aka PaintingLady
Happy Spring!! Well at least it looks and feels like spring here. This follows a week of torrential rain followed by snow. Just goes to show, if you don't like the weather, wait a day.
Had a really nice 6 miler over a hilly course today. I thought my time would have been better, but still a great workout.
My86 yo Dad was diagnosed w/ advanced kidney disease this week. Doctor said it was due to his 10+ yrs of diabetes and not watching his diet nor weight. Plus he has high blood pressure. Both are contributors to kidney failure. Today, my hubby tells me his doc told him yesterday that he has moderate kidney disease. He could loose 20 lbs or so, but bp is ok.
My Mom celebrated her 85th birthday yesterday. She has Alzheimer. I've had moderately high cholesterol forever but refused meds as it does run in the family and I always thought I was bullet proof....maybe not.
Daddy's diagnosis really gave me a wakeup call. I have been guilty of justifying that I'm in "good shape, exercise regularly, am in the normal weight range, so don't really have anything to worry about", but that isn't the case. IF (and we know it is) our health is related to our daily habits of healthy food choices and daily activity, then what can/should I be doing to improve my long term health. I want desperately to avoid Alzheimer disease, stroke, or crippling arthritis. (this is pervasive on both sides of my family).
At 61, the time is now.....or never! So, mighty master friends, I have resolved to get out of my post Goofy Challenge slump and get back to regimented running, cross training on non-running days, I resolve to eat a healthy, anti inflammatory diet and lose these extra 15 pounds I've been carrying around way too long. I do this for myself, but I also do it for my family. Hubby says he will join me on this quest....we'll see....he does like his junk food! But he better wake up and smell the roses too! I surly don't want to have thee people to take care of!!!
Granted I am blessed to still have my parents but, their quality of life is on diminishing rapidly. I owe it to MY kids to do what I can to take care of myself. Either that, or I hope they choose a really good nursing home for me.
I'll keep you all posted on my progress as you will be my truth squad.
Marie
Marie from Tennessee
Dumbo Double Dare!!!
Noticed the post I wrote a few days ago isn't here. Bummer, I must have exited before I posted it. Oh well. Moving forward.
Marie - I hope that your parents are around for a long time. I think about my parents like you do yours also. Dad had a bypass a few years ago. Was sitting at home watching TV when he felt some pains. Told his wife thought he was having a heart attack and went to hospital. They checked and the next day he had surgery. Turned out several arteries were almost completely blocked. Everything worked out. But he thought like you. Was in good health, (so he thought), readings were in "acceptable" ranges, higher cholesterol than normal, a little overweight. He started exercising more, changed his diet and now all his readings are in the good range.
My mom is borderline diabetic and controls it by watching what she eats and staying active. But I know it concerns her sometimes when we talk. Runs in part of the families.
So what do we do? I think it depends on the causes. Whether they are heredity or "self-induced". If are concerns run in the family we can be aware of them and do what we can to minimize or prolong the onset as long as possible. And hope science can find something that can cure them. The "self-induced" ones are easier to see and harder to change sometimes. It usually takes something big to make us want to really change. I'm lucky that I like the good food, but I also like the junk food. I just eat less of it now. According to my doctor, he's a runner also, I'm in really good health for my age. Will I have heart problems like my Dad? Not if I keep on with what I'm doing now. Will I be diabetic later? He doesn't know for sure. I might or it might pass me. I guess I'll have to wait several years to find out.
My kids joke that I'm the healthiest person they know. I tell them they should pay attention to what they are doing. But still at their age, it goes in one ear and out the other. It hasn't seemed to really sink in yet. Though my daughter is trying. When her and the grand-daughters come over and the garden is going good, they raid it for all the fresh food I'll let them take.
We can just hope for the best and be prepared for the rest the best we can.
Art in AZ
Mesa, AZ
Hopefully everyone had successful runs and races.
Here's mine from the 15K this morning.
Woke up to clear skies mid 40s and chilly with a wind blowing occasionally making it feel colder. Stayed with wearing shorts and the long sleeve shirt. Got to the staging area feeling good and noticed the wind still blowing. Get on bus and get to start area. Sun out and starting to feel warmer but still the breeze to cool you off. Move closer to the beginning to avoid the crowd.
