Today saw the third and final day of the garage sale held by my daughter-in-law, her neighbors and me. Prior to the garage sale, Carl and I had decided to donate whatever we earned to my Light the Night fundraising efforts. It was not a productive sale but we did earn $60.00 thanks to the generosity of the neighbors, Tom & Carol, who donated their earnings to ours for which I'm truly grateful.
Exhausted though I was after we got home, when my neighbor, Vicki, came by and asked me if I wanted to go for a walk, I donned my walking shoes, harnessed up Maddie and away we went. This walk was 5 and a half miles and could have competed with some of my runs. We maintained a strong, steady and fast pace for the entire walk - including hills and it felt really good - almost like a slow run.
Light the Night is in seven days. I'm still about $600 from my goal. I really thought it would be achievable and I still believe it can be done. I've sent out letters, emails and lined up some fundraisers for the team with Buffalo Wild Wings. It's hard to be so close and yet so far away.
Sometimes I wish I didn't care so much, didn't believe that somehow my efforts, combined with thousands of others could eradicate cancer of any and every kind, that I could walk away from the walk this year and say "this is my last year" and mean it. Yet, I do care that much, I do believe that much and I can't walk away.
I don't expect everyone to feel the same way I do about Light the Night - about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - we all have different passions, different causes we believe in. However, I have this crazy expectation that everyone does want to see a cure for cancer.
Even if you aren't able to support my efforts, I hope that you're able to find a cause that you do feel passionately about and that you get behind it - heart and soul.
Running because someone's life depends on it.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Monday, September 10, 2012
I'd give my left leg for a donut
or a piece of turtle cake from Cafe Latte in St. Paul
or even a cold hard dried out gingersnap cookie
ah yes - it does show, doesn't it? I'm a gluttonous gluten junkie who's decided to break free and join the GF crowd.
Saturday, following my 7 mile run, the decision was made to cut the ties with my good friends (in order of importance) cakes, pasta, bread, cookies, donuts, pie & cereal with the hopes that by giving up these delightful, delicious, incredible edibles, I could be freed from the breath-stealing, heart aching, spasms of my throat and esophagus.
I did a little research and there does seem to be some possible connection between the two entities and I do recall that during the Month of Gladness*, I ate cleaner than I do now and basically ate GF the entire time as that's the way my one and only son-in-law, the Silly Yak, eats. So, with Carl's blessings (evident by his purchase of Udi's whole grain bread, two loaves, not the one I requested), I started to make the change.
Day 1 - easy.... I had toast, with my pb & honey combo, followed by a Udi sandwich with sliced turkey and veggies. Almost hit a bump when we stopped at the Ole Store in Northfield for dinner, but the waiter there was quite understanding and guided me towards a delish chicken sandwich sans bun and fries. As always, Carl was wishing he'd ordered the same, it was THAT good.
Day 2 - ehh, pretty much the same.... breakfast, same... almost blew it at church by snagging a mini cinnamon roll. Took one bite, remembered that I was making the change and gave the rest to Carl. (I love having my own walking leftover eater). Lunch was a salad, just veggies and more sliced turkey. But then... at our nephew's baptism... it started... the temptation!! My sister-in-law's pumpkin bars and her mother-in-law's Special K bars!! Heaven help me, and it surely must have, because I resisted and ate the carrots, celery, grapes and mixed nuts instead. Sheesh!!! And then, to make it even more discouraging - the spasms hit as I was eating a carrot. Double Sheesh!!
After we got home, I helped myself to the small cup of Edy's mint and chocolate chip ice cream I'd been saving for the oldest grandson. (Sorry B-man, but Grammy needed a sweet fix) I had convinced myself that the cold of the ice cream would calm the spasms. Sadly, it did not and they continued through the night.
Day 3 - breakfast, same. Snack - rice cakes, little bitty ones with a drizzle of chocolate. Lunch, what lunch? Everything in the house short of the rice cakes has gluten in it!! Oh yea, I can have another sandwich, but there's only Carl's meat... Ooh - I have another small container of Edy's vanilla bean ice cream and I have chocolate flavored rice cakes. Yum. Dinner? I'll probably make some eggs and bacon. That's pretty safe.
