tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57654142024-03-07T02:04:15.085-08:00Thomas' BlogThomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.comBlogger845125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-77579926249233174952023-10-04T13:39:00.001-07:002023-10-04T13:39:58.160-07:00HOLY CRAP IT'S FALL, HERE'S AN UPDATESilver Falls with the 'rents a few years ago.I still need to write that Shamrock Recap. Gah. I have a few notes already saved, I just need to buck up and do it. It'll probably be a lot shorter and less elaborate than most my race recaps, but that's okay. I just feel the need to recap any race I really try at.Unfortunately (or fortunately??), my body was not in a place to do a marathon this year. Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-52038541807679650322023-04-07T16:59:00.003-07:002023-04-07T17:05:41.533-07:002022-23 WINTER RECAPWhat a fun, beautiful jaunt through the forest! What could go wrong?Trying not to fall too far behind here on the blog. I will have a seperate post recapping the Shamrock 15k this year, but I've also been meaning to do a general update since the Portland Marathon. So that's what this post will be about.The recovery from the Portland Marathon went really well! I attribute this to my decent amount Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-47904047425178492302022-10-24T15:16:00.001-07:002023-02-01T17:32:53.767-08:002022 PORTLAND MARATHON RACE RECAPAt the start line before the race, when there was still light in my eyes and life in my body.As the week approached I wasn't dreading the race very much this year. I had "home bed advantage," the weather looked dry, I had no pressure on my performance, and I felt confident I could do the distance without issue. So it was pretty nice that week leading up to the race, I was tapering, I didn't have Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-43256351771805684142022-09-28T14:40:00.000-07:002022-09-28T14:40:09.317-07:002022 PORTLAND MARATHON RACE PREVIEWFrom 2019, the last time I did the Portland Marathon. I was much faster back then!Well, I was able to hit that twenty mile run without too much issue after the last post. It was long and hard (heh) but I was able to get it done. The weather that day was overcast and smoky, some people at Sunstone actually cut the run short because of the smoke. I did NOT have that option. I'm sure it was the Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-18962683162776731542022-09-07T14:02:00.002-07:002022-09-07T14:02:32.912-07:00SUMMER TRAINING RECAPOne of dozens of Sunstone weekday runs this summer.Oops, I did not mean to go that long between posting. Broken record, I know.Let's recap summer training for the Portland Marathon though! It was basically a repeat of last summer. I was able to slowly work my way up and hit my first 20 mile run in early August. What seemed impossible just a few months prior was indeed very possible. After that Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-85298913359664595512022-06-15T15:42:00.001-07:002022-06-15T15:42:48.026-07:00TRAINING BEGINS & COSENTYX UPDATEHello again! Just thought I would pop by and give a quick update on how my training is going and how my new drug is working.Let's start with the training. It always starts so much earlier than I think! I started my training long runs off at ten miles, so most of the spring I was working my long runs back up to that point. At one point five miles was a "long" run that kicked my ass, so getting Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-81558620414976424902022-05-18T13:58:00.000-07:002022-05-18T13:58:08.930-07:00ATTEMPTING DRUG NUMBER.... I'VE LOST COUNTHello beautiful people. How are you? And the kids? Good to hear.Well, nothing much to report. I want to try to update the blog once a month, but I often fail at that, as you can see. Anyways, two things to discuss, starting (another) new drug and my plans for a marathon this fall.First, the drug. Simponi, the medication I am currently on, is working alright. If nothing else works and this was as Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-38100769001495993582022-03-29T14:24:00.005-07:002022-04-26T15:01:29.886-07:002022 SHAMROCK RUN 8K RACE RECAPMy first race since the New York Marathon! I like traditions, because they force me to do things I wouldn't otherwise do. If I didn't have a streak of Shamrock Runs going back to 2012, I definitely would not have been doing a race. I had to keep my streak alive though, so even though I was having a rough winter and was in really horrible shape, I signed up for the 8k. My recent runs had been as Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-46300591687905161702022-01-31T20:24:00.000-08:002022-01-31T20:24:12.652-08:00RETURN