saunter, sourdough bread, and sunflower cookies

Saturday did a 5k walk with running friend and we walked it, catching up on life. Goal wasn't on time, but friend time. It was soo windy and at 32F, it made it feel so cold.  Last year it snowed during the event. It is about memories! 

Experimented this last week. 

Sour dough starter and bread. Will exhaust this starter, bake, freeze, and go on. Am reminded that while SD is fine, I don't love it as much as other bread can make. It is fun to make though. 

Used King Arthur flour's recipe for gluten free sourdough starter. 

Used https://joannaoverly.com/gluten-free-sourdough-bread/ recipe for bread, but don't use psyllium and instead added milled chia to bread mix after letting the milled chia sit in the water a little to absorb the liquid. 

First loaf was baked 60 min (as recipe said) on a cookie sheet. It wasn't done in middle so it fell after a while.  

Second loaf baked yesterday and poofed wonderfully. Baked for 75 minutes in my Staub ceramic pan, so held its side shape and poofed up. 

Today I'm letting another loaf set, and also two long baguettes. Will bake tonight (after collegiate women's basketball final game).

Yesterday made up Sunbutter cookies, recipe from Sunbutter which cuts baking soda for a good reason! Refrigerated dough overnight. Baked those up today. Yummy! Plenty to freeze for snacks.

Have feet will travel, broken wing

Training was not good this winter. January I had an awful cold and on day four I went to the doctor. She pretty much rolled her eyes at me, but ordered some tests that I had to go to another facility to have done. I went there, they didn't do them. I had to go to the ER to have them done.  I went home to rest and feel like I was dying.  Fever, wicked chest issue. Had to sleep sitting up in the chair because my throat would get irritated. I could only take shallow breaths. Friday afternoon I listened to my voice mail . I didn't even recall my phone ringing. Who was it? That would be my doctor calling Wednesday evening with an apologetic sound in her voice. I had RSV and she said I 'might' need to go to the hospital if I got worse. Gee, thanks lady.  This is a wicked respiratory virus that babies and elderly folks get. I have no idea how I got exposed. I guess that bottle of Purell in the car for use after shopping just didn't cut it! 

I canceled a week of physical therapy for my plantar fasciitis because of the illness.

February had to be better, right? As it happens, it takes several weeks for your body to feel normal after RSV. Then The Mike got ill. Then I got a cold.  I also 'graduated' from physical therapy and was told to continue with stretches at home.  I bought a square foam cushion like we used in PT and also a round disc that we used. When I walk in/out of one of the rooms in the house I have to use these  for an obstacle course.  I use them regularly as well, but it's added bonus for going in/out of that room.

Before I knew it, March was here!  HOW did that happen?  I had a half! I didn't buy race insurance because I had to be in DC anyway and I had trip insurance if I was going to not make the trip.  Guess there is a reason why I hovered over the race insurance button last fall!  

Cool tank tops with racer names.

 I love this idea but I wish my name was on a purple or pink shirt instead of the grey :-)

How excited can a walker be? 

 WOO HOO!  This was going to be an attempt at running some, and walking most, and I knew that. I knew my time wouldn't be great, but that I was getting it done.  I have gained about ten pounds since last spring when my plantar fasciitis took hold. This was essentially a redemption for me, since November's Tulsa run also was still on bad PF foot.

The Route

The snow

Friday's weather was awful and I was so thankful that was Friday and not Saturday!  Rain, sleet, snow--and sooo cooooold.
It brought a smile to my face to walk out of the expo and see people twirling in the light frozen precipitation--it wasn't heavy enough to show up in photos of it falling. On the metro from the airport, there was a couple from Florida heading straight to the expo (I stopped at my hotel first). I am sure they might have been a couple twirling in the snow.  Unless we have to drive in it or shovel it, most enjoy the first flakes of snow.

The pre race dinner

Outback salmon is my go-to for prerace meals. Protein, some carbs, and not heavy in the digestive track for Saturday. Had an issue today for the first time ever!  My salmon wasn't done in the middle.  Sent it back and my meal was comped. Um, OKAY.

