This month two of my favorite running link-ups are happening on the same weekend. I will be linking with Marcia’s Healthy Slice for our monthly Runfessions and Coco from Running With Perseverance and Deborah from Confessions of a Mother Runner for their Ultimate Coffee Date. Let’s get started.
If we were having coffee, I would tell you that the “crystal” (our grandsons’ name for Bill’s kidney stone) incident has mercifully come to an end and we have running to thank. Kind of.
Back in December, when Bill was talking to his doctor about the kidney stone, he asked if he could run. His doctor asked what type of running Bill had in mind. Bill began describing the two trail races we had on the schedule. As he was talking, the doctor was shaking his head.
The urologist told Bill he could do short, easy runs but not the three-hour timed race or the 25K we had planned.
Bill decided to come with my friend Nancy and me to the three-hour race and just run “two or three loops“. Each loop was a mile and a half. That sounded reasonable to me.
As we drove to the race, Bill changed his strategy a few times. “I might run every other loop with you and Nancy,” he said. Then, “I’m going to take it easy and just see how it goes.”
I didn’t see Bill the entire race, which I thought was strange, but I found him waiting for me at the finish area when I completed my final loop.
“How many loops did you run?” I asked. “Nine,” he responded.
“Nine? Are you kidding me?“
“I felt good and stopped after every loop for a drink. I’m fine!” he said, noting my horrified expression.
The stone passed (painlessly) that night. I think he may have discovered a new method to get rid of kidney stones. Just run 13.5 miles through the woods.
I have a runfession to share about another January race, Phunt, a 25K trail run I have done several times and enjoy more each successive year.
Bill and I don’t always run together, but for long races, we usually stay pretty close. A 25K is one of those in-between distances. We might run together, we might not.
Bill and I run close to the same pace. At times, his training is going well and he could finish ahead of me; other times the reverse is true. This was one of the times when my training was going well.
On the drive down, I asked Bill if he wanted me to run with him. He said he did.
Now, not running at my maximum pace is not a problem, especially for a trail race I have done before and especially at Phunt; I like to take it easy and savor every wacky, rocky, root-y, moment.
It’s my absolute favorite race of the year but it is definitely not Bill’s favorite race. Bill is a road runner at heart. He does trail races to accommodate me because I love them.
He has done Phunt twice before.
Let me say this as diplomatically as possible: during both of the previous times we ran Phunt together, Bill let me know in no uncertain terms he was not having the time of his life.
I saw an opportunity to make a deal. “I will run with you if you promise not to complain about Phunt,” I said. “I enjoy this race.” “Deal,” he replied. We ran together.
I actually think it was easy for him to keep his promise. The conditions for the race were perfect and we both had a good time.
It’s a good thing he finally felt the Phunt magic, at least a little bit; we already registered for the 2021 version of the race.
I have one last runfession and this one is rather embarrassing. Strike that, this is extremely embarrassing.
Actually, this is a Body Pump-fession.
Regular readers of this blog may remember I take Body Pump classes as my form of strength training. I enjoy them immensely.
The class I typically attend begins at 9:15 a.m. and consists of mostly women. At that time of day, there are two types of women in the class, retirees and young mothers. I, of course, belong to the former group.
I have to admit to a certain amount of pride I derive from being able to keep up with the younger women in the class, even though “humility” is the word I adopted to consider in 2020.
Two weeks ago, we began a new routine, one that involved doing squats while holding an 11-pound metal plate parallel to the ground at chest level.
As we were sweating through our squats, our instructor told us to begin lifting the plate above our heads when we squatted, just as a new, more exquisite form of torture.
The first time I lifted the plate above my head, I must have been holding it too close to my face, because I clocked myself on the underside of my nose.
I saw stars.
I was sure my nose was bleeding but a quick check in the mirror told me otherwise and I resumed the squats, mortified, but not bloody.
As a result of the incident, I developed bruises on the inside edges of both nostrils.
When I mentioned how self-conscious those bruises made me, Bill responded that he hardly noticed them. I think he was trying to make me feel better.
“How can you not notice them?” I asked.
“Honey, people will probably just think you have boogers,” he replied.
Thanks, Bill. You always know exactly what to say.
Humility.
Thank you for joining me once again for coffee and runfessions. We’ll do it again next month, good Lord willin’ and the creek don’t rise.
Oh my goodness. I’m laughing at Bill’s comment. I share his ability to say just the right thing. I hope you’re feeling better and I’m glad to hear that his kidney stone passed. However, if I ever have one, I doubt I’ll try his method.
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Yes, Bill has many fine talents. Having a silver tongue is not one of them! 🙂 I am feeling better and so is he.
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I’m glad to hear that your husband is doing well. Passing kidney stones can be the worst pain. Staying hydrated is so important the older we get. I’m glad you only had a bruise when you hit yourself in the face with the weight! Ouchie!
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Bill was dreading passing the stone ever since he found out he had one. He was very relieved that it passed painlessly. I thought for sure I broke my nose! Ugh!
