Over the last couple of years, my doctor has been concerned about my low heart rate. Well, I run, of course, so what's the big deal? Yes, I'm no seasoned athlete; not at elite runner, is that a problem?
I wore a Holter monitor a couple of years ago. Nothing really came of it. This year I did a an echocardiogram - that was interesting seeing my heart on a computer screen, the valves and ventricles looking like some kind of seaweed plant! Results: mitral regurgitation. What?
I have some leaky valves. Not terribly uncommon, but it does mean I now have a cardiologist. According to Dr. Kovoch, it is very minor and nothing to worry about at this time. It's probably something I was born with (yay genetics) and thickening of the valve tissue is common as we age. He even asked if I did Orange Threory because he knew of a lot of runners who are hooked on it - I guess that is a recommendation? He does want to know if I have frequent problems with being light headed, dizzy, passing out and fatigue; then we might have a problem. Other than that, an echo & follow-up with him in about a year. So I'm good to go.
I will probably take things a bit easier on my runs - stick with 'five and dimes' in my races - and continue to be obsessed with my heart rate. Getting older kinda sucks, but we don't have to give in to it - right?
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Friday, July 08, 2016
Summer
Oh the lost post ... (My 2nd attempt at this posting)
I was reflecting on the end of summer (yes, barely into July and I'm thinking about the end). A time when teachers get a little time off. No more getting up at super early hours (at least for high school teachers). Time to catch up on record keeping, house work, projects and, yes, family and some summer shenanigans. Sometimes the vacations and summer fun can lead us to forget until one day we way up think "oh crap, summers almost over and I haven't done anything!" And next thing we know we are going to training sessions, sitting though endless meetings, and trying to get our rooms ready for students and much of our housework falls into disarray again.
With this year being a short summer in Florida as we transition back to an "August to May" school year, I'm sure there will be a lot of mixed emotions to the start of this year. Still the excitement of new students and starting a fresh new year, but also the bewilderment of where the summer went and what does this new year hold (good and bad).
Well, Happy New School Year!! 😳
Sunday, July 03, 2016
Running @ 50 and parents!
Trying to figure a title, but in the meantime, let's start with observations on turning 50:
I took up running when I was 36 and getting fat - wasn't obese, but headed that direction. So between weight watchers & running, I lost 25 lbs in about nine months. The following year we lost our dog of 14 years, and my husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. After seeing him through that, I joined Team in Training and starting training for my first 1/2 marathon. I started to enjoy running, and suddenly I was in the best shape of my life in my 40's! My 40's!!!
At 42 I ran my first full marathon, then a cancer scare took 1/2 my thyroid. At 45 I did my first sprint triathlon. I noticed I was getting injured more often, felt like I was always trying to make a comeback. In 2013 Gil was diagnosed with a second occurrence of Hodgkin's. I wasn't with Team in Training anymore, but RunVie and my church became huge sources of support as we prepared for a stem cell transplant. Just as I was starting to come back from that, in 2015 my father died, throwing us into planning a memorial service, a trip to New York for burial, and taking care of my mom. I dropped off of my training ... But such is life.
Now here I am, 50, and rockin' the look! At a recent triathlon, when I told the girl doing body marking I was 50, she was shocked. "What? I would have thought 30 or something!"
I wish I were more interested in getting up earlier with the speedy people during the summer when not working (and not already getting up at 5 am), but I really like sleeping. I'm not as fast as I used to be and may not be training as I should, but for now, I am ok with that (or trying to be).
Parenting the parent
We are preparing for mom to move up to Largo to live closer to us which means being more flexible with training. At 87 years old she is doing pretty good. She stopped driving about a year ago, had a back injury and went through surgeries for bladder cancer, so she needs a little help occasionally. We thought it would be good for her to be close by when she needs us, and she agreed. It's a little weird when we get to this age, parenting the parent. Gil is helping take care of his parents too, so we are both helping with bank accounts, appointments, housekeeping, caretaking, and just keeping them company when loneliness sets in. Gil has his sisters helping out, and he will be helping me with mom.
I know she did a lot to take care of her parents in their golden years, so I guess I am following her lead. Besides, they took care of us when we were little; it is our turn to take care of them, right?
I try to accept the stresses in my life. Where some may turn to alcohol or other diversions, I tend to turn to sugar...and running or exercise (biking & swimming too). It's a balance, I guess. Running continues to be my time away from the craziness of it all. Training gives me a schedule, a plan, a goal to hit but sometimes, ya' just gotta keep it simple and take your time.
