Category Archives: Photos

Exercise, Health, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Running

Week #9 Marathon Training 2.0

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Training for a race does not always go as planned. This week was definitely an example of that. A lot happened, not to me, but to friends and family I love, and I had to put running on the back burner to be there for them. And that’s okay. I think I was needing the break from running anyway, so it worked out just fine.

I managed to squeeze in one run last week, 5.02 miles on the treadmill to avoid the heat. It took me at least half a dozen tries to get a photo of the digits on my treadmill because when you stop, the display blinks. So that was a fun exercise in patience.

I also got a leg workout in on Monday at the gym. I think I could have pushed harder on leg day, because I wasn’t sore at all the next day. I keep track of the weights I use on each machine, so I’ll be sure to increase it next week. Usually after a hard, productive workout you feel it the next day and you shrug/smile because you know your muscles are getting stronger as they are healing from the hurt. Oh! If that isn’t a metaphor for life, I don’t know what is.

I did see my primary doctor and talked about the pains that show up when I’m running for long distances. He said to keep wearing the ankle brace and the knee strap, and that should protect those areas from damage. As long as the pain is manageable and goes away with rest, I shouldn’t have anything to worry about long term. When I asked about the big toe he told me what I was experiencing was called “turf toe” and gave me some exercises to work on at home. When I continued to ask questions he agreed to refer me for x-rays in both the toe and the ankle to be sure that there wasn’t any underlying damage there. It was nice to have some professional input to allay my fears.

So that was my week. Not very exciting as far as the marathon training goes. This next week I end with a 20 miler, and I’m strategizing the best way to get that accomplished so stay tuned for that. My subtotal of marathon training is now 144.27, with a grand total of 337.27 once you add in the half marathon training miles. 69 days to race day!

Cochlear implant, Deafness, Exercise, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Running, Visually Impaired

Week #8 Marathon training 2.0

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  • First run of the week, 75 minutes, 5.4 miles

My second run of the week almost didn’t happen. I had a lot going on this week, I guess. However, thanks to my new gym membership, I was able to get it done after dinner! The display on their machines is nice and bright and easy to read, but it shuts off after 65 minutes so that’s all I ran that day.

I love running by this house. They have a water bowl set out in the front yard and the sign above it reads, “Water for your dog! Or short people with low standards. We don’t judge.”

Hallelujah the bridge is not flooded!
So stoked to be able to continue on the trail
Gorgeous views
Shining water, and some ducks I believe

I really was having fun on this Saturday long run. I was so excited to see that the bridge wasn’t flooded, even though it had been raining that morning. It looks like they put new pavement in to raise the trail up a bit, and that’s likely why it stayed dry. It allowed me to continue on the trail, which made me pretty happy. It’s a really nice trail. Lots of wild flowers blooming, and I heard a lot of birds chirping. Didn’t see any bunnies though.

Since I had to delay starting my run due to the rain, the temperature caught up with me. It was up around 80 degrees even before I was halfway done, and I was slowing down considerably. I was finishing up my 11th mile and was on a long stretch of trail that had zero shade. I had been keeping up on my run/walk intervals but it was on this trail that I could no longer run. On one of my 60 second walk breaks I quickly realized I was in no shape to start running again. I knew my body would not be able to carry me another 6 miles. I called my husband and he came to pick me up.

I tried to tell myself this was not a failure, nor me giving up. This was me making a wise decision to protect my health and wellbeing. I still have lots of training left to do, and I’m still getting stronger. But I still worry some, because I really want to do well at this marathon. Whatever well means for me, anyway. Better than the first one, I guess.

I’m still worried about injuries. My knee, my ankle, my big toe. All of these problem areas are doing mostly okay, as long as I run with protection. I wrap the ankle and the knee, and I buddy tape the big toe. It all seems to be preventing injury but I’m planning on talking to my doctor this week to be sure.

So Saturday’s run turned out to only be 11 miles, not 17. I tried to get the remaining 6 miles in today, but it was again too hot and I have been dealing with stomach issues so I only got in an extra 2. Total mileage for the week was 22.78 which still isn’t too shabby, right? Half marathon training miles of 193 plus 139.25 marathon training miles brings me to a total of 332.25 miles. There are 77 days to the marathon and many more miles to train! Let’s goooo!

