her to the kennel. UGGGGG So.....now I am trying to figure out what to do....do I leave now and skip Saturdays run also or just cancel Findlay and Run like a FAST girl Saturday to get home asap. This is the decision I made...I decided to run cancel Findlay...I wouldnt have time and it would be stupid to drive home after the half take Andi to the Kennel then drive 4 hours to Findlay to run it Sunday and 4 hours back after and then get home in time to pick her up at the kennel. I went to bed still stressed and just upset that this could have been brought to my attention so much sooner and I wouldnt have to worry but who knows..maybe I just wasnt suppose to run Findlay? <br />
I woke up Saturday am to a message from Louvina with a photo of her foot in a ACE bandage saying I will find out monday if it's broken....<br />
I got there early because I just couldn't sleep and wanted to get a decent parking spot on the street instead of the garages and I succeeded! It was FREEZING!!!! Yes I checked the weather and the weekend was going to be sunny and high of 57 degrees - perfect running conditions. I only packed short sleeve shirts cause once I get moving I get hot pretty fast. It was cloudy, windy and in the upper 30's???? Around 7:15 I got a message from Heather that said her bed felt too good so she was not driving up.<br />
I decided to run this run naked - no garmin- no watch - I don't typically run half marathons and just decided I would just run and not stress by having a watch on and thinking about getting home to Andi. As soon as the race started it began to sprinkle some. The winds were bitter cold and we were about at mile 5 and it began to SLEET!!! Big time SLEET! Crazy crazy for a sunny high of 57 degrees day. My hamstring and hip area was hurting that morning but once I start running the hip stops.....my hamstring did not and it traveled all the way into my calf. I did stop and stretch the calf at one water station and then told myself just keep going and get this done and you can stretch it later. It really felt like a huge knot was on it.<br />
With about 4 miles left to go the SLEET came back again with a headwind that almost brought you to a complete stop. I was freezing!!! Even though I was hot and I did get really sweaty now with the bitter cold wind trying to blow me down I thought I would become a block of ice. I saw mile marker 12 and I thought ok...just kick it in and be done....I was feeling like I was running a decent pace but my calf was sooo damn sore that I just didnt have that finish kick in me. When I got to the finish line I couldnt tell what my time was because the Halfers started about 12 minutes after the 5 and 10K runners but it looked very close to what my half PR was.....ofcourse I wasnt even sure what my Half PR was but knew it was just over 2 hours because I always think if I do more Half's I bet I could break 2 hours. When I got home I looked up my half PR time and it was 2:02:14 from the Cap City Half in May 4th of 2013 which was 4 weeks after Umstead 100. Results went online for this half and I came in at 2:03:29.....see if I would have worn a watch maybe I would have PRed....I doubt that though cause I never can remember what my PR times are without looking. My calf continued to hurt for days!! I tried foam rolling and stretching and still 5 days later it is tender but not like it was...I think it could have been from taking a new pair of Newtons straight out of the box....I have done this with lots of other shoes for even longer distance but then again Newtons do make you run more on the forefront causing the calf to work more<br />
<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-2774078630794118072014-10-02T17:15:00.001-04:002014-10-02T18:11:07.897-04:00Medical things creating some blahsI wanted to post about the latest MRI results since I finally had my hip, hamstring area checked out a couple weeks ago. This is the same area that I worried would bother me back in April of 2013 during umstead 100, the same area that had me purchase a Tempur-Pedic mattress on 3 years same as cash and just paid it off about 4months ago- but I purchased the mattress because the hip pain when sleeping was so intense. Massage, deep deep massage and even a couple trip against my judgement to the chiro quaker but nothing has helped. The past 6 months though the pain has extended into the front of where the hip meets and it just throbs when I sit, stand, lay or walk. It extend to the back of the hip into the hamstring and up to the lower back and feels like there is also a pinched nerve. My foot will go to sleep on many occasions . Now rewind to 2011 when I was still dealing with all the Doctors telling me I would never run again due to my left knee and then being diagnosed with Tarsel Tunnel in this right foot (the same side of the hip opposite of the knee) I do not have the major discomforts or the crawling to the bathroom each night like I did for so long with the Tarsel Tunnel and after I refused that surgery due to the success rate and recovery time and process I lost about 25 or pounds and I truly believe the excess weight and pressure off that pinch nerve in the tarsel tunnel helped that. Sorry if this report jumps around everywhere but Im trying to grasp it all in my head at the same time and I believe I have a few answers and conclusions of my own.<br />
