Pain free?

                                         
                                        As June now moves into July, the real meat of summer will arrive.
Hot,sticky and simply miserable weather for this soul. Yet, I will make it as always and struggle through the oppressiveness of the season. A bit weary and tired when September arrives for sure.
But you don't need to read my whining words about the heat. Right?

                                              On the health front, I have "discovered" some wonderful things in my fight against the nastiness of psoriatic arthritis and sciatica.Although both are still ever present in my body and continue their march towards making life uncomfortable, new and enlightening supplements have proved to be powerful in reducing the occurrences of this duo. One of my sweethearts told me about the addition of Tumeric to my diet as a possible helper in this daily struggle as well as the continued use of extra vitamins and additives.


 I started this small bottle about a month and a half ago and while only taking a single pill daily (as opposed to the three daily they suggest), I have noticed a decrease in pain.  Is it really helping, I simply do not know. Could be the weather change in addition too. Could be a few factors. But as this is an inexpensive additive, I will stick with it. It certainly didn't stop the problems nor lessen the pain when they occur but it DID seem to slow them down in frequency.
That to me is enough of a reason. I have always LOVED curry and this plant is the basic part of the delicious Indian spice/herb and is also a great anti-inflammatory . This link sheds a little light on it:

http://www.arthritistoday.org/arthritis-treatment/natural-and-alternative-treatments/supplements-and-herbs/supplement-guide/turmeric.php

I'm willing to try most anything that is not man-made and caustic in order to deal with this. Natural methods and supplements are just fine with me. The earth gives us such a bounty and I shall use what I can from her before what a Dr gives me that has been produced in a lab. Which brings me to the pain management issue.



                                          Since the early days of my arthritis and other issues, I have always been one to take the nasty man made nonsense the Dr prescribes. Few work well for me and the ones that DO seem to have side effects that make the intended results less than stellar.

 As mentioned above, natural is best if possible. Aspirin has always been a good one for me but does not act as fast as it could and ,of course, one cannot take too many due to bleeding potentials in the stomach. Having dealt with ulcers as a teen and in my 20's, I know full well what that is like and don't need it again.Vicodin and other man made pain killers are simply horrible on the liver and other organs. While there might be some natural elements in them, they are still toxic IMHO. My Dr, pharmacist and many others I know and love from the medical field all agree. Yes, it is the best we have in some ways and i understand and respect that. But, plenty of cultures and peoples have used natural and effective ways of dealing with pain for thousands of years. We have them still and so why not use what we can!!!


                                    

There are so many ways! From chakras to acupuncture as well as herbs and plant based methods. The list goes on and on and I'm studying more about these as I age and begin to feel the effects of it.


As a Washingtonian, I voted for the use of THC and cannabis, not as a recreational drug, but for it's pain management options for sufferers of so many a malady. It truly is a miracle for human kind and needs to really be researched a lot more.

                                             
                                                          There are still many people who feel that marijuana is a drug and used as a means to get high only. That a generation of "potheads" and low lifes have been the recipients and users  of this natural plant . That there is NO medicinal value in it and therefore it should be banned no matter what. Yet, in the same breath, it is perfectly OK to use opiate based meds to alleviate pain. Fine, I can see why they want that as a white pill does not have the stigma attached to smoking a joint. Well plenty of folks know full well that prescription abuse is rampant and that those opiates are overused more than ever before. And THC does NOT have to be smoked...thankfully. So, after consulting with my doctors, both of them, about the use of THC in my own pain management, I decided to try a consumable version of this in hopes it would take care of the chronic pain. I do NOT want this THC for any reason other than pain. I have never smoked, will not smoke or vape this plant....EVER. Yet here is an option that truly IS amazing in it's effects on inflammation and pain.

            http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/cannabis/healthprofessional/page4

                                                       Did it work?? Oh my did it ever!!!! One small dose of THC delivered pain stopping accuracy without any other effects to me. And THAT is what it is used for. Not for getting high, loopy or running away from life. Just PAIN and inflammation. And it does indeed work. Now that this is a legal and viable means of pain management in this state, I can use it when needed for this. No, I'm not a pothead nor will ever be. I run, take care of myself and am a healthy individual for the most part. But pain is still there. Fortunately, this does not happen as often as it once did as I have been able to use other means in reducing the effects.