Decluttering, Friends, Hobbies, Music, Photos, Running

My Renovated Hutch

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What you see pictured here is my renovated secretary hutch!! The whole of it is sage green and the interior is an off-white called “drop cloth”. The new handles are a rectangular brushed silver (I think). I removed the little drawers and bill holders from the interior because who needs bill holders anymore? I replaced it with a silver paper tray and drawer unit that I found on Amazon and I’m stoked that it fits absolutely perfectly. It’s almost like I knew what I was doing. I still have some lighting to put up inside the desk area and always a bit of tweaking here and there but I would say for the most part, it’s complete! It was done drying last Friday but I had to order my new desk organizer and the pad for my laptop so I waited to show y’all when those were in place. Since this photo was taken, my husband drilled a hole in the back so the cords are all hidden and out of the way.

When I’m not using the desk area, I’m still able to fold that flap up and access the three drawers underneath. The top two drawers hold all my running clothes and gear, and the bottom drawer holds some miscellaneous items, including all of the music CDs I am not willing to get rid of (yet? I don’t know). There’s also a small CD player in there so yes, I have the capability to listen to the CDs. They just still don’t sound the same as they did before I became deaf. So I don’t pull them out very often. But they are all still really important to me, probably even more than the books I’ve painfully discarded over the past ten years, and they don’t take up much space, so I’m keeping them for now.

I’m so excited to use this desk now. I was using it every single day already, but now I can breathe a lot better while using it. I had fallen in love with this hutch because of its functionality, but now I’ve fallen in love all over again because it’s a color and style that I chose.

So that’s the big reveal, folks. My newly renovated hutch. I have to give all the credit to my friend who suggested we do this, and did the bulk of the work. It looks and feels amazing.

Exercise, Family, Health, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Running, Stories, Vacation

Marathon Training Week #7

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This week was interesting. I feel like I said that last week, but it’s true. They all have a little different flavor from the previous. This first photo you’ll see below is after a happy 5.08 mile run. I ran for a planned 70 minutes, and that’s the distance I ended with, in case those of you who like round numbers are annoyed. This was Tuesday, and I ran into town and turned around at 35 minutes (halfway, if you’re following). This run felt STRONG. I had no trouble with breathing or pain. My knee and ankle braces WORK! They supported my knee and ankle as they were designed to. Not only was I pain-free during the run, but I didn’t have any lingering soreness afterward.

Tuesday's Sweaty Selfie

This week I joined a local gym to take advantage of the weight machines so I can build some muscle, in my legs primarily. My son has a membership and he had been encouraging me to go, knowing I had been talking about finding ways to do some strength training to support my running. So instead of running Thursday we went together for Leg Day. I tried out all the machines and I was definitely feeling the burn the next couple of days! I think this is a good thing to incorporate into my training and will help me to increase my endurance without injuring myself. As long as I don’t push myself too hard. There’s a fine balance there, of course.

Then there is the “long run”. Which for this week, was a break from last week, so I only ran 4 miles. Also, I ran it a day early because we were taking the kids out of town for the weekend to do some exploring. Knowing I only needed to complete 4 miles, I pushed the pace a bit with this one, and it felt awesome. Again, I was feeling strong and had no issues. Look at my face though! I don’t even see any sweat. I was definitely feeling good here.

Friday's Sweaty Selfie

I mentioned that my family was going exploring over the weekend, and I plan to write a full post about it, but I’ll tell you we did a little bit of hiking. More than anticipated, however. I’m glad I wore my knee band, because they would have had to call a park medic to pull me out of the woods. I didn’t think to officially track our hiking, but according to my Garmin step counter, we hiked around 10 miles on Saturday. Yowza! Stay tuned, and I’ll tell you all about that later.

Saturday we did some hiking!