So 2 weeks ago I finally had the MRI done on the hip....this was brought up to the Doctor during my last shoulder visit when I made the decision to NOT have the rotator cuff that tore during the recovery of having the bicep tendon re attached fixed. I was having sooo much pain from the hip and was taking the pain medication I had for my elbow just to try to function and it barely takes the edge off the hip!<br />
So here we go with all the medical wording and MRI results readings<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">PROCEDURE:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">MRI RT HIP WITHOUT - 73721</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">CLINICAL:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">CONTRACTURE OF JOINT OF PELVIC REGION/THIGH </span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">COMPARISON:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">There are no recent comparison exams available at the time of dictation.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">FINDINGS:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">There is no evidence of acute osseous injury or avascular necrosis. There is mottled marrow signal. There is a sclerotic lesion in the posterior aspect of the intertrochanteric region and 1 in the left femoral head, which may represent bone islands. A 4 mm cartilage defect is seen on the lateral aspect of the right femoral head (sagittal image 21), near the margin of the articular surface. A small bubble is seen at the anterior aspect of the right femoral neck, not in the usual location at the head that is usually seen in femoral acetabular impingement. The femoral heads articulate with the acetabuli in a normal relationship. There is a physiologic amount of fluid in the joint. A small amount of fluid is also seen in the right iliopsoas bursa. There is mild inflammation in the greater trochanteric bursa bilaterally.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">No acute soft tissue injury. There is chronic bilateral hamstring tendinopathy. The tendons about the hip are otherwise intact. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">The fat planes surrounding the sciatic nerves are intact. Mild increased signal is seen in the sciatic nerves bilaterally.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">There is tear of the anterior aspect of the right acetabular labrum. The lateral aspect the labrum is degenerated and frayed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">There is no sizable inguinal hernia. There is no deep pelvic mass identified. A small amount of free fluid is seen in the pelvis. There is a 2.1 cm cyst in the left ovary. There is a 1.3 cm fibroid in the uterus which protrudes into the endometrium.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">IMPRESSION:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">1. Tear of the anterior and lateral aspects of the right acetabular labrum.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">2. Bilateral mild greater trochanteric bursitis.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">3. Mild chondromalacia of the lateral aspect the right femoral head.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">4. Small amount of free fluid in the pelvis.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">5. Submucosal uterine fibroid. Correlation for history of abnormal bleeding is recommended.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">6. Sclerotic lesion in the right intertrochanteric region and left femoral head may be bone islands. Correlation with radiographs is recommended.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">___________________________</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">Electronically signed by: Settonni, Loretta M.D.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px;">Date/time: 09-16-2014, 08:53 AM</span><br />
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I had a follow up appointment with my doctor and we discussed the anterior and acetabular labrum tears and he suggested we could have a scope done, however there are not a lot of Doctors that preform the scope and I had already told him no surgery no matter what the findings were. Let me stress before anyone starts to judge THIS IS NOT A RESULT OF RUNNING!!!!! PEOPLE JUST HAVE SHIT HAPPEN TO THEM!!!!!<br />
His other suggestion was to have a intravenous hip injection, again nobody around here does that so they would have to bring someone in from KDMC out of Kentucky.<br />
I will not find out what needs done with the ovarian cyst until October 14th....but maybe the old tale is true about women who run......"You're uterus is going to fall out" sorry couldnt resist that one!<br />
