Day 4

I'm keeping track of days without wheat. It doesn't make sense for me to continue eating something that makes me feel ill; fortunately, I'm merely 'intolerant' so when I'm invited to supper and there's wheat, it's not going to be a big deal eating it. But it's easy enough to avoid it when I'm eating at home.

Anyway, I've been sleeping better. Aspirin helps. Yesterday, it was easy getting up; I felt well rested, energetic and optimistic. So I grabbed the dog and we set out. We jogged for 43 minutes. It was slow and yet perhaps not slow enough to get into the same recovery mode as last run, but it was still an ok run. I felt stiff and sore, but perhaps a little less than normal. I felt like I could have gone further, too, but they've blocked off part of the Canal path and I felt that it was a good place to turn around. At any rate, it was a significant improvement and I'm feeling more upbeat about what I'm going through. I still have a check up next week, but it would be good to show up with some improvement already behind me.

Today, we'll walk. I have a zillion things to do, study for a major chemistry exam tomorrow, type up lab reports for Monday (hopefully, Monday!) and do another lab quiz sometime before then (fortunately, online), study for another test on Monday (this one on surgical instrument sterilization), clean the house for my MIL's visit this weekend, volunteer at the hospital this afternoon, etc, etc, etc....but I had to update: I actually had another not-entirely miserable run.

went to the doc, and

I might have problems digesting wheat but I don't have celiac disease. Which is good because it's hard to avoid wheat when traveling or visiting.

However, I'm still left with soreness, abdominal pain, etc and I'm no further along with figuring out the cause. It's a bit disappointing in a way. I don't want celiac disease, but I want a solution! I will see my nurse practitioner next week and hopefully she'll be able to think of another avenue of investigation.

I ran on Saturday for forty minutes and it was actually a good recovery run thanks to my dog. I really owe him. I set off as usual, easy but stiff and sore, but he was running more slowly than I, and so I slowed down for him and wound up in a good relaxing zone. Things still hurt, but after a while, it felt useful. this was very encouraging after a couple of months of tough and pointless runs. It's hard to describe the recovery run feeling without the usual context: the day after a tough run/workout, things are sore, but after twenty-odd minutes of very gentle jogging, the increased blood flow loosens and refreshes stiff and sore muscles. The day after that, no more discomfort. It felt better to jog for a few miles the day after a hard run than to rest completely. For me, I feel a coolness when things loosen up and presumably recover; I also feel this in yoga. Or used to.

But I felt that feeling on Saturday. Not fresh muscles, but the feeling of muscles potentially being refreshed.

I haven't run since, but maybe I'll try tomorrow. Unfortunately, I was awake for too much of last night with aches and night sweats, so I'm not really in the mood to try running today. I've been good with doing yoga every day, though. I go to the gentlest classes...not sure if it's helping or not.

So, instead of running 50+ miles a week and feeling fine, I'm running about 6 and feeling sore. LOL

a run

A bad run.

After more than a week off, I decided to jog for 20 minutes today. It was not good. I was not surprised, though, except to feel a slight twinge on the outside of my right knee. Eons ago, I had ITBS there and I've done a pile of rehab exercises since then to keep that away, and it has stayed away for the last 4-5 years, through umpteen 60+ mile weeks and 6 marathons.

It's not bad now, just a twinge that I don't feel anymore, but it's still discouraging.

The run was like any other run I've had when fighting illness. I used to have a rule: when I felt that heavy and sore three or four days in a row, it meant that I was fighting something and had to rest, take the rest of the week off, whatever. That rule has changed. My last good run was in August. I still remember it, the joy of flying out with muscles that felt like they were fresh out of a box. Springs. Now it feels like I'm using stuff I got from a late night dig at the cemetery.

I have my gut appointment on Monday, and I'm bracing to hear the news that, no, it's not celiac, it's not anything except in your head although you might be a nervous pooper, so please leave now. I don't want to have celiac, but I'm craving a solution. If it's not celiac, than god knows what it is or, more importantly, how long it'll take to figure out how to feel better.

