Hot Air Ballons and Alligators

Today was a day for new discoveries.  We had heard that there was a greenbelt trail in the Eagle area, but we had never really investigated it.  Last week I took my kids down there for a walk.  We were able to go a mile in and then out.  It seemed like there was a lot more trail to do!  So I convinced the sole sisters to check it out with me.

We met at Merrill Park at 7:00 AM.  Well, 7:15 since I had a late start and terrible construction to maneuver through!  We crossed the small foot bridge and headed left.... here we go!

It was so wonderful!  There is a lot of tree canopy so the vast amounts of shade made the run cool.  For once we weren't wilting in the heat! Especially after Saturday's HOT Crater Crawl.  We ran along a part of the river and it was mostly a dirt path.  Anyone who runs long distance knows that dirt surface versus cement or road surface.... dirt wins EVERY time.

We got to run right by the landing pad for the Hot Air Balloons that decorate the Boise skies every summer morning.  One of them looked like it was going to land in the water.  But thankfully it did not.  Michele got a picture of the one that looks like Kris' swim suit.

This portion of greenbelt was not heavily populated.  We only saw a couple of people the entire first few miles.  It was quiet (well we weren't but the surrounding area was), you could hear the river, it was shady and cool, the trail was dirt..it was wonderful!!

All of us had planned maybe 6 miles today.  But once we got on this trail, we HAD to see where it led to.  None of us wanted to turn around until it ended or joined a trail we were familiar with.  Because of that we ran all the way to the Glenwood Bridge in Garden City.  That meant we would be closer to 9 miles!  Whoops.

Because of the increase in mileage, I knew I would have to do the way back much slower with a few more walk breaks (my stamina is still pathetic).  This turned out to be a great idea because we got to enjoy the scenery and landmarks more.  For instance....

Look!  It's that stacks of rocks that the "rainbow people" make!  If this joke doesn't make sense to you, you need to read back at the blog from march.  Then the joke will make sense! I did learn from my friend that they are actually called cairns.

There were several really neat bridge crossings. We stopped at my favorite one and took a couple photos.

As we were finishing the run, we started to get quieter.  Usually we are very chatty.  I can tell that we are getting tired when the chatter begins to die down.  I looked at the river and saw a family of ducks swimming in a line.

 "Alligator!"  Michele yelled. 

Then quickly she realized they were ducks.  Kris started to tease her by reminding her there are no alligators in Idaho rivers,  when all of the sudden, off to our right I saw....

 

 

 

ALLIGATOR!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn't believe it!  That sure surprised all of us!  We had to stop and get photos of this for sure!  No one would believe this!  Guess Kris was wrong......

We ended up with 8.7 miles in total.  More than we planned but definitely worth it.  It was a real enjoyable run and definitely one we are all planning on doing again.  And in case you are wondering.....


that's not a live alligator!



We Survived the Crater Crawl!!!

What a great idea for a race!!  Michele is so good at discovering these out of the way obscure races.  Either it is a gift or she has too much time on her hands.  Regardless of the reason it turned out to fit perfectly for the theme of this months run......

It was EXACTLY two months ago TODAY that I had an 8 pound tumor the size of a football removed from my abdomen.  Recovery has been progressing better than expected.  So to celebrate my 2 months of being "tumor free" we teamed up to run this race. 

TEAM TUMOR!!!!

I had a good friend of mine make us shirts just for this occasion.

Michele and Kris felt they were going to be TOO HOT! So they "modified" their shirts.

 





 Race morning started out like it usually does for me.  I wake up, get ready and then drive 25 minutes to Michele's.  This time, my son Hunter joined us.  He has been training hard all summer to be ready for his senior XC season.  I was excited that he was joining us.  I love sharing my love of running with him.  He even agreed to wear a shirt!

