42 days to the Vineman and counting down!

The NADF received another $50 on Friday. Thanks Ellen!!

Friday was a good training day and my head's back in the training mode. I ran for 2 hours and rode my bike to town to pick up the mail.

Today I was a little sore but not sore enough to not go out for my long ride today. I had some great company, my husband Paul. Paul makes my training possible in every single way. Thanks Paul! That's him in the picture below.

We rode out to Green Canyon Hot Springs, across the dry farms and back home. We didn't swim in the hot springs because it was full of small, screaming kids. It was a nice but windy day. The wind gusts were between 15 and 20 miles per hour. The views were absolutely spectacular on the way home! Tonight I feel pretty good after eating and taking a shower. I increased my HC by 15 mg for this workout and I think this was a good move.


















This is the Teton River. The spots are swallows. See the fisherman in the distance?

We saw a moose on the side of the road on the way into Green Canyon!




Point of interest at the hot spring.












A spud barn that's still in use.











Me riding on the highway.

















Great view from Tetonia, Idaho.








The signs at the Spud Drive In are a constant source of humor. The one above is how the sign looked at 11 am. Below is how the sign looked at 4 pm!

Zane trains with me today

Well, all of these pictures are going to look the same since I once again spent time at the southern end of Grand Teton National Park. My son, Zane, actually suggested that we hike together today so I bagged the run I was supposed to do in favor of spending time with my one and only son. The above picture is Zane at Bradley Lake. It was beautiful! Zane unsuccessfully hunted minnows. Here's some video of Zane in Taggart Lake.

I forgot to mention, this is the Lake I couldn't find last week when I went to Bradley Lake, misread a sign and headed off in the wrong direction for a couple of miles last Tuesday!

After the hike, Zane and I went to the Jackson Recreation Center where I swam and he sat in the lobby and read.

I'm pretty tired right now! Tomorrow is a 2 hour run and a bike ride. It was actually hot here today (high 80s) and will be again tomorrow so I'm going to attempt to get out the door as early as possible tomorrow - that will probably not be until 8 am.

Good news: I went and caught my doctor last night at the hospital (I was there for a meeting). He upped my prescription to accommodate my training needs and a little extra so I have enough coverage for sickness and races! He also gave me orders for all of the labs I thought might need to be done because of my increased training and the warm temperatures: renin, chem panel, TSH, FT3, FT4, HgA1C (this was a little high last time it was done) and Ferritin (mine was low and endurance exercise can drive it lower). My doctor rocks!!

Pictures for those who are interested...Zane and I, Taggart Lake in the background
















Flexing!

NADF Fundraising Update

The NADF Fundraising effort is coming along slowly but surely! The NADF received $200 more yesterday. Thank you Pam and Jeanne! Thanks also to Wanda, Virginia, Betsy and my cousin Stephanie!!

The NADF is is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support, information and education to individuals having Addison's disease as well as other diseases of the adrenal glands.

Twofer

Tuesday (June 19) wasn't the best day physically. I was feeling sore and tired from Monday's workout. Mentally, my brain was starting to come back from last week's migraine trauma. It was spinning a mile a minute. I decided to spend the day in my office sorting, organizing and scheduling. It was time well spent.

Wednesday (June 20) I hit the road and went "around the block". It was a beautiful day and I was lucky enough to see the eagles in the picture above. It was a good ride despite the brutal headwind on one stretch. I'm still not back to what I ought to be because I'm grouchy, tired and unappreciative of the beauty around me. The ride wore me out. When I get tired physically, I tend to have trouble thinking and completing tasks. I got through the day though. A shower usually helps me pull myself a together a little! Here are some pictures from my ride.

A view North toward Driggs on our bike path.













Not a good picture but this is the Spud Drive In. It's on the National Register of Historic Places and it's also a fun place to spend an evening.

Cool old homestead. See the Tetons in the distance?













Another cool old homestead. This one backs up against the Big Hole Mountains.

Walking the Line

It took until 1 pm for me to get my butt out the door. I was feeling lethargic and unsure about going so far away from home when not feeling my best. With Addison's, sometimes you're not sure if getting out and exercising is going to make you feel better or much, much worse. This was one of those times for me! Usually if I get going and feel weak, I will turn around and go home. Today, I felt okay and kept going. I rode my bike up to Teton Canyon in Wyoming. It's about 15 miles from my house. I ride through Alta, Wyoming to get to Teton Canyon.


Here's the view looking up Teton Canyon at the Grand (this time from the west side of the Tetons, the pictures below are from the east side).

Once in Teton Canyon, I transitioned at the side of the road and ran for a while on some dirt roads and some trails. The picture of the river is Teton Creek. I rode home and was happy to be done. I actually feel the same as I did when I was trying to get motivated this morning, tired and lethargic. I'm glad I went out today. Sometimes it's tough to decide to stay or go.

REALLY BAD DAY

Saturday was a beautiful day. Paul spent it digging a big hole where we are going to plant an evergreen. I, however, spent the day trying not to throw up. I was exhausted too. I ended up taking 50 mg of HC for the day and not even feeling it. I had no trouble falling asleep that night either.

Sunday I spent organizing training and planning for the Vineman. No exercise on Sunday. I was still tired and feeling the need to conserve energy. 48 days until the Vineman! I missed my big workouts for the weekend. I've got to accept the fact that I'm not like everyone else and can't push through feeling bad. I've got an Addison's friend who can push through feeling bad and she still trains. She's amazing and she knows who she is!!

The Aftermath

I woke up on Wednesday feeling tired and grumpy but passable. Things quickly went from bad to worse. I got a migraine about mid-day and promptly became sore all over and nauseous. All exercise plans for the day were sidelined.

At 3:30 am Thursday I awoke with another migraine. As a result, Thursday was shot to hell too!

Friday I awoke at 4:45 am and was unable to go back to sleep. Overall I felt OK for the day. I ran errands, visited with friends and rode "Around the Block". "Around the Block" is a 25+ mile loop along the bike path, across the river and back to the bike path. It was nice but the wind was blowing pretty fiercely!

Training Ground

Well, here I go with my first real post. On Tuesday, June 12th I did my first big training day. I drove over to Jackson, Wyoming and used their fancy pool. I swam 1,500 yards in thirty minutes, got on the bike and road into Grand Teton National Park. I rode the bike on the outer road to Moran. The view of the Tetons was perfect all day long. To the left is a view of the Tetons from Moose. From Moran, I went down the Inner Loop Road to Taggert Lake. At Taggert Lake, I ran up to Bradley Lake and beyond. I kind of missed the turn to get to Taggart Lake so I ended up doing a little extra mileage (7.5 miles instead of 5.5). I hopped on my bike and rode back to Jackson.

I really felt pretty good and stayed hydrated. I doubled my Florinef the morning of the ride and only upped my hydrocortisone by 7.5 mg...not enough.