Finally a Real Runner

August 12, 2011

          Today, I DID IT!!!! I am finally a runner. I ran my entire route this morning without walking or stopping even once. It has taken me a while to get here, but I made it. Woot woot! I am so excited and I feel like I can finally call myself a runner.

Even though I move at a snail’s pace and I think walkers could probably pass me, I feel great about this! I still have terrible form and sort of shuffle rather than run, but I am getting better and FINALLY starting to lose weight. Just 8 lbs, but losing 8 lbs has never felt so gratifying to me.

So, as a reward for becoming a runner and for losing 8 lbs, I am subscribing to Runner’s World magazine. I love that this magazine does not cater to only one type of runner. I think both beginners and experts can learn something from every issue. They have information on gear, techniques, diets, stories, race info, and all kinds of fun stuff! I can hardly wait to get my first issue with my name on it. I think maybe I’ll tell them my middle name is “a runner” so that it gets printed on the label. Think they’d mind?

My First Race

July 14, 2011

            I found a very non-competitive and short 2k race that is also inexpensive on the City of Colorado Springs website. Patrick, a friend, and I are going to run the next few of these races, called the 2k/5k Doggie Dash.

The first race was tonight. My friend Carla is an inspiration and dedicated to improving her health, plus she is also a beginning runner. I was very glad to have another newbie with me.

We checked in at the Memorial Park Recreaction Center and our race number was written on our hands. That is when I started feeling sick to my stomach with nerves. I knew I was going to throw up any minute!

My husband and my stepson Cody were able to come to watch and support us. Carla’s husband, mom and grandmother also came. It was a big night for both of us!

As we were lining up at the start line, my guts were churning as I tried to concentrate on the procedures we were to follow.

Everyone but Carla, Patrick, and I chose to run a 5k, including all the younger kids. The loop was a 1k, so all I had to do was run in a circle twice. Luckily, I could not get lost if I tried. I still had to walk part of the race, but I was so proud when I finished with my measly time of about 16 minutes (12:37 pace), and best of all-I did NOT throw up. I wonder if I can officially call myself a runner yet?

                                     Pre-Race-That is the three of us on the right

                                      Me sucking air at the finish line

Wanted: Encouragement

June 29, 2011

           After my first and traumatic experience trying to be a runner, I thought that I would quit. I have limped around for about 2 weeks with my ankle hurting worse than my knee, go figure! But people asked me why I was limping, and I found that I was proud to say that I injured myself running. Ordinarily clumsiness would not be a virtue, but the fact that I was able to tell people I had begun running made it worth it.

So on May 25, I was back at it, but this time on a track. Generally, tracks are pretty safe. There are no potholes, tree roots, or dogs jumping in front of you, and best of all it is flat.

The junior high school my son goes to is about a half mile away; I think. So I have been using the walk to and from the track as a warm up and cool down. I am still walking some, but I run a little more each day. My total distance on the track is 1.25 miles. Not impressive at all, especially since part of that is walking. But I am getting better.

My stepson Patrick likes to go running with me. I shouldn’t be happy about this, but the first time he went running with me, he worked so hard trying to keep up that he made himself throw up. Yes, I have been run/walking for about a month now, but I assumed that his age alone would make him a better runner.

I am going to enjoy this short-lived pleasure because I know he will be lapping me very soon, so don’t judge. I found a great website that helps me keep track of my progress- www.dailymile.com. I can log in my distance, time, route, and how I felt and I’ve set it to automatically update to Facebook. I realize I am blowing up some of my friend’s newsfeeds, but the comments and suggestions I get are so valuable to me.

I have even made a new online friend, Melisssa. She lives in Columbus, Ohio. Melissa just saw my profile on the website and asked to become my friend. She continously gives me and many others across the country positive feedback. I hope to be befriend others and give them the same encouragement as she does.

Becoming a Runner?

May 9, 2011

Like millions of other Americans, I made a New Year’s resolution to be more fit in 2011, I’m just late. The hard thing about fitness resolutions is that they start in January, one of the coldest and snowiest months in Colorado. The gym is intimidating; it is full of fit people who know how all the equipment works, have all the right gear, and they look good doing it. They usually don’t even sweat.

I have given up on losing weight; I am just not very disciplined. But I do want to be fit, and I always admire the runners I drive by. Plus there are plenty of races that give shirts for swag.

I read an article on the Women’s Health website about how to become a runner in six weeks. The plan is very specific and gradually increases the amount of running vs. walking. The first two weeks, you walk the first 16 minutes, alternate running for a minute and walking for a minute for the next 6 minutes, and then you walk the remaining 8 minutes. It seemed easy enough.

So, last night I went to bed early and set my alarm clock for 5 a.m. The shocking thing is that I actually got up when the alarm jarred me awake. I got dressed, leashed the dog for company, and off I went. Walking the first 16 minutes was great. My black lab got used to the pace, and we both enjoyed the cool morning air.

When it was time for me to run, I took a deep breath, gathered my courage and set off. The first two intervals went well. I was thinking: hey, I CAN do this….then came the third and final run/walk interval. By this time, I had turned around and began heading back toward my house on the surrounding streets. A few cars were passing me, so I had to be more careful with the dog.

At the beginning of my final interval, something happened. I’d like to blame the dog and I guess it could be her fault, but I think it was mostly my inexperience. I tripped on something; a pothole, my own feet, the dog, her leash, something, and fell on my knees on the pavement. I managed to avoid a face plant, but my palms were scraped and I fell hard enough to tear a big hole in the knee of my pants.

