Race Report: Boston Half, November 10, 2024

I ran the Boston Half on Sunday (previously known as the BAA Half) in an official time of 1:42:21, which was good enough for the win in the women's T35-38 division and 10th in my age group.

This race wasn't originally on my calendar for this year, but after I learned that the BAA offered the T35-38 division at all four of its races this year, I decided to try to make it work somehow.  Initially that mean that I would run the Boston Half a few weeks after my goal fall marathon - Twin Cities. But then I hurt my hip in July and pivoted to Jacksonville in early December for my fall marathon, with the Boston Half falling in the final weeks of marathon training - just about perfect timing.

It was a great plan, but my hip took longer to clear up than I expected, and I wasn't able to start workouts until September.  Which meant that I pushed my fall marathon back again to January (Houston).  I still had a few weeks to build a bit of fitness for the Boston half, but the illness and then loss of my cat Isabella distracted me from serious training for another two weeks.  

Had this race not involved Boston and the BAA and the T35-38 divisions, I honestly would have DNSed - I simply wasn't ready to race a half, and I had some concerns about re-aggravating either this summer's hip injury or a more recent back issue.  But it's really important to me to show up for the T35-38 divisions whenever they are offered. The fact that these divisions exist and are competitive is hugely influential for those recently diagnosed with a neurodegenerative condition. In a new world packed with messaging that competitive sports and an active life are now out of reach, these divisions are a strong statement to the contrary that resonates far beyond the running community.

So....any time the BAA offers the T35-38 division and I am able to compete, I am there.

***

The BAA has high performance standards for their para divisions, and my 1:34 at One City earlier this year met their standard for the women's T35-38 division, making me eligible for their professional para-athlete program. I've been fortunate enough to be an elite at some races in what I now refer to as the "before" times - that experience generally meant a comped entry, a tent at the start with a separate bag check, maybe a hospitality room, and possibly the opportunity to place bottles out on course. This was completely different.  

Oh, yeah

I was picked up at the airport by a black car and transported to a high end hotel in downtown Boston.  Both Friday and Saturday a hospitality room offered with lunch catered each day by...Chipotle (I am not making this up).

Saturday also featured an opportunity for the professional field to visit View Boston.  My pictures don't quite do it justice (it was pretty cool).  I wish I could have stayed longer, but I had a half-marathon to race the next day, so I needed to get off of my feet.

***

The rest of Saturday involved shopping, a mandatory shoe/logo/kit check, and a technical briefing.  The shopping was actually a consequence of the logo/kit check.  I knew that my race shoes complied with World Athletics rules.  However, I didn't realize until I reviewed the weekend schedule on Friday night that the outfit I wore on race day also had to be World Athletics compliant. A total newbie error, and my bad for not looking sooner (in my defense, I've had a lot going on the last few weeks).

On Saturday morning I dug up the relevant World Athletics rules (rule C7.4, if you are interested - download it here).  I had brought both a singlet and a long sleeve to wear, depending on the weather on race morning.  Both had the Capital Area Runners logo - an image of the Capitol* building and the team name - across the front. Under my read of Rule C7.4, Capital Area Runners was a "Club" and so the logo was allowed as long as it was less than 10 cm high (if CAR was a "Sponsor" it would be subject to a 5 cm height limit and a 10 cm length limit).

[*yes, the proper spelling is CapitAl when referring to the city of Washington, DC and CapitOl when referring to the building where Congress meets.  It's one way we haze the non-native Washingtonians.]

The next problem was that I didn't have a tape measure or ruler with me. However, my cell phone was 7 cm wide. Using that as a rough gauge, it looked like my team long sleeve was illegal but the team singlet was under the 10 cm height limit. I emailed my coach to ask if the singlet was legal for World Athletics.  He wasn't sure about the singlet (our crop tops were WA legal, but that was of no use to me at the moment).  

Since I wasn't confident my cell-phone estimate of the CAR logo height would survive a challenge, I ran over to Dick's Sporting Goods and bought a thin long sleeve in the proper shade of red. That evening, my singlet was indeed rejected by the powers that be, so I presented the logo-free long sleeve (a smart attorney knows when to pivot rather than appeal). That was accepted and I was good to go. 

