ICEBOX 480

Icebox 480.  I hadn’t run the Icebox 480 before.  A timed race, of 480 minutes (8 hours). 2  years ago I had a broken ankle and last year I had an evil morton’s neuroma removal.  I was so glad to give it a try this year!

The course is a single- track mountain biking trail – lots of hills – in the woods of Western Wisconsin on the Whitetail Ridge which consists of a  loop of 7 or so miles-which is run as many times as possible, until  the 8 hour limit expires. I love loops. I love a drop bag at the start/finish. Easy peasy fun o rama!

Saturday was a beautiful sunny day!  I arrived to the course about 45 minutes before race time. I wasn’t sure who was going to be running as  there wasn’t a list of entrants on the website. I was so happy to see Robyn and her mother as I pulled up in  back of them.

I walked a few steps and saw Kevin, a few more steps to the start and there was Jim, Matt and Zach!  It was so good to see them again. It was going to be a party on the trail! We kidded around about ‘way back in the day’  and that we were ‘old school ultra runners.’ I guess so.

As I was waiting in the line for the bathroom I saw Duke!! No way! I haven’t seen him in years. When he told me that Eve was here, too, I was so excited!! Eve had an ice house set up near the start/finish to help crew for Duke. We squeeled in delight and hugged and laughed!! Man I’ve missed these two!

I placed my drop bag on the tarp and packed up some gels, music and a water bottle to carry. We were about to begin so I lined up near the back. Off we went!

The course was really great. Woods, lots of hills-constant up and down. There were two aid stations set up plus the start / finish. Awesome. I ran a comfortable pace, no goal other than to stay healthy and to have FUN!  That was the order of the day.

I had an absolute blast.  The first loop I ran alone, just taking in the sights. I was warming up so made a mental note to drop my long sleeved shirt at the start / finish. I removed my gloves,  ate a gel every 30 minutes and just moved along, enjoying the woods.

At the start/ finish I dropped off some clothing and noticed that Jenny brought her new puppy, Jasper!  OMG, I kissed him and held him and let him chew on me and let him lick my happy tears!  He is just a little ball of love fuzz. As I ran out of the start/finish I had Topaz on my mind and just began to gasp and bawl. I just miss him so much. I know that I am lucky to have had him in my life for 14 years and I know that those years were well worth the feelings of sadness I have now..but I still miss him and cry and am mourning him.  

Somewhere during this loop I ran into Janet. Janet finished the Gnarly Bandit last year so our conversations during the next loop centered around that. She was now training for HURT and looking to run without becoming dehydrated. It was fun to run a loop with her.

Back into the start/finish. More hugs and kisses to Jasper. I carried him around a bit and just loved on him. 

I just really had a lot of fun. I spent the next 20 miles alone, just reveling in my thoughts, prayers and meditations. I never felt tired or grumpy or like I wanted the race to end. I just ran and ran, happy in my surroundings and thoughts. I never even played any music.

Before I knew it 7.50 hours had passed. I came into the start finish and was instructed to run the out and back mile for the duration until 8 hours had passed.  As I was running back and forth I saw John and Bill cheering us on. What a great time!  At the end of 8 hours I had run 36 miles. I was thrilled.

Wow, I didn’t want to leave the party. I helped to clean up and tear down the tents.  I cuddled up and carried Jasper around for a long time, played with him and had him follow me around. He helped to hear my heart a little bit. What a love bug.  After visiting  with Duke and Eve, Bill, John, Jim, Matt and Zac for a very long time, I watched them all leave and decided I’d better do the same.

I will certainly run this again next year. I drove home with a big fat smile on my face!

My 11th Twin Cities Marathon

When the Twin Cities Marathon opened for entries last March I was still recovering from my foot surgery. I had no intention of entering.

Fast forward 6 months and I was feeling good!  I hadn’t run anything longer than 10 miles, but, oh well.

I couldn’t believe it when I heard on the local news channel that TCM was STILL open and that I could purchase an entry at the expo on Friday before the Sunday race. Incredible!! 

Sure enough, I paid for an entry and bought a CHICKED down skirt from the expo. I had no idea how the race would go; I just knew that I really yearned to run my 11^th TCM. I really enjoy the race.

Sunday morning I drove into Minneapolis. I always park at the Jerry Haaf ramp because it  is close to the start which used to be the Metrodome- which was torn down and is now being replaced with the IceCube, the US Bank Stadium. It’s looking fabulous!

It was amazing to me that 10,000 people were milling around the start area and I was able to run into personal friends whom I had no idea were going to be there!  I saw Dan and John. Incredible! 

