She's ill

It is kind of funny; I have lived with the diagnosis of lupus for two(ish) years now.  I have done my homework, I have done my research, I understand what living with lupus means, but it hadn’t really set in until this past month.  I have dealt with minor flare ups, weeks of exhaustion, but this past month I spent the majority of my time flat on my back.  I was relying on pain pills and muscle relaxers on a daily basis.  It hurt something fierce trying to go grocery shopping.  My boys are amazing and helped out in every way they could, and don’t get me started on my sister!  Even though I was down and out life kept moving forward.  Last week I finally started feeling a little bit human again, I am still sleeping for hours on end, but I am not hurting anywhere near as bad (but I still hurt).  After going grocery shopping on one day and kiddo appointments the next I end up in bed for the next few days because I have no energy to do anything else.  I cannot believe how horrible this is.  I mean, I get it you hurt, you get fatigued, but this is insane.  I can’t even go for a walk about my block and that is less than a half mile.  My poor fur babies are confused beyond all get out! Not that they are complaining about all the love time they get, but are still confused.

While we were out shopping this past weekend my sister made the comment about me being ill.  I know it is true, but it hurt beyond all get out actually hearing someone say it out loud. Anyway, I will recover and I will be back out there on the course.  Lupus may slow me down but I refuse to let me it stop me all together!

~If you hear that someone is speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself you should say: "He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned"~

No iron distnace this year :(

I guess it is time to update this.  Sadly I will not be completing my first iron distance this year. Shoot, I won’t even be starting it.  For the past month I have been pretty much stuck in bed.  Rheumy says I am in a full fledge flare up, doc is worried about my kidneys. Come to think of it, I am pretty sure it would have been safer to hide this entire month.  That is ok through.  I am taking it easy listening to my body, trying not to bite anyone and everyone’s head off (thanks to the prednisone) and when my body is ready to start over I will start at square one and slowly build up again (I can’t even go a half mile without being in excruciating pain right now).  This is just a stumbling block for me, nothing more.

Thank you Beach2Battleship for having a refund policy.  The more I have to deal with them the more I like them.  My first iron distance WILL be Beach2Battleship.

I am not going to push it, but I would like to do the Turkey Trot 5K in November.  If I can’t, I won’t, but it gives me something to look forward to.

~If you hear that someone is speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself you should say: "He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned"~

Tri for the Cure – Race day

4:00 am came WAY to early! But I managed to get up, took my meds (must be taken an hour before eating).  Luckily I had packed/laid out everything I needed, the morning went pretty smooth.  I stopped by the front desk to request a late checkout, luckily there was no issues.  We got in the truck and headed to the reservoir.  In the past early parking was at the high school which was nice and close (sort of) to the race, for some reason they changed the parking arraignments and the distance to the start doubled!  Jose and I went ahead of my sister.  I set my bike up in the transition area and then head out to visit with my sister and Jose and eat my breakfast.  My poor sister was almost in tears.  Turned out the bag with the food ripped and the bottle of Starbucks shattered on the ground.  She tried to clean it up so no one would damage their tires going over it. All I could do is laugh, it fit perfectly with the way everything to the start of the race!  My sister told me point blank if my body even twinge wrong to stop right there and call it a day. 

Finally the race started. I was in wave 14 so I had a little bit of time to wait.  When it was my wave’s turn I was in the back on the outside of the pack.  The horn blew and we were off.  I went through my normal open water panic; I stuck with the breaststroke until I could relax.  Once I calm off I went.  The water temp was a nice 76 degrees.  I was concerned about my hands (can’t handle the cold), but I had no issues.  I finished up the swim feeling pretty good (wish I had gum to keep the disgusting taste of water out of my mouth).  When I got out of the water I was a little… dizzy isn’t quite the right word, a smidge disoriented, I guess.

I calmly walked to my bike put my helmet on, put my bike skirt on, my bike shoes, grabbed my bike I was off.  I finally got to the bike mount line, crossed over it and then headed out (a lot of ladies mounted before they crossed the mount line).  I was trying a new nutrition on my bike, it was apple and banana fruit snack stuff, I took a mouthful and YUCK!!!!!!! It made me nauseous for a little while, but luckily that cleared up.  I need to spend more time on hills, but other than that, the ride went well. 

I got to the bike dismount like and I hopped off.  Again, calmly walked to my area, pulled my bike shirt off and put on my running skirt, threw my t-shirt on, pulled my socks on (toe socks with powder in them), shoes on and of course my hat.  I brought a water bottle (Nuun was in it) with me because I was on the thirsty side.  I took it nice and easy up the hill, once I got to the mile marker I started jogging a bit.  My left big toe felt like it was broken (it has been like that for a while), and I could feel my feet getting tender again.  During water stops I would grab a cup and squirt a bit of Nuun in, take a sip and discard the rest. I ran the last ½ mile, and I was able to pick up speed at the end with a comfortable finish.  My final time was 2:05:39. I was super slow, but it gave me the information I needed.

