The Frustration is getting to me

I started run/walking again on 1 May 2007, which means that in 2.5 months I will have been "training" steadily for a full year, with the biggest break being Christmas and that was for three weeks.

It seems that since about September I have been getting steadily slower. There could be good reasons for this, like the heat and humidity, but it doesn't help my state of mind. I'm painfully aware that if I'd had a normal heart the chances are with the effort and commitment I've put in I would already be running half marathons! At the moment I don't even feel like I can walk a 10km... ok thats not entirely true, I'm still getting rid of the last symptoms of my flu, and if it weren't for that I'm sure walking the 10km would have been fine.

I wish there was a way to be more scientific about this, but all I can rely on is what my body tells me. When I've brought the running intervals back down to 20s and still I find myself getting lightheaded on easy inclines, I become a bit despondent. I have started to doubt whether this is actually doable. I believe that on the whole I have all the will power necessary, but there are physical bounds in which I must work. Can I really complete the 21 in under 3 hours?

Anyway, this is me having a low day. I'm busy hating a few people, who I blame for me being in this situation. It will pass.

Week 7 Exercise Log

We had wanted to do the 10km Irene night race on Wednesday but at the 11th hour I decided it was too soon after being sick and I wasn't feeling strong enough. Apparently it's very cool, I'll try to do it next year.

Monday 11 February 2008
Distance: 3.9km
Total time: 32:51
Intervals: 30/60
Pace: 8:30 min/km
Average HR: 8:30
Route: Premier

Wednesday 13 February 2007
Distance: 5km
Total time: 61:29
Intervals: Walked
Pace: 12:24 min/km
Average HR: 128
Route: Random Route

Friday 15 February 2007
Distance: 5km
Total time: 43:00
Intervals: 20/60
Pace: 8:41 min/km
Average HR: 139
Route: Boys High

Week 6 Exercise Log

Unfortunately this week started off on a sick note. I had a course of antibiotics and had some nasty bugs. So I took stuff easy

Wednesday 6 February 2007
Distance: 4km
Total time: 37:50
Intervals: Walked
Pace: 10:06 min/km
Average HR: 119
Route: Time Trial

Saturday 9 February 2007
Distance: 4.9km
Total time: 52:07
Route: Random Route

Skipped Friday because I had a function. Every time I get ill I seem to retain huge amounts of water or salt, or both. I know this is a little gross, but I can taste the salt when I cough. So I made a concerted effort this week to cut salt out of my diet completely, as I should do anyway, but it's easier said than done. Also this week I was just trying to recover from the flu.

Week 5 Exercise Log

Sunday 27 January 2008
Distance: 5.8km
Total time: 60:00
Intervals: N/A
Pace: 10:18 min/km
Average HR: 118
Route: N/A

Monday 28 January 2008
Distance: 4.65km
Total time: 42:22
Intervals: 40/120
Pace: 8:55 min/km
Average HR: 132
Route: Boys High

Wednesday 30 January 2007
Distance: 5.06km
Total time: 39:40
Intervals: 30/60
Pace: 7:51 min/km
Average HR: 142
Route: Clarke

Friday 1 February 2007
Distance: 5.5km
Total time: don't know
Route: Spiral

This week I tried shorter intervals on Wednesday, which seemed to be easier. Unfortunately by Friday I was nursing a sore throat and a rapidly developing chest infection. I probably shouldn't have done the Friday run.

Heart to Heart

An interesting article, by Mens Health about heart health including an interview with my old specialist. Heart to Heart

Probably the pain killers

Refering to my last post "Palpatations...again?" according to SA Doc of All Scrubbed Up fame there are some references to the pain killer, Lentogesic, which I took on Friday night having some interactions with Atenelol. Most medications also have an effect on INR, which is controlled with Warfarin but I'm not really worried about those.

Her advice about the Lentogesic was "if you start getting palpetations, stop the lentogesic" which is exactly what I did anyway. So i think I'll delay the cardiologist visit till March when I am supposed to go anyway. Especially considering I walked 6km on Sunday, and run/walked 5 yesterday and felt fine...relatively speaking.

Palpitations...again?

Like I said in Week 4's exercise log, I slept very badly this past Friday(25th Jan) night. I told the people I was to run with that I couldn't come and went back to bed. My domestic arrived a few hours later, and I went about a normal Saturday morning. I was plagued by an intermittent headache, but put it down to dehydration. I went for lunch with some friends and when I got home I took down some laundry off the line and was standing in my kitchen when I suddenly felt VERY faint. It felt like when you suddenly get up out of bed and all the blood drains from your head. I sat down quickly and started to feel palpitations. It feels a bit like someone is shaking your body, but no-one is touching you. I broke out in a cold sweat, went to lie on my bed. It took 2-3mins to pass.

What's really worrying about this is that I don't remember having a bout like this since when I was rediagnosed. However there are a number a of explanations. I could put it down to being dehydrated, or to a reaction to the local anaesthetic that was administered for a minor surgical procedure. I was prescribed an antibiotic (Levofloxacin) and a pain killer (Lentogesic). I specifically told the pharmacist that I had a heart condition and asked if these drugs were appropriate. She seemed to think so. I will find out if they have any side effects.

However, for those of you who may be concerned, I don't think you should be too alarmed. I went for a 6km walk this afternoon and felt fine, but I think to be on the safe side I will also make an appointment to see the cardiologist as soon as possible.

Week 4 2008 Exercise Log

Monday 21 January 2008
Distance: 5.2km
Total time: 41:18
Intervals: 50/120
Pace: 7:56 min/km
Average HR: 145
Route: Lynwood

I had a love hate relationship with this run, when we started it was drizzling lightly and I was feeling pretty good, the first half of the route is downhill. We even stopped to try help a stranded motorist... damn automatics! And he was a tit for running out of fuel...we left him there. Anyway by the half way mark we were soaked as the rain had increased, and I was loving it, but on the way back I really struggled! But now that I look at the pace I realise that perhaps I was going too fast too soon. Considering the pace from last week. But running in the rain was great, it wasn't cold, it was just right.

