Cycle of Life

It has been a couple of weeks and a few things have been resolved. Idgie has "crossed the rainbow bridge." Wow, it happened fast. I can say that we were with her and she was relaxed when the purple potion was administered. She went for a run the day before. She stole a pear from the counter the day before. We can say she had a good life and she did not suffer. It doesn't help much, knowing those things.

I had the 24 hour heart monitoring completed. I ran. Hard. Trying to make myself have "an event." I did not. And in true medical care fashion, I haven't heard the results. They were supposedly sent to the referring physician within 72 hours. That would mean she's had them now for about 2 weeks; long enough for my insurance to deny the claim. So, on with the training and racing!!

March 8th, Salida's Run Through Time Marathon. I've done this one before. All depends on how much snow there is on the trail! Could be great! Just don't want ice. After that race, we head to Colorado Springs and pick up Scout. She's our new pup. She's 5 weeks old. Hope she will be a great running dog.

What price running?

I have been experiencing a problem while running. Sometimes my heart starts to pound "out of control" It is really, really fast. I become dizzy, like when I stand up too fast. My heart POUNDS in my chest, out of control! The weird thing is, I can keep moving. I can't run but I can walk.

The first couple of times it happened, it scared the crap out of me. In fact, the first time I was really freaked out. I finally lay down on the trail, threw water on my face, and then, all of a sudden, I felt fine. Got up and took off running. The second time wasn't as dramatic.

It started happening more often. I didn't know when it would hit or how long it would last. Mile 2? Mile 30? Uphill? At altitude? In the heat? The only thing that has been consistent is that it only happens when racing or running "at race pace." The most reliable way of "fixing it" has been to lie flat on my back. I am no longer frightened. I am frustrated though. I have started taking it easy during races.  I figure that I lose more time when I lie down on the trail than when I slow down a little.

So I told this to my physician. She said it was because I was dehydrated. Wrong. I told it to my next physician and, only after I said I had chest pain, she referred me to a cardiologist. I had a stress test and an echocardiogram. He found a few little abnormalities but certainly nothing to worry about. Told me to take a baby aspirin every day. Okay, fine.


But then I started reading about heart arrhythmias in older, long distance runners. I learned that it is not that rare and that there are treatments. Medications might work. If not, an ablation can be performed, either via a catheter or surgically. So when I moved to ABQ and got a new doctor, I told her about my little problem. She told me I am getting older and I may just have to face the fact that I can't push myself that hard anymore. I told her that is the wrong thing to say to a runner. She didn't want to accept my advice anymore than I wanted to accept hers.

She ordered a Holter Monitor test and I have scheduled it. I can go out there and try to initiate one of these episodes. It might happen; it might not. If not, then there are further tests. But, perhaps it is time for me to do some soul searching. I have had two orthopedic surgeries, one on each heel. I've spent thousands on these surgeries...well, my insurance has anyways. And lots more on physical therapy, medications and other orthopedic treatments so that I can continue to race.

Maybe this is ridiculous. Maybe I need to "back off the pace." From reading about the athlete's arrhythmia, it appears that there is some evidence that this level of running can actually injure the heart. Is this true? There are so many studies showing that consistent running is good for the cardiovascular system. In the world of biomedical research, there is rarely a definitive study. Until studies are replicated, using more people--especially older people who have engaged in long distance running for a number of years, we just won't know.

So the question is: should I have the Holter study done, at substantial expense to my insurance or should I just continue as I have been? Do I settle into not only a slower pace (that I can live with), but a reduced effort? This is not my style.

The holidays are over. The bills are paid. I just returned from spending time with the grandkids. They are amazingly good. They are amazingly noisy!!! They are amazing.

It's time to settle into the spring semester routine. Spring break is months away and the ink on my syllabus is still wet (or it would be if it were printed on paper). My racing calendar is starting to fill up.


A couple of weeks ago I went for a run on the east side of the Sandias, at a higher elevation. It was a five mile loop and I decided to take both Idgie and Sadie. The first part of the trail was packed snow. Then we hit fresh powder. It was a delight. I was having a blast kicking through the snow. Sadie was doing her disappearing act. She'd leave the trail and suddenly show up in front of me. Never could figure out how she did it. We came to the trail intersection and I couldn't discern the trail since no one had yet tracked it up. It took me a few false starts, but I was able to locate it. I wasted a bit of time and realized that I  would be hard-pressed to make it back to the truck before dark.