This week I ran a total of 9.08 miles but if you include an estimated 10 miles of hiking (which I am, cuz dammit that counts) that’s 19.08 miles in the books! 140.57 miles for this portion of the training + 193 half marathon training comes to a total 333.47 miles counting towards getting ready for this marathon. Next week’s menu includes strength training, a couple 75 minute runs and a 17 miler. Can she do it, folks? Or will she chicken out and go back to bed? Time will tell. Stay tuned!

Books, Exercise, Health, Multiple Sclerosis, Music, Photos, Running, Stories

Week 6 2023 Marathon Training

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Well, this week of training turned out to be quite interesting! I started off with a leisurely walk on Sunday and ended with a whopping 15 mile run on Friday.

My Sunday walk I saw three rabbits, and I got pictures but only one was halfway decent, so that’s what you have below. Along with a picture of yours truly, of course.

This bunny was nice enough to stand still for a photo!

Tuesday and Thursday I ran mostly up the main road and less around the neighborhood, so I didn’t see any more rabbits, but I did run into a neighbor walking with her daughter and her dog, so I stopped to chat for a bit. That was a nice cap to Thursday’s run!

Here’s me after successfully taking photos of the bunnies before they all ran away.

Now let’s talk about the long run. First of all, I had to run on Friday since we had plans on Saturday and Sunday. Secondly, I had planned to run outdoors but at 6 am Friday the forecast showed possible thunderstorms. I did not want to take the risk of getting caught in a storm, so I pivoted to running on the treadmill. I really dislike treadmill running but mostly because I get so hot. So for this run I put a box fan next to the treadmill and that made it a lot more tolerable. This week the long run called for 15 miles. My treadmill automatically resets after 99.99 minutes of activity (remember Y2K??) so I knew I was going to have to break it down into smaller increments, which actually helped mentally as well as logistically. Three sets of 5, no big deal!

It really wasn’t a big deal. I ran a strong and steady pace for most of the run. I listened to The Princess Bride audiobook for the first 10 miles (if you loved the movie, I highly recommend the book) and then listened to my 90s music station on Pandora for the last 5. The farthest distance I have run since training for my first marathon in 2021 is the half marathon, at 13.1 miles. So you can guess that my body really struggled after hitting 13 miles and I really had to fight to keep going for those last two. But, I finished, and I’m happy I did. Now I get two weeks of rest before the next long run, which will be 17 miles. Yikes!

I was so happy to have completed those miles but my body sure took a hit. I think I hadn’t consumed enough calories so I was struggling to get enough protein and carbs back in my system before showering and collapsing on the bed for a good nap. Also, I’m having considerable pain in my right foot, originating from my big toe which I’m confident I sprained during my half marathon training and a brief experiment I had with barefoot running. It only hurt for awhile after that experiment, but I believe 15 miles was sufficient enough to aggravate it again. So I’m doing all the things. Resting, Icing, Compression, Elevation. And praying that it heals quickly so I can continue with my training. If it’s not showing improvement by Monday I may call the doctor and see about getting it looked at. But I’ll cross that bridge when and if I get there.

By the way, it never did storm. I think we got a few sprinkles but no storms after all. I could have run outside, dang it! Oh well, maybe next time.

Almost forgot the mileage…
This week I ran 25.11 miles for a subtotal of 97.39 miles since official marathon training started, and when you add it with my half marathon it comes to a whopping 290.39 miles. One. Step. At. A. Time.

Disability, Domestic Engineer, Friends, Low vision, Photos, Running, Stories, Visually Impaired, Writing

Projects!

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Lest you think all I do and think about is running, here I will attempt to talk about something else. I do other things. I fold laundry, cook food occasionally, feed the dogs. Oh, and I read, I crochet, and I write. And nap a lot of the days. That’s all wildly monotonous, but sometimes exciting things creep in. This week the exciting news around here is that I am refinishing my secretary hutch. And when I say I am refinishing, I mean I chose the paint color and drawer handles, and then mostly sat back and watched while my friend did most of the work. She loves this stuff, and she’s a whiz at it. I did help with putting on the first coat of paint, since it would be covered up anyway with a second coat and wouldn’t matter if I messed it up. I have never been great at painting, even before I lost my vision. Now with a limited visual field and atypical color blindness, it’s akin to handing a six year old a paint brush and saying, “just do the best you can!”