The hour drive from Michele's to the race start began like it usually does, Michele and Kris yelling at each other.  They were fighting over the designs of how they had cut their shirts and whose was better.  Kris ended the discussion with her traditional "Shut your face!" And we hit the road.



None of us had ever been out to these crater rings.  In fact, we never even knew they existed until now.  Michele had written down DETAILED directions for us to follow.  That can be dangerous seeing that the last time we drove somewhere far with detailed directions....we got lost.

But as we drove we noticed that the race directors had placed very helpful signs along the road.
"We can just follow those."
"No!  We must follow Michele's written directions!!"

Though the way seemed long, we made it there with no problems.

We checked in and got our race numbers.  We were numbers 10, 11, 12, 13!  How cool is that?  The people at check in were really nice too!  They asked about our shirts and even applauded when we explained what they meant.  That was super nice.  Then Michele and Kris decided to get a drink of this pink liquid that they had available.  They didn't even know for sure what it was.  The guy jokingly said he was "Jim Jones" and "Have a drink of my Kool-Aid."  Okay, that guaranteed that I was NOT having any.  Michele had no idea what that joke meant and she took a big drink.  So, did Kris.  They did act a bit funny afterwards, but neither of them died.  (If you aren't sure who Jim Jones is, ask google).

We had some time to kill before the start.  It was warm.  Kris is showing us how "Desert-y" it is.  Then we had Hunter take a few pictures of us.  He purposely took the photo when Kris wasn't ready!

Finally, it was 9:00 AM (late for a race start in these temps).  The gun went off!  Well, actually it was a P.E. whistle, but the same thing really right?

 

I forgot to check the temperature at race start, but it was pretty warm.  We didn't take off too fast.  This was a recovery run for me and I knew I wasn't racing today.  Since Hunter wore our bright pink team shirt we could see him for quite a while.  He looked good and was in the lead pack.

 

 Our first aid station was at the first crater. 



We are very sweaty already!  See how Kris' arm is glistening?  It was warm out there in the Idaho desert today!  After this stop, was a pretty good uphill so we enjoyed a walk break.  As we were walking a lady came running down the hill going back towards the start. 

"Did we make a wrong turn?"  I asked.  No we couldn't have.  This lady was fast, but she couldn't be done already!  We couldn't figure out WHAT she was doing, and we never did find out.

 

The second aid station was manned by two young boys.  They looked so happy to see us and started to hold out their water when we were still at least a tenth of a mile away.  I love to see that kind of excitement in serving others!  As I took a water, I stumbled on a rock.  Then Michele did the self same thing.  We stopped to drink and wait for Kris who was just a few steps behind us.

"Don't worry," the boy said, "Everyone trips on that rock."

"Why is that?" Michele asked him.

"Because it is a  magic rock." He said smiling.

Silly boy, he did not realize that it was because he was standing ON THE ROCK!  We all stumbled when we reached for the water! 

 

Slowly the trail became more and more covered with rocks.  Big lava rocks.  This is the danger zone for Humpty Dumpty.  She did not want to take a fall today.  So she started to slow down and be more careful.  Michele and I kept our speed.  Kris said we are rotten friends for leaving her!  But she said it with a smile.  I think it makes her madder when we run ahead, then stop and wait for her to catch up, and take off running again right when she catches up.  So we just kept plugging along at our pace.

 

The last aid station was wonderful!!  We were very warm at this point.  They had shade and chairs and icy cold water.  They were playing music too.  Ironically the song they were playing was "Some Like it Hot" by Robert Palmer.  So funny!  The man at the aid station was very kind.  He kept asking us if we were okay or if we needed to sit down.  The shade and cold water was just what we needed for the last 1.5 miles.

 

It's funny how running in the heat can take such a toll on your body.  I was feeling so drained at the end.  But we could see the finish line.  I knew I could make it with out any more stops.  Michele started to slow down a little.  At this part of races, I just am like a horse who "smells the barn".  I have no other focus but to finish and I just push it in.

