Buffalo Run 2010

After my failed attempt to run last weekend, I switched to a DNS on the Buffalo Run this year and switched over to being a volunteer. I figured it would help me with my disappointment and depression over missing another race after all the times that occurred last year.

I worked for a few hours on Saturday morning and then headed up to the race. As I was driving I started getting a little melanocholy thinking that it was one year ago that I DNF'd on the race course and remembering how that broke my heart at the time.

I ended up out on Antelope Island around 2 p.m. because they said they would need more volunteers near the end. After visiting for a few minutes, I started trying to find ways to help out. The finish area was running out of water and the White Rock Bay aid station was closing down, so I hiked over there (only a few hundred yards) and shouldered one of the full water jugs and hobbled back with it to the finish area. It was pretty funny, here I was congratulating runners on finishing their incredible efforts and yet a lot of them were worried about me walking around in a boot. By the time I had taken three trips back with water, I was pretty soaked. Then I taught the aid station how strong sports drink was supposed to be. They were watering it down so much nobody wanted to drink it.

I then noticed that the 50K runners were having to walk back uphill to the White Rock Aid station to get their drop bags, so started several trips that the volunteers then joined in with me on and carted back all the bags. The last trip back a couple of runners came up and took all the stuff from me. They said they were tired of feeling guilty about me hobbling around in a cast.

Lots of runners to visit with around the finish area. I talked with Celeste Collman for a while and also Twinkies (Matt) and Jun (Craig) from the FRB. I also met Steve P from the blog for the first time. Matt was looking great for having finished a 50 miler. I saw Celeste shivering in a chair at the finish line while waiting for her brother and went and got my blanket for her. She was excited to have it since she had lent her blanket to someone else.

While taking a break for a minute, I heard someone say, "Maurine, what did you do to your leg?" I looked down and there was a cute runner huddled in a chair by me. I knew who she was, but couldn't put it together. It was Erika from the FRB (Josse's sister). We visited for a little bit and then I realized the woman sitting next to her in an awesome green hat was her mother, Karen, who I met at the RHPC half marathon last summer. We visited off and on as I passed them for the next half hour or so.

Jim Skaggs, the Race Director, sent me off in his wife's BIG TRUCK at that point to see if there were items to pick up at the Lower Frary Peak and Ranch aid stations. That is one honking big truck to climb in and out of. After that, Karen Skaggs mentioned that maybe I could start taking garbage to the dumpsters. The previous year there had been three dumpsters in the next parking lot. I loaded up the inside of my jeep with smelly, oozy disgusting bags and set off. Found there was only one dumpster and it was already full, but I was able to get a couple of trips worth on top. Then we loaded boxes (a lot less disgusting) and I found another dumpster at the old race start and did several trips there until it was full. At that point I said I wasn't putting any more of the leaky bags in my jeep since it already was gross and smelled like rotten milk.

During some of these trips I was able to see Dave Crockett finish the first 100 miler on the island. He had started at 6 p.m. the night before and ran the 50 mile course twice. Very impressive!

As things started closing down we started gathering up empty canisters and such. I was put on emptying water jug detail, another garbage run in the BIG TRUCK across the island to Bridger Bay, and taking down the tents. By then we were all tired and cold and the poles were freezing! There were only about 8 people left and we were rushing to beat darkness to get the tents disassembled and finish loading the trucks.

I was sent home with two big bags of Buffalo stew and my car smelled gross the entire way home. It was the first time I left the island after dark. I stopped at a McDonalds to grab dinner and went into the bathroom to scrub my hands after all those hours of carting trash and to clean up all the scrapes and cuts so that I wouldn't get infected. I got home around 10 p.m. and still had to scrub out the car, hose down my shoe and cast/boot and then hose down myself.

Although I didn't do an official workout, every inch of me hurts today and I will estimate I probably walked 3 or more miles on various tasks.

