BETA VI

Wow, another BETA post! I would have never believed that the wonderful BETA weekend would have taken such a hold. 6 years so far, awesome. Thank you Scott Wagner for starting this 6 years ago. You'll have to go back to the other BETA posts for a history of what BETA is.

We were a group of 10 this year, heading up to our BETA house in Tofte, along the North Shore.

Check in is at 4 PM, I wanted to pick up the keys and have the house opened for the first arrivals near 5 PM.

I decided to run from Caribou Highlands on Friday. Some friends of mine were spending a few nights at Caribou Highlands so I was able to visit and borrow a shower! Good planning.

I ran from Caribou Highlands, to Oberg and back, 14.8 miles per the GPS. This route is along the 50K/25K/50M/100M Superior races so I know it like the back of my hand. It didn't disappoint. Such a beautiful trail. I spotted huge mushrooms, blueberries and raspberries. While picking berries I heard a thrashing in the woods and was afraid I'd find myself sharing the bush with Mr. Bear. Nope, Mr. Bear was Mr. Chipmunk! Ha!

The day was very humid and hot, a rarity for the North Shore, even in July. I was dripping wet and was struggling while climbing Moose Mountain and Mystery Mountain. My body is not the same as pre hysterectomy. I'm hot and sweaty all of the time and my heart rate is elevated while climbing. It is what it is, nothing I can do to change it. Just enjoy the surroundings around me and WALK. That's what I did.

I covered nearly 15 miles in 4 hours, took a cold shower and headed to the house. Maria, Doug and Bill arrived after I unpacked my gear and settled in. Nancy, Tom, Alicia and Jeffrey arrived next, then Guy and Jenny later in the evening.

For our run on Saturday, Nancy, Tom, Alicia and Jeffrey were headed to one end of the trail and the rest of us were headed for another. Doug was going to venture for a run on the trail with us instead of crewing which was a first. It was so great to have Doug running with us! When Doug mentioned he was going to run 11 miles instead of the 26 Maria, Bill, Guy and Jenny were going to tackle I quickly stated that I was in for 11 as well. I was feeling the Afton 50K two weeks prior and Friday's 4 hour run in my legs. 11 was perfect, I thought.

We dropped water and cars along the route and then began our run in Silver Bay. I love this section. Well, I guess I love all of the sections! Silver Bay to Tettegouche includes the Bean and Bear Lake overlook. So awesome and so many great memories of past races and past BETA's. We spoke of Pierre and John's crash here during BETA 1. Pierre stating "I'm Bonking!" John wishing for Red Bull! Good stuff.

By the time we reached 7 miles I was totally soaked and huffing and a puffing. My breathing was heavy, my heart rate was high and I was really having a hard time. I was sweating so heavily, as was everyone. It was hot and so so humid. Our bodies couldn't evaporate and cool in this humidity.

Bill lead the group and was quickly out of sight. Maria stopped to allow us to catch up atop a huge rock outcrop. I reached the top and just laid down flat on my back to catch my breath. Ugh. I stated that if we had a car right here I would stop and head back to the house. We were all going to be running out of water, it was so warm we were drinking more than planned.

I followed at the end of our train, winding up the trail. Eventually I told Doug to just keep on, I was going to take a walk break. I had to catch my breath. I couldn't run and breath correctly. I walked through a few shady areas, just taking in all of the beauty of the trail. I wasn't pissed off at all that I couldn't run through this, I was fine with walking along. This is just such a turn around for me. I have always loved running in the heat and humidity. My PR 100 Mile Race was at Lean Horse, at near 100 degrees. I found myself thinking deeply about many many things as I walked along. Eventually I began to zone out and wonder if I was on the correct route. I had better pay attention!

With the State Parks closed due to MN Government Budget disagreement, there weren't many people out on the trails near Tettegouche Park. I knew I was nearing the finish for me as signage posted the state park. Guy's car and water supply was at mile 11. I was so thankful to have made it this far! As I was coming down the end of the trail, Jenny was climbing back up to me, with a bottle of water in hand. Ahhh, I quickly drank the water she offered and called her my trail angel. As I came into the lot Doug poured me another bottle of water. Ah, refreshing! They had been resting 15 minutes before I arrived. Guy and Jenny decided to end the day at 11 miles too so we all took off and headed back to the house for more water and cold showers!

Doug, Guy and Jenny went back to pick up Bill and Maria. I believe Bill ran 18 and Maria 26. Lots of miles on a horrific humid day.

I hung out on the deck, reading, then walked along the rocks at our backyard, Lake Superior. It really was nice to be able to enjoy the house and landscape, not running all day into night. Nancy, Tom, Jeffrey and Alicia arrived with Tom and Alicia running 23 miles. Great work!

We had an incredible dinner, lots of fun conversation and made new friendships. Another BETA weekend, more memories and fun running. Next year: BETA VII!

*More photos posted on Facebook.

Graniteman Clearlake Triathlon

Well, I never imagined that this triathlon would be so much fun! It truly was. I really thought that all of the fussiness would take away from the fun in moving. It didn't.

I completed my first and only 'open swim' up at the cabin over the holiday earlier this week. My sister Laurie and I, along with a cabin neighbor who swims the bay every day, Gabbi, swam the bay together. It was quite nice. Gabbi's husband followed along in the pontoon incase we needed help. This took away any panic I might feel.

No panic was necessary. We glided across Wolf Bay on Lake Vermilion effortlessly. It was great fun.

I've felt a bit dehydrated from the Afton 50K I completed last Saturday. I felt like I was coming around just in time for this race. Good thing.

This morning I loaded up all of my gear-so much stuff: bike, helmet, gels, HEED, iPod, run shoes, flip flops, swim cap, goggles. Man alive. I decided to complete the whole tri in the same clothing: run shorts, run top. Easy peasy. I'd bike in my running shoes and run in them. Double duty.

My first impression was that I was impressed and that I was wrong with the stereotype I have of triathlon races. This was VERY laid back. The race was full so I thought it would be crowded. It wasn't.

I was directed to a perfect parking place under a tree, near the lake and then wandered up to the visitor center to check in. I learned that I was in Heat 1. This couldn't be! Heat 1 was for the Elites, I had read this online. OK, I went to get my shirt, bag, number, visor, towel, cap, all this stuff and to be marked. They marked me in Heat 1.

I went back to my car and looked at my iPhone. Yup, Heat 1 is for the Elite. Not me. Back I went explaining that I am not Elite and that I think I should be in Heat 10. OK, back to marking and please add a ZERO to the ONE you marked upon my leg thank you very much :)

I packed two bags. 1 with bike stuff, 1 with run stuff. I hauled both bags, bike and helmet to the transition area. I saw a bunch of bikes and asked someone if I could just make any place my home. Sure thing. I put my bike upon the rack, laid out a towel to place my bags. Bike bag: run shoes, socks, bottle with 3xHeed, gel, helmet. Run bag: 2xHeed, gel, iPod, sunglasses.

OK, I'm ok with this. Feeling good, not rushed, not the cluster f+ck I imagined a triathlon would be. Yay!

I see my friend Susan! She is uber triathlete. It was cool to see her here. I wander down to the lake area in my flip flops. There is a good .5 mile walk to the beach where we start. I realize I am the only one with my race number pinned to my shorts. I realize I am the only one wearing running shorts. Oh well. I am a runner.

I ask someone near me if we should have numbers on at this point. Nope, it causes drag in the water. OK. I unpin myself and tuck my number into my gel alley of my cleavage in my top. Good storage area.

Continue walking on to the beach area. I removed my flip flops and place in Bin 10, for heat 10. So glad I have the correct heat number upon my engorged calf as I lifted calves and back yesterday.

OK, here is the deal: Heat 1 goes first in the water, they start, then we wait three minutes and Heat 2 goes. AWESOME! Plenty of spacing between us. I'm liking this.

I hear two women in back of me speaking of Brook who is training for IM WI. I have to ask "Brook Wheeler" OMG, yes! So cool. We chat for a while and become friends. They are in my heat 10, too. Heat 10 is women 40-49 I believe.

OK, so the heats are taking off and 10 is up. Into the water I go. It is warm!! GO! We are off swimming. I'm doing my tri, baby! I swim along, just as happy as a damn clam. Nobody is near me, I can clearly see the big pink banner on the other side of the lake .52 miles away that I am aiming for me. Piece of cake. Really.

18 minutes.

Pretty soon I am to the shore. Out of the water, run! To the bike area. Heats 1-9 are already out of here and there are only 11 heats. It's pretty empty. I go to my bike, wipe off my muddy feet, towel off, put on socks and run shoes, chug a LOT of my 3x Heed (3 scoops-super strong), eat a gel, place the helmet upon my head and walk my bike out to the OUT BIKE sign. I'm off to bike! This is really cool. I am just one big smile.

