The New Normal...The Tiger Runs

Angela Ivory died at 44, I remember checking her car at 3am at Run Like the Wind, and she told me ...just taking a break on her 24 hour event. I will miss her, she was fine and humble and a woman.
This is something she wrote before her death to cancer...

She never asked"why me?"
The answer would have been"why not me?
But she's hurting, she's sick, and she's tired
Your strong, they tell her
She feels like a fraud
She feels weak, sad and mad
You look good, they tell her
But her eyes are yellow
She's lost 25 pounds
She's losing her hair again
Neuropathy has taken over her left foot, and both hands
What has happened to her body, mind, and spirit?
A force stonger than her has taken over
She wonders how she will make it through another day
Too much chemotherapy, radiation,injections, pills, blood tranfusions,
and hospital stays
It's enough to drive a sane woman crazy
But she keeps going
Not knowing how to give up or give in
It could be worse she tells herself
But it's no comfort
She misses being herself
She misses feeling good, full of energy,and being happy
She wants her life back
She can't adjust to the new normal
It sucks big time
She watches another beautiful day from her window
I want to run again, she says
Instead she shuffles back to her couch, in front of the television
Sitting, tears in her eyes, and gasping for air, she knows she can't even walk before feeling faint
One day, she'll run again
She knows in her heart that the new normal has to be temporary
She will be well again
Patience shes never had would come in handy now
Hope is all that remains
She has to believe....

Goodbye Angela.....your running again in my mountains, clouds and sky!

The Surge

End of Feb. I plodded along enjoying running the marathon with thousands of others, I carried a water bottle, filled it when it needed filling and could go on past the crowds of the 26 aid stations. I have always preferred a water bottle until the Nathan came along, which I got to avoid any more strain from carrying the water bottles. That night as I was cooking my line partner looked frightened pointing to my hand, which sported a welt. It was decided to be just a ganglion cyst, no big, and no pain( this was before my DNS at Mass). The hand doc wasn't buying that, the X-rays didn't show that, and we went to the knife last Friday. So it's been a week and all is well or so it seems. I am looking to Tuesday for my four week cast, wanting to run though would be ok if it wasn't for this towel wrap of a bandage which I figure will just sponge all my sweat into a nice stinking mess. Maybe I'll wait to run right before I go in for the cast and then we take it off, clean up the wound,pull stitches,and who's to care? Boodini looks at the wrap, sniffs, lucky for me she isn't disapproving of the get up.She doesn't like things sometimes.

The Pontchatrain Flipper

Yes again Katrina shows her Ugly hand. In Lake Pontchatrain there is a lone dolphin who made his way into the huge lake with it's 26mile bridge when Katrina connected it with the gulf.He was left behind and has made his life there. But he has gotten pissed somewhat and bitten people, and they don't want to stand for that. They could move him back to the sea where he could die or swim back, and Fish and Wildlife now have to make a decision. Guess we might be edgy too if we went through Katrina, stuck out by oneself, maybe he needs a girlfriend, maybe it isn't Disney World, and he is wild. Nevertheless there are many bad effects on animals still to this day going on, and are they even getting better? The answer is behind those eyes of Boodini...

Bodie

So at Western States 100M with the final minutes ticking down into the stadium for the final 330yds comes Randy Van Dusen, along side on his final victory lap, is his partner K9 Bodie! Bodie limped along sometimes just on his three good legs and crossed the finish line, they were together side by side. Bodie had to be with his partner when Van Dusen emerged on the track,and the crowds were on their feet and roared in cheer!
 The week before Bodie had run down a car thief in Sacramento, and the perp shot Bodie in the right leg and mouth. Van Dusen then finished off the thief. Bodie almost didn't make it from the massive blood loss and complications, but pulled thru. Bodie had been in the line of duty for a couple of years and caught a Xmas burglar and searched for victims. The Two Policeman are Sacramento's Finest and they are still together because what they say is their persistence.

Absorbing

Reading seems to be taking hold. Since the debackle in Virginia where I sponged up two novels in three days, now I am relentlessly killing one after another. Everything was good until this collection of fictional short stories. For once I can read and not fully comprehend what the author is saying, and I have always been told " you know, I have no idea what the hell your writing about". But I decided that as a discipline I will read on and finish, even though.....

Squaw Valley

In a few hours 386 ultra runners will run thru the Sierras in the great Western States 100. Having received 3 buckles there it reminded me of my stay before and after in Tahoe City, the year Rick and I shared a cabin. It was his first leg of the Grand Slam that I had managed to accomplish two years prior. Two years in a row at 4am I would drive in to the start and both times I would sight a large timber wolf running by my vehicle. So needless to say, as I followed Rick in his car toward the start at the Mtn. edge that year I was wondering where was my Wolf? Just as I thought it, out some thirty yards appears a large brown bear. When we pull up to park I ask Rick if he saw the bear, he said" Oh yes sir, it was standing waving at me as I went by". I thought to myself, what omen was this? It would be a Bear of a day!

Thru an Open Window

Once all the doors are locked and all the doors are closed behind you, it's best to look for an escape thru an open window. How did one ever get in this predicament. Who would have guessed. But there is a window and now biding time and then we will spring free. Really you have to wait and wait till things gel for awhile. But I dare say there is a possibility that doing the AT or the PCT over 4200 miles of trail is definitely on Boodini's bucket list, but at our age there is only that damn window!