I now know the hamstring does have some issues and they just called it bilateral tendinopathy- this could explain the tightness in the hamstring and that pain I have had for the past couple years but neither of the Doctors that I have gone to with these results have touched that area yet.......Since my local Doc didnt bring up anything to me about the cyst the hamstring the recommendation of a radiograph and when I asked about some of the other stuff this report listed ( I could pull it up on the patient portal before going in ) but when I asked the response I received was oh..I dont know - I didnt read it all just the top part. Oppps. So I decided to wait and go see the folks in New Albany, the Doctor that was number 4 when I was having all the opinions with my knee from the end of 2009 to middle of 2011, he is the only one that said "I wont tell you not to run, but I would suggest just a couple days a week and build up to a couple miles during these runs" He also did NOT see a new knee in my near future like the other 3. After hearing that I signed up for my first 50 miler!!! So off I head with my Hip test to New Albany. He felt the tears in the labrum were being caused because i have some hip degeneration and going into scope them in reality they would prolly tear again due to the degeneration ( arthur starting) He did go ahead and do an injection in the bursa sac on the right side of the hip and that has now been a week, this has not helped so now we are in the process of setting up an appointment to do the intravenous injection into the joint. Uggg not looking forward to that. Once we find out the actual source of the pain then we can see how to treat things. The injection will not fix things but will hopefully help take some of the imflamation and reduce the fluids that are present.<br />
So my thinking also is this.....since my hip DOES NOT HURT WHILE I AM RUNNING.....yes you read that correct - it only hurts when i sit, stand, lay or walk. I dont know if it is due to my mind blocking pain so well but I have another analogy. I think there is an impingement either on the hip, sciatica or some area that is causing the pounding pain, the shooting pains down the entire back of the leg and putting the foot to sleep. I believe it DOES NOT HURT while I am running due to the fact that there is a quick step turn over so my weight it not on the ground or sitting in a chair or laying in a bed in the same position with the same amount of weight. So now I have to tell myself that in order to find out if possibly I take off 15 pounds that that excess weight that is hitting the nerve it could possibly help as well?<br />
The hard part is I have not been motivated during the week for my short runs, instead just doing my marathons etc that I travel too. Once I get moving outside I feel better but I just get tired of seeing the same folks driving by me and the trashy men honking and wolf whistling at me. Then that creates the self pities and I sit here and eat crap food and lots of crap food. I was never really a candy eater and have no idea why I have been on a candy kick. I think since November of last year I have said ok....tomorrow I will start watching what im eating and keep track.....I do start that and do great all day until evening comes around...then I go get crap.Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-70272777911219536722014-10-01T12:44:00.000-04:002014-10-01T12:44:45.214-04:00Columbia River Marathon Oregon/Beat the Blerch Marathon Washington 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyrobS9fGAxRlblPENirk8t3_ER9Nl2DbRfBd_SDWWLNKwgoa3jlq8b3rJjwVNjsCMNLqb3JL3dficeyL4bUG2wpukjbZlx8KNW-gyK6lND3UVsEkNAEaMpraZKidkKS-o54uCekDhGs/s1600/IMG_2971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyrobS9fGAxRlblPENirk8t3_ER9Nl2DbRfBd_SDWWLNKwgoa3jlq8b3rJjwVNjsCMNLqb3JL3dficeyL4bUG2wpukjbZlx8KNW-gyK6lND3UVsEkNAEaMpraZKidkKS-o54uCekDhGs/s1600/IMG_2971.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
Double state weekend and getting closer to finishing my 50 States. Had no intentions on finishing them this soon and actually it wasn't really ever a goal until I started doing so many marathons out of town during the winter when I was training for my first 50 miler in April of 2012. I was traveling to run marathons for training because it gets so boring to run all those miles by yourself and when I realized I had like 10 states I thought ok...I'll try to do all 50 states before I turn 50....sounded like a challenging enough goal and that would give me 6 years to do 40 more states! Fast forward to now and not only will I finish all 50 states if all goes as planned at the end of the year the Beat the Blerch marathon marked my 75th lifetime marathon/ultra - number 70 since 3 of the 4 orthopedic doctors told me if I continued to run I would need a new knee in the next 2 years. I love proving people wrong! This was going to be a quick trip since it was just me going, my son is back at college so no travel companion. I landed in Seattle and went ahead and stopped at the packet pickup for Beat The Blerch....it was a 4 hour drive from Seattle to Umatilla Oregon and I had plenty of time to get to that packet pickup. I also didnt want to have to hurry to get back the 4 hour drive after running Oregon on Saturday to make it to packet pick up saturday night. The lines were huge already! It took about 45 min or so and I was already worn out. My flight left columbus ohio at 6am so I was up at 3:45 to get to the airport and get through security. Nothing open for breakfast and the layover in atlanta was only 25 minutes - by the time I got off the plane and