Health Update (Pre Surgery)

It was May of 2010 and everything was going well for me.  Although my job at a running store didn’t pay much, I was enjoying it.  After getting back into running about a year earlier, I was hooked.  I just finished my second marathon of the year and improved by over a half hour from my first marathon.  I finished that race about three and a half minutes off of the Boston qualifying standard.  I was well on my way to hitting that mark in the upcoming fall marathon.  Everything was rosy.

That’s right when everything went downhill.  Almost immediately after the marathon (actually the night before I think I had the first symptom), I started having health problems.  I had some soreness in my behind.  It was discovered that I had a fistula (which is basically a tunnel between tissues or organs).  I was on antibiotics and other treatments, but nothing worked.  The pain became so unbearable throughout that summer.  Eventually, I had to have surgery in August.

After surgery, I thought that would be the end of my problems.  I was very wrong.  It was only the beginning.  At first, I thought I was just recovering slowly.  I felt terrible every day.  I spent almost every minute in bed and had an upset stomach almost daily as well.  I started losing weight when I began running a year earlier and it continued even while I was inactive.  At my worst, I weighed a mere 115 pounds.

Eventually, in October, I went to the doctor.  After being sent to a specialist and having some tested done, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease.  It is a digestive disorder that often shows itself with symptoms such as an upset stomach, diarrhea and weight loss.  I also developed another fistula.  This fistula caused me some pain, although not as much as the first one.

Eventually after taking some medications, I felt much better.  In the winter/spring of 2011 I gained weight and was up around 140 pounds.  I still had stomach problems from time to time, but thankfully much less frequently than the previous fall.  I was on several medications in the hope that it would help the fistula heal.  Major surgery would be the last resort if it didn’t heal.  In June, I went on Humira to treat the fistula.  That is a drug that I have to inject myself with once every two weeks (not a fun task).

June was a good time for me because I began to run again a month or so earlier.  I had lost all my fitness and struggled to run for even ten minutes straight.  It was just great to be able to run again.  Although the fistula wasn’t healed, it didn’t bother me while I ran.  It was the one time I felt normal.  Before and after a workout was another story, as I was often in pain or at least discomfort.  I ran a lot over the summer of 2011 and it was great.  It gave me a purpose again.  I try to build up my mileage gradually and just enjoy that I was getting better weekly (even though I was my slowest ever).  The two 5Ks I ran were my slowest ever, but it was great just to run again.  Thinking about all the pain I was through, even made it easy to run when I was falling apart at the end of the second 5K.  I figured some fatigue was no big deal compared to what I’ve been through.

When I got back into running several years ago, I was living in Philadelphia.  I trained alone.  I led group runs at the store that I worked at, but that was my only running partners at all.  This time around, I decided I would get more involved in the local running scene (back home in the Lehigh Valley).  I began running during the Finish Line Running Store Group runs on Tuesday nights.  Although the groups were usually small, I met some great people.  I also found the Breakfast Club Runners and made some more friends.  I ran a marathon relay with them and we even took second in the mixed division.  It was great to be back running, running strong and making friends.  The Lehigh Valley Road Runners began group runs in the fall and I volunteered to help as a group run leader on Thursday nights.  Again, the group was typically small, but I met some more great people and was being pushed pretty hard physically.

My fistula still had not healed at this point.  In September, my doctor suggested that it was time for surgery.  I told him I had a couple races coming up and I’d like to wait until they were over with first.  He said that was fine.  I wasn’t getting any worse, so I figured after a year of dealing with the fistula, what was another month or two.

Things started getting worse in October.  The fistula was causing me more pain and running started to become a chore.  I struggled to finish the group runs and couldn’t run up front in them anymore.  On October 22^nd, I ran my first of the scheduled two races.  It was a five mile trail race and night and it was a blast.  I did fairly well too (although I didn’t pick up an award).  That race ended up being the last time I ran.  It was just too difficult to do any more.

I told the doctor to forget about my last race on Thanksgiving Day and let’s go ahead with the surgery.  The surgery would be performed by both my doctor and a surgeon, so their schedules had to match.  That set me up for a surgery on December 12^th.  It seemed like forever in my mind.  The only thing that even got me to this point it one piece was taking pain killers.

The last month plus has been horrible.  I’ve been in pain nearly every night.  I’ve lost more weight and now I’m back down to 120 pounds.  I lay in bed most of the day again.  I often have been eating only one meal a day, typically added chicken broth as a second meal.  I’ve been popping pain pills so often that I actually run out before I can get a refill.  I’m low again with a few days left until surgery.

