Category Archives: chi running

Hard time getting back into the swing of things

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Since being sick basically put me out of commission for a couple of weeks I have been having a terribly hard time getting back into it. I think the biggest challenge has been having to run in the dark in the mornings. I’m not a big fan of that at all. I have a green blinking light that I wear on the back of my hat and an orange reflective running jacket. But it still feels sketchy, plus I worry about uneven sidewalks and all sorts of things not easily seen in the dark. Monday I couldn’t get out of bed, just wanted to lay there. Yesterday I decided at 3:00 to not get up. The rebif had caused a monster fever that plagued me all night. Right after going to bed I had the worst chills. It was incredible, I just could not warm up. Later, my cough came back a bit and every time I would succumb my fever would explode. The fever issue with rebif is odd, sometimes I don’t feel a thing, and others I do. I don’t understand the inconsistency. I’ll have to look for things in my diet that might be causing it.

I am just about ready to commit to the Seattle half-marathon on Nov 30th. I am pretty sure that in five weeks I can get back to where I was cardio-wise. My buddy in Seattle who I would stay with wants to go to a show the night before. I think I could do the half with limited sleep as long as I didn’t drink the might before. I am still torn though. Paul really wants to go to the show (and so do I – Sea and Cake – but a big part says it is foolish to try. But maybe not.

Too soon for a long run

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As if I didn’t know this going into it.

But I still wanted to push myself a little and enjoy a nice long one. It was a beautiful cool morning as well, perfect weather for a fall run, so I couldn’t resist. I told myself I would take it easy (which I did) and I told myself I would play it by ear (which I did also.) But sometimes when I do this I get to a point where I either am half way out (just as far to get back) or I feel like I might as well just keep going and add that little extra bit. So I did my normal route, but added all the little extra extensions. I even ended up by doing my canyon run who’s days are nearing because of the mud, but it was ok. My friend Zak does a great job maintaining the Reed canyon area and an especially good job with the trails. There is only really one area that is going to have trouble with the upcoming rains and I imagine he will take care of it soon. Right now he has long strips of bark laying down to give the trail some substance. I admire his re-use efforts with the maintenance.

Throughout the run I felt fine, though I was getting a little tired towards the end. I wasn’t to the point where I was getting clumsy with my run, like tripping over uneven sidewalks, so I stride was correct throughout and I was properly lifting my feet. But once I was done and throughout the afternoon, I was pooped. I kept thinking I needed a cup of coffee, but that didn’t seem to do the trick (though the beer at dinner worked fine for other reasons.)

So today I am taking it easy. Though if I know me, if I get a chance to runthis afternoon, I’ll probably take it!

Too soon for a long run

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As if I didn’t know this going into it.

But I still wanted to push myself a little and enjoy a nice long one. It was a beautiful cool morning as well, perfect weather for a fall run, so I couldn’t resist. I told myself I would take it easy (which I did) and I told myself I would play it by ear (which I did also.) But sometimes when I do this I get to a point where I either am half way out (just as far to get back) or I feel like I might as well just keep going and add that little extra bit. So I did my normal route, but added all the little extra extensions. I even ended up by doing my canyon run who’s days are nearing because of the mud, but it was ok. My friend Zak does a great job maintaining the Reed canyon area and an especially good job with the trails. There is only really one area that is going to have trouble with the upcoming rains and I imagine he will take care of it soon. Right now he has long strips of bark laying down to give the trail some substance. I admire his re-use efforts with the maintenance.

Throughout the run I felt fine, though I was getting a little tired towards the end. I wasn’t to the point where I was getting clumsy with my run, like tripping over uneven sidewalks, so I stride was correct throughout and I was properly lifting my feet. But once I was done and throughout the afternoon, I was pooped. I kept thinking I needed a cup of coffee, but that didn’t seem to do the trick (though the beer at dinner worked fine for other reasons.)

So today I am taking it easy. Though if I know me, if I get a chance to runthis afternoon, I’ll probably take it!

