Is This a Pattern?

So I counted, and I've made every other hike so far. Or, I've missed every other hike so far,However you want to look at it.  The first hike I was out with the flu.  The third hike I was out with a sinus infection.  Is this becoming a pattern?

I sincerely hope not. I still have a lot of training to get under my belt! I think once we move out of this transitional state between winter and spring I will be more "sustainably" healthy.   I made it to the gym yesterday so that's a start. another start. 

I'm going to convince myself that this will only make me stronger....

The hike was absolutely gorgeous.  But let me back up a few hours and start at the beginning....

It started snowing on the drive out towards the coast, and we were in a minivan. Luckily we had chains, so as we got higher into the mountains and the roads got icier, we pulled over at a gas station to put them on.  Well, the driver (Michael) pulled over and the boys (Michael and Todd) put on the chains.  So, after we were all situated, off we went. We turned off the highway onto a park road and went about 7 miles to the trail head.  The park road wasn't plowed and it appeared as though we were the first there this AM, so it was up to us and our minivan to break trail and lay the tracks!

Shortly after we got there, a lady named Wendy who lives on the coast arrived, followed by Joe and Beth. They had come to tell us that the hike had been canceled.  Apparently the rest of the crew had gotten stuck at the tunnel a few miles back due to a bad accident.  Well, we had already made it out there, so we decided to go for our hike anyway.  As far as we were concerned, the hard part was over!

The skies were blue and clear, and the hike was steep and covered in snow! It was about a foot deep in most places.  The views were absolutely stunning.  There were a few points on the trail where you got a good view of the valley below:  a smattering of treetops dusted with snow and tree branches definitively outlined in white.  It was such a great day for a snow hike!

It was supposed to be about a 5 mi hike but it ended up being about a 4 mi hike.  Not too far in distance but the elevation gain was substantial, making the trail steep in a few spots.  The trail had begun to wash away, so there were areas that had been rebuilt with rocks and caging holding it all together.  I think the snow and ice actually helped hold it all together. 

We stopped on our way down from the top and had a quick lunch at a picnic table....one thing you learn is that when you are hiking in the cold, as soon as you stop you get really cold. Or at least i do.  So, it was on with the thick, puffy down jacket to keep warm while we ate.  

The hike back was relatively easy; though slippery in some spots, it was mostly cushioned by the powder.  This was a hike that I truly enjoyed!  

Training Week

It was time to get back into the swing of things.  Since the hike on Saturday went fairly well, I felt good about being over the bug.  This week I went to the gym four days, alternating between leg work and swimming.  

We went swimming today, and after we got back from the gym we went for a hike in a nearby park.  The ground was pretty muddy from the rain over the last few days. But it felt good to be outside breathing in clean air and being surrounded by nature. There is a creek that runs the length of the trail in the park, and in some areas it got so deep it was almost a river.  

Tomorrow we hike up Saddle Mountain.  It's on the coast so it will be about a 2hr. drive ( a little less), but the forecast is wet and cold.  It was supposed to snow, which I had really hoped would happen, but it looks like it will just be rain.  My only hope is that the wind doesn't blow too hard. 

Stay tuned!

Gone With the Wind

I attended my first training hike on Saturday.  When I stepped outside our apartment building to go to my car, I looked up at the sky and soaked in what felt like the beginning of a nice day.  It wasn't that cold, and the skies were clear.  A great day for a  hike!

We gathered at the Safeway parking lot near the falls to carpool to the trailhead.  When I got out of my car, the first thing that greeted me from the Gorge was a huge gust of wind! I don't know what the winds measured, but i think it would be safe to say they felt like they were going at least 30 mph.  I was not expecting this, that's for sure. Hmmm....maybe being in a Gorge had something to do with it? Not to mention "The Gorge" famous for world-class wind surfing.  

The wind was bitter cold.  I couldn't wait to leave and head off to the trail where hopefully the trees would block most of the wind.  After about a half hour of getting organized, we took off.  