Below is an early progress photo. We had started to paint the main unit and saw that it was coming apart in the middle. Which was fine, because it is actually two separate pieces held together by wooden dowels. So taking the top section off turned out to make it much easier to finish the painting.

I’m so excited to see the finished product and get it all loaded up and organized with my office items, but it will be a couple weeks before you’ll see that, since I’ll have to wait until the paint has fully dried and cured before I can put things on and in it. It’s going to be so worth the wait. I’ll be sure to post the before and after photos for y’all so you can see the transformation. It’s going to be magical, for real.

The other project I’m working on (again) is my memoir. This is still something I strongly feel a desire to finish, and I’m making some great baby steps towards that goal. Much of the process (perhaps all of it) is expected to be tedious so I’m not sweating the details and I’m taking my time. One of the things I’ve been struggling with is how to organize all my drafts and notes. A lot of the strategies I would have used in the past won’t work now, because I can’t read normal print, I can’t read on white paper, and I can’t see typical colors or highlighting. So I have had to come up with new strategies that work with my visual impairments, and that’s been frustrating. However, this week I was reminded of an app I use, Evernote, that allows me to move my notes into folders, and I can view it in high contrast and I have all the searching and sorting functionality I could want. So that’s been exciting for me. I’m taking some inspiration from the show “Hoarders”, when they take all the clutter out of the house and move everything to sorting tables before they decide what to put back in the house and where. So I’m moving and sorting my notes into “sorting tables” and feeling positive about the progress. With any luck, by the time I get my hutch back I’ll be ready to do some serious writing!

That’s all for now. I hope you all are having a great week! *Shalom*

Exercise, Hearing Loss, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Running, Visually Impaired

Week 4 Marathon Training

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Week 4 did not go as planned. Thankfully, I’m stil early in my training and can make adjustments as they are needed. Tuesday’s short run turned out to be a long walk, because I was having some abdominal cramping. Thursday’s run was relocated to the treadmill due to the high AQI (Air Quality Index) in our area. Canada is still battling wildfires and the smoke has been so far reaching it’s affected much of Michigan. So I stayed indoors to be safe, but when I got on the treadmill I was having a really hard time getting my legs going, so I ended up walking the bulk of the time just like Tuesday. These long walks didn’t exactly set me up well for Saturday’s planned 13 mile run.

I watched the AQI closely all day Friday, and I was reluctantly prepared to run 13 miles on the treadmill. However, when I woke up Saturday morning, the AQI had fallen to a safe level so I happily filled my hydration vest and headed out the door!

It took me about 3 or 4 miles to really wrap my head and heart around this run. My legs were feeling clunky and sluggish, but I persisted. I think it was at the end of my 4th mile when I really felt like I was moving smoothly and I was actually enjoying myself. I was especially happy that the trail as it goes under the highway was not flooded, which gained me access to the bridge (pictured below) and of course more scenic trail to run.

I reached my turnaround point at 6.5 miles and paused for a selfie (below). Can you see I’m still smiling? I had shared smiles with a lot of passing bikers and dog walkers by this point and was feeling pretty great.

A little farther down the trail after my halfway point I was still feeling good! I was not worried about my time, and I made a point to stop and get these pictures of the beautiful spots along the way. In the past I’ve been so driven with my training runs I was not stopping much to enjoy the scenery. I’m glad I did this day because I have them as a reminder that the long run was *mostly* good.

But then, after I hit 9ish miles I started to slow down. I noticed a sharp pain forming on the inside of my left knee. Being cautious, I walked for awhile, hoping it would calm down. It did not calm down. As I walked I weighed my options. I could walk the 3 miles home, taking shortcuts where I could, or I could call and have my husband pick me up. By 10 miles I decided I didn’t want to risk permanent injury, and I called my husband. I hate doing this. My pride hurt almost worse than my knee did.