Most people are looking forward to the Christmas holiday now.  I should be looking forward to that and my birthday on December 19^th.  Instead, I’m looking forward to surgery on Monday the 12^th.  That’s how sad my life has become.  Hopefully, surgery will be the start of the road back to normalcy.  That’s going to be a tough road too though.  This is a major surgery where part of my organ will be removed and then the remainder sewn back together.  It will be a lot of pain and I’ll be in the hospital for as much as 10 days.  My recovery depends on how long it’ll take until my system will accept solid foods again.  After I get home, it still will likely be tough to eat, my energy will probably be low for some time and I might have bathroom issues.  It may take two months or longer to get back to normal.  I’m just hoping for the best.

After surgery, I really want to work on improving my nutrition.  I was reading a book that a friend gave me last winter about someone who recovered from Crohn’s Disease (although they claim it is incurable, just treatable).  The author claims he was near death and tried everything possible to defeat Crohn’s.  Eventually, he found the solution by eating the Maker’s Diet.  That means to eat foods in accordance with the bible.  For example, no pork or shellfish should be consumed.  Whether it completely works for me or not, eating healthier and more organic should help some.  I definitely need to eat less processed foods.

I really wish I understood why this all happened to me and why the timing of it too.  It’s ironic that I drank excessively for years in my 20s and then quit completely almost a year before these problems occurred.  I didn’t eat healthy, but my diet had improved before these problems as well.  I was making great breakthroughs in my running and enjoying life like never before.  That seems so long ago that I almost can’t even remember what it is like to be a normal human being any more.

I’ve wrestled with the idea of why this happened.  I’m still not completely sure why God chose this path for me.  I do know that in the end it has and will make me a much stronger person.  I’m starting to think that perhaps, somehow I’ll tie together my running and Crohn’s for a good cause.  Maybe I’ll raise a lot of money through my running for Crohn’s.  I’m still not sure yet.  I know that I’ve always felt that I was destined for big things.  It sure doesn’t seem that way with where I’m at right now, but I haven’t given up on the idea.  I have so many big goals for myself to accomplish, many of them involving running.  I need to get back into shape again and qualify for Boston.  I’d love to win a marathon one day.  I also want to try my hand at the 50 and 100 mile distances.

I am grateful for the support that I’ve had from family and friends.  This certainly hasn’t been easy on my parents, having to take care of me for over a year and a half.  They thought their days of having me around the house were over.  They certainly never would’ve expected to have to take care of me again in this capacity.  They may not have handled everything as best that could (either have I), but they have been a great blessing to have by my side through all of this.  My friends, both old and new have offered encouragement as well and have been a big help too.  I’m lucky to have such a strong support system.  I could never get through this solely on my own.

As bad as I feel now, it still isn’t anywhere near as awful as last fall was.  Hopefully, that was rock bottom and I’m slowly climbing out of it.  If not, then I’ll just keep fighting and take whatever life throws at me until I get back where I want to be.  It’ll be a long road back no doubt and I need to be patient, but I’m willing to do that.  I look forward again to the day where I can stand around a room full of people again and think to myself, “I’m normal now, just like everyone else here.”  That  will be a great day.

Ghouls and Fools Trail Race

Tonight was an interesting trail race.  It was the Ghouls and Fools Trail Race at Mount Penn in Reading.  What made it so unique was that it was at night.  It was actually perfect racing weather at 7 PM.

I wanted to start towards the front anyway, but luckily someone at the start said it gets crowded early on.  I started in the first third and it wasn't too bad.  It was quite crowded out of the parking lot, but I managed to find a route around a lot of people.

The first few miles were definitely interesting.  It was a single track trail, so most of the time you had to just follow the runner in front of you.  It was my first time using the headlamp, but it worked out well.  You couldn't see much, so you had to rely on the runner in front to tell you any obstacles.  It wasn't uncommon to hear someone yell "log."

The crowded conditions allowed me to not go out too fast.  The single track sections also provided for recovery segments.  I tried to go hard where there was space and recover where there wasn't.  I definitely passed a lot more people than passed me.

After awhile things got strung out.  That was definitely better.  I was solid on the uphills, but as I suspected, I rocked the downhills.  I just flew down them and past other runners.  I followed a women at one point who was very good on them as well.  Eventually I passed her at a waterstop though.

It was up and down hills for a lot of the course.  There was a tough climb around three and a half miles though.  I recognized that it was the firetower.  I knew it would be a lot of downhill after that.  I was a bit beat though, so I didn't make up time as much as I hoped.