The upside was that I no longer had to choose between singlet-with-arm-warmers or long sleeve - the decision had been made for me.  The downside was that I was breaking the "nothing new on race day rule," but it was what it was.

***

With my racing outfit set, I attended the technical meeting and then went back to my room for my traditional early pre-race bedtime. I'd like to say I slept well, but my hotel floor included many guests celebrating Diwali into the late evening at a volume that blasted through my earplugs. And of course, just as I drifted off I had to wake back up to take my overnight Rytary dose. Oh well - it's the sleep two nights before a race that matters the most.

I rolled out of bed at 4:15, ate my pre-race breakfast, listened to some music at the same rhythm as a half-marathon (Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia, My Reflection), and did my pre-race stretching/working out of muscle knots before heading down to the lobby at 5:45 to catch the 6 am buses to the start. At 6:15 my watch chimed and I took the dose of Rytary that would carry me through the warm-up and race.

Pre-race music: I've been on a Sisters of Mercy 

kick for some reason lately...

Once in the para-athlete tent at the start, I dropped off my stuff, chatted briefly with some of the other para-athletes (including all of the T35-38 division) and headed out to warm up.  A BAA official asked me to stay close to the tent, so I jogged back and forth on a strip of pavement about 150m, which was more than adequate for my needs.  

From left to right: myself, Joe, Dave, and Sara, all competing in the T35-38 division.

My warm-up for a half-marathon is generally around 3 miles. But that's assuming I'm reasonably fit.  I was seriously concerned about my ability to complete this distance at racing effort, given the hills and my minimal post-injury training, so I limited my warm-up to just under 2 miles with 3 minutes of up tempo running and one stride.  Better to go out too cold than to wear out my legs before the race.

Then I headed back to the tent to get walked to the start.  It was a cold morning (mid-30s) that felt even colder after a too-warm DC fall, and my feet were blocks of ice.  I took a moment to be grateful for the tights and long sleeve I would be racing in, while also filing a mental note to wrap KT tape over the uppers of my shoes next time (really helps keep the toes warm).

Like a well oiled machine, the wheelchair racers went off, then the elite men.  The elite women were next, and then the para field started 30 seconds after, with a 3 minute gap between us and the open field.

***

I had studied the course (link to course map/profile) and so I knew it was basically downhill for the first miles before rolling through the middle miles. Starting at mile 8, we would return uphill. The worst climb would be after mile 11, followed by more rolling hills.  Unquestionably a course to race for place rather than time. What I didn't know was just how steep the hills were.

The first mile answered that question, as we continued to drop and drop.  I've been working a lot in PT on my balance when running downhill, and I noted (with some pride) that my downhill running was much improved as compared to this spring.  Which doesn't mean I ran downhill well...I was still dropped by a large chunk of the para field, including all of the other runners in the T35-38 division (two men and one woman - Joe, Dave, and Sara).  I kept one mental eye on them, while the rest of my focus was on my own form - trying to relax and look up and forward while my legs extended behind me and my hips rolled to each side.

***

Just as I was passing the first mile marker, the leaders of the open field passed me.  They heralded a trickle that would grow to a stream and then a river of faster runners. Being passed from behind usually really screws up my running gait - it's a combination of the motion around me throwing off my balance and the noise temporarily breaking my concentration.  But I handled it surprisingly well this time around.  I suspect part of the credit goes to all of my PT work over the last few weeks; the course also had plenty of room for all of us, which helped a lot.

About 1.5 miles in, my gait started working and I was able to start racing.  I had lost sight of both Sara and Joe - meaning they each had at least a minute on me, but I could see Dave in the distance, so I used him as my first focus.  I increased my effort cautiously, staying somewhere between half-marathon and marathon effort over the rolling hills.  I knew that the course was net uphill after mile 8, and that at mile 11 we would climb back up the big hill we had just descended.  I needed to have plenty left in the tank for the last third of the race.