 

We all did MUCH better than we thought we would.  It was in the mid-80s at the finish.  Hunter, who we should refer to now as "speedy" got second place overall!  He finished in an amazing 41 minutes!!  That is incredible considering the terrain and heat!



 Michele, Kris and I did pretty respectable as well!!

Jodi - 1:08:53  26th place overall  11th female
Michele - 1:09:02 27th place  12th female
Kris - 1:11:08 29th place  14th female

I am very proud of all of us!!  And boy did we sure stink afterwards!! I haven't sweat this much in a race since Robie, 2012 (the worst race ever thought up by ANYONE!)
We collected our race shirts, which I am pleased to say are quite nice looking.

The race volunteers asked what we thought of the race.  While Michele and I raved about how well run it was and how great the aid stations were, Kris added, "Next year can you take a bulldozer and plow off all of the rocks."  That was met with dead silence.  Some people don't know what to think of Kris whether she is serious or not.

We were happy as we loaded in to the car.  What a fun adventure.  Then Kris announced....
"You are NEVER to ask me to run another race in the desert!  Especially if there are lava rocks!"
Michele laughed and said, "Well, you can always say NO!"

I am happy to have climbed a great hill in my recovery (literally).  I have now successfully completed a very challenging 10K.  I remember back to pre-surgery discussions with my doctor.  He had warned me that recovery would take at least 6-8 weeks.  I am so thrilled that I have defied those instructions and exceeding their expectations.  I attribute a lot of it to the shape I was in before I went under the knife.  It has also helped to have such an amazing support system. 

I now can honestly say....Running has saved my life!

I had to end with one final picture.  There are many things about this picture that I loved and NONE of them were planned!
1) We are positioned shortest to tallest
2) The photo shows the evolution of our team shirt; from whole, no sleeves, mostly cut apart, to finally completely gone
3)  We look like we could be Hunter's back up singers or support team
4) and most importantly, not only are we all ALIVE....we are still smiling!!!





 

Seven weeks, seven miles, seven piles of horse poo!

 

This week marks SEVEN WEEKS since surgery!!  We had our weekly trail run (which is SO wonderful to have again) and happy day  Kris joined us finally!

We opted to run Veteran's Trail in Eagle.  Michele needed it to be a bit longer so the plan was to do two loops. 

As we approached the trail head, the main gates were still shut.  Michele started to wonder aloud and then to worry as to why they were still shut because it was LIGHT OUT!  I swear she does this every time we run this trail and we start early.  Kris assured her and REMINDED her that they usually open it by 7:00 AM.  Sure enough as we started to run we could hear noises behind us of gates being opened. 

We started the run off right away with a narrative as to why Kris' right butt cheek hurt and why it was then going to slow her down.  She water skied the night before!  So she was sure she would be slowly us down.  Unfortunately, at this point, I am the one slowing us down.  And that's a new place for me to be in.

Next we discussed the different shades of our skin.  I haven't been out much so I have NO color.  Kris has a nice sun-kissed tone to hers, and Michele is SUPER tan!!  Even small children at the zoo point it out to their parents when they see her!

This trail loop is tough.  It is mostly uphill with few breaks.  We took it easy and started climbing.  Within the first half mile we encountered an long row of seven pieces of horse poop.  It was fresh and quite odorous!  I was leading and did the standard warning callout, "HORSE POO!"  Then hopscotched over it.  There was a trail run a while ago when Kris kicked the poo, even after we did the call out.  Happily I heard a call back from behind me a few seconds later, "I didn't kick it!"
(Link to the day Kris kicked the horse poo... HERE)

 

Making it to the top is a great VICTORY!!
We posed for a few pictures.  This is actually
our really sneaky way to take a long break!
 