I took up running when I was 36 and getting fat - wasn't obese, but headed that direction. So between weight watchers & running, I lost 25 lbs in about nine months. The following year we lost our dog of 14 years, and my husband was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. After seeing him through that, I joined Team in Training and starting training for my first 1/2 marathon. I started to enjoy running, and suddenly I was in the best shape of my life in my 40's! My 40's!!!
At 42 I ran my first full marathon, then a cancer scare took 1/2 my thyroid. At 45 I did my first sprint triathlon. I noticed I was getting injured more often, felt like I was always trying to make a comeback. In 2013 Gil was diagnosed with a second occurrence of Hodgkin's. I wasn't with Team in Training anymore, but RunVie and my church became huge sources of support as we prepared for a stem cell transplant. Just as I was starting to come back from that, in 2015 my father died, throwing us into planning a memorial service, a trip to New York for burial, and taking care of my mom. I dropped off of my training ... But such is life.
Now here I am, 50, and rockin' the look! At a recent triathlon, when I told the girl doing body marking I was 50, she was shocked. "What? I would have thought 30 or something!"I wish I were more interested in getting up earlier with the speedy people during the summer when not working (and not already getting up at 5 am), but I really like sleeping. I'm not as fast as I used to be and may not be training as I should, but for now, I am ok with that (or trying to be).
Parenting the parent
We are preparing for mom to move up to Largo to live closer to us which means being more flexible with training. At 87 years old she is doing pretty good. She stopped driving about a year ago, had a back injury and went through surgeries for bladder cancer, so she needs a little help occasionally. We thought it would be good for her to be close by when she needs us, and she agreed. It's a little weird when we get to this age, parenting the parent. Gil is helping take care of his parents too, so we are both helping with bank accounts, appointments, housekeeping, caretaking, and just keeping them company when loneliness sets in. Gil has his sisters helping out, and he will be helping me with mom.
I know she did a lot to take care of her parents in their golden years, so I guess I am following her lead. Besides, they took care of us when we were little; it is our turn to take care of them, right?
I try to accept the stresses in my life. Where some may turn to alcohol or other diversions, I tend to turn to sugar...and running or exercise (biking & swimming too). It's a balance, I guess. Running continues to be my time away from the craziness of it all. Training gives me a schedule, a plan, a goal to hit but sometimes, ya' just gotta keep it simple and take your time.
Thursday, February 04, 2016
23 days
With New Year's resolutions all the rage, I decided to take our coaches 23 day Advocare Challenge. Yes, basically a diet. Now I know a lot of people look at me and say "You don't need to diet, your fine!" or they tell me I'm skinny or what-not. But to me it wasn't that kind of diet, really. It was more about changing how I eat rather than losing weight; more about how some foods may affect me, such as gluten or dairy, and some of my minor health issues. So, for the first 10 days it was a 'cleanse', then the rest of the challenge was, well, modifying my eating habits.
Day 1 was horrible. It was a Monday that involved some testing at work (school) so I had a lot of set-up to do that morning and knew I was going to be there late that evening with a community SAC meeting. Going without coffee was going to be HARD! I was so worried about all the timing of the supplements and shakes and fiber and....AAaahaah! I didn't bring enough food so I was very tired, irritated, and hungry. When the evening meeting came, and they had quite the food spread. I was determined to hang tight, but it was difficult. After that first day, though, I was told not to stress too much about timing of supplements, and the rest kind of came easy.
So, things I have learned:
Sunday's made for great prep-days. I made a good chunk of the weeks lunches out of stir-fries, rice & beans, soups or salads - all homemade of course. No bread, no cheese, no sugar or salt was difficult, but easier than I thought it would be.
You can go without coffee. It may take a day or so, and Advocare Spark helps a lot! It's also good for a mid-day pick-me-up that won't keep you awake at night.
I missed foods more than I craved them. Bread makes sandwiches easier, which really means I just didn't have sandwiches. Seeing a kid eating a chocolate muffin (EVERY MORNING) really made me want a muffin! And it's funny to realize how much of our food is gluten based - especially convenience foods like cookies, cereals, breakfast bars. And I really missed our Friday night pizza that Gil makes on the grill. Toward the end (last week) I did find I was craving something - I think sugar - figs & dates helped. But seeing ads for pizza, pastas, sweets of all kinds... Do you realize how much we are bombarded with food commercials?... that sure didn't help any. Darned that subliminal advertising!
