Slow but steady

Today I have been having one of those days where everything just kind of aches. Except for my left shoulder.  That hurts like a mother but only when I try to move it, like in getting dressed. In my other incarnation, I am a...not really a runner since I don't really run but I have runner friends who get mad at me when I say that and tell me I am a runner so I'm never quite sure what to call myself.  "Ultra endurance athlete" has been suggested and I'll admit I like the sound of that although it sounds much more athletic than I am. In any case, I've been known to throw on some exorbitantly expensive shoes and plod along a course or a trail for a while.

Since I have my first major race since my fibromyalgia diagnosis coming up, starting on the 29th, and since Santa brought me new Hokas (one of those expensive types of shoes made especially for running) and a variety of other race gear, I decided I would take them out for a spin and see how things went when I started out painful and achy and having taken no pain medication. Accordingly, I changed into my new Raw Threads bamboo Evil Queen (I believe in truth in advertising) hoodie and capris, laced up the new Hokas, and headed out. While I definitely didn't set any speed records, I ended up doing somewhere around 4 miles or a little more and pain levels only maybe increased 1-2. I figure I was between a 4 and a 5 on the pain scale by the time I got back. Not too bad since I hadn't had any pain medication and was probably at a 3 before I ever left the house.

I will admit that I'm a little nervous about this race. When I registered for it a few months ago, I had set myself the rather lofty (for me) goal of doing 100 miles during the 72 hours of the race. At my best, this was an achievable goal although it would definitely be pushing me beyond where I've gone before. My current personal best for any race is the 51 miles I managed during 72 hours in Silverton, CO over Labor Day. That included climbing up and down a mountain 51 times, with 250 feet of elevation gain and loss each mile, at elevation. So doing twice that distance on a flat course not at elevation seemed somewhat realistic when I registered. I would still really like to hit that goal but I'm trying to be realistic and have decided that I'll be satisfied with anything between 100k (62 miles) and 100 miles. For the record, both my regular doctor and my rheumatologist know about the upcoming race and are in favor of it, providing I stick with my plan.

The first part of the plan is to take my pain medication (Norco) on a regular schedule throughout the race, starting with one prior to the start. Since this race is taking place on a one mile loop and we'll have our RV set up about halfway along that loop, the plan is that I will stop for a 15-20 minute break about every 3.5 miles or so, sitting in my fabulous zero gravity recliner with my feet up. Every 6 hours or so, I will take a 2-3 hour nap. The plan is for this to enable me to keep going at a steady pace without ever exhausting myself. Let's just hope my body cooperates. (If you're interested in more on my races, you can check out my much more infrequently updated running blog, DFL:Deb Finishes Last at http://debfinishes.blogspot.com.)

I still haven't taken any pain medication, even Tylenol, and I'm back down to around a 3 on the pain scale so that's good. I'm currently surrounded by sleeping puppies and even my son is zonked out on the sofa. Kicking back in that zero gravity recliner and reading or snoozing for a bit is seeming awfully appealing right now!