had to get the train and get to the other gate I barely had time to grab a bag of chex mix. On the plane I got a package of cookies but I wasnt in the mood for a 700 calorie airplane bagel so I hadnt eaten. Once I got through packet pickup and found they oversold parking so I didnt have a parking pass anymore I was frustrated. I met a lady in line who was doing her first half and she also had her parking pass taken away. They couldnt tell if I had one and the emails went out the night before but my phone wont pull up attachments so there was no way to read if I had one or not and they had no way of knowing...was a little bit of a mess and being so tired and hungry wasn't fun. This lady was great....she was frustrated too but walked me a couple blocks and made me get a sandwich before I headed down the road for a 4 hour drive. I was so thankful for that!! The drive was pretty, I could see Mt Rainier before heading toward Oregon and wow was it gorgeous!! There is just something about the mountains and me.<br />
When I arrived in Oregon I got my packet and headed to the hotel and got checked in, I was 3 hours earlier in time with the time zone change but had been up since 3:45 so I was tired!!! I decided to just drive through taco bell since there really wasnt much at all in this town. The run didnt start until 8am and the weather forecast was suppose to be a hot one.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcA9peBFYSGwvCHjPOy9bM0SOqH5ZHOEjtdDd4o4WtA_NUW-PMqs3kSWlF5bvtNJkt3epk0f0owGnfzimbm7AZ1OPOiqVhVH2UnLaxa9G2VHqE313Yf5OkxQG84U-gCa_iBVT7Ec0GqE/s1600/IMG_2980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcA9peBFYSGwvCHjPOy9bM0SOqH5ZHOEjtdDd4o4WtA_NUW-PMqs3kSWlF5bvtNJkt3epk0f0owGnfzimbm7AZ1OPOiqVhVH2UnLaxa9G2VHqE313Yf5OkxQG84U-gCa_iBVT7Ec0GqE/s1600/IMG_2980.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
I arrived at the start and met a couple marathon maniacs, the race started near the dam in Oregon crossed over and into Washington then back across into Oregon. The first 8-9 miles were mostly road and not a whole lot to look at. When the halfers got off that course we headed on to the Lewis and Clark Commemorative trail which ran along the Columbia River, the view was prettier but the sun was getting super hot and the surface we were now running on was sand!! Ankle sucking sand and almost 90 degrees. It was probably almost till we got to mile 23 that we were on this trail...it was an out and back but also switch into a single track larger gravel trail for a couple of miles. Here is where we saw what was called Top Hat Rock....that was cool looking!!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oIsckg_5x7y0-qFpQoC8mb2SqBeHLpQl30m_QEiYnmh9PQLa7-HGivfrMogQSBVEZyURyOAMTZWmgnWiGze9-EHJ6wi29bkI0Y59t9SBuo52WwjHxf5mztXvPGcY8tvL8whIDh68oeE/s1600/IMG_2975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-oIsckg_5x7y0-qFpQoC8mb2SqBeHLpQl30m_QEiYnmh9PQLa7-HGivfrMogQSBVEZyURyOAMTZWmgnWiGze9-EHJ6wi29bkI0Y59t9SBuo52WwjHxf5mztXvPGcY8tvL8whIDh68oeE/s1600/IMG_2975.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMkJKW2brgSlVxX7AClb0fTXR9adAFcw4wCGfjqukE0_NiBoDwA18qRWBzc5ePJaBGGf56M0Cy39ORBschXDPQKOvvODKxWy_GJ9P7P9cOJk1BTXBtqitpnkq84hraa8Cq8usW9cku1s/s1600/IMG_2983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMkJKW2brgSlVxX7AClb0fTXR9adAFcw4wCGfjqukE0_NiBoDwA18qRWBzc5ePJaBGGf56M0Cy39ORBschXDPQKOvvODKxWy_GJ9P7P9cOJk1BTXBtqitpnkq84hraa8Cq8usW9cku1s/s1600/IMG_2983.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a> I was super glad to finish and met Jamila, I know we had run other events together but we just talked in the passing of each other some on Saturday. When I finish being such a late start race my hotel didn't have any sort of late check out especially that late. The thing was we were in the middle of nowhere....even driving over the 4 hours the day before there were barely any gas station pull offs so I was not looking forward to smelling myself for 4 hours. I decided what the heck, I run into the race host hotel and just ask if there was anyway I could pay them to take a shower, she called someone and they had a room for those that were staying there to shower if they chose, AHHHH that was awesome and when I left I thanked her and gave her a $5.00 tip. Sure there are YMCA's that let you shower but there was no YMCA anywhere around, I have showered at truck stops - but again there was hardly any gas stations on the drive over the day before.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyhpweXxUIjsRpcSoXe8CB1-Rqd24eAqL5kymhGmOQWp09X78lOvp4kLkBP6rf6zqwFv11NMEbCKrQUnwYxHye3R3fxf7UC7VJXTNPYztVpRTRyjIQKDbr9PKM59r5hPJoqfoIrfurw4/s1600/IMG_2996.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkyhpweXxUIjsRpcSoXe8CB1-Rqd24eAqL5kymhGmOQWp09X78lOvp4kLkBP6rf6zqwFv11NMEbCKrQUnwYxHye3R3fxf7UC7VJXTNPYztVpRTRyjIQKDbr9PKM59r5hPJoqfoIrfurw4/s1600/IMG_2996.PNG" height="112" width="200" /></a>Got into Seattle around 8pm on Saturday night, checked into the hotel and got all my stuff layed out for the next morning run. This event didnt start till 9am. I didnt mind the extra sleep but knew it was suppose to be another hot day. <br />
