Category Archives: chi running

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!)

Back twinge

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I went out for a short canyon run and on my way there I pulled a muscle in the left side of my back, just out of the blue. I wasn’t going fast or making any sort of adjustment, nothing out of the ordinary or different from a medium paced gate. I slowed down and walked for a bit and the spasm seemed to lesson, but I knew from experience in the past this was gonna bug me no matter what I did. Hurray, I was right! Its an odd feeling as it doesn’t ache all the time and it is such a localized muscle that I only feel it in the one particular area.

I have never been a big fan of pain killers other than tylenol or acetaminophen, but I had some vicodin in the medicine cabinet. I settled down in the late evening to watch a taped football game and decided, what the heck, I’ll take one. I can really see how they could become addictive if you were experiencing constant pain. It did do the trick, and regardless of how exciting the game was, I was pretty mellow! (Can I even say that with an exclamation point?)

I took yesterday off from running and I am doing the same today. I am going to do more ice and just take it easy. I am hoping to finish my miles for the week tomorrow, but I am not going to push it. RICE (well no elevation anyway, so RIC) will be my main diet.

Back twinge

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I went out for a short canyon run and on my way there I pulled a muscle in the left side of my back, just out of the blue. I wasn’t going fast or making any sort of adjustment, nothing out of the ordinary or different from a medium paced gate. I slowed down and walked for a bit and the spasm seemed to lesson, but I knew from experience in the past this was gonna bug me no matter what I did. Hurray, I was right! Its an odd feeling as it doesn’t ache all the time and it is such a localized muscle that I only feel it in the one particular area.

I have never been a big fan of pain killers other than tylenol or acetaminophen, but I had some vicodin in the medicine cabinet. I settled down in the late evening to watch a taped football game and decided, what the heck, I’ll take one. I can really see how they could become addictive if you were experiencing constant pain. It did do the trick, and regardless of how exciting the game was, I was pretty mellow! (Can I even say that with an exclamation point?)

I took yesterday off from running and I am doing the same today. I am going to do more ice and just take it easy. I am hoping to finish my miles for the week tomorrow, but I am not going to push it. RICE (well no elevation anyway, so RIC) will be my main diet.

ms and DHEA

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Ahh, supplements. It is impossible to get any good information. If you search for a supplement online you find plenty of positive things said, but they are all from folks peddling the stuff. Doctors all hide behind the curtain of potential lawsuits (because they would have no FDA support in court) and say things like “there is no hard evidence to support their use.” It is easy to get caught up in the talk of “miracle cures.” But usually they don’t work as advertised. Perhaps the best thing to do is to research as much as possible for negative side effects and then just listen to your body. Apparently people with ms have even lower levels of DHEA in the body.

I just started taking DHEA which is a hormone whose production in the body is lessened after your 20s. It is produced in nature from wild yams and other vegetable sources. It is used for all sorts of things from weight loss, to mood elevation, fighting fatigue, mind acuity and muscle building. I am starting out with the bare minimum of dosage, 25 mg. I have read about people taking up to 200 mg, especially those interested in building muscle. Anyway, we’ll see if I notice any change. One set of side effects I read about is “loss of hair” and “hair growth”. Sounds perfect for ms.

Back to running, I topped out at 32+ miles this week yesterday. I originally intended to run a short run, but as I got into it I decided I would extend it to a long run. Then that went so well I decided to go extra long. Then towards the end I backed off and cut it a little short. All in all a nice longish run where I didn’t end up totally burning myself out for the coming week (last Sunday I did a long run Sunday and Monday, too much).

ms and DHEA

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Ahh, supplements. It is impossible to get any good information. If you search for a supplement online you find plenty of positive things said, but they are all from folks peddling the stuff. Doctors all hide behind the curtain of potential lawsuits (because they would have no FDA support in court) and say things like “there is no hard evidence to support their use.” It is easy to get caught up in the talk of “miracle cures.” But usually they don’t work as advertised. Perhaps the best thing to do is to research as much as possible for negative side effects and then just listen to your body. Apparently people with ms have even lower levels of DHEA in the body.