Back on my feet

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Well after a lengthy cold/flu/whatever I went back to running today. What a great feeling! Despite still feeling a little congested in my lungs, I figured it was time. I had questioned myself all week, “Is today the day I can run again?” and I kept saying, nope not yet. But no longer.

I was a little worried about how winded I would get, so I took it easy. I really concentrated on my breathing and keeping it nice and smooth. I didn’t want to give in to the coughing and for the most part did ok. Hopefully with all the spitting I did nobody else will get sick. As long as they stay out of the gutters they should be ok.

I managed to go for almost a hour before ending up at the library to pick up season two of Northern Exposure. When I stopped, my breathing got sort of ragged and I kept feeling the urge to cough. This is what I was afraid of, but it didn’t last very long and I think I ended up waiting long enough to go out. I noticed this afternoon that I really feel it in my muscles. It is amazing what two weeks off will do to your conditioning. I am feeling pretty much tired all over, but I have plans to go out again tomorrow, but not for long for sure.

Back on my feet

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Well after a lengthy cold/flu/whatever I went back to running today. What a great feeling! Despite still feeling a little congested in my lungs, I figured it was time. I had questioned myself all week, “Is today the day I can run again?” and I kept saying, nope not yet. But no longer.

I was a little worried about how winded I would get, so I took it easy. I really concentrated on my breathing and keeping it nice and smooth. I didn’t want to give in to the coughing and for the most part did ok. Hopefully with all the spitting I did nobody else will get sick. As long as they stay out of the gutters they should be ok.

I managed to go for almost a hour before ending up at the library to pick up season two of Northern Exposure. When I stopped, my breathing got sort of ragged and I kept feeling the urge to cough. This is what I was afraid of, but it didn’t last very long and I think I ended up waiting long enough to go out. I noticed this afternoon that I really feel it in my muscles. It is amazing what two weeks off will do to your conditioning. I am feeling pretty much tired all over, but I have plans to go out again tomorrow, but not for long for sure.

Getting close to strapping on the shoes

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Well I feel a lot better now. I have been getting a lot of sleep and haven’t been pushing myself work wise. One thing to thank the economy for anyway. I still woke up this morning having to hack away, but it doesn’t last for long. Right now my cold, flu, whatever seems to have moved to my sinuses and is nearing the end of its fruitful association with me (I am hoping anyway.)

I am really looking forward to running again, though living without the alarm clock has been nice. But I’ll even welcome that with open arms. They say running can become an addiction. I am not so sure about that. In my past when I smoked, I would smoke when I was sick. But running (at least when it is bad) is out of the picture. I have read that running when you are feeling under the weather can be a good thing in moderation. I guess it depends on how hard you push yourself and what sort of weather you are running through. I did some hard runs right before I got sick, but the weather was ok. I at least wasn’t running cold and wet.

I was disapointed to read that Japanese author Haruki Murakami was passed over for the Nobel prize for literature. I just read his book “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” and loved it. He also has a rich array of fiction that he WILL some day get his Nobel for. He deserves it. Better luck next year Haruki.

Getting close to strapping on the shoes

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Well I feel a lot better now. I have been getting a lot of sleep and haven’t been pushing myself work wise. One thing to thank the economy for anyway. I still woke up this morning having to hack away, but it doesn’t last for long. Right now my cold, flu, whatever seems to have moved to my sinuses and is nearing the end of its fruitful association with me (I am hoping anyway.)

I am really looking forward to running again, though living without the alarm clock has been nice. But I’ll even welcome that with open arms. They say running can become an addiction. I am not so sure about that. In my past when I smoked, I would smoke when I was sick. But running (at least when it is bad) is out of the picture. I have read that running when you are feeling under the weather can be a good thing in moderation. I guess it depends on how hard you push yourself and what sort of weather you are running through. I did some hard runs right before I got sick, but the weather was ok. I at least wasn’t running cold and wet.

I was disapointed to read that Japanese author Haruki Murakami was passed over for the Nobel prize for literature. I just read his book “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running” and loved it. He also has a rich array of fiction that he WILL some day get his Nobel for. He deserves it. Better luck next year Haruki.