When this sort of thing happens I panic a bit. I am 45 years old with M.S. I have only been running for 8 years. What am I thinking? Am I pushing my body past what it is capable of doing? Am I going to break myself beyond repair and have to drop out of the marathon, or worse, never be able to run again? I don’t have good answers to these questions, but I am not quitting. Not even close. I am stubborn as hell, and I will continue working towards my goal until I am forced to stop. So I’m taking this week not as a failure, but as a learning lesson. What can I do different in my training? What can I change up in my strategy that allows me to build endurance more safely? My brother suggested breaking up my long runs into two shorter runs on the same day, and I may try that on the next one. I’m researching all things “marathon training” and am eager to learn more. (If you have knowledge and suggestions, I’m all ears!)

What I wanted to share was a thought I had after passing that 4 mile mark. It’s hard to describe without sounding corny, but miles 5 through 9 felt like bliss. I felt so free and comfortable in my body, which is no small miracle. Ever since losing my hearing and vision, I have had to accept the general unease I feel on a constant basis. Not hearing well, not seeing well, this is a difficult state to be living in. It causes me a great deal of anxiety and frustration and I still struggle with that daily. So to feel so *comfortable* out on the trails, after having run that many miles, was amazing. I felt as if I was exactly where I belonged. And to think that I hated running prior to 2016, and I really only started as a “what if I could?” experiment. Running has been such a gift and miracle in my life and I hope to keep at it as long as my legs keep allowing me to.

So to recap, I ran (and/or walked) 16.49 miles this week for a grand total (including my half marathon training and race) of 251.95 miles. Week 4 is complete and I have 15 weeks to go! Stay tuned folks, and we’ll be back next week for another update from Marathon Mel 🙂

Books, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Stories, Visually Impaired

Grieving has no expiration

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Yesterday was a weird day. We had attended our nephew’s wedding the night before, and thoroughly exhausted, I slept in until 10 am. Not to mention, my monthly infusion is coming up on Thursday, so I’m already battling fatigue. Yet, I had a growing urge to purge some things that by early afternoon I was unable to ignore. My bedroom doubles as my office, until the kids are grown and move out. In the corner I have this old secretary hutch that I use as a desk. Until yesterday, the shelves were filled with my favorite books. I haven’t been able to read normal books since I lost my vision in 2013. Ten years ago. At that time, I went through a major purge of our old house and got rid of most of my books. The survivors have been staring at me night and day from this hutch’s shelves. Yesterday I was feeling an overwhelming urge to finally say goodbye.

This turned out to be a lot more difficult than I expected. Grieving has no expiration date.

As I dusted off each book I flipped through the pages, remembering the stories, but it was more than that. These were not literary classics. John Grisham, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Gilda Radner. An eclectic mix, for sure. It wasn’t the stories that I was grieving. It was the life I had pre-disability. Which is not to say I’m ungrateful for my life now. My disabilities have brought surprising blessings, and I am grateful for all of it. But you can feel more than one feeling at a time, it turns out. You can be grateful but also sad.

So that’s what yesterday was. It was a day to feel sad. I finished packing up my books and I repurposed the hutch’s shelving. I cleaned up the mess I had created and once I had everything put in order I laid down on my bed and let myself cry. That sadness had been building all afternoon and I just had to let it out. Sometimes you have to give yourself permission to feel those ugly unpleasant feelings. Process, move them through, then move on.

And I did. When I had finished crying I got up, took a deep breath, and started making dinner for my family. So now it’s tomorrow and I’m so happy with my updated office area. It looks fantastic, and it’s a nice clean space now for me to work and write. I look forward to using it every day. My vision loss is permanent, and I don’t believe I’ll ever be 100% done with grieving the loss of it, but I’m thankful that these moments come less and less often, and that I can still wake up and find joy in what I do have. Peace, my friends. Shalom.

Friends, Photos, Running

Marathon Training Week 3

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Okay, true story, I slacked on the days in between (cross training, walking, etc.) but I got my base runs and my long run in. Saturday’s run was not actually that long, but that’s because the plan I’m on only increases the miles every other week, to give the legs time to rest and recover I guess. So this week I ran a total of 11.51 miles for a grand total of 42.46. If you add in the 193 miles I ran training for and running the Bayshore half marathon, you have a real grand total of 235.46. WOWZA.

