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Ran a 10k in June (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter GStrot
- Start date
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Nice race, Ned! Glad the weather was ideal.
Congrats dude. Bottom line is that you've become fast.2014 Icicle 10 Miler
With the crazy cold weather we've been having, you'd think a run called the Icicle would be a lock to be a cold one... But it was perfect. Partly cloudy, 40 degrees and a slight wind. I met up with my sister and comfortably numb and had thoughts of running with them and just having fun. I ultimately decided to just race the race and see what happens.
This course isn't Duck hilly, but it's a challenging one if you don't prepare for it (~800' of climbing). Mile 1 is downhill, 2 is some rolling hills, 3-4 is a solid/consistent climb that kicks my ###. Get to the turnaround point at 6 and get to reverse the course. So you can really fly at the end if you've paced right. Mile 9.25 has a pretty nasty, but relatively short hill. I always hit my max HR on that sadistic thing.
I planned to go out easy and get settled in. Just don't over-do it and have a miserable time since I'm not in shape. I also had our archery club's first ever indoor tournament to get to immediately after this so I didn't want to be so wasted that I couldn't compete.
First 2 miles I settled in nicely, although I didn't do what I said I was going to do. I remember looking down at the watch at around 0.3 and saw a 6:48 pace. You friggin' numbnut. I backed it way off at that point, which was hard on the downhills and all of the people flying by me. I settled into a good rhythm and noticed I felt much better than any of my previous training runs. Is this for real? Nah I'm gonna hit the wall sooner or later...
I quickly learned as I climbed the hills on miles 3 and 4 that I was having one of those days. People that flew by me on mile 1 were now going backwards. I must've picked off 20+ people on the hills. I told myself... "stop running scared - go get this". I picked it up at the top of the last hill and really started to work. First half was 38:48 (7:46 pace).
I pushed moderately hard from miles 5-8. I couldn't believe how strong I felt. Sure I was running downhill for 2 miles, but wow. WTF is this coming from?! I've run roughly 125mi since November. I shouldn't have this kind of endurance.... At mile 8.5 I settled in with a few runners and I just knew I was going to be able to take them on the hill at 9.25. I settled down and tried to get a quick breath before the hill came. Sure enough, I picked off 5 or 6 people on the hill. Got to the top and realized I still had something left and just opened it up for the last half mile. I was full bore wheezing. People I was passing looked at me with that WTF look. I loved it. Second half was 36:27 (7:17 pace).
Final time was 1:15:15 which is a course PR (-1:09 last year). Ridiculous. I placed 107/519 OA, 13/39 AG. There are some studs at this race... Top 3 in my AG ran 53, 55, and 62 mins. Yeesh.
splits: 7:25/169, 7:59/179, 8:04/185, 8:36/186, 8:02/184, 7:30/186, 7:28/186, 7:39/184, 7:33/184, 7:19/189 (hit 195hr on that hill)
Maybe this is a lesson in freshness? Usually when I get home from one of these races, getting out of the car is brutal. But yesterday I felt like I do when I finish a regular 8mi MLR or something. Even this morning I've got only a tiny bit of soreness, but feel like I could go for a 8 miler if I had to.Regardless, I'm pretty siked about this run. It's certainly woken me up...
tri-man 47
Footballguy
Nicely done, Ned! A bit of control early on, and then you Nedded the end of the race.
jb1020
Footballguy
Nice race Ned.
Nigel - WOW
I set out for a half this weekend with literally no expectations. My last half was a disaster. I mentioned a few pages ago, it was 33 (2:16)minutes slower than my pr just a little over a year earlier.
While I didn't have a true plan, there was about 8 weeks between races and I concentrated on slow steady running to build mileage back up. My only goal for this half was to finish strong and I did.
Finished in 2:02:19. Which was just about 4 minutes off my pr on this course. Very happy, just have to put some real work in now. I have a 20k trail run coming up March 1 I'm officially excited about.
MS Blues Half 2014
Splits Mile Pace GAP Elev (ft) HR
1 9:27 9:02 49 149
2 9:08 9:08 -5 161
3 8:57 8:56 -4 165
4 8:46 8:42 0 171
5 9:19 8:52 53 173
6 9:21 9:33 -42 168
7 9:17 9:04 19 170
8 9:09 9:19 -42 171
9 9:12 9:21 -34 171
10 9:30 9:10 35 176
11 9:35 9:24 -1 176
12 9:27 9:09 28 178
13 8:39 8:57 -50 183
0.3 8:07 8:19 -17 187
Nigel - WOW
I set out for a half this weekend with literally no expectations. My last half was a disaster. I mentioned a few pages ago, it was 33 (2:16)minutes slower than my pr just a little over a year earlier.
While I didn't have a true plan, there was about 8 weeks between races and I concentrated on slow steady running to build mileage back up. My only goal for this half was to finish strong and I did.
Finished in 2:02:19. Which was just about 4 minutes off my pr on this course. Very happy, just have to put some real work in now. I have a 20k trail run coming up March 1 I'm officially excited about.
MS Blues Half 2014
Splits Mile Pace GAP Elev (ft) HR
1 9:27 9:02 49 149
2 9:08 9:08 -5 161
3 8:57 8:56 -4 165
4 8:46 8:42 0 171
5 9:19 8:52 53 173
6 9:21 9:33 -42 168
7 9:17 9:04 19 170
8 9:09 9:19 -42 171
9 9:12 9:21 -34 171
10 9:30 9:10 35 176
11 9:35 9:24 -1 176
12 9:27 9:09 28 178
13 8:39 8:57 -50 183
0.3 8:07 8:19 -17 187
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Ned
Footballguy
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
Nice comeback, jb!
koby925
Footballguy
Way to race, Ned. All that base prior to November came through for you.