                    So there you have it. While medications and other forms of relief are there for the taking, one of the best ways to combat pain can also be attitude.

                                                 

                                                                   Oh for sure, pain is a very real thing and NOT in our heads as some folks seem to think. I actually have had some people say that my arthritis and sciatica are in my head and that it is all imaginary. Yes, there are still folks like that out there. But as I travel this path of life and open my mind and eyes to alternative methods of doing things, a new world appears. It makes the journey that much better and the outlook very bright!!!! I'm not constrained and forced into a traditional and conservative, narrow minded way of thinking that once held me in it's grips.


                                Life is simply fabulous right now for me and my family!!!! At the age of forty seven years old, I have never been happier. Even WITH the pain issues and problems the body gives me. We all want to be happy, right?? For me, this is where I want to be. Well....minus the heat of the summer. I can do without that and look forward to autumn and it's colours and cool down.

Vancouver USA Marathon and Half Weekend!

                                    My running year consists of so much activity I never know where to start . While I still make my weekly mile totals from January to March, the actual racing season starts for me in that month with the Ft Vancouver 15K and then proceeds from there. It culminates in the Vancouver Marathon, or the Half for myself, each June Father's Day weekend. This is a major highlight of my running year and what really begins my summer. So, that being noted, Friday night of this last weekend started it off with a pre-race carb loading dinner with my running family. We met at a fun Italian restaurant in downtown Vancouver called Little Italy. Some great food, wine and even better, social time with our running peeps!!

Bart Yasso, runner extraordinaire, VUM emcee and all around great guy, was supposed to make it for dinner but couldn't due to airport arrival times. So we went it alone and had a great time!!





Below are a few photos from that dinner. Thanks to Rolf and Elba for the shots!!!

                       The next morning, Saturday, was the Freedom 5K and Kid's Race. I was not able to attend these  due to scheduling conflicts but it looks like all went very well and that the weather and race were perfect!!  This time of year is really always a risky one as June can be gloriously beautiful and in the 70°'s or raining like crazy.


                         Sunday, the day arrived for the fourth annual Vancouver Marathon and Half. Up at 5am and ready to head out the door and get a parking spot early, as they fill up fast. This beautiful course winds through a large cross section of Vancouver and past historic buildings and the Columbia River, ending in Esther Short Park downtown.


 We met up with our friend Jules and headed to Starbucks for a shot of caffeine and some chat. Just enough time to catch an interview with the CVTV camera man and get to the start for the full marathon.





                          The half marathon start was at 9 AM and so that gave us some time to shoot a few pics and meet up with running pals. Also, to scout the park and see what was new for this years event.
A friend was gracious enough to shoot a photo of Ann and myself at the clock tower as we awaited the start. I decided on a Sport Kilt this year and found it to be very comfortable. What would it be like after 13.1 miles of running?  I would find out very soon.

 Then we entered the corral for the start of this delightful race! I always get giddy and so excited when racing and go out super fast, tiring myself out by mile five or six. But I have been slowly getting better at NOT doing this and was determined to slow it down to 8:30 or 9:00 per mile paces. When my Garmin battery died before the race, I had no choice but to go it without that information, the first race I have done like this.


 Before you know it, we were off and running. I maintained my pace internally and am usually pretty good at knowing where I am at with that. As I ran past the court house, another running friend who couldn't make it this year due to work, shot this photo, Thanks Charlie and also to Laura for her mile 12 photo!!!!

Running in the kilt was fun and I appreciated most of the comments from the fans and fellow runners. Only two sideline supporters yelled out "I like the skirt", only to have myself and another runner next to me retort "It is a KILT! ". Surprising in this day that more don't know what a kilt is or the difference. Oh well. Maybe they know now. :-)





After mile six, I we all had the hill ahead on Evergreen and 5th to look forward to. This is not a horrible hill and the incline is lower but the distance is longer at close to a mile. The weather was holding out very nicely at around 60° and perfect. Then the downhill stride to the Columbia River and back towards downtown Vancouver. I started to feel my joints ache at mile eight and that is when I slowed down even more. By mile nine, the hips and knees were screaming at me, although not so much I had to walk. I kept what I thought was a 9:15 or so pace at mile twelve, the location Laura shot the pic above with me in the yellow circle. Thanks to her and Richard for the support there as well as the great photos!

