Never, ever, ever , ever give up!

Tomorrow let's slay this beast! 

Tire pulling and POTS

As I prepare to run across America next Spring (targeting March 14th as a start date), I realize I'm probably an outlier case study. TI mean less than 1% of the entire population has run a marathon and less than 1% of people who run a marathon have run an ultra marathon. How many of the 1% of the 1% struggle with POTS? I don't even know, but I wanted to talk about how tire pulling has helped relieve many of my symptoms. 

One of the theories in finding ways to midigate POTS symptoms is to help reduce blood pooling in the lower extremities by strengthening the calf muscles. 

A couple of months ago I started running with a tire. I'm now averaging 20-25 miles or about 1/4-1/3 of my total weekly training miles pulling a tire up and down a hill. I have noticed in the past month a significant decrease in my POTS symptoms overall, and a great increase in my energy level since I started pulling a tire. 

I don't know if tire pulling will work for all people with POTS, but it seems that there might be something to this idea of strengthening the calf muscles, and even individuals who find running difficult may benefit from resistance or weight bearing exercises that strengthen calf muscles.

Marshall Ulrich has a good post about how to make a tire. I didn't make mine as fancy as his. I took an old camel back shell, stole a long piece of webbing from my husbands climbing bag (yeah it was his good one), and then he drilled a hole in my tire and basically just a bolt with a washer. Run the webbing through the bolt, tie to back-pack, and run. 

If you don't want to pull with your back,Marshall's  article tells you how to fashion a system for a waist pull:

http://marshallulrich.com/blog/tire-drag/

We all need a coach to push us

I ran my first marathon in 2007, and it was a rather spontanious decision. At that time I was recovery from a long-term battle with anorexia and bulimia that had started when I was 13 years old. In the eating disorder recovery world running often gets a bad wrap, with many experts believing that individuals who struggle with these disorders are just doing it to lose weight, don't really love running, and highly discouraged me from doing so in some cases.

However, I choose to ignore the negative professional badgering because I found that running was not a part of my eating disorder and in fact helped me to learn how to respect and love my body. Since that time I have gained and lost weight due to post-hysterectomy side effects and POTS. Through it all I've come to appreciate my body more and I take care of my body. I am more intuitive then I have ever been in my life because I love running and I know there are many out there suffering from POTS who could never imagine being able to have the strength to run, and some who have difficulty with just normal everyday activities. I am happy to say that I am 100% recovered from the eating disordered mindset that I grappled with for years, and that running is a love that I am intuitvely drawn too.  I have discovered evidence that it is what I should do to preserve my health while living with dysautonomia.

Because my struggles with health in the past, speed and hydration have been difficult, but I want to testify that my investment into hiring a running coach is not just benificial to running. I believe has helped me save thousands of medical bills now and in the future. The side benefit I'm experiencing is that my strength and speed are now sky rocketing after 18-months of personal online-coaching with world-class ultra runner and coach Lisa Smith-Batchen. Her record speaks for itself,she has lead many ultra-runners into elite status, and has a remarkable personal running resume.  

In 2015, 8-years since my first marathon and ultramarathon, I have lost count of my finishes. I'm healthier physically, mentally, and spiritually then I ever have been in my life. My body is doing incredible things again with running, and my weight is dropping naturally without dieting and just being intuitive. I want to lose weight to improve my speed, but it is not the focus of my training. I love my body where it is at, and have accepted that I will train and be intuitive, and if it wants ton drops weight it will. And surprisingly, not focusing on my weight is the most succesdful thing I've done because the excess weight is coming off.

I highly recommend hiring a coach to push your running and health levels to new level. I am looking forward to a bright future of running accomplishments that are beyond what I thought I was capible of.

New goal for 2016 - The Forest Gump Stunt

I'm reviving my goal to run coast-to-coast. Projected date in 2016 coming pending being able to get support crew! I've started tire pulling and did 8 miles of tire pull hill repeats today, and 3 more bonus miles. I want to hit 77 miles this week by Sunday night and make this my biggest mileage week so far this year. 

I hit 604 miles today YTD meaning I've hit 25% of my goal. Now with my new goal to run transcontinental next year I may have to up my 2015 mileage goal! 

Cleared to run Wasatch 100 with POTS!

This year, I once again made the lottery into the Wasatch 100. Wasatch 100 finish and belt buckle is my dream, and a difficult course for a Potsie, because of the intense hill climbs. But I've poured my heart and soul into training hills this year, and have started tire pulling to improve my ability to be speedy on hill climbs. I want a Wasatch 100 finish more than about any other race. I want to not be chasing cut-offs. 

