Archive for June, 2010

The NYT had a timely article on recovering from heat stroke that about 300 people sent me in the last two days. :-)  It was debated on the forums whether I had heat stroke or heat exhaustion, though the doctors called it heat stroke, to some it didn’t sound as serious as that.  On the other hand, I had mental symptoms that are heat stroke related and not in the realm of heat exhaustion (hallucinations and blackout).  Not knowing any of the lab results except creatinine levels, I can’t supply information to say either way.

Regardless of which one it was, I’m taking a week off.  This is partly because of the article’s recommendation, but also due to the crazy panicked thoughts I had while laying there that first hour thinking this was a sign that I’m a horrible runner, an ego-driven poseur, and should stop racing, possibly even running for a few months.

Lying in that bed, I was devising a Plan B where I’d become a true recreational runner (as in, no longer racing) and how I’d just go out without training for anything, just to run.  It didn’t seem like the worst thing in the world, it even calmed me down, knowing I’d find joy in that, too.  But it was devoid of “special” which made me sad while at the same time, seemed what I deserved, given my quest for special is what got me in the hospital to begin with.

This stuff is embarrassing to admit, btw, because ego can be so ugly, but at the same time, can anyone who wants to win not be driven by ego?  Isn’t that part and parcel, no matter the level? Even if you remove the prospect of winning, our race times are our badges of success.  Not sure what I’m getting at here, back to the bed…

Out of all these contemplations came a few truths.  Like the fact that I’ve never really stepped back from training since I starting running.  I’ll take breaks in between cycles but they’re never lazy breaks, I’m always at the very least focused on mileage or doing something training-wise to improve.  Maybe that’s why my speed took a step back this past year, perhaps I got stale.

Also, when I had those hallucinations I thought I might have done something irreparable to myself, and later, when talking to my hospital roommate who’d been dealing with Lupus and Crohn’s for 18 years…well, these sorts of things give a new perspective.  Instead of thinking, “I have to get back on the road asap, I’ll take 2 days off but that’s it!” which was honestly my first inclination, I am now happily going to sit on my ass for 7 days.

It’s not about how many miles I’ll rack up this week (or won’t) it’s about being lucky enough to run and race and have all the parts working.  It’s about recharging.  It’s about looking forward to the future.  It’s about running as a way of life and not a weekly mileage/pace victory.

Of course, this Zen zaniness will probably fly out the window on Monday, when I start training for the PhillyHalfDistanceRockMarathonRunNRoll or whatever we’re calling it these days, but at least for the first time since taking up the sport I’m able to have these thoughts at all.  I consider this a win.

Edit: From some responses, I sense I didn’t write this post very clearly.  For the record, I’m still into racing 100% and not at all ready to become a “hobby jogger”.  And I’m loving this week off, letting my legs, ankle and brain get some needed rest.  And I prefer white chocolate over dark.  Wait, that wasn’t in there.  But it’s true.

In the spirit of the infamous dehydration race report from 2008, we have a new set of firsts:

1. First blackout
2. First memory hole
3. First hallucination
4. First overnight hospital stay

83 degrees, 69 dewpoint, mostly sunny.  From my dewpoint musings post, when adding temp and dewpoint: “if it’s above 150, forget pace altogether and just focus on finishing.”

I got some great advice from running mentor Adam on how to handle the race, as I’d been freaking about the temps for a few days.  He said bring ice and ice cold water so I did, stashing them in a bush for after the warmup.  Brilliant call on the ice, btw, I suggest everyone do that in summer races.

The Warmup
I go out for a little over a mile, do 4 strides and as usual, they’re slower than shit, about 30 seconds away from my usual stride speed which always happens pre-race but I never get used to it.  “At least I won’t have to worry about leaving the gate too fast”, I think to myself.

As I return to the clump of people standing around, a teenage girl wearing a walker t-shirt calls to me, “Miss…Miss, is that water on you?”  I’m not sure what she’s talking about, then I look at the thick suit of sweat on me and laugh, “Yep, it’s hot out here!”

I go to my ice stash and coat myself with a few cubes, stick a couple in my sports bra, drink some water, visit the porta-potty and line up.   It’s an out and back on the usual race course by the museum, so I know what to expect.  Small field today, more of a walker event.