The best part of this run was being with Idgie. She loves the snow. She romped, she chased Sadie, she stayed with me, she was smiling! We had done this trail in the summer and she wasn't able to run it. The heat wiped her out. But this day, she was on top of her game!! I was thrilled to see her running easy.

I was reminded of her days as a "huffer." In Wyoming, she loved to run behind the snowmobile that groomed the cross country  ski trails. She was stay right behind it, breathing in the fumes. Then she would throw herself on the ground, rolling and tumbling and acting just like a cat on catnip. I know she was getting high. Whenever she heard the snowmobile, she would start looking for her fix!

I am glad we had that day. Yesterday I took her to the vet. She has been having trouble breathing and her neck was very swollen. The vet gave a diagnosis of lymphoma. Without treatment, she will likely die within a couple of months. With treatment, she will likely go into remission. Remission will only be temporary. Her life expectancy, even with treatment, is only about a year. She is 12 years old, no spring chicken for an 80 pound dog. She has had a pretty good life. I can deal with her death. The hardest part is making the decision. Do we choose chemotherapy for a 12 year old dog? Or do we choose treatment to increase her comfort? Either way, there will come a time when I will have to make the final decision.

Sandia Solstice Marathon

I have started a meet up group, called Sandia Trail Runners, and have about 20 people now. So far, I have run with three men and one woman...but only one at a time. I really hope to get some group runs going.

I had hoped to run a marathon distance before the end of the year.  I checked out the Sandia Crest trail, Trail 130. It looked perfect. Two distances are given for the entire length: 26.0 miles and 26.5 miles. I figured that was exactly 26.2 miles!






I posted it on the meet up site, set for December 22, one day into winter, one day AFTER the shortest day of the year. A solstice marathon. Run from south to north to help the sun find its way back to the northern hemisphere.


Two men were quite excited about doing it. One, Tyrone, had to back out because he wanted to spend time with his daughter. I get that!! That left me and Alberto. I figured Alberto would back out. I was wrong! He was totally into it.


Fast  forward to December 22 at 5:30 AM. Time to down some eggs and a tortilla and plenty of coffee. Throw a drop bag in the car (complete with a gallon of water and several trail bars) along with my Camelbak, phone, glasses (can't see my phone without my glasses), a couple of trail bars, Sadie's pack containing water and a bowl, and Sadie. Oh, and two beers and a bag of chips. You have to have a beer at the end of an epic run.

Logistics: This is a point to point run. There is one place with road access at the 16 mile mark. The plan was for Mary Ann and me to drive me to the northern terminus (40 minute drive), leave my truck (with the beer and chips...and dry clothes). Then Mary Ann would drive me to the southern terminus where I would meet up with Alberto. So far, so good. He showed up right on time and we were ready to go.Mary Ann then planned to go to the one place where the trail contacts a road. There, she would leave my drop bag. She would call me and let me know how to find it.

First problem: There was more snow than I thought there would be. No problem, we'll power through it. Phone call from Mary Ann at "the Crest." Did you leave the drop bag? Not yet, I got stuck in the snow. Waiting on AAA to come get me out. She had to wait 2.5 hours to get pulled out!!! It is now almost noon. She has been driving or waiting for the tow truck since 6:30 AM.



And where are Alberto and I? We've been on the trail for four hours and we have covered about 10 miles. No kidding!! At this rate there is no way we will finish in daylight. Two hours later, we are about 2 miles from the drop bag. It is time to decide: bail or tough it out? Run in the dark with only one headlight for the two of us or call Mary Ann and ask her to come pick us up? We've covered the hardest part of the route. We've climbed about 4000 feet and, once we hit the top, we'll have 10 miles to go, losing 4000 feet! Oh, what to do, what to do.

Three factors were weighing on my mind. 1) I thought my socks were wool...they were not. My feet had been numb for hours. 2) I thought I'd be going faster/harder so I dressed for exertion. I was under-dressed and the temperature was sure to drop as the sun went down. 3) we had seen mountain lion tracks. Not so sure I wanted to be in the dark with mountain lions around.

I called Mary Ann. She immediately said she could come get us. After all of her time on the road (and stuck in the snow), she was ready to come after us. She didn't make me ask. She is pretty wonderful. I informed Alberto that I had called the Calvary. He was disappointed, He really wanted to make the full crossing, as did I. But, sometimes you have to make the safe decision.


So, Mary Ann met us at the Crest. She schlepped us to Alberto's car at the southern terminus (with the heater blasting and sweat forming on her brow as my feet slowly began to thaw), schlepped me back to the northern terminus to get my truck.