***

I inched up to and past Dave, and then saw Joe in the distance.  Slowly he drew closer, and then I passed him just after the 5K mark, with Joe kindly offering some encouraging words as I passed. Now I needed to catch Sara - she was the runner I was most focused on, since the T35-58 division was divided by sex for awards.  

I couldn't see her anywhere ahead of me, and so I was tempted to speed up to try to find her. Reminding myself that we still had nearly 10 miles to go in this race, with many of them uphill, I recommitted to my measured effort.  If I hadn't caught her by mile 8 or so, then I'd get aggressive.

It was the right choice, as I spotted her a few minutes later.  By the time we hit the first turn-around point (around mile 4.5) her lead on me was down to 30 seconds (I measured by counting the seconds from a) when she and I ran past each other to b) when I hit the turn-around, and then multiplying by 2).  Holding my steady effort, I reeled her in and then had the lead.  For the T35-38 division, at least.  Open runners were still streaming past me.

The next miles were about finding a steady rhythm and other runners nearby to chase while clicking off mile markers over the rolling hills.  By mile 7 I was ready to stop running, which was worrisome.  But...the race wasn't done yet, so I just focused on my effort rather than the miles.

At mile 9 we started climbing again, and I was grateful I had stayed conservative. With only 4 miles to go, I tried to pick up the effort, but my legs were lead.  The last few miles felt much more like marathon slogging than half-marathon hammering.  My aerobic system wasn't working terribly hard, but my legs had nothing left.  Finally, mercifully, I hit the final climb to the finish line.  I stumbled across and was done.  

Stopping my watch, I noted a time of 1:42:19 (ended up being 1:42:21 official).  A new personal worst for the half-marathon distance, but I was actually OK with it (albeit a bit bummed that I didn't even break 1:40, which was the comp standard for my division). I had left it all out there and run the best race I had in me and snagged the division win; the time was simply a consequence of being out of shape and rusty while racing a tough course.

Splits were:

Mile 1: 8:51

Miles 2-3: 15:59

Mile 4: 7:28

Mile 5: 7:33

Mile 6: 7:49

Mile 7: 7:45

Mile 8: 7:33

Mile 9: 7:35

Mile 10: 7:49

Mile 11: 7:43

Mile 12: 7:44

Mile 13: 7:41

last bit: 52 seconds.

Because of my struggles running downhill, I actually negative split this race, despite the course.  That amuses me.

My time was good enough for the win in the women's T35-38 division, as well as 10th in my age group.  Since it was a cold morning, the BAA did the awards on a rolling basis - calling us up to the stage within about 10 minutes of crossing the line. I much appreciated the opportunity to get back to my hotel and a hot shower quickly.  This was followed by a nice lunch at a nearby restaurant, and then a car ride back to Logan for my flight back to DC.  Overall, a great weekend, and I'm very grateful to the BAA for the opportunity.

Other notes:

• The weather ended up being 34 degrees at the start, and 48 degrees by the time I ended.  Wearing a thin longsleeve and thin tights, I was slightly cold in the early miles, and slightly warm in the final miles.  Ultimately I think this was the right thing to wear. Before Parkinsons, this would have unquestionably have been shorts and singlet+arm-warmers weather.  But I find now that my legs get extremely stiff if they are chilled at all, and my torso doesn't fare much better.  So it's always best to risk being a bit too warm at the end of a race.
• As a para-athlete, I was asked to stay on the right side of the road - this of course meant that I couldn't run the tangents.  So it's not at all surprising that my Garmin showed a distance of 13.31 for the full race.  While some of that was Garmin error, some was also simply running wide on a wide course.  I'm not complaining - starting ahead of the main field and staying off to the side of the course are simply part of competing in the para division, in much the same way that not being able to wear a big logo is part of competing in the professional field.  But I think it does add a small bit onto my time.  Which is why it's also great to run some races in the open field, where I can start with those of similar pace, run the tangents, and go for my fastest time.
• This race felt much more like miles 10-23 of a marathon than a half, in terms of both aerobic effort during the race and how much it beat up my legs (especially my quads).  The good news is this was a good effort to kick off marathon training.   If I can hold this effort for a full 26 miles on a flatter course, I should have a good shot of cracking 3:20, which is my goal for Houston.
• I debated whether to wear the Vaporfly 3 or the Rocket X2 for this race. The Vaporfly feels more nimble and has better traction, but is less stable or forgiving of slower paces.  The Rocket X2 is also a fast shoe and much more stable at all paces, but is slick on wet pavement.  For this race, with a lot of downhill and dry pavement, I think the Rocket X2 was the right choice. Had the race been flat, I think the Vaporfly might have been better.
• Obligatory photo of bib and trophy.  My blog, my bragging.
  