Go!
I look down at my Garmin and think I see 6:59 and I get pissed with myself, but then look again, realizing it says 5:59.  I have never done such a stupid start in my life, didn’t think it was possible with that sluggish warmup so maybe it was Garmin acting wacky, still, I slow down and the first mile clocks in at 6:40.  Just right.

There’s only one girl in front of me, a young thing, and I pass her around the 1/2 mile mark, then realize, “Wow, if I can keep this up, I can win this thing!”  There’s a water stop at the turn-around point and I take a cup of water and dump it on my head (again, as per Adam’s stellar advice) …ahhh.

The folks going the other way are yelling out at me “first woman, wooohoo!”  “you go, girl!” and other fun stuff like that.  I have to admit, it’s a fantastic feeling.  Second split clocks in at 6:48.

I’m definitely hurting at this point, but I want to win, dammit!  And I wish I had eyes in the back of my head so I could know what kind of lead I have (didn’t think to watch for gals at the turnaround).  I’m slowing and I see guys in front of me stopping to walk but I barrel on, thinking, almost there, just a few minutes more, but at the same time, “man, would I love to stop.”  Nothing that I don’t think at least twice in every 5K.

Then, out of nowhere, my legs go jello, I stumble and fall on the ground – that same knee that’s opened up twice already, gets it again.  Another racer is at my side in a heartbeat wanting to help me up, but I wave him away saying, “You go ahead, I don’t want to ruin your race” but he tells me “This race doesn’t mean anything, c’mon, we’ll run in together”.  So I get up and slowly we go, then I remember stumbling again and my next memory is in the hospital being lifted from the stretcher to the ER bed.

What I’m told happened
Until this afternoon, I thought I had a DNF, but  when I got home, I called the StridesForStroke place and spoke to a girl who was there and who gave me the lowdown (what she missed, her parents saw). I crossed the line with the help of that guy and whoever was standing there.  Then I went over to the sidewalk and I collapsed again, they put me on a chair, then they put me, still sitting in the chair, into an ambulance.  Now that she explained this to me, I’m just this evening remembering little tiny snapshots.

Btw, someone from the race called me while I was in the hospital but I didn’t think to ask about what happened.  Nice of them to check on me, though.

The Hospital

Once in the hospital bed, I didn’t realize till an hour later that I had a big memory hole.  I was too freaked because the 3 friends I could call to get me were all out of town, I didn’t have a cent on me or a phone and I felt utterly alone.   On top of it, I was thinking, “This is humiliating, that’ll teach your stupid ego, you should stop racing for a few months, maybe even forever, you really have no clue of what you’re doing, blah blah…”

About an hour later, I was able to compartmentalize this where it belonged, as a medical/heat related problem and not the end of my racing “career” but it was breaking my heart up until then.

Meanwhile, I was in a bad way physically, they don’t give you water for a while and you’re dying of thirst, plus I had a fever so I felt like death, wanting to barf, too.  They gave me ice to suck on and I started to feel a bit better, eventually everyone dispersed.  A short while later, I start to see things.

Hallucinations
It’s no secret I’ve had my sampling of recreational drugs but never have I had “visions”.  This scared the shit out of me more than anything.   It was like smokey gray dancing ribbons everywhere I looked, ghostly because you could see through them.  I called for the nurse thinking I’d fried my brain or my eyesight, but she told me it’s normal when dealing with exhaustion.

They gave me tons of tests and took chest x-rays.  I’m told I have serious heat stroke, am profoundly dehydrated, my lactic (lactate?) acid is extraordinarily high and they’re concerned about my kidneys.  So I have to stay overnight.  Super duper suckage bummer of the universe.

On a cute note, everyone was taking a big interest in my plight, the doctors and nurses had running/racing stories and called me the “athlete”.  One of the doctors sent in another doc, a 3-time Ironman, to chat with me who told me my case was cool.

Note: The resident that eventually was assigned to me didn’t even think I should stay overnight.  She thought I would be fine to go home and that my levels would return within hours, which they did, but she didn’t have a say-so in it.

Overnight Stay In Cardiac
My nurse in cardiac had done a tri-relay with her sisters and was thrilled to have me.  She was a nutritionist and wouldn’t stop giving me advice, some of it quite loopy, like next time I race I need to fill a camelback with Gatorade.  She also told me a couple times that I’d approached acute renal failure but when I asked the doctor,  the doc said, “WHAT???  That’s not true, she had no business saying that”.  How’s that for weirdness?