And we're off. I figure I'm back about 15 seconds. Crowd thins out pretty quick and try to get a comfortable pace. I'm having a hard time concentrating as I look at the scenery around me. First 3.5 miles are in the mountains. Usually can stay focused by for some reason not this time. After the second mile I feel winded some and like I'm running out of fuel already. I know I had good meals prior to the start and a bagel and juice before I started. Then comes the 3 mile marker and a clock showing 5K time. 24:10. That might explain the tired feeling. Faster than I thought I was running. Alright, 6.2 miles to go. Still don't feel like I'm in a groove. For some reason today is going to be a mental challenge. And more people are passing me than I am passing. Boy this is a fast crowd today. Up comes a water stop as I grab something to drink there is the 10K clock. 50:10. Close to my best 10K time of 49:45. And there have been a few small rolling hills. Not too bad but I can feel my legs working. And I notice the lack of wind and see my shirt is pretty damp. Maybe I should have worn my short sleeve shirt. Feeling good on my time knowing I should beat last year's time.
Looking ahead I can see the start of the significant incline before that goes about a mile before going downhill into town. About three quarters of the way I decide to walk to the top. Give my legs a little rest before the way down. At the top start running again and pass those who passed me. Turn the corner onto the street that goes to the finish and there's another hill. I forgot about this one. Put head down and try to maintain pace. Once at the top of the hill I see the fountain shooting in the air. It starts at the hour and goes for 15 minutes. It's still shooting water high into the sky so I now realize I have made good time. I start to pick up the pace as the finish is real close. Sure enough there is the 9 mile marker. Only .3 miles left. Decide to try and pass person in front of me. Trying to add more oomph slowly catch and pass runner and see the clock ahead. Clock reads 1:17:15. Yippee! Beat my old time.
Work my way to the finish area and grab a water and banana. Decide to change out of wet shirt and put on a dry one. Ahhh, much better. Head over for my can of beer and then grab some pizza. Hey, it's still warm. Eat that and then grab some breaded cheese sticks and ravioli. To balance the guilty feeling I grab some carrots, green pepper slices and skip the Oreo cookies and potato chips. Feeling refreshed with some food I go and check my time. Yes! Official time is 1:16:59. A new PR for this distance. Beat my old time by more then 3 minutes. But I also notice I am already 6 out of 7 so far in my age group. Satisfied I head home. To rest.
justrundan
Hi Marie- Sorry to hear about your parents health troubles. Diabetes and high blood pressure are really the double whammy for the kidneys. Hope DH can make those changes to help his own health. Labs will bear watching.
You are right on about diet and exercise changes being important; sometimes they aren't enough though, so I'd encourage you to have good monitoring by your doctor so you can see if "your numbers" are good enough with those changes. Important to remember that running doesn't offer complete protection from these health problems. Good luck!
Art- Great race and great race report! Getting a PR on a hilly and windy course is a fine achievement.
DS & I registered for the Fox Cities HM last night during our visit with he and DIL. (Immediately after completing that we started our training by doing some heavy duty carb loading, enjoying the spaghetti dinner DIL had made!) Snowshoeing substituted for running this weekend as we trudged our way over some hunting land. After arriving back in civilization he and I napped while DW&DIL went shopping. They had a successful hunt, DW came home with her mother of the bride dress for July wedding. She is very happy!
Spring is slooooow in coming to WI this year! More freezing rain/rain/snow this week. Well, run when and where you can! Have a great week.
Dan
Snowed ALL DAY yesterday (my rest day). Today, woke up to about 4" of new snow, cloudy and breezy. Sun finally peeked out later in the afternoon, just when I thought I would just call it a day and ate a bowl of bean soup . I was hoping to run at least 12 miles again, maybe 14 but getting too late in the day and not getting any warmer. So it's about 20 degrees, and dropping, I got my butt out there and ran 5.1 miles, 53 minutes. YAY!! Snow packed road, not yet plowed in the neighborhood so ankles and quads got a good workout!! Got colder with the wind, running against it the last 2 miles as the sun was setting, BRRR!! Will try it again tomorrow, depends on how DH's appt with cardiologist goes.
Marie: we are dealing with similar issues with the in-laws. That's a healthy attitude and wonderful example for your own family.
I believe that most of the health problems are self-induced (lack of exercise, crappy diet, etc.) but as we age, we also seem like we get more stubborn in our lifestyle which makes for a very difficult, if any, transition to a 'healthier' lifestyle.
Glad you're taking charge and being pro-active. Exercise does help to manage the stress in our lives.
Art: Another PR!!! YIPPEE!! Congrats!! That's an awesome finish time, sounds like a wonderful event!!
Dan: good luck on the HM!! You're getting your training in so I know you'll do great!!
Art- Congratulations on the 15k PR and thanks for the great race report!