Wednesday 23 January 2007
Distance: 3.5km
Total time: 30:58
Intervals: 50/120
Pace: 8:28 min/km
Average HR: 154
Route: Time trial route

It was raining again, but we were there, so we went for a run, it stayed away for the half hour we were on the road, and poured down when we left. Looking at my average heart rate, I think I need to slow down again.I think anything up to about 145 is fine, but anything above that isn't good. And I can remember not feeling very strong for this run. There are many possible explanations including what I ate for lunch that week.

Friday 25 January 2007
I went for a minor medical procedure, the cause of which doesn't form part of this blog, I wasn't feeling well enough after the local anaesthetic to run.

I said in the last log that I would do the 10km George Claasen run, but I slept terribly on Friday night and decided it wasn't a good idea to do the run.

Week 3 2008 Exercise log

Melodie (my regular running partner) and I decided this week that we would run a 10km every month from now on, well I say run, but what I mean is complete. We didn't consult Melinda (my other regular running partner) in this decision, she is simply expected to comply :P. Just to get used to doing the longer distances and being on the road for more than an hour. We decided to run the George Claasen 10km, which starts at Menlyn Shopping center, does a loop through the eastern suburbs of Pretoria and ends again at Menlyn.

Monday 14 January 2008
Distance: 5km
Total time: 41:41
Intervals: 45/105
Pace: 8:16 min/km
Average HR: 139
Route: Clarke

Wednesday 16 January 2007
Distance: 4.3km
Total time: 35:45
Intervals: 45/120
Pace: 8:15 min/km
Average HR: 139
Route: Can't remember

Friday 18 January 2007
Rained out

I handed out water at the Old Mutual marathon on Saturday 19th, it was insane to see how the front runners some by at pace. They are keeping a pace which I would struggle to keep at a sprint and they continue, for 21 or 42km!! It's crazy! They come past you and grab water sachets out of your hand with a slap. But the people I really envied are the mediocre people who could run, slowly, for the whole race. That's who I want to be, but I somehow don't think I'll ever get there. I do think I will finish a 21 one day, before the cutoff, but running an entire 21? I have serious doubts.

Week 2 2008 Exercise Log

Well I got back on the band wagon as soon as possible and it hurt. I last ran on the 17th of December, so it was almost three weeks of laziness hence I'm not really surprised! I did do a smattering of exercise, but it was mountain biking and mostly downhill... the really fun bit. Anyway back to business.

Monday 7 January 2008
Distance: 5.2km
Total time: 49:00
Intervals: 45/120
Pace: 9:25 min/km
Average HR: no idea
Route: Premier

Wednesday 9 January 2007
Distance: 4km
Total time: 33:24
Intervals: 45/120
Pace: 8:23 min/km
Average HR: 141
Route: Mackenzie

Friday 11 January 2007
Distance: 5km
Total time: 41:36
Intervals: 45/105
Pace: 8:40 min/km
Average HR: 145
Route: Boys High

First week back, this was a tough week, and I think I perhaps pushed it too hard, then again, at the moment everything feels like I'm pushing too hard at the moment.

Sorry I've been so scarce

For the few of you that do read this blog, perhaps you've been wondering what happened to me, or where I have been. Well I just seem to have had lots of work to do lately, and perhaps things haven't felt like they are going as well as I'd hoped they would. In short, I've been feeling kind of lousy about my running the past few weeks. It hasn't stopped me though.

Two or three weeks ago I was feeling so lethargic (all day long) that I went to my GP and asked him if he could think of anything. He listened to my breathing and my heart, ummm'd and ahh'd and couldn't tell me jack. He said maybe my electrolytes were out of balance so he sent me for a stack of blood tests, but these all came back fine, including a bilharzia test I prompted him to do as well (Roodeplaat dam is known to have it).

My bout of whatever seems to have passed but I'm still not feeling as energetic as I was a few months ago. I think there could be numerous reasons. Working late at night, eating badly, stressing about stuff. Perhaps I pushed too hard, or perhaps it's the hotter, more humid weather. I have no idea, whatever it is it's got me a bit down about my 21km goal. Got me doubting whether this thing is really possible. Everyone tells you that if you put your mind to something you will always get there. But in this case... well how do you fix a broken ticker? No amount of willpower and determination is gonna do that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to stop running, or trying. But I think I might take it a bit easier than I have, or try cross training with some cycling. Cycling to me seems to allow you to control your power output much better. If you're struggling up a hill, change to a lower gear, or go slower. You can't do that while running, at least I can't. I'm either running, or walking, there're not gears in between.

Besides the next big thing for me is going to be the Great Mpumalanga Bike ride. I'm going to have to get cycling fit for it, should be a blast. 8 days of slow riding through some awesome scenery. Anyway that's the end of my update, if you really want to you can go ahead and read all the new logs, I'll try keep up to date once more, but with the holidays looming, I doubt it :P

Week 46

This week I ran 14.61km in 1hr56

Monday 19 November 2007
Distance: 4.76km
Total time: 37:05
Intervals: 60/90
Pace: 7:48 min/km
Average HR:  142
Route: Nicholson 

Wednesday 21 November 2007
Distance: 5.25km
Total time: 43:26
Intervals: 60/90
Pace: 8:16 min/km
Average HR: 136
Route: Premier

Friday 23 November 2007
Distance: 4.6km
Total time: 35:41
Intervals: 60/90
Pace: 7:45 min/km
Average HR:  140
Route: Mackenzie