May 17, 2009
wiped out
Absolutely wiped out today. A short run would probably fix that, but I hurt all over and my stomach isn't too happy, either. Rain's been coming and going all night and it's about to rain again. Maybe today will be a rest day.
May 16, 2009
The 5th (6th?) annual Healthy Kidney 10K
The words floating out of the loudspeakers in Mary Wittenburg's shrill tones said something about "when this race started five years ago...." and I didn't catch the rest. Something about numbers. It didn't matter to me. I'd just finished a warmup of 1.8 miles and had barely had time to stop by baggage to take a Tylenol and suck in some albuterol before heading for my corral. Now I was waiting to one side of the pink area, unwilling to actually walk ALL the way back to the brown corral, especially since the starting line was already so far ahead it was out of sight. I figured I'd just cool me heals until most of the crowd had already passed and I'd slip in with the portion that had the most brown bibs.
Despite having done an albuterol nebulizer treatment before leaving the house, my lungs were not having a good time. The humidity was high - really high - and even as I waited for the race to start andeveryone to get out of my way most of the pack to move ahead, it began to sprinkle. Oh, man.... this does not bode well.
With the increasing tempo of the evil wet stuff from the sky prompting me to get going, I slipped in with the pink bibs and started my remaining mileage for the day. As we all loped along, climbing the west hills of the park, the rain began in earnest and we were shortly all pretty wet. Not soaked, exactly, as certain portions of shorts and shirts remained dry, but shoes, tops, hair, skin, all dripping water. The rain made it hard to see.
Along about mile two, now, and the rain lets up a bit and five minutes later it's gone for good. Now the air is getting warmer and the humidity just hangs out. I can see the air and the hotter people's breath is condensing, even in the nearly-70-degree environment. Ridiculous.
I'm struggling, of course. Again a 180 from the previous run, which was cooler, less humid, and a whole lot drier. I'm walking up hill after hill, panting as I do so, and feeling very much let down by the weatherman, who'd promised partly sunny this morning. Perhaps this rain and humidity was his idea of a prank?
I survive through mile 3 and the biggest hill of the run and then try to really get going. I do pretty well through most of mile 4 - but then, most of that is flat. I'm running out of steam, though, and wonder why. I'm drinking Sustained Energy and that's never let me down before. As I run and walk and run and walk, I realize two things: first, that perhaps this new diabetes is interfering with getting the energy from my drink into my muscle cells (!) and so there may be something to this whole insulin shots thing (these are in my future, I just know it); and second, that there is a girl in vivid green that will be the one I have to beat. We've been playing tag since mile two.
I'm passing the fifth mile marker with something akin to joy in my heart - for this torture is almost over. I still can't breathe well, and my legs feel like rubber - but I'm able to stretch out this segment and resist taking a last walk break. This resistance is reinforced when I pass my aged friend Crista H, who is lumping along in her usual way. She'd told me before the race that she was in pain and was probably going to have to have surgery. So now, if I can just keep going, I will manage to beat an injured octegenarian. Somehow, that brings me no joy at all.
I'm keeping the green girl in sight and surprisingly resist walking the last two hills. Keep in mind that Healthy Kidney 10K finishes just like the Marathon - UPhill. Mustering everything I've got left, I increase my speed a little and manage to pass the green girl and keep up the mildly-strong finish to the end. Passing her brings me no joy. Crossing the finish line brings me no joy; only relief.
I've been coughing the entire race, unable to get my lungs to stop spasming, and now, when I'm expecting the most extended coughing fit of all (because that's what happens to me when I stop running), nothing happens. I'm bent over trying to catch my breath and really trying not to pass out; I don't feel steady at all. Apparently, I didn't look too good, either, for when I stand up, there are two medical personnel looking me over with some concern. I flash them a quick smile and move on.
I neither noted, nor cared what my time was. I grab my bag and head toward the subway, stopping to get a coffee and muffin from the little kiosk at the park entrance. The coffee tastes good; the muffin is terrible.
Worst Healthy Kidney 10K of the five I've done (in a row!) Not by much. The last three years have all been within two minutes of each other, but still, I KNOW I can do better.
Despite having done an albuterol nebulizer treatment before leaving the house, my lungs were not having a good time. The humidity was high - really high - and even as I waited for the race to start and
With the increasing tempo of the evil wet stuff from the sky prompting me to get going, I slipped in with the pink bibs and started my remaining mileage for the day. As we all loped along, climbing the west hills of the park, the rain began in earnest and we were shortly all pretty wet. Not soaked, exactly, as certain portions of shorts and shirts remained dry, but shoes, tops, hair, skin, all dripping water. The rain made it hard to see.