The actual hike wasn't as windy, thank goodness.  But  by the time we were sheltered, the wind had made its way into my bones and my nose was running like hell.  I was Snotty Sami for the entire hike! My body felt great and recharged despite having been recently sick. By the end of the hike though my knees were pretty tired.  All the straight down hill was beginning to take its toll.  I'm afraid it might be time to start doing squats....

It was a 5.5 mi. hike at Multnomah falls, and included a 1600 ft. elevation gain.  The hike was uphill all the way for the first 3 mi or so, and then it was all downhill from there. The trail was covered in snow, ice, mud, rock, dirt, pavement, you name it, the trail transformed! I definitely was not expecting that either!

The people were all nice enough, and I enjoyed myself.  I was back home by around noon, and I spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch! LOL. After my hot shower, I was out of commission!  I was sneezing every few minutes , blowing my nose when I wasn't sneezing, and trying to rehydrate myself all at the same time.  But after a restful afternoon, a fondue dinner, and a good night's sleep, I was as good as new! 

Digging Deep

I sent out my fundraising letter today, and I was not ready for what followed. What followed, was an influx of emails from people I wasn't expecting to hear from personally, telling me how touched they were by my story  and thankful that I shared it with them.  

It was such a sentimental moment for me, I was pretty bummed that my day at work was distractingly hectic, and that I wasn't able to sit and reflect at the time.

But now I have some quiet time....

The story  I talk about in my letter was such a pivotal, life-altering experience for me; and the fact that it all happened when I was 10 added a unique twist to it all.  I can honestly say I feel forever changed, and forever different from most, as a result.  

When you're 10, you aren't supposed to be thinking-every single waking moment--about how lucky people are to be able to walk, how many take for granted a gift that they don't realize they even have, and how easily it can all be taken away.  

But I was.  I was thinking about that, and more, at age 10. 

I remember wondering, in the recovery room of the hospital, if any of my friends had been hurt in the accident and if they were ok.  I remember hoping my friend Region hadn't gotten hurt because his family didn't have a lot of money (his dad was a carpenter for our neighbor) and they wouldn't have been able to afford the hospital bills. 

I remember sitting in the wheelchair after physical therapy every morning, waiting for my car to pick me up.  And instead of looking at the faces of passers-by, I would watch their feet, and how they moved and glided effortlessly across the pavement, so unlike my own at the time.  

I remember at physical therapy, I had a crush on this guy who was really into Stephen King.  I pretended to be fond of his books as well, so that I could have an excuse to talk to him and borrow his books that I never read. His name was Mike and he was there because he had polio. 

I remember how one of my doctors was also a celebrity singer in Manila, Nonoy Zuniga. He had a crush on my mom, and found excuses every now and then to come to the house for a "doctor's visit". 

 

I remember, before I was strong enough for crutches, making my way down the stairs in my two story house on my butt, step by step. Or, if my dad was over visiting (my parents were divorced by then), he would carry me up and down the stairs.  

I remember needing help in the shower to bathe. I would sit on a stool while the maid or one of my parents bathed me.  I spent a lot of time on my butt at home, that's how I got around, pulling myself around the house with the help of my arms,  backwards on my butt.  What a sophisticated floor mop we had then! 

I remember being home schooled right after the accident so that I wouldn't fall behind a whole year. It was right after new years, and there were three months left in that school year.  The school had agreed to send a teacher over.  I don't remember how often she came, but I think I was subject to the same homework and tests that everyone else was.

I remember how ugly my leg had looked, with all the gouges and the skin graft, and the scars, and wondering who would ever find me attractive after the damage to my leg.  

I remember covering my leg up with an ace wrap long after it was needed for support, simply because I was embarrassed of how my leg looked. 

I remember going back to school in June, when I was strong enough to be on crutches, and how everyone stared as I made my way down the halls. It was as if no one had ever seen anyone on crutches before.  And slowly after came the teasing and the rude remarks about how ugly my leg looked. 