Training log - Week ending 11/3/2024

This week was 44 miles of running and 1200 yards of swimming -- training log is here.

Another belated post, mostly because my left back and hip spasmed badly on Sunday (the last day of the training week documented here), and so most of my free time was spent trying to limber that up before my race this coming weekend.

Prior to the back spasm, things went well.  I had a Tuesday workout in the dark that was predictably much slower than expected until the sun rose, and a Saturday tempo that felt shockingly easy.

As for my back/hip?  I can't think of anything I did to trigger it, other than doing a workout and lifting and then driving an hour+ to visit family (which I've done before without issue).

I'm starting to think that this muscle spasm thing is a Parkinson's thing, especially since there never seems to be a real injury to the muscle underneath the spasm.  And to this point, it seems that doing a high resistance eccentric hold for 30 seconds considerably reduces the spasm (which would make sense if this is a neurological thing and the signals to the muscle just need to be "rebooted" for lack of a better term.)  

I did several rounds of heavy resistance isometric holds to each spasming muscle, and that plus a massage and some Graston and ART seems to have cleared things up reasonably quickly.  So that may be the key to future occurrences.

Monday: 4 miles very easy (10:11) and foam rolling.

Tuesday: 10 miles, including a track workout of 1600, 2x1200, 2x800 in 7:59, 5:45, 5:36, 3:36, and 3:33. 4:43 recovery after the 1600 and 2:4x-3:0x recovery after the 800s and 1200s .  PT in the afternoon; foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 8 miles very easy (9:44) plus two strides.  Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 3 miles including 8 short hill repeats (30 seconds each) and 6x100m strides followed by 700 yards of swimming.  Streaming pilates and a massage in evening.

`

Friday: 8 miles very easy (10:57) on trails, followed by upper body weights/core. Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 11 miles, including a 6400m tempo in 29:25 (7:27/7:23/7:18/7:16).  Followed with leg strengthwork and foam rolling.

Sunday: 500 yards of swimming + yoga.  Foam rolling in evening.

Training log - Week ending 10/27/2024

This week was 49 miles of running and 7.5 miles of walk-jogging-cheering -- training log is here.

I got a bit more sleep this week (at least the first half of the week) and my workouts showed some progress.  Coincidence?  I suspect not.

This week looked a lot like a normal marathon training week for me, and that's not a coincidence - I've been feeling that I lack simple strength and endurance, and so I spent a week doing the workouts that focus on that.   This is admittedly crash-training for the Boston Half in two weeks, but you do what you have to do.

In PT, we've been working a lot on keeping my torso upright, my torso relaxed and rotating some with each stride, and shifting my weight over each foot with each stride (the last probably makes no sense to the average reader, because you do this naturally without thinking about it.  I don't do this naturally anymore, so I have to relearn it and practice it).  

All the PT work seems to be paying off, as my stride does seem to be improving.  And downhills seem to be getting easier.

Monday: streaming yoga and foam rolling.

Tuesday: 8.5 miles running, including a warm-up fartlek.  PT in the afternoon; foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 11 miles with 3x3200 in 15:02 (7:40/7:22), 14:40 (7:24/7:16), and 14:21 (7:15/7:05) with 2:52 recovery between each.  Followed with leg strengthwork.  Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 5 miles very easy on trails (11:06) in the morning.  Streaming pilates and a massage in evening.

