Post-Christmas Goodies

The past few days have been quiet but satisfying in their own peaceful way.

I am looking forward to 2014, there's been so much stress and unrest in my life this past year. So much energy goes into the fight. I'm not complaining, because there are some things worth fighting for.

The Badwater issue is concerning, but I'm not thinking about it too much, there isn't much I can do right now. I wrote my letters, I'll stay on top of the news and do what needs to be done to support Chris and his events.

As far as healthcare problems, they are part of the larger problem of unchecked corporate power, and that is what needs to be fought. The nursing battles are partially due to the corporate power-mongering but also the establishment dinosaurs of the nursing profession. I can only put so much energy into that.

Maybe what needs to happen is that nursing as a profession implodes as a result of the lack of a support structure. Sad but maybe that's what needs to happen. Nurses are the glue that hold health care together. Only the people in power don't recognize that. It's all so incredibly frustrating, as a person who doesn't do bullshit, especially corporate bullshit, well.

I am going to focus on getting my own work up and off the ground, and running. And I don't have the patience for the establishment culture! Life is short. I need to concentrate on doing good for those I can empower and help, and enjoy it.

I just feel like I need to back off from the fight and focus on my own priorities at this time. Not that I don't think there are causes worthy of supporting. I do, and I still support them. I just need a little break from fist-clenching.

We aren't big on holidays around here. We did go down on Christmas day to visit Dennis's mom, and we took her out to eat at a Mexican restaurant. Just hung out and she showed us pictures of a gazillion grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It's weird that we fit in the grandparents generation now. We are great-aunt and uncle to a lot of kids on his side of the family. So many, I've lost count and can't keep up!

The weather has been spectacular, in the 50s and sunny, the ice is melting enough to clear off some of the sidewalks so they aren't so treacherous, which is a nice break to have at mid-winter. I have some new shoe spikes I'm wanting to use and review as soon as we get our next snowfall.

I've backed off on work for a while, there isn't too much I can do during the holidays because everything is shut down or people I need to talk with are on vacation. So I'm enjoying the break.

I've spent a little time in the afternoons hot tubbing, drinking wine, or cooking, and drinking beer. None of which I should be doing, but I will get it in gear. I'm as guilty of holiday indulgence as anyone else. And I will get my butt in gear at the first stroke of 2014. I'll probably have been asleep for two or three hours by then, but you get the idea.

Tonight I am cooking and hanging out with the girls while waiting for Dennis to come home from work. I've had some great workouts the past two weeks. My legs are tired constantly, but it's a good tired. I've been hitting the weights, in the pool, on the bike, getting my core work done, and running, of course. The running mileage has been low to moderate, somewhere around 35 to 50 miles a week, but I'm making progress.

I'm searching for a couple of good ultras in late March and early August in the neighborhood of 50 miles-12 hours-100K for training runs. Some of the ultra calendars haven't been updated yet.

The other things that have happened are that my book review of the Summit Seeker was picked up by an online publication from the U.K., Barefoot Running. It's worth checking this publication out, really well-done.

And they re-opened the tunnel that connects the east and west sides of town along the Spring Creek Trail, which is a bike path in Fort Collins that I often run during the winter months. I went for a run the day after Christmas and discovered something new. A memorial bench of a cyclist I knew in town, who passed away last November. The bench sits along the Spring Creek Trail.

I think those benches are the coolest thing. They are a such a great way to memorialize someone. I sat down for a while and could vividly recall his face and his voice. Now I know there will always be someone cheering for me as I run past that spot.

Over the coming week I plan to do one or two local races, neither of which will be anything impressive. There is the New Years Day run at Runners Roost and the Tortoise and Hare 8K next weekend with the running club. Get my butt in gear and start moving!

Under a Full Moon

Last night was the annual Fort Collins Running Club Holiday Lights Run & Potluck event. There was a good turnout and delicious food. It was fun to be around the runners again. We did a short run through a neighborhood with some beautiful light displays under a full moon. I cooked a vegan rice dish with veggies and garbanzo beans. It turned out good.

I didn't take any pictures during the run because I was busy trying not to slip on patches of ice! We've had some warm weather, temperatures in the 60s, and everything is melting but once the sun goes down, it freezes again.

When I woke up this morning the moon was setting over the woman cave and the sky was turning shades of pink.

The holidays are an odd time for me. After years of always working on the holidays, I'm not quite sure what to do! There's plenty of work on my business to do, but it's not a great time to be out talking to people because everyone is so distracted by the holidays. So all that gets put off until January. I guess that means I can take it somewhat easy, but I've been chipping away at the business website and my studying for certifications.

On the running front, I'm excited to say that I signed my contract for 2014 for the Pearl Izumi team again. I need to get my butt back in gear. Last night as people were asking me if I have any races lined up, I had to say no, because I really don't, even though I will soon. But it hit me that Pemberton Trail 50K is right around the corner, I made my airline reservations the other day, and I need to at least get some 20 milers in, which I haven't even done yet!!

Workouts are going okay, still sluggish in my pace, but I've been consistent with the weight training and core work, which is important. I need to rebuild my aerobic base before I can start pushing myself, and I need to be sure my hamstring is ready. I feel like I'm in this weird zone...can't race, can't really train for anything specific.

Monday I did my longest swim so far this year, 2000 meters, and I always feel like those young lifeguards at the pool are watching me thrash around like a dork in the water, they probably thing, this old chick sucks at swimming! They usually sit there and yawn, I think it's too early for them to be awake, it's only a bunch of old farts who get up that early to swim.