Along about mile two, now, and the rain lets up a bit and five minutes later it's gone for good. Now the air is getting warmer and the humidity just hangs out. I can see the air and the hotter people's breath is condensing, even in the nearly-70-degree environment. Ridiculous.
I'm struggling, of course. Again a 180 from the previous run, which was cooler, less humid, and a whole lot drier. I'm walking up hill after hill, panting as I do so, and feeling very much let down by the weatherman, who'd promised partly sunny this morning. Perhaps this rain and humidity was his idea of a prank?
I survive through mile 3 and the biggest hill of the run and then try to really get going. I do pretty well through most of mile 4 - but then, most of that is flat. I'm running out of steam, though, and wonder why. I'm drinking Sustained Energy and that's never let me down before. As I run and walk and run and walk, I realize two things: first, that perhaps this new diabetes is interfering with getting the energy from my drink into my muscle cells (!) and so there may be something to this whole insulin shots thing (these are in my future, I just know it); and second, that there is a girl in vivid green that will be the one I have to beat. We've been playing tag since mile two.
I'm passing the fifth mile marker with something akin to joy in my heart - for this torture is almost over. I still can't breathe well, and my legs feel like rubber - but I'm able to stretch out this segment and resist taking a last walk break. This resistance is reinforced when I pass my aged friend Crista H, who is lumping along in her usual way. She'd told me before the race that she was in pain and was probably going to have to have surgery. So now, if I can just keep going, I will manage to beat an injured octegenarian. Somehow, that brings me no joy at all.
I'm keeping the green girl in sight and surprisingly resist walking the last two hills. Keep in mind that Healthy Kidney 10K finishes just like the Marathon - UPhill. Mustering everything I've got left, I increase my speed a little and manage to pass the green girl and keep up the mildly-strong finish to the end. Passing her brings me no joy. Crossing the finish line brings me no joy; only relief.
I've been coughing the entire race, unable to get my lungs to stop spasming, and now, when I'm expecting the most extended coughing fit of all (because that's what happens to me when I stop running), nothing happens. I'm bent over trying to catch my breath and really trying not to pass out; I don't feel steady at all. Apparently, I didn't look too good, either, for when I stand up, there are two medical personnel looking me over with some concern. I flash them a quick smile and move on.
I neither noted, nor cared what my time was. I grab my bag and head toward the subway, stopping to get a coffee and muffin from the little kiosk at the park entrance. The coffee tastes good; the muffin is terrible.
Worst Healthy Kidney 10K of the five I've done (in a row!) Not by much. The last three years have all been within two minutes of each other, but still, I KNOW I can do better.
May 13, 2009
What's the opposite of craptacular?
How can I go from shit to shinola in one day? I don't know, but it happened.
Today was arguably the most perfect day ever, weather-wise, and my run was pretty close.
The day began early, at 7 a.m. Up, shit, shower, & shave (thanks Dad for the phrase that goes through my head every morning), therapy, package up the now-replaced glucose meter, out the door for a 10 a.m. meeting with the nurse running the CF/GERD study. What a beautiful morning! The air smells fresh and clean - I mean really clean. My lungs feel good and my legs don't hurt too much from the last four days of running. Morning muffin tasted good; coffee tasted good; smooth pleasant subway ride sans loony homeless people.
After the visit with the nurse, I decided to take advantage of the perfect weather and go for a run in Central Park. For the first time in ages, I used NYRR's facilities to change and store my stuff while I ran. I did the middle loop - 4 miles - and knew from the start that today was going to be something special. It was well over half a mile before I slowed to a walk, and only walked for a minute. I think I walked six or seven times the whole run, each time for a very short amount of time. As I dealt with the Harlem Hills, I made it most of the way up most of them - and all the way up the rest of them!
I was surrounded by people enjoying the park, including a group of tourists on rental bikes waiting at a red light. I passed them just as the light turned green and they started pedaling. I thought about that for a moment, then turned around and told them the lights don't apply to bikes, just cars. Turns out they're Italian (I think), so I restated in simple nouns that hopefully translated well.
In the downhill mile on the west side, the run was just great. I paused long enough to get some water at a fountain, as I'd not brought any with me. I made the turn on to the 72nd street crossover and found the strength to just keep going. Cat Hill, though, I walked up much of the way. Just as I was getting ready to run at the bobcat statue, I heard my name and here comes my friend Marci, whom I first met at last year's NY Marathon expo. We listen to the same podcast. It was great chatting with her and she decided to accompany me on my last 3/4 miles back to Engineer's Gate. That was a good way to end my run. I don't have any breath to spare for chatting while running, but I managed to keep the pace strong and finished the 4 miles well.
It was great to see Marci, and the whole run was just one of those rare runs where everything was going right: it was the perfect storm of good weather, good lungs, willing legs, Tylenol taken about half an hour before, and having no time table to keep. Just fantastic.