`

Friday: 8 miles very easy (9:58) plus two strides, followed by upper body weights/core. Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 16.5 miles with a workout of 4, 3, 2, 1 miles at marathon effort.  Splits were 31:13 (7:48 pace), 23:17 (7:46), 15:24 (7:44), and 7:40, with recoveries of 9:01/8:56/9:17 between each.  Injury prevention work and foam rolling after. 

Sunday: 7.5 miles of walk/jog/cheering at the Marine Corps Marathon + yoga.  Foam rolling in evening.

Training log - week ending 10/20/2024

This week was 54 miles of running and 30 minutes of hiking -- training log is here.

We let Isabella go on Tuesday night.  I was ruminating on the decision for much of Tuesday, and then never slept Tuesday night, so both Tuesday and Wednesday were non-running days.  I did force myself to go to both PT and a massage on Tuesday afternoon, since both were pre-scheduled and skipping them wouldn't have accomplished anything (I couldn't visit Izzie at those times).

I made myself get back to work on Thursday.  All of my runs since have been sluggish/slow - I just can't get my heart rate up.  I'm sure this is because I'm sad and I can't sleep well.  I'm still doing workouts because I know that backing off on the training will just worsen the poor sleeping and give me more time to be sad.

Monday: 10 miles with 8 Iwo Jima hills, followed by leg strengthwork.  Foam rolling in evening.

Tuesday: Off - just PT and a previously scheduled massage.

Wednesday: 30 minute hike and some foam rolling

Thursday: 6 miles very easy (9:53) in the morning.  Later did 2 miles very easy (10:10) plus streaming pilates.   Foam rolling in the evening.

`

Friday: 10 miles on the track including a 6400m tempo in 30:22 (7:39/7:38/7:36/7:30) plus 2x200 in 54 each.  Followed with leg strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 10.5 miles very easy (9:41) and upperbody strength/core. Foam rolling in evening.

Sunday: 14.5 miles progressive, split as the first 5 miles averaging 9:37, the second 5 miles averaging 9:00, and the last 4.5 miles averaging 8:10) followed by injury prevention work.  Foam rolling in evening.

Training log - Week ending 10/13/2024

This week was 40 miles of running, 1 hour of hiking, and 1000 yards of swimming -- training log is here.

Just a very belated placeholder post for a week of training.  This was the week that I ran Isabella to first urgent care, and then the ICU/Criticare.

Monday: Streaming yoga and 1000 yards swimming.  Foam rolling in evening.

Tuesday: 9 miles, including 7 Iwo Jima hill repeats.  Followed with leg strengthwork.  PT in the afternoon. Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 5.4 miles very easy (9:50). Massage in the afternoon.  Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 5.1 miles very easy on trails (11:01).  Foam rolling in the evening.

`

Friday: 10 miles on the track including a 6400m tempo in 29:51 (7:40/7:28/7:25/7:18).  Followed with leg strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 10 miles very easy (9:35) + two hill strides in the morning, upperbody weights/core in the afternoon. Foam rolling in evening.

Sunday: 1 hour hike.  Foam rolling in evening.

Isabella

It was too soon. And I knew it.  

But it was never not going to be too soon, so I went with my gut.

***

When I visited my family for Christmas 2014, my sister couldn't stop talking about the hilarious young cat that had been surrendered to the clinic where she worked.  The cat was incredibly personable and friendly but had severe atopic dermatitis.  The owners first brought the cat in for euthanasia (denied) and then returned the cat to the shelter.  The shelter then brought her in for a second try at euthanasia - with missing patches of fur and scabs, she was unadoptable and miserable in the shelter. This attempt was also denied, and so Diana was surrendered to Healing Hands Animal Hospital.

Healing Hands invested a huge amount of time, love, and veterinary knowledge into Diana, eventually growing her fur back though she still had to wear a cone most of the time to protect her coat.  And she settled into her role as clinic cat - greeting newcomers, stealing barcoded catnip bananas from the reception area, and even reportedly climbing the clinic Christmas tree.