Flat Quirky 

The Quirky Gluten Free runner runs with cancer awareness these days. While my sister is a breast cancer survivor (pink) and I am a melanoma cancer survivor (black), I run for my mom and the other 45,000 people each year who will die from pancreatic cancer. 9% survival rate is not good enough. If you know someone who is diagnosed, or needs help, visit www.pancan.org/patientcentral for information on local to you doctors, treatments, so much more, and a listening ear.  If you know someone impacted by melanoma cancer, visit www.melanoma.org  for more information and assistance. There is so much information that needs to be shared--including visiting a dermatologist and oncologist who KNOW melanoma. 

The Blue Mile. 

The most solemn mile on the steepest/toughest and quietest part of the course. What we do does not compare. 
 The course  had some rough streets-one was a really rough street, overly filled mounds of asphalt right next to a nice hole--and beautiful scenery. It was not the same course I had run a few years ago and that was great. It made it new for me. 
Before the race I was feeling bad because I hadn't trained and I couldn't believe I was going to do a half marathon without training. Ten years ago I would have been laughing had you told me that!  Today I know that a half or full or ultra is about training, but also about preparation, mental attitude, perseverance and determination.  People who haven't done a race don't understand, but those who have know that perseverance and determination will get us all past that wall we inevitably encounter!


Just before the race I decided to post on my personal FB page that I was doing this race. I needed some positive vibes on a chilly morning (chilly, but not as cold as Friday was!). I walked over to the start too early, and so there was standing around in between tall buildings where the wind can seem colder.  I had a good first 5K to the race, running and walking, and enjoying the sites. The next part to the 10K was okay time (slowed slightly from the 5k) and I was still feeling good.  Mile 8 my Plantar Fasciitis poked its head out and said "watch it". I concentrated on walking with rolling my foot as I learned in physical therapy. I did that for a couple miles. My foot was feeling better. The tips I learned helped --though I'm wondering how I'll do a half and full back to back this summer! Then when I was just moving along and thinking of some things I hear my name!   I look around and see a friend who came out to see if she could spot me (and she had to walk her dog!).  That was such a pick me up!  The  next few miles to the finish were a run/walk/run/walk mix to carry me through. My time was slower than I was wanting, but it was a finish with no visit to the med tent! 

Thankfully these were moving stairs

After the race, I headed to Five Guys for lunch--and was told that I'd be the 'last bun' because their truck was late. I laughed and said I wasn't getting the bun and they could give it to someone else.  I was so thankful that the escalators at the metro stops were working! 

The City Tap House

The next night I met up with friend at The City Tap House. There are a couple locations within DC. Friend said the beer was good, the food was great, my burger and salad was great and what I needed after a light lunch of fish at the conference.  Conversation and catching up was wonderful.

My conference was fabulous and I learned a lot. Then it was time to head home. Heading west it was interesting to see how the landscape changed. I saw ice on Lake Michigan as my flight came in for arrival.

Connecting flight home was on time, and the clear fields outside of Chicago gave way to the snow covered fields of home. 

Well played Rock 'n' Roll series!  

Me heading to expo : you've done RNR before. You dont need to buy anything. 

Me at expo: OMG this shirt has runner names on it!  (silent shout) I found mine!   I *must* buy! 

Me in checkout line:  Hey, I have been looking for a large bottle opener for traveling,  to open Coca-Cola Mexican glass bottles. (real cane sugar formula)

Dang. Need to buy this new version of the glass too.

All bought... because of that tank!

Well played indeed. 

As I write this, I am mentally prepping for my surgery later today for carpal tunnel.  Apparently this is what is bothering my wrist since the car crash of Nov 2015.  I have a hard time understanding how carpal tunnel is responsible for so much, but this is what the docs tell me. I fear I'll get this part fixed and it'll still be something else. 

Last night I prepped food for a bit, froze some prep stuff as well as lasagna and chicken breasts. To improved health and one foot in front of the other.!  

Walk--not run, Get Me The Rack, 5k!

I usually thing of things to write about when I'm driving, or doing something else that means I can't write down what I'm thinking about.  By the time I get to paper and a writing utensil, I have forgotten what I was thinking ;-)  I hope I'm not the only one who does this!