The event was held in Carnation Washington which is located about 35 miles outside of Seattle. I got to the event and met up with a group of maniacs for a pre race photo and Jamile was there. We then got talking and remembering several races we had run together and comparing out remaining events for the year so we will be seeing each other quite a bit the rest of<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_wsNsghaoB7wkFqKc-u8p0HhlwfBd6U6lcn919LsRQnm92s8YzNFXHFSGZxwh6doxhlsM5ySYufsU9ICwrJbB-n7oSRIlRQrGybv5dmVHY93QR79siEUTj4sREMiN-cHB-jaUxcborI/s1600/IMG_3013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_wsNsghaoB7wkFqKc-u8p0HhlwfBd6U6lcn919LsRQnm92s8YzNFXHFSGZxwh6doxhlsM5ySYufsU9ICwrJbB-n7oSRIlRQrGybv5dmVHY93QR79siEUTj4sREMiN-cHB-jaUxcborI/s1600/IMG_3013.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>the year. It was on the<a href="http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/trails/regionaltrailssystem/svt.aspx"> Snoqualmie Valley Trail system </a> and was one of the most beauty course I have ran with lush greenery, nice and shaded for the most part. This run was a blast!!! If you have never read the comic from The Oatmeal you must...this is what the event was created off of. <a href="http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running">http://theoatmeal.com/comics/running</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UPMYoW98TPSroDvsCbaZUVqTtAmEWuDUqtBw_1LGjRmllDxaFRVoRQ5yxXG9pvaYMWwONp-YGPtcoFHaSmmXEDiW6nUwoGPBqVI2cxGKm4KMyREdZjuFvD_ZwfEyYUrGNfLt_dW9PCI/s1600/IMG_3024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UPMYoW98TPSroDvsCbaZUVqTtAmEWuDUqtBw_1LGjRmllDxaFRVoRQ5yxXG9pvaYMWwONp-YGPtcoFHaSmmXEDiW6nUwoGPBqVI2cxGKm4KMyREdZjuFvD_ZwfEyYUrGNfLt_dW9PCI/s1600/IMG_3024.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihaT2_THzpUbF0wvBu_WxFVKe7NL1iVPXOBB9S9QKo1_4g2QcaVDdkvWIB-6b4Q239FkgL85fmcZwzJaoTnL-0PPFYoR9XuzHR8yJOlWQ_IUliGjq378bUQsI12uX9raRqumAYL3UcK14/s1600/IMG_3001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9J5GgHCRMVNizvWq87PMCe0RKyK0Rb3mBDFHAvZEOoOlCINulbb3YlbrMqpB8IvN_es6NBlOhjT4GhpHwSEfraGHuX5MTpQpX1u1i26u-0xdyVPKIm7cVp0-MzxDnkhSsME2sCURcOVw/s1600/IMG_3010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9J5GgHCRMVNizvWq87PMCe0RKyK0Rb3mBDFHAvZEOoOlCINulbb3YlbrMqpB8IvN_es6NBlOhjT4GhpHwSEfraGHuX5MTpQpX1u1i26u-0xdyVPKIm7cVp0-MzxDnkhSsME2sCURcOVw/s1600/IMG_3010.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihaT2_THzpUbF0wvBu_WxFVKe7NL1iVPXOBB9S9QKo1_4g2QcaVDdkvWIB-6b4Q239FkgL85fmcZwzJaoTnL-0PPFYoR9XuzHR8yJOlWQ_IUliGjq378bUQsI12uX9raRqumAYL3UcK14/s1600/IMG_3001.JPG" height="150" width="200" />During the run we had nutella sandwiches, magical grape drink, the Blerch literally chasing you telling you how you really need to take a rest,,,,running is bad for you knees, come sit on the couch over here. Yes there were 2 couches out on the course!!!! Sasquatch was even in the woods!!! <br />
around mile 14 or so Jamile and I would play leap from and at that point I met a younger girl from LA doing her first marathon, she was struggling and was in a walk pace and got listening to Jamile and I talking about what event we had left and discussing how that sand sucked the day before and this girl then became amazed and wanted to hang around and here about our stories and know what she really is capable of doing if she wanted to. Jamile would go on there and there and the younger girl would stay with me....I set my watch to a 3 to 1 run walk ratio and we did that for awhile and then switched on down to a 2 to 1 ....she hung in there and kept thanking me that she would have walked if it wasnt for running into me helping encourage her....this is what it's all about!!! We finally dropped it down to 1:30 to1 and that actually became a perfect pace. I dont recall how many miles were left and I hadnt ordered any HTFU wristbands in forever but I had mine on and at this point I knew she needed this so much more then I did so I took off my Road ID and I told her the story about how I give these out and I can always order more but I felt she really needed this at this time...she was thrilled and yes she totally needed that!!! We got to the finish and I said....im hanging back you run on because this is your first marathon and you dont want me in your finish photo!!! We got to the finish and I grabbed a blueberry muffin and water and she grabbed some cake. She introduced me to her mother and I was just to thrilled for her!!!<br />
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I headed back to my hotel room and it was about 4:30pm.....my room had not even been touched??? So I went ahead and showered, grabbed my AX card, room key and $40 cash out of my clutch and headed to the Jaks for an amazing dinner then to the space needle. When I got back to the room I started packing as I wasnt sure if I was going to drive to Rainier or just check out the market and hang around Seattle, my flight wasnt leaving till 11:55pm but I didnt know if I wanted to drive 2:45 min to the mountain drive around there then drive back 2:45 then sit on the place all night and tomorrow morning and drive home 2 hours after that!!! I got up and the maid service now is knocking on my door at 7:30am?? seriously yesterday you hadnt even been here until sometime after 4:30pm now you are knocking at 7:30am!! I ignored it and headed out around 9ish. I went the to market first and had some great pastries at LaPanier and cheese at Beechers, then watched the fish throwers, saw gum alley and just checked it all out. The flowers were absolutely beautiful but I had nowhere to keep them or enjoy them After hanging out there for awhile I head to Alki Beach and just walked around the loop there and on the beach for a couple hours, had pizza for lunch and then decided to head back to the market and grab some clam chowder for dinner before heading taking my rental car back and then sit and wait in the airport.