Losing Izabella

Izabella

A lot has happened since my last post back in November, a new job, the holidays and new personal goals are among some of the reasons I haven't blogged lately. But far and away the biggest reason is that a very good friend, Izabella, became seriously ill and suddenly passed away on Monday January 12th, the day before the 5-year anniversary of the loss of my first husband Stephen.

I can't describe adequately here how much her sudden loss shook me to the core. I had been privileged to be her friend for many years, but also to be present with her on her journey from illness, to diagnosis, to treatment. We were both confident that although her battle would be hard and exhausting, she would win it. She would win it because she wanted to and she would win it because she had to. Izabella wanted to continue to see where life would take her and she absolutely wanted to continue to be fully present in the lives of her sons. She did not want to leave them since like me, she was a widow, and they had lost their father just 5 years earlier.

In the days since her death, thoughts of Izabella continue. Fond memories mostly, but also wondering if there was more that I could have done to help her. I remembered back a few years to the times that we got together for lunch at a diner or local restaurant or participated together in widow/widower gatherings. We talked and talked, and often ran out of time. We learned we had a lot in common...of course, we were both widows, but we were also both born outside the USA, we were both professional women, we both had an interest in eating healthy and enjoyed the outdoors (Izabella loved hiking, I loved running), one of Izabella's sons and my son were around the same age and we liked people who were great thinkers and who were not intellectually lazy. These shared interests and similarities meant that as the years went by, our friendship grew from a small seed into something stronger.

During Izabella's illness, our friendship became even stronger. I was there for her, and she for me. Even though she was dealing with a life-altering diagnosis, she still made time to inquire how my professional career was going, how I was doing in meeting other personal goals and even listened to me when I shared petty issues in my life. That is who she was - a truly caring person. She had all the reason in the world to be self-focused and she wasn't. I truly admire that about her.

A week or so before Izabella died she said "Lisa, I need you in my corner." I reassured her I was right there...and I still am, willing to honor our friendship by helping her sons and family should they need it.

Farewell Izabella, I miss you deeply dear friend.

First 10K Race Done - Proud!

10K in 1:06:13 and 10:43 average pace.

Today I completed my first 10K race and I'm feeling really proud of myself! Proud not just because I completed the race and completed it in my all time best time, but also proud because I learned so much as I trained for the race:

• The beginning of an 8 week training plan feels fairly daunting at first, but somewhere along the way, maybe at weeks 5-6, it started feeling very comfortable. So comfortable in fact, that I began taking on longer runs than required for the once weekly long run.
• At first I was concerned with improving my pace. Veteran runners said, "For your first 10K, forget pace, it will take care of itself." As I look back at my pace for each run in my training schedule, I can see that I gradually improved it, regardless of the distance run! That's incredible to me. It almost feels like my brain and body remembers that I can comfortably do the pace I did last time, and improve on it just a little. 
• I need to remember that long runs are serious business for my body. One particularly humbling experience where I had plummeting BP and Heart Rate and needed an ambulance called, made me realize that food and hydration before the run and during the run are important. As is adequate cool down after the run.
• Instead of running the same courses over and over, it makes it a lot more fun to vary the course, and try to finish it at my local cafe! I run for my cappuccinos now!
• I'm still mulling how I feel about "racing". I run to be in a peaceful, happy and spiritually grounded place, and I'm not sure that I need to race to achieve that. In fact, the first time I raced in a 5K, although it felt good to finish it, I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. This time around, I enjoyed the race much more, was more able to block out the impact of faster paced runners on my energy, and race for me.
• It's really fun to do this with someone else. Today I ran with a good widow friend, and although we live too far away to train together, it was great watching her progress, hanging out at the start, lunching after the race and sharing the experience of it together. It really helped make it a lot more fun for me.

The Hare and the Tortoise - no fair Hare!

Artwork by Milo Winter. This image from The Aesop for Children is in the public domain. More information at Wikimedia Commons.

I remember the story of the Hare and the Tortoise from childhood. I loved the idea that slow and steady wins the race. But today, I learned that sometimes the hare wins!

I was enjoying a beautiful long run in one of our local parks today. Fall colors were everywhere and I was running at a good pace for me, even a little faster than usual for long runs. About halfway through my run, I see a shadow approaching in my peripheral vision. I'm used to being lapped by runners since I'm a fairly slow runner, but what? Wait!  Is that shadow WALKING?

Sure enough, a very tall man with a long stride (let's call him Hare) passes me (let's call me Tortoise), and he's WALKING! Damn the hare! I glanced down at my GPS watch, thinking my pace must have really slowed...but I was actually going faster than usual. I was doing an 11:37 pace. I estimated this dude Hare was probably doing less than an 11 minute mile WALK!