They say if you do anything for 30 days, it becomes a habit. I'm hoping that by day 5, it at least gets easier cause this would be an easy habit to break and I don't even need to get to that 30 day mark. That, however, is my goal and I've learned how to achieve goals in the last 3 years.
Step by step.
One day at a time.
Thanks Running - you've taught me that much!
Now, about the run on Saturday. It was another good run. I again implemented the run 2, walk a minute, run 1, walk a minute, routine and I think I like it. That one minute of walking seems so long, it makes me nervous, but I track it on my watch and yup, it's a minute. The weather was perfect - a little breezy, but the temperature could not have been any better. I was made to run in weather like that! Nothing about the run itself was out of the ordinary. Everything was functioning just as it should. No breathing issues, no spasms - just a nice easy run of 7 miles.
There was one brief episode where I thought I was going to be putting myself out of the race. I was running on Hwy 3 back into Rosemount, just north of Connemarra Road, when I looked down and away towards my right. As I did so, I apparently ran off the side of the road and almost turned my ankle on the 4-6 inch drop between the road and the gravel shoulder. The ankle felt a little tweakish for the rest of the day, but a brace and some ice work wonders. Maddie had a little more hitch in her giddy-up than I did, so she was treated to a similar ice routine and made to rest.
It's 13 days until Light the Night. I'm still behind on my fundraising goal. I'm not sure what to do to get there. I'll keep running and hoping the dollars come in to match the runs.
*The Month of Gladness - definition: The month starting April 29, 2012 when my sweet grandson affectionately known as Pip was born and the following 30 days when I was able to be with his mommy, Mouse and his daddy, the Fat Silly Yak in the beautiful TarHeel State.
or even a cold hard dried out gingersnap cookie
ah yes - it does show, doesn't it? I'm a gluttonous gluten junkie who's decided to break free and join the GF crowd.
Saturday, following my 7 mile run, the decision was made to cut the ties with my good friends (in order of importance) cakes, pasta, bread, cookies, donuts, pie & cereal with the hopes that by giving up these delightful, delicious, incredible edibles, I could be freed from the breath-stealing, heart aching, spasms of my throat and esophagus.
I did a little research and there does seem to be some possible connection between the two entities and I do recall that during the Month of Gladness*, I ate cleaner than I do now and basically ate GF the entire time as that's the way my one and only son-in-law, the Silly Yak, eats. So, with Carl's blessings (evident by his purchase of Udi's whole grain bread, two loaves, not the one I requested), I started to make the change.
Day 1 - easy.... I had toast, with my pb & honey combo, followed by a Udi sandwich with sliced turkey and veggies. Almost hit a bump when we stopped at the Ole Store in Northfield for dinner, but the waiter there was quite understanding and guided me towards a delish chicken sandwich sans bun and fries. As always, Carl was wishing he'd ordered the same, it was THAT good.
Day 2 - ehh, pretty much the same.... breakfast, same... almost blew it at church by snagging a mini cinnamon roll. Took one bite, remembered that I was making the change and gave the rest to Carl. (I love having my own walking leftover eater). Lunch was a salad, just veggies and more sliced turkey. But then... at our nephew's baptism... it started... the temptation!! My sister-in-law's pumpkin bars and her mother-in-law's Special K bars!! Heaven help me, and it surely must have, because I resisted and ate the carrots, celery, grapes and mixed nuts instead. Sheesh!!! And then, to make it even more discouraging - the spasms hit as I was eating a carrot. Double Sheesh!!
After we got home, I helped myself to the small cup of Edy's mint and chocolate chip ice cream I'd been saving for the oldest grandson. (Sorry B-man, but Grammy needed a sweet fix) I had convinced myself that the cold of the ice cream would calm the spasms. Sadly, it did not and they continued through the night.
Day 3 - breakfast, same. Snack - rice cakes, little bitty ones with a drizzle of chocolate. Lunch, what lunch? Everything in the house short of the rice cakes has gluten in it!! Oh yea, I can have another sandwich, but there's only Carl's meat... Ooh - I have another small container of Edy's vanilla bean ice cream and I have chocolate flavored rice cakes. Yum. Dinner? I'll probably make some eggs and bacon. That's pretty safe.
