Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Gym time
More time spent at the gym tonight with the BIL. Lots of squaty things in big manly looking machines. I swear, some of those things look like torture devices. I get so tangled up in them and probably end up in about half of them backwards. It was really crowded which I wasn't too crazy about but we went at the peak after-work hour and still managed to put in a good workout. Did both upper and lower body, then 3 miles on the TM at 6.0 (which I think works out to about a 10:00mpm pace). The last .25 miles I ran at a 8:54 pace. Ha. Sweet. I find it easier to run faster on a TM than outside. I'm pretty confident I could break 30:00 for a 5k if I could do it on the TM and count it. Unfortunately, the 1,000 or so other runners running in the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis this Saturday will be running downtown and outside. Bummer. Ah well. I'll tie the jingle bells to my feet and run 3.1 miles and whatever time I get, I get and will be happy with. I'm just happy to run!
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
A start.
Guess what? I don't have heart cancer. Shocking, I know.
I saw my cold and humorless cardiologist first thing this morning and he determined from my blood work that I have hypothyroidism which a) I did not know and b) *could* be causing the palpitations. So we are going to treat the hypothyroidism and hopefully the palpitations calm themselves down. If not, then he'll put me on a beta-blocker which should do the trick (no sense in putting me on a pill I don't need if it is, in fact, the thyroid dealy).
In any event, he determined the palpitations are annoying, yes, but not harmful. In the mean time, I'm scheduled for a stress test/echocardiogram thingy to rule anything else out. This puts my mind at ease. Even though I've already had all the blood work and the chest x-rays and about half a dozen EKG's, the stress test is the mack daddy. If that comes back clean as well, there's no reason why I shouldn't be out there winning marathons and stuff. Well, ok, trying not to come in dead last in marathons and stuff.
So, there's still doctors appointments and trial drugs to follow but I'll sleep (and run) better knowing I've done everything I can to make sure I'm as healthy as I can be.
Speaking of running, oh yeah because this is a running blog, I've had some great runs recently. I ran 4 miles tonight with an average pace of 9:45mpm <--wahoo! My BIL has gotten me in the gym a few times because he's tired of me punching him in the neck when he tells people it took me less than 1/2 a day to run the marathon. He's a funny guy, I tell you. He's been kicking my butt on the machines and it's actually a lot of fun. Plus I don't feel as intimidated using those things with a guy around. Speaking of guys....there sure are some cute ones in his gym. I'm thinking of joining!
I saw my cold and humorless cardiologist first thing this morning and he determined from my blood work that I have hypothyroidism which a) I did not know and b) *could* be causing the palpitations. So we are going to treat the hypothyroidism and hopefully the palpitations calm themselves down. If not, then he'll put me on a beta-blocker which should do the trick (no sense in putting me on a pill I don't need if it is, in fact, the thyroid dealy).
In any event, he determined the palpitations are annoying, yes, but not harmful. In the mean time, I'm scheduled for a stress test/echocardiogram thingy to rule anything else out. This puts my mind at ease. Even though I've already had all the blood work and the chest x-rays and about half a dozen EKG's, the stress test is the mack daddy. If that comes back clean as well, there's no reason why I shouldn't be out there winning marathons and stuff. Well, ok, trying not to come in dead last in marathons and stuff.
So, there's still doctors appointments and trial drugs to follow but I'll sleep (and run) better knowing I've done everything I can to make sure I'm as healthy as I can be.
Speaking of running, oh yeah because this is a running blog, I've had some great runs recently. I ran 4 miles tonight with an average pace of 9:45mpm <--wahoo! My BIL has gotten me in the gym a few times because he's tired of me punching him in the neck when he tells people it took me less than 1/2 a day to run the marathon. He's a funny guy, I tell you. He's been kicking my butt on the machines and it's actually a lot of fun. Plus I don't feel as intimidated using those things with a guy around. Speaking of guys....there sure are some cute ones in his gym. I'm thinking of joining!
Friday, November 16, 2007
You've been tagged!
Alright. We need to lighten up around here. I can't get in to see my cardiologist until next week so we are going to think positive thoughts and have a little fun while we're at it. Ok? Ok.
Pastor Greg tagged me a little while ago and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get my mind off my heart.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you, that would be me at www.katesmarathon.blogspot.com and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
7 random and/or weird facts about me:
1. I'm a Pharmacy Technician. I work for a BIG BAD INSURANCE COMPANY and they offered to pay for those of us that worked in the pharmacy department to get certified. I thought, what the hay? It's free, all I'd have to do was take a test and POOF, I'd get to put a couple of fancy letters after my name, get a raise, and legally be able to sell drugs. Shortly after I got my certificate in the mail, I changed career paths (within the same company) but still like to be able to put this: CPhT after my name. I'm vain like that.