Things to work on…	Things going well…
Need to add weights back into my training plan	Hydration – Nuun seemed to work really well
Need to work on hills – bike and run	Swim felt great
Nutrition
Need to figure out what is going on with my feet

 

~If you hear that someone is speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself you should say: "He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned"~

Tri for the Cure – Pre-race

Technically I guess race weekend began on Friday.  Three out of four of my boys were going to hang out with Grandma and Papa for the weekend.  We decided that two of the boys really should have a bath before heading over to the house with the light colored carpet. We stopped by Wag-n-Wash for bath time and nail trimming. Charlie LOVES bath day, Freddie not so much! We got both boys nice and clean and the brought them in for nail trims.  After a visit to the bakery we headed out. Once again my car would start up for about five seconds and then die.  This is the third time this year and at least the 5^th time since I have owned my car so I knew exactly what was going on.  I called my mom to come pick us up and then the tow truck to get the car.  While we were waiting I got my stuff together, I keep my running shoes in my car more often than not, plus we had Cuervo’s stuff and the fur kids’ weekend stuff.  My mom arrived and the tow truck arrived.  The five of us got in my mom’s car and headed over to the dealership (they are the only ones who can fix the problem).  Once my poor car was checked in we headed over to my parent’s house.  My sister met us over there to give me and Jose a ride home. 

Saturday morning I had hoped to be out of the house by 10 am but my sister had to go in to work (she is usually off on the weekends), while she was at work Jose and I got packed, got the truck ready to go.  I had to wait until my sister got home to get my running shoes out of her car plus a few other things I needed for the race. When my sister finally got home (after 11) I started collecting my stuff and could only find one shoe.  You have got to be kidding me!!!!! We finally got on the road and headed up to Aurora.  Went to packet pick-up, got my stuff; went to the expo, luckily Skirt Sports was there I needed a new bike skirt because the padding in my previous one had lost the padding after it was washed.  There wasn’t a whole heck of a lot else to look it so we jetted.  We stopped by McAllister’s for a carefully chosen lunch (keeping sodium as low as possible).  When we got to the hotel we couldn’t check in yet (room wasn’t ready).  Off to King Soopers to get breakfast for the next morning.  When we got back to the hotel we were able to check in and we took some quiet time and I got everything ready for race day.  I found out that my running watch was dead and I didn't have the charger with me, I reminded myself it was just a training run and all was good (I was trying to keep positive).  Dinner was spaghetti from Carrabba's Italian Grill. Unfortunately I didn’t get to sleep until after 2:00 am.

~If you hear that someone is speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself you should say: "He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned"~

She Lives!!!!

I know, I have been very quiet lately.  Well, today that is going to change. I have reviews galore and updates!

First with the updates.  It took my feet about a month to heal from the Slacker Half Marathon, I was finally able to get a pedicure to get the skin removed from my feet.  I swore Hillary was going to kill me when she saw how bad they were, and I was right!  She was very careful with them and man did I get a lecture! I have just a smidge of blister residue left on my feet, but I am able to get back to normal running!

I have decided I need to take a break from spin class to spend more time on my actual bike.  I am sure Jose is happy with that because I have been dragging him to class every week (he is doing an amazing job). 

Swimming I have been slacking on, but that is going to be fixed this week. 

Reviews!!!!!

Big race is coming up; hydration is a HUGE issue…  I have less than three months to get it figured out.  So I did what any smart triathlete/runner would do I hit a sporty type store and picked up a few choices (with low sodium).  Last week I did my long ride with Nuun Hydration (fruit punch) tablet thingies. I am not a huge fan of the Alka-Seltzer after taste, but it wasn’t to bad.

This week’s long ride (ok, it wasn’t as long as I had hoped, but I am happy with it), I went with Nathan Catalyst pomegranate and blueberry.  All I can say is YUCK! Now, when I got home I let kiddos try it and Jose liked it better than the Nuun.  I am not a huge fan of sweet drinks (you should see the faces I make when someone tries to give me sweet tea) and Nathan’s is sweeter than Nuun.  So take my review with a grain of salt!

Today I also got to test run a new piece of triathlon attire!  I have raced in De Soto tri capris and love them.  Ok, that was three years ago, but I remember them fondly.  I recently got a new pair and the style changed (of course!), Carrera Tri Capri with Folding Waistband.  I wore them on my ride today with Sport Skirt’s Cruiser Bike Girl (any extra protection to the neither region is always appreciated!).  I love the fact DeSoto kept in mind that 1/3 of the race is on a bike bent forward.  The waistband can either fold down (to below the bellybutton) or up so no one confuses you with a plumber!

