Treadmill dog

Nothing is better than working out in the morning with the family! Steely ran for an hour on the treadmill while I worked out on the elliptical machine and David pumped cables on the Bowflex. I'm ready to start my day back to work.

Back in the running

It is so nice to be back running again. It's been a long year with injury after injury since my ankle ligament surgery in December 2005. Other than Uncle Joe's 50k in September, I haven't run any ultras this year. I recovered from the ankle surgery just fine, but every time I increased my mileage a bit, I thought I could increase it a LOT. I forgot the advice "enjoy in moderation." Finally, things are coming around. Last week I ran a 15.5 mile hilly run at an 8:15 pace, followed by 3 miles the next day and 9 the next. Finally, I felt I had graduated to running with my husband and friends again! In fact, they were the slow ones!

Since I had time off work this week like most other people, I had some time to put in some miles. BUT I had to remember to restrain myself. And I did. And it went well. I ran 4 miles Thursday, 18 slow miles on Friday, and then I made myself take Saturday off. Today, I ran another 10+ with David and Dennis and Steely. I feel fine tonight! The ankle always lets me know it's not 100% after I run, but a little icing always cures the grumbling.

Today was cold, cold, cold! We've been lucky with the warm weather so far, but the wind picked up and the snow started and stuck to the ground. My hands froze during our run, as usual in the cold. Still, I couldn't complain. I am back in the running and am so grateful for it.

David and I put up our Christmas tree and wreaths and did a little decorating. Not much; we're simplistic.

Tim runs 100 miles for his sister

Tim is a friend of mine. I was with him for hours at the medical headquarters in Death Valley at the 2005 Badwater Ultramarathon. He ended up having to drop because his kidneys weren't processing fluids well. He vowed to return in 2006 to finish the 135-mile road race through the 130 degree temps in Death Valley, California.

And that he did! But not without the help of his family who crewed for him.

About a month after the race, Tim called me to tell me that his sister Wendy, who crewed for him at Badwater, died shortly after the race from a blood disorder called TTP - Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. He told me about Wendy and how much of a fighter she was. He told me she was one of the toughest people he knew. He was stricken by her death.

Tim decided to do something in honor of his sister and raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He decided to run 100-miles in her honor. And on Thursday, November 17th, he ran from Clark County Fire Station 18 in Las Vegas, NV (where he is captain) to Fire Station 74 in Overton, NV via the North Shore Road along Lake Mead. He followed up that 73.8 mile distance by running the Valley of Fire Marathon (26.2 miles) the next day for an even 100 miles.

His total time for the 100 miles was about 27:15. He left Station 18 at 7:15 am Thursday and arrived at Station 74 in Overton at 4:45 am Friday. This was a few hours longer than he planned (he had hoped to break 24 hours) but unexpected knee pain knee at mile 50 caused him to have to walk the last 20 miles. To make it even tougher, the temperature dropped into the low 30's in the wee hours of the morning. (cold for Las Vegas residents, warm for us Washingtonians!) He said, "There was some major unplanned suffering going on (I guess that's supposed to happen when you run for a charity?)." After his 73.8 mile jaunt on Friday, Tim finished the Valley of Fire Marathon on Saturday in 5:41. He said said of his finish, "Having many family members there, it was an emotional finale."

Please take a moment to watch this excellent news video about Tim's run for his sister:

http://www.fox5vegas.com/video/10337250/index.html

Also, please check out Tim's website:

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnLasVe/2006_timkjenstad

Way to go, Tim! I'll see you at Badwater again in 2007.

Love, Lisa

Turkey baby!

My friend Magy and her husband Eric had their first baby yesterday at 6:12 am. Three weeks ahead of the projected due date, she gave birth to a healthy 6 pound, 15 ounce baby girl! She and Eric are still deciding on a name. They thought they had three more weeks! Right now, they're calling her their little "turkey."

Congratulations, Magy & Eric!!

Restraint

One of the toughest things about being an ultrarunner is not running long distances through winding trails with jagged rocks and undulating terrain in rain or snow or sweltering heat for hours and days on end. It's not the mental challenge of persevering through the 20-mile long wall between miles 60 and 80 in a 100-mile race. It's not the muscle pain or tendon pain or the gut pain so commonly encountered. It's not the pressing on when every part of you wants to quit.