And the most vivid memory I have, is the day I was able to move my toes.I was acutely aware of God's presence, of life and how miracles happen, and how they could very easily not happen.  I later on thought to myself that since I had probably gotten my "one miracle allotment", that I ought to be careful not to put myself in a situation where I would need another one!

And here I am, all signed up for Mt. Hood!

I remember  my last day at Physical therapy: there was a sort of farewell party for me, and I remember feeling sad that more than likely, Mike would never have one, that he would have to keep going for a really long time, because Polio is not something you can outgrow.  Though I kept hoping that Mike would get a miracle just like me, and that someday he might find himself walking again. 

I don't know whatever happened to Mike, and if he ever got that miracle. 

This climb is for Mike, and everyone else out there who might not have a chance, a privilege, to climb a mountain.  This climb is in memory of my grandfather who died of lung disease. I will climb this mountain with my beloved dog Guss' tireless energy and enormous heart, as I will need both to see me through to the summit and back. 

It is truly a privilege, a gift, that I am able to walk everyday.  And I hope I do not live to see the day I forget this. 

I found a handmade necklace on etsy engraved with the words "embrace your journey".  

The phrase has been haunting me ever since. That's what it's all about: every person has his or her own story, journey, whatever you want to call it.  And it's not about looking at someone else's life and trying to match up to that, but looking at your own and being content with figuring out what you can make of it.  

It sounds like such a simple concept, but in reality it's quite difficult to pull off. 

I hope this experience teaches me to embrace my life's journey. 

The Culprit

So I stopped wearing my boots, and so far so good. My knees are holding up ok. The training has been going ok.  I think two "ok"s in a row equals a "so-so".  I've been swimming, and I went for a short 2 mi run, but at the end my knee felt funny, so I'm kind of hesitant about running. The crappy part about giving it up (for now) is that I enjoy it! If I didn't have the climb to worry about I might keep pushing the envelope until my knee got to the point where the pain was unbearable. 

But, there is the climb, and so I'm thinking of alternatives. And strengthening my legs. 

Biking will be the likely replacement>it works the legs and involves minimal impact to the knees.  But the dilemma with biking is the cold; it's easier to run in the cold than bike in the cold.  And I REALLY hate indoor biking, it's the most boring form of indoor exercise.  Worse than a treadmill.  Hmm.....

The weekend training hikes begin this Sunday.  I can't wait. Except Dean is deathly ill with the flu as I type this, and I am trying not to get too excited about the hike in case I come down with it as well.  Will I manage to skirt the evil flu bug?

Our friends were up visiting over the weekend, so there was much drinking and little resting. One of our friends got sick the day before he left, so that's probably where Dean got his cooties from.  

I don't know what it is about getting older, but it seems as though every day, there is something new to discover about the body.  And that something new, isn't always desirable: Achy bones. headaches. stress. perpetually tired. get sick easily. droopiness where it never had been before. dry hair. must i go on? i am depressing myself. 

Let's see how i fare over the weekend. 

The Cowboy Walk

It was a busy week off.  Once i started feeling better, it was wednesday and I had to fly to SF for work, back in Portland late Friday night.  We went to the gym on Sunday for what I thought was a good work out; I felt refreshed from the week off, ran 2 miles and swam a mile and a half.

 

That evening, as Dean and I were walking to the car to go to the Reach the Summit kick off party, my knee started acting up. I had my new favorite pair of cowboy boots on, going down some stairs and i felt a sharp pain on the outside of my right knee.  A wave of familiar panic rushed through me, as if it were a bolt of lightning  emanating from my leg and into my stomach.  I was taken back to my knee injury that happened while I was training for a marathon almost 7 yrs ago; I had to stop at mile 6. 