The race is divided into chutes with start times staggered every three minutes so that the congestion is at a minimum- which works very well. I mosied over to the bag drop off to leave my after run clothes and headed over to the start. I was so excited to be right where I was! I felt blessed. I am blessed.

The course is really pretty .. for a road marathon. Of course I prefer trail but TCM has a place in my heart. My plan was to run easy, take in the changing color of the trees, enjoy the run, give thanks that I was able to run.

I felt great the whole way. At mile 20 I  noticed that I was running behind the 415 group and hadn’t yet noticed the 430 group pass. This was a comfortable easy pace for me. I stopped to hug a few friends that I noticed among the 300,000 spectators-again, crazy!  When I saw Bonnie and Marie at mile 21 we hugged and I cried. I started running with these two in 2002. They don’t run very much any more, but there they were, cheering and looking out for me. What a treat. My heart felt full and blessed. Those hugs carried me into the finish line. 

I finished my 11^th Twin Cities Marathon. I would have never believed  it,  way back when it was only my 2^nd marathon. I would have never believed that I could love to run, so much.  I never would have believed that I would have hit 17 years of sobriety, either. Time. A person can change. Thank God.

Eugene Curnow - Half Voyaguer

One of my first memories with my ultra running friends is the Half Voyaguer. It’s now named after the past race director: Eugene Curnow. The race is the baby of the Voyaguer 50 mile, a favorite of mine, which is run 2 weeks later.

Because I’ve been rehabbing my foot/knee and whatever other body parts which are angry at me there is no chance I’ll be run running Voyaguer 50 this year but I’m good to run the Half.

Maria and I went out for a 6 hour run two weeks ago-my first run of any sort of this distance since Superior 100 last September!  I really did a number on myself there. Ugh. Anyhow, our run at Afton  was such a wonderful experience!  She’s rehabbing her hamstring, I’m rehabbing foot/knee. We walked, jogged, and ran.  My rehab schedule had 11 minute jog/4 minute walk on the plan which we stuck to pretty well. At the end of our 6 hours I was jubilant. I didn’t hurt. I felt good. Eugene Curnow may be a reality. Why not try it?

We spent the first week of July up at the lake. Had great weather and a great time. I came back into town to deliver Troy so that he could work and then decided to go back up to the cabin to spend a few more days with Steve. I left the lake, spent the night at my Dad’s house and then left for Carlton to the race in the morning.

It was a beautiful warm morning and was going to be a great day. I hadn’t looked online to see who may be running the race so wasn’t sure whom I might see.

I arrived in plenty of time to fill my pack, figure out music, lube my feet, etc. I didn’t recognize anyone so I just climbed onto the bus that would take me to the start.

As I climbed off of the bus I saw Alicia right away. Yay!!  Alicia and I have run a zillion miles together and I just love her. She was one of the those that first ran with me at that first Half Voyaguer so many years ago.

We began the race together and ran together up until the last few miles where she went ahead and finished a few minutes in front of me. What a great 6 hours of fun! We reminisced, we talked of the present, the future, of how much things in ultrarunning had changed and how much we had changed. It was such a great time. Neither my foot nor my knee hurt, I was able to climb through the powerlines without a problem. Such a blessing.

Janet ran with Alicia and I most of the race, too. She wanted to run a PR and said that by hanging with us she would do just that. She did! She ran a great race and finished inbetween Alicia and I.

As we were running along Scott came up on us. Scott!  Scott was also along on that first Half Voyageur so many years ago. I hadn’t seen him in a few years. We caught up a bit and then he left us to bomb on down the hills.

As I came across the finish all I could think about is how blessed I was. Sharing the trail with amazing people, such good friends to me.

I hung around the finish line and cheered the rest of the runners in. Drank a non alcoholic beer and headed for home, with a big smile on my face! What a fabulous day.

Rest In Peace

Rest In Peace..My Dear Sweet Topaz..Rest In Peace.

12/9/01 to 5/7/15. We gave one another the best life we could. I'll miss you deeply.

My Dear Topaz

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I had an appointment for Topaz at the veterinarian on Tuesday for his yearly exam. He was scheduled for a blood test for his Deramaxx refill which he takes for his arthritis and his rabies vaccination.

As I drove to his appointment I was thinking how nice it was to be going to the vet without a fear in my heart regarding Lyme disease or his arthritis. He’s been doing very well.

We arrived and the tech asked Topaz to stand on the scale. 45 pounds, the same weight for 13 years, even though his running is now walking and only a few miles a day. He is wider through the rib cage than in his younger and leaner life but still weighs the same. I had to chuckle. Age will do that to dogs and women alike .