I'm sure you all had a wonderful weekend with successful runs/races. Here are some notes on the San Diego HM I ran on Sunday:
Wife and I got up at about 4:30 (no small challenge with the time change) in order to get downtown before the race crowds clogged the roads. Wife's friend came along to do the 5k with her. Temperature was in the high 40's under a clear sky. The wife and friend hopped on the shuttle bus to the 5k start. The 5k course was basically the last 5k of the HM. I headed over to my corral at the HM start area and checked my gear bag. I was in corral 11 of 15. There seemed to be no pattern to corral assignments (they never asked for times from past races for placement). The starting line was adjacent to PETCO Park. The first wave went off on time at 7:15, and subsequent waves took off about 2-3 minutes apart. The wave start did it's job as there wasn't much of the usual congestion at the start of the race and I was able to get up to speed within 60 meters of crossing the start line.
I settled in to a comfortable pace along the scenic route by the harbor and soon hit the 5k mark. I checked my pace and found it to be 9:23 minutes/mile. Must have been the excitement as my normal pace for the longer races is about 9:40 per mile. I forced myself to ease up a bit knowing that I still had 10 miles to go. The route continued on flat terrain and at 10k my pace was exactly 9:40, right where I wanted to be. Just past the 8 mile mark, the course begins a significant uphill climb that lasts until about mile 9.6. I kept my pace for the first .1 miles on the hill, then slowed to a fast walk for the rest of the climb. I estimate that about 85% of the other runners around me did likewise.
Once I reached the top and the course flattened out, I resumed my normal pace but soon felt some crampiness in both hamstrings. Darn! I'd been drinking, but perhaps not enough. I eased up on the pace until I reached the next water station where I forced down two full cups of H2O. Kept to the slower pace for about another mile and fortunately, the cramps dissipated. Another water station and another cup of water and I was able to resume normal pace on the final downhill stretch to the finish in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter. My time was 2:18:05. I was hoping for something under 2:20 so I guess it was a successful first HM for me.
On a sadder note, my friend Rob whose name I had written on my bib took a turn for the worse and passed at about midnight after the race. I was glad I was able to honor him with my first HM.
Rich
PRs: 9/1/2012 Disneyland 5K 27:08, 01/06/2013 Resolution 15K 1:30:17, 03/10/2013 San Diego HM 2:18:05, 04/19/2014 ACT! Today 10K 51:54
MKay - How did your 10K go? Hopefully you're sleeping better.
Marie (PL) - Sorry about your parents. My Dad has diabetes (Type 1) and CPOD, he can barely move and seems to get pneumonia every winter. How he outlived my mom I'll never know. I'm using my parents as examples of what not to do. We don't have a choice on our genetics, but we can choose what we do with them.
Art & Rich (WDW) - Congrats on nice races both of you! Awesome jobs! Loved the reports. Rich, sorry about your friend - hope your run brought both of you some comfort.
Dan - Good luck on the half!
Debra & AZ - Wish there were a way to average our temps!
Someone asked earlier what my next race would be, haven't decided yet I'm looking at the Oakland Running Festival 5k or the Lagoon Valley 5K. Oakland race is 3/24 and Lagoon Valley the week after. Done the last two Oakland Festivals, it's a fast course and I've done really well there. Lagoon Valley is in my home town and they put a good size hill in the course , so time would be slower - but, I'm sure I could convince my brother to run with me. Later is probably better an extra week to work on base and speed.
6.6 yesterday and a nice slow 7.5 today. Warm 70F for run today and now I'm covered in salt while I ice my leg.
Ray
Rich: WAY TO GO!! I knew you would do great!! If you are satisfied with your effort, time is just an added bonus; you did very well so celebrate; Thank you for the race report; there's always another HM; go for it!!
Ray: whichever race you decide on, you'll be blazing to the finish!! GOOD LUCK!!
Didn't run today or yesterday as planned, 2 reasons: 1) DH had 4 more stents placed, so my energy, heart and mind on him yesterday and today when he got discharged; he is recovering at home now, 2) too friggin' cold and windy so wind chill is just too much for me to handle when I have other stuff on my mind. I am bummed about it though. My May 4th marathon seems to be coming up pretty fast (although Spring is at a snail pace), and the longest run I have had is 13 miles!! I feel good about the 10, 12 miles lately. I can't wait to get back to AZ and get some mileage, raw endurance, and strength from trail running, hills at 7,000+ ft; I'm counting on it. I know I will FEEL better once I get going and can run, and run for miles, alleviating much of the frustrations. Life interruptions happens, I know. Anyway, I will greet each day with gratitude for my DH, and keep planning on a run each day; if I don't run due to weather, etc, I will look forward to the next day, etc. while I celebrate each of your accomplishments, thank you. I need that. Thanks for letting me vent. I know you understand. Take care and be safe.