Back then, I knew exactly when it happened, which wrong step I took that had set me down a really painful path that lasted months and removed me from the running. No pun intended.  This time, though, was different.  My run felt fine, good in fact. I felt like I had gotten to the point where 2 miles felt like a warm up (I didn't run further because I had guss with me and I didn't want to push him too far).  I was at the point where runs were fun, a break in the day where I could free myself from everything that felt suffocating and weighted.  

And in that single moment, as the pain shot from my knee, my brain quickly rushed into denial.  I didn't want to face what could likely be the return of a long-ago injury.  Because that would mean giving up running at least temporarily, that would mean giving up the escape, and it would mean opening up to the idea of this climb being something beyond reach. 

I still don't want to admit to any of it.  My knee doesn't bother me when I walk or go up stairs. Only down stairs, and only at certain angles.  I'd like to get an MRI done so I can find out what's going on in there.  It's hard not knowing, guessing, wondering, and hoping that it was all a fluke. Maybe my new cowboy boots were just forcing me into a weird walking stance.  

Yeah, that's it.  

Balance

I'm feeling a little under the weather today. If I keep telling myself I'm not getting sick, maybe my body will listen to me. It feels a bit like the onset of a cold, but I'm hoping it's just my body recovering from the physical stress of working out  a lot.  

We went to the gym on saturday...I ran (2 mi) and swam (1/2 mi) and lifted weights. Yesterday was  a rest day, in part due to the Superbowl and in part due to my body's inability to do much else.  It looks like today will be a bit of the same, except that my mind will be occupied with work stress.  Eeew.

I want to talk a little bit about what I've gotten myself into, because I just realized that I haven't really laid it all out for everyone to digest:

-Mt. Hood is the tallest mountain in Oregon, reaching a height of 11, 237 ft.

-The climb will begin at 1 AM from a starting elevation of ~ 8,000 ft. and we should be back at camp by around 10 AM

-The climb is scheduled for the middle of June when the weather patterns on the mountain have stabilized

-Although most of Portland will be in summer mode in June, the peak stays a bit chilly, as the mountain has a glacier on top of it. 

-Average temps during the climb are expected to be in the 20s, and colder if it's windy

-The mountain face and peak at the elevations we will be climbing are covered in snow, which will require the use of crampons, an ice axe for self arresting, and roping into your team mates at certain points. 

-Weekly training hikes with the Team officially begin at the end of February. I've been on a solo mission to get into good shape for this climb, to ensure my safety and to make sure that Dean isn't up at night worrying about me.

More important than all of the statistics above is the "why" of the climb.  Reach the Summit is sponsored by the American Lung Association of Oregon.  They are a non-profit that derives most of its funding from fundraising activities such as this one.  They are also funded by government grants and donations. Their organization allocates their funds towards Lung Disease research, fighting for clean air, and raising awareness on Lung Disease.  

Did you know that every day in America, at least 11 people die from Asthma attacks?  I was astounded by this figure.  I mean, we live in America, where education and research into illnesses is light-years ahead of other countries....imagine what the rates are in third-world nations? 

Thursday I was an Elephant

There are moments while you're swimming where you feel as graceful as a dolphin, skimming just above the water in fluid movements. Then, there are the rest of the moments: where you feel like a clumsy and slow moving elephant, plunking through the water. Plunk. Plunk. Plunk.  As I approached the 1 & 1/2 mile mark in the pool the other day, I was definitely elephant.  My back had tightened up so much it was hard to relax my muscles. I felt as heavy and dense as a boulder. I was glad it was over. Big sigh. 

I enjoy swimming, I do. It's the one form of exercise Dean can do without much pain to his knees, and it typically is a "lengthening" exercise easy on the joints and good for recovery training days.  I had just never swam that far before, so, it really wasn't a recovery day.  The day AFTER, however, was recovery day.  :-)

Yesterday I met with the program coordinator for Reach the Summit to talk about fundraising. I had a lot of mixed feelings and anxiety about the idea of raising so much money by a certain deadline, but after talking to her about it, I felt better.  Yeah, I still have to do the work, and it won't necessarily be easy, but she's been there before.  She's helped others like me.  She had some good ideas, and she seemed like she would have answers to the questions that are bound to come up later on.  