***

I lost Aramina in early January 2015, leaving a hole that still aches.  Her final years had required regular pilling and sub-Q injections plus dietary management, and I considered myself decently skilled (for an amateur) in each.  And Mina had herself been a hard to place cat.   

Combine those points with the fact that I had a decent paying work-from-home job, and....I decided that my next cat would be an unadoptable.  They all needed homes, so why not focus on the ones that were hardest to place, since I thought I was up to it.

And that led me back to Diana, who was a significant expense for the clinic.  I asked my sister if the clinic was interested in adopting her out, and the answer was yes.  I then asked Brian his thoughts (we were about to move in together), and the answer was not yes.  He didn't say no, but instead raised some reasonable objections - could a cat with her health conditions actually live a happy life?  Especially if she had to wear a cone most of the time?  

Instead of arguing, I just arranged for my sister to be hosting Diana the next time we visited (the clinic cats went home with employees each weekend). And it worked out better than I could have ever hoped.  We entered and a cone-encumbered Diana bounded past me and up into Brian's arms.  He still wasn't convinced, but he couldn't say no.  Not to her.

So we packed Diana into a carrier and onto the back seat of Brian's GTI.  I had been careful to repeatedly stipulate that this was a trial period not an adoption.  She had many allergies, and if she couldn't handle something blooming in the DC area or the carpet in my apartment, I wanted to be able to return her without feeling totally awful about it.

[Some of the clinic employees asked my sister if Diana would be returning.  The answer was a resounding NOPE.  As always, my sister was pretty savvy.]

***

The first days with the newly named Isabella were unexpectedly traumatic. I wasn't yet ready to move on from Mina.  And where Mina had been black and dainty Izzie was a gleeful golden feline force. Her exploratory high speed laps around my apartment included a shelf with several framed photos, including one of Mina.  With every lap Izzie knocked that frame, and just that frame, off the shelf.  I winced each time.

In an attempt to distract her, I proffered Mina's beloved catnip candy cane, still in new condition (Mina was very protective of her toys).  And was horrified as Izzie enthusiastically tore at it.  I almost took it back, and then remembered that this was what cat toys were for and restrained myself. 

It was too soon, but there was a new cat in town.

***

I decided within a day that this was going to work out despite the chaos, but Brian was more cautious.  I told him that her name was now Isabella/Izzie, but he refused to call her by name, lest he become attached.  And thus for many months to him she was "Test Cat."

His caution had a basis - she was a lot of work.  Her maintenance at the time of adoption included daily prescription food/supplements, oral medication twice a week, an allergy shot every two weeks, little rubber covers for her claws, and a monthly bath.  Plus the cone when needed.  But I thought I was up to it. 

***

The rough edges smoothed out fairly quickly.  Test Cat became Isabella, and with the help of Nova Cat Clinic her maintenance plan  slimmed down to a daily prednisone pill and a prescription diet, plus air filters. And I made my peace with shredded catnip toys.  

When our house renovation was done, Izzie and I moved in with Brian and we became a family. I grinned every time I came home and saw her in the window, waiting for me.

***

For two years or so, it was just the three of us.  And I felt like it was not enough for Isabella.  She wanted all of the interaction all of the time, and clearly seemed upset every time she was left in the house alone.

  

At some point, she learned that no matter the hour turning on the Roomba always got our attention.  (The Roomba was subsequently removed from the charging stand and never used again.)

My sister once again came to the rescue - she had a blind kitten that desperately needed a home.  Were we interested?  

I was. Brian was reluctant, but I convinced him. And so we agreed to adopt the kitten, only to lose her during the pre-adoption spay.  A few days later, while grieving the kitten I never met, I noted that Nova Cat Clinic was hosting two blind kittens up for adoption.  And so Topaz and Quartz joined us, making a quintet.

I thought Isabella would be happy to have two sisters.  But she wasn't.  Quite the opposite, and it took several careful months to blend everyone together.  Eventually she did make peace with each.

***

Our happy family thrived.  Isabella cuddled with us
and learned that she could wake me by walking on my bladder.  

She broke into cabinets and blocked heating vents and attacked the bed when I made it. 