2. I lived in Scotland for 6 months. I was fresh out of college and couldn't find a job so I hopped on a plane to the UK. I ended up in Edinburgh and spent 6 of the most fantastic months of my life working in an ESL school, learning how to roll my r's and soaking up the wiskey soaked air. I can't wait to go back and visit someday soon.
3. My favorite food is a pickle spear with a piece of American cheese wrapped around it. Top it off with some mustard and I'm in heaven.
4. Every year on my birthday, I like to be some place different. One year I was in Rome, the next Edinburgh...one year it was Toledo, OH and one year I went to Virginia Beach and swam out into the ocean far enough so my feet couldn't touch the bottom so I could say I was "out of the country". That one was a stretch.
5. I cannot pronounce the word "ambulance". For some reason the "bu" sounds like "boo" when I say it.
6. I am an extremely picky eater. Basically, I have the taste buds of a five year old. I like cereal and mac'n'cheese and hot dogs. Wont go near seafood or mushrooms or onions or peppers or tomatoes or corn or cantaloupe or...
7. My sister and I are six years apart and we look exactly the same. People often think we're twins, which either means I look like I'm 22 or she looks 28...or maybe we're somewhere in the middle. We have the same pale skin, the same red hair and same body shape (although she's a little taller and thinner), we even have moles and freckles on the exact same spots on our bodies, down to the same shape, size and color. And yet, my brother and I managed to convince her that she was adopted when she was little. We were so cruel.
I'm going to break the rules and say that anyone who reads this post that has not been tagged in the last month - consider yourself tagged.
On a more serious note, thank you for all the prayers and comments left here recently. I am again touched by the support I continue to receive here, whether it's running, just being silly or something that's a little scary. My doctor urged me to go to the ER if the pain got any worse but I feel like it's better. I know chest pain is nothing to take lightly and won't hesitate to go if it gets worse. I'll keep you all posted.
Pastor Greg tagged me a little while ago and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get my mind off my heart.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you, that would be me at www.katesmarathon.blogspot.com and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
7 random and/or weird facts about me:
1. I'm a Pharmacy Technician. I work for a BIG BAD INSURANCE COMPANY and they offered to pay for those of us that worked in the pharmacy department to get certified. I thought, what the hay? It's free, all I'd have to do was take a test and POOF, I'd get to put a couple of fancy letters after my name, get a raise, and legally be able to sell drugs. Shortly after I got my certificate in the mail, I changed career paths (within the same company) but still like to be able to put this: CPhT after my name. I'm vain like that.
2. I lived in Scotland for 6 months. I was fresh out of college and couldn't find a job so I hopped on a plane to the UK. I ended up in Edinburgh and spent 6 of the most fantastic months of my life working in an ESL school, learning how to roll my r's and soaking up the wiskey soaked air. I can't wait to go back and visit someday soon.
3. My favorite food is a pickle spear with a piece of American cheese wrapped around it. Top it off with some mustard and I'm in heaven.
4. Every year on my birthday, I like to be some place different. One year I was in Rome, the next Edinburgh...one year it was Toledo, OH and one year I went to Virginia Beach and swam out into the ocean far enough so my feet couldn't touch the bottom so I could say I was "out of the country". That one was a stretch.
5. I cannot pronounce the word "ambulance". For some reason the "bu" sounds like "boo" when I say it.
6. I am an extremely picky eater. Basically, I have the taste buds of a five year old. I like cereal and mac'n'cheese and hot dogs. Wont go near seafood or mushrooms or onions or peppers or tomatoes or corn or cantaloupe or...
7. My sister and I are six years apart and we look exactly the same. People often think we're twins, which either means I look like I'm 22 or she looks 28...or maybe we're somewhere in the middle. We have the same pale skin, the same red hair and same body shape (although she's a little taller and thinner), we even have moles and freckles on the exact same spots on our bodies, down to the same shape, size and color. And yet, my brother and I managed to convince her that she was adopted when she was little. We were so cruel.
I'm going to break the rules and say that anyone who reads this post that has not been tagged in the last month - consider yourself tagged.