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First off, happy to hear of the easy passing of the kidney stone!! Second, your nose – Glad you didn’t break it!! Men, they sometimes just don’t know what to say – but his comment was pretty funny. lol
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I thought for sure my nose would be broken in the first instant after I did it! So glad there was no blood gushing out when I checked in the mirror! Bill has a lot of good qualities. silver-tounges, he is not! 🙂
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…kidney stones sure don’t sound like fun.
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They certainly are not!
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Evidently Bill chose to run the loops with the same approach as eating Lays Potato Chips – betcha can’t eat just one/bet you can’t run just one (loop). Ha ha – Bill sure knows the way to make a girl feel good doesn’t he? Good thing he has other redeeming qualities.
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You are right. Linda. I could not believe he ran NINE loops! I thought one or two – maybe three. There is no cell phone reception out there but there was an ambulance handy.
He has plenty of redeeming qualities. Smooth talking is not one of them! 🙂
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He is a trooper – you are well suited. Ha ha as to the smooth talking … you’ll just need to work on that a little more Laurie.
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I don’t think I could handle being married to a smooth-talker. I like him just fine the way he is! 🙂
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No, I wouldn’t want that either Laurie. Bill’s a keeper for sure!
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Oh no – I went to SPAM again – I wasn’t being SPAMMY either!
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Ugh! I read once that if you answer comments too quickly they go to spam. I will check my spam folder.
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That’s cool. It does happen when the stone is resting in the calyx of the kidney and not in its substance.
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I had no idea. He had a lot of pain earlier but none when it passed.
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Very little luck for him.
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LOL! Boogers!!! I don’t know if confession is good for YOUR soul, but it made ME laugh.
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Glad we could make you laugh today, Anne! 🙂
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Haha! I had a similar incident at Body Pump! Only it was with the bar that I lifted too close to my face. 😄 I didn’t hurt myself as badly as you did but I felt embarrassed all the same. Hope your bruises/boogers will get better soon!
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I thought about hitting myself with the bar but I was always careful to avoid it. I just forgot to watch the plate! Ugh! My bruises/boogers are all gone!
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Glad Bill has recovered! And that last story…totally sounds like something I would’ve done 😬 haha my worst injuries are always accidently self-inflicted.
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It hurt my nose and my pride, but both are pain-free now! 🙂
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Ouch! I’ve done stuff like that before–but instead, I’ve clocked myself on the chin. My teeth rattled and people heard it. Yikes…and then there’s the ‘fession I posted today… Glad you’re ok and nothing bad happened. Just a good story, right?
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I thought of this incident when I read your runfessions! 🙂 Yep. I did get a good story out of it. Nothing hurts anymore except my pride!
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Ouch on hitting your nose! One time I fainted on top of a light fixture Mr. Judy was trying to put up (long story). Split my lip. Told my co-workers he’d hit me — I’m sure the reaction these days would be quite different, but it was a joke, obviously.
I have also been proud of being able to outexercise (or outrun) those younger than me. Guess I’m not that humble either! We’re competitive, and that’s a good thing, right?
OMG, can’t believe Bill was able to run out the kidney stone AND that it passed painlessly. Hopefully he never has to use that technique again. 🙂
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Oh, no! That split lip sounds painful. Yes, today, that joke might get your hubby thrown in jail!
Competitive is good, but I think I overdo it sometimes. I cross the line into hubris.
I hope he never has another stone too. He was dreading passing it for weeks. Such a relief that it wasn’t painful!
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I was very sick, which is why I fainted, so the split lip really wasn’t that bad.
In general I’m a pretty modest person, but yes, I’m still comparing myself to others. We’re all human, right?
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We are human and comparison is natural. It just isn’t always constructive.
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Hah! Too funny! Phunt is popular in my MRTT group. Wasn’t it rainy and muddy? Or are those “perfect” conditions because it was’t frigid?
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The rain, snow, and sleet began in earnest after I finished. Maybe your friends did the 50k. For me, the conditions were perfect (considering it was January).
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So glad to hear that Bill successfully passed that kidney stone painlessly, Laurie. That’s truly a miracle! And the nose incident? Do you recall the old saying, “Don’t get your nose out of joint?” I guess you did that day in more ways than one. Yes, humility . . .
Blessings!
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He was dreading passing that stone for the entire time he had it. I was so glad it passed painlessly too! My nose was definitely out of joint for a while. All better now! Humility!
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Glad your husband is feeling better! We all have gym embarrassments. During one of my kickboxing sessions w my trainer, I literally hit myself in the face Haha. It hurt so much but I was trying not to let him know I just wanted to cry
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Haha! Thanks for letting me know I’m not the only one! 🙂
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Doing the Saquatch 5k this year was my humoring Jason’s enjoyment of trails as I too am a road runner at heart. Upon hearing that my 5k was more fields and not that intense he’s now insisting I do the 10k this year that he did instead. We shall see…
Smacking your nose with a weight sounds very painful though something I could see my clumsy self doing too!