My roommate was an obese woman with Lupus and Crohn’s disease, a funny lady, though we talked through the curtain most of the time.  The only bad thing was she slept a lot but left the TV on a channel that alternates Jerry Springer and Maury Povich for hours.  That was hell.

I was monitored all night and this morning got an echocardiagram.  I should have been able to leave early but had to wait for the main doc to start his shift.  So at 3pm I took the “walk of shame”, not in high heels and evening wear, but sports bra, shorts and racing flats.  Just as pathetic.  At least I’d removed my bib.

My thoughts
Yeah,  I pushed, but it drives me nuts that I couldn’t tell the difference between normal 5K suck and heat suck.  I was asked if I had chest palpitations or any other warning signs but I didn’t.

As for the dehydration, I had a couple glasses of wine the night before (not so good) but also a few non-caffeinated sodas and some water.  Drank a huge glass of water a couple hours before the race and water when I got there.  What I’m kicking myself for was not taking S-caps, I keep forgetting to use them this summer – most idiotic, I would have avoided the whole scenario if I’d taken them (or any other type of electrolyte/salt thing).

Other than that, I think my furnace burns hotter than most.  I’ve always thought that and here’s why:  I would like nothing better than to run in sportsbra/shorts at 65 degrees.  The women where I run won’t wear them until it’s near 80.  I would die.  It’s a little embarrassing to be nekkid compared to everyone else, but I “allow” myself to wear one as soon as it’s 70 degrees.  In fact, when it’s 65, I actually wait for it to get to 70 so I don’t have to wear a sopping wet singlet.

I asked a couple docs separately about this today, wondering if maybe it could be due to perimenopause (sorry folks, this is unsexy talk and I hate it because it shows my age, but it’s my reality).  Both doctors said it very well could be.

HTFU?
I wanted to do was making myself do these summer races because I felt like a whiner and excuser when I bitched about how I don’t handle heat well, especially when everyone goes “hey, it’s only a 5K!”  The whole point was to harden up, but I think I’m confusing guts with self-knowledge, something I seem to lack.  Maybe time will give me that.   Until then, I guess it’s my achilles heel.

On the good note, even with the silly start and soap opera finish, it was an improvement over the last 5K and in worse conditions.  But what to do now?  Do I really want to “race for fun” in 80 degrees?  That’s an oxymoron.  I’d hate racing at partial capacity and getting beat.  Stupid ego.  Guess I need to set a temperature limit at which I won’t race (which, if I had my druthers would be 65, but then I won’t be racing much).

Anyway, I’m fine, so no worries – a little weirded out but none the worse for wear.  Thanks for reading this ridiculously long report.  And to think…it was only a 5K.

Yesterday, I walked downtown to get my race packet for this Sunday’s 5K, went to the address on the brochure, walked in, and the woman there asked, “What are you here for?”
“A race packet.”
“Oh no, we don’t have anything like that here”
“Um, the brochure says this is where we get our packets”
“The race director said he won’t give them out until Sunday before the race.”
“Sooo….why does it say come here from June 7-11 between 10am to 4pm to pick up a packet?”
“I don’t know but we don’t have anything.”

Nice.  So much for getting there, warming up and racing.  Now I’ll have to stand in line with hundreds of other people beforehand.

It wasn’t a total waste – leaving my building, I had checked the mailbox and found a $25 gift certificate from my running store for having cumulatively spent $300 on merchandise. The running store was just a block away from the stupid packet non-pickup, so I got a great pair of shorts and only had to shell out $8.

As for the race, the forecast is grim.  Sunday’s high is set to be 90 which means it’ll be around 80 by 9am.   The one potential saving grace is a threat of thunderstorms, so at least it won’t be sunny.  And if I’m lucky, I’ll be electrocuted during warmup.

Seriously, I am not looking forward to this at all but I’m doing it because I need to harden up.   What to shoot for pacewise?  Who the fuck knows?

Ankle Update – Putting On The Heat
I took about 3 days off: Mon, Tuesday’s runette (only 2.5 miles) and Wednesday because the ankle was “there” when I awoke.  It felt fine yesterday morning, so I went 7 and I’m about to go for 7 today too, then 4 or 5 tomorrow.  Keeping it conservative till next week.