I started crying and working myself up, so that soon I was gasping for breath as I lay in the middle of the road. When a car came close, I made myself calm down and scooted to the sidewalk to see what the damage was. Yep, my knee was pretty jacked up and my other ankle hurt when I twisted it and fell. Sorry if my picture grosses you out. I just wanted to share my pain.

My poor dog was waiting patiently for me to recover. So, I limped the rest of the way home, with tears streaming down my face. My husband was already at work, so I had no one to baby me, which was a probably a good thing. I emailed my boss to let her know I would be late, cleaned up, and slowly got ready for work. As I limp through the office, I doubt that I will ever succeed as a runner. Apparently it requires grace that I do not have.

Cha, Cha, Cha, Changes

Last fall I took a journalism that included an assignment to write for a blog. As a beginning runner, I chose that topic. I found a revived love for blogging with that assignment. Although my assignment included "fake" blog entries at the time, they are true to my heart. As I am changing my blog to now include my running stories, I have also changed the name to "Running from a butterly".  My next several blog posts will include some of my running stories. The dates may not be perfectly accurate, but the stories are true. I hope you enjoy them.

The Return

2 years and Six Months Post Total Thyroidectomy

I have not posted on my blog for a very long time. Over two years now. I want to catch up, but I am not really sure where to start. My sister has a friend that was recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer. When she told me this, it brought back a lot of memories for me. My tumor was found to be benign, but I remember the agony and worry of waiting to hear that fabulous word. It made me read my blog again, and I found that I missed it. For those of you out there, facing a thyroidectomy, I know you have been searching for a similar story, or pictures of scars, or resources. It has been 2 years and 6 months (tomorrow) that I had my butterfly (thyroid) removed. It has been a roller coaster, but I think that maybe I have finally gotten off the ride. However, there are new hiccups.

In January, my employer changed insurance companies. Anyone with a chronic disease will tell you that a new insurance carrier can be scary. For the most part, the changes have been good. There is a higher deductible now, but covered services are paid at 90%!!!! That alone is pretty incredble. The only snag that I have found so far is the increased cost of my medication. My last insurance plan paid for 3 months of Levoxyl at a time and only cost me a copay of $20 total. My new insurance plan only pays for 1 month at a time and my copay for that one month is $20! So, I now have to pay triple the cost. For some people, this might not seem like a big deal. However, you must remember that this is only one of several prescriptions that I will be taking for the rest of my life.

At my last check up in April, I asked my endocrinologist  if I could switch to a generic formula. However, being the good doctor that she is, she said that she truly believes that there is a HUGE difference with thyroid replacement brands vs. generics. I was very disappointed, but I have to admit I was glad she was doing what she felt was right. She excused herself for a moment and returned with great news. She compared the active ingredients of Levoxyl to Snythroid and found the differences to be slight enough that she was comfortable with it. She offered to try changing brands for me from Levoxyl to Snythroid. The reason she did this? She was able to provide me SIX MONTHS of free trial pills in my prescription level. How cool is that?

I am now on Snythroid 137 and I can't really tell a difference. I go for my next check up in October, when they will do all my usual blood tests: T3, T4, TSH, Calcium, Vitamin D, etc. and see how my body likes the new drug. I really really hope my body cooperates with this. I am not sure how my pocketbook will hold up otherwise.

I am bad at math, so please forgive me if my calculations are wrong, but this is what I figure: My prescription increase is $160 more per year. Assuming a miracle happens and that price does not go up ever (yeah, right) and I live to be 86 years old, my total additional cost for this one drug is $4,800. But I have to assume the cost will rise and that I will need additional prescriptions as I age. I also have to assume that at some point I will not be able to work and my income will be very limited. It's an alarming thought.

BODY: Pretty pretty please like this new drug. I have been nice to you, especially these last 2 years. I eat healthy and exercise regularly. I don't smoke and drink only a little. So, please pay me back for all my good deeds. Thank you!

A Hunka' Hunka' Burnin' Scar

Here is a picture of my neck 15 weeks post op. It still hurts sometimes. It reminds me that I will never be whole again.


I am definitely a pale face. I have lots of freckles (less than I did as a child though), blue eyes, and reddish brown hair. A lot of peopl say I'm a "Ginger". I rarely tan, I generally just burn if I am careless or foolish with the sun. So I keep sunscreen in my purse, in my car, in my husband's car, and always at home too. If you need sunscreen I usually have some.

Colorado is a great place to live. Particularly Colorado Springs. We don't have the smog and traffic and Cost of Living of Denver, but it's close enough to enjoy still. We don't have the heat and desolation and dessert conditions of Pueblo, but can still enjoy the reservoir whenever we want. Colorado Springs has lots of sunshine throughout the year, but it usually is still comfortable.

This weekend was very hot. My youngest son Noah had a soccer tournament and soccer fields are not known for their shady trees. So, I slathered on the sunscreen on Saturday two times (he had two games) and although I felt like I was baking, I was so proud of myself for not getting sunburned. Yea me! On Sunday, he had to be at the field at 7:15 a.m. for an 8:00 a.m. game. I was very sweaty the day before, so I made sure to wear cool clothes on Sunday. However, it was actually a little chilly in the morning. The wind made it cool and the clouds blocked out the sun every now and again. Some people were actually covered with blankets. Noah had to be back to the field at 1:45 p.m. for his final game. So, I slathered up again. Somehow I got burned during his last game. It was hot, so maybe I sweat off my sweat-proof sunscreen? Who knows, but not my scar is burned and I am all worried. What happens if you get a sunburn on a fresh scar? My surgeon warned me to keep sunscreen on it and/or out of the sun for ONE YEAR! Oops, it's only been about four months.  Guess I will find out soon enough.

By the way, today's high might set a record at 96 degrees.