She snuck into the basement because she knew I'd pick her up and carry her back upstairs. She draped herself in awkward places.

At one point she jumped into an old laundry hamper.  For the heck of it, Brian picked it up and walked around and she thought that was great fun.  It became our tradition - the "Gondola ride". At any point I could pull the hamper out and toss it on the floor and she would jump into it and demand a ride.  And we could never say no.

***

We had a scare in 2017 when she was hospitalized with a gall stone.  After a few stressful days, I was faced with a choice between euthanasia and a risky surgery.  I discussed with others and looked at Isabella.  She was up for the fight, and I was too.  And somehow, it all worked out. And our happy life of lounging in ridiculous places or being carried like a tray or battling catnip bananas carried on.

***

Over the past few months, she had been eating less and less, and her weight started to dwindle.  I was concerned, then worried.  The lower it got, the less she ate. Clinic vet visits evolved to urgent care visits for hydration.  We played with different foods, prescription appetite stimulants, antinausea drugs. 

Monday a week ago I came home from work and she did not look good to me.  I took her to urgent care and they ran some bloodwork, noted very high kidney values, and referred us to SouthPaws Criticare.

SouthPaws tried so hard for us, for her.  But by Sunday, I started to process that I was likely going to have to let her go.

***

It was too soon.  But it would never not be too soon.  And it was also becoming too late.  

It took me 48 hours to decide.  And then another 2.5 hours to actually commit at SouthPaws, including multiple conversations with vets, vet techs, a social worker, my sister, and Brian.  And with Izzie. 

I had made the decision before, only to visit Izzie and see that she was still perky and responsive and change my mind.  If she wanted to fight, I was up for it.  We had done this once before.  And she was still so young and what she was fighting was treatable.

And so we fought, with corticosteroids and antibiotics and blood transfusions and hyperbaric oxygen chambers and red blood cell boosting drugs that I had to self-disclose to USADA (I wasn't taking them, but I was in possession). And I delayed the decision.  

But this final visit, she perked up to see us and then slowed back down.  As the visit went on and I discussed and sobbed and discussed and sobbed, it became more obvious that she was tired of fighting.  As Brian noted, she had expended her last bit of energy to greet us.  I committed, signed the forms, and we both stroked her for nearly an hour, whispering to her just how wonderful she was. 

I brought her the hamper and placed her in it, and she lounged contently for a bit of time.

And then she walked over to the wall and lay against it, and I knew she had said good-bye.  And the vet injected her as I scratched her nose and felt her purr.

I had promised to care for her, and I had done so, all the way to the end.

And though it hurts like hell, I don't regret a moment of the last 9.5 years, and I would gladly do it all over again.

Training log - week ending 10/6/2024

This week was 52 miles of running, 3 "miles" of pool-running, and 1000 yards of swimming -- training log is here.

Things were a bit jumbled this week, but I got everything done.   The jumbling started on Tuesday morning - it was a foggy morning before the sun came up, so I basically couldn't see anything.  Which meant that my balance was really tenuous.  Combine that with a right adductor/hamstring that felt a bit tight when I did my strides, and....I decided to push this workout back a day rather than risk another injury. 

[Sadly, I think the pool-running on Monday, though short and with a belt, was what triggered the adductor issue.  I'm going to have to skip pool-running for a few more weeks.]

Of course, I'm also in the midst of another round of PT sessions - once or twice a year I do several weeks in a row of intense PT focused on addressing some of my Parkinsons issues.  I actually really enjoy the PT because it's challenging, it works, and I feel like I've accomplished something after.  However, it is also tiring, both mentally and physically.  This time, I scheduled all my sessions for Tuesday afternoon, which meant that my legs were a bit tired on Wednesday morning.  I had planned on doing 3x1200, 3x400, but I ended stopping after the first 400 when it felt like I might be pushing things a bit far.

The good news about cutting Wednesday short was that I was rested for Friday.  My right leg was a bit "nervy" when I warmed up (meaning I could feel a tight string running down the back of my right leg from hamstring to calf, with some buzzing).  However, I've learned that if I gently work through "nerviness" it goes away, while resting it makes it worse.  So I warmed up carefully and then ran a 4 mile tempo and sure enough the nerviness was gone by the end, and gone on Saturday.