Lungs are still heavy

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I am finding myself feeling a lot better, but I still think my lungs need a bit more rest before I send them out on the road. On the one hand I know it would be good to help clear them out, but not yet. Plus who wants to watch my hacking and spitting? Throw in a sweaty 42 year-old and we have a recipe for disaster.

It has been a good thing to give my body a rest though for this week. I was having that little twinge in my one knee (not even sure which one it was now) but that appears to have been recuperated by rest. My feet also seem to be a little less bothered by the numbness issues, though it is still there. I think the pounding does have an effect.

As for the healing powers of bee stings, I’m either going to have to call it a bust or say that I need more for anything to happen. I would have loved to have been able to convince myself that the bee venom worked miracles. I could have finally had a show I could do for cable access! I have always wanted some reason to be on. I would have to come up with a crazy bee outfit I suppose.

Last night was injection night. I was again worried how the rebif would react with my cold/flu symptoms. Well I may have found a solution. As I setup the injector and placed it on my planned site, I pressed the button. I felt nothing and thought, wow the hot compress really works. Then I realized, crap, I for got to take the cap off again. I popped it off and quickly jammed it in my stomach, hoping to get as much as I could. I did manage to get a partial injection and that seemed to mitigate the flu-like symptoms. Makes me wonder if I could get some half injections for when I was sick. I’ll have to ask the doc about that.

Lungs are still heavy

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I am finding myself feeling a lot better, but I still think my lungs need a bit more rest before I send them out on the road. On the one hand I know it would be good to help clear them out, but not yet. Plus who wants to watch my hacking and spitting? Throw in a sweaty 42 year-old and we have a recipe for disaster.

It has been a good thing to give my body a rest though for this week. I was having that little twinge in my one knee (not even sure which one it was now) but that appears to have been recuperated by rest. My feet also seem to be a little less bothered by the numbness issues, though it is still there. I think the pounding does have an effect.

As for the healing powers of bee stings, I’m either going to have to call it a bust or say that I need more for anything to happen. I would have loved to have been able to convince myself that the bee venom worked miracles. I could have finally had a show I could do for cable access! I have always wanted some reason to be on. I would have to come up with a crazy bee outfit I suppose.

Last night was injection night. I was again worried how the rebif would react with my cold/flu symptoms. Well I may have found a solution. As I setup the injector and placed it on my planned site, I pressed the button. I felt nothing and thought, wow the hot compress really works. Then I realized, crap, I for got to take the cap off again. I popped it off and quickly jammed it in my stomach, hoping to get as much as I could. I did manage to get a partial injection and that seemed to mitigate the flu-like symptoms. Makes me wonder if I could get some half injections for when I was sick. I’ll have to ask the doc about that.

Sick as a dog

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Yuck, I feel like garbage and have for a few days now. I ran On Sunday and Monday and my breathing was really heavy both days, by Monday night I was down for the count. I think it might be a flu since I have flu-like symptoms. Oh wait, that’s right, rebif gives me flu-like symptoms, great… Coughing all night (I need to get some cough suppressant or something), constant runny nose, fever (oh wait, the rebif again), sweats (uh, thanks rebif) and sneezing (a little). I know I am supposed to keep taking the rebif even when I am sick, but it is really tempting to skip it until I am better. I am sure that screws up the way it works, so I’ll keep at it.

On a positive note, I have been trying a different strategy for reducing the pain of my injections. I had been icing the area beforehand. Sometimes this would work fine, sometimes not. I got a call from msLifelines and talked to them about my issue and she recommended using a warm compress instead. I had heard this, but the ice was just easier, so I kept at it. Well, so far I am a convert. The warmth works much better. I heat up a washcloth with hot water and apply it to the area. I do this twice before my alcohol swab, hand washing and injection. Apparently it is the rebif that actually causes the pain, not the shot. The warmth allows it to be dispersed better. Well I’ll be. Lastly I massage the area to aide in dispersion.

I am not sure when I will run again, right now it feels like January. But I am sure I will get through this and feel better soon. Because it is so lung focused I am a bit concerned about running again. I think I’ll start out with some short runs to get back into it (haven’t we heard that before!)