One interesting change (to me, anyway) is I’m switching up therapies: I’m still icing after a run but since it’s well past the acute stage, they say regular icing doesn’t do much for you any more, that heat is better, so now I’m applying heat before my run, a few times in the day and before bed.   It makes sense to use heat since I’m basically warming it up in those first creaky morning steps but it’s odd, after hearing RICE a zillion times.  Nobody ever says RHCE.  Maybe because it needs another vowel.

Also, I had cut down on supplements recently but now I’m back to 2 Glucosamine and 2 MSM to see if that helps.  I’d rather up those than take ibuprofen.  I’m not sure why exactly, ibuprofen works wonderfully and when I take it (sparingly), it seems to carry over 2 days, but there’s an onus about it,  so I’ll try the more natural approach.

And with that, I’ll end the whining here. Wish me luck folks, not for a fast race, because I won’t be able to do that, but for a race where my ego does not feel bruised, where I enjoy it for the fun of a runnerly gathering, not to mention the speed session I’ll get out of it.  Assuming someone manages to bring the bibs.

I said I was going to take 2 days off but a cohort from the Sub3:20 thread was in town (Hi Matthew!) and I couldn’t pass up a chance to run with one of my imaginary friends.  Plus, my ankle was feeling right as rain, so I ran the mile downtown to meet him.

I’ve never run downtown except during a race when the streets are closed and I realized how blessed I am to have my river loop.  All that starting and stopping at stoplights and curbs was ridiculous…but a novel activity nonetheless.  Matthew was cool and easy to hang with, albeit hurting from having done a marathon just 2 days before, so we jogged recovery pace and then walked.

While my ankle felt fine, my right pinky toe (as mentioned in the shoe surgery post) was still smarting behind the Kinvara’s rubber trim so after I got home, I inspected the shoe to figure out a plan of attack.

The good surprise was that the mesh underlay is not connected to the rubber, so I was able to leave the liner intact.  Note: if you’d like to modify your shoes but aren’t knowledgeable about sewing or tailoring, you might want to consult a friend who is since they’ll understand construction, thus defacing them as minimally as possible.  Or practice on a spare pair.

Et Voila!  Looks crazy up close but you can’t tell it’s there otherwise.  Happiness restored.  My toe thanked me and told me we were going places together.  I believe her.

I’ve been thinking about optimum mileage lately.  If you read the marathon training forum on Runners World, you’d definitely come away thinking more is best.  And for the most part, I tend to agree, but what exactly is “more”?  Among my internet running friends, there are marathoners who post super fast times on 50mpw and would consider 70mpw to be beyond their scope, then there are others who do 100+mpw and don’t bat an eye.

Yesterday, I asked Jaymee Marty how much she runs.  She’s a masters runner going for the Olympic Trials…uber-zoomy.  I wasn’t really interested in mileage as much as hours per week spent running, since that’s a universal measurement I can compare.  She said her high weeks are between 8-9 hours and her easier weeks are 5-7.  In comparison, my high weeks are 9.5 hours, low are 7 – and I’m not doing marathons.

If I had a 5 hour week, it’d be around 35mpw, so I just went back to see the last times I ran under 40mpw:

April 14, 2010 – 31 (taper for Boston)
Nov. 31, 2009 – 31 (recovery after Philly)
June 39, 2009 – 39 (2 days off for IT band)
April 27, 2009 – 39 (taper for Lehigh Valley Half)
Dec 22, 2008 – 38
Dec 15,2008 – 37
Nov 24, 2008 – 38

Wha?  I hadn’t realized…twice under 35mpw in the last 1.5 years.  Wow, might be time to take some cutback weeks.

The main question is: how much should I be running for the best possible shorter races? (Halfs being the main focus)   I was thinking I’d only benefit by running marathon mileage when I didn’t “have to”, that every extra mile is money in the running bank but maybe I’m actually doing myself a disservice.

Would I be better off at 50-55mpw instead of high 60s?  Maybe I’d be fresher and so could do my harder workouts harder?  It’s conceivable that my current mileage, while maintaining all that aerobic fun stuff I’ve acquired, might also be compromising me in other ways.