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU_R_YJH_AyMJpsaCTOFH0pE_c_7KrTqgLTkGK__0LMfwaESX1IGnbf2s91fxONkv2IMypN8vnmv9e_se4OGm9nCkjOGOMPNhD07iu_JlO-MC5PPUG1cyTM-5kXutPUs80VSOOp4t3hU/s1600/IMG_3080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiU_R_YJH_AyMJpsaCTOFH0pE_c_7KrTqgLTkGK__0LMfwaESX1IGnbf2s91fxONkv2IMypN8vnmv9e_se4OGm9nCkjOGOMPNhD07iu_JlO-MC5PPUG1cyTM-5kXutPUs80VSOOp4t3hU/s1600/IMG_3080.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a>A typical weekend marathon excursion always has some sort of adventure and this one did too!! After finishing a bowl of clam chowder I watched the beautiful sunset from the pier! I sat for over an hour just watching each step.<br />
I think this was my favorite shot when the sailboat was dead center as the sun was getting closer go down. I headed towards my car but went up the wrong street so decided I still had plenty of time and just walked around some....I had to go to the bathroom and stopped into a restaurant, I totally forgot my phone was in my back pocket and bent over to put the seat cover on pulled down my pants and in the toilet my phone dropped....I grabbed it as fast as possible and it already was down to 20% battery life so I was really nervous...sometimes when you plug in a wet phone it fries them immediately. I dried it off as best I could with my shirt and toilet paper and the hand blower and when I got to the car I went ahead and plugged it in. If would charge some them kick off, I could pull up data. When I arrived at the rental return I turned in my car and got on the shuttle to the airport...once I got inside the airport I got my clutch out of my backpack to get my ID and my ID is not there!! Im in a panic but trying to stay calm....The last time I had it was when I checked into the hotel because I didnt bring it with me to run nor did I have my clutch with me for any other time. I looked up the phone number and tried to call the hotel - I couldnt hear it ring and it kept saying connecting. I tried several times and once it showed like someone was on the other end but I couldnt hear them. It is 9pm MT and midnight at home and I had to call my mother. I called and of course could not hear her but it looked like she had picked up so I was explaining that I had a little issue and I dropped my phone in the toilet so I cant hear her...if she can hear me I can get data service and to please message me on FB. After telling her on the phone where I stayed and what time I checked in on Saturday night and the details I called back one more time to be sure she answered and I wasnt talking to a machine. Seconds later she was on FB messaging me and getting all the details. The hotel claimed they gave it back to me and they did not have it but their is nowhere that I could have put it? I had a blue dress on without pockets and all I have is a very small clutch that I carry and didnt even have it with me until I left the hotel on Monday morning. I didnt need my ID for anything after I checked into the hotel so therefore I never checked to see if it was there. At this point I decided it was time to go to security and see what could be done. They said hello how are you and I said actually not too good....then proceeded to explain what had happened. I said I could have my mother go get my passport and fax it to them but they said that wouldnt work. After waiting a little while and speaking with the supervisor letting me know of other types of identification that they could use - turned out if I had prescription medication on me and then my credit cards, insurance cards etc then that would work. I still can't understand why someone making a copy of my passport and faxing it is less creditable then the forms of ID they accepted with no photo? I mean if I was a terrorist wouldn't I most likely knock someone out and steal there bags rather then have someone take the time to put a fake photo on my passport and fax it in? Or create fake photos on my smart phone and different social medial outlets that have my actual name and photo? I'm glad I got through security but it still baffles me what was acceptable.<br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1222856220115688649.post-83615432433389404622014-09-28T20:47:00.000-04:002014-09-28T20:47:37.637-04:00Mellow Marathon and Canton Marathon Double Weekend Sept 6-7 2014<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBF7tkJS9IR4dDC2r8tW9dkNR8_sfh0dlOpibKIYLypmldR8lG1IZeWHRlsfiOmcamzYlN8Y-zRx3iijejMJe2v3nYh4wY1C5eoWfPcc3VwFNoBq0kk2O6f22mFHOSnPY4Hy4DoBsg4yc/s1600/IMG_2797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBF7tkJS9IR4dDC2r8tW9dkNR8_sfh0dlOpibKIYLypmldR8lG1IZeWHRlsfiOmcamzYlN8Y-zRx3iijejMJe2v3nYh4wY1C5eoWfPcc3VwFNoBq0kk2O6f22mFHOSnPY4Hy4DoBsg4yc/s1600/IMG_2797.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
