Author: drrupe

Humor, Running

The Day I was Nearly Arrested on Assault Charges

drrupe

Earlier this week I found myself stuck at a “doctor-y” event. As I made small talk with a colleague, I mentioned that I was training for a marathon. Despite that fact that I am currently blogging about running and training consumes most of my thoughts, I promise I don’t talk about it incessantly to random people, but in this instance it did come up in conversation.

After I mentioned my training, her face contorted into what can only be described as a scoff. She then replied, quite condescendingly, “Must be nice to have THAT kind of time.”

My face turned beet red and my blood began to boil. Then without thinking I pulled my hand back and smacked her right across the face, leaving a bright red hand print on her left cheek. She was was stunned at first, but then her instincts took over and she kneed me in the gut. Before I knew it, we were in an all out fist fight in the middle of a cocktail party. My husband broke up the fight, but not before someone called the cops. I am currently writing this from jail. 

Ok. So, nothing in italics ACTUALLY happened (except in mind. repeatedly. for about a week). In reality I smiled and walk away, like a good girl, who didn’t want to have to explain a criminal record.

Obviously in a state of pure boredom, I decided since there was nothing else going on in my life, I would run a marathon. I’m busy and so are my running mates. The expenditure of our time is not something  we take lightly. We all have a lot on our plates, but like all things that are important to us, we are finding the time for this marathon.

How do I find the time for this?

5. Follow a Plan

We are following Hal Hidgon’s Novice 2 training program. The best way to avoid injury and reach my goal is to stick to the plan as close as possible. Each week I check off my boxes as I pound out each mile.

4. Run When I Can

The only time that works for me is mornings. Some mornings have been painfully early and cold, but nevertheless I’m out there.

3. Accountability

When my alarm goes off at 5:30 and I check the temperature and it’s 13 degrees, knowing that my friends are out in the Arctic air waiting for me is what gets me out of my cozy bed. There are 6 of us training in the neighborhood. Though we can’t do every run together, we are each other’s cheerleaders.

2. Giving Myself some Grace

I have missed a few workouts. If I’ve been at the hospital all night delivering babies and I have to choose between running and sleep, then I choose sleep. I don’t make up my runs in the evening, because that’s my family time. Yes, my Type A personality would like to follow the plan to perfectly, but life happens and that’s OK.

1. Have an Awesome Husband

Obviously, somebody has to get the kiddos ready in the morning while I’m out torturing myself, and that somebody is my super husband. You need your spouse to be supportive (or a least tolerant) of your crazy hobby when you start logging this many hours.

Long Run: 15 Miles in the Snow

Our "snowy" run
Our “snowy” run

Despite all the crazy cold weather we have had, there has been no snow in Middle Tennessee. This week on our long run we got a light dusting of snow through our entire 15 miles. It was a gorgeous treat. It melted off within a few hours, so most people who slept in that day missed the “snow” completely. The temperature was 30 degrees (warmer than what it has been), so it didn’t feel that frozen.

Shannon running with me in the country
Shannon running with me in the country

Sickness hit our little running group hard this week, so only Shannon and I made it out for the long run on Saturday. Andrea and Christina had to bust out their 15 miles on a treadmill, which I think is insane and should earn them extra awesome points for the week.

At least I managed not to slip and fall
At least I managed not to slip and fall

We felt strong through most of the run, except miles 12-14 were tough. I got a boost of energy for the final mile back into downtown and finished strong.

Next week we are doing the Hot Chocolate 15k in Nashville for our long run. Looking forward to the race (and chocolate). What better way to spend Valentines weekend?

Running

14 Miles on Sore Legs

drrupe

As a OB/GYN, my life is rather unpredictable. I can’t really tell my patients, “Hey hold that baby in for another hour, while I log 4 more miles.” This week was one of those crazier weeks at the office, causing me to miss one of my runs and reschedule a crossfit workout to Thursday.

In addition to work’s stress, this weekend’s impending 14 miles long run was haunting my thoughts all week. It would be the farthest I ever ran.