Rich - Way to go on your HM. Yes, those hills can be killers at times. But now that you got the first one done the rest will get easier. Fueling can be tricky at times because of the weather and how you feel. Sorry to hear that your friend passed away.
Dan - Don't worry Spring will be there soon.
Ray - I like the sound of the Lagoon Valley race. Pictured running around water. Until you mention the hill. Think of it as a leg strengthening exercise.
AZ2MN - Hopefully he'll get well fast and this will be a thing in the past. Running can really help with things sometimes and help you put them in perspective. But then there are times where nothing seems to help. That's when you look at the positive and know it will get better. So we plow on.
Haven't ran the past 2 days. Felt lazy but will run tomorrow. Weather is heating up here. Mornings are in the upper 50s or lower 60s. Forecast is for the upper 80s and lower 90s for this week. I hope this isn't a start of an early hot summer.
Crazy Diamond
AZ~Sorry to hear the latest news about your DH. Go ahead and vent away, you sure have been going through a lot lately. There's plenty of time to get those training runs in before May, and if anyone can get them done -- you can! Hang in there, friend.
Ray~You have been getting in some nice miles lately. Looks like you have a lot of race opportunities to chose from.
Rich~Congratulations on running your first HM! Well done, and nice job conquering that hill! Rest up the legs, and I'm sure you will be looking for the next HM to run soon. So sorry to hear about your friend.
Dan~Great to read you had a nice visit with DS and DIL. Everyone I've talked to about the Fox Cities HM/FM has raved about it. It will be great running it with your son. Wedding in July??? You are going to have a busy summer!
Art~Excellent race! Congratulations on the PR, too!! Loved reading about how you attacked those hills in your race report. Wow, that 's some post-race feast you got to enjoy! Ravioli?......YES!
Marie~Thinking of you as you deal with all the health issues of your loved ones. Lots of good advice from Art, Dan & Ray, so I'll just say I'm sure you will proceed with everything we know about you: determination, wisdom, your wonderful sense of humor and optimism. I've always had to err on the side of caution in health related matters. I have no medical history from my birth parents, so my primary physician often suggest preventive screenings. I don't agree to every test she suggests, but try to do what I can control - diet, exercise, dealing w/ stress, attitude. Take care, and remember we are here to encourage you along the way.
Today ran a nice 7 miles on the deserted, snow dusted bike path with a friend. Snow flurries, no wind and not too bad at 28F. Enjoyed tackling the hill at 4 miles. I've spent so much time running at the track this winter my legs forgot all about elevation!
Run strong friends!
Quo Vadis?
To all of my forum friends here- Thanks for the sentiments on my first HM, and especially for my friend Rob.
After Sunday's race, I was feeling sore and stiff all day Monday and Tuesday. When I got home from work Tuesday afternoon, I went out for a "recovery run". The first mile felt pretty bad, but then things finally started to loosen up. By the time I reached home and took a shower, the stiffness and soreness had pretty much disappeared. It's now Wednesday morning and everything feels normal. Put me down as a firm believer in the value of a recovery run!
The next HM is the Disneyland HM on Labor Day weekend, but I'm looking for a couple of 10 or 15k events to run in the meantime.
Cheers,
Runs in the rain
WDWRich - congratulations on your first HM! It is great when you can beat your expected time. The race reports was very interesting and inspiring, it helps me to learn how other runners deal with pacing, hills and all that. The wave start with the corrals was different, I've never seen that! I am sure your friend was there in spirit as you ran the race in his honor, my condolence on the loss of your friend.
Art in AZ - another good race report with your 15K! Impressive to beat PR by 3 minutes!
az2mntrail - Sorry to hear about your DH's health problems. Running is a good stress reliever and some quiet time out on the road helps you to put your mind in order. The May 4th marathon will be difficult if you are just running 13 mile distances now, but I think you can do it with enough determination. I also have dogs bark and run at me, but usually they stay in their yards. If they do chase me I feel safest if I turn to face them and slowly back away. If you just run away you are like prey and they may nip at you.