On a more serious note, thank you for all the prayers and comments left here recently. I am again touched by the support I continue to receive here, whether it's running, just being silly or something that's a little scary. My doctor urged me to go to the ER if the pain got any worse but I feel like it's better. I know chest pain is nothing to take lightly and won't hesitate to go if it gets worse. I'll keep you all posted.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
To be continued
The doc listened to my chest, poked around in my belly and said "I'm concerned."
Hmmmm. Not really what I wanted to hear.
He's sending me to a cardiologist for a more complete work up. Now I have some anxiety.
Hmmmm. Not really what I wanted to hear.
He's sending me to a cardiologist for a more complete work up. Now I have some anxiety.
Monday, November 12, 2007
No news is good news
Well, I went out for a 3 mile run today and I didn't die. In fact, I seem to be a little bit better. I had a dizzy/fainting spell on Saturday afternoon at the thrift store which was really more embarrassing than anything. But since then, the palpitations seem to be getting "weaker", if that makes any sense. Probably not.
My good friend also reminded me of the fact that I got a flu shot last week and while I've never gotten flu-like symptoms from it before, that doesn't mean I couldn't this time around. That might explain the light headedness, nausea and other "flu-like symptoms" I'd attributed to my heart cancer.
The fact that my doctor didn't tell me to come in right away or go straight to the ER tells me that yeah, it's probably nothing to be concerned about but I'm still going to request every test in the book. Because the thing is, I don't feel anxious. I don't feel stressed out. In fact, my life just got downright dull here recently and I'm reveling in it, not freaking out for once.
So, we wait until Wednesday.
My good friend also reminded me of the fact that I got a flu shot last week and while I've never gotten flu-like symptoms from it before, that doesn't mean I couldn't this time around. That might explain the light headedness, nausea and other "flu-like symptoms" I'd attributed to my heart cancer.
The fact that my doctor didn't tell me to come in right away or go straight to the ER tells me that yeah, it's probably nothing to be concerned about but I'm still going to request every test in the book. Because the thing is, I don't feel anxious. I don't feel stressed out. In fact, my life just got downright dull here recently and I'm reveling in it, not freaking out for once.
So, we wait until Wednesday.
Friday, November 09, 2007
In which I become dramatic
Right now, I'm cuddled up in bed with my cat on my feet and my laptop balancing on my knees. I've got one eye on Leno and the other checking out the Flying Pig website. I haven't been up this late in months. I've been planing all week to run 8 miles tomorrow morning but I don't think that's going to happen. You see, I've been having some very strange heart palpitations occurring in the last few months. I got it checked out before the marathon and was told I was "anxious" of all things. Me? Anxious? Pshaw! My doctor said my EKG was one of the cleanest he'd ever seen. So I thought I'd wait until after the marathon and after the wedding to see if my "anxiety" leveled off.
Well, here I find myself post-marathon and post-wedding and it's worse than before. In fact, it seems to be accompanied by some minor pain. The pain is nothing substantial at all and, honestly, I probably wouldn't have even noticed it if I wasn't already hypersensitive about every twinge, hiccup and bubble I feel in my chest. But, I figure we can never be too careful when it comes to chest pain.
***You should probably know that I have a slight tendency to be a slight hypochondriac and have been banned by friends, family and coworkers from visiting WebMD and other search engines to "self-diagnose" before getting a professional opinion. To date, I've convinced myself I've had 18 different forms of cancer and several disorders, some of which haven't even been discovered yet by the medical community.***
But I digress. Rather than run 8 miles in the morning - 8 miles that aren't on any training schedule for any race - and in light of recent tragic events in the running community, I'm going to stay in bed tomorrow with the cat on my feet and see the doctor as soon as possible. I don't want to drop dead of a heart attack tomorrow morning and become another statistic. As much as I would love to die doing something I'm passionate about, I don't want to be that guy. Who does, really?
Well, here I find myself post-marathon and post-wedding and it's worse than before. In fact, it seems to be accompanied by some minor pain. The pain is nothing substantial at all and, honestly, I probably wouldn't have even noticed it if I wasn't already hypersensitive about every twinge, hiccup and bubble I feel in my chest. But, I figure we can never be too careful when it comes to chest pain.
***You should probably know that I have a slight tendency to be a slight hypochondriac and have been banned by friends, family and coworkers from visiting WebMD and other search engines to "self-diagnose" before getting a professional opinion. To date, I've convinced myself I've had 18 different forms of cancer and several disorders, some of which haven't even been discovered yet by the medical community.***
But I digress. Rather than run 8 miles in the morning - 8 miles that aren't on any training schedule for any race - and in light of recent tragic events in the running community, I'm going to stay in bed tomorrow with the cat on my feet and see the doctor as soon as possible. I don't want to drop dead of a heart attack tomorrow morning and become another statistic. As much as I would love to die doing something I'm passionate about, I don't want to be that guy. Who does, really?