I knew one section looked familiar and sure enough it was the tough section that scared me during my run there a couple weeks ago.  I didn't bother me as much in the dark since I couldn't see anything.  We then came up on the pagoda.  It is lit up all red and is beautiful.  The view of the lights from Reading were amazing too.  I almost wanted to stop and look at it.

The final waterstop was at the pagoda.  I was starting to feel it at this point, so I looked to cruise.  One thing I didn't like was all the time we had to go on roads.  I lost time on those.  I made up time on technical sections.  One girl who eventually beat me, killed me on the roads, but I would end up passing her back on technical sections.  I guess I'm definitely meant for true trail running.

At one point, we actually had to run down a storm drain.  That was confusing and slowed me down.  The end had a very difficult rock section.  I thought we had another mile to go rather than just a short distance.  They said this race was supposed to be 6.5 miles or so, but I was barely pasted 5.5 miles.  I ended up walking up the rocks.  If I knew it was the finish, I would've ran up them a little and probably passed that girl.  Instead, I even got beat at a sprint to the line.  That's rare because I always win sprints at the line.

The race was fun and it was neat seeing all the lights around you.  I was just very frustrated that the distance wasn't close to advertised.  I wouldn't have saved so much in the last half mile.  All in all, I was definitely happy with the pace.  I just had a little more left.  I do wonder if starting up further would've helped a lot.  I think I would've finished higher since it was so tough to pass.  It was a good learning experience though.  I did finish 73rd out of several hundred runners.

5.66 miles - 54:25 (9:37 pace)

Missing Time

Things had been going well for me with running until the last week.  I ran with the LVRR group tonight, but it was my first run since Friday.  That's due to a number of circumstances.  My health has been the primary problem of late.  I seem to be getting worse and worse after the three hard weeks of training I put in.

I got up for my run last Saturday after little sleep.  My legs were sore, I was tired and it was windy.  I just hate running in the wind, especially for a long run.  As I sat at a stoplight, I asked myself why I was running with so many negative thoughts in my head.  I just decided it was a good time to skip a run.  I'm already pretty well trained anyway.

Monday was windy again and I was scheduled for speedwork.  I knew I wouldn't be able to hit my marks, so I decided I'd switch it up with Tuesday's easy workout.  The problem was that I was cat sitting again in the afternoon and I cramped up after a nap.  Once I cramp, my leg gets really sore and it is difficult to run for about 24 hours.  I thought about running in the evening, but by the time I looked outside, I realized it was getting too dark, so I skipped that day.

I should've run Tuesday morning.  I felt fine and in fact I usually do in the morning.  After eating soup for lunch though, I developed some bad heartburn.  I was having trouble breathing, it was so bad.  I skipped running entirely that day too.  Wednesday was my worst day yet.  I woke up with a mild stomach ache and it just got worse throughout the day.  It was so bad, that I couldn't even make it to the clubhouse to pickup the key.

Thankfully, I got a lot of sleep on Wednesday and into Thursday.  I was well rested for the group run.  There were only four of us, including the fast guy (I did get the clubhouse key then).  It was a bit chilly and windy.  I wasn't too up for a run, so I just ran at a slow pace with everyone else.

Just as frustrating was the fact that I couldn't get my GPS to work.  It was at full bars, but wouldn't start timing.  I guess the clouds created a problem.  My legs felt very fresh during the run.  I didn't seem to have a lot of energy and couldn't wait to get done actually.  The worst part though was that I was hurting and needed to use the bathroom.  I didn't want to though.  We went to the Fish Hatchery and back and then to the Robin Hood Bridge and back.  That's probably around 5 miles total.

I'm glad I'm rested for Saturday's night trail race in Reading.  I regret that I didn't get to run and try out my head lamp, but oh well.  I guess I'll learn on the fly.  I'm hoping I'll feel good and that it can be fun.  This week has basically been a taper.  I'm definitely ready for the race.

With my health seeming to get worse, I'm leaning towards having surgery early and skipping the Run for the Diamonds.  I'm starting to look forward to surgery more than the race and I think that is a sign to give up on the race.  The pain is just becoming too much and I think my training is now starting to cause harm too.  If I skip the race, I'll be able to get back to running sooner and start preparing for the spring marathon.  It's a decision I'll likely make soon.

NO DISTANCE OR TIME

A Little Better Easy Day

Today was another easy day.  As I've said before, I really don't enjoy these.  They are hard for me to focus.  I just usually can't wait until they are over.