4 minutes.

I pedal along, it's windy. Real windy. I pass a few people, know that I have 15 miles so take it easy. I don't want to tire out. IT's really hilly. It is SUPER windy! Up some hills, an overpass over 94 in St Cloud, buzzing around, me and my bike. So fun. I love it, totally love it.

I chug off my HEED and see I'm at Mile 10 already. Wow. That was fun. A few more miles and it's time to run baby.

15 miles biking.

1 hour, 2 minutes.

I walk my bike back to it's home in the transition area and don't have to do too much. Take off the helmet, chug my HEED, eat a gel, feet are great, grab iPod. I'm outa here! Run baby run!


1 minute, 17 seconds

We run up a huge hill, past a few farms and guess what I see? A TOPAZ in horse form! A pinto with black ears, brown over the eye, white face and yes, merle eyes. I couldn't believe it! I went back to get a photo but Topaz Horsey was gone. Boo. Soo cool.

We run off the pavement and hit some gravel. Water at the turnaround and do it again. So awesome.

Alright, here is the finish line: "Julie Berg from Big Lake and she is smiling" darn right, that was a blast!

29 minutes.

I see the two women I met at the swim, they congratulate me and say they saw me on the course and comment that I was smiling the whole way. Oh yeah, that was great fun.

Final finish: 1:54

Julie Berg 239th/331entrants Group: 22/30 109/147 Swim: 18:07 T1: 4:03
Bike: 1:02:30 T2: 1:17 Run: 29:00 Final Time: 1:54:00

Yup, total blast. Graniteman Big Lake is August 6, then the Olympic distance at Lake Marian Oly Triathlon.

Next up is BETA VI!! It's BETA time again up on the Superior Hiking Trail :)

Afton 50K Race Report: Reroute: BRUTAL

Oh man, what a day!

Because of the State of Minnesota shutdown (government couldn't pass a budget)the non essential areas of government are closed. This includes the State Parks. Afton State Park is the location of the Afton 50K.

John Storkamp, our incredible RD, could have just canceled the race. We would have expected it. Instead he chose to go through more planning and headache and was granted permission to hold the Afton 50K at the Afton Alps, just next door to the Afton State Park. SWEET!

This meant yes, that the race would be held upon the ski hills and mountain bike trails. Would it be more difficult that Afton 50K or easier. I knew it would be more difficult. In the past I have spent many a day getting in ski hill repeats-ouch, but never along with a 50K run. Lordy.

Parking was fabulous. When Bill P guided me into a spot I had to ask "Bill, is this a Team Ortho race?" It was awesome!

Afton Alps gave the race the chalet and all of the fixings for the day. Amazing.

I looked at the beginning of the course and saw the flags going right up the frickin' first ski hill. Really?

Yeah, really.

After mingling a short while we were ready to get this party started. I walked to the back of the line-yup, dead last. I didn't care if I was DFL today (deaf effing last) it was better than a DNF (did not finish) and that was my mantra going into and while running the race.

It was hot. I was already sweating buckets. I reminded myself to take SCaps today at the aid stations, which I normally don't do. My body is different after the hysterectomy a few months back. It sweats more among other things!

I found myself with Les Martisko, a runner in his 60s who I began my ultrarunning with. I always used to run with Les in my early races, then I moved toward the front, now I was enjoying company with him upon the trail again. We had great conversations during the first half of the first loop.

Pretty soon I was running with Tom Andrews and Pat Gorman. We finished out the loop together, I really enjoyed running with them. I was quite worried about the race after finishing this first loop in 156. Climbing the ski hills at the end was crazy bad. It was hot-at 830 in the morning-I was sweating and gasping for air. Shitpie.

Into the start finish to crazy loud cheering "JULIE" it was so awesome! All of my friends, what a great experience! My bottle was filled, I grabbed Scaps and Hammergels and was out of there. I needed to keep this pace. I had heard 9 hours was the cut off so off I went.

Pretty soon Tom caught up to me. He explained we should run the flats and downhills, walk the ups of course and that way we would get in under 9. He was right on. I climbed the switchbacks, ski hills and ran the flats-which were few-as was shade-and ran the downhills. Hot hot hot. Wet wet wet. I don't know if I've ever sweat so much.

2nd loop was 200 again. OK, good deal. I can do this. I was happy to be 1/2 through. Again a chorus of "ICE BERG" "GO JULIE" it was fabulous fun. I took a bow and made everyone laugh. Or was that the 3rd loop? Who knows.

3rd loop I was on my own. I didn't really see anyone but sure was happy to get into the aid stations! Doug Barton was at AS1 and I was so happy to tell him "next time I see you I'll be on my 4th loop"! He filled my bottle and gave me ice and I was off. I was really enjoying this.

During the 3rd loop Duke Rembleski came upon me! I love Duke! I hadn't seen him in forever and was thankful that this was a 4 loop course so that I could walk and talk with him. He was on his 4th loop. It was so great to visit.

At 4.4 miles Helen Lavin and Maria Barton and crew were manning the station. It was great to come in each time and chat with happy smiling people! After a cooling off of ice water and sponges I felt revitalized! Off to get loop 3 finished.

At about 1 mile to the start/finish I heard JULIE! Oh my goodness, Eve Rembleski! Yahhoo I love Eve too! She was running strong in back of me, I waited for her to catch up and pass so I could run after her a yell out a few words! Eve took 1st woman/7th overall. So great to see you!

The 3rd loop came to an end, another loud chorus of HERE COMES JULIE and I could only laugh! I had the worse chaffing ever. My shorts and top were so soaked and rubbing on me, completely rubbed me raw. Cheri brought me over a big canister of Vaseline that really helped. Nancy washed me off with ice water oh, so wonderful. Holly filled my hat with ice, I grabbed watermelon and proceeded to drop it upon Eves toes! Nancy did the bending down for me to pick it up.

3rd lap was 2:11 OK, let's get this party moving.

The 4th lap I was just so darn grateful that I was going to finish this beast! It was truly a beast. I had chafing from hell but that was the only complaint. My legs weren't tired (why??), no blisters-Foot Potion-and I was truly happy to be out on the course.

As the 4th lap came to an end I surprised myself by tearing up. Pretty soon I was sobbing. On one hand I tend to think I should be able to run as fast and as hard as pre hysterectomy and on the other, more sane hand, I am just so grateful to be running again. I was crying because I am so thankful to be able run again. This felt like my McNaughton 100 wins. Really.

I finished the race in 830, in good form. I was able to run my fastest as I ran over the finish line.

Thank you so much to all of the volunteers, Cheri and John, all of you out there. It was an incredible day and I'm just so thankful that I was able to experience it.

Now I must pack up my food and head up to the Lake. Happy 4th of July :)

Team Ortho Minneapolis Marathon Photos

Minneapolis Marathon

This past Sunday I ran the Minneapolis Marathon as part of the Team Ortho Monster Series that I entered. Last year I ran a few of the Ortho races and really enjoyed them. I entered the series this past January as an alternative to the Ultra Gnarly Bandit Series incase I had a hysterectomy, which I did, and the series has been a lot of fun.

Minneapolis Marathon was race III out of V.

Summer arrived in the Midwest this past weekend. Most of us from the area haven’t had any heat training yet this summer as the past five weekends have been in the 50s with rain. Friday arrived with summer! 86 Friday, 85 Saturday and Sunday, it is 94 today!

What a way to acclimate, on race day.

I normally love to run in the heat but I have to admit, the heat helped to brutalize the Minneapolis Marathon for me!

I had a few goals for the marathon. One, I wanted to run the first half faster than the Get Lucky Half Marathon in March and two, I wanted to feel good at the half. That would show me any progress I’ve made on endurance these past weeks. If you read the race report for the half you will remember that I felt like death during that half marathon. I couldn’t breathe, I was dizzy, I was a mess. Of course it was only 7 weeks or so post op.

As all Team Ortho races, parking was a treat. $3 parking in a lot less than a block away to the start/finish, hand directed to my spot. So amazing!

This was the second year for the Minneapolis Marathon and I hadn’t run it before. There were 4800 registered for either the relay, half marathon or marathon.

I liked the 7 AM start, for me earlier is better. We were able to use the facilities at The Depot Hotel, using nice clean toilets, hot water..what a treat! I walked over to the start and lined up near the 10 minute mile pacers. It was already 65F and felt nice, no sleeves necessary. I was trying a new sunscreen for racing, Skinceuticals, which my friend Alicia recommended. I am beginning to show sun spots and certainly don’t need anymore sun damage. This sunscreen is a physical block that is also water/sweat proof. I had been wearing the brand under my make up but hadn’t had the opportunity to try out on a sunny hot day.