I just started taking DHEA which is a hormone whose production in the body is lessened after your 20s. It is produced in nature from wild yams and other vegetable sources. It is used for all sorts of things from weight loss, to mood elevation, fighting fatigue, mind acuity and muscle building. I am starting out with the bare minimum of dosage, 25 mg. I have read about people taking up to 200 mg, especially those interested in building muscle. Anyway, we’ll see if I notice any change. One set of side effects I read about is “loss of hair” and “hair growth”. Sounds perfect for ms.

Back to running, I topped out at 32+ miles this week yesterday. I originally intended to run a short run, but as I got into it I decided I would extend it to a long run. Then that went so well I decided to go extra long. Then towards the end I backed off and cut it a little short. All in all a nice longish run where I didn’t end up totally burning myself out for the coming week (last Sunday I did a long run Sunday and Monday, too much).

ms Bee sting therapy

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One of the more interesting ms treatments I have heard about is the use of bee venom or apitherapy, you can read more about it here. The quick and dirty low down is that it has been used for people with progressive forms of ms and folks have found it helpful with such symptoms as stiffness, pain and tingling.

So today while on my daily run I was made an unwilling participant in apitherapy by a little bee who I am sure was just concerned with my ms symptoms that I have been feeling in my feet (numbness and tingling). He stung me right on my achilles tendon, which I think would be a great place to administer the venom for my need, well it would have been if it were on the correct foot. But beggars can’t be choosy I guess. He managed to fly off, so I don’t think he lost his stinger but I think it might be the end of the poor guy.

I wondered whether or not it was wise to keep running on it, but I was two miles into my run and I wanted to keep going. I also couldn’t see calling Ruthann to come get me because I had been stung by a bee! Aside from a bit of irritation from my sock that kept rubbing on the sting it wasn’t bad at all and I finished my run with no problems. I hope it doesn’t swell up and become itchy, though they usually do with me. Who knows maybe this is the cure I need for my foot symptoms (if it is enough to do the trick in the other leg that is.)

ms Bee sting therapy

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One of the more interesting ms treatments I have heard about is the use of bee venom or apitherapy, you can read more about it here. The quick and dirty low down is that it has been used for people with progressive forms of ms and folks have found it helpful with such symptoms as stiffness, pain and tingling.

So today while on my daily run I was made an unwilling participant in apitherapy by a little bee who I am sure was just concerned with my ms symptoms that I have been feeling in my feet (numbness and tingling). He stung me right on my achilles tendon, which I think would be a great place to administer the venom for my need, well it would have been if it were on the correct foot. But beggars can’t be choosy I guess. He managed to fly off, so I don’t think he lost his stinger but I think it might be the end of the poor guy.

I wondered whether or not it was wise to keep running on it, but I was two miles into my run and I wanted to keep going. I also couldn’t see calling Ruthann to come get me because I had been stung by a bee! Aside from a bit of irritation from my sock that kept rubbing on the sting it wasn’t bad at all and I finished my run with no problems. I hope it doesn’t swell up and become itchy, though they usually do with me. Who knows maybe this is the cure I need for my foot symptoms (if it is enough to do the trick in the other leg that is.)

10k distance

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Today I decided to run a 10K distance and see what my time was. I didn’t push it and my time showed 53 mins which was fine with me. I have been getting in these super long runs and I think I would be much better off if I ran more shorter ones, maybe saved the long runs for the weekend or something. As much as I like the long runs and love the exhausted feeling I get after them, I think in the long run my knees will thank me for running less.

I have noticed that with running over 30 miles a week my fitness level has reach a nice level. In the past month or so I have ratcheted it up a notch and have been doing closer to 35. At this level of running I really notice the increase. I feel myself getting back to the level where I was two years ago. My whole body feels much more solid and muscular (with the exception of my still soft and round (though seemingly less so) belly!) My problem that I am seeing is that my body will pay a price for keeping this level up, both in terms of the pounding and the time I need to put into it (I like my sleep just like the next person!) So I am thinking the solution really comes down to eating less. MY GP has been recommending it for a gentleman of my age (42) for several years now. Seems hard to take in less calories when you are burning well over a thousand on a run. I imagine the best solution is a compromise. Eat a bit less and run a bit less. Still got to get in my popcorn though.