Another last minute decision to make this a double weekend. I found out about Canton a month or so ago and thought the medal was pretty cool since it had a spinner on it....I kept sending Heather pictures of the medal and different FB updates when they would talk about the price increase and such to help entice her.....she is so much like me it really d doesn't take much. We had been signed up for Canton now for a month or so and about a week before I realized that Woodstock running weekend was that same weekend and we could easily do a double. Camp out in the tent in Michigan on Friday night, run just the marathon so we could shower at the campground, pack up tent and still get to Canton at a decent hour on Saturday evening and run that marathon on Sunday. We also realized if we did Michigan then that would be state number 10 for Heather so she would now qualify for the 50 State Marathon Club!!! We didn't think we were going to be able to leave until after her labs on Friday which was a little concern because then we would have to set up tent in the dark and it was calling for rain. Since classes just started she ended up not having to have a lab that friday so we headed out earlier. Worked out perfect!!! Not only did we get to set up tent before dark and the storm!!! But we got to surprise my friend Sandy who was going to be starting the 100K at 4:00pm. Found her only 10 minutes before the start which was awesome!!! After seeing her off we drove to town and got some bottled water, ice for the cooler, and some food to bring back for dinner. Upon arriving back we went to the picnic area ate our dinner and decided to hang out, listen to the bands and watch people coming in for their first loop. The 100 milers and 100K runners both started on Friday at 4pm. Temps were so hot!! It was in the mid 90's and very humid. You could tell a nasty storm was brewing as the winds started picking up and the sky was turning black. Looking at the radar there were 2 different strong cells heading our way. Lightening was in the distance but still pretty close. The winds roared as tents were flying everywhere and even the awards tent started blowing over as the wood came so close to hitting us and others. Heather grabbed the chairs so they wouldn't blow and I said no...there is metal on those! So we just let them lie for awhile. Nobody really took shelter as there wasnt really anyplace to take shelter....many did run off to try to secure their tents or find them since they blew away. Ours was a couple rows over and we didnt bother going to check on it but were not super positive that it would be in place since we forgot a hammer to get our stakes deep in the ground! I got to see Keith Straw come through looking good, then saw Shawn come through....many were talking about the trees being blow over in front of them on the course. There was rain but not the pouring rains like the radar was showing so everyone was fortunate for that. Heather headed back to the tent and I waited to in hopes to see Sandy come through. I could tell something was wrong cause it was taking her much longer then normal and I decided I needed to get back to the tent and get ready for bed so I could be ready to run in the morning. I later found out Sandy got done with the first lap and decided to drop, the heat had totally zapped her then the storm and the mud just brought her spirits down too much.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZp-_naoRjvGxH7wROTHzXNzBmjo5IUuvDcZ6-Y6TuRpXVghtWSoUmyX_uG0CTEAIjG6fugHQzzAArl4-1gNWEmnfJl2g-D8ymyeoqL3IqbzF38pE9ARcgpUtf7EfG0ehYqmKJkbvaU04/s1600/IMG_2818.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZp-_naoRjvGxH7wROTHzXNzBmjo5IUuvDcZ6-Y6TuRpXVghtWSoUmyX_uG0CTEAIjG6fugHQzzAArl4-1gNWEmnfJl2g-D8ymyeoqL3IqbzF38pE9ARcgpUtf7EfG0ehYqmKJkbvaU04/s1600/IMG_2818.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCmSDA4TVPcve74LrZCrfgwCbRyTbjID1nQXRYjPhUvpqLoFHwH16uAsrvhB4jgUlOeA2zQLb77Rxv4xhFaiycAw6rizPeGhgt12goB50zFKrsRIC7XBvVmk_enIEcLS_XdPNpijtp34/s1600/IMG_2813.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoCmSDA4TVPcve74LrZCrfgwCbRyTbjID1nQXRYjPhUvpqLoFHwH16uAsrvhB4jgUlOeA2zQLb77Rxv4xhFaiycAw6rizPeGhgt12goB50zFKrsRIC7XBvVmk_enIEcLS_XdPNpijtp34/s1600/IMG_2813.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a> During the night I could hear the rain hitting the tent and our tent neighbors were partying up a storm...poor Heather was right next to them and they were so loud and obnoxious all night her earplugs didn't even help. I slept decent but had some dreams about the rain and other things I dont remember. When we got up neither one of us were feeling it but this was state 10 and we pitched a tent and all this so there was NO WAY we were bailing on this one. We met up with Larry Macon at the start as well as some other friends so Heather met some more of her extended running family. Larry and I started taking selfies before each run we did together a couple months ago....I sure wish we started this earlier! The run was a 2 loop course and the first loop was mostly on the gravel trail with a few sections on single track, the one large hill that the other events