I did get half my hair chopped off the other day out of frustration with the heavy mop I've been carrying around for so long. Now it has some layers and I think the gray looks better that way. It needs to settle down a bit- it's wild and can't be pulled back into a ponytail anymore. It needs to grow out some before I tuck it into a running cap.

I could hardly believe that I wore out a pair of running shoes, my mileage has been so low, it's been forever since I replaced a pair. I'll be curious to see what kind of new models Pearl Izumi comes up with this year. I am looking for more motion control. You can't get more comfortable than the H3s though.

As soon as it snows again, I have a job to do. I was contacted by someone from Kahtoola, the company that makes Microspikes, and I'm going to try their product and write a review soon. We'll see how they compare to YakTrax.

I decided to go see Helen again this week, seems like the Bowenwork really helped my neck and I want to give it a few more sessions to see if I can get it loosened up even more. It would help my swimming too, because at the far point of my range of motion it hurts a little when I turn my head.

So that's what's happening in my world. A few exciting things, but I'm really looking forward to the mental hurdle of January 1, when it will be spring and I'm ready to move forward in the new year.

How lucky we runners are...

In my life outside of running, I am an oncology nurse. I see some parallels between training, racing, and going through cancer treatment, but when my races are over, I can go home and rest. For someone with cancer, there is no finish line.

I see patients running their own personal ultramarathons every day, propelled by their inner drive, perseverance, courage, and will to live. They don’t know where the finish line is, but they give everything they have to the race.

Yet every day at work, a common theme I hear from patients who are in for the battle of their lives, and are as sick as they've ever been, is how much they have to be thankful for.

I see them for weeks or months, until they finish their chemotherapy. Often they have already had some type of surgery that alters their bodies, and they might have radiation too. It’s more than a full-time job for them. Not only do they average eighty medical appointments in the year after diagnosis, but the treatments leave them fatigued, sometimes nauseated, or with nerve damage to hands or feet making it difficult to walk or do fine motor tasks like buttoning their shirts. They can be vulnerable to falls, infection, or bleeding, and unable to concentrate.

No one can manage cancer alone, and not without community support. There are many other equally important needs that go along with cancer treatment, such as having to negotiate family responsibilities, employment and financial issues, and social relationships. None of these things go away when a person has cancer. And not everyone the person with cancer has to interact with is understanding or informed.

Even their families can fail to become educated, sometimes willfully. Sometimes it's because of fear, or sometimes a low educational level. Or they just don't want to know. They expect the person to come home from their treatment and go back to being themselves, to keep doing all the usual tasks at home, or at work, such as taking care of sick kids, doing the cooking, cleaning, and activities that can expose them to life-threatening complications. Imagine knowing your immune system is very weak and having to go into public places where people cough in your face, or don't wash their hands after using the bathroom.

For the cancer patient, all of this is like being on a treadmill that has no “off” switch. After treatment, if the cancer is gone, they can't just pick up where they left off. It’s not like coming back from a running injury. Cancer changes everything. Relationships and family dynamics are affected. The person needs to adjust to changes in a body altered from surgery or radiation damage. If there are lasting effects of the chemotherapy, like nerve damage, the person might not be able to drive. Repeat checkups and scans must be done for years to ensure the cancer has not come back. Nothing is guaranteed but hope.

I'm not writing this as a scare story to dramatize the effects of cancer treatment. This is reality. Some people have these side effects I've mentioned, some don't, and some have it worse than others. This is not all-inclusive, either. There are lots of things that happen along the way in treatment. One in three of us will be diagnosed with cancer, and the older we get, the more likely that is to happen. If cancer hasn't touched you or your family, or anyone you know, then you are in a rare category. Inform yourself, because eventually you will be touched by cancer, indirectly, or otherwise.

Restoring quality of life for the whole person who has been diagnosed with cancer is a challenge. The road back to wellness is a lot longer than the treatment itself. The support of this community in the form of a cancer center will ultimately shorten the distance back to wellness for those with cancer.

The greatest gift you can give is to do the best you can every day with what you have. If you can do something that has meaning for you, and helps someone else, you win the race. If you have your health now, then you already have a head start. Use it to your advantage, and reach beyond your own fitness, competitiveness, vanity, or whatever else is driving your running.

I look around and see so many overweight people everywhere. Even here in Colorado, where we have the optimal conditions for a variety of outdoor activities year-round, we have a growing problem. So many health problems stem from obesity and other unhealthy behaviors like sedentary lifestyles, smoking, overconsumption of alcohol, overexposure to the sun, unhealthy diets. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer are costly and a huge burden to all of us.

What is even worse is that so many children are overweight. They are getting a bad start in life when it comes to their health. They aren't active enough, they are exposed to TV advertising of sedentary games and junk food. Not enough of them ride their bikes or walk to school, and they don't play outside the way we did when we were kids.

Schools in our community did something extraordinary this past year to raise funds for the PVHS Cancer Center. Three elementary schools each held a wellness day where the kids ran and walked laps and played soccer. They were doing their best, being active, and turning their activity into a meaningful gift to their community, raising nearly $13,000 through pledges. One of these schools is in a neighborhood that has the lowest income in the city.

This holiday season, when many people are struggling to meet their basic needs, shopping for gifts is overwhelming, stressful, and financially challenging. One great gift idea is to give to a charity in someone else's name. Even a small gift makes a powerful statement.

My gift is my health and ability to run ultramarathons, when I use it to give something back to my community. I'm supporting the Cancer Center here, and making the Survivorship Center within it a reality for those in our community who will need it. Make running your gift this year, wrap it into something meaningful to you, to help people in your community.

If you are fortunate enough to know where your finish line is this year, find your own gift of activity, live it, and give it. Let your finish line be the start of your next adventure.