This time next week is my first tri of the season, I am looking forward to it.  I just have to make sure I take my meds like I am supposed to if I want to actually participate next week!!!!!

~If you hear that someone is speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself you should say: "He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned"~

Slacker Half Marathon

I want to preface this blog by reminding everyone that I have lupus and not only are my kidneys enjoying this disease my live has been effected too. Lupies have to take extreme precautions when in the sun.  I do not spend any time in the sun without have at least 80 SPF on, I wear hats (my sister has helped my collection of big floppy sun hats)…

Ultraviolet light is the invisible radiation in sunlight. "Sunlight may trigger a lupus rash and it can also trigger symptoms of joint pain and fatigue," notes Dr. Bishnoi. Lupus is a disease that goes through periods of quiet and periods of increased disease activity called flares. Many people with lupus experience flares if they get too much sun exposure. http://www.everydayhealth.com/lupus/sun-exposure-and-lupus.aspx

 I do not mean to bash the race or the directors when I say this was the worst possible race for me. 

Wake up call was around 3:30 am. My running buddy (and good friend) Lynne and I were carpooling for Georgetown for the Slacker Half Marathon which was scheduled to start at 8:00 am. Lynne got to my house at around 4:20(ish).  We loaded up in my car and off we went.  We got up there before the crowd really hit, we parked and went to pick up our bibs.  We ran to two of our running buddies (Felicity and Cindy)  as they were picking up their bibs too.  We went back to my car to get ready for the race and I finally got to meet Renee!  Lynne and I got all ready to go and we loaded up the bus… shortly after the bus departed Lynne realized she forgot her sunglass, so she had to ride the bus back down to get them! Once I got to the start area I ran into Felicity and Cindy and let them know about Lynne. We stood around and chatted for a while and then Renee caught up with us.  The race start was postponed a little bit because there were still busses on their way up with runners.  Luckily Lynne made it back in time.

This was the good part of the course!

This part of the course kicked my luppie butt!

The race start was pretty uneventful, there was a MAJOR bottle neck at the beginning (really needs to be reconsidered).  The first 4(ish) miles were on a bike path and there was a lot of nice shade.  Water stops every two miles.  The temperature was climbing pretty quickly especially since I was going pokey pace (I was having breathing issues – might have been the altitude, the fires, no idea!). Once I got out of the shade I was screwed!  There was minimal along rest of the course and I started battling cotton mouth around Mile 9. I was ready to throw in the towel, my bottom of my feet were covered with blisters there were no water stations in sight. The emergency personal I asked about water was a complete ass hole!  I finally got to a water stop at Mile 11, I stopped and drank more water than I should have, it all came right back up at Mile 11.5 (just in time for a tourist train to go by!!!!!!!!).  Thank God Lynne was at Mile 12, she walked with me to the end.  I was hurting!  I had no business touching this race, there is not enough shade and there sure the hell wasn’t enough water!  I am sure it would be a great race for people who do not deal with photosensitivity.   The scenery was amazing! The trees are beautiful, but this race is just not one that belongs on my to do list again!

~If you hear that someone is speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself you should say: "He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned"~

Crazy day!

After yesterday’s swim I wanted to get to the pool this morning and give it another shot.  Unfortunately today was going to be a busy day without any workouts, but I got up and out the door with my kiddos and got to the gym.  I had to wait a little bit before a lane freed up but once I was in and situated I have no issue getting my entire swim in.  It felt great!

I hit the hot tub for a very short time before I had to get out and get going. My next stop today was the rheumy.  As usual we went over my shopping list of meds and then discussed my current issues.  I told him about the weird thing that happened with my hand and he told me that happens because of my RA. My lower back is still an issue, but I am doing what I can.  The things on my hand are something we need to keep an eye on, but he isn’t worried at this point.  Blah, blah, blah, I didn’t get any new meds (YAY!!!!), and I don’t have to go back for three months.  In the lupus world that is HUGE!

With only a short break I was off to class.  It wasn’t too bad, but knowing how nice it was outside made me want to get out early.  Once class was over I hit the trail on my bike for a short ride.  Wasn’t quite an hour, like my schedule said for today, but it was first ride of the year outside on my bike. 

Tomorrow is Cuervo’s graduation form elementary school! So tomorrow will be another go, go, go day. Hopefully I will be able to start my morning with my 41 minute run and my 1800 meter swim. 

Oh! And Saturday is my ColorRun 5K race, which should be a lot of fun (and Very messy!)

~If you hear that someone is speaking ill of you, instead of trying to defend yourself you should say: "He obviously does not know me very well, since there are so many other faults he could have mentioned"~