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2009-06-30:  The Renaissance Half-Marathon was Saturday.  13 1/2 miles of lovely scenery, not so hot weather, a lot of water and Gatorade, a few rest stops, Ann and Bob (friends of mine) cheering me on, and Mom waiting for me at the finish line.  I couldn't have asked for more.  I finished in 3 1/2 hours, and wasn't the last one to complete it.  I ran and walked, and learned not to have those gel things because I dump, dump, dump (had to use the bathroom several times which slowed me down).  It took me all day to recover - I wasn't walking normally again until Sunday morning, but I slept well and didn't cramp, except one time when I had been lying down on the sofa.  I massaged my thighs and drank 24 oz. of Gatorade, and the cramps disappeared.

I am going to take it easy this week - I will train, but not running.  I will work out at the gym and maybe walk rather than run, because my systolic blood pressure is elevated.  I've googled it and found this to be common among people who train for marathons, although there were no good solutions short of stopping the running.  My PCP has me on two kinds of BP medicine now, would love to put me back on diazide, but doesn't want me to dehydrate, which might happen with this exercising.  I'm going to continue doing research; might ask him for an Echo on my heart to see if the left side is getting bigger.  I do not want to collapse in Chicago or any other time. 

If anybody reads this and has a solution, let me know.  One site did say to take vitamin C and E, which I will do.  I'm going to monitor it all week and see what happens. 

Oh well.  On to Chicago, I hope.   

Have not been here for awhile.  BUT I wanted to update my life-saving web site/blog.  I am now at 160 pounds, have stayed at that weight since 2009, and am extremely happy and healthy.  Life is good!

 

2008-10-17:     October 12, 2008 was a bright, sunshiny day, no clouds in the sky. The temperature was unseasonably warm for Chicago. 33,000+ people, runners and walkers from all over the world, were gathered in the fenced-off area, waiting for the race to start. The noise of the people laughing and talking surrounded us as we stood there, waiting until the wheelchair participants and the elite runners – the Kenyans – had left the gate. Then the crowd started slowly moving to the starting line. We didn’t know at that time what we had ahead of us (what turned out to be a sweaty struggle to the finish) but for a lot of us, this was a one-time occurrence – a chance to test our endurance and determination to do something the majority of people in the world had never done.  We had trained for 36 weeks – 9 months, running ever longer distances, preparing ourselves for the ordeal, and ready as we’d ever be, we were finally there.  We were about to participate in the Chicago Marathon. 

I wrote the above for a work publication.  I had to share it.  Anyway, I finished in 7:11:26, number 31,215 out of 31,405.   Lived to tell the tale.  The top part of my legs hurt the worst afterwards, but I recovered after a couple of days. 

Well, been there, done that. 

Now I'll have to come up with another goal. 

2008-09-05:   Well, I'm now 58 years old.  Big whoop.

I flew to DC on Friday afternoon, arrived about 6:15 or so.  Jean (SIL) and I met up in the baggage claim area (she'd flown in from San Francisco), and called Jay (nephew, Jean's son) on the cell phone.  He picked us up; we checked in to the hotel (wonderful hotel!  Best beds ever! Slept in them better than I've slept in any other bed, including my own) (Hotel George, near Union Station.  I highly recommend it.), then met Corinne at a restaurant in Union Station.  Jay and Corinne gave me a beautiful pair of hand-made earrings for my birthday - they really look good with my brown suit.

Saturday we went to the Newseum, the journalism museum where Corinne works.  There are 5 floors chock full of the history of journalism of all kinds, interesting exhibits.  It's like the Smithsonian - you can't take it all in in  one day.  Then Saturday night we went to a Nats game.  We left in the 8th inning where it was tied 8 - 8.  The Nats eventually won (yay!) - Jay says they do better if they have to go into extra innings.  I think it's because they sleep through the first 4 or 5 innings while the other team is playing.  Then when it's the 10th inning, they are rested and the other team is worn out.  Hey.  Whatever works!  Sunday morning I did marathon training, then Sunday night we went to see Shear Madness, which is an audience participation play at the Kennedy Center.  Hilarious fun.  Again, I highly recommend it.