I extended my time outdoors by changing at NYRR then walking down 5th ave to the N train. I was hungry, so I checked my blood sugar and purchased a "pizza" pretzel. I was pleased to see my blood sugar was a perfect 80 post-exercise (it had hit 382 earlier in the day), but the pizza pretzel was no great shakes. No big deal; just wanted something to fill the belly before dinner.
I will either rest tomorrow or go low-impact with some stationary bike and weights. Probably that. Can't gain weight without weights. Friday is definitely rest day, as Saturday is slated to be a total of 11 miles, mix of running and walking.
Today was arguably the most perfect day ever, weather-wise, and my run was pretty close.
The day began early, at 7 a.m. Up, shit, shower, & shave (thanks Dad for the phrase that goes through my head every morning), therapy, package up the now-replaced glucose meter, out the door for a 10 a.m. meeting with the nurse running the CF/GERD study. What a beautiful morning! The air smells fresh and clean - I mean really clean. My lungs feel good and my legs don't hurt too much from the last four days of running. Morning muffin tasted good; coffee tasted good; smooth pleasant subway ride sans loony homeless people.
After the visit with the nurse, I decided to take advantage of the perfect weather and go for a run in Central Park. For the first time in ages, I used NYRR's facilities to change and store my stuff while I ran. I did the middle loop - 4 miles - and knew from the start that today was going to be something special. It was well over half a mile before I slowed to a walk, and only walked for a minute. I think I walked six or seven times the whole run, each time for a very short amount of time. As I dealt with the Harlem Hills, I made it most of the way up most of them - and all the way up the rest of them!
I was surrounded by people enjoying the park, including a group of tourists on rental bikes waiting at a red light. I passed them just as the light turned green and they started pedaling. I thought about that for a moment, then turned around and told them the lights don't apply to bikes, just cars. Turns out they're Italian (I think), so I restated in simple nouns that hopefully translated well.
In the downhill mile on the west side, the run was just great. I paused long enough to get some water at a fountain, as I'd not brought any with me. I made the turn on to the 72nd street crossover and found the strength to just keep going. Cat Hill, though, I walked up much of the way. Just as I was getting ready to run at the bobcat statue, I heard my name and here comes my friend Marci, whom I first met at last year's NY Marathon expo. We listen to the same podcast. It was great chatting with her and she decided to accompany me on my last 3/4 miles back to Engineer's Gate. That was a good way to end my run. I don't have any breath to spare for chatting while running, but I managed to keep the pace strong and finished the 4 miles well.
It was great to see Marci, and the whole run was just one of those rare runs where everything was going right: it was the perfect storm of good weather, good lungs, willing legs, Tylenol taken about half an hour before, and having no time table to keep. Just fantastic.
I extended my time outdoors by changing at NYRR then walking down 5th ave to the N train. I was hungry, so I checked my blood sugar and purchased a "pizza" pretzel. I was pleased to see my blood sugar was a perfect 80 post-exercise (it had hit 382 earlier in the day), but the pizza pretzel was no great shakes. No big deal; just wanted something to fill the belly before dinner.
I will either rest tomorrow or go low-impact with some stationary bike and weights. Probably that. Can't gain weight without weights. Friday is definitely rest day, as Saturday is slated to be a total of 11 miles, mix of running and walking.
May 11, 2009
Craptacular
That word describes my 1.5 miles today. Legs hurt from yesterday. Really struggled to get up the damn hill. Coming back down the hill was OK and no walking, but man it was all just such a struggle. Coughing up more and greener, too. Extended the route a tiny bit, maybe an extra 25 yards. Going to keep extending the route little by little until I'm running a full 3 miles every day (while, of course, doing longer distances on weekends). then I'll be ready to begin real marathon training. I'm trying to use these short runs to re-train myself in knuckling down and continuing on through the coughing spells and not walk.
Talked to nutritionist at diabetes center today. She didn't really have a lot of new information for me, and I don't think she is trained in CF nutrition needs. In fact, she asked me if I'd seen a CF dietician recently. Are you kidding me?? Most recent was a brief chat with one about five years ago.
So we talked a lot about what I can and can't digest, even with enzymes. She didn't push any particular changes other than to get more protein with breakfast and less at dinner. She generally liked my diet, but commented how whole milk is saturated fat and maybe I could use 2% or 1%. I pretty flatly turned that down. Milk fat is one of the few fats I CAN digest and I'm not going to restrict that. I'll get my HDL and LDL levels checked next time somebody sticks me for blood. Until then, I'm not concerned.