This year, due to my activism and public openness about POTS, Wasatch 100 race committee requested a medical clearance letter for me to be able to run the race. I respect their concern for the health and safety of runners, and it gave me an opportunity to see Dr. Elizabeth Joy again, the wonderful doctor who was able to properly diagnose me in 2010, and put me on the right path to symptom management with POTS. 

I had a full physical with her today, and she also told me that she is putting some of her POTS patients on high intensity exercise programs because she sees a lot of symptom improvement with more intense exercise with dysautonomia. It was very validating to hear support for my high intense training and that running 100 milers is good for me. She gave me the letter of clearance and clean bill of health that Wasatch 100 needed. And it was also good to check in with her and be validated in my running plans and supported in running with POTS. I've clocked 570 miles so far for 2015, and my next big run will be Squaw Peak 50 in June, I'm hoping for a sub 15 hour finish for Squaw Peak this year! 

Thank you once again Dr. joy for your knowledge of Dysautonomia and support in achieving my running dreams! 

Race to 100 for Dysautonomia International $10 per mile

Many individuals suffer from chronic invisible illnesses like mine, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. I'm blessed because I've been able to mitigate or minimize many symptoms, and I am able to run and function normally (although it has taken a lot of effort in healing!) But at least 25% of individuals with POTS can not function normally and many had to end careers and some are bedridden. Help find a cure for dysautonomia by donating to my race for 100 campaign to support research and treatment for those suffering from this hidden, chronic illness.

I've officially joined Team Dysautonomia and wish to raise $10 for every mile I race for the remainder of 2014 and 2015

https://www.crowdrise.com/Raceto100forDysautonomia

Wasatch 100, 2014 race report

October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month! Please consider a donation to Dysautonomiainternational.org. I'm grateful I can run, because 25% of those struggling with POTS are significantly impared by their illness, and I'm in the 50% that still is struggling more than 4 years after being diagnosed. I'm seeing improvements, but many people struggle the rest of their lives. 

It was a temperate Thursday afternoon on September 4 th, as I pulled into Sugarhouse park like I have in years past. Here it was again, the prerace briefing of the Wasatch 100, one of the toughest 100 mile races in the Rocky Mountains.

Think back to 2010, my first attempt at Wasatch 100, just 3 months after being diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). That year my body was in peril and I was in trouble with my hydration by the time I hit Francis Peak aid station at mile 18.4, just 20 minutes before the cut off. DNFing that year was the right thing to do, my body just wasn't functioning properly enough, and I had had some trips to the ER and many days in bed unable to move. 

The second attempt occurred in 2012, this time still not fully working and a months after a hystorectomy I made it not even all the way to Francis peak 1 full hour after the cut off. 

Discouraged and defeated I decided not to start in 2013 and instead helped run aid at Pole Haven, and decided that I would train much harder for 2014, and work with Lisa Smith-Batchen on improving my running prognosis. Starting in January I finished a snowshoe 50K, and then 62 miles of Buffalo 100 in March, and then Squaw Peak 50 miler (which I had not been able to finish since 2010), and then Deseret News Marathon,  38 of Kat'cina Mosa 100k, and finally Wasatch 100 came. 

I knew that the first 18 would be tough for me because of POTS, my heart rate goes up too much on hill climbs, and it slows me down, but I kept a slow and steady pace and reached Francis Peak aid Station at mile 11:41, 19 minutes before the cut off. Feeling good, and moving on I continued to Swallow Rocks at mile 35, and made the decision to drop when it was 7pm, and I still had 4.5 miles to Big Mountain and would not make it before the cuttoff at 7:30pm, my decision to drop at Swallow Rocks was of courtesy to the aid workers to not have to wait for me when I was going to time out anyway, and because I'm running another 100miler, Yellowstone/Teton 100 on September 20-21.

I feel very good after Wasatch and recovered quickly, and am feeling confident about a finish for YT100, because I am much faster on road, and not as many steep hill climbs. 

I'm hoping to return to Wasatch in 2015, and with another good year of training have a finish! 

One thing that has been helping lately is I started taking q96, and have noticed: better tolerance to heat, my heart rate is more stable, I have a lot more energy overall,  and I have stopped taking 2 of the medications I was on to control my POTS symptoms. 

All in all, I feel hopeful because I doubled my distance at Wasatch this year , and am on my way to finishing it!