Aches and Pains

Sarah asked if I ever get aches and pains. Do I ever! I'm almost 50 you know! Do I get to count my ongoing toenail/blister problems as aches and pains? Really, I think I'm pretty lucky and I think I have a pretty high pain threshold (is that right or is it a low threshold? I mean that I seem to tolerate pain fairly well). Back in the days when I picked my shoes off the shelf at the local sporting goods store I used to suffer a lot of shin splints, I've had a bout of tendinitis on my inner calf from poorly fitting orthotics, and during all last summer's training I had aching ITB and knees. They didn't hurt too bad while running, but they would ache for the rest of the day, then be fine the next day. Right now, post-marathon, my right foot is aching along the outside. Though I would never recommend this to anyone, my preferred method for dealing with all of it is to run through it. I know, I know! Bad. Seems as though the aches and pains fade away while I'm running, though they come back to haunt me post run. I have not yet had an injury that I felt like I couldn't run on. We have one of those white foam rollers and if something is hurting I'll roll it like crazy, stretch it out post run, occasionally ice it, and usually pop some ibuprofen. It works for me. Of course, I am the person that ran through chest pain and shortness of breath two or three times; I'm also the person who insisted on finishing my half marathon without taking the nitro that the doctors made me carry (it would have ended my race you know), and I am the person who ran last year for four long months in a constant state of nauseousness . It's highly probable that I am a) stupid, b) stubborn, and c) obsessive and d) dumber than dirt for doing all of the above. Again, the disclaimer, I don't recommend it to anyone. And my second disclaimer, I have become much smarter and will now stop if any of the heart stuff arises (please don't go back and read my Seattle post, I was only two miles from the finish and it was just starting to come on). Should I reiterate that "dumber than dirt" statement too?

Weather permitting, we will be driving to Bellingham tomorrow for the third weekend in a row. My youngest sister had a fall and broke her femur on New Years Day. She has fairly severe cerebral palsy and is wheelchair bound. My sister lives in her own apartment and has aides who come in to help and who are on call. Apparently one of the chairs slipped during a transfer and she and an aide fell. It turns out that her bones are "soft" because she's never been weight bearing, and she is at risk for fractures. Instead of casting the break, she had surgery and had a rod put in, if it doesn't heal well, then they'll try casting it. Anyway, long story short, she is in a nursing home for three to six weeks, so we are going up to see her.

I'm awaiting a phone call to hear that Eric, Rob and Steve finished the Fat Ass 50K today. I'm guessing another hour before they finish, but I could be way off either direction. Here at home it is cold and gray, but dry. They are about 30 miles north and up on a mountain, and I'm hoping they got the same dry weather. We had a wild wind and rain storm through the night, with more to come tomorrow. What a wild weather winter this has been!