The start was at the Depot Hotel, running through the Warehouse District, down Plymouth Avenue, to the Stone Arch Bridge. I had never walked down in that area and it was so pretty. Cobblestone roads – which weren’t so great to run on – but didn’t last very long. We ran through beautiful neighborhoods that I hadn’t seen before. It was a 6 mile loop over and back across the river and then we headed back near our starting place before heading out on the out and back marathon run. It really was a pretty loop and most of it was nicely shaded.

There was a relay taking place within the race which was a new event to me. Every 6 miles or so there would be a big RELAY sign with cones directing the participants to their hand off area. It was fun to see new fresh runners with lots of speed burning up the course for a few miles.

The stretch along West River Road was mostly shaded with a few long sunny spots. Whew, those spots warmed me up quickly. I felt like it was 90F already and really it was about 75F at this time.

I have never stood under any of the sprinklers at the summer marathons, but yesterday, I soaked myself under each one. I was that hot! After a cool soaking I felt new life in my body as I continued to run along the course.

Along West River Road was the half marathon turnaround and once the half marathoners left the course, wow, did it thin out! All of a sudden the course was wide and clear with a few runners here and there. Less than 900 finished the marathon.

I was able to reach both of my goals: at the half marathon I felt good, just hot, and I was 12 minutes faster than I was at Lucky 7 half marathon. Good enough!

I continued on and really began to get hot on this exposed section. I was carrying a 24 oz water bottle that I was filling at the aid stations and gulping down a couple little glasses of power aid or whatever the available energy drink was. I was taking a Hammergel every 35 to 40 minutes, I didn’t take any S or ECAPS. I was wondering if I should have brought some along with all of the heat.

We made a u turn and then entered the Fort Snelling State Park. Wow, I didn’t even know this existed. We ran downhill on a shaded path deep in the woods for over a mile, then hit a sandy trail through the park that was still shaded. 6 nice wooded shaded miles through the park. I liked it, although it was quite hilly. This was an out and back so it did get a little crowded in areas. I noticed that many of the runners coming back were looking pretty tough. The heat was taking it’s toll. I finally reached the turn around and headed back out of the park. As we exited the park we took a sharp left and the trail went straight up a huge hill! I could only laugh at it. I began to walk up the hill, sweat falling into my eyes when I realized the sunblock was working very well. It didn’t sting my eyes and it wasn’t wearing off. Good deal. I also noticed that it felt good to walk up this hill, using other muscles after the downhill running earlier.

I was just looking forward to hitting the 20 mile marker. I was hot and tired. I wasn’t sore at all, I wasn’t out of breath or dizzy, I was trying to be happy that I felt pretty good and that I have the endurance back. Speed is another thing.

Eventually mile 20 came and went, I just looked for the next mile. At mile 23 I filled up my water bottle and then noticed the 430 pace group coming up the way. I walked out of the aid station, waiting to run the last three miles with the group.

I came into the finish line at 4:34, I felt nauseous by now and had a bad stitch in my side. I thought about my friends running FANS and Kettle 100 and was just glad that I only had a marathon for today!

I had only a short walk to my car where I had a cooler holding a recovery shake and quinoa salad. I could stomach the shake but ate the salad later in the day when I was famished!

No pain or stiffness today, no bleeding or cramping during the race, all is good. The next race in the Monster Series is the Minneapolis Duathlon. Something new for me! I’m looking forward to it.

The Twin Cities Marathon is in 4 months. I’d like to run another Boston Qualifier. I have the endurance down, now the speed workouts begin.

Today is swimming and biking in preparation for the Graniteman Tri in 8 weeks. Another first!

Triatha what? Triathlon!

The town in which I live, Big Lake, is hosting a triathlon! Finally! It is a great location as the City has built a pathway around the lake that is perfect for running and biking. Except that it is concrete but who needs to complain, right?

In looking up information for this triathlon I learned that it is a part of a series, the Graniteman Series. This will consist of the Graniteman Clearwater Triathlon and Graniteman Half Marathon, Sauk Rapids, in addition to Graniteman Big Lake. Of course I decided to enter the series, what the hell, right?

You may recall that in 2006 I was going to try the sport of triathlon, before I chose to focus on 100 mile ultramarathons. I learned that I didn’t care for the swim portion of the sport. I trained for a while during the winter and then once the trails cleared it was back to ultrarunning!

Graniteman Clearwater is held July 9, Graniteman Big Lake is August 9. Both of these are ‘sprint’ triathlons-the shortest of tri’s, including a .46 mile swim across the lake, a 15 mile bike and finishing off with a 5K run. Woohoo! No prob, right?

After entering these I became excited about trying something new and entered Lake Marian Triathlon, which offered a sprint and Olympic distance. Well, I figured I might as well go for the Olympic as I’d have two sprints under my belt. Weeee!

The Olympic distance is a bit longer including a 1.5 K swim (.93 mile), 40K bike (24.8 mile) and a 10K run (6.2 miles). The swim will intimidate me here but I’ll get her done.

If I love this I’ll progress forward to a ½ Iron and Ironman; why not, right? I am going to volunteer at Ironman Wisconsin in September so that I can secure an entry in 2012. I’m at bike aid station 2. My friend Brook is an entrant so it will be awesome to see her upon the course.

I’m thankful that I entered the Team Ortho Monster Series early this year as a back up plan to the Ultra Gnarly Bandit Series incase of hysterectomy. My surgeon has firmly suggested that I do not run Bighorn 100 Mile Trail Run. The distance between aid stations and the remoteness of the race location were important reasons for his suggestion in addition of course to the rigor of a 100 mile mountain race.

I could just ignore his suggestion but I know that for me to finish a 100 my mind has to be firmly sound in finishing the distance. One bit of indecision at finishing the distance and my mind will convince my body to stop. As much as I love the distance and state how much I enjoy it, at about mile 70-80 I do entertain thoughts of quitting. A strong mind not allowing any of these thoughts to take place it was gets me to the finish line.

The Minneapolis Marathon is part III of the Monster Series. The Marathon is this Sunday and it looks to be a perfect day! High of 83 with a low of 60, oh yeah, summer is arriving. I have no time goal for the marathon, just a morning run in the sun. It will be a good indication as to where my fitness is right now. I’m going to train to run another Boston qualifier at Twin Cities Marathon this October. I’ve created a 4 month training plan which includes the triathlon training and TCM.

So far I’ve swum up to 24 laps and biked up to 35 miles. Plenty of fun ☺

Summer vacation is approaching just in time, I’ll have many many hours to put in toward training. Oh yeah, summer is here… love it!

Ice Age 50 Mile Ultramarathon

I just spent an awesome weekend in Hustisford Wisconsin for the Ice Age Trail Races. I have run the Ice Age 50 Miler 4 different times, the last time in 2007, and decided it was time to run upon the trail again. This year the race offered a half marathon, 50K and 50 Mile option. I was in for the 50.

We were a group of four traveling to Hustisford Wisconsin. Bill offered to drive us, we had a ‘cabin’ for the weekend on Lake Sinissippi for free. Our weekend cost was going to be minimal. We were able to fit all of our gear into the back of Bill’s Toyota Prius, I had my cooler between Alicia and I.

Our drive down was fun, joking and telling stories on the way. While Matt and Bill navigated the way to our destination Alicia and I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. We almost stopped to visit an establishment called Cruisin’ Chubbies. We decided against it.

As we approached the cabin we all had our mouths wide open as we took in the view. Our ‘cabin’ was a beautiful home set upon the lake. A sweeping deck around the outside, fireplace, Jacuzzi, drive through garages, it was crazy beautiful. We felt like royalty entering the front door. Wow.

We visited and made preparations for the morning. I retired to my huge bedroom and big bed. Read for an hour and called it a day.

At 340 we woke up to ready ourselves for the day. Matt brought Peet’s coffee along as well as traveler cups so we were super spoiled. A quick breakfast of oats for me and we were off to Ice Age.

We arrived the start by 515, a good 45 minutes before the race start. Plenty of time for collecting number, chip, visiting and photos. About this time I noticed that my GPS wasn’t working. I had charged it on Friday but must have left it on. I like to use it, at minimum, to direct me as to when to take gels. Ugh. Matt had mentioned earlier that he wasn’t going to wear his watch so let me wear his instead. It wasn’t a GPS but did have a running time, I was thankful!

Before the race our RD told us that Tom Bunk was running his 26th in a row and that as a finisher Lorraine would be solo in her age group of 70+. They both finished! I ran with them for a few miles during the race and am just in awe of the two of them.