My blood sugar levels are generally good, especially before meals, though I'm going to keep track of after-meal levels, too. They are a little high. She's not certain that my doctor will prescribe insulin, but we went over the use of an insulin pen anyway. I think it's just part of the training course.
So all in all, I wasn't particularly impressed or filled with new information, but it was productive enough. Oh, and she got me a new meter. So now when the new meter comes from Abbott, I'll have a backup. This could be good to have, if these little things are going to go tits-up so often.
And under the heading of "worst ad pairings seen on the train", I give you this State Farm Ad with the next ad posted right next to it.
Talked to nutritionist at diabetes center today. She didn't really have a lot of new information for me, and I don't think she is trained in CF nutrition needs. In fact, she asked me if I'd seen a CF dietician recently. Are you kidding me?? Most recent was a brief chat with one about five years ago.
So we talked a lot about what I can and can't digest, even with enzymes. She didn't push any particular changes other than to get more protein with breakfast and less at dinner. She generally liked my diet, but commented how whole milk is saturated fat and maybe I could use 2% or 1%. I pretty flatly turned that down. Milk fat is one of the few fats I CAN digest and I'm not going to restrict that. I'll get my HDL and LDL levels checked next time somebody sticks me for blood. Until then, I'm not concerned.
My blood sugar levels are generally good, especially before meals, though I'm going to keep track of after-meal levels, too. They are a little high. She's not certain that my doctor will prescribe insulin, but we went over the use of an insulin pen anyway. I think it's just part of the training course.
So all in all, I wasn't particularly impressed or filled with new information, but it was productive enough. Oh, and she got me a new meter. So now when the new meter comes from Abbott, I'll have a backup. This could be good to have, if these little things are going to go tits-up so often.
And under the heading of "worst ad pairings seen on the train", I give you this State Farm Ad with the next ad posted right next to it.
May 10, 2009
Running Fail
Been a while since my last post. Been out of town for much of that, lighting a show. Turned out well, but I didn't run very much - totally broke my six-days-a-week streak. Have to get back up on that horse.
Went out for 9 today. Ambitious, yes, but I thought it was doable. And it might have been but for the high winds. The bay was choppy, with white-caps, and it felt like I was running against the wind the whole time. Lots of walking today and I'd had it by the end of mile 7, so I ended my workout there. Lungs and legs felt moderately OK; I'm just out of shape.
Only three weeks 'til Brooklyn Half. :(
Next week: Healthy Kidney 10K, a race I've done three or four times already. I like this one. Also next week: Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis 5K run/walk. On the same day, May 16th. At almost the same time. (9 a.m. for the 10K, 10 a.m. for the 5K.) In the SAME PLACE (Central Park). They even start within a few hundred meters of each other. Anybody else suspect that someone didn't think their cunning plan all the way through? I'm going to attempt to do both, actually. Here's my thinking: If I do 2 to 3 miles of slow warmup before the 10K, I should be able to perform OK during the race and MIGHT be able to get the race done in under 1:05. Then I could join the 5K IPF walkers. Hopefully the 10K starts on time and the 5K starts late. Also hoping that the weather is as nice as today's was, sans wind.
Have seen diabetes doctor. She took me off Glyburide for now and I'm now tracking blood sugar throughout the day. General trend is that over the last ten days, my blood sugars have been climbing. Couldn't check today, though - meter is broken. Was working last night, but no go today. >:( Abbott is sending me a new one overnight.
Went out for 9 today. Ambitious, yes, but I thought it was doable. And it might have been but for the high winds. The bay was choppy, with white-caps, and it felt like I was running against the wind the whole time. Lots of walking today and I'd had it by the end of mile 7, so I ended my workout there. Lungs and legs felt moderately OK; I'm just out of shape.
Only three weeks 'til Brooklyn Half. :(
Next week: Healthy Kidney 10K, a race I've done three or four times already. I like this one. Also next week: Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis 5K run/walk. On the same day, May 16th. At almost the same time. (9 a.m. for the 10K, 10 a.m. for the 5K.) In the SAME PLACE (Central Park). They even start within a few hundred meters of each other. Anybody else suspect that someone didn't think their cunning plan all the way through? I'm going to attempt to do both, actually. Here's my thinking: If I do 2 to 3 miles of slow warmup before the 10K, I should be able to perform OK during the race and MIGHT be able to get the race done in under 1:05. Then I could join the 5K IPF walkers. Hopefully the 10K starts on time and the 5K starts late. Also hoping that the weather is as nice as today's was, sans wind.
Have seen diabetes doctor. She took me off Glyburide for now and I'm now tracking blood sugar throughout the day. General trend is that over the last ten days, my blood sugars have been climbing. Couldn't check today, though - meter is broken. Was working last night, but no go today. >:( Abbott is sending me a new one overnight.
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