Salt is extremely prevalent in a lot of things. If you cook without it, most foods are very bland. To get beans, chicken broth or tuna without salt is almost impossible, so you have to look for low sodium products instead. Is sea salt any better? I see that in many health foods.
Braggs Liquid Aminos (basically soy sauce) is an amazing seasoning!!
Figs & dates are like candy. Be careful as many dried fruits have added sugar. Dates are high in sugar naturally, and can make you sick if you eat too many - just like candy.
I was surprised I didn't notice more of a change in my overall health with the change of diet. My body adapted easily without much difference. Nothing really changed with my skin so my psoriasis is not influenced by gluten - I had read it could be a sign of gluten intolerance. I lost about 5lbs - which is all I really needed to lose. So I guess, overall, I must eat pretty healthy on my own. I do feel stronger during workouts. It just seems easier to get through them and sometimes even a little faster!
I recently started working coffee back into my routine. The last few nights I have had some fruit herbal teas with honey. It doesn't take much sweetener, or salt for that matter, for me to notice it now. That is a good thing. I had a Belgian waffle this weekend in honor of my dads one year death anniversary, with strawberries, (skip the whip) and my stomach actually objected afterward - I felt a little sick.
Now that I'm done, I plan on keeping up with making lunches (and better choices with dinner?), sticking more to fruits, veggies, meats/protein. It should be easy since I've done it for a while. And if it makes me stronger, and feel better, then why not!?
Day 1 was horrible. It was a Monday that involved some testing at work (school) so I had a lot of set-up to do that morning and knew I was going to be there late that evening with a community SAC meeting. Going without coffee was going to be HARD! I was so worried about all the timing of the supplements and shakes and fiber and....AAaahaah! I didn't bring enough food so I was very tired, irritated, and hungry. When the evening meeting came, and they had quite the food spread. I was determined to hang tight, but it was difficult. After that first day, though, I was told not to stress too much about timing of supplements, and the rest kind of came easy.
So, things I have learned:
Sunday's made for great prep-days. I made a good chunk of the weeks lunches out of stir-fries, rice & beans, soups or salads - all homemade of course. No bread, no cheese, no sugar or salt was difficult, but easier than I thought it would be.
You can go without coffee. It may take a day or so, and Advocare Spark helps a lot! It's also good for a mid-day pick-me-up that won't keep you awake at night.
I missed foods more than I craved them. Bread makes sandwiches easier, which really means I just didn't have sandwiches. Seeing a kid eating a chocolate muffin (EVERY MORNING) really made me want a muffin! And it's funny to realize how much of our food is gluten based - especially convenience foods like cookies, cereals, breakfast bars. And I really missed our Friday night pizza that Gil makes on the grill. Toward the end (last week) I did find I was craving something - I think sugar - figs & dates helped. But seeing ads for pizza, pastas, sweets of all kinds... Do you realize how much we are bombarded with food commercials?... that sure didn't help any. Darned that subliminal advertising!
Salt is extremely prevalent in a lot of things. If you cook without it, most foods are very bland. To get beans, chicken broth or tuna without salt is almost impossible, so you have to look for low sodium products instead. Is sea salt any better? I see that in many health foods.
Braggs Liquid Aminos (basically soy sauce) is an amazing seasoning!!
Figs & dates are like candy. Be careful as many dried fruits have added sugar. Dates are high in sugar naturally, and can make you sick if you eat too many - just like candy.
I was surprised I didn't notice more of a change in my overall health with the change of diet. My body adapted easily without much difference. Nothing really changed with my skin so my psoriasis is not influenced by gluten - I had read it could be a sign of gluten intolerance. I lost about 5lbs - which is all I really needed to lose. So I guess, overall, I must eat pretty healthy on my own. I do feel stronger during workouts. It just seems easier to get through them and sometimes even a little faster!
I recently started working coffee back into my routine. The last few nights I have had some fruit herbal teas with honey. It doesn't take much sweetener, or salt for that matter, for me to notice it now. That is a good thing. I had a Belgian waffle this weekend in honor of my dads one year death anniversary, with strawberries, (skip the whip) and my stomach actually objected afterward - I felt a little sick.
Now that I'm done, I plan on keeping up with making lunches (and better choices with dinner?), sticking more to fruits, veggies, meats/protein. It should be easy since I've done it for a while. And if it makes me stronger, and feel better, then why not!?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)