OF THE M(B)ACK (PAIN)Well my friends, 2022 isn't off to the greatest start. For the second straight winter, my body has seemed to decide an inflammation flare would be an awesome way to make me lose all faith in the upcoming year early on. Gets it out of the way early. Kinda nice really when you think about it.It's a lot like last year, which I blamed solely on Humira. And yeah, that drug failed miserably. Here we Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-9067736226816556582021-12-31T16:16:00.030-08:002022-01-02T16:30:34.623-08:00END OF 2021 RECAPIn case you missed it, I finally got around to posting my race recap for the New York City Marathon. I backdated it to the actual month it took place, so I don't know if that causes it not to show up in an RSS feed or Reader list or whatever. Anyways, not that anyone reads this blog anyways, but there it is.2021 was sort of a down year of running for me. Not as bad as 2017 I suppose, but I Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-14897163660587487222021-11-18T19:56:00.004-08:002022-04-26T15:12:58.297-07:002021 NEW YORK CITY MARATHON RACE REPORTLined up with my corral about to start and run over the Verranazzo Narrows Bridge.I'll start off by saying that the New York City Marathon is hands down my favorite marathon experience to date. It really blows the other marathons I have done out of the water. If you want "big city spectacle," look no further! I was also lucky that the weather was absolutely perfect and I had a good race Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-8052337740868014562021-10-20T11:58:00.000-07:002021-10-20T11:58:30.126-07:00ALMOST THEREOver the weekend I ran my third and final 20 mile training run. Every marathon training cycle I try to run at least three of them, and this one was no different. They are definitely harder this time around versus in 2019 when my psoriatic arthritis was in remission. Towards the end of my 20 milers these days my pace drops, my heart rate elevates, and my knees throb. However, they are still "Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-24726193856406056632021-09-23T14:41:00.002-07:002022-01-02T16:35:13.930-08:00A PATTERN HAS BEEN DETECTEDGonna miss the blue skies.So, as I was kind of suspecting in my last post, the Simponi starts wearing off toward the end of the month and I have more symptoms the closer I get to my next shot. For example, the last few days I've been feeling more creaky and arthritic than I have for some time and surprise, surprise, my next shot is in two days. At this point I can pretty confidently say the Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-66775620304182587672021-08-13T21:20:00.000-07:002021-08-13T21:20:32.575-07:00SIXTY? NINETY? HARD TO TELLWeeknight four mile run with SunstoneAhoy! Mid-August update coming fast and hot. Make sure you are strapped in, because this is going to be some Earth shattering shit. Okay, not really.Training for the New York Marathon is going fairly well. I made a "training plan" around the beginning of July because at that point it was four months until race day and I needed some kind of structure or Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-60994094214084861712021-07-20T15:41:00.002-07:002021-07-20T15:48:08.647-07:00 2021 INDEPENDENCE DAY HALF MARATHON RACE RECAPDuring the much more populated first loop of the race.July 4th, 2021 marked my first in person race in nearly 17 months. Crazy to think about for someone that has been racing every few months since 2012. Since the pandemic hit, I've really been struggling with my psoriatic arthritis, so I guess the timing worked out in terms on not really missing out on anything. Races in Oregon have been doing Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-47633200695772105652021-06-30T12:30:00.012-07:002021-07-03T00:29:10.986-07:00FIFTH SHOT AND RACING AGAIN!I took my fifth shot of Simponi a few nights ago. I accidentally forgot to take it on my normal day, so it was the 26th instead of the 25th. Guess that could be considered a sign of progress that I wasn't jonesin' to take my next shot like I was on the first few.The relief level seems to be petering out... I would say I am like... 85% relieved. I am not sure if I am "better" than last month.Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-10078672528444191642021-05-28T15:10:00.002-07:002021-05-28T15:10:48.994-07:00MEMORIAL DAY MUSINGSWell, I guess I have kind of settled into a once a month post rhythm. So welcome to your end of May Thomas update!The monthly Simponi shot was effective even longer this time around. In fact, I got to the 25th of the month without feeling the need for it. My knees still felt A-OK on the 25th. So that was encouraging! I do think the relief is building in my system, so hopefully another two shots, Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-28454611267368550062021-04-30T00:34:00.002-07:002021-05-03T00:58:47.794-07:00APRIL SIMPONI UPDATE - SHOT THREE!Well, the pattern seemed to continue this past month. The second Simponi shot had a bit more staying power than the first one, and I only really began to feel the need for the next shot about a week before I was able to take it. Down from two weeks the previous time. So maybe the "building efficacy" theory I proposed in my last post was on the right track!I took my third shot on the 25th and Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-13636388921797752072021-03-30T14:47:00.001-07:002021-03-30T14:47:15.095-07:00SOMEWHAT SUCCINCT SECOND SIMPONI SHOT SUMMARYI've never looked forward to getting shots so much in my life. Between the COVID-19 vaccine and my second Simponi shot, I've started to get hearts in my eyes whenever I see a needle.Flashback to the weeks after my first shot... I felt almost immediate relief. I was very suspicious of some sort of placebo effect because relief that quickly off the first shot seemed suspect. The proof was in the Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-39147469331147206752021-02-26T16:49:00.003-08:002021-02-26T16:49:59.357-08:00NEW YEAR, NEW DRUGI had my appointment with the rheumatologist and she agreed that Humira was definitely not working for me. Not completely unusual, sometimes a person might have to try 2 or 3 drugs before finding one that "clicks" for them. So she recommended I switch to Enbrel, to which I readily agreed.It's funny, when she originally put me on Humira, she thought my insurance company would reject that and try Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-2728077623841088252021-01-31T22:31:00.005-08:002021-02-26T16:59:59.723-08:00HUMIRA IS AN EPIC FAILUREOn Italian train w/ non-Fed up knees.So, shortly after that last post things got pretty bad. I went and played basketball and while I was able to do so without too much pain, it left me in a horrible inflammation spiral. I was literally limping around for four days and my whole body hurt. The basketball reaction was just a symptom of a larger problem though, my medication not working.Even after Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-47551111980024184412020-12-30T13:18:00.000-08:002020-12-30T13:18:56.347-08:00POST HOLIDAY UPDATEHope everyone had a good holiday season! It was a bit weird this year and I look forward to things (hopefully) getting better next year.In regards to running, things are going alright. Just alright. The Humira has not gotten me back to 100% with the arthritis into remission. I'd say I'm about 80% of the way there. If I wasn't doing anything physical and just going about my day I might not even Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-33543737667192437152020-11-14T21:05:00.001-08:002020-11-14T21:09:51.231-08:00SIX WEEKS INTO HUMIRA TREATMENTWell, the election ended up being a little closer than my prediction, but I'm going to go ahead and call it good as I whistle and walk away!The other night I had my fourth Humira injection, six weeks to the day of my first injection. The treatment is going really well. The "sorta" headaches I had when I first started have completely dissipated. There are no other side effects that I am Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-4911917350125500082020-11-01T08:00:00.001-08:002020-11-01T08:00:02.031-08:002020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PREDICTIONWell, it's time for this exercise in futility again. Every four years try my hand at predicting what will happen during the election, failing miserably half the time (2/4, 50%). I try to get my prediction up a few days early and have a couple differences from the "conventional wisdom" (which these days, is mostly 538).If you want to look at the older ones, here is 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5765414.post-54881947682992242952020-10-22T11:47:00.003-07:002020-10-22T11:51:04.305-07:00HUMIRA TREATMENT FOR PsA - THREE WEEKS INI'm pleased to report I'm already feeling relief of my psoriatic arthritis symptoms with Humira. I did my first injection about three weeks ago and the second injection about a week ago. They say it can take 6-8 weeks to really kick in, but I'm already feeling a lot of relief. Since my case is more moderate, it might made sense that I am feeling it kick in earlier than someone with a really bad Thomashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01193466736869818256noreply@blogger.com0