I planned to do a progressive long run on Sunday, but I screwed up my meds.  To explain - I take a med called Rytary several times a day to keep my muscles working decently. Each dose lasts about 4.5 hours (more if I'm not working out) and if I don't take it, my legs (especially quads and ankles) are very stiff and I have no power in my legs. 

Rytary (and all similar meds) have a quirk in that they can't be taken with protein. Basically, one's intestines use the same "gateways" (my own made up term) to absorb protein and the medication, with a preference for protein.  If you eat protein too close to a dose of Rytary, then it's the protein that gets processed while the Rytary passes through.

And of course, clever me overslept slightly this morning, so I ate my morning oatmeal, waited 30 minutes, and took my Rytary.  Forgetting that this brand of oatmeal had a fair amount of protein from chia seed and quinoa.

So...I started my long run and quickly confirmed that legs were not working well today.  I couldn't take a second Rytary because I would have risked too much in my system.  Too little just means I'm very stiff and slow; too much means that muscles are randomly contracting - which is a big injury risk when running.   So I switched my focus to getting the miles in while trying to keep my running form as good as possible.  Since I'm still building my mileage back up, it was still a productive morning.

As for Isabella, who was sick last week?  She's doing better, though not 100%.  Thankfully an ultrasound and an x-ray on Monday did not note any tumors or similar, so it seems that this is some combination of a UTI, pancreatitis, and kidney disease.  None of which are great, but each of which is more manageable than cancer.

Monday: 30 minutes pool-running and streaming yoga.  Foam rolling in evening.

Tuesday: 7.5 miles with a fartlek (warmed up for track workout, and then decided to push it back a day).  Followed with upper body weights/core.  Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 9 miles on the track with a workout of 3x1200, 400 in 5:45, 5:38, 5:33 and then 1:52, with recoveries of 2:4x-3:0x after each 1200.  Followed with leg strengthwork. PT in the afternoon.  Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 5 miles very easy on trails (12:07) and 1000 yards swimming in the morning.  Foam rolling in the evening.

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Friday: 9 miles on the track including a 6400m tempo in 30:20 (7:43/7:36/7:33/7:28).  Followed with leg strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 9 miles very easy (9:57) and pilates. Foam rolling in evening.

Sunday: 14.5 miles easy to moderate (9:25) followed by injury prevention work.  Foam rolling in evening.

Training log - Week of 9/29/2024

This week was 52 miles of running, 40 minutes of hiking, and 1000 yards of swimming -- training log is here.

This is a very late update to my weekly training log because my cat Isabella spent part of the weekend in urgent care.  She seems to be doing better now, but taking care of her took precedence over several other things, including blogging.  Hopefully she will continue to do well and I'll have more content next week.

Monday: 7 miles (9:35) and streaming yoga.  Foam rolling in evening.

Tuesday: 10 miles on the track with a workout of 6x800 in 3:55, 3:50, 3:45, 3:39, 3:36, 3:34, with recoveries of 2:3x-3:0x after the 800s, and then a relaxed 2x200 in 54 seconds each.  Followed with leg strengthwork.  Foam rolling in evening.

Wednesday: 8 miles running very easy (10:05) and upper body weights/core.  Foam rolling in evening.

Thursday: 40 minutes of hiking and 1000 yards swimming in the morning.  Pilates and foam rolling in the evening.

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Friday: 9 miles on the track including a tempo workout of 3200, 1600 in 15:27 (7:50/7:37) and 7:35 with 6 minutes jog between.  Followed with 4 relaxed 200s in 58, 57, 56, 57.  Followed with leg strengthwork. Foam rolling at night.

Saturday: 4 miles very easy (9:35) and upperbody weights/core. Foam rolling in evening.

Sunday: 14 miles slightly progressive (starting at 10:45 and ending at 8:45), followed with injury prevention work.  Foam rolling in evening.