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Raise your hand if you're Dri
I'm pretty sure it's going to give me cancer (I mean, what doesn't these days, right?), but this little product has changed my life. I can lift my arms above my head whenever I feel like it without having to worry about the sopping wet mess I might reveal. I mean, how embarrassing!
I always wondered why I could never smell the hair dresser's arm pits when she put it right in my face to wash my hair, or why all of my white t-shirts had big yellow stains on them, or why students would recoil in horror when I knew the answer to a question in class...I'm an excessive sweater.
But no longer do I have to suffer in sweaty silence. No longer will I stain every white t shirt that touches my body. No longer will people walk by me and say "Man, someone smells like some serious B.O." No no! I am Certain that I am Dri.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
5k's Oh My!
Alrighty. I'm done being a bum. I haven't run for 2 whole days and I'm going a little stir crazy. It's hard to remember what life was like before I fell in love with running again. Hard to believe I could go weeks, months, years without the thought of going out for a run ever crossing my mind. Luckily, I'm hooked on it now.
I signed up for a couple of 5k's in the near future that I think will be a lot of fun. The first one is the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis on December 1st. I ran this one last year, my first 5k in about 100 years. It was bitterly cold out but that didn't stop hundreds of people showing up and tying bells to their shoe laces. I think I'll wear my elf hat this year.
The second 5k is the New Year's Day Resolution Run. I've never done this one before but it looks friendly and will give me a good reason to go easy on the champagne the night before.
And who knows? Maybe a new PR could be in my future. Shhhhhh....I'm desperate to break 30:00, but that's a secret.
I signed up for a couple of 5k's in the near future that I think will be a lot of fun. The first one is the Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis on December 1st. I ran this one last year, my first 5k in about 100 years. It was bitterly cold out but that didn't stop hundreds of people showing up and tying bells to their shoe laces. I think I'll wear my elf hat this year.
The second 5k is the New Year's Day Resolution Run. I've never done this one before but it looks friendly and will give me a good reason to go easy on the champagne the night before.
And who knows? Maybe a new PR could be in my future. Shhhhhh....I'm desperate to break 30:00, but that's a secret.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Back to regularly scheduled programing
This is the first Saturday in....in.....uhhhhh.....I honestly cannot remember the last time I haven't done a long run on a Saturday morning. Last week (wedding) doesn't count since the whole weekend was just about as exhausting as any long run. Last night I did not eat spaghetti and I did not drink gallons of water and I did not lay out my running clothes and prepare my fuel belt and go to bed early. No no! I ate a pizza and drank DIET COKE and watched a movie and still fell asleep early but dang it! I slept in this morning and it was heavenly.
But now? Now, I'm puttering around my house thinking about how I really should clean the place and I really should go to the grocery store and I really should run all those errands I've been putting off for the last 18 weeks. But I just can't be bothered. I'm taking this day off completely from my life.
I've ran about 12 miles this week with no pain and minor sluggishness, but ultimately I feel pretty good. With my new found abundance of free time, I've caught up with friends and family who put up with my running schedule for so long. I figure I (and they) have earned a little break so I'm taking it and refusing to feel guilty about it. I'll do my "ordinary running" (thanks, Runner's Lounge for coining the term) for the rest of the year, ideally keeping my mileage at 25-30 miles per week. Then in January I'll start 1/2 marathon training for the Capital City Half Marathon on April 12th.
Good things to come, I hope! Happy miles...
But now? Now, I'm puttering around my house thinking about how I really should clean the place and I really should go to the grocery store and I really should run all those errands I've been putting off for the last 18 weeks. But I just can't be bothered. I'm taking this day off completely from my life.
I've ran about 12 miles this week with no pain and minor sluggishness, but ultimately I feel pretty good. With my new found abundance of free time, I've caught up with friends and family who put up with my running schedule for so long. I figure I (and they) have earned a little break so I'm taking it and refusing to feel guilty about it. I'll do my "ordinary running" (thanks, Runner's Lounge for coining the term) for the rest of the year, ideally keeping my mileage at 25-30 miles per week. Then in January I'll start 1/2 marathon training for the Capital City Half Marathon on April 12th.
Good things to come, I hope! Happy miles...
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