 

Headed down now, there are a lot of blind corners.  As I headed around one I saw a biker right away.  I called out "BIKER!"  This ended up scaring the biker and he tried to get off the trail as fast as he could, almost wrecking in the process.  When I stepped off and said, "I'm just letting the runners behind me know you are coming."  He laughed and rode on.  Later, we came around a corner and could hear, "Off the trail, get off the trail."  Michele thought someone was yelling at us.  Turned out it was a jogger with a very well trained dog.  She and her dog politely waited for us to pass.

The last encounter of note was with two bikers.  We always step off the trail for bikers, whether it is downhill or uphill.  So we all stepped off the trail for these two gentleman.  As the passed by and thank us the second biker said to Michele, "Thanks Babe!"  Wow.  She was getting hit on. It must be the suntan.

After loop number one we re-hydrated and discussed our plans for loop number two.  I wasn't sure how my endurance would be.  I decided I would run it backwards and then meet up with them, turn around and finish.  Kris decided to go with Michele.  The way this trail looks is almost like a lolli-pop.  SO we ran the first .6 miles together before we split off.  I was in the back with Michele leading.  I thought I was walk a lot.  Turned out I was feeling okay and decided it would be fun to run right on Kris' heels and talk to her.

First I commented how Michele was leaving her behind.  "Look at that, she isn't even looking back to see if you are still coming."  I did this for a minute.  Kris was having a hard time running because I was making her laugh too much.  Then when the hill got steeper I broke into my version of "eye of the tiger".  That did it.  Kris was laughing and yelling at my to be quite!!!  It was fun, for me!

We split off after that.  I headed right and they turned left.  Now it has been a while since I'd run Veteran's.  And even though I had just ran it with Michele and Kris, I still got turned around and messed up.  I ended up on their trail just ahead of them.  So I decided to just stick with them after all.
The funny part about doing this loop twice was that we got to hopscotch over the seven piles of Horse Poo not once, not twice but FOUR times!!!

Victory to finish!  I was happy that I was able to keep pace with my Sole Sisters after all I have been through!  It was neat to look at my watch when we finished....7.77 miles!!!  Seven was a big deal today!!

I'd like a double order of ENDURANCE....PLEASE!!!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

 

 

 

For the past two years, Michele and I have gotten up VERY early and ran the foothills on the morning of the Fourth of July.  We have done the same loop each time.  I was NOT going to let my recovery cancel this annual run!  So we scheduled it again.  When my alarm went off at 5 AM, I hit snooze and wondered to myself, "why did I set my alarm today?"  When it went off minutes later I remembered!!  Oh yeah!  Trail run!!!

 

The sunrise on my drive in was beautiful! A part of me wished we had left even earlier so we could have this view in the foothills instead of on the road.  But it was hard enough for me to get up wen I did, so 4 AM would've probably never happened!

 

 

I still can't wear a hydration belt, so Michele had to carry my water again.  Maybe, I'll never be able to wear the belt again....(wink wink).

 

The trail we run is one we have done hundreds of times.  I started out pretty good but I sadly confess that I WALKED every hill.  My teenage son (who runs) says "walking is for quitters!"  Well, I would change it instead to "Walking is OK."

 

The route we run includes Buck Tail and Shane's Loop.  We run Shane's Loop Counter clockwise.  The last uphill on the loop is known (to us) as Rocky Balboa's Hill.  One time when I decided to run the whole thing (it is super steep) Kris sang "Eye of the Tiger" as I did it!! 

 

 

 







Well there was no on singing "eye of the tiger" as I WALKED up Rocky's hill.  I cannot wait until the day when I will run it again and I expect the song to be sung at full volume!!!  I will also do this EXACT pose at the top!




All in all, we both lacked a lot of endurance today.  I started to get so tired that I started tripping a lot.  On one stumble I did a leaping, twisting, dance move that made Michele gasp out loud.  She said she truly thought I was going to fall.  Well, I haven't bitten it yet on the trails and I hope never to do so (knock! knock!).  And IF I ever do.... I hope Kris isn't around to see it.  If so, she will most likely remind me of it every time she sees me!