PaintnRun - I sympathize with you having parents with heath issues, the good part is they have both survived into their mid eighties. We have reason to be concerned for our own heath as well when we see what our genetic weaknesses might be. Many on my father's side of my family have died of heart disease. My Dad passed away from heart disease at 57. I have had a few friends, some younger than me, who had heart attacks and passed away, and some who had their heart stop and needed bypass surgery. Running helps me to keep my cardio vascular fitness up. I also try to eat good foods, I'm a vegetarian, not the strictest form since I do have dairy, eggs and fish. My main reason for running is health. I started in the early 90's soon after I had a tumor removed that was growing on my stomach. I heard that cancer does not like oxygen and figured running was a good way to flood my body with oxygen and wash away toxins.
rmcj001 - Your leg seems to be doing nicely if you complete a 7.5 mile run and have 5K plans!
gito57 - it must be fantastic to be running outside again and facing the challenging hills!
Justrundan - good luck on the Fox Cities HM! When will it be? Spring is coming!
MKaye - you are up to good millage with an 18 mile run! I generally sleep good after a long run, but if I do wake and can't sleep I will read a bit until I feel sleepy. How was the 10K?
adkkev - welcome to this forum! I am new here myself, I went to RunningAhead last year to be able to make maps with measured distances, better that using my odometer of my car, more accurate and easier. The yearly millage you are running is very impressive, even if you were short of 2000! Alaska must have a lot of nice scenery. Was it very cold when you ran there?
I am going out now for a short run of about 4 miles, it is about 40 degrees out now with snow expected later today, but the temperture is supposed to drop this week back into the 20s. This is after low 60 degree weather last week. I see there are some local races coming up. I did not expect to do any racing until September, but I am inspired by all the racers here. There is a half marathon towards the end of April up in Rochester NY and I am considering signing up for it. The course, I am told, does have lots of hills. I would have to use the google map function to plot the course to see exactly what the elevations are. Right now I am just up to about 11 mile runs and I do have a lot of small hills I run, so I feel close to being ready. I have not run a HM race in a long time so my goal would be just to finish and if it becomes too hard I could just walk part of the way. Well, I see it is now lightly snowing, time to get ready for my run!
Long distance runner, what you standin' there for?Get up, get out, get out of the door!
Altair5- From what my daughter tells me, the wave/corral starts are common at the larger races (i.e. thousands of participants). When I registered for the Disneyland HM, they asked for proof of time so that they could place you in the appropriate corral. The time had to be from a 10k or longer race within the past year, so I gave them my time from the 15k resolution run in January.
az2mn- So sorry to hear about DH's heart troubles again. Those can be awfully frustrating. Prayers for him & you! Don't fret too much re: your race in May; you've had a good base all along, you'll be able to pick it up once you can get back at it when the weather clears there, or in AZ. Feel free to vent anytime; this is a good place for that, I know!
Rich- VERY nice time on your first half. Way to go! Sounds like you were spot on with your pacing.
Debra- Sure wish that 10K Saturday was closer; it would fit well with my training! Good luck with that one. And I see you're signed up for the Rock 'n Sole HM as well; I've thought about doing the quarter marathon they have. We have friends in Milwaukee that I'm trying to cajole into running the 5K that day. We will see! And the Brewers HM is 6 days after Fox Cities, so maybe that will be 2014?
Art- WOW, you do need to get out there early for your run. 80's & 90's already! Be safe.
Altair5- hope you got that 4 miles in before the snow got too bad. The HM with my son is not until this fall; I have another on May 4 that I'm training for right now.
Rest day for me today. DS told me that he's signed up with a friend for a 5K this weekend. without any training. New shoes too. Ah the brashness of youth! And he'll probably beat my PR for 5K.
Run strong and have fun!
Thank you for your words of support and encouragement, my dear running friends! It means alot to me and it carried me through the day when I ran 10.1 miles, 1:44!! YAY!!
Although the sun peeked out here and there the first 2 miles, it got cloudy and dreary, about 18 degrees but it felt colder than that. From my house to the stop sign where I turn around, it is about 1.13 mile so I made myself run to the sign because I have to run back!! I didn't run in the neighborhood as the snowpacked road is much more icy/slick, frozen from the single digit temps overnight. It was good to run but body kinda ached and I have a cough/sore throat from my Sunday run with the wind chill and head wind run. Drinking hot OJ/apple juice mixture which soothes my throat and staying warm and resting. Will take it one day at a time and hope to get a 14 mile run by the weekend.
I trust my training and fitness level and know I will do well in the marathon. I will be back in AZ and running those trails as much as possible. I can't wait!! Soooo tired of winter, .
Stay safe, warm and run like no tomorrow!!