They say if you do anything for 30 days, it becomes a habit. I'm hoping that by day 5, it at least gets easier cause this would be an easy habit to break and I don't even need to get to that 30 day mark. That, however, is my goal and I've learned how to achieve goals in the last 3 years.
Step by step.
One day at a time.
Thanks Running - you've taught me that much!
Now, about the run on Saturday. It was another good run. I again implemented the run 2, walk a minute, run 1, walk a minute, routine and I think I like it. That one minute of walking seems so long, it makes me nervous, but I track it on my watch and yup, it's a minute. The weather was perfect - a little breezy, but the temperature could not have been any better. I was made to run in weather like that! Nothing about the run itself was out of the ordinary. Everything was functioning just as it should. No breathing issues, no spasms - just a nice easy run of 7 miles.
There was one brief episode where I thought I was going to be putting myself out of the race. I was running on Hwy 3 back into Rosemount, just north of Connemarra Road, when I looked down and away towards my right. As I did so, I apparently ran off the side of the road and almost turned my ankle on the 4-6 inch drop between the road and the gravel shoulder. The ankle felt a little tweakish for the rest of the day, but a brace and some ice work wonders. Maddie had a little more hitch in her giddy-up than I did, so she was treated to a similar ice routine and made to rest.
It's 13 days until Light the Night. I'm still behind on my fundraising goal. I'm not sure what to do to get there. I'll keep running and hoping the dollars come in to match the runs.
*The Month of Gladness - definition: The month starting April 29, 2012 when my sweet grandson affectionately known as Pip was born and the following 30 days when I was able to be with his mommy, Mouse and his daddy, the Fat Silly Yak in the beautiful TarHeel State.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
When it's good, it's really, really good!
The last two runs have been pretty darn good.
Friday was my first Friday and the start of the long weekend. After a teleconference with the Philippines, Maddie and I were out the door and running.
When we run by ourselves, we run a bit of a different route that allows Maddie to be off-leash for small stretches. This is good for both of us as it allows each of us to run at our own pace or, as in Maddie's case, chase that squirrel up the tree. We run past softball fields and ponds, through Carrolls Woods Park and experience a few hills.
Unbeknownst to me, part of our route was being used for a school race, so we were running into groups of young, energetic kids for about half a mile. They make it look so effortless. I hate them. Not really, I just felt my age - a lot.
We ran 5 miles with an average pace of 11:22 min/mile. Looking at my records from a year ago, that's almost the exact same pace. This was kind of discouraging, but I shouldn't let it be. At least I haven't slowed down!!
Today's run saw us out the door at 5 a.m. It's REALLY dark at 5 a.m. so I opted for the route we usually run with Sue & Josie as it's pretty well lit. I had a plan based on an idea my daughter gave me. I would run 10 minutes, walk 1. This went really well, but for a small change - I ran the first two miles without stopping then walked 1 minute. I worked this routine for the entire 5.75 mile route and averaged a 10:42 min/mile. Looking at my stats on mapmyrun.com, I really did keep it fairly tight for time.
I think I'm running very close to my donation miles but I've got about $750 dollars to make my goal. I'd sure appreciate the extra motivation and LLS would appreciate the donation.
In 2012, 300 LLS-supported research projects represented a total commitment of nearly $236 million around the world. Nearly $2.4 million is allocated right here in Minnesota! That's pretty impressive!
To make a donation - please go to http://pages.lightthenight.org/mn/TwinCt1212/reneehedstrom
Oh and I'm still looking for some tune suggestions! Leave a note with a song suggestion and why you think it'd be a good tune for running.
Thanks a bunch!!
Friday was my first Friday and the start of the long weekend. After a teleconference with the Philippines, Maddie and I were out the door and running.
When we run by ourselves, we run a bit of a different route that allows Maddie to be off-leash for small stretches. This is good for both of us as it allows each of us to run at our own pace or, as in Maddie's case, chase that squirrel up the tree. We run past softball fields and ponds, through Carrolls Woods Park and experience a few hills.