It was warm when we finished.  I was beat.  This was my longest run since surgery, both in distance and in time.  At least I know I can make it on the 10K we have planned for on the 20th.  I have quite a surprise lined up for that race!



After, we finished Michele starting looking for rocks.  It made for a nice cool down I suppose.

Her Indian name could be "She who picks up rocks"

She is actually painting them for grand-kids.  Should look cool.

 

 

 

And so, I keep carrying on.  Taking recovery one step at a time.  Walking more than I'd like, but running more than I could have hoped at this point.  In the words of Rocky Balboa himself:

 

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you're hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! "

 

 

Back on the trails!!

What a wonderful day!  A day to finally get back on the trails!

My last trail run with my sister was May 11th!  That is 47 days ago! So, I was so pumped to hit them again today for the first time in what seemed like ages.  But then.....

Last night I got terribly sick.  I was so nauseous that I actually went to bed at 9 PM (very unlike me).  I didn't know what was wrong; recovery issues, stomach bug, who knows.  I knew when I woke up this morning I would be devastated if I was too sick to run.

No, a rooster didn't actually crow this morning to wake me up.  I only have hens.  But my iPhone did wake me playing lovely harp music.  I slowly sat up and waited to see if the nausea was still present.  Waited.  Waited.  GONE!!  Hooray I would be trail running today!!

I was so excited, that I was forgetting everything.  IT was  as if I'd never ran before.  Went out the door, forgot my watch.  Back out the door, forgot my bag.  Out the door once more, where's my water.  Finally had myself together, out the door for last time.  Before pulling out of the driveway I sent Michele the usual "I'm on my way" text. But this time my text said; "Leaving now. OH BOY!"

When I got to the bottom of my hill, Michele had not yet responded back.  Did she remember?

Ten minutes later, the weirdest thing happened.  Suddenly I had no idea where I was.  I had no idea which road I was on or anything.  I slowed down and frantically looked at landmarks.  Where am I?  Was this some strange side effect from taking so much medication for so long?

It only took me a few seconds (though it seemed longer) to realize where I was.  Going the right way!  But still no response from Michele.  She better be awake!!

It is about a 30 minute drive for me to get to my sister's house.  It wasn't until I had been on the road for 20 MINUTES that I finally received a smiley face response to my earlier text.  OK, at least I knew she was up and happy to go as well.

The trail we picked for today was Seaman's Gulch.  This is because the hills are friendly and it's a pretty short loop.  This being my first trail run in so long I had no idea what to expect.  It was a warm morning so although we were running a short run we still knew we'd need to carry water.  PROBLEM. I cannot wear a hydration belt right now.  So, Michele had to carry my water for me.  She said she was going to be my mule.

Hey, I thought, not having to carry my own water, I could get used to this!!!

I was so excited to go, FINALLY!  Michele snapped a picture of me when we started.  Can't you just feel my joy??

I would have loved to do a "fast Cory" leap and I felt like doing one, but my new tumor-free body is not quite ready for that yet.

 

We ran Seaman's counter-clockwise.  Michele felt it would have less jarring of a downhill if we did.  We had never ran it this way and it was an absolutely genius idea.  I felt pretty good, a little tired.  Then suddenly, here comes the nausea again. Oh No!!  Time to stop for a water break.

 

 

I looked at my watch, WHAT!?!?  "We have only gone .8 of a mile!"  I shouted.  I was breathing heavy and so tired and nauseous!!  Then I remembered something Laura had left as a comment on my last blog:

 

Measure your progress from what is in your life now, not what you were capable of before. Enjoy getting strong again!

 

 

I shared it with Michele.  What great advice.  It really helped me out at that moment on the trail. So, thank you so much Laura!!

 

 

After the first mile there was really no more climbing.  I felt great and ran at least 75% of the run!  It felt so good to be out there again.  I loved it!