The toughest thing about being an ultrarunner is knowing restraint, knowing when not to run, when not to push. It's holding back when your cells are jittery and wanting to go. Whether it's injury or fatigue or other life responsibilities that need attention, there are times when an ultrarunner should simply not run long distances.

I've made the mistake of unrestraint several times this year. I do not want to repeat the mistake again. It is very difficult - extremely difficult for me - to practice restraint and to ease back a little at a time. I hope I have abolished forever the notion that if I am physically able to run 5 miles, then I am physically able to run 30. The truth is that I can, and that's what gets me into trouble. I suffer for it later. Just because I can doesn't mean I should. I am learning restraint. It takes more effort for me to not run than for me to run. It is mentally and physically fatiguing. This is one of the toughest things about being an ultrarunner.

Doctors drive me crazy!

Perhaps I shouldn't say that because I am a doctor. But, of course I can say that! I just did. Anyone can say that no matter what his or her profession. Today, my rant is about podiatrists. Don't get me wrong; I know many excellent podiatrists. It's just I've been struggling with Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome after my ankle ligament reconstruction surgery last year, and I've been to many many podiatrists and am in need of new orthotics. I have a whole drawerful of $400 custom orthotics that do not control my overpronation since I have acquired weakness in my intrinsic muscles (and therefore have a collapsed arch) due to tibial nerve damaged (confirmed by Nerve Conduction Study). I just do not understand why, when you are in the podiatrist's exam room, he has you SIT in a high chair with your feet hanging over the end the whole time. You see, I do NOT have pain with sitting. I do not have problems with my feet out in front of me. I even have a nice arch in this comfortable non-weightbearing position. I only have trouble with standing and running, i.e. with weightbearing. So, why is it podiatrists do not examine you in while you are standing or walking or - god forbid -running? Why do they insist that they can cast my foot in this non-weightbearing position (where I have no problems) and that their orthotics (which are the same as the other 6 pairs in my drawer) are going to work any better than the others casted the exact same way? Why am I treated as if I am a pest when I ask to be examined standing or walking or - god forbid - running? Geez! Even I have my patients walk if they have pain with walking! Doesn't that make sense? Sure, that alone doesn't substitute for a table exam, but I now understand why my patients seem at first confused, and then excited, when I ask to see them walk. I can only guess I am the first one to look at that. I was trained that way, so the discrepancy is glaring to me. Why, even as a doctor, do I get shunned for suggesting such an outlandish idea? It's wrong and very frustrating.

Many of my friends complain that their doctors don't listen or don't help or make them feel as if they are just taking up their valuable time if they ask "stupid" questions. That really irks me! For the record, I am often treated exactly like you.

May I never treat you that way.

Stranger kinship

Yesterday as I was driving to work, there was a young woman running on the sidewalk against traffic. At some point she obviously realized she had overdressed a bit as she had her winter coat tied around her waist revealing a thick sweatshirt. She wore headphones and carried her music source in her gloved hand. Her face told her story though. On it she wore the hugest smile as she ran in an almost skipping manner down the road. I couldn't help but smile too as I drove by. I've had runs like that.

Today, I drove to the school where I sometimes park and start my run. On my way, I passed a middle-aged man fast walking on the sidewalk against traffic. He wore jeans and loafers and was wildly pumping his arms to match his determined strides. He had an ear-to-ear closed-lipped grin on his face, which bobbed and rolled as he worked his body into a sweat. I couldn't help but smile too as I drove by. I've had work outs like that too.

Then, as I ran up Big Rock Road, which ascends out of the valley and goes up and up the face of the hill, I saw 5 young boys, maybe around 7 or 8 years old. They were running at uncontrollable top speed from the house down into the field. I could hear their laughter. Their unzipped coats were parachuting in the wind and their arms were flailing all around as they picked up momentum down the hill. Four boys ran ahead and the fifth one, who was smaller and apparently younger, was more cautious in his footing. He fell behind and started yelling, "Hey, wait for me!" I couldn't help but smile, especially since I've had many runs like boy #5 in recent months too.

The valley receded below as the road carried me up the hill. I ran to the end of Big Rock Road, which dead ends at the trail that goes up the mountain. I thought perhaps I'd venture out on the trail but what I saw quickly changed my mind: http://www.pbase.com/lbliss/image/70414227. The sign warned me I'd better turn around, which I did. This was someone I did NOT want to meet! Still, I had to smile and take a picture. I've had days when I've felt like that too.


Hope you've experienced some stranger kinship today.