Unbeknownst to me, part of our route was being used for a school race, so we were running into groups of young, energetic kids for about half a mile. They make it look so effortless. I hate them. Not really, I just felt my age - a lot.
We ran 5 miles with an average pace of 11:22 min/mile. Looking at my records from a year ago, that's almost the exact same pace. This was kind of discouraging, but I shouldn't let it be. At least I haven't slowed down!!
Today's run saw us out the door at 5 a.m. It's REALLY dark at 5 a.m. so I opted for the route we usually run with Sue & Josie as it's pretty well lit. I had a plan based on an idea my daughter gave me. I would run 10 minutes, walk 1. This went really well, but for a small change - I ran the first two miles without stopping then walked 1 minute. I worked this routine for the entire 5.75 mile route and averaged a 10:42 min/mile. Looking at my stats on mapmyrun.com, I really did keep it fairly tight for time.
I think I'm running very close to my donation miles but I've got about $750 dollars to make my goal. I'd sure appreciate the extra motivation and LLS would appreciate the donation.
In 2012, 300 LLS-supported research projects represented a total commitment of nearly $236 million around the world. Nearly $2.4 million is allocated right here in Minnesota! That's pretty impressive!
To make a donation - please go to http://pages.lightthenight.org/mn/TwinCt1212/reneehedstrom
Oh and I'm still looking for some tune suggestions! Leave a note with a song suggestion and why you think it'd be a good tune for running.
Thanks a bunch!!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Slowly but surely!
While I'm still not sure what's going on with my throat and all, what I do not is that it's not GERD or stomach cancer. It might be esophogeal spasms, it might not. I'm kind of fed up with the medical system at this point in time as they've done a great job of telling me what my problem ISN'T, but not a whole lot about what it is.
So, while I wait, when whatever it is isn't flaring up, I'm running with my buddy, Sue and our dogs. We crawl out of our beds, get dressed and meet at the corner near our homes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
At 4:30.
A.M.
Yup, that's right, 4:30 a.m. It's the best time of day for us to run together and still have time to get showered, dressed and to work. Sadly, she has a bit of a commute, so she doesn't get to catnap like I do before I go in. But, we get our 5 miles in and we're good.
A couple of mornings have been cancelled because my throat starts to spasm and it's going to be a rough one. I can't hardly swallow when it hits, let alone breath, so I have to back out of the run. This screws up my training schedule royally but I have to keep plugging away. When it feels good, I have to run, even if I don't run with Sue.
Saturday, I woke up, no pain, everything felt good, so with Maddie by my side and Carl on his bike, we hit the road and I was able to get in 6.17 miles before the road hit back. Unfortunately, I forgot about all the hills in the route we took and by mile 3.5, I was sucking air so loudly, Carl could hear me without his hearing aids. A couple drags on the albuterol inhaler, with short walk breaks as needed and boom, we were done.
So, it's coming together. Slowly, but time is stealing away from me so quickly. It's 4 weeks until the Light the Night walk and I have many more miles to run, many more dollars to raise.
And it got a little personal last week. My dad's first cousin, my second cousin, Larry, just announced that he's receiving chemo for lymphoma on his Facebook page. I'm copying his status here:
Worked four days this week, hope to put in a full week next week. The week after Labor Day will be two days. I will work tuesday and wednesday and have my second Chemo. For those that don't know yet, trying to kill those bad cells in my lymphs. I was diagnosed with Lymphoma few weeks ago. No sympathy, no pity, maybe a prayer. There will be no changes on my part, still Larry. No time for anything else.
I remember Larry as this really "cool, older" cousin, who lived on the farm outside of Greenbush that our great-grandparents lived in until they moved to town. He graduated from the same high school that my dad and I did, served time in the military, came back, married Nola and took up residence in the same farmhouse he grew up in. I probably have more memories of that farm than I do of Larry because we were separated by a lot of years, but he and Jack, my dad's other first cousin, were still the "cool, older" cousins (until the Nelson cousins, Dale & Rick came to town. They were from the city, so they were much, much cooler). Dad had a lot of shared memories with Jack and Larry, sometimes he'd share them with us, sometimes they'd share memories of Dad. I vaguely remember a wedding dance or two at Leo (aka St. Aloyius Catholic Church); Larry and Uncle Aulie getting up to do chores before school; the excitement when they got indoor plumbing and I think I can still hear the sound of Larry laughing at me when that damn goose would chase me into the outhouse prior to that new addition!