Living with a grown child

My son moved into the townhouse yesterday while I was at work. He was very proud of himself and showed me how he had rearranged the room and organized everything and it was spotless. (Gotta admit it looked real good). I was kind of wondering what happened to my son in the nearly two years since he had graduated from high school. Had he been taken over by aliens?

I came back home again about four hours later. My son's room was still spotless. But there were dishes in the sink, stuff piled all over the kitchen table, and laundry throughout the living room and kitchen. I'm no longer worried about aliens.

Going through withdrawals

I wish I was posting more adventures in running, but I haven't really had any lately.

As I mentioned previously, I injured my right ankle back in November. Started having a burning sensation in the back of my ankle, but not on the bottom of my foot. I took a week or so off of running, and it started feeling a little better, so gradually eased back into running. In December I went and saw a Sports Medicine Specialist who told me that my Achilles tendon insertion was inflamed, so to stretch, ice, and put on a topical anti-inflammatory. He also said I could keep running on it as long as I took it easy.

By January I was only running 3 or 4 days a week. Once the ankle warmed up, I could run with no problems, but the first few miles were pretty painful. Come February, I would have to force myself to run and every time I got up after sitting a while, I would limp for about 10 minutes until the pain eased and the ankle loosened up. While running in Georgia, I started thinking that maybe it wasn't the Achilles after all and that maybe I should see a podiatrist or someone else about the foot.

Two weeks ago, I got an appointment with a podiatrist. This doctor did some xrays and a lot of manipulation of my foot and as he was feeling for sore areas in the Achilles, he happened to brush his hand along the inner ankle bone and I about shot through the ceiling. After more tests, the doctor decided that my posterior tibialis tendon was inflamed. Because of the number of months I had been injured and the pain I was in, the doctor decided to put me in a knee high boot to try and let the ankle heal. He also said that I actually needed to be on anti-inflammatories to let the inflammation go down.

Two weeks later, I have worn the boot except when bathing and sleeping. The pain is gradually subsiding and I am now finding that as the 'burning' in the ankle goes away I can pinpoint the pain better. I think the anterior tibialis tendon on the outside of the ankle is also inflamed because that area is now more painful.

I was also given a brace that would support my arch and told to try running after two weeks. I wore that yesterday and was surprised how much my calf muscle has deteriorated in just two weeks. After less than two miles of alternating running and walking, I have decided that I will have to miss the Buffalo Run next weekend for the first time since it started.

Twilight's Latest Adventures

Twilight has been quite the busy dog lately and wanted her own blog post today.

While I was on vacation, Twilight spent time at the homes of two of my co-workers.

For the first few days, Twilight hung with Megan Pedersen and her partner Trina and their dogs, cats and other pets. Megan is one of Twilight's favorite people at work and had a blast there.

The last several days, Twilight then moved to Matt Francis' house. Matt has three boys that want a dog, but his wife is not too fond of having a full time pet. However, Twilight was very spoiled by the boys and had a great time at their house.



I must admit it made my heart glow to come in to work on Monday and have Twilight come running to me in joy across the office. I could tell she also adores Matt now and will want to go to the office even more to see her buddies.

Jennifer, Elise and I found this cute Harley Davidson jacket for Twilight on River Street in Savannah. (I need to buy the matching hat at PetsMart). Twilight doesn't like the zippers on her legs yet, but looks awefully cool in her new duds. Where is the Fonz now?

My nephew Jon and his wife Janilee just got a new dachsund puppy, Joey the other week. They are moving from a condo to a house today, so we are babysitting Joey. Kevin had fun with both dogs earlier and they are enjoying teasing each other and playing together.

Grandmother training

After Jeremy and Jennifer got custody of Elise and Brad, I decided to take my remaining vacation time to go to Georgia and visit with them. The trip had two primary purposes: 1) To be a support system to my daughter and 2) To get to know my grandchildren.