We sat in the vet’s office and waited. The tech came in and took the general info. Heartworm test and preventative? No thanks.  Lymes vaccination? No thanks, he has been vaccinated in the past and  ended up with Lymes anyway.  Lymes test? Nope. I’ve been applying preventative and he’s good, thanks. Deramaxx refill? Yes. Stool sample? No. Rabies? Yes.  Bordetella? No. Leptospirosis? No.

Really, we don’t need all of these things. He isn’t in a kennel, isn’t going to get kennel cough. He isn’t going to have a fight with a wild animal no Leptospirosis. His poop doesn’t show worms.

After the tech gave him his rabies shot the vet arrived. He checked his eyes.  Cataracts are still there, growing. Yes, his sight has diminished somewhat in the last year. Lungs sounded good, but breathing a bit labored. Yes, his breathing does seem more labored. When lying down he breathes quite heavily and snores more loudly more often.  His lump near the back of the front leg has grown quite a bit, highly probable that it is still a fatty deposit. Could aspirate it? No thanks. It’s good. The lump above the front leg is growing, although not too much. Aspirate? No thanks.

Vet continues his exam.  He palpates his abdomen. He is there too long. I think about his growing width in the rib cage. He weighs the same. This is  not a fatty deposit. I can tell by the look on his face.

He stands. He tells me that Topaz has a very large tumor upon his spleen, the  size of a cantaloupe. It could be cancerous. It might not be. Either way it is not good. He could perform surgery. Remove the tumor. If it is cancerous he would undergo chemotherapy. No no no.  He will not go through chemotherapy. At his age, almost 14, he could have difficulty recovering from any surgery.

He didn’t take a blood test for the Deramaxx. He told me not to order more than a month at a time. He refilled the prescription.

Topaz is comfortable. He is not in pain. He walks with me, is eating, drinking and relieving himself. He is his happy, older self.  I never would have guessed the outcome of our appointment.

The  tumor will outgrow its current location  and Topaz will show symptoms. I won’t allow him be in pain. I’ll give to him his last gift from me.  Relief. Love.

I love this dog so very much. You all know that. Even though we understand that when we bring animals into our life  they are not going to last forever, it doesn’t make it any easier when we lose them.  It hurts. It is horrible.

Topaz and I gave one another the best life we could. I know that God's grace will allow me to endure.

4 YEARS POST HYSTERECTOMY AND RUNNING

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Hysterectomy Recovery For Runners: the phrase that is most searched that reaches my blog.  I thought I'd take the time to complete a follow up on my hysterectomy related to running.

It’s been 4 years since my radical complete hysterectomy. Time has really moved along!  I had it all removed vaginally: the  uterus, the fallopian tubes, the ovaries, the cervix. I had surgery at Mayo in Rochester after my mother, grandmother and aunts were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and cervical cancer.  I had been having a vaginal ultrasound and CA125 (blood test) every 6 months since my Mother’s diagnosis, 9  years ago. Once the tumors on my ovaries began to grow and my CA125 began to increase, it was time to go under the knife.

First of all, there is SO MUCH MISINFORMATION regarding running and hysterectomy!  Who writes that shit? I was truly scared that I wouldn’t run again after all of the garbage I read. I even read from multiple sources that women NEED high levels of estrogen to run. Why? How? What? Ridiculous!

After I had decided to have the hysterectomy I began to look up articles relating to women, hysterectomy and ultra running. There isn’t much out there. I found a site called Hystersisters that had a few running articles available from women but most were dismal, depressing and had the ‘why me’ syndrome. Give me a break.

(if you click on  Hysterectomy  on the left bar you will find all of my hysterectomy related posts)

So, yes, I do run. I run many miles. I love running now just as much as I did prior to hysterectomy.  If you are here researching running and hysterectomy let me tell you that YOU WILL RUN again!  Do not fear that you will have to sit on the couch and become inactive other than the bon bons to the mouth syndrome. Not so. There are changes, however.

I am 50 now. I had my surgery at 46. I hadn’t even started menopause and I believe that banging full force into menopause via hysterectomy is more difficult on one that mellowing up to it…naturally experiencing  a reduction of hormones. I began hot flashes while in the hospital, the day after the surgery. They are still constant and very intense but hey, I can live with them. I no longer change my sheets during the middle of the night..I just go back to sleep in a pile of wet sheets. I became very tired of changing sheets every night. Forget it!

Due to the constant hot flashes I now keep the house at 67F. I’m never cold. I used to keep the house at 72F. No thanks! 

At work I always froze. FROZE!  I wore multiple layers and never removed them. I wore lots of fleece. Now I wear 2 layers and always remove one during the day.

I run with many zippers! I sometimes feel like a hot sausage running down the trail. Zippers allow me to let the steam escape and cool down. Whew! Then I get cold and zip back up.