It rained and the wind was blowing like crazy all night long but amazingly the course was in pretty good shape on Saturday. I have seen it much, much worse. I enjoyed myself so much, running along the trail, saying hello and catching up to others that I haven’t seen in some time.

I drank Hammer Heed from the stations and was able to pick up Hammer gels. I just love that so many races are now sponsored by Hammer Nutrition. I haven’t had to haul along powder in baggies to mix my drink along the trail in quite some time. I always carry Hammergel along just in case, but took them back home with me. I was able to refill on gel at every aid station. I even tried a new flavor: Colorado Mulberry or Huckleberry. It was quite good but not as good as my favorite Espresso.

I was feeling good, running along the course at mile 13 when I felt a cramping of some sort. I had never felt it before so thought maybe it was due to nerves, breakfast, or who knows what. I continued to run along and these cramps were starting to come every 5 minutes or so. I stopped to stretch out my core, massaged my lower abs. I noticed that when I walked I didn’t have cramps. By mile 15 I was starting to have some spotting. I hadn’t spotted at all during my hysterectomy recovery, this was very alarming to me. I told myself I’d just run to the next aid station and drop if I was still spotting.

I walked for a while, the cramping and spotting stopped so I began to run along, feeling pretty good. At 20 miles I told Vicky and Wayne what was going on. They reassured me by letting me know they would be at the aid stations for the duration of the day. This really helped me mentally, knowing they would be there. They were crewing for Rick, who was ahead of me, as was Alicia and Matt. I figured I might as well go to the next aid station, 23.

By mile 23 the spotting was heavier and the cramping felt like contractions. What the hell? I wasn’t going to chance this and end up with a big problem. There wasn’t crew access at 23 so I decided at 26 I’d call it a day. A marathon is a good distance to call it a day I told myself. But 50K is better.

Well, eventually the spotting had turned to bleeding and contraction like cramps were causing a lot of pain. I told Vicky and Wayne I was finished because of this. It was the pits. I felt fine otherwise. They let me know that Bill had dropped a while back and was in the car. I collected my drop bag and did the same.

I didn’t feel to bummed about dropping, I was more concerned. Once I was off of my feet and sitting the cramping began to go away. The bleeding was back to spotting. Thank goodness.

We drove to the start/finish, they dropped off Bill and I. We changed into dry warm clothing and headed off to find Alicia and Matt along the course. I really enjoyed watching the runners come through the aid station. I don’t often see this side of the race. We set up at outbound mile 37/inbound mile 43. I watched many of the people that I had been running with come in and run out. Matt was coming back and looked good even though he said he was tired and felt crabby. He looked strong and fast to me. Drank a few mouthfuls of coffee and we told him we’d see him at the finish.

The clock was close to the cut off time. Rick came in only a few minutes after the cut off and Alicia a bit after that. She had been suffering a sick stomach for many miles and continued to stick it out on the trail. Amazing.

We drove back to the finish for Alicia to change and for all of us to eat. We mingled and watched the finishers come in. It was so much fun to cheer and whoop it up for them. Matt came in just after 10 hours, our single finisher in our traveling group. Way to go, Matt!

I was freezing. Even with three shirts, a sweatshirt, two jackets I was still cold. It was raining and blowing. Alicia and I went to wait in the car and just hung out, drinking the Peet’s coffee that Matt brought along 12 hours ago. It was still warm. Yum!

Eventually we headed off to our house of beauty for rest and relaxation. What a nice place. We totally enjoyed ourselves before turning in for the night.

I’m feeling just fine today. No cramping or spotting. I called my surgeon and he told me that this normally takes place when one does too much too soon. He stated that he doesn’t have any other ultra runners as patients, that normally too much is an aggressive walk at 6 weeks. He thought I would have felt these after effects of hysterectomy earlier, during my 1/2 marathon or 50K. He commended me for actually listening to my body and stopping when I did. I’m sure thankful that I did!

He advised me against running Bighorn but stated the Minneapolis Marathon June 5 should be fine.

Chippewa 50K Ultramarathon

I did it! I was able to finish the Chippewa 50K in fine form. Yes, I had some doubt three weeks ago but as race day approached I told myself there wasn't any reason I couldn't run a 50K 10 weeks post hysterectomy. Right? Right!

I've only been training for a month and that month has been spent building endurance, not speed, that is for sure. I have no speed in these legs unless I train hard, diligently and run speed sessions twice a week with a weekly minimal mileage total of 75 miles. That's how this body works. Running fast(er) doesn't come easy for me.

With a few weeks to train I really wasn't certain how the endurance was going to pan out either. I did run 2 20 milers, so was hoping the next 11 during the race would be OK. It was.

I arrived to the race start with 4 minutes to spare. Yeah, thanks mapquest. Even though I have volunteered before I certainly didn't remember where in the world New Auburn WI was, somewhere out in the middle of the Chippewa National Forest. I was tossed and turned around, finally realizing hey, I have an iPhone and that has a GPS. So DUH! I have had an iPhone for 3 years and never used the GPS. I pulled it out, entered in the address and bingo! Even though there was no cell/internet service the GPS still works. It had me to the race start before the race started.

Quickly stuffed gels into my pocked, grabbed my Garmin, fixed my feet and hightailed it up to the visitor center where Jeff was calling all of the runners to the start. He helped me to find my chip and number and we were off!

The course was beautiful! Nice rolling ups and downs, deep woods, so many lakes, it was incredible. The trail was soft, nice and well..muddy. We ran through pine, oak, along ridges, through fields, a few road crossings-even some obstacles such as fence climbing and bridge crossings were involved. It was fantastic and SO GOOD TO BE RUNNING AN ULTRA AGAIN!

I saw my long lost friends! I didn't have any time to visit at the start so was able to catch up on the trail. Maria and I started out together for 5 minutes we chatted but at the first hill I had to let her go. I had to let a whole bunch of friends that I normally run with go. I was breathing heavily up that hill and knew it would mean trouble if I was gasping for air this early. I told her to go ahead and I'd visit at the finish.

I walked the hill and then found John T, ran a few hundred feet and had to stop to pee. I didn't have a chance to pee after the long ride with only 4 minutes to start. Off went the group. Scott W was out running! So happy to see him, it's been years since we've run together. It was a nice HI and BYE! He was long gone before I stepped back onto the trail.

For a few moments I was bummed that I was at the back of the pack, where I used to be when I first began ultras. I quickly changed my mindset and became grateful that I was even out running. Here I was, healthy, able to run a 50K deep in the woods. It's a great way to spend the day!

I ran along, enjoying Mother Nature. The course is an out and back, with 2 manned aid stations along the way, two self serve with water and an aid station at the turn around.

At each aid station I filled with Heed, grabbed a few gels and scampered on down the trail. I was totally enjoying the views. This course is on the Ice Age Trail, it is just beautiful

Eventually the leaders were coming back, I was going to be able to see all of the runners. John S was in third place, running strong. Helen was third woman, also looking strong. I love out and backs, so nice to see everyone!

Pretty soon I saw the group I had been racing with before my hiatus: John T, Jim, they were like 5 miles ahead of me. Wow. For a moment I thought: I suck. Then I changed that thought. No, I'm just fine. I'm having a blast, I'm getting my money worth!

At the turn around I felt famished! I was running slowly and knew I wouldn't have any trouble digesting food. I ate 3/4 of a fresh peanut butter jelly sandwich and refilled on heed and gels. The sandwich tasted wonderful!

Lynn was taking pictures, I'll post a few, and off I went, back toward the start.

Along my way back I still felt good. I had been running a very cautious pace for fear of crashing. I was probably too cautious but better to error on the side of good judgment!

I ended up passing 13 people on the way back, yeah, I counted. It made me feel good about my run. I ran a negative split of 1:24! Ha, that's one minute and 24 seconds! Pretty consistent pace!

At the end of the race is a huge grassy hill leading to the visitor center. John S and Joe were up there cheering and yelling. They finished in 424 or some crazy fast speed and this was Joe's first ultra. Yeah. Wow! Great run.

I walked up that last hill and crossed the finish line in 7:10. A good 45 minutes or so slower than my 50K time but hey, I did it and I'm good with it! My goal was 8 hours so I was golden.

A quick visit with others and I hurried to my car to change into dry clothes and gobble up a shake of berries, juice, Udos and protein powder. I had leftover lentil patties and greens for the drive home.

I'm trying to be diligent with recovery foods. Too many times I don't eat post run because I don't feel hungry. A shake is easy to get down the hatch and digests easily.

I visited with wonderful friends whom I have missed so much, for an hour or so and then it was time to move on home to color Easter eggs and bake the Bun Bun Cake.