I'm still doing yoga, up to 3 sun salutations a day, plus classes. I have to use up a yoga package, but that's timely. It's not making me feel better, but at least it's something. Fortunately, my body has decided it needs to sleep lots, so I don't have to take pain killers to sleep anymore. Unfortunately, this means that I sleep 9-10 hrs a night and also fall asleep during the day, on the bus, in class, on my textbooks.... Fortunately, I'm a student. Unfortunately, I have full-time hospital practicals coming up in March, and then, hopefully, I'll be working...my goal is to get sorted before then.

I'm also considering aqua therapy. There's a pool near my house that has a bunch of classes. I think I'll go to reception and ask about participating. I'd considered swimming, but since much of the pain is in my shoulders, it didn't seem wise. But something gentler in water might help me find that balance between a healing blood flow and muscle damage.

update

Actually, there's not much to say.

I completely forgot about the sun salutations while I was in Calgary, but I managed to stay focused for my labs from 8:30-18:30, so I'm happy with that! The aches went away too.

Alas, the aches are back now, possibly because I had some wheat on Sunday. Or possibly because I've been doing my hospital practical, which is 8 hrs of standing/walking around/etc. That used to not be a problem but I'm weaker now. I haven't been sleeping well and I'm sore. Fortunately, today, I have time for a nap (I'm sleeping well over 10 hrs a day these days, lol) and this evening is the last session. In about a week and a half, I'll go back to the GI doc for a follow up, and I'll also see my nurse practitioner and hopefully we'll be closer to figuring out what's going on.

I'd stopped my push ups and so forth because the inflammation was building up; I'm not sure when I can resume them but maybe I'll try a few here and there and if it's yet too much, I'll cut back yet again. That's the main frustration: I don't mind hurting the day after hard workouts, and I understand scaling back when injured, but this has been a degenerative process for the past umpteen months and less and less hurts me more and more. Where does it end? I'm pretty fed up. I'm in training for this new job and if that is going to wreck me, what do I do? How could I run 60+ miles a week while working overtime about a year ago and be in less pain then than I am now?

Meanwhile, running has gone by the wayside. I think it's safe to say that I will not be running the Winterman. Meanwhile, after tonight, I'll resume eating wheat, like cake and croissants and all that good stuff. lol

Day 4

One sun salutation.

Yesterday was a painful day. I went through about 3g of Aspirin but it didn't seem to make much difference. It was getting to the point where I was having trouble picking things off the floor and my abdomen hurt when I laughed or sneezed. That's so wrong. Fortunately, I slept alright.

I'm still stiff and sore today, but perhaps a little less. I will be going for my blood test soon. Then I'll lay off wheat until after my chem labs this weekend. I need to be sharp for those. A week off will not affect further diagnosis much. Hopefully by then I will know the results.

I really hope that wheat is the culprit because that is simple. Inconvenient, but simple.

Day 3

1 sun salutation

4ish mile run/aborted long run.

It wasn't my day. I should have known. Last night my neck was sore. Other things too as usual but usually my neck doesn't feature as strongly so it was a little odd. It was uncomfortable while I was lying down, but I didn't take aspirin and had an ok night of sleep. The lymph nodes in my neck feel swollen so maybe that's why my neck was sore. I don't really know. However, strangely, this morning my neck feels fine perhaps because the other regions of discomfort have caught up, including my guts.

I'd talked with Gaz about doing a long run with an expresso break. We met up with the rest of the group and started off. after a few miles, I had to drop out. The usual suspects: lower right quadrant pain, sore muscles, sore joints, sore bones, sour mood, but worse than usual.

However, perhaps this is the worst! Tomorrow's the big day if I so choose. Definitely, I'm getting the blood tests. Definitely, I'm cutting back on wheat afterward. I'm still wavering over the extent, though. I was gung ho about quitting it completely even this morning, but now I'm reconsidering yet again. Dropping it entirely would complicate diagnosis if the test results come back positive. I don't think that's likely, and the GI doctor didn't think it likely, but the fact remains that my fitness and health have decreased after I'd recovered from the heart operation and there seems to be no reason except eating more wheat than usual. The first couple of weeks after the operation were sort of rough, but after two weeks, I was running again, after another week at about the same pace and effort as before, and then I had 3-4 good weeks and then things started getting worse again and they've been swirling towards the septic ever since. Wheat seems to be the culprit; I'd best keep eating it and see the process through.

