Bring your dog to work day

So, I made today "Bring Your Dog to Work" Day. (Geez, can you tell I don't have kids??) And ahhh, yes, it's so good to be the boss!

For the most part, Steel stayed in the back office and not in the clinic, but I brought him out for some of my patients' children to play with. Little kids always love the kind of dog that rolls over on its back and exposes its belly for a rub.

This picture was sent to me today by my friend Ian, who is one of the very first ultrarunners I met many years ago when I was living in Chicago. The picture is from Western States last year. Dr. Jeff Lynn and I are collecting consent forms from the runners for our CPK research at the medical check the day before the race. Jeff (from Slippery Rock University in PA) and I are headed to Houston this weekend to meet up with Dr. Joe Chorley to FINALLY analyze some of our data and work on writing up the articles for publication. We have the Western States CPK study and the Badwater fluid and sodium balance study to work on. It is so fun mixing business and pleasure! Unfortunately, I waited too long to register for the marathon and it sold out. David is not a procrastinator though, so he is in. I'll just be doing the research stuff and working the finish line med tent and having FUN, as usual. I'm sure I'll get in some nice WARM WEATHER RUNS too.

Thanks, Ian! We will miss you at Western States this year, but you won't be away for long, I'm certain of it.

An article about Tim's runs

This is a nice article about ultramarathoner Tim and his charity runs, especially for his sister. I've added some additional visual stimuli.

Meet Your Neighbor: Tim Kjenstad
by Ann Lackomar

Trail fun with the boy at dusk

Ahhh! So I went up the mountain to try some of the easier trails. I was amazed at how fast my heart was beating going up. Am I THAT outa shape? Was it the slight altitude change? Would I really be able to feel a difference in altitude of 2000 feet? Perhaps a little of both. It's been since June 2005 since I've been up the mountain, with only one lame attempt to in September 2006 which didn't work too well.

It had been so long that I barely recalled the trails. Good thing Steely's been up there with David every weekend. I just let him show me the way.



Poor boy, though, he'd run ahead and then turn around and either wait for me or run back to me and off again, as if to say "hurry up, slowpoke!." And he did this, hmm, about 100 times in one 6 mile run (for me)! He's obviously used to running with David who is faster on the trails. Still, we both got in a good workout.



Both my knees and ankles are a little sore because I'm not used to the uneven terrain. Overall, I feel very good about going outside my head mentally and beyond the paved roads physically. I've already learned my lesson about patience, so don't worry about me doing anything more than "a little at a time."

Oh, and for the Barkley, I will wear my ASO's on BOTH ankles for sure!

Oops, I did it again!

After deciding to let the fear of the Barkley motivate me rather than scare me away, I realized how much I've been pussy-footin' around these past months. So many times I've waited too long to make a decision about whether or not to enter a race, only to find that the race had filled or I had missed the deadline by the time I decided to give it a hesitant whirl. I hate when my lack of decision-making ability determines my fate. I'd rather be master of my own destiny.

I've been directionless without goals. It's so easy to sleep in and not run or eat and not run when I don't have a race for which to train. I've been running for too long to know what to do with myself when running is not part of my lifestyle. Thing is, I'd gone and had the ankle surgery. It caused some problems. I screwed up by being too compulsive in my comback over the past year. I learned my lesson. The last time I "started back," I eased up and set some limits. Now, I am good and back. It's not that I am where I was before my surgery; I am far from it, and I still have "issues." BUT, I cannot let my fear of reinjury keep me from setting goals. I may not REACH the goals I set, but it is time for me to SET some goals and stop this pussy-footin' around.

So, I'm in the Barkley this year (thanks Rich baby for your "wise" guidance and thanks David for writing "Why my wife should be MADE to run the Barkley"). [If you don't know about the Barkley, it's not worth asking about. If you do know about the Barkley, you may have just lowered your opinion of me!] In any case, recent talk about the Barkley among entrants about compasses, blow downs, briars, ravines, chest-high river crossings, and the recommended weekly 30,000 feet of elevation change training, almost had me considering a DNS. How could I possibility even consider the Barkley since I haven't even been on a trail for over a year? What about my strength that has wasted away since giving up on my core exercises and weight lifting? What about the extra 5 pounds I'm carrying around on this small frame (and it ain't muscle weight)? I'm certain to twist my ankle again. I'm sure to hurt my back. Without a doubt I'll be cold and wet and sore and fatigued and......OH MY GOD! I realized what I was doing and I couldn't believe what I was hearing from between mine own ears!