This 5 miler on the Plainfield Rail Trail wasn't the most enjoyable, but it was better than most of my easy runs.  One of the main reasons for this is because I ran without looking at my watch as much as usual.  I peak at it way too often.

I started off by not even checking my watch until I hit .42 miles.  That's much longer than usual.  I looked at it a little more after that, but I still tried to just enjoy the run.  I just focused on getting to the halfway point.  I know that once I get there, I'll have to run the rest of the way back or at least walk it.  I sure I don't want to walk and take longer.

I turned around and decided to put my watch in my pocket.  That way I really wouldn't look at it.  I had passed a few walkers on the way out.  I decided that on the way back, I'd look at my watch after I passed this one lady.  She turned around too, so I waited a little longer to look at the watch.  It was about a mile back at that point.

I then pulled my watch out of my pocket and then looked at it more frequently.  I don't mind looking at it often in the final mile.  I'm close enough to the finish then.  My left ankle was bothering me, so I tried switching sides of the trail.  That seemed to help a little.

I focused on form throughout most of the run.  I didn't run harder, but my pace really picked up towards the end.  It was pretty fast.  The weather was a bit helpful from that aspect too.  It rained earlier and was quite windy.  It was nice and cool when there was a breeze, but it was still pretty humid when it wasn't.

I'll finish up this relatively easy week with a 10 mile run.  Hopefully I'll get some sleep and be able to run with the Breakfast Runners Club for a change.  They are running at Riverview Park.  It should be a good day regardless.

5 miles - 42:36 (8:31 pace)

Easing Back

It wasn't exactly a planned very easy week, but things are falling that way now.  I wasn't able to get out for my run on Wednesday and the group run this evening wasn't too difficult.  The plan on Wednesday changed to run at night to practice for my upcoming night race.  Health problems caused me to skip it though.  It was actually good because my body could use the rest after 3 tough weeks.

It was cloudy and drizzling when the group run started tonight.  There were only four of us, including three of us who are actually group run leaders.  I was the fastest one, so I knew the pace wouldn't be too hard.  I was kind of glad because I really didn't feel like pushing myself.

This time, we started at the clubhouse and ran west to Fish Hatchery and then looped to the Robin Hood Bridge and back.  The pace was nice and comfortable early on.  The other group leader that I run with was running right near maximum effort, so it was a good workout for him.

It actually seemed harder for me than it should've been.  I'm not sure why.  I think some of it might've been the soft footing of the wet trail.  My feet seemed to sink into the stone. 

I'm finding that I really love the big hill by the Fish Hatchery.  It wasn't too long, but it sure is steep.  I wanted to get a good workout on it, so I did go pretty hard up and down it.  I then waited for my training partner.  He stayed pretty close.

He did have to slow thanks to a side stitch shortly before the clubhouse.  I waited for him and eventually he told me to go ahead when we reached the clubhouse.  I couldn't finish the loop much faster at that point though.  I was in a groove and actually felt like I was working fairly hard.  Of course I could've gone faster, but there wasn't much point by then.  I was still getting a good workout.  I finished up with five miles, just past the clubhouse.

I'm just going to stick with the planned workouts for the rest of the week.  I'll take this easy week and hope it sets me up well for the race next weekend.  There's no need to overdo it.  My training is developing nicely at this point anyway.

I have an easy 5 miler tomorrow.  It'll likely be close by since I have to cat sit again tomorrow (like I did today).  Saturday's long run drops back to 10 miles.  Hopefully that will be with the Breakfast Club Runners.

5 miles - 44:15 (8:51 pace)

Switching to a Tempo Run

I ended up getting my tempo run in this morning that I planned on yesterday.  I got up earlier and was off and running before 10 AM.  The temperature was much better than yesterday too.  It wasn't as good as last Monday, but it was definitely comfortable.

I headed off on the Wilson Bike Path.  I had to make a bathroom stop very early on as well as getting held back at two of the road crossings by Easton High School.  It is a good thing that was during the warmup mile.  I ran fairly fast in the warmup to get my body ready for the tough four miles at tempo pace in the middle of the run.  In hindsight, I probably should've went out slower.

I was pretty smooth and fast in the first tempo mile.  I had to work harder than I would've liked it.  I just missed my planned tempo pace too.  I knew hitting a 7:20 pace for four miles would be difficult.  I just wanted to keep a comfortably hard pace, even if I didn't hit the time that I hoped for.