One discouraging thing about running shorter distances is that I still have to deal with the aspects of running that I am not so fond of: getting up early to go for the run, I feel almost as worn out after a short run as a long run (good thing?), still get all sweaty, still need to get up for the run emotionally, and so on. I guess the more frequent short runs will allow me to enjoy the experience of running more then so what am I complaining about?

10k distance

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Today I decided to run a 10K distance and see what my time was. I didn’t push it and my time showed 53 mins which was fine with me. I have been getting in these super long runs and I think I would be much better off if I ran more shorter ones, maybe saved the long runs for the weekend or something. As much as I like the long runs and love the exhausted feeling I get after them, I think in the long run my knees will thank me for running less.

I have noticed that with running over 30 miles a week my fitness level has reach a nice level. In the past month or so I have ratcheted it up a notch and have been doing closer to 35. At this level of running I really notice the increase. I feel myself getting back to the level where I was two years ago. My whole body feels much more solid and muscular (with the exception of my still soft and round (though seemingly less so) belly!) My problem that I am seeing is that my body will pay a price for keeping this level up, both in terms of the pounding and the time I need to put into it (I like my sleep just like the next person!) So I am thinking the solution really comes down to eating less. MY GP has been recommending it for a gentleman of my age (42) for several years now. Seems hard to take in less calories when you are burning well over a thousand on a run. I imagine the best solution is a compromise. Eat a bit less and run a bit less. Still got to get in my popcorn though.

One discouraging thing about running shorter distances is that I still have to deal with the aspects of running that I am not so fond of: getting up early to go for the run, I feel almost as worn out after a short run as a long run (good thing?), still get all sweaty, still need to get up for the run emotionally, and so on. I guess the more frequent short runs will allow me to enjoy the experience of running more then so what am I complaining about?

Another 10 miles another dollar

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Well it would be if I were getting paid to do this. I think it would be really interesting to be a paid athlete. I am not so sure I would like the fact that my getting old would keep me from getting paid, not to mention that I am old. I wonder if I would get bored training everyday 2,3 times a day. I bet it would get old. I do think it would be fun to be a track coach and watch your athletes grow. I wonder if it is hard to deal with the jealousy aspect?

So today’s run. I decided to head to Cleveland Track for the first time in years. I was looking forward to the run for a variety of reasons, but chief among them was the opportunity to run on their new track. Once I got there I realized the track project has been put on hold and I was going to run on the old one. It does need some work (new surfacing) but it actually isn’t to bad. There is one area where the surfaced ares inside the ring jets out onto the track a bit with a bump that could be stumbled on. I do know a new track is in the plans, just not sure when.

Well as it turns out the answer is a google search away. You can read all about the project here on there website www.clevelandcommunityfield.org. I just called to donate to the project and left a message with the project manager. Looks like they need a significant amount of funding to finish up the track.

I love running on this track. Two years ago I was king of the track, very few people would pass me. I also had the cheerleaders practicing in the mornings. I always felt sort of like an old pervert running while they were cheering. I swear I was running there before they started practicing! These days no cheerleaders (at least when I went today) and I got passed up quite a bit! The fast runners couldn’t put in the miles I did though.

One of my favorite things to do there I call 8-1, 1-8. What that means is I start in the outer lane (lane 8) and each lap around I move in one lane. It helps to keep track of where I am. An 8-1 is two miles, today I added a 1-8 to make it 16 laps or 4 miles on the track. Track running is great cause you don’t have any obstacles (usually, though Saturday morn after a football game is pretty messy) and you can just sort of zone out and focus on your running, foot strike, breathing, arm form, pace, music, etc. I love it. The south end turns into the sun (always run counter-clockwise on tracks unless it is empty) and I just close my eyes and wait until the shade. As I curve along the gentle curve I just crack my eyelids enough to see the blurry lane lines to make sure I keep in my lane. So zen!