Once home, she could watch the KU basketball game while eating a Papa Murphy's pizza. Sadie asked to go to her crate. I took a hot bath and drank my beer.

January 1: a 50K fat ass run in the foothills!!!

Tree Tag Mystery: Solved

Had a fun little run yesterday in the new snow of the Sandias. I met Mike at the trail head for the North Faulty, a trail unfamiliar to me. Mike was a great tour guide for the 6 mile out and back run. Before we started, he said that we would see some old trees tagged with metal IDs. He explained that someone (OK, I have absolutely no idea who these people are) had taken cores out of the trees to determine the approximate birth dates.

The snow was nice and fluffy, and made the footing rather precarious in places. Sadie ran like a crazy dog...thinking she had died and gone to heaven (or Wyoming?)! About half-way out, Mike stopped to point out a huge, gnarly pinon pine. We slipped and slid off the trail to get a better look. The tag said "Edward VI," 1550. WHOA! Way cool. A little farther down the hill was another one, "Bloody Mary," also from the mid 1500's. I can't even imagine what it was like here when these trees were saplings. 

 
With this information, I went back to look at my picture of the Hershey Chocolate Tree. The date on it was 1857. Guess who was born in 1857? Milton Hershey!!

My plan for running the Crest Trail on 12/22/12 will need to be revised. I expect the snow would present quite an obstacle to completion and threat to safety. Oh well, I'll figure something out.

Signing up for races....

Goals for 2013: I signed up for my first race of the year. May 25th, Jemez Mountain Run 50 miles. Let the training begin??

I've been trying to develop some running friends here in ABQ. I enjoy running alone but I also enjoy having running buds. I mean, Sadie is always there for me, ready to run whenever, wherever. But....well, she doesn't contribute much to the conversation, she never drives, and she can't join me for races. Therefore, I joined the Albuquerque Road Runners and the ABQ Girlfriends on the Run meetup.

I went to one trail run with the ARR and there was NO WAY I could keep up the the two men who showed up. The ABQ Girlfriends have tons of runs, but they are mostly on the road. Christy Dafter has been setting up trail runs every couple of weeks, and that is good but...I started a meetup called the Sandia Trail Runners.

Today Tyrone, Jessica and I ran the Pino Trail. It is a steep sucker, climbing 2800 feet in 4.7 miles (according to the map I have). Coming back down Tyrone and I were talking about how easy it is to wipe out on a trail like that and bragging about the fantastic spills we have taken. My theory is that if you talk about falling, you won't fall. Wrong. I splattered myself on the trail. I have bruises and scrapes that I cannot explain, including my left ankle, right ankle, ribs, right knee and my right arm (wrist to elbow). I called Mary Ann on my way home and told her, "Don't worry. There's a lot of blood, but the injuries are not at all serious," "Sadie or you? she asked. "Me." "OK, no problem. Come on home." Yes, she has told me if Sadie gets injured while running with me, I shouldn't bother coming home.

Hershey Chocolate Tree and the South Crest Trail

I planned a 15 mile run today on the South Crest Trail of the Sandias. The idea was to run the South Crest to Bart's trail, and then return on the Faulty Trail. Very simple.

Everything was going according to plans. Sadie and I were have a nice jaunt, heading up and up and up. We saw some spectacular views and were buffeted by the wind but only while on the crest. I passed the Embudito Trail junction, just as planned. While in the middle of some very large aspens and pines, I took a short break to eat a gel. One tree, right by the trail, had this tag on it. What does it mean?

Dang, I don't know. But I think it is an omen!!
My son and the grand kids live in Hershey, PA, home of Hershey chocolate. I was eating a chocolate gel, and 1954 is the year of my birth. It MUST mean something, right?

I continued on, wondering HOW FAR TO BART'S TRAIL. Surely I missed it. I MUST have missed it. It couldn't be that far, right? So, I turned around and headed back, figuring I should play it safe, since I was out of food and we had tickets to go see Lincoln this afternoon (I thought it was good. I definitely recommend it, even at 2:30.).

Got home and checked the map. I think I was within .1 mile of Bart's trail when I turned around. Turned out to be about 17 miles.

Feeling good about running. Love the Sandias. Unbelievable views! So much fun and it is still warm...speaking of which, I was in shorts and a short sleeved shirt. Passed some folks who had on hats, gloves, and down jackets. Will I become cold blooded if I live here long enough?