They are opening a tourist center at the Capitol and are hiring docents.  Now I know what I want to be when I retire and move to DC.

Sunday morning I walked/ran 20 miles along the C&O Canal.  I was able to keep up my running (with occasional walk breaks) for about 10 miles, then wound up having to walk most of the rest of the way.  That's further than I've run before.   I also found that I recovered more quickly afterwards than I have before.  So all in all I am making progress.  

Weight is staying steady, although people tell me I am still losing.   Must be muscle definition.  My legs are positively skinny!

Hurricane Gustav made landfall in Louisiana on Monday morning and went north, which means that Jackson (where I am) got a lot of wind and even more rain.  Gustav wasn't near as bad as predicted, but it still spawned a lot of tornados to our south, east, and west, but we didn't get any to speak of.  No damage here, but I'm glad I decided to come home on Monday rather than Tuesday, because Southwest Airlines cancelled all their flights on Tuesday (!).  It has been raining solid now for three days, and looks threatening today (Thursday).  I open the door for Owen (my cat) - he runs enthusiastically out, then screeches to a halt at the border between the (outside) driveway and the (covered) carport.  He steps gingerly onto the driveway, walks on the driveway to the backyard, stays there a little bit.  I'll close the door to keep bugs and mosquitoes out, then I'll hear Owen crying to get back in.  I open the door, he runs in furious, complaining all the time.  Owen, I can't do anything about it!  But he stays grumpy.   A couple of hours later it starts again.  I think he prefers to use the outdoors as his litter box, as I haven't had to clean one out since Princess died.  So maybe he likes to go outside to go to the bathroom, then comes back in because he can't stand the rain.  I just hope he remembers how to use the litter box!

2008-08-26:  Several things I want to mention today.  First is that there is a tropical storm Gustav attacking Haiti right now.  It's projected to go around Cuba and move into the Gulf, where they're saying it will become a Cat 3 hurricane (if not more).  The current projected path takes it straight into West Mississippi/East Louisiana sometime Monday night or Tuesday morning, just a few days after the anniversary of Katrina. 

Second, I have had some signs of depression in the past month.  I had to put my beloved cat Princess to sleep because she was so sick, although she was feisty to the end.  It was after a night that I stayed up all night with her, cuddling her, loving her, and listening to her cry, that I decided it was time.  I took her in the next morning.  It was over surprisingly quickly.  I had been crying (and eating - can't help it. I'm an emotional eater) for 3 or 4 days before and a day after, and then it was ok.  She's in a better place and healthy and free of pain.  I really believe that animals have souls.  Now whether there's really life after death, I don't know, but she's at peace. 

Third, I'm supposed to travel to Washington this weekend to visit the lawyer nephew.  I plan to travel even if they cancel all leave, but I'll be back Monday instead of Tuesday if Gustav does come into Mississippi.  I do not want to leave Owen by himself if the hurricane should pass over Jackson.  And I'll have to be here in case MSDH wants to put me to work.   

Fourth, I'm doing 20 miles in Washington.   We'll see how that turns out.

2008-08-11:


20 miles!!!!!!!!

'nuff said.

2008-08-04:  I made an executive decision to purposely NOT do any running or exercising or anything this past week.  Both legs were hurting, an ankle hurt, and my knee hurt.  I think it was a good thing, as I went out this morning and did my 55 minute run without any problems at all. 

I guess this is "listening to what your body tells you".  Whatever, I think I'll be in good enough shape to do the 18 miles this weekend. 

I've gained a few pounds, so am trying to lay off the bad stuff and lose it back again.  Getting back into the exercising should help. 

But my BP was normal when I saw my doctor last week.  That's a good thing. 

Took Mom to see Mamma Mia! over the weekend.  She loved it, and wants to see it again.  It's good to know that Mom can go to a movie and watch it without problems.  I might try her on some other movies when I find one she might like.  She needs to get out of that place every now and then.