I felt decent in the second tempo mile, but again it was tough to go as fast as I hoped.  As I approached a mile and a half of tempo running, I began feeling like I was going to fall and apart and wondered how I'd be able to carry on for over two more hard miles.  Luckily, the end of the second tempo mile was downhill and I actually ran a 7:14. 

Once I finished that mile, I knew I had to turn around immediately.  I planned on running a little further before turning around, but I had already passed over Freemansburg Avenue and it really starts to go downhill after that.  Of course, the third tempo mile was tough.  I was going slightly uphill now and getting fatigued at the same time.  I just started to focus more on form and simply trying to get to the next mile.  I at least went under a 7:30 mile.

As I started the final tempo mile, I almost called it a day for the hard running.  I was thinking three miles would be good enough at that pace.  I actually started to slow briefly.  Then I told myself to just see what you have.  It is only one more mile.  I had to work to stay solid.  I just kept telling myself not to get sloppy with form.  I was slowed a bit at a road crossing and that threw me off in addition to costing me a few seconds.  I still went hard though and I'm satisfied with how I finished.

The start of my cool down mile was very slow as I tried to catch my breath.  I then got back on track.  I didn't feel like waiting around at one of the stop lights by Easton High, so I backtracked to finish up.  I checked out their cross country course afterward since I was heading to a meet there later in the day.

I didn't hit the pace I had hoped for.  I knew it would be tough.  Cooler weather might've helped, but even so, I'm probably just not that fast yet.  I can run intervals pretty fast, but holding it for mile after mile is tough.  It was still a good workout.  I need to make sure to get in a couple more tempo runs before my race.  They are definitely useful.  I might have to readjust my goals some.  A 7:15 pace at the Run for the Diamonds is probably more realistic than trying to run under 7:00.  The hill is the big X factor of course.  I do speedwork on flat surfaces, but I also am very good at running hills.

Tomorrow is the usual weekly progression run.  I'd like to make it on a trail to save my legs.  I'm hoping to go to the Lehigh Gap Nature Center and run.  We shall see.  It would be a big plus if I get up in the morning.

6 miles - 47:32 (7:55 pace)

What a Difference a Week Makes

Last week, the weather was so cool and perfect for a speed session.  Today, it was a complete 180.  It was awful.  It was hot and very humid as I headed out around noon.  I obviously should've got there much earlier.

I headed over to the Palmer Bike Path a few miles behind Walmart.  I have biked there, but never ran this area.  The plan was to run a tempo run, rather than the regular weekly speed intervals.  Since I'm running hard on Thursdays, but not shooting for actual tempo pace, I decided to switch up the early weekday speed session.

I started off okay, although my legs didn't feel very good.  They were great last week.  I headed north on the path briefly and then turned around.  I felt like I had to go to the bathroom and as I passed it I should've stopped.  I tried going just a few minutes earlier with no success.  I pressed on.

After a fast mile warmup, I started trying hit my target pace.  It was tough in the heat.  The real problem though was that I really had to go to the bathroom.  I ended up stopping less than .4 miles from the start of the tempo portion.  I walked back to the parking lot and used the restroom.  I then decided rather than trying to run hard, I'd just make it an easy day.

Getting back into the run wasn't too bad early on.  I passed a rock section that was very cool when combined with the Bushkill Creek on the other side of the path.  Being comfortable was only temporary though.  I soon headed into the sun and it started to get to me.  I even ran without a shirt the whole time too. 

There were quite a few people out on the path.  As I caught up to some, I realized I was already at the end of the trail.  It was disappointing because I thought it went farther down the road.  It was only about a mile and a half back to the start. 

I just kept focusing on short segments.  The heat was really destroying me.  Although I knew I'd finish, I was wondering how as I hit the three and a half mile mark.  The humidity was just brutal.  I'd run in worse conditions, but that was a few months ago.  This was terrible.  I concentrated on my form for awhile, but even that eventually fell off.

I picked it up a little in the final quarter mile.  It was just enough to complete the workout in under a 9 minute pace.  It was supposed to be an easy run, but the weather sure didn't make it easy.  I definitely need to get up earlier for key workouts.  Of course I didn't sleep well again or I might've.

Since I did the easy run today, I think I'll try the tempo run tomorrow.  I need to get up in the morning for the six miler.  It'll be cooler tomorrow too I guess.  I think I'll probably head to the Wilson Bike Path this time.  Even if I don't hit my times, I need to run at a fairly hard pace.

5 miles - 44:44 (8:57 pace)