have and I remember it from last years 50K...and then a section of MUD and I mean MUD that stretched for what seemed like 1/4 mile. I took a video of it and am sure many shoes were eaten. We kinda just hung to the side trying to get through without losing our shoes or slipping in. We met a maniac on the course Jess Kurti from Texas and she also was running Canton the next day. The second loop was actually like the 50K loop I did last year....it headed up the single track trail and was pretty much all on the trail trail except for a small section on the gravel section. Heather and I stayed together and both of us were just trying to get through.....I found blue flag markers and made the suggestion to run from flag to flag then walk a flag and run a flag....this kept our brains occupied for awhile...once you get back on the trail your mind is so busy watching where you are running that keeps your mind off the distance. I didn't even wear my garmin for this event as I didn't want to keep looking down and thinking to myself shit we only have gone 4 miles or shit we still have 12 miles to go! After we finished we packed up the tent and loaded it in the car and waited in line at the shower truck. This was the best even though my shower wouldn't stay on and I had to keep trying to hold the knob down with a shoulder that still doesn't have complete range of motion. We were so muddy and dirty!! Heathers foot started bothering her again after this run so I made sure she kept it elevated and some ice on it. We headed to Canton got checked into the hotel and crashed.<br />When we got up for Canton it was only a couple blocks walk to the start. I was hoping to find my<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbHLaoOKYlRBFk9wpbwnlZ_9suM_wg2P8ST1sCwMiEKermTYm2Rt2kiuBmapYwb5n0POR3O76F7q2ohnnD8xBKQyGlR2QBId01RYmOYUdSqAkTv1hy_V_FBVpeNMVUW7KPKPyVwWNuPw/s1600/IMG_2823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbHLaoOKYlRBFk9wpbwnlZ_9suM_wg2P8ST1sCwMiEKermTYm2Rt2kiuBmapYwb5n0POR3O76F7q2ohnnD8xBKQyGlR2QBId01RYmOYUdSqAkTv1hy_V_FBVpeNMVUW7KPKPyVwWNuPw/s1600/IMG_2823.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdq33K0bFk6kXDIVcKtbL9gm0tGbkCClH8_V_7spSN9eBHJ435lAYs6NR0iM2GYgoDxAxnT4VRuGUO9Oz-7CqbleXi9AzoSyb6oP-wPjGO6V5vK-McVxTHbewjCiLn2lI4UOsZjqokmZg/s1600/IMG_2821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdq33K0bFk6kXDIVcKtbL9gm0tGbkCClH8_V_7spSN9eBHJ435lAYs6NR0iM2GYgoDxAxnT4VRuGUO9Oz-7CqbleXi9AzoSyb6oP-wPjGO6V5vK-McVxTHbewjCiLn2lI4UOsZjqokmZg/s1600/IMG_2821.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a>friend Joe but never did see him before the start, however Larry and I got our pre race selfie and I decided that would be a good Guinness's World Record for me to attempt....the MOST PRE RACE SELFIES WITH A GUINNESS'S WORLD RECORD HOLDER- Heather's foot was still bothering her so she decided instead of not doing something and the spinning medal was so cool she would just do the half. I hated that she would have to then wait for me but I gave her the keys so if she wanted to go anywhere or nap in the car she was welcome.<br />Another 2 loop course. It went through most of Canton and had quite a few hills. I saw Jess out there and a couple other maniacs and on my second loop the sun was getting super hot and I was starting to not care and was walking a little more and along came this guy that said I know you you're Jennifer!! I said yes and it was Chase!! Chase was pacing this marathon at the 5:30 pace and we had been FB friends for awhile but never physically met. We kept each other company for quite awhile and he was dying for a coke but there was no carry outs in site!! I kept thinking in my mind I wanted a photo with a police car like I was being arrested for going to fast...yes the things our mind thinks are so hysterical while we are out there. When we finally found an officer that wasnt on a busy road and just sitting in their car I asked if she would act like she was arresting me....she wouldnt get out of the car caWe were running so many cones and walking so many then I got ahead of him as he had to be in at 5:30 no more no less due to being a pacer and I just was ready to get done...so I stayed with my run/walk and finished it up. I headed straight to the beer tent and got 2 free beers and then all maniacs joined in and we just started visiting at the picnic table. I messaged Heather and told her where we were and to come on over. It was too funny, there were 5 of us all telling different stories at the same time and we were following them all. We decided to wait for Larry to get finished and cheer him in. As Heather and I headed back to the car we saw a guy with watermelon and it looked delish!! We said ohhhh watermelon and he told us the area there in the middle is a food distribution that they have every sunday during the summer for anyone that is hungry...we decided to ask if we could buy a plate of food but they would not accept any money from us and let us eat whatever we wanted. That was perfect, we filled our bellies got to the car and headed on home. Another super fun weekend!!<br />
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<br />Jennhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16877920230296866768noreply@blogger.com0