Thanks to RD Jeff, the volunteers and all of my friends out there. You all rock. A few more weeks and I'm off to WI again, this time for Ice Age 50 Mile Ultra. Woohoo!

Zumbro 100 Mile Endurance Run

This past Friday was the Zumbro 100 Mile Endurance Run. Originally I was hoping to run this in part with the Upper Midwest Trail Runners Ultra Gnarly Bandit series. Once I was scheduled for surgery I decided I’d volunteer instead.

I had never volunteered during a 100 before so have never worked the night shift. I was sure looking forward to it!

John Storkamp, the new RD for the race, did an excellent job keeping the volunteers updated as to our assignments, our shift times, who we would be working with, etc.

My shift was 6 PM to 6 AM at the Start/Finish. I was happy to be assigned here as I could park my car here and use it as a tent. I would have all of my clothes near me, I could run 25 miles and then change before my shift.

Amazingly the course was in great condition. Just last week there was inches of snow upon the trail. With some rain during the week and temperatures up in the 50s I thought the course would be very muddy. It wasn’t! The snow was gone and the sand had soaked up all of the water. Beautiful!

Completing a long training run during a race is an awesome way to get the miles in! The course was perfectly marked and I was able to pick up Hammergel and Hammer Heed along the way. Visiting with my friends working the other aid stations was quite a treat too. I was surprised that I only ran into Daryl during my loop-he finished in fine form.

The run went very well for me. I was able to climb without gasping for air, I was able to run a few fast miles without my heart rate sky rocketing. I am encouraged for Chippewa 50K in a week and a half.

The course was beautiful. There are long climbs, runnable flats, awesome views of the river from the high bluffs. I saw deer and grouse, wild leeks and purple flowers.

I couldn’t but become excited about running the race next year.

Volunteering the station was so much fun. There were 50 volunteers to 25 runners so we had plenty of help. I filled bottles, packs, made grilled cheese sandwiches, handed out salt tablets, fetched Vaseline, scooped stew and offered encouragement to the runners.

It was interesting to watch the runners come in. The course is a 20. 5 mile loop, completed 5 times so I saw most of the runners twice during my 6 PM to 6 AM shift. Some of the runners were very self sufficient. Many of them had their vehicles parked nearby and just went there to change, mix up fuel, eat. They would run past for me to check in their number and time. Other runners like to know what is available to eat and drink. Then dictate back what they want. Some runners don’t have any idea what they want. I would then suggest at least a gel, how about a ½ sandwich to take along? It was a lot of fun.

Eventually the volunteers began to thin out for a quick nap. John told us to catch an hour or two. I went to my car and reclined the front seat back, cuddling up in a warm down nest. I tried to fall asleep but wasn’t able to . 30 minutes later I wandered back to the station and there was John all by himself. He was exhausted, having been up for days getting this party ready. He nodded off while we were sitting at the fire, then popped back up and began to set up the finish line. He wouldn’t rest for long.

We continued to feed the runners, I would check them in and wrote down their times as they came through. The night was relatively mild. The runners kept their day clothes on. The low was 48F. Not bad!

At one point John looked at me and said "This is really fucked up. These people are out there running 100 miles and we are acting like it's a normal thing for everyone to do. We do it" I responded "Yeah, and Lynn's bone is showing through her knee from her fall and we think it is a great thing that she went out to finish up the race anyway".

The things that you do and that you are around eventually become normal, not fucked up. Amazing.

At the end of the day there were 25 entered and 16 finishers. The course record that John Storkamp set last year was crushed by Adam Schwartz in 21:53.

Here are the results:

1 Adam Schwartz-Lowe 21:53:05
2 Matthew Aro 23:03:32
3 Shane Peltonen 23:27:40
4 Susan Donnelly 26:13:36
5 Ruben Anderson 28:59:01
6 Jordan Hanlon 29:34:36
7 Rob Apple 29:53:21
8 Daryl Saari 30:07:35
9 Kathleen Jambor 30:14:43
10 Bob Murphy 30:15:28
11 Vince Gerber 30:17:14
12 John Taylor 30:21:53
13 Lynn Saari 31:43:37
14 Erik Dalgaard 32:06:22
15 Matthew Schafer 32:32:09
16 Brian Van Beusekom 33:25:45

It was a fabulous day and I was honored to be a part of the race. Thank you to all of the runners, the volunteers, crew, the RDs. I have a few photos I’ll post later.

2011 Zumbro Fat Ass Run

Yesterday I headed south to Zumbro Falls to run the again annual Zumbro Fat Ass. I arrived earlier than the 10:00 start time so ran around the Bottoms for a while before others arrived and while others were chopping and stacking wood for the aid stations during the Zumbro 100 next Friday.

I became warm while running early in the morning in pants so changed into shorts prior to our trail run. Ah, the first run of the season in shorts. Nice!

Daryl and Lynn arrived with their playful pup, Lexi. She smiles and wags her tail constantly, such a pretty girl. Joe had his Rottweiler/Pit mix who was also very friendly and as Chris arrived a huge lean dog bounded out from his car. Oh my gosh, this was Cooper. The Cooper that Chris has been skijoring with recently. Wow. What a dog. I didn't realize how large he was. He looked like he was part deer! Awesome.

We chatted a bit and headed out on the trail. It was a beautiful morning, 35F, sun, with a high of 50. Couldn't get any better!

The trail was covered with a lot of snow, some mud and water in the low areas. The shaded areas still held quite a bit of snow.

My climbing legs have been in hibernation, I could feel them resist climbing up the snow covered hills. I was out of breath a few times, but I didn't panic as I did a few weeks earlier. I just took it easy, bringing up the back of the pack. I was OK with that.

I chatted with Cheri and Wayne quite a bit. Cheri is running Bighorn 50K and Wayne is heading out to McNaughton next week. It was fun to catch up, I've been away for so long.

Running through the leaf covered trail was a treat. There were areas where the sun had melted off all of the snow exposing a nice soft cover. It felt good to run on a bit of dirt!

The aid station that I am assigned to next week, AS 2, is covered in an ice berg. AS2 and AS3 will now be combined at the AS3 location.

I had an awesome time, it felt so good to be out running at Zumbro Bottoms among friends again.

I don't know how much snow will be left for the race next week. It rained last night and the forecast is for 50s this week. Much of it will probably melt but I imagine some of it will be left.

I'm planning on running a loop of the course before my 6 PM shift on Friday. Good luck to all of the runners! See you out there!!

Team Ortho Lucky 7 Half Marathon

I may be healed but I am not trained.

Ugh.

Before I made the decision to have a hysterectomy I had planned on completing the UMTR Ultra Gnarly Bandit Series. 4 - 100 mile ultra marathons in the Midwest. Well, once the hysterectomy became a reality I realized I +may+ not be ready for Zumbro 100 in April (you think?).

I came up with another plan. The Team Ortho Monster Series. A 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon, Duathalon and another Half Marathon. I ran the 10K Polar Dash in January the second race was yesterday. Participants could either run a 7K or 21K (Half Marathon). I opted for the Lucky Half Marathon. I had a quick thought of pinning a tag to my back stating that I was only 7 weeks post op as a reason for my suckage.

My surgeon gave me his blessing to resume running two weeks ago. With 6 weeks off and a major surgery I knew running might be difficult..but I thought my body would catch on quickly. My running has been on a hiking trail under a few feet of snow. Lots of hills, lots of slow running. Well, not lots..nothing over 10 miles. I ran 10 miles last week. This run was partly on the trail with Topaz and it was so cold and slippery and tough on the trail that I ran the remaining miles on my treadmill. With an hour of driving and changing (rest) inbetween. This does not a half marathon make, I know realize..as if I didn't before.

As I have mentioned before, I really like the Team Ortho races. Except that I had to make a 4 hour round trip to packet pickup on Friday. That was the pits-rush hour and all.

Saturday morning it was 21F, a big moon hovering in the sky as I drove toward Minneapolis. As I neared Minneapolis the sky became cloudy and it was snowing. I was so glad I decided to wear long pants, gloves, ear band, light jacket and long sleeved thin top. I haven't run in shorts yet this year. It was windy too.

Race organization was excellent. Free parking at the Ford Plant. As I neared the plant volunteers were flagging cars in, directing up to parking slots. Awesome. I headed out a few minutes before race time and bumped into Monica. I first met Monica while working for Berkley, and later, at FANS 24 Hour Run. Now I see Monica regularly at races. Cool.

We chit chatted and waited for the GO. My plan was to go SLOW, a full two minutes per mile slower than usual, including 1 minute walk after each mile. I stayed true to this plan the whole race and then even added a few minutes. Egads.

