Princess and the Peas

This morning's run was set almost entirely to the Black Eyed Peas. Somehow, I lucked into a few Pandora repeats of I Gotta Feeling.

Soon (when I can remember to charge it) I'll start running with Sam's ipod mini , instead of relying on my larger, heavier Droid to soundtrackify my runs. The one thing I really enjoy about having my phone is the ability to take pictures; it shifts my focus to finding something to capture, helping me lose focus altogether and let my mind go blank. Perhap I can still use the Droid for my shorter runs or for when I need Pandora to inject some new music into the routine.

What the Days Gives Us

"What distinguishes those of us at the starting line from those of us on the couch is that we learn through running to take what the days gives us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate." - John Bingham

Love this. I can always use reminders to take things day by day, go with the flow of weather and work, listen to my body, and not overthink.

I keep stumbling across inspirational running quotes as I look up training and food tips. Many of them are less corny than I would have thought, and they help put me in the right mood for starting out a run (before the endorphins kick in).

Promise of First Generation Drugs

"The average lupus patient waits four years and sees three doctors before getting an accurate diagnosis. There have been no new drugs in 50 years."

I've seen some variation of this quote perhaps a hundred times in the last decade of Googling Lupus. In the last couple years, and really in the past year, the subsequent paragraphs have inspired a hell of a lot more realistic hope.

"This dismal situation may be about to change with the first generation of targeted lupus drugs winding their way through human trials. The drugs aim to short-circuit the abnormal antibody activity that drives the disease, without broadly suppressing the immune system the way existing treatments (such as oral steroids) do."

These quotes come from January 2010 Forbes article [http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/0208/health-genome-sciences-glaxsmitkline-unlocking-secrets-lupus.html]. Gives me hope to think this generation of drugs is looking like a solid investment.

For more information, see http://www.lupusresearchinstitute.org/news/lupusnews/10/04/20/news-possible-drug-lupus-benlysta

New Kicks and Big Bambu

Perfect crisp sunny morning. I got a fresh pair of New Balance yesterday and the thought of that extra bounce motivated me to get out a bit early and cover a bit more ground today.

Passed by the Met at the end of my run and saw a crazy bamboo jungle being erected on the roof. Apparently, that's exactly what it is: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/arts/design/23bambu.html. Can't wait to go check it out!

First Run

Today was my first morning run (7:45 am!!!). I ran from my new apartment on 75th Street to the top of reservoir and around a bit. I took it easy, ran about 40 min, with the goal of using the next couple weeks to adjust to a new early schedule.

I'm still trying to figure out the best way of working coffee and breakfast around the run. My biggest concern related to the marathon is that I get migraines. I hope that I can keep them under control with steady blood sugar and hydration (and the stress relief from running). I'm worried that if they act up, migraines could interfere with a training schedule once it seriously kicks in in July. The choice I'm presented with seems to be between sitting it out and just taking the risk and going for it. I'm going for it. I'll try my absolute best, but the lawyer in me feels the need to disclose the risk ;)

Anyone have favorite food or drinks for before or during a workout? Artificial sweeteners are off limits for me.

Already looking forward to the next run. Perhaps I've been a closeted morning person...

Mt Rainier

This is a picture of me and Mount Rainier. I've been there three times; the first right before the onset of symptoms a decade ago and the third being last summer.

The first time I was there was just before my junior year of high school. I was a tennis player and in great shape. Following the hike, I had significant pain in my thumbs, which then spread to my other fingers, my hands, and ankles. Over the next couple months, the pain spread to every movable part of my body, and exhaustion set in. Over the next year, I never felt rested and I never felt physically comfortable. As tired as I was, I couldn't relax in my body.

I was diagnosed with lupus late spring of that year, and after much trial and error, we found a drug that worked for me. By late that summer, my symptoms were tremendously improved. The following summer, my family hiked again on mount rainier. I had my dad take a picture of my mom on my back, just to send to my rheumatologist. I was thrilled but, being back at that same spot, anxious the trend might reverse itself.

The third trip to Mt Rainier was this past August. In the moment this picture was taken, I really just felt like 'I made it!'. It had nothign to do with the mountain; the hike wasn't particularly challenging. It was that I was there with my family, which was no longer obviously worried about how I felt, and with my boyfriend, for whom I am so grateful to be able to make time in my life and for whose daily life I have energy left to care about. I was there after taking the ny bar exam, after having been able to go away to the college and law school of my choice, without my health compromising the experience.

I worked hard to get there, and here, but the reason I am asymptomatic is because I'm on a drug that works for me. My doctors were educated about Lupus, I was fortunate enough to have access to excellent healthcare from diagnosis through monitoring, and extremely lucky that, for whatever reason, my body responded dramatically to treatment.

I'll be running the NYC Marathon in November to raise money to improve diagnoses and treatment options for everyone with Lupus who is not so lucky, and for a cure for them and, quite honestly, for me.

Please consider supporting my efforts for Team Life Without Lupus: https://www.firstgiving.com/katemagaram.

Thanks!

kate