So, if there's less anxiety about the fundraising, why am I still procrastinating over writing my fundraising letter?

  

I resembled a smoker today

It was cold enough to see my breath. The first thought that crossed my mind while running alongside traffic was how I probably resembled a smoker.  OK, maybe that thought was third to "ouch my lungs burn" and " i can feel my nose start to drip".  I was actually tempted to try and blow smoker's rings into the dark night above me. But I was afraid I'd lose my focus or trip, so I just kept running.  

It really wasn't that cold once my body warmed up (about a half mile into the run). I'd say it was in the upper 30s to low 40s, somewhere in there.  By the time winter bleeds into spring, I'll probably be acclimated to the cold of the Pacific Northwest.LOL. 

I really enjoy being out in the element, be it cold or rain, sunshine or snow.  Maybe it's cause I'm cooped up all day behind a desk breathing in recycled air. Or maybe it's just the way I'm wired.  Whatever the reason is, the enjoyment of being outside has always been clear to me.  To what extent, now therein lies the question.

Will that enjoyment still be present when I climb the 11,000 + ft. mountain peak that has a year-round glacier?  Will it be present when I'm huffing-and-puffing my ass to the top?  Will it be there when my toes feel like they are no longer my own? Will it be there when climbing the snow-packed mountain face puts you in a vertical position?

I will have to get back to you on that.  :-) 

www.reachthesummit.us/samricca

So it appears that this blog entry won't be about training, as today was a rest day. 

This is actually quite neat, sharing my journey with others, both those close to me and the curious anonymous beings of the internet .  

There are many reasons why I want to take part in this endeavor.  There is the obvious reason of helping a non-profit raise money to fund research for Lung Disease.  But then there are the many other reasons, some small some big, that when added up, become a mountain all on their own:

There's Guss, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.  There's my grandpa who died of unconfirmed lung disease (he was 98 so they didn't feel it was safe nor worthwhile to figure it out).  There's the thought of less-fortunate countries relying on foundations such as this one to bring forth the medical answers to their nations. There's my leg accident when I was 10 and the doctors saying I'd never walk again. There's my husbands knees that are perpetually achey due to all the crazy things he did as a "younger" man such as being a paratrooper in the military.  There's the desire to do something you never imagined you'd be capable of doing. And then there's that curiosity about the view from the top! I could go on, but it would get very long and eventually uninteresting.  

So I've got the motivation to train for the climb, and the reasons why my mind and heart will propel me through the tough times. Now, all I need to do is start thinking of how to raise the money I will need to be part of the team.

Suggestions are welcome!!! :-) 

Day One

There is something ominous about "day 1". 

Day 1 is always full of hope, but it's also full of blind corners. You're at the point where you're not really sure what you're made of, but you're naive enough to believe that no challenge is one too great.    

Anytime you start a blog about an endeavor that is worthy of tracking the days you've been preparing for it, you know it will be something noteworthy.  And painful. It holds the promise of being something greater than anything you've ever stood before, something that is going to push your buttons and force you to dig deep. 

Today I ran 4 miles, outside in the cold.  The first mile I really felt the cold--in my lungs and on my fingertips.  Thoughts of hiking Mt. Hood in the cold kept me going though, and soon enough my body warmed up.  After that it was all mind games. Well, up until the very end of my run when my achilles started tightening up and bothering me.  Then it was about body aches and mind games.  But I was set on running 4, and run 4 I did.  After that was a little ab work and weight training.  I was pooped. 

Stay tuned for day 2.  (Hmmm....is day 2 "training day 2" or the day after I've started day 1? Hmmm...I will have to think about this one a bit). 

Ok, erase day 2.  Stay tuned for my next blog entry.  :-)