This is someone with whom I have some shared memories and some of the same genetic makeup. It's not a child that I meet a few times a year or one of the many survivors I know or with whom I work. It's family and family is everything.
And so I run.
So, while I wait, when whatever it is isn't flaring up, I'm running with my buddy, Sue and our dogs. We crawl out of our beds, get dressed and meet at the corner near our homes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
At 4:30.
A.M.
Yup, that's right, 4:30 a.m. It's the best time of day for us to run together and still have time to get showered, dressed and to work. Sadly, she has a bit of a commute, so she doesn't get to catnap like I do before I go in. But, we get our 5 miles in and we're good.
A couple of mornings have been cancelled because my throat starts to spasm and it's going to be a rough one. I can't hardly swallow when it hits, let alone breath, so I have to back out of the run. This screws up my training schedule royally but I have to keep plugging away. When it feels good, I have to run, even if I don't run with Sue.
Saturday, I woke up, no pain, everything felt good, so with Maddie by my side and Carl on his bike, we hit the road and I was able to get in 6.17 miles before the road hit back. Unfortunately, I forgot about all the hills in the route we took and by mile 3.5, I was sucking air so loudly, Carl could hear me without his hearing aids. A couple drags on the albuterol inhaler, with short walk breaks as needed and boom, we were done.
So, it's coming together. Slowly, but time is stealing away from me so quickly. It's 4 weeks until the Light the Night walk and I have many more miles to run, many more dollars to raise.
And it got a little personal last week. My dad's first cousin, my second cousin, Larry, just announced that he's receiving chemo for lymphoma on his Facebook page. I'm copying his status here:
Worked four days this week, hope to put in a full week next week. The week after Labor Day will be two days. I will work tuesday and wednesday and have my second Chemo. For those that don't know yet, trying to kill those bad cells in my lymphs. I was diagnosed with Lymphoma few weeks ago. No sympathy, no pity, maybe a prayer. There will be no changes on my part, still Larry. No time for anything else.
I remember Larry as this really "cool, older" cousin, who lived on the farm outside of Greenbush that our great-grandparents lived in until they moved to town. He graduated from the same high school that my dad and I did, served time in the military, came back, married Nola and took up residence in the same farmhouse he grew up in. I probably have more memories of that farm than I do of Larry because we were separated by a lot of years, but he and Jack, my dad's other first cousin, were still the "cool, older" cousins (until the Nelson cousins, Dale & Rick came to town. They were from the city, so they were much, much cooler). Dad had a lot of shared memories with Jack and Larry, sometimes he'd share them with us, sometimes they'd share memories of Dad. I vaguely remember a wedding dance or two at Leo (aka St. Aloyius Catholic Church); Larry and Uncle Aulie getting up to do chores before school; the excitement when they got indoor plumbing and I think I can still hear the sound of Larry laughing at me when that damn goose would chase me into the outhouse prior to that new addition!
This is someone with whom I have some shared memories and some of the same genetic makeup. It's not a child that I meet a few times a year or one of the many survivors I know or with whom I work. It's family and family is everything.
And so I run.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Update
It's been so hard to run lately. I've been dealing with a very disconcerting health issue. It's a constant feeling of having something stuck in my throat and spasms in my chest.
The first time it struck, I thought I was having a heart attack. A quick trip to the urgent care ruled it out and started off the first diagnosis of acid reflux/GERD. Another episode led to a trip to the ER followed by a subsequent visit to my regular doctor before seeing the gastroenterologist who ruled out GERD. More tests have been scheduled to determine if it's esophogeal spasms. Until then, I'm stuck with this "issue" with no relief to be had.