My Thursday WOD (workout of the day) was insane. It included 100 wallballs, 75 burpees, and a new exercise that KILLED my quads called ‘little man in a tree’. I hate that little man. Luckily, I had Friday as a recovery/rest day.

When I took my first step down the stairs on Friday, my quads nearly buckled out from under with me. The pain felt like a  thousand tiny daggers were stabbing me in the leg. I was not injured, merely sore. So stupidly sore that I had to walk down stairs side ways.

I realized, in the famous words of GOB Bluth, “I’d made a huge mistake.”

Friday I hydrated, carb loaded and stretched to get ready for the big run, reassuring myself I would feel better by the next morning.

My Favorite Card Loading: Breakfast for Dinner {My kids loved it too}
My New Favorite Carb Loading: Breakfast for Dinner {My kids loved it too}

Long Run: Bongo to Bongo with the Nashville Striders

I was hobbling Saturday morning, but the long run was still almost perfect. After weeks of running circles around or neighborhood in the freezing dark, we got to run 14 miles in 45 degrees through the heart of Nashville.

Nashville striders organizes training runs for the Marathon, complete with water stops and signs. It was great to simply show up and run and not have to worry about the course or getting lost.

Shannon, Me and Abby (Christina was still in the car)
Shannon, Me and Abby (Christina was still in the car)

The course was 7 miles out and back from Bongo Java in East Nashville to Bongo Java in West Nashville. My legs were really sore and tired from the beginning. I was hoping they would loosen up in a few miles. While the sharp pain with each stride went away at about three miles, they felt sore the entire time.

My favorite stretch was running past LP field right after sunrise. It was light enough to dodge the road kill, but left over shimmers of pink and orange were still peaking over the horizon.(this picture does not do the view justice).

runNash

Shannon leading the pack past the new Nashville convention center
Shannon leading our pack past the new Nashville convention center

The energy of running with the crowd (and also lots of goo) really helped me get over my tired legs and the mental challenge of running further than I’ve ever gone.

Even though it was an official race we still had a huge crowd com,e out to cheer us on. {sure, the said the were trying out for the Voice, but we know the truth}
We had a huge crowd come out to cheer us on! {sure, they SAID that they were trying out for The Voice, but we know the truth}

The course took us through the heart of downtown, so there was always something to look at, distracting us from from the fact we were running so far.

Abby and Christina
Christina and Abby
Running downtown The girl in purple is NOT me. Though she kinda looks like me circa 1994.
Running downtown. The girl in purple is NOT me. {Though she kinda looks like me circa 1994.}

The final 2 miles were the toughest. Last weekend when we did 12, and I remembered how tired my legs were. I wondered how I could do another 2 on top of that, especially since my legs felt like crap. My friend Shannon is the training for her fourth marathon (the rest of us are newbies) and had the best advice. She encouraged me the the last mile always feels like your legs are dead, no matter if you’re running 10, 15 or 20. So much of it is mental, just push on through. The last few miles were also ridiculously hilly, but her words kept me going all the way back to the coffee shop.

We got back to Bongo Java and cooled down. I’m so thankful for them letting us use their facility, they even provided free coffee (that I accidentally poured in my water bottle as I was still in my post run delirium).

runstretch
It is socially acceptable to stretch on the floor of a coffee shop, right?

We made it ALL 14 miles. The farthest we’ve ever been. It really helps that we are doing this together. Honestly, 15 next week doesn’t seem quite so scary now.

My kids insisted since we had "breakfast for dinner" we should have "spaghetti for breakfast"
My kids insisted since we had “breakfast for dinner” we should have “spaghetti for breakfast”
Running

5 Reasons Why Running in this “Polar Vortex” is Awesome

drrupe

When I chose to do a Spring marathon, I knew I would be training in the cold. Luckily I didn’t know it would be this stinking cold, or I may have rethought the whole plan. During our first week of training, the temperatures began their plummet. Most runs have been in numbingly cold temperatures (usually less than 20 degrees).