Yet wheat also makes me drowsy and stupid and that will conflict with a few challenges this month. Perhaps giving it up for a few days prior each time will be the solution.

Day 2

No running, about 1/2 hr of snowshoeing.

1 sun salutation
10+ pushups
30 full sit ups

The sun salutation is part of my yoga commitment: I will add one sun salutation per week as part of a morning routine. It's ridiculously easy, so hopefully the habit will get ingrained easily.

The pushups and situps are part of a conditioning program. After a few weeks of doing the basics, I'll try some of the more complicated exercises I've been contemplating.

I'm still doing a few pushups a few times a day too.

So far so good. My calves are sore from yesterday, but everything else seems no more sore than usual.

Starting the year at a low fitness level is kind of tidy.

Goals for 2010

I didn't get to do a 3 hr run. Too sore. Maybe this year!

My antibody blood tests are in a few days, after which I will give up wheat. I was going to continue eating it in case they needed to do further testing, but I was told that I probably have just an intolerance, in which case further testing would not be necessary. If it turns out that I have to undergo it after all...my bad! I actually wasn't told specifically to keep eating wheat and I overheard that the wait times for the next sort of test is quite long. That would give me ample time for wreckage.

So that's my main goal this year: dietary improvement: cutting out what doesn't agree with me (hopefully wheat be enough) and not eating 2-3 hrs before going to bed (which I've been neglecting to observe recently). Plus I'm going to try to cut back on salt&vinegar chips, especially a certain bewitching brand which lures me into the store many evenings and subsequently busts my digestive curfew. Hopefully these improvements will get rid of the inflammation.

Running goals: I'm still waiting to see what happens with inflammation and muscle soreness. I still haven't dismissed the Winterman race, but my hopes aren't high. Regardless, I can still work on form, mainly keeping a strong core with relaxed jaw and shoulders and driving from the hips. I'm hoping to get more sprinting in as well. I woke up today and decided to jog for 20 min. Well, I can no longer just 'jog'--the discomfort is considerable and my muscles are drained no matter how slowly I go. So, as usual, I felt more and more discouraged. Near the end of the run, it suddenly struck me that I would be paying for whatever I did, so why not do a few sprints? I did 6X 10ish seconds (between light posts) and it was very enjoyable to really throw down for a change. I haven't sprinted since summer and it was encouraging to feel the change in my core: stronger, more solid. Less twisting. I think resuming this level of exertion in snow is a very good idea--less impact and actually less sliding around than when running more slowly. I seem to land with more weight which packs the snow a bit more and makes my landing more secure. I still have to see how things go and how I recover, but maybe what my body really needs at this point is short fun hard workouts. If it turns out that the sprints work well, but I can't handle the longer runs (having to go on antibiotics after the last long run wasn't a promising omen), then I won't do the marathon. If I can get a couple of 3+ hr runs in before then, then I'll do it. My longest run has been almost 3 hrs and at my present pace, I feel I need at least one 3:30 run. That's doable assuming that I start to recover.

I also hope to get stronger in general. I've been looking at some different routines--my husband bought a book with some interesting core exercises which I would like to try out.

At any rate, 2009 started off on a good note (good winter races) and then soured with worsening gut/absorption problems, the heart operation, and then the gradually increasing inflammation and muscle soreness, but I honestly consider all this retrenching. I had to plunge in to sort things out. I had to get the heart operation soon--it was a sharp decline from a few seconds to nearly a 1/2 hr of SVP at a time--and I've had to stuff myself with wheat to determine if this is in fact the thing that has been mucking up my action for the last 8-9 years. Hopefully this will make me a stronger person in 2010.