After the hysterectomy I incurred injury. I experienced a double-whammy. While recovering from hysterectomy I laid upon the couch, looking at my iPhone and iPad, I watched TV with my neck to my chin..I guess. Apparently that movement caused stress upon my spine. I didn’t know it until July, but I herniated two discs in my upper spine-neck at this time.  Painful as hell.

(if you click on herniated discs on the left you will see my posts relating to the discs)

I began to walk slowly in the week  following surgery and by week  two I was walking 4-5 miles each day. Really!

At 6 weeks my surgeon released my restrictions and told me to run freely!  I did!  I was feeling fabulous and began to train for a March half marathon. It went great-other than a bit of dizziness. 

click on Get Luck Half Marathon for the report

After a few months I was feeling a numbness in my right arm. I thought it was due to reaching for the phone at work but eventually was in so much fricken pain I couldn’t run. That is when I learned I had herniated discs. Ugh!

That recovery sucked big time – 4 months or so, but eventually all was well in my world and I was running hundreds again and completely forgot about the herniated discs that I had.

Fast forward a few years and I roll my ankle at Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon. Fractured Ankle.  Superior 100 a few months later. Broken Ankle.Same Ankle. I didn't let it heal.

While recovering from the broken ankle I became depressed.  My mom had passed away from ovarian cancer, my nest was going to become empty soon as Troy would be leaving for college, I was gaining weight with the inactivity. I went to my doctor who I've had since 1991 and decided to go on an antidepressant. They help.

After the ankle healed I went off the antidepressant and continued with my running goals. I thoroughly enjoyed last year. I had a great year. Ran a few marathons, 50Ks, 50 milers and two hundreds. Love that. The depression lifted.

Then Morton’s Neuroma  reared its ugly head.  I found myself depressed, went back on the anti depressant and am now healing. Thank goodness! Now, men have broken ankles and neuroma and this probably isn’t all due to hysterectomy. It’s just ironic that I have rolled ankles before but never broke one!  I had never worn Hokas with a roll though, before, either.  These injuries are probably due to overuse, age, hysterectomy, a bit of everything. 

But why aren't there many women in their 50s and 60s running 100s? That's my big question. I don't understand. In our 50s our children are grown and gone..I would think we have more time to spend to train and travel. Wouldn't it be a great time to run ultras?

After receiving the blood work, blood pressure, cholesterol counts and scale weight at the clinic I had a long conversation with my awesome doctor and we knew what I needed to do to change those results. We went through all of my data. We spoke of what is different now from when I had my healthiest test results. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer..it all runs rampant in my family. My numbers were best while I was eating a vegan diet 2008-2010. Interestingly enough I ran all my PRS from 50K to 100 mile during that time.

(If you click vegan on the left bar you’ll see the related posts)

(if you click Leanhorse you will see the vegan training/outcome)

Just  know, you will run again after hysterectomy. It doesn’t have to have any bearing upon your running at all. Don’t use it as a reason NOT to have hysterectomy. Hysterectomy will affect other areas of your life- you may experience some depression, some weight gain, some injuries, some hot flashes, some memory loss..or you may not..but it doesn’t have to change anything  about your running! You will run again!

If you have ANY questions relating to running and hysterectomy or anything else, please ask! Drop me a comment, let me know how you are dealing with hysterectomy and running or what your fears may be.

Recovery from removal of Morton's Neuroma

Recovery!

I had surgery for removal of Morton’s Neuroma on January 9. It was a pretty painful recovery for the first few days, but nothing like walking around with a tennis ball under my foot prior to surgery. I experienced quite a bit of burning, swelling and immobility. I sat in the recliner with ice on my leg to cool the blood going into my foot and kept my foot raised for the first few days. I took a few pain killers those first few days but then was ok with Advil.

My surgeon restricted work, driving and activity for the first week. She told me that if I over-did it my foot would let me know. Last Sunday I over-did it.  I went to WalMart before Church and then to my sister’s home to visit her new puppy. My foot burned all night long. I couldn’t imagine having the stitches taken out the next day and going without my surgical shoe.

Yesterday I drove Troy back to the U of M after his 5 week Winter Break at home. I then drove myself to my surgeon. She removed all of the dressings, pulled out the stitches and told me I could run next week!  I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that I would be wearing my Inov-8s home. Yup. I slid into the shoe and walked around a bit.  Amazing. She wrote me a medical note for work releasing me of all restrictions, work and otherwise. Woot!

After I arrived home I told Topaz we’d go for a slow walk.  We walked up and down the driveway a few times. It never felt so great!

My foot looks ugly and sore..but it is getting better each and every day. Yippee!