No those aren't highlights. My friend Abby's hair recently froze on long run.
No those aren’t highlights. My friend Abby’s hair recently froze on a long run.

Running in this polar vortex is the intersection between dedication and sanity. Some days, I’m not sure which side of that intersection we’re on. But it’s not all crazy frozen hair; there are a few good things about running in the cold:

5. Your Joints Feel Awesome

Your knee is sore? It will take it about 3 hours to thaw out from your run. No need to tote around an annoying ice pack.

4. Toss the Razor

Not that we’re super good at shaving in the winter, but this year we can definitely justify an extra layer of fur: we need that insulation.

3. Gatorade Slushies

No need to worry about your drinks getting warm on your run, actually the opposite has happened: our drinks freeze sometimes. When our chocolate ‘goo’ freezes we just pretend it’s a fudgesicle.

2. Butt Fleece Pants

I get to wear my fleece lined Lulu pants, and they are super cozy even in this obnoxious weather. They have an extra panel of fleece on the backside to keep your glutes extra warm.

1. 30 Feels Like a Heat Wave

When we actually do run in temperatures above 20, it feels so amazing.

This Week’s Long Run:

del rio

We are following Hal Higdon’s Novice 2 plan, and this week we ran 12 miles. We started in downtown Franklin and did an out and back on Del Rio. Wooden fenced hay fields, country bridges and gorgeous homesteads made this a beautiful quintessential Williamson county run. It was 20 degrees, which was tolerable after we were warmed up. That last mile, my legs felt heavy, like I had a toddler clinging each of them. But when we rounded the corner and saw downtown, I felt like a horse headed back to the barn. After our run, we drove 2 blocks to Frothy Monkey for lattes to warm up. Walking a step further than our Garmins told us we had to seemed ridiculous.

Next week our long run is 14 miles. This will be the longest I’ve ever ran. I’m a little nervous. I feel like our training is about to “get real.”

Running

2014: The Year I’ll Run A Marathon

drrupe

I am currently registered to run the Country Music Marathon on April 26, 2014.

Gulp.

Despite being a runner for the last 17 years, I have never ran a full marathon. In my early 20’s, I did races all the time, but never more than a 15 K (The Tulsa Run, which is still my favorite race). Over the years the responsibilities of life kept my running to 3-4 miles a couple of times a week, barely enough to stay fit.

Something quite terrible happened when I hit my mid 30’s. Running alone wasn’t enough to stay fit. Despite staying active, my pants were no longer fitting. Rather than buy a new wardrobe, I started eating healthier.

Over the last 2 years, I began to eat “paleo-ish” and do crossfit in addition to running. These changes have made a huge difference in my energy and fitness level. At 38 years old I set a PR this fall for my half marathon (1:48).  For the first time since high school, I feel like an athlete.

Running a marathon is not a decision I have made lightly. I’ve counted the costs. Literally, I made a spread sheet to determine how many hours it would entail to properly train. I choose my “slowest” time at work (first quarter) and  picked a time when we have no other major commitments.

Since I made the decision, I’ve been almost giddy with excitement. Devouring books on running and nutrition. I can’t quite find the proper words to express just WHY this means so much to me, but I get teary every time I picture myself crossing the finish line.

Running is something I truly enjoy, but it can be time consuming. I’m done with most of my runs before my kids wake up, but I still struggle with working-mom guilt over spending my time exercising. But taking care of my self is not a luxury. I’ve realized that running is my sanity, and it’s OKAY to be sane.

This marks my 5 weeks of training, so far I haven’t missed a run. Anyone else out there training for the full Music City Marathon?