For my Saturday run I had been feeling some tightness in my left calf before I left, so I was a little concerned that I would pull a muscle halfway through and have to hobble home. However, I just took it easy and nothing ever came of it. An important piece of training for long races is avoiding injury. You have to be really careful, because anything can happen when you are pushing your body’s physical limits, and an injury will put a halt to everything. So you have to find that balance between pushing yourself, and backing off when your body is sending you warning messages.

Also, this week I picked up a buddy for some of my training runs! One of my dearest friends decided she wants to train for a 5k so she’s joining me on my Tuesday runs. She’s a total badass and just completed a year long Live Hard challenge, but she’s always hated running so this is a new challenge for her. It was really great to run with her and chat along the way. I’m excited to have the company. I enjoy running alone, but it gets dull after awhile so it’s great to mix it up and have someone to chat with. We were so focused on the running we did not get a selfie together, but maybe next time. 🙂

Next week’s long run is 13 miles which means that I’ll be back out running on the paved trails! I always look forward to those longer distances because it’s new scenery and on Saturdays there tends to be a lot of friendly people out walking their dogs. So until next time, folks, stay cool!

God speaks, Multiple Sclerosis, Photos, Running, Stories

Marathon Training Week 2

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Week 2 is a wrap! I forgot to report last week that I had run a total of 12.48 miles, so there you go. This week I had two midweek runs and today’s long run of 11 miles, for a weekly total of 18.47 miles and a grand total of 30.95. We’re not counting the training I did for the half marathon, which is actually kind of relevant so I may go back and tally those miles. It’s important to understand that you don’t typically start a marathon training plan running this many miles. It really depends on your fitness level. This particular plan I’m following, I jumped in at week 8, because I had just completed the Bayshore half marathon and knew it wouldn’t be much of a stretch for me.

I had no issues with my midweek runs, and none with the 11 mile run either. But I’ll talk about my long run anyway, because isn’t that why you’re still here reading? One of the things I’ve really been struggling with is to slow down. All my reading and research from the experts says to train slow. Jeff Galloway says to run at a pace two minutes slower than usual, and that’s been challenging! Its so counter-intuitive, but running slower builds up the same endurance as running faster, but without the added risk of injury. There’s so much science behind this method so I’m doing my best to follow it.

I started this run not really wanting to. My legs in particular needed a lot of warming up, and I needed some encouragement. It was in the first quarter mile that I saw a birdie standing in my path. Then, as I approached, he hopped to a nearby rock, and then another rock, and then a branch, each time looking back at me as if to say “Let’s go! Are you coming? I know you can do this.” And then, a few seconds later, I saw a bunny cross the path right in front of me to hide under a tree. I freaking love bunnies, and we have a lot of them living in our neighborhood. Every time I see one while I’m out running, I smile and thank Jesus for that gift. So that was a nice start to my run, and in moments of boredom along the way, I thought back to my birdie and bunny friends and it helped keep me going.

When I approached 8 miles I was starting to feel fatigued, but my legs still felt strong. When the weather gets hotter, running gets harder so you just have to stay properly hydrated and slow down a bit more. Let go of those expectations and just keep moving. I was equipped with my hydration backpack, so I just kept sipping that at every walk break.

When I had two miles left to go I was really starting to struggle. I had been talking to myself since mile 8, telling myself I could do this, I wasn’t giving up, one step at a time, etc. etc. but after mile 9 my legs were starting to tell me they were done. I trudged along, not discouraged because I knew I was still building endurance no matter how slow I was going. For safety reasons, I walked most of the 11th mile. There was a lot of uneven sidewalk and I knew my legs and feet weren’t going to lift the way they needed to navigate those obstacles. So to avoid tripping and falling, I just walked. And then when I was back on the street with fewer cracks and holes, I ran again. That was reassuring to see how my legs responded to the rest (walking). A little time to rest and they were ready to get back to work!

I’m still enjoying running, especially in the early miles of these long runs, and in the later miles I have ways of keeping myself motivated. I remind myself of how far I’ve come, how much God has blessed me through this running journey. And down the road when the miles are adding up and I’m wanting to quit, I’ll read some inspirational stories and watch some Rocky movies to remind me to never give up.