I was cautious and maybe a little nervous at the beginning, wondering if I really was healed. I really didn't worry about the training. It didn't occur to me that surgery and 6 weeks off would really make that much of a difference.

I just trotted along the course, listening to conversation around me, noticing that I was running with a group of people that I haven't been running with lately. It reminded me of when I first began to run races. Many near me were running their first halfs, it was cool to listen to their excitement and future racing plans.

At 5 miles I saw the front leaders coming back, man, they were hauling ass and were running uphill. The course was hilly, mostly downhill on the way out with the wind in our face and mostly uphill on the way back with the wind at our backs. I ate a gel here, a few glasses of power ade and trudged along, making sure to walk a full minute after each mile. I was running 10 minute miles and was OK with that, although I was a bit miffed that a 10 minute mile wasn't feeling all that easy.

At 8 miles I began to get dizzy. It kind of freaked me out. I was running up a hill, stitches on both sides, and became dizzy. I slowed to a walk and heard this gasping. Is that me? I turned down my music and sure enough, I was gasping and wheezing. I was quite perturbed at myself. Why do I have side stitches, why am I dizzy and why am I gasping for air. Hello I'm running an 11 minute mile at this point. Hello you just had surgery and haven't run for 6 weeks. Bla bla bla. On and on I went. At the top of the hill I sat on a curb. Really! I've never sat down during a race on the curb. What the hell. There was an aid table near so I got up and grabbed a gel and some drink, feeling a bit better.

I began to run again, slowly, like real slow. 11 minute miles now. Up hill I ran, falling in back of the 2 hour pace team. I kept having contradictory thoughts. Oh my god, catch them, you have not had to train for a half marathon in 10 years..oh, no, wait, this isn't about catching anyone, it's about getting the distance in. How can this be so hard? It's a freaking half marathon...

I couldn't believe the difficulty I was having. I was really struggling. Its not like speed comes naturally to me anyhow. Normally I am running 60-80 miles per week and work hard for every bit of speed I can muster. My fast twitch muscles like to rest and I coerce them out of their rest weekly. Not now. They are in hibernation mode.

Finally I came up on mile 12, knowing that the end was near and just so thankful that I could at least run a half marathon at 7 weeks post op. It was difficult, I was fed up with myself for struggling so, but in the end I did reach the goal I had set upon myself. I ran the distance.. in 2:17 .. I have a starting point .. even if I feel as though I am starting over..

I tried not to think about Chippewa 50K next month, Ice Age 50 Mile in May and Bighorn 100 in June. I wasn't thinking positively enough to be thinking about future races.

After the race I was handed a bag of food and received so much schwagg for this race, it's kind of over the top.

I do love that I don't have to stand in a mob of people for my shirt, medal, food. ALL of the food is in a paper bag, handed to you. Very nifty.

Today Topaz and I headed off to the trail for a run. There is still 14" of snow and ice on the trail. Yes, I stuck a ruler into the snow and measured. I am hoping that there is at least a few inches less when I measure tomorrow! I ran 8 miles and felt tightness but no pain. If this snow doesn't melt soon I'll have to leave Topaz at home and get some road miles in. He'll be devastated but I'll be devastated if I can't finish Chippewa 50K! I'll need to run 20 next weekend and 25 before my Zumbro 100 shift. We'll see.

So the good news is that I am healed. I may not be well trained but I am well healed. The training will come.

And dear blogger, where is the spell check?

Zumbro 100 Mile Endurance Run

Minnesota is offering some pretty sweet 100 mile ultra marathons. With Arrowhead 135, Superior Sawtooth and FANS 24 Hour Run we now have Zumbro 100, in its third year this April.

Zumbro 100 is held Friday, April 8 at the Zumbro Bottoms State Forest Recreation Area
in Wabasha, MN. Before the race was in existence Larry held crazy fat ass runs down here. He had us running through chest deep water on a 40 F degree day. The first few years he didn't mark any course, we were handed out maps of the area. You know how well I do with maps! The first time I just gave up, lost, waiting for someone to find me. The second year I actually figured out a way out and back and the third and fourth year Larry had orange, yellow and green ribbon corresponding with orange, yellow and green highlighting on maps that he handed out for us, color depicting different trail and mileage. What a treat! I didn't become lost!

In 2009 Zumbro 100 came to be. I haven't yet run the race, only the fat asses prior to the races existence. I normally head to IL for McNaughton 100. This year due to recovery I will be manning an aid station at Zumbro 100 and doing some running before and after my shift. I am sure looking forward to it!

Zumbro is accepting runners. Check out this link for information and why don't you LIKE us on Facebook here.

If you click Zumbro on the sidebar you will see photos/blog posts from past Zumbro fun.

It's payday today. I'm going to enter another race.

5 Weeks Post Hysterectomy

Here I am at five weeks post op. Thank goodness! I'm glad to have this whole scene in my past and to move on. I was so nervous before the procedure, nervousness that was not necessary but I didn't know that of course. I'm just glad to move on.

I am doing so well. I have had an uneventful recovery which is much better than I ever imagined. I haven't had any pain, no swelling, haven't needed any narcotics since I left the hospital, quit the Tylenol/Motrin 3 weeks ago. Really. All is well. I feel 100%.

My surgical pathology report arrived last week. It was interesting to read. I learned that I had 17 tumors upon my ovaries and fallopian tubes. 13 cysts and polyps in the endometrium and fibrous adhesion to the rectum and bladder. I had moderate to severe endometriosis. The pathology report is negative for cancers. Amen!

I had to chuckle at this: General: A very pleasant thin female, she is very healthy and is an ultra-marathon runner. Her resting heart rate is 35, upon examination 43.

I had forgotten that while I was in the hospital an alarm kept sounding, coming from one of the gadgets I was hooked up to, right after surgery. Steve looked at me in alarm and went out into the hallway to let a nurse know. She came back and told us the alarm was set to ring when my heart rate went below 50. She reset the monitor. I didn't pay attention. A few minutes later the alarm began again. She came back and again reset it, asking if I was OK. She explained again that the alarm would ring when my HR dropped below 50. This time I paid attention. I told her that if it was over 50 something would be wrong with me. I told her my resting heart rate was 35 and all I was doing was laying in bed, it wasn't going to get much higher. She was stunned. She called my surgeon and told him this info. He told her that I was an ultra runner and she could safely disconnect the heart rate monitor. It was kind of funny

I can't wait to run again! Walking is becoming boring. I am walking 40-50 miles a week. Yeah, I have time on my hands that is for sure. A few weeks ago I was walking to help with the healing. Moving the gas, strengthening my limbs, stretching my body as I had been laying around so much. After feeling pretty good I was walking for Topaz's sake. He could run and get some exercise..although he never really left my side. I guess he decided he would walk too. Now I am becoming bored with walking. I mean, I am grateful that I can at least walk, but obviously I am feeling super well since I am ready to R U N!

I am no longer walking in the neighborhood, I am now hiking the trails at the State Park. After 13" of fresh snow last week I was the first to trudge through the snow. That was quite a workout! Now the snowshoe trail is pretty well packed. Today I told myself the 8 mile walk was training for Bighorn 100. It gave the walk more meaning-a mind game of mine.

I began a puzzle that has 3000 pieces. I started last week and have made some progress.

I have been doing a bit of baking and trying out new recipes. We celebrated Troy's 15th Birthday - as a leap year baby he didn't get a 29th of February this year - so we celebrated Friday, Saturday and Sunday. He decided I should try Cafe Latte's Turtle Cake. It was a hit and tasted as good as Cafe Latte.

Food Network catches my eye every once in a while. I tried the braised brisket on Sunday with potato patties and it turned out very good. I normally don't create heavy meat meals, so Steve and Troy felt this was a treat. I had a large green salad with a bit of braised beef upon it. It was very tender.

I've been planning trips, races, etc. I've entered Chippewa 50K, Ice Age 50M and Bighorn 100. One race will cover training for the next race. I'm running Lucky Half Marathon in two weeks. I can't wait. I decided it wasn't a good idea to rush into Zumbro 100 in early April. I will be a moderate person and run the Chippewa 50K instead. See, I can be moderate :) I'll see if Larry needs me at an aid station or something else for Zumbro. I'm planning on Afton 50K, BETA VI and Voyager 50 Mile in July, need something for August, Superior Sawtooth in September, October is TC Marathon and Wild Duluth.

Friday is my 6 weeks post op appointment at Mayo. I will then be released to run, to work, to do anything my little heart desires. Thank goodness!! I am SO ready. I am SO done with this hysterectomy business.

LOVE Valentine's Day

I LOVE Valentine's Day. I don't care if it is a 'Hallmark' Holiday. I totally fall for this one.