Motherhood

Beautiful People are Lonely Too

drrupe

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College. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

For my friend Sally, freshman year fell in the later category. Her assigned roommate was a life sized Barbie doll, complete with blond hair, blue eyes, a perfect wardrobe and an exotic French accent. Sally’s attempts at friendship with Barbie doll roommate went unrequited. Barbie wasn’t overly friendly, but luckily she wasn’t around much, as she busied herself with various social gatherings. Sally slowly made other friends and was beginning to adjust to college life…until Barbie decided to steal Sally’s boyfriend. Sally’s boyfriend OF THREE YEARS. Sally had chosen our college, far away from her family and friends, not for its wonderful curriculum, but because it was the school her boyfriend was attending. Sally was hysterical. When confronted with this ultimate betrayal, Sally’s roommate used an excuse that will long go down in the history as the worst excuse ever. Barbie looked Sally straight in the eye and said with her perfectly red pouty lips and sultry French accent, “Beautiful people are lonely too, Sally.”

That response by no means either justified her actions, or induced an ounce of compassion from Sally. But it was sincere. The world is full of lonely beautiful people.

As an OB/GYN, I see a lot of naked people, both physically and emotionally. Intellectually we all know not to judge people by their outward appearance, but on a daily basis I see the reality of that truth play out in my exam rooms.

One day recently my first two patients had the same complaint: low sex drive.

The first women looks the epitome of the suburban dream. She is beautiful, fit and wealthy, toting around 2 kids in her new Range Rover. The truth is that she miserable. She is fighting depression, struggling with low self esteem and marital problems.

My next patient is a slightly fluffy 40 something, who is happy and healthy. Her only concern is low sex drive. On further clarification her definition of low sex drive was having sex every other day, instead of twice a day. {I encouraged her that she’s well above average.}

I’m not attempting to equate sex with happiness, but merely saying that people are not always what they seem. In this image obsessed culture, we equate physical perfection with sexuality and happiness. From my experience, that is simply not true.

This popular meme “Comparison is the thief of Joy” is especially true when you take into consideration that you often don’t realize what you are comparing yourself to. The image you are seeing is not always real. A significant number of women have had plastic surgery of some kind or another. I would estimate that in my town, 20% of the breasts are filled with silicone. 

Often the happiest, most fulfilled women that I see are the ones who would be the most average appearing at the mall. Whereas so many of the people who are supposed to have their stuff together, really just don’t.

I don’t know whatever happened to Barbie Doll roommate. I hope she eventually found some companionship and fulfillment. Sally went on to a happy and successful life, as she has embraced the art of contentment. She learned that obviously, it’s a bad idea to follow a boy to college, but most importantly that outward beauty and inward beauty don’t always come in the same package.

Humor

Awkward Moments in Gynecology: The Elevator Pap Smear Incident

drrupe

I love my job 99% of the time, however one thing that can throw a hiccup in even the most pleasant day is a hospital GYN consult. When a sweet old lady from the nursing home gets admitted to the hospital for pneumonia or some other ailment, oftentimes a very thorough internist will discover that she has not had a pap smear in some years, and suddenly this becomes an emergent issue. I then get called upon to see these women in the hospital. Often these ladies are quite demented, so examining them is challenging in any situation, but attempting a pap smear in a hospital bed requires cirque du soleil-esque skills. It is pleasant for neither me nor the patient.

There are no gyn exam tables with stirrups on the wards, so to do a proper pelvic, I need 3 nurses to help hold the legs, a pile of blankets for the women to lay on, and another nurse to hold a flashlight so I can see up into Miss Daisy’s nether regions. They also do not keep speculums in the hospital, so I usually bring my own.

One particularly long day I received the message that I had a consult to see on the fourth floor: an emergent yeast infection. Awesome. After finishing office, I loaded up my flashlight, speculum, KY, and pap smear brushes, then schlepped them down the hall to the hospital. I got in the elevator with a well dressed, slightly stuff appearing woman. As I pushed the number for the fourth floor, I had what I thought was a quite humorous idea.

Holding up the speculum and flash light with a smile, I joking said to my stately elevator-mate, “Want a Pap Smear?”

She made no verbal response, but her eyes got as big as saucers and she looked at me like I’d killed her cat.