2008-08-01:  I walked/ran for 30 minutes on Tuesday morning, then haven't done a darn thing all week.  My right ankle has been sore and swelling, my left leg hurt, my hips have been sore, and I have a sharp pain on my left side which feels like gas has gotten stuck in there.  If it doesn't let up, I am going to call Adam at the Bariatric Center and ask if it could be a hernia.  So I will not do the 8 miles tomorrow.  I'll get back on the program Sunday, because my legs are feeling better. 

However, the good news is I saw my doctor on Monday.  My BP is back down to 130/80, so the BP meds are working.  I won't feel so guilty doing my marathon training. 

Besides, it's very very hot outside.  It's supposed to go up to 100 degrees tomorrow (Saturday).  But I'm going to sleep in and have an easy day.  I hope by next weekend, when we're supposed to go longer, it will be a little cooler.  I HATE getting up at 5 a.m. to do these long runs. 

Sixteen miles!  Whadda ya get?  Another day sorer and tired and wet!
St. Peter dontcha call me 'cause I can't go.....I'm two months away from the ultimate goal!

2008-07-28:  We did 16 miles this past Saturday.  We were going to do 18 miles, but they told us because of the heat to come in after 4 hours, regardless of how far we'd run.  I did 16 miles and was still 1/2 hour late.  I think part of the problem was that I hurt a lot more than usual - I changed out the insoles in my running shoes to some that the foot doctor sold me.  Bad move on my part.  I had some cushioned insoles that I'd gotten at the drug store, but I took the Dr's word for it that these would help prevent calluses on my toes.  Well, maybe so, but my ankles hurt like the Devil.  It occurred to me afterwards that because I'd been fat for so long I have no cartilege to speak of in my ankles any more, which I sort of knew anyway.  So I'm going to have to make up for it with more cushioning in the shoes.  I'm going back to the drug store insoles and see what happens.  But, 16 miles is still 1 mile farther than I've done before, so I was able to mark off another mile on the Chicago map.  See, I've printed out the route of the Chicago Marathon, and am marking off the miles in yellow highlighter as I run them.  I mark the extra miles when we do the long runs -  I've got 16 miles marked off now, which means I only have to do a run with 10.2 more miles tacked onto the 16 I've already done and I'm there.  Next week we're going to do another 18 or so, so if I make the 18 miles, I'll mark off another 2.  The longest we're supposed to run I believe is either 20 or 22 miles.  I know I'll get that in when I go to DC Labor Day weekend, if the weather is decent (meaning not so confounded HOT and humid). 

2008-07-20:  Boy.  Organizing and hosting a family reunion takes a lot out of you.  I really need to take a nap, but will take a minute to post here.  Friday night they started arriving - brother and SIL from California, brother and SIL from Columbia, SC; nephew and niece-in-law from Washington, DC, and nephew, niece-in-law, and their 3 adorable kids from Houston.  The cousin and her BFF came in Friday night, too, but we didn't see her until Saturday.  We had a grand total of 15 people at Macaroni Grill (thank you John and staff!  It was awesome!!) Saturday night celebrating Mom/Mumaw/Aunt Betty's birthday.   We did it because Mom will be 87 at her real birthday next week, and Mom is suffering from stroke-caused dementia.  She still knows people now, but her decline seems to be accelerating.  We had  blast!  Mom got to see and hold Lilly, her 2-month-old first (blood-kin) great-grandchild (the other two children are steps).  Everybody got to visit with everybody else - which was what we usually do at funerals, but this time the honoree was still alive, which made it all that much sweeter.  

I did do the 8-mile run Saturday morning.  I am doing more running now; still walking more than running, but the running is catching up.  Did the 8 miles in 2 hours (2 1/4 really, but I took a 15-minute bathroom break), which was my goal.   I would like to speed it up just a little bit, but am hoping that it will happen when we get into September and less heat and humidity.  However, training in the heat and humidity should ultimately make it easier. 

18 miles next Saturday.  Erk.

Now it's NAPTIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Marcia