This last week I was (still) bemoaning that I cannot run.  Someone asked me a few months ago if I've tried running. I said no, quickly, but the reality was that yes, I did try once after the accident.  My treadmill goes has three instant speed buttons of 3mph, 5mph, and 7mph.  I bumped it from 3mph to 5mph for about as long as it takes to say "NOPE", and went back to 3mph. My whole back was so sore from that 'try' that it just became more simple to say "I can't run" since 11/17/16 car accident.

Earlier this week my doc's office called to tell me the results of the MRI I had on Friday of last week. My wrist has water on it.  I wonder why it can't be aspirated. My knee was aspirated about a decade ago when I ripped my ACL and meniscus. My doc just racks everything up to my autoimmune disease.  (sigh)  It'd be even nice if insurance companies let you pick a physician based on their lifestyle. Such as, I'd like a doctor who is food/health conscious, and runs/exercises, and would look outside the box at investigating things.

The results of the wrist said I had water on it, and apparently it'll just go away in time.  The low back showed some issues and my PCP's nurse relayed that I could do injections or try traction.  Let yourself see how you'd react to those two options and being made to make a decision with that information.  I asked what type of injections, 'corticosteroid'.  Oh, so Prednisone?  She replied with yes, probably. Hmmm, well, I HATE Prednisone.

I asked what traction was about.  The nurse told me "weights on your waist".  Hmm, well that one doesn't sound as scary as Prednisone, let's go with traction.  The nurse replied, yeah not everyone wants a needle in their back.  My thought: Why would an injection/RX be anyone's first choice of recovery?  Medicine is good, but seriously, let's try some non-pharmaceutical things first!

This last time for PT, traction was "added".  (i.e. I did traction, plus the stim, but no Gym to see how I feel).   Traction is putting on a corset/waist belt system, laying on a table, having the belt system attached to a machine that slowly and gradually pulls your lower body from your upper body. Essentially, "traction" is the modern day mid-evil times RACK.  It actually didn't hurt. It felt good and I could only tell I was being moved because the Athleta pants slipped on the table as it moved under me.

rogues-cuthbert-simpson-on-the-rack-antique-print-1845-71236-p
(found via search for "The Rack")

Afterwards I felt good. Still had some pain, but I felt like I could hop and skip.  The pain came back about five hours later, but not as strongly until later that night.

There's a 5K this weekend that I've been debating on entering, so I decided I better get my butt back on the treadmill to walk a full 5k and see how I'm going to do with it.  I decided my time was doable and wouldn't keep the volunteers at the race finish extra long.  In addition, after I had two miles done, I decided to try to run.  BIG mistake.  I bumped up the treadmill to 5mph and immediate pain shot horizontally on the low back and up the back as well. I went back to walking.

Then the race was postponed from Saturday to Sunday. . . . due to strong winds forecast. By strong winds, we're talking wind gusts up to 50mph.  Some people were upset because they had Sunday commitments, but most were happy that:

1. The race director is looking out for racers and volunteers;  and 

2. That "Iowa Nice" extends to parks being flexible with something like a race.  

I cannot imagine a race on city streets being postponed one day. However, since this race takes place in a state park, and no one had the park reserved for Sunday, then the race can still go on!

I entered this 5K for Sunday, as well as one at the end of the month.   I have mixed feelings for having to walk it, but happy to get out in the beautiful Spring and get enjoy the day.  

Last year when I did the Marine Corps Marathon in October, someone asked me why I just didn't postpone it until the following year, and get a better time, since it'd be seven months after my acral lentiginous melanoma/ "toe cancer".  I said because I got into the race for this year and I was going to do it, and I had to get something BIG moved in order to be able to do the race, and would have to get permission to move that again in the following year.  I am now ecstatic that I ran the Marine Corps Marathon last year.  It was my slowest, marathon ever, out of five, but I did it.

In that fashion, I'm getting out there and doing this 5K.  It will be my slowest, longest 5K ever, but I am going to do it.  (I did walk this race with a friend a couple years ago, so it'll be the second 5k I've walked since 2009 when I started running).  

Now, should I do a costume, or just dress as a "walker" ;-)   It is a Foolish race to do, after all!   

2015 is in the books and 2016 is off to a slow start. Putting it out there. Keeping it real.

So long 2015. You've been an interesting year.  I had the fewest amount of races in 2015, compared to any year since 2009 when I started running. This was because of that thing called "toe melanoma" I found in January and had surgery for in April (Stage I).
  Really need to think about the longevity of photos. I'll share what I learned: 

"Get a pedicure before having a procedure on your foot/toes, as people will look at that photo for years to come".  