How could he?

The least he could have done was break out into a run before he passed me so I wasn't completely humiliated by a hare overtaking me. But no! Instead I detected a sort of swagger in his walk. Like he was waving his butt at me.

Now if the moral of the story was to be fulfilled, I should have found him snoozing under a tree somewhere ahead. But no, he was nowhere to be found!

To add insult to injury, he pealed off from the trail at some point, and overtook me again! I wanted to challenge him to a serious race but I was already eating his dust! Ugh!

Regardless of my humiliation, I still enjoyed the run and my cool down walk. The scenery was spectacular even if my running was not hare-worthy.

A Gadget + Preparation = 10 Miles Without Passing Out!

After my last long run culminated in a scary drop in blood pressure and heart rate which led to an ambulance being called, I'll admit I was a little nervous heading out the door for my long run today. But I'm a great believer in trying to learn from my mistakes and did a lot of research on reputable online sites and gained input from some hard core runners, to try and figure out what went wrong and importantly, how I might avoid it in the future. While I was a little nervous, I knew that I had a good plan in place. This run was going to better and it was!

What did I do differently?

Pre-run nutrition

I hear all the time about carb-loading for endurance runs. Last week, not only did I not carb load, I was substantially under my normal carbohydrate consumption the day before the run. I know this because I log my food in an online nutrition diary, MyFitnessPal. This week, I was sure to include a moderate amount of complex carbohydrate at each meal for two days before my run. I learned that you shouldn't eat a massive load of carbs the night before, but rather eat modest amounts at major meals for a few days before the run to ensure your liver has maximal glycogen stores to fuel several hours of running.

Hydration

I'm relatively new to long runs and previously completed my shorter runs without giving too much thought to hydration. Last week, I did not take any liquids with me during the run - not water, not electrolytes, nothing. This week, I added some electrolytes as a post-breakfast drink before I left. I also prepared a bottle of electrolytes mixed with orange juice so that I could have a few ounces of fluids, with salts and sugar every few miles of the run. I learned that even with a good level of liver glycogen stores, these may typically only fuel several hours of running. In addition, we need to account for the salts we lose when sweating. I used a brand of coconut water from Harvest Bay that has a good balance of sodium, potassium and some sugar since I don't like drinking the highly processed sports drinks. I added a little OJ to help make it more palatable. During the run today, it felt good to hydrate!

Gummy Bears
One of my online friends that I consider a hard core runner also suggested I take a small amount of gummy bears on my run to add a little sugar boost that might be needed at the back end of the run. I found a brand of organic gummy bears and took 5 with me. Hubby was wondering how I might chew and run at the same time, but somehow I managed it!

The Gadget - My TomTom Cardio Watch with Built-In Heart Rate Monitor
Since part of my demise last week was a falling Heart Rate when I got home, Hubby very kindly bought me a TomTom Cardio watch with built in Heart Rate monitor. It measures the distance, speed, pace, calorie burn and heart rate during your run. It was awesome! I noticed my heart rate was very steady during my run and became more relaxed as the miles went by.

Post Run Cool Down
After my run last week, I came to a complete stop after the run was done. Got in the car, drove home, then headed to the shower. It was after the shower that I started to feel symptoms. This time, I walked another 0.5 mile after the run. I drove home, ate something, continued to hydrate and took my time heading to the shower. I learned that if a runner who already has a low baseline blood pressure and  heart rate to begin with, suddenly stops, or worse, takes a shower that's too hot, it can bring on a condition called vasovagal syncope. Basically feeling faint and nauseous, because when you stop suddenly, blood that was previously being pumped back up to your heart and head with the help of your moving legs, begins to pool in your legs and cause a drop in BP and HR.

I feel incredibly proud of my accomplishment today, and also very grateful that my body responds well when I treat it well. After breaking my foot just over a year ago, and being non-weight bearing or partially weight bearing for almost 5 months, a run like this didn't seem possible.

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9.3 Miles Plus Dehydration = Drop In BP/HR! = Call An Ambulance!

My post about my run today was going to be a very different post about how I ran a new personal best in terms of distance and about how honored I am to share the path I run with people who are out there obviously battling to get their mobility back with walking sticks, walkers and the like.

But the nature of my post changed when I got home from my run. I was feeling ok, I drank water immediately after the run and started thinking about some lunch. After a warm (not hot) shower, I went downstairs to fix it. It was then, about 40 minutes after getting home, that I started to feel light-headed and nauseous. I put my head down, but it only seemed to get worse.

I sat down and felt like I was going to throw up and have diarrhea all at the same time. Fred grabbed our BP machine and I checked my BP and heart rate. Normal for me is about 105/70... It had dropped to 75/45. My resting heart rate is usually 60-65 and it had dropped to the low 40's. I was scared by those numbers, still very dizzy, trying to get a breath....so Fred called an ambulance. While waiting for them, I drank some OJ.