 



I couldn't have asked for better weather or a better running partner.  We did 2.68 miles in 31 minutes. Not too shabby for us gals!!

So today, I ended the nightmare of a chapter that I have been living for 6 weeks.  I can now do nothing but look ahead to greater runs and happier days!!

My recovery by the numbers

It has been 32 days since my surgery!!  It is so hard to believe everything that I have gone through.  It's been a whirlwind of numbers......

45 - days since my tumor was discovered
32 - days since my surgery
15 - pounds I lost
8 - weight of my tumor
8 - inches, length of my incision
4 - sleepless nights because I was allergic to the surgical tape (horrible rash!)
10 - number of staples I had
1 - shower chair that was a heaven send
4 - days spent in the hospital
3 - weeks before I could sneeze without blacking out because of the pain
112 - number of pain pills I took (glad I am not addicted!)
10 - days I have been pain pill free
5 - days since my first walk
.6 - miles on my first walk
4.36 - miles that I walk/ran today!
12.07 - miles I have logged in this week so far
6 - days until my first trail walk/run with my sole sisters ( I am SO excited!!)
29 - days until my first post-surgery race (which I will be super slow at)


For awhile I felt like I was NEVER going to be able to recover.  Time was going so slowly and simple things would tire me out.  Then Sunday, Father's Day, my husband said, "Let's go on a walk."  I was super slow and we didn't go far but something changed THAT DAY.  And I am never looking back!

It is humbling to realize how far I still have to go.  I was running anywhere between a 7:45 and 8:30 pace depending on the length of the run.  I used to say that it wasn't worth my time to head out for a run unless I did at LEAST 5 miles.  And now, I am so happy to do any amount!  When I walked .6 miles I was telling everyone because I was so proud of myself. 

I definitely have a long way to go before I am back into my marathon shape.  My goals and perspectives have been altered a great deal.  But there is nothing better than when someone asks me how I am and I can smile and say, "I do NOT have cancer!!!"

Where have I been?

That's a great question with a very long answer.  So I will be forced to make it brief.

On May 7, 2013 my doctor discovered that I had a tumor in my abdomen.  He felt it was a benign Uterine Fibroid.  To be safe he ordered a CT scan.  The plan was to get shots for 3 months, shrink the tumor and remove it in the least evasive way possible. 

CT scan performed and we discover that the growth inside me was, as the doctor put it, "enormous".  So large that it was difficult to distinguish exactly where it was originating from.  Also, it was growing rapidly AND had pinched off the ureter leading to my right kidney.  I could not wait 3 months.

One last trail run.  We ran Veteran's Trails.  I couldn't run with a pack because it hurt.  So, I didn't carry my phone and therefore no pictures.  It was a good run, but somber.  A huge disappointing factor in this was the fact that I had been training since November to PR in the Famous Potato Full Marathon.  I knew I would too.  I had the secret goal to qualify for Boston.  My last big run had been a 20 miler in in 2:53.  I knew I would've accomplished my goals.  But I could not run.

Next step, surgery!  I went in on May 20, 2013.  The incision turned out to be 8 inches long straight up my middle.  The tumor?  It turned out to be the size of a football and weighed in between 6-8 pounds!  However, it was something they had never seen before.  Neither my surgeon o the pathologist had any idea what it was and where it originated from. 

Four days in the hospital, and now I am in the midst of recovery.

My tumor was sent off to John Hopkins Research Center and is being studied there by the greatest medical minds in the world.  Their findings?  They did determine that there is no cancer but still have no indication as to what it is.

I am happy to know what it ISN'T.  Knowing it is not cancer is enough for me.

As far as my running?

Right now I am focusing on being able to just get back to everyday activities without pain.  The doctor said 6-8 weeks before I should even say the word run.  It is day 18 and recovery is going steady but slow. 

So, if you are running a trail today or tomorrow, sprint up one of those hills for me!