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I was so glad Bill finally enjoyed Phunt. The first time we did it, we couldn’t run on the typical single track trails due to excessive mud. 700 runners would really have chewed up the trails, so we ran a lot of the race on park gravel and dirt roads. Plus it was over 17 miles (25K = 15.5 miles). Last year the trails were snow and ice-covered. This year’s conditions were perfect!
I am such a klutz sometimes! 🙂
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Now that nose bop definitely sounds like something I’d do. I’d be very self conscious of the bruising, too…I don’t wear liquid foundation, but I’d be layering that stuff on thickly LOL (and I’m kind of allergic to the stuff…but #desperatetimes). Hope things are feeling better and the boogers are under control 🙂
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Ugh! I felt so dumb! I do have some concealer, but because of the location of the bruise (some of it was actually IN my nostril) it was tough to conceal. Haha! The boogers are under control! 🙂
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Hitting yourself in the nose with a plate sounds painful! I bet that it was hard to really see any bruise if it was on the bottom of your nose.
That’s pretty impressive that your husband ran 9 of those laps!
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Lisa, it was soooo painful! It was impressive that Bill ran 9 laps, but I was still mad at him. If I would have known he was running that far, I would have been worried!
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Oh good Lord, I can just imagine how painful and embarrassing that Body Pump incident was. Thank heavens your nose didn’t start spurting blood. So glad “the crystal” has passed and all is well on and off the trails!
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I know! Spurting blood is never good in the gym! 🙂 It was bad enough as it was.
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OK, good, I see my comment surfaced again though waiting moderation … WordPress has been a force to be reckoned with lately.
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I am just so slow at approving and responding to comments since we have been traveling. Sorry, Linda! I am home now and trying to catch up!
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No problem Laurie but I didn’t want to look like I did not respond – I never know why my comments are relegated to the junk mail filter. 🙂 I am sure Benji is ecstatic!
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He ran around and around the living room when we got home. He acted like a puppy!
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How cute Laurie – Benji said “Mom and Dad please don’t leave me again – when did you say you were going to Portugal BTW – not for a while I hope!”
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We are going to Portugal at the end of March. Benji has us at home for a while.
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That’s good – he’s got a few weeks yet to enjoy you guys – how are the language lessons coming along?
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Ummm…I kind of slacked off while we were traveling. I need to get back to them again. I know some basic phrases.
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That’s good – well, traveling and vacation puts your agenda into a bit of a twist … you have plenty of time to learn more words and phrases before you leave.
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Oh, no! That totally sounds like something I would do! I’m so glad you’re ok!
and how great that Bill was able to pass that kidney stone so easily! So lucky!
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My pride suffered the biggest injury!
He was dreading passing the stone, but it turned out to be not painful at all.
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Good for you doing Body Pump! Everyone has exercise accidents – don’t stress about it. Although it’s easy for me to say 🙂 So glad that Bill – and consequently you – had a better time at Phunt!
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Haha! My nose hurt for a few weeks but it is better now. It was more embarrasing than painful!
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I’ve had similar accidents when doing strength training. It’s so easy to not lift something quite right, and boom, I’m slightly injured.
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Good to know I’m not the only one, Sheryl. Add fatigue to lifting heavy weights and those accidents are bound to happen.
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Oh no! Hitting yourself in the nose sounds like it was so painful. I’ve hit myself with things by accident before and it’s so weird because its painful but then you feel embarrassed to, lol.
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Those metal plates HURT when you hit yourself in the nose with them! 🙂 My pride was hurt worse, though.
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I sometimes wonder how much attention people really pay to us. I had some spots on my face and hands frozen off recently. While I was painfully aware of – and a bit embarrassed by – them, I imagine most people didn’t even notice. Most people are more aware of themselves. I remember my mother giving me that lesson in humility when I was young and was sure everyone was looking at me and talking about me… they probably weren’t. Of course that doesn’t mean that everyone didn’t think you had boogery nose 🙂
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So true, Janis. We are much more aware of our own imperfections than others are. When I was teaching, though, I had a small skin cancer removed from my cheek. I got a lot of questions and comments about it. Kids notice everything!
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Sounds like I should be telling my kidney stone patients (I’m an ER nurse) to run the stone out of them. Who knew. On one hand you could get dehydrated and make it worse, but on the other hand, blood is pumping which gets the kidneys working and flushing out debris. Hmmm.
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I think Bill’s doctor was worried about dehydration when he said “No” to the races. The format of this race made it easy to stay hydrated, though. Runners passed the starting line (and an aid station) every loop.
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Ouch! Sorry about the purple boogers.
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Thanks! They are gone now. Thank heavens! 🙂
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Cannot imagine running over a rocky, root-y course. You are amazing, my friend. And Bill!! What a champ to run even a half-block with a kidney stone on board! Maybe all that pounding and impact from the running blasted that crystal to bits and it passed without issue, thanks to all the water he drank between laps. You both have my admiration. I haven’t run – and I feel very embarrassed to even say RUN when I know what I do is more a moderate walk!! Got to get back at it. Thank you for a fun read and the inspiration to do so.
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I think that’s exactly what happened – all the pounding from running shook the kidney stone loose. Thank you for the very kind comment!
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