I continued with my goofy awkward grin, unsure how to respond, realizing my humor was lost on this woman.

At this moment the elevator opened and she bolted before I could say, “Obviously I was joking.”

I could see the headlines: “Gynecologist Accused of Accosting Woman in Elevator.” My mother would be mortified. I kept my eyes pealed for security the remainder of the evening, but luckily, it was only a temporary embarrassment and no arrests were made.

My humor will always get me in trouble from time to time, but I’ve learned my lesson, next time I’ve got a consult, I’m keeping my speculum to myself.

Running

Why are You Running?

drrupe

Recently someone asked me, “Why do you like to run so much?”

My reply was a stoner-esque prolonged,”Uhhhhhhhh.”

It was similar to asking me why I eat or sleep. Running is merely a part of my life. Why would anyone not run?

I became a runner 17 years ago, when I got married. At the time we lived in Tulsa, OK near the River Parks, which contain miles of beautiful running/biking trails. One day I randomly decided I should start running, so I bought stupidly expensive running shoes. My enthusiasm wore off quickly and I felt like quitting after 3 weeks like most people, but I kept going anyway. My secret: guilt. I was a poor college student newly wed who blew her budget on running shoes. Initially I kept running, to get my money’s worth out of those Nikes.

Somewhere along the way, I learned to love running. It was not love at first sight, but rather a gradual transition from dread, to tolerability, to love. The first time, I ever remember ‘enjoying’ a run was when I ran 3 miles without having to stop to walk. I felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I slowly began to feel like a REAL runner, like an athlete.

Next came races. I began collecting a stack 5K t-shirts. Let me clarify, that I’ve never been a fast runner. The only medals on my wall are ‘finishing’ medals, but from the pre-race butterflies to the exhilaration of crossing the finish line, I learned to love the process. In the fall on 1997, I signed up for my first Tulsa Run 15k. It was by far the biggest and longest race I had ever ran with 2000 participants running 9 miles. I would have never imagined being able to run 9.1 miles, so crossing that finish line was truly amazing.

Over the years, my running intensity has waxed and waned with the stages of my life. As an OB/GYN intern working 100 hours a week, I barely slept, let alone ran. However, as chief resident I picked up where I left off and enjoyed the trails of Northern Ohio. Upon moving to middle Tennessee, the hills have gotten their revenge on me a few times. I had 2 stress fractures 5 years ago and learned the importance of cross training.  Now I run smarter, increase my miles gradually and strength train with cross fit style workouts twice a week.

My first year running I dropped 20 pounds with minimal dietary changes. Throughout my 20’s I basically ate what I wanted and ran 5 miles a day and all seemed to balance out. Sadly, this no longer worked in my mid-30’s. I now have to watch my diet, in addition to exercise to maintain my weight.

Running has become my Prozac. When I’ve had a bad week, I take it out on the pavement. While I don’t enjoy every second of every run, I always feel better after I run. Many times I get lost in thought or conversation and forget I’m running. I rarely listen to music, mostly I let my thoughts wander. No matter how tired I am when that alarm goes off at 5:30, I always feel a burst of energy as I go through my morning routine, on days I run.

Running is also my escape. On my runs, I am not a doctor, mom or wife. I’m just another Garmin wearing, chia seed eating, sweaty mess of a runner.

Running is my example. I practice what I preach. I don’t just tell my patients to take care of themselves, eat right and exercise, I do it. As my kids wake up and shuffle down the stairs in their jammies, they see me coming in from my morning run, sweaty and smiling, as I set a healthy example for my wee ones.

This fall I’m hoping to make it back to Oklahoma to compete in the Tulsa Run for the first time in 10 years, also I’m tossing around the idea of a full marathon next spring. Much like running, writing has been become a big part of who I am, so I plan to use this site to track my progress.

Why do I run?

For the post run high, the energy, the stress relief, the camaraderie, the cute gear and the exhilaration of crossing the finish line.

I run, because I can.