I LOVE Pink and Red, I LOVE Velvet, I LOVE Lace, I LOVE Godiva, I LOVE Red Waldorf Astoria Cake, I LOVE Ribbon, I LOVE flowers, I LOVE Papyrus , I LOVE Tyler, I LOVE Troy, I LOVE Steve, I LOVE Toffee and I LOVE Topaz. I LOVE it all.

I celebrate LOVE on Valentine's Day with all of the trimmings! Happy Valentine's Day to YOU!

Leadership & Latte: Speaking Engagement

Prior to my surgery my friend Alicia contacted me to see if I was at all interested in speaking at an event the Minneapolis Junior League was presenting on Saturday, February 12.

The Minneapolis Junior League was holding their Leadership and Latte Day: Your Heart, Health and Happiness. The facilitator wanted to bring to the agenda a piece that would cover diet and exercise as preventative medicine for heart disease; presented by either a nutritionist, personal trainer/therapist with fitness focus or combination expert.

I hadn't had any contact with the MJL prior to this event and was a bit apprehensive to accept, simply because this event was out of my comfort zone as I typically speak to running groups. We have the common bond; running. I didn't know what I may have in common with this group. I knew they were a professional group of women who volunteered their time to benefit women and children. I didn't know how I would I would feel 2.5 weeks post surgery, another reason for my apprehension.

I did decide, yes, I would do this. I know that it is good for me to stretch out of my comfort zone and good for me to connect with others. I do enjoy sharing my story.

I was still very apprehensive.

As the week of the presentation neared I learned that I would be part of presentation that consisted of two other speakers. Dr. Joyce Wahr, a cardiac anesthesiologist as well as adjunct professor at the University of Michigan, would be speaking before me relating to the risk factors, gender data and preventative measures of woman's heart disease. After her segment Krista Post, Psychologist, would be speaking. I would be the final speaker. Now I was real apprehensive.

I entered the Excelsior and Grand Clubhouse and introduced myself to many of the women. They were very warm and very welcoming. I learned that 61 women had reserved a seat for the event. I was directed to place my literature upon the table for the members attending. As I reached for the agenda I was shaking with nervousness.

Dr. Joyce Wahr delivered a great presentation. I learned very much from her as she spoke about women and heart disease. We had a break and Krista then spoke about the components of emotional well-being. There was no break between Krista and I. I was introduced "Julie will share with us an inspirational story of how one woman has embraced life-changing habits to lead to a more heart healthy life" and up to the front of the banquet room I went.

I looked into the eyes of the women, I began to deliver my presentation. During my presentations I don't hold any notes, I don't use the projector or power point, I don't use photos. I speak from my heart. Just myself and my audience. I spoke to these women about how I changed my life..one step at a time and how those baby steps led to lifestyle changes. Big lifestyle changes. It is a very personal history and one I enjoy sharing very much.

The women laughed with me, they even cried with me. At the end of my presentation they asked many questions and let me know that I did in fact inspire and motivate them. I was asked if I was willing to speak at upcoming events. I've received phone calls and email to see if I will schedule other speaking engagements.

I enjoyed myself so much. I love to share of myself in this way. To let others know that yes, you can change your behaviors, today, to live a healthier lifestyle. It isn't too late. You do get another chance!

I'm going to run with this, to polish my speaking, to accept these speaking engagements, to share myself with others. It's an offer I don't want to refuse.

2 Weeks Post Op

Thank you for all of the cards, texts, emails and phone calls. They mean a lot to me. I have a new appreciation for get well cards! A little something that means so much. Thanks again.

My first week at home had me out of sorts. I imagine the anesthesia stayed in my system for a while, as well as the pain meds I was taking in the hospital. Steve stayed home on Wednesday, went back to work on Thursday and then went to a pool tournament for the weekend. I wasn't on meds anymore so was able to drive Troy about. Just getting dressed and running one errand wore me out. I would be back home on the couch within minutes. I was able to begin walking without pain, just a bit of dizziness. My first week home I was walking 1-2 miles outdoors each day which seemed like a huge victory.

Week two went much smoother. I wasn't so tired all of the time and spent less time in bed or on the couch. I used Netflix and watched an array of movies: The Expendables, Time Travelers Wife, Hangover, WallStreet (II), Salt, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; I finished a few books: Let Me In (spooky freaky), Winter Garden (so sad) and decided to read again one of my absolute favorite series (as well as Tyler's and Troy's) Terry Goodkind's Sword Series. I love it. I'm reading the first one now and can't put it down. There are like 12 books in the series and each book is 1000 pages long. Fabulous. It's been a few years since I last read the series.

Last week I was able to walk up to 5 miles each day. My surgeon stated "no exercise for 6 weeks but you can walk as much as you want to" "walking isn't exercise, not even like 10 miles?" "no, not really" Interesting hu? The media has us believe that walking 30 minutes a day can reduce fat, risk of heart disease, increase cardiovascular health but really, it doesn't make much of a change in a person. It is a great stepping stone to better health but in of itself, not so much. I don't think they (government? health industry? media?) believe that the average joe or jane will try to change their lifestyle if they are told they need to elevate their heart rate to 80% of max in order to reap benefit. That might be too uncomfortable and too far out of the comfort zone to contemplate. OK, off my soap box.

So I am walking 6 miles this week. Topaz probably runs about 10 because he is running up in front of me, herding me, having a great time.

Today it is -18F in Big Lake with a -34F wind chill. I actually placed hand warmers into my mittens and wore 3 layers top and bottom. Topaz sported heavy booties. Brrr!

My routine this past week is not too exciting. I have breakfast with Troy, drive him to school, go for a walk, read..facebook.. (too much) .. movie.. nap..walk to the bus stop to meet Troy .. at least I'm fixing dinner now .. go for another walk .. Biggest Loser or American Idol .. bed time ..

Last Sunday I ventured out for the first time other than a quick drop off. It was fabulous. I had lunch with my awesome friends at CRAVE at the Galleria. We were celebrating Tom's 30 year anniversary of sobriety. It was interesting to note that the majority of us are ultra runners and sober. It felt so very good to get out to see great friends, great conversation and a great meal. I had 101 questions to ask John and Jason as they had just returned from running the Arrowhead 135.(Click on the Arrowhead Link and watch the video. It is of the bikers - this race allows bike, ski and foot - and the scenery, the people, outstanding. But why not any runners in video? Oh well..) John won it again, finishing in 40 some hours and secured an entry to the Iditarod Trail Invitational 350 awesome video here, too. Wow. I was seated near Jason so I asked him 101 questions and told him that he could tell me at any time to stop asking. He never did. So I asked away..and learned a lot.

After I left Edina I picked up Troy from church and returned home to make dinner for the Superbowl half time. Troy had requested Giada's Twice Baked Potatoes. As I was prepping dinner I realized I wasn't exhausted. I had been up and about most of the day and felt very good. What a great turn of events.

So as I enter this third week of post op I am feeling very grateful for my uneventful recovery. My strength is returning, I am healing, I am not as tired as I was in the previous days.

Next Saturday I am speaking to the Minneapolis Junior League relating to healthy lifestyle/inspiration and motivation. The next few days will have me running my presentation through my mind, making less time for movies. That is a good thing!

There is bad news, however. Yesterday Mom learned that her ovarian cancer has spread to her lungs and liver. We are devastated. Her CA 125 had been on the increase and her latest scan revealed the bad news. However, she responded greatly to the chemo 6 years and again 3 years ago. We are very hopeful that she will again respond in the same manner. Today Mom has her first chemo treatment. We are praying that the chemo will be as effective as it has been in the past.

Hysterectomy: Rest and Recovery

Sheesh, Rest and Recovery is usually followed by the name of the last 100 mile race I ran. Well, this is a different type of rest and recovery. Much longer!

The prep for surgery went well. I drank 30 oz of magnesium sulfate at 6 PM, stopped solids and was able to have clear liquids until 4 AM. I didn't feel like the MS 'cleaned' me out like it was supposed to. I guess with my clean diet I don't have that much up to clean out? I had a few BM's nothing out of the ordinary.

Troy had Monday off from school, teacher workshop, so I told him he could choose how he wanted the day to play out. We could get a hotel in Rochester Sunday night, he could swim and spend the day between the hotel and hospital or he could stay home, with Dad returning home Monday evening. Or he could get up with us and leave for Rochester at 530AM. He chose to stay home. I was good with that.

Steve and I left at 530, I had my final cup of coffee at 4. I was calm, was having thoughts of returning home the next day.