The feeling can strike at any time. It's hit during my runs and while I sleep. The pain can be quite disconcerting and all I can do is wait it out. My running time has gone from 10:30 per mile to almost 13 minute miles.
I have to keep going, I'm only at 40% of my goal and I need your encouragement more than ever.
Would you consider leaving a note? The name of a song to add to my playlist? Of course, I'd love your donations but I'll take encouragement of any type.
The first time it struck, I thought I was having a heart attack. A quick trip to the urgent care ruled it out and started off the first diagnosis of acid reflux/GERD. Another episode led to a trip to the ER followed by a subsequent visit to my regular doctor before seeing the gastroenterologist who ruled out GERD. More tests have been scheduled to determine if it's esophogeal spasms. Until then, I'm stuck with this "issue" with no relief to be had.
The feeling can strike at any time. It's hit during my runs and while I sleep. The pain can be quite disconcerting and all I can do is wait it out. My running time has gone from 10:30 per mile to almost 13 minute miles.
I have to keep going, I'm only at 40% of my goal and I need your encouragement more than ever.
Would you consider leaving a note? The name of a song to add to my playlist? Of course, I'd love your donations but I'll take encouragement of any type.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Okay, back to our regulary scheduled programming...
I'm back. It's that time again.
Time to put it out there for things I believe in ...
Causes worth fighting for ...
Fighting my lungs that don't want to pull in the air I need ...
Fighting sore muscles that don't want to push through ...
Fighting a new battle with GERD that wants to take away anything I have left after I've fought the other two ...
but it's nothing compared to those who are fighting to live ...
fighting to beat a blood cancer, lymphoma or prostate cancer ...
fighting to get their life back after cancer ...
This year, I'm asking folks to support either of these two causes
Light the Night - Minnesota, an evening walk to honor and celebrate leukemia and lymphoma patients and their families - my site is http://pages.lightthenight.org/mn/TwinCt1212/reneehedstrom
or
Dash for Dad - The Great Prostate Cancer Challenge - a 5k to raise awareness of prostate cancer. My site for this event is https://fundraising.active.com/fundraiser/ReneeHedstrom
The challenge is the same - for every $10.00 donated to either cause, I'll run 1 mile, $50.00 gets 5 miles, $100, I'll run 10 and once I hit $1,500, I'll run that half-marathon again.
Once again, I'll use this site to update you on my training and fundraising progress and hopefully provide you with laughter, motivation and food for thought.
Get ready - 'cause
Here.
We.
Go.
Time to put it out there for things I believe in ...
Causes worth fighting for ...
Fighting my lungs that don't want to pull in the air I need ...
Fighting sore muscles that don't want to push through ...
Fighting a new battle with GERD that wants to take away anything I have left after I've fought the other two ...
but it's nothing compared to those who are fighting to live ...
fighting to beat a blood cancer, lymphoma or prostate cancer ...
fighting to get their life back after cancer ...
This year, I'm asking folks to support either of these two causes
Light the Night - Minnesota, an evening walk to honor and celebrate leukemia and lymphoma patients and their families - my site is http://pages.lightthenight.org/mn/TwinCt1212/reneehedstrom
or
Dash for Dad - The Great Prostate Cancer Challenge - a 5k to raise awareness of prostate cancer. My site for this event is https://fundraising.active.com/fundraiser/ReneeHedstrom
The challenge is the same - for every $10.00 donated to either cause, I'll run 1 mile, $50.00 gets 5 miles, $100, I'll run 10 and once I hit $1,500, I'll run that half-marathon again.
Once again, I'll use this site to update you on my training and fundraising progress and hopefully provide you with laughter, motivation and food for thought.
Get ready - 'cause
Here.
We.
Go.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Time to start!
After a long hiatus, it's time to get the blogging going. It's going to be another training/educational/fundraising tracking blog but with a twist from last year. This year, I'm going to be participating in two fundraisers - the September Dash for Dad which benefits the prostate cancer research groups and the OBX - with my fundraising going towards the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society - Minnesota's Light the Night walk.
I'll update with more after I've had a bit of sleep.
I'll update with more after I've had a bit of sleep.
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