When they arrived, they started me on oxygen, and started asking me a lot of questions. They wanted to make sure I wasn't at risk of Ebola. I'm not.

Once the oxygen kicked in, I started to feel better. The dizziness passed, as did the desire to throw up and have diarrhea. They rechecked my BP and HR and both had returned to their usual levels. I didn't go to the ER.

The whole episode reminded me of a computer terminal that shuts down and reboots. I'm fine now and realize I must have been dehydrated. I also ate very few carbs yesterday. Poor Fred was very concerned!

Lisa: "I understand what caused this, and how to prevent it happening in the future"
Fred: "Yes, no more running!"

I think no more running would be an over reaction to this event, but I will make sure I hydrate better and have more carbs the day before a long run.

By the way, I'm super proud to have run a new personal best distance (9.3 miles) and I'm super grateful to share the road with people who are working so hard to stay healthy. Now I can add to my gratitude my sweet hubby who came to my aid, and the caring and vigilant members of our local ambulance service.

8th Mile - My New "Smile Mile"

Today is my "long run" day in my 10K training plan. The goal for the day was to run 5 or 6 miles, but as I set out on the run, I felt like I had a lot of energy. I think it was a combination of having some fuel to burn off (chocolate cake shared with hubby last night), the comfortable cool weather and the fact that I hadn't run since last Tuesday.

In the 3rd or 4th mile I thought, I might see if I can do longer than 6 miles today. I have always been amazed by runners who easily hit long distances. I marvel at those who do longer than a 10K. 

Today, for the first time ever, I could feel in my own body, the potential for more.

I wont lie, by the 8th mile, my knees were aching a little and I was glad I was on my way home. But every bit of that last mile should be called my "smile mile". It feels good to achieve something I never thought possible. 

Lisa's Shepherd's Pie

You know, it wasn't too long ago that I professed not to be able to cook. However, since I've been in pursuit of a healthier lifestyle, I've begun experimenting and adapting recipes to my liking. Being able to follow a recipe is one thing, being able to adapt it probably means I should no longer claim that I can't cook! This recipe is for my version of Shepherd's Pie. Fred and I really enjoy it. It's simple, tasty, hearty for a cool fall or winter evening, full of vegetables and stores well in the refrigerator or freezer.

A note of caution: Fred and I have big appetites, and the dish above, which might typically be enough for 6 servings, only provides 4 servings in our household. As a result the calorie count per serving is a little higher than you might otherwise expect if you and your family are more moderate in your portion sizes.

Ingredients for pie filling: (all organic or locally sourced where possible)

1. 1 medium sweet onion chopped

2. 1/4 cup chopped shallots (about 2 large shallots)

3. 1 cup chopped celery

4. 1 tbsp. crushed garlic

5. 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

6. 20 oz. 90% grassfed ground beef

7. 2 cups low sodium beef broth

8. 2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

9. 1/4 cup ketchup (alternative is tomato paste)

10. 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

11. 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I use a brand from Wholefoods with peas, corn, green beans and carrots)

12. 1 tbsp. corn starch

13. Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for mashed potato topping:

(We keep it simple with no fat added - feel free to make your own mashed potato recipe!)

1. 40 oz golden potatoes

2. 1/2 cup fat free milk

3. Salt and pepper to taste

Directions for the Pie Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 375F

2. Saute ingredients 1. through 4. in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat until onions become somewhat translucent

3. Add ground beef and cook until browned and cooked through

4. Add 1 cup of the beef broth and ingredients 8. through 12. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until frozen vegetables are cooked

5. Whisk the corn starch into the remaining cup of beef broth and pour into beef and vegetable mixture. Continue heating until the sauce thickens a little to a gravy consistency (add more corn starch in broth or more broth to adjust gravy to your liking)

6. Season with salt and pepper according to your taste.

7. Spray a 14" x 5" casserole dish (I use pyrex) with olive oil spray
8. Add the meat and vegetable mixture and top with an even coating of mashed potatoes. Run a fork lightly through the potatoes to rough-up the surface
9. Bake uncovered in the oven at 375F for 30-40 minutes, or until the potato has browned

Directions for the Potato Topping: 

1. Peel, wash and boil or steam the potatoes until cooked 

2. Add the milk, salt and pepper to taste and mash the potatoes

Tip: I use this vegetable chopper from Sharper Image to make prep fast and easy!

The browned beef and vegetables.

After adding the broth, seasonings, frozen vegetables and gravy.

Transferred to a casserole dish.

Potato is added and surface is roughed-up.