Big News!

I am so very excited! I will be participating in the 26th Marathon des Sables in Morocco, Africa from April 1 through April 11, 2011. I feel incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity. It will be a huge challenge for me, not necessarily because of the mileage, about 150 miles over six days (not to be taken lightly!) but because of the heat and my Addison's Disease. I will be going from below freezing temps to desert temps. I will need to figure out my salt intake and florinef adjustments rather quickly.

I already have a race number (597). I've been training as if I would participate in this race. I took all of November, after the Antelope Island 100k, off from running (not necessarily exercising) to give my body and mind a rest. I resumed a walk/run program in the beginning of December. This year, I am adding some cross training to keep me from getting muscular imbalances and more stress fractures. I've added pull ups 2X per week, yoga once a week, skate skiing in place of one of my runs and CrossFit when I can fit it in. We've got a new gym in Teton Valley! I've been doing a lot of running there instead of my cold, clammy garage or outside in the snow.

I am so looking forward to knocking a couple of things off my bucket list at one time. Since working Gemini Adventures Mountain RATS and Desert RATS a couple of summers ago, I've wanted to do a stage race. I wasn't able to run either of these races or work them again because both are in the summer and I just don't have time to do them now. Going to Africa is on my bucket list too. Yay!

I will post more about my training, heat training, pack training and Addison's in future posts.

2011 has arrived

Taylor Mountain from my office window.

I haven't posted much lately.  I have a ton to say but I'm not sure what people want to hear.  Please let me know in the comments or by emailing me.  I've got Addison's rants out the wazoo if you want to hear them.  I've got goals if you want to know them.  I am feeling well.  I am running well.  Working enough.  Keeping too busy!  Pictures for your enjoyment.

Shades of gray.  While out on Saturday's run, everything was gray.  It was bizarre.  I stared thinking my eyes were broken!

Eventually the skies cleared up a little bit.  That's Red Mountain in the background.  I can't wait for spring to be up on Red Mountain again.

Holy crap.  Something's green here in the middle of winter!

Snow breaks things.

Thin white line.  This is why I feel safer on a treadmill in the winter.  The actual running surface is the darker snow to the left of the white line.  The whiter snow is soft and dangerous.  I don't like cars.  I prefer to worry about bears and moose and be on trails.

This is an unoccupied osprey nest that a bald eagle is hanging out near.  No matter how many times I see the bald eagles, they take my breath away.  They are so beautiful.  They are huge.

Typical Idaho.  Snow three feet deep and discarded barbed wire still can break through.

Zero degree sun rise.

Vote to help National Organization for Rare Disorders - It's easy!

 

Vote to Help NORD Empower Patients and Families

NORD is in this month's Pepsi Refresh Challenge Project and needs your help!  In this project, organizations win grants by receiving the most votes in their category.  NORD has proposed an idea that has been accepted by Pepsi for the $50,000 category.  It is based on the belief that knowledge is power, and that rare disease patients and their families need information to be their own best advocates.
Specifically, NORD's idea is to update and expand the Rare Disease Database, a unique online resource that provides reports in patient-friendly language on more than 1,200 rare diseases.
You can read about NORD's idea and sign up to vote on the Pepsi Refresh website.  Every individual is allowed to vote once a day.  During the month of January, please vote every day in support of NORD's idea.  Please also share this link with your email contacts and Facebook friends.  If you would like to receive daily or weekly reminders from NORD to vote, sign up here.
The rare disease reports provide information on symptoms, causes, treatments, and clinical trials, as well as links to patient organizations and other sources of help.  NORD offers the reports free to individual patients and families through its website or via a tollfree phone number.  Often, those seeking reports have just gotten a diagnosis so it's especially important for them to have access to accurate, up-to-date information in language they can understand.
At the end of the month, the 10 ideas receiving the most votes will each be awarded $50,000 grants.  This would allow NORD to add several of the most requested topics to its database, in addition to updating several of the most requested current reports.
Please vote daily through the month of January in support of this project to empower rare disease patients and families, and please share the link with your friends and colleagues.

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