When Jenn and Jeremy got married in 2006, I got to meet Brad and Elise, but was worried that I would never get to know them and get them to feel I was their grandmother. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to make some changes with that.

The trip started off a little bit stressful as Savannah, Georgia received it's first snowfall in more than a decade. All the flights out of Atlanta were cancelled and all the hotels were full, so I rented a car and drove 6 white-knuckle hours across the state.

With the kids not yet enrolled in school, there was a lot of time to get to know them and to spoil them. I did my best to do many different things with them and had a great time with my family.

On Sunday, Jennifer, Elise and I drove into historical Savannah, Georgia. Elise admitted she loves taking pictures and seeing old buildings and Jenn was excited to have someone to take trips with in the future to do the tourist and photo bit.

We parked and walked on River Street. Lots of neat stores and we checked out a lot of them. There was a pirate ship parked on the docks and we took a tour of the ship and had some neat pictures taken there.

The best thing about River Street - candy stores! I think we all went crazy in the Savannah Candy Store. Yummy tastes and smells. I can still think and smell the scent of the pralines and pecans.




During the week we made bread, cooked together, blew bubbles, celebrated Valentine's Day, built model cars and rockets, and played video games.

On Friday afternoon, Jeremy came home early from work and Jennifer and I took off for a couple of hours alone together. We went back to River Street and also found some wonderful barbecue at Sticky Fingers restaurant. (It was divine! Finger licking good!).




I had seen this stained glass window in the very first store we stopped at on Sunday. It never left my mind, so went back and bought it. I can't wait to have it delivered and hang it up on my landing over my desk.



Friday night we made homemade pizzas and had our own video games Olympics. Everyone had a blast together and all cooperated and won not only monetary rewards for medals but these delicious candied apples for being good sports.



Saturday night I took my grandkids out on a date to Golden Corral and Jennifer and Jeremy also went out on a date together.

My entire vacation was made when both kids came and hugged me goodnight when they went to bed on Saturday night. I sure grew to love these kids in a short period of time and am thrilled to have actively experienced being a grandma.

Running in Georgia

I took a vacation this month down to visit family in Richmond Hill, Georgia. While there I had some great runs.

Right outside my daughter's subdivision is the Coastal Highway. It has a nice shoulder - include a lot of grassy sections - that I could run on. I took a couple of runs to and from Walmart and had my grandkids riding alongside on bikes at times. Brad really enjoyed riding and talking with me and would push me a little to speed up.

It was nice to run in slightly warmer weather and at lower altitudes. The roads there are very flat, so it made for easier running than out here.

What I enjoyed the most about running out there was the different vegetation and views. Lots of swampy and sandy areas, a bamboo farm, oak trees, palm trees. Even though it was February I was able to enjoy lots of greenery.

I hope to go back either later this year or in 2011 and do a marathon in Georgia or Florida.

The one thing I regret - I didn't get any running in with my daughter.

Tybee Island

I had heard about a half marathon in February on Tybee Island near Savannah, Georgia. Unfortunately, my trip to Georgia was a week too late to run this half marathon.

Jeremy told me that Brad and Elise wanted to go to the beach and I wanted to get some lighthouse pictures for my sister, so on President's Day we loaded up the car and drove out to Tybee Island.

It was a windy, cool day. Not a great day to be at the beach, but a beautiful day. The kids immediately stripped off their shoes, rolled up their pants and headed across the beach to the ocean. That water was freezing! My feet hurt the minute I stepped into the water. Elise seems to have totally impervious feet and spent a lot of time wading. The rest of us were quite wussy in comparison.





Of course, as things go with kids and beaches, even though you don't plan on getting wet, you do. We ended up having to buy some sweat pants for each of the kids since their pants got pretty soaked.

After lunch, we headed over to the other side of the island to check out the Tybee Island Lighthouse. We decided to climb to the top of the lighthouse and got a good leg workout, beautiful views, and some great pictures.