Originally, when I was first speaking of hysterectomy with my local gynecologist she told me I would have to have a full abdominal surgery. Much like my incision from the two C Sections I have had. I was just really dreading that recovery. After I met with Dr. Dowdy, my gynecologic oncologist, from Mayo Clinic, he told me that wasn't so. He was going to preform the daVinci robotic procedure, with 5 small incisions. This changed my outlook. I wasn't so terrified of the recovery. Still a major surgery, but no hip to hip incision unless he found cancer.

Steve and I made it to Mayo 30 minutes early as is my nature. We checked in, they showed us to a room where I changed into hospital gown, was tagged, gave myself two fleet enemas (new experience and absolutely NO biggie), a medicated douche, had my IV inserted. Steve placed my boots, clothes, coat into patient bags with my tags attached, took my iPhone (my lifesaver!), my glasses, ID and insurance card. We just waited. I was beginning to get a bit nervous so practiced deep breathing and made Steve participate. He did whatever I told him to do. He was more nervous and afraid than I was.

About 30 minutes later a surgical nurse came to introduce herself. She told Steve to follow us and we would drop him off at the waiting lounge, he would be escorted to my room following surgery. They would call him on his cell as soon as surgery began and with an update every hour. Very nice.

We dropped Steve off and headed for the surgical wait room. I was lined up with a dozen or more other patients, with big curtains in between us. Surgical teams were coming to the patients, asking name and address, talking about procedure, etc. The woman next to me said she had lung disease. The nurse asked if she always used oxygen "except when I'm smoking" ish.

The surgical nurse came to introduce herself to me, the anaesthesiologist, Dr. Dowdy arrived and initialized my ovaries upon my abdomen. He told me that he had decided to complete a radical total vaginal hysterectomy. There would be NO incision and shorter period of time in surgery. I asked him if I would have less restrictions-can I go back to work earlier? No. Still a major surgery, still 6-8 weeks off, just no incision and less surgical time. OK then. He told me that vaginal hysterectomy causes fewer complications than the other types and is a very safe way to remove the uterus, cervix, tubes and ovaries. He told me it is not possible for woman with thick stomach fat or women who have adhesion from prior surgery. He told me the C Sections wouldn't give him a problem.

A few moments later I was wheeled to my operating room. Everyone welcomed me and introduced themselves. It was like a party. Real crazy, outgoing, warm. Dr Dowdy told them all I was an ultra runner and that is what the topic of conversation was. It calmed me. A man told me his mother has ovarian cancer and his sister just had a hysterectomy. Trisha, the surgical nurse I met earlier asked me if I had a dog. We spoke of Topaz for a long time. She asked about the type of dog food I fed him and what races I was going to run for 2011. I could feel the IV drug take over, I began to speak slurred. Kevin, the anesthesiologist told me he was going to put the mask over my face and to take deep breathes. I said OK, BYE BYE! They laughed and I was off to deep sleep.

When I began to come to I heard a flurry of activity around me. Kevin, Trisha and Dr. Dowdy were asking me if I was nauseous (no) in pain (no) cold (no), I felt fine. I was wheeled up to my room, Steve was already there.

It was 230. Surgery began at 1100 and was finished at 130. I didn't have pain, I was very dizzy. My nurse helped me to the bathroom. I was able to move around well so she removed the catheter.

Around 4 Dr. Dowdy came by to recap surgery. He told me I underwent a vaginal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectoy under general anesthesia. Surgery was uncomplicated. He said my tissue looked healthy, one ovary was enlarged with tumors, some endometriosis that he removed. Preliminary pathology looked cancer free, full pathology report next week. He felt I could be discharged the next day. Amen!

Cindy M stopped by for a visit. So wonderful to see her. We chatted, I was out of it, but so thankful to see her. Thank you Cindy!

Steve headed for home, relieved, about 5 PM to tend to Troy and then get him off to school on Tuesday morning. Steve would return Tuesday around 12 or so.

Monday evening my bladder was so full. I was walking around quite well, pushing the IV tank around. When I went to urinate I could only pass little amounts. My bladder was still full. I was drinking water and taking in the IV. Probably too much liquid.

At 5 AM the urology tech came in to measure my bladder. Full at 800 ml. She catheterized me and drained. Ah, relief. An hour later I was full again at 900 ml.

Dr. Dowdy came in to sign my release papers at 9 AM. I was ready to leave.. I thought. I didn't have an appetite but my nurse said I had to eat something solid before release. I ate a canned peach.

For pain I was taking extra strength Tylenol or Motrin every 6 hours with Oxycontin when necessary. I took the oxy two times. Other than bladder pressure I really wasn't in too much pain. A heating pad on my pelvic area felt very good.

The urology tech came by again at 3 pm, prior to discharge. I was full again at 1100 ml. She was getting worried and I thought my release might be revoked. My nurse called Dr. Dowdy. He came to my room, said that I could do one of two things: learn how to self catheterize myself and do this at home. In a day or two my bladder would settle down and I would be fine. Or, stay in the hospital with a catheter over night. Ugh! I didn't want to stay another night. I wanted to go home. Troy had a field trip the next day, it was his first day of the new semester (Tuesday) and I already missed talking about it. I wanted to be home. I told him I'd learn to self catheterize. He told me it as a piece of cake and the right decision.

The urology tech came back to teach me how. I didn't get it the first time. Darn it! She drained me and said she'd be back in an hour to give me another try. Dr. Dowdy called me and told me she would only observe me this next time, that I had to do it myself. OK. She came back and I was successful. It was kind of painful. My poor girlie parts were becoming irritated and sore.

As soon as I passed the self-catheterization test Steve came back into the room. I told him 'we are out of here'. I quickly changed into my fuzzy fleecy comfy clothing, had Steve pack my bag and we were out of there. I was wheeled to the discharge where Steve was waiting with the car.

The drive home was 2.5 hours. We stopped at Target in Plymouth so I could try to get some pee out. Ugh. Drops. I could feel my bladder filling and was not looking forward to having to drain it at home. Back to the car, back home.

Oh, so happy to be home! Troy had a big hug and flowers for me. Topaz went crazy and just whined and layed his head into my forehead. It was so good to be home.

Tuesday evening I did a self-cath. It went well, I was glad I decided to learn the process so that I could be home. It was absolutely fabulous climbing into my king size Select Comfort bed. Ah. All of my down blanket and duvet. Ah. Hot pad, all set. I slept until 11PM and woke to pee. I walked the 4 steps to the master bath. Topaz, laying at the foot of the bed, followed me into the bathroom. He put his paws upon my knees and kissed my face like I had been gone forever. As I was petting his ears I peed..and peed..I emptied my bladder! Oh, relief. I was so happy. So happy. I hoped I wouldn't need that damn self catheter kit again. I probably just needed to relax at home and forget about it.

Wednesday morning I was able to get out of bed quite well, only a bit of pressure in the pelvic region. I came downstairs and had coffee with Steve. He was taking another day off. I woke Troy, made him a lunch for the Romeo and Juliet field trip to the Guthrie Theatre. Steve took Troy to school and I was wiped out from that little bit of moving around! I climbed back into bed.

Steve came home, tried to walk Topaz but Topaz just kept coming back to the house, looking for me. Eventually Topaz went for a while. Steve did laundry, vacuuming, bathrooms, etc. I told him I was just going to sleep so go ice fishing or something. He headed off to do just that and would be home by the time Troy came in from school at 3.

At 215 I headed out for a walk with Topaz. The sun was shining and it was 30F! A heat wave. I had to feel some sun on my face. I am lumbering on down the driveway, so slow. Topaz is flying around the culdesac wondering where the heck is Mom? I made it about half way to the bus stop when I see Troy and Steve coming down our road. Steve followed Troy's bus and picked him up. Troy hopped out of the truck and walked back with me and Topaz to the house. Troy said 'Mom, this worse than your 100 mile race moving, you are slow moving traffic' yea, it sure was. That little outing had me tired again. I'll have to leave the house quite a bit earlier to actually make it to the bus stop on time. I could feel the pressure and knew it was time for my 6 hour Motrin dose.

Last night I came down to watch American Idol-god Steven Tyler is great on that show. Love him! Slept well last night, no sweats, no emotional upheavals, no menopausal symptoms as of yet.

I drove Troy to school today. Dr. said as long as I'm off the oxy that I can do so. I'm drinking lots of water, drinking prune juice and eating prunes-no painful BMs! Everything is really going well. I ate some canned chicken, Dijon mustard and shredded cabbage today. No more performing self-catheterizing. Ugh. That is something I can do without.

After bringing Troy to school I walked Topaz down the street. Came home and slept a few hours. I finally took a shower-had to laugh to see the doc's initials on my sides.

I think it is time for another nap!

This recovery is going well. I'm physically exhausted, to be expected I know. I will take it very easy and slowly.

Thank you so much for all of the cards, emails, texts, etc. I appreciate it so very much.