This is a real quandary because 65mpw works for me as far as activity level and enjoyment, but I also admit to running it because I think I should, because in my ex-marathon brain, I think more is better and will make me faster.  Misguided or sensible?  I’m interested in your opinions on the matter if you have any.

As it happens, I will be running a bit less the next two weeks because I have a couple 5Ks and also, I’m taking today and tomorrow off due to….

Yesterday’s Run (and walk)
I’ve had a low-level annoyance for a few weeks, either heel bursitis (like I had last year but the other foot) or peroneal tendonitis – it’s between the ankle knob and the heel.  They share symptoms but I’m starting to think it’s peroneal over bursitis.

It usually only shows itself upon waking when I have a stiff ankle, though when I first got it, sitting for awhile would also make my ankle stiff, but that stopped a while back and now it’s only been the first morning steps and sometimes while going down stairs.  Running hasn’t presented a problem, though occasionally I’ll notice my ankle warming up the first tenth of a mile but then nothing.

Yesterday, I went out for a 13-miler that ended up being a 7.25 run capped with 3 miles walking home.  For the first time, my ankle started hurting on the run and enough that I felt it necessary to shut it down.  Once home, I started an ibuprofen regimen and pledged to roll the crap out of my calves and butt (which has also been tight for awhile and probably related).

Woke up today and no stiff ankle!  Must be yesterday’s ibuprofen working.  But I’m sticking to my guns of taking today and tomorrow off even though the heatwave we’ve had for 7 days (highs 93-95) just broke.  I’d like nothing better than to run right now, it’s 64 beautiful degrees out there.  Must. Not. Run.

Not on my person…my shoes.  Or rather, a shoe.  It’s always one shoe, the right shoe, to be exact.  This time, my lovely Kinvaras are giving me a hotspot on my right pinky toe, so I’m going to give it a week, trading off with my Elixirs, and if my toe doesn’t get hardened to the rub, seam ripper and scissors, here I come.

I’ve been operating on my running shoes for quite some time now, so I thought I’d give you a tour of my previous operations so if you ever have a troublesome shoe, this might give you some guts to go in and make your own modifications.

The first shoes I ever chopped into were my Mizuno Inspire 4s.  Great shoes, except on the right one, the plastic trim was keeping the shoe tighter across my foot than was comfortable, so I took a seam ripper (necessary tool if you’re going to cut stitches), opened up the side of the shoe and trimmed off the plastic that goes down to the sole.  Worked perfectly and I did it for every pair I bought afterwards.

The next shoe I operated on were the Inspire 5s, though this time, in a different place.  I remember running in my first pair and doing hills and the knuckle of my big toe kept jamming on the pretty piping trim, though I didn’t realize it at the time, I thought I had a stress fracture (at the time, I thought every ouch was a potential stress fracture).  I suffered for about 10 days with my foot killing me, making donuts out of moleskin to protect the area, but it wasn’t till I sat down and thought about it, that I realized it was the damn trim.  So I took some scissors and snipped right though it; fixed it like magic, made more room for my foot and no more jamming.  Did that for each of the numerous pairs I had in that series.

Now with the Kinvaras, it’s a little more difficult because the rubber part that’s rubbing isn’t stitched, it’s glued, which means this’ll be another scissor job.  It’s always a little scary the first time you attack a pair of shoes, but since the alternative is not wearing them at all, it’s worth it.  And it’s not like you change the structure of the shoe with a snip or a cut, it’s just a small thing but it makes all the difference in the world. Still, I’ll give it a week and if my toe doesn’t get used to it, that white rubber bit is getting snipped.

Hot Speed
Oh summer, how I hate ye for runnin’.  I set my alarm for 6:15 so I could get out at 7 for a speed session (need my morning coffee first) but still got stuck in 78 degrees with 66 dewpoint.  The one treat I gave myself is instead of starting at 2.5 miles, I started at 1.75 (which meant less slogging home). Workout was the usual lately: 6x.5mi w/90 sec rec’s.

Took it by effort, averaged 6:46 pace, splits were 3:26, 3:21, 3:23, 3:22, 3:26, 3:24.  I refused to think about the pace as it related to any sort of race pace, focusing instead on the fact that I got points for doing it and finishing it and that if I’m racing this summer, I should get used to manning up.  I was satisfied when it was over.

And with that, have a fab weekend folks.  Great racing to those braving the elements and I’ll see you back here next week.