I've learned a lot about Melanoma this year, including that people can get it in their fingernails!  If you have a black streak suddenly appear from your cuticle in your nail, get it checked out! 

Before the surgery, I did the Marine Corps 1775K run at the end of March, as a walk with a friend who was conquering breast cancer. We were guaranteed access to the Marine Corps Marathon in October for finishing this race.  My next race didn't happen until June-- a 5K prediction run where I ran my slowest 5K, I think ever--42 minutes something--but still it was a run, a first race after foot surgery and a race in which I was able to say, "I am coming back."  I didn't do another race until September when I decided I *really* should be doing a half in order to see where I'll be for the MCM in October.  I did the Quad Cities half (Moline Illinois) and finished the second half with an 80 year old gent in PI time 3:14. My slowest half ever, but considering the training this year and that it was my first half back, it was a great time.  I did two 5Ks back to back for breast cancer in October. I actually have never done a breast cancer 5k, as I always had prior commitments that first weekend in October when the local ones are held. I did one in my town for support to a friend in her mid 30s with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. I did one the next day for so many I know who have had this cancer,  was in a city nearby, and had over 25,000 runners and walkers. I've never encountered a 5K with so many people, and so many who were "just" walkers out for the cause!  It was an amazing experience. My final race was the Marine Corps Marathon. It was my slowest marathon ever, but I improved my first half time from September, and ran a second half that was comparable to my other marathon second portions. My toes really started to hurt about mile 21. I was worried about my legs, and my feet in general getting me to the MCM finish line, but my toes were hurting so much. I started shuffle running at the end, knowing I had huge blisters under the nails.  I ended up losing both my big toe nail and index toe nail on both feet. I tried to save the nails by taking a long soak, sterilizing a pin and popping the blisters, but it didn't work.

Six.  6.  S-I-X races this year. Seems like a low number, but it was a tough year.

The middle of November is when I was thinking, "I need to get back to running, it's been two weeks since the marathon." I didn't and a couple days later I literally hit the gluten-mobile. . . . . pizza delivery driver. He ran the stop sign,  I hit his vehicle.  25 to 0 in seconds gave me a concussion, neck, mid back and low back pain, as well as pain in my right wrist because I went from 10/2 hand positions to 10/slamming on the horn.  I'm really thankful it was about 5pm and slightly sprinkling which meant that there were not any college students out walking to their cars on the street. I am amazed he didn't hit any pedestrians or cyclists.

One might not think the wrist would be much of an issue, but taking off a sports bra/top is painful. Using a mouse/laptop for more than 30 minutes is painful, makes the wrist make weird cracking/popping sounds. A highlight from the accident is the neck xrays which showed my neck was fine, no broken bones. However, from the jaw pain/neck issue I had in April/May/June, I had seen a chiropractor who did xrays.  That showed my neck was not curved as it should be. My xrays from November show my neck is curved as it should be :-)  My chiropractor is awesome and his cracking my C5 for the jaw issue really helped. . . .the car accident was causing issues with C7. As a result of the accident, I really didn't do much for the next 6 weeks.  I did fly for Thanksgiving, and had to hustle through the airport --in extreme pain--to make my connection. Popped Tylenol as soon as I got on the connecting flight (only med I can really take for pain because of my gut conditions).  I walked just over 4 miles on Thanksgiving day with one of my sisters, at a pace of about 2.2mph. While she could have walked faster, I really couldn't. Any faster and my lower back hurt from the twisting of my hips. Really, the *fun* part is asking people to slow down their walking. I really hate having to do this, especially with tore employees who show me where something is in the store. Thanks pizza delivery gluten man. :-( 

A few years ago a friend told me that she puts a dollar in a jar for every day she runs/exercises. I thought this was a fabulous idea. I did it last year with the proviso that I'd put a $1 coin in for any exercise I did in which I had to change clothes. So if I ran and then did yoga it was $1, but if I ran in the morning and biked or did yoga in the afternoon, then that was two changes of clothes and that meant two dollars into the jar.  I basically figured it was one long workout if it didn't involve a change of clothes.  This year I stuck with that same thought, but with the changes this year brought I didn't put as much in the jar as I had hoped.  $134 was in the jar on 31 December 2015.  I thought it was good, considering that many times I wasn't able to exercise. Except, I realized after the 4 weeks of "sit on the couch and do nothing" orders from the general surgeon that I could have probably laid down on the floor and done the Pilates 100 stomach exercises and such. At the time I had been struggling with "I'm sitting here and what can I do other than arm curls". 