Doubt and negativity and heaviness...and most of all FEAR. Fear of failure. Fear of mediocrity. Perhaps even fear of success. Oh, it was UGLY! So unlike me.

So, that's when I decided to let the fear motivate me rather than paralyze or excuse me.

So, I'm IN, with both feet! I'm heading out into the woods at Frozen Head State Park with the other chosen virgins and veterans on March 31st and I will do the best I can. I will do the training I can in the amount of time I have available, and I will not let indecisiveness or fear determine my fate. It's all good in me now with that decision. It's not that I am no longer afraid of reinjury or what may happen, it's that I have acknowledged that fear and will train to reduce all risks of "what may happen." I will let the fear push me forward toward my goal, not away. YA HA! Now, you're thinking like you usually do, Lisa! NOW, you are "BACK" for sure!

OK, SO...I had been sitting on the fence also about Badwater 2007. I wanted to run again last year but my ankle and lack of conditioning (yeah, blah, blah, blah) kept me from running. This year, there remains unknown territory about my ability to do better than I did in 2004. And I was waivering, wanting to enter but too scared to commit.

So, I beat my chest with my fist (no, not really), and I looked at myself in the mirror, and I thought long and hard about why I couldn't make a decision. In a matter of seconds, maybe 10 tops, I knew the answer. It was that gosh darn parasitic FEAR again! Argh! Once that was glaringly apparent, I knew what to do. I needed to apply for the race. So, I sat down and thoughtfully completed my application and I fired it off into cyberspace for the Badwater application committee's review.

It's funny how, after all these years of being at Badwater in some capacity, that I still got that nervous feeling when clicking the "submit" button.

SO, my Badwater application is in! I am thrilled. I already have my crew picked out and they have just been waiting for me to give them the confirmation that I will apply. I am good with my decision and I am at peace with my soul.

And NOW, NOW, I must TRAIN!

And that all said, I am now getting my ass out the door this very minute and am going for a hilly run with the boy. I may even venture out just a little onto some trails....

Sincerely,
the fite dokter

The Race That Eats Its Young

Whew! This will be a hellava first ultra back after ankle surgery!

What the HELL was I thinking!







"Barkley Schmarkley"
Illustrated by David Hughes (who's been there)

Happy New Year!

2006 was a great year. It was a bit tough only because I couldn't seem to get back to running well after my ankle surgery. In fact, I'm still no where near 100%. Despite that, however, less running meant more time for important things like family, friends, and getting organized at home. Work was successful, as were my volunteer positions as Medical Director of Badwater and Western States. I even had time to do some research, but I haven't had time yet to analyze the data!

I had such a great time at Badwater this year. It was one of the funnest (sic) events of the year. I was so proud of the medical team. Not to brag, but the team rocked...and we had LOADS of fun too. It's neat how close you can get to your fellow "medics" when you are working 60+ hours in extreme conditions. It was very cool how, when we were exhausted, working into our 3rd day, we decompensated into HUMOR. No one got snippy or crappy. We just had tons of fun. My Badwater "family" is so dear to me. From pre-race to post-race, I really enjoyed the experience immensely. It is one of my 2006 highlights.








Of course, there were many, many other great moments and experiences in 2006, way too many to list. I definitely enjoyed supporting David at his races this year. CCC was the best for me because I was there only to support him and not to run myself. I was proud of his finish because it is such a tough race and he had a Western States DNF just a couple of months before that.









My family is small. I do not have an extended family. They "divorced" me when my parents got divorced when I was 16. So, the family that I have is very important to me. My mom is a fun-loving, hard-working foxy lady with a heart of gold,



and you have already been introduced to my younger brother (for whom I eagerly sewed a button on his sport coat for his New Year's party tonight). I was so glad to see my older brother this year too and spend some time with him.



One of my lessons learned this past year was in PATIENCE. I learned about patience with my running setbacks and comebacks, and I felt deep gratitude for what I am able to do...because for a while, I was unable to do it. We are very lucky to have the ability to run and be so active and enjoy the outdoors and to share our experiences with one another. I am so very grateful for my health.

My wish is that we all experience moments of true peace and gratitude and love of family and friends. The intangible things are what matter most. So, hug a friend, kiss your spouse, cuddle your pet, thank your parents, help a colleague, and smile at a stranger. If we all did this, just a little more often, the world would be a bit more peaceful.

I wish you all a very peaceful and love-filled New Years!