Then on to the final mile, over the land bridge and past Fort Vancouver. This last mile has a rather steep hill that lasts a few long blocks but is a bit trying after a long race. The home stretch is always great fun when the crowds really cheer runners on. As I raced down the last hundred yards I did hear a lot of the word "kilt" and was happy for that. Showing that Scottish Pride I have for my ancestry is something I really enjoy when wearing my kilt!!!! As I passed the mats at the finish, I forgot to see what my time was and didn't find out till six hours later. An average 9:15/ mile pace. Not too bad as I was not intending on running this race fast nor competitive.

Energy Events and the staff who put on this race are to be commended over and over for the success it has in the last four years. Brian and his team have really made this event a special one for so many and it just keeps getting better!!!! Now to look forward to next years race and all of the other races in between!! 

After the finish, it was a trek to the car for the Nikon and some pics to be taken. The following are some of the photos of my running family. What joy and pride I have for this circle of family and friends!!!
  

                               

    So ends my first half of the 2014 racing season. And what a great way to do so!!!! This does not mean I'm ceasing running at all, but that I will not have another race till the North County Wine Half marathon in September. As most know, I do not like to run in the heat of the summer and try to get morning or late evening running in, usually 20-30 miles a week if I can manage it. I take my summers off in a way for writing, photography and hope to get back to Welsh and flute playing. One thing I look forward to though, is taking more photos at running events for my running family. I might not be running in those events but I just might be there taking photos.

                 Many thanks to all my running friends and family for a wonderful first half of 2014!!!!

Photographic Evolution.

                                                     In the early 1980's, I was a devotee of the photographic arts. In high school my primary focus (yeah, I know...horrible pun) was photography and in learning all I could about it. For four years I progressed from a simple pinhole camera made from black art paper and some Kodak matte photo paper in the back, to a Pentax K1000 35mm camera, which was an expensive piece of equipment for my poor parents.

  These older cameras didn't need the battery power the new digital models do. Great cameras and fun to shoot with. As I could develop my own film and use enlargers to make black and white as well as colour prints, I was on my way.
I later upgraded to a Pentax P3..

And then to a Minolta X370 and then X570

I loved shooting with these models and knew eventually I would upgrade to my favourite brand, Nikon. That would be in the form of the N70 and also a back up body of the FG, the one below these words. I still own this camera as well as the upgrade to the Nikon N70, the N80.

Both had their time with me and in my own freelance years as a photographer. I owned a business named Infinity Images and I shot architectural and business photos. Nope, never made much money but had a lot of fun. Did weddings too.




Then digital became the new format. I was resistant to this change and held out for a few years but KNEW it was the future in photography. So I saved the dollars and bought a Nikon D50.

 

This I bought in 2006 for a higher price of $650 and it was a HUGE 6.1 megapixel CCD.

Of course, we have  moved way ahead of that and now the digital cameras are amazing in all details.

Now the 36 MP + range has been reached and the details are as good as film was. yep, I had to accept that film was dead. And that the means to print and transport photos over the Internet and on CD roms,etc had now become the industry standard. I decided to leave the business and concentrate on other pursuits. I did NOT , however, stop using my D50. Up until yesterday, I estimate that I have run 200,000 photos through that camera. It certainly had been worth the investment in 2006.

But, the D50 was getting old. It needed a major cleaning, better glass for the lenses and to be upgraded. So, yesterday i decided it was time for a new model to step up if I wanted to be more competitive with others in the future for stock pics and for shooting photos of my running pals at races and events. Here she is...voila!! The Nikon D3200.

 This beauty of a body has 24.2 MP and a host of other features the D50 never had. I also have new glass that makes my older lenses seem like kids toys. I'm back in the game again!!

Wonder if i should dig up my press passes from the past and get them re-laminated?? Nah, not a chance. But I admit that this new lease on my love of photography is making me really look at more nature photos as well as using this beauty as much as possible. Watch out world, James is back in the game of shooting photos!!!!