Reward money jar

What did I do with the money?  From the 2014 reward jar I had a sterling silver ring made with an amethyst stone, which is The Mike's birthstone.  From the 2015 jar, I took in some pearls I had from The Mike's and my 2009 trip to Hawai'i, plus a couple freshwater pearls I had from which I had to restring a necklace. The jeweler made drop earrings with the three sets of pearls (two round whites, two round chocolate and the two white freshwater).  They're pretty. While they did cost more than the money jar had, I felt it was worth it to make something I will wear instead of having sit in a drawer :-) 

I'm putting it out there, and keeping it real. 

Most of the time in the past I haven't posted my times from workouts. I feel it's not about the times of a workout, but about the workout itself, as everyone is different and has different goals and times. I should only push myself against myself, and not push myself against someone who has a much faster pace and is unrealistic and unattainable for me. I think that pretty much just sets a person up to get knocked down. I want to be about building UP!  Therefore, I'm putting this out there:  

My workout for 1 January 2016. 

2 mile walk. 

2.7mph (I did walk a little slower at the start)

48 minutes. 

My lower back hurt, but not as much as I thought it would. 

 I had to change how I occasionally held onto the treadmill bar because of the wrist. 

I watched the Rose Bowl Parade at the time. 

The Mike was tinkering in the basement, so we kept each other company. 

I could put out there in the Quirky world that, "I walked today" or "I did two miles today". Instead, I'm putting it out there in the universe, to keep this recovery real, that I walked at a 24minute mile pace. ARGH. I use to run double that. I use to walk at 3.7mph (I could walk over 4mph in high school, but that was a while ago).  

This is about where I am NOW and I want, *need* to get back to where I was and more.

Afterwards I did some stretching. Open leg stretching side to side which pulled the lower back area. I did dolphin pose (modified downward dog on forearms) to protect the wrist which hurts. 

Happy new year 2016. Where the only resolution is a "simple" resolution to improve.

Here is to all of US for a better 2016!

First run of the year. . . and yes it's the 23rd. . . and look at your body!

I had my first run of 2015.  Sad to say that it's taken 23 days into the month/year to get it done.

January 1st I was horribly cold. Went to the gym with hubby on the 2nd (I wipe down machines before and after my use with antibiotic wipes that the gym has on hand for same purpose). I was feeling a little slugglish, but kind of threw it off.  I did weights and a bit of the rowing machine. Saturday the 3rd I woke up with a horrid chest congestion and cough, which moved to the sinuses and basically kept me down for two weeks. I missed the first week of yoga due to the crud.

Then the 'ta da' feeling and I was feeling awesome last week. Woke up the 11th and I could breath and not cough every couple of minutes.  I got out of the house, ran some errands and then Friday I hacked again and thought. oh no.  I made an appointment with my doc for this past Monday, the 19th, and glad I did. I had to see her for that and something else we discovered Friday night.   Doc fixed me up with an RX for a sinus infection!  . . . and I go back on Monday for something unrelated to that.  Tuesday, the second day of the RX I was feeling SOOOO much better. It was like awakening for the first time in weeks. It was like knowing recovery after a gluten attack. It was like sunshine, and daisies, and butterflies. (cue the trumpets and harps).

Like a big sunny, happy, sunflower. 

I didn't abstain from exercise *completely*.  Well, most of the time I did when I was sick, but I had shoveled snow several days (even though The Mike told me not to).  I did walk a few times on the treadmill.

Needless to say, I was wanting to get back to running, but decided I should still be taking it a little easy and easing into the program again.  Yoga two days last week in class, two days this week in class and I thought "I think I'm ready".  I was actually planning to run yesterday after yoga, but then we did the pigeon pose and I've been told not to run after doing those hip opening/flexing positions.

