Chasing Kris

I am five days past my diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma and have spend countless hours digesting information on the disease.  I do not have a medical game plan yet, as I have to meet with surgeons this week to discuss the options for treatment. In the meantime, one of the key factors that has clicked with me is the understanding that cancer cells operate on a glucose based energy system.  These little nasties can apparently not use fats to grow, instead relying on glucose.  They are also anaerobic, meaning they don't need or like oxygen in their little bubble. There is a diet recommended by several sites that is designed to switch the body's fuel cells to fat burning.  Chief among them is the ketogenic diet.  This is the hard core phase of the Atkins Diet.  The idea is to burn off all our glucose and begin getting the body to use its fat stores.  The measure for success is the presence of ketones in the urine.  With cancer, there is...

Life can take some really interesting twists and turns, let me tell you.  This week, I was fairly blindsided by a diagnosis of ductal carcinoma (aka breast cancer). A few months back, at a regular exam, my gynecologist noticed a small lump in my right breast.  I took note of it and started being more mindful of it: did it change during my cycle, was it getting bigger, did it hurt, etc. This may seem like a lackadaisacal reaction to something that many women would immediately take action against.  But I have no history of breast cancer anywhere in my family, and I've done everything right in terms of having a low risk of this disease.  I've breastfed three babies for two years each, I exercise regularly, I eat mostly healthy food, I'm not overweight (140 lbs at 5'9"), I don't smoke and never have, I don't take birth control or hormone therapy medications, nor do I have any hormone related issues.  So I figured I'd watch and wait. A week ago, I noti...

My step dad, who came to our family late in life with a colorful and glorious past as a professional athlete and an accomplished Ironman , has plenty of great tips and advice about running for me.  He's in his sixties now and is retired and helps people find and enjoy fitness in their lives.  He's a lovely man with a soft spoken demeanor who radiates encouragement.  This Spring, I went out for a training run with him along a shady patch of the Sacramento River.  He rode alongside on his bike, talking about the mechanics of running and the ups and downs of what an athlete goes through.  Along the way he said, "You're becoming a runner."  He meant it as an encouraging thing, to give myself time and check my expectations at the door.  He meant it to tell me not to be discouraged at the setbacks.  And I didn't really respond to it at the time, but it stuck with me because I didn't really agree with him.  There is no such thing as becoming a ...

I'm not one of those determined Type A individuals who can make a decision to do something and then doggedly keep at it until it is finished, brushing off obstacles and setting aside distractions until I've met my goal.  I'm more of a high functioning Type B sort of person: It get stuff done, but I juggle distractions and sidestep obstacles all along the way even if it means a few trips down tangent trails until I loop back around to my original track.  Somehow, I get to the finish line but it's definitely in a more relaxed manner.  I know this because I live and run with a Type A husband and he and I have very different attack strategies when it comes to things. Take running as an example.  In 2000, he decided (rather out of the blue) that he would like to get into running.  He'd never been a runner before, but somehow he decided he'd like to take up the sport.  Being the Type A determined guy that he is, he decided his first big goal would be no less th...

As I've dabbled in this running hobby I've come to realize just how much information is out there about running.  Whereas before I didn't know there were books on the subject, I've now read an eclectic assortment including a fun book by Alexandra Heminsley's  titled " Running Like a Girl " and the more spiritual and eye opening " Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall.  I've joined the local chapter of a national free running group called Moms Run This Town where I've met an amazing array of women like me who are running because we we found we need to move our bodies to feel complete, we need something for ourselves, and frankly, we need to get out of the house and away from our jobs with other ladies in a social environment that makes us feel great! The biggest lesson I've learned is that running is a culture.  It's more than a hobby, it's a way of being.  I started this by walking 10 minutes and running 2, doing those int...

I'm trying to reduce the amount of grains I'm eating, mostly to give my body some whole foods that are unprocessed to run on.  This means no cereals, granola bars, toast, etc in the morning.  One tasty treat I've been enjoying lately is a protein smoothie. 8-12 oz Coconut Milk (I like the vanilla flavored because I still crave SWEET) 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder 1/2 a Banana 1Tbsp Peanut butter (or Almond) 2 Tbsp Agave (adjust to taste) 2 Tbsp Organic Rice Protein (any protein powder is fine, I like this because it's vegan and very simple) Add enough ice to make it smoothie consistency and blend in a blender or Bullet-type unit. I drink this an hour or so before a run.  It seems to keep my energy flowing, I think it adds some hydration and the protein keeps me from having any blood sugar drops/spikes.  Add some mixed nuts on the side and you've got a great snack!

About a month ago, I started meeting with a new running group to get ready to run the Eureka Schools Foundation (ESF) FundRun .  This is a race to support the Eureka Union School District, and it's a really fun event.  It's a low key, unintimidating community race that offers everything from pancakes for non-runners, a dash for kids, a 5k and a 10k.  Overall, it seems like an approachable venue and an achievable goal. I've run one 10k before, a few years ago.  It was the Shasta Regional Medical Center Turkey Trot in Redding, CA.  I trained for about 4 weeks and ran the distance on sheer determination.  Afterward, my body let me know that it was not happy with the decision.  I had terrible knee pain the last 3 miles of that race, with stabbing pains in the outside of my knee.  My husband, who has a decade more experience running than I, assured me that I was not causing any permanent injury and was very supportive during that race, especially si...