Today I got dudded up in my purple pancreatic cancer fighting clothes. Purple Athleta pants, purple (ahen) Lululemon tank and got on the treadmill during The Price Is Right.  I walked during the show and ran during the commercials.  Sounds simple. Sounds easy. WHOA.  Hard stuff and I wasn't even running fast.  Definitely going to take time to come back from the days off of the feet and hopefully it won't take too long.

All red in the face after just a few running moments.

But wait, there's another snafu.  Remember where I said I talked to the doctor about another issue?  Friday night hanging on the couch, under the electric blanket-- which I got out on 1/1 when I was freezing and now think, "why don't I have this out every winter?!"--- when my left pinkie toe started itching my ring finger toe.  It felt like a hang nail type of thing. Couldn't shake the feeling and finally hoisted the foot up, and inspected and found the "chocolate" mark below.

ARGH.  What is THAT??!!!

No, not a smudge of sock lint. No, not anything that's coming off, and EEEK, it looks like Saturn, sort of round at the top and bottom and spreading around the middle like rings.  Saturday I had lunch with a friend and she said, 'it's probably fungus. There are lots of toe fungi".  Um, good? But I had no clue where I'd have picked up something like that.

Showed it to the doctor (you know, they just *adore* when patients go in for one thing and ask them about a gazillion other things while we're there and their appointment goes from five minutes to thirty minutes!), and she said, "it's not fungus, come back next week and I'll remove it for you and send it out (to see what it is).

Here's the thing I just learned at the beginning of 2014 thanks to a Facebook page for my #1 illness, Colitis, that thanks to the medication I'm on, the infusion I get every eight weeks, that I am more likely to get weird skin things.  Hmmm, in the eight years I'd been on Remicade, my GI never mentioned that to me. Sure, my PCP always says to stay out of the sun, stay out of tanning beds, not to sunburn, but hey, she's a PCP, she's *suppose* to say those things. I was shocked when I saw this tidbit of information on the CCFA FB page.  I asked my GI's office about it and was given the 'eh, it's just something to be aware of'.  I guess it's just something that is abstract in people's minds? not really important to tell a person?  Kind of like the whole part they didn't tell me that I'd be on Remicade for life.   I was on another immunosuppressant before that time and none of the three GIs I'd seen for that had ever mentioned anything about skin issues.  I mean, I *know* I'm at increased risk for colon cancer, hence the colonoscopies every two years, but another thing I didn't even know about!  

From the CCFA page of 2014

"Today is  #WorldCancerDay.  [explanation of UC and Crohns]. . . Also, the rate of non-melanoma skin cancer and melanoma are increased compared to the general population among patients with IBD taking immunosuppressive medications such as azathiprine [Imuran]. 6-mercaptopurine [Purinethol], methotrexate, and anti-TNF agents [Remicade, Enbrel, Humira,Cimzia, and Simponi] . . . ."  

What?  I've been on Imuran from 1994 to 2006 and Remicade since 2006.

I will be putting this out of my mind until I know what is what and if there's anything to worry about, but it's going to be hard.

Anyway, I ran today. Maybe I'll run tomorrow. I'll run Sunday and Monday and then who knows? And I'll be excited by any progress I make on running. . . running more than  a two minute commercial break will be exciting!  One short day I'll be running  more and walking less and then I'll be all running again.

I'm not sure how the biopsy will go or how my toe/foot will feel and I doubt I'll be able to wear my Injinji toe socks for a while.

. . . must remember to wear a slip on sandal on Monday. ..in Iowa. .. in January.  Maybe I'll go buy those weird socks that have the four toes together and then a separate toe slot for the big toe. . .then I can wear those with my toe catching Born sandals?  lol.  That'll look swell.


Since pancreatic cancer is close to my heart, and the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths in the USA, I'll leave you with this. If you know anyone who is fighting pancreatic cancer, have them contact PALS at the below information. Patient And Liaison Services can help those who are fighting cancer by being there for them and talking about treatment options.

January is National Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Trials Awareness Month!

Contact pals@pancan.org or at 877-272-6226 for information and free trial searches. You may also visit: http://bit.ly/1xhpOEO

‪#‎NPCCTAM‬ ‪#‎PancreaticCancerAwareness‬ ‪#‎ClinicalTrials‬