Nice comeback race and great finish, jb.
I ran 9 miles in 7:35 average pace yesterday, my longest run in awhile. Started in 8:05, gradually came down to run most of the run at high 7:20s low 7:30s and then close to 7 min pace the last 1.5-2. Highest HR readings were 140 twice going slightly uphill mid-run around 7:30 pace and again at the end when I was lingering around 7 flat pace. Other than those and the beginning readings in the mid to high 120s as I warmed up, I was pretty consistently 134-138. Finished with 39 miles for the week. Longest weekly total in months. Winter of Base
Nice comeback race and great finish, jb.
I ran 9 miles in 7:35 average pace yesterday, my longest run in awhile. Started in 8:05, gradually came down to run most of the run at high 7:20s low 7:30s and then close to 7 min pace the last 1.5-2. Highest HR readings were 140 twice going slightly uphill mid-run around 7:30 pace and again at the end when I was lingering around 7 flat pace. Other than those and the beginning readings in the mid to high 120s as I warmed up, I was pretty consistently 134-138. Finished with 39 miles for the week. Longest weekly total in months. Winter of Base
Sand
Footballguy
Juxtatarot
Footballguy
FUBAR
Footballguy
Great stuff Ned and JB!
Rode outside for the first time since October - I didn't even realize it had been that long until I looked at my watch.
Just 19 miles, riding here (my new temporary home) makes me wish I were home - better roads, less traffic.
I'll continue to run more, as the Petersburg National Battlefield is right outside my door and has good trails. It has roads too, so I'll need to figure out how to get on one (across the street is a dirt/rock trail). Plus two marathons in the next 4 months will neccessitate running.
Rode outside for the first time since October - I didn't even realize it had been that long until I looked at my watch.
Just 19 miles, riding here (my new temporary home) makes me wish I were home - better roads, less traffic.
I'll continue to run more, as the Petersburg National Battlefield is right outside my door and has good trails. It has roads too, so I'll need to figure out how to get on one (across the street is a dirt/rock trail). Plus two marathons in the next 4 months will neccessitate running.
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
Nice race! Love seeing people exceed their own expectations!2014 Icicle 10 Miler
With the crazy cold weather we've been having, you'd think a run called the Icicle would be a lock to be a cold one... But it was perfect. Partly cloudy, 40 degrees and a slight wind. I met up with my sister and comfortably numb and had thoughts of running with them and just having fun. I ultimately decided to just race the race and see what happens.
This course isn't Duck hilly, but it's a challenging one if you don't prepare for it (~800' of climbing). Mile 1 is downhill, 2 is some rolling hills, 3-4 is a solid/consistent climb that kicks my ###. Get to the turnaround point at 6 and get to reverse the course. So you can really fly at the end if you've paced right. Mile 9.25 has a pretty nasty, but relatively short hill. I always hit my max HR on that sadistic thing.
I planned to go out easy and get settled in. Just don't over-do it and have a miserable time since I'm not in shape. I also had our archery club's first ever indoor tournament to get to immediately after this so I didn't want to be so wasted that I couldn't compete.
First 2 miles I settled in nicely, although I didn't do what I said I was going to do. I remember looking down at the watch at around 0.3 and saw a 6:48 pace. You friggin' numbnut. I backed it way off at that point, which was hard on the downhills and all of the people flying by me. I settled into a good rhythm and noticed I felt much better than any of my previous training runs. Is this for real? Nah I'm gonna hit the wall sooner or later...
I quickly learned as I climbed the hills on miles 3 and 4 that I was having one of those days. People that flew by me on mile 1 were now going backwards. I must've picked off 20+ people on the hills. I told myself... "stop running scared - go get this". I picked it up at the top of the last hill and really started to work. First half was 38:48 (7:46 pace).
I pushed moderately hard from miles 5-8. I couldn't believe how strong I felt. Sure I was running downhill for 2 miles, but wow. WTF is this coming from?! I've run roughly 125mi since November. I shouldn't have this kind of endurance.... At mile 8.5 I settled in with a few runners and I just knew I was going to be able to take them on the hill at 9.25. I settled down and tried to get a quick breath before the hill came. Sure enough, I picked off 5 or 6 people on the hill. Got to the top and realized I still had something left and just opened it up for the last half mile. I was full bore wheezing. People I was passing looked at me with that WTF look. I loved it. Second half was 36:27 (7:17 pace).
Final time was 1:15:15 which is a course PR (-1:09 last year). Ridiculous. I placed 107/519 OA, 13/39 AG. There are some studs at this race... Top 3 in my AG ran 53, 55, and 62 mins. Yeesh.
splits: 7:25/169, 7:59/179, 8:04/185, 8:36/186, 8:02/184, 7:30/186, 7:28/186, 7:39/184, 7:33/184, 7:19/189 (hit 195hr on that hill)
Maybe this is a lesson in freshness? Usually when I get home from one of these races, getting out of the car is brutal. But yesterday I felt like I do when I finish a regular 8mi MLR or something. Even this morning I've got only a tiny bit of soreness, but feel like I could go for a 8 miler if I had to.
Didn't get a run in this weekend.
. I'm en route to Atlanta right now for my company's annual Sales Kickoff, which kicks off each of the next three days early morning and continues on through to planned company events each evening. Knowing I'd be gone for a week I traded my running time for time with my daughter and girlfriend over the weekend, and while I'm bummed I didn't get out on the trails it was worth it.I brought the gear with me and I hope I can sneak out for at least a couple quick ones on (gasp!) city streets this week - especially considering I signed up for a 25K trail run this Saturday called "Steep Ravine"! I'll be testing the heavy nightlife, minimal running with cross-country travel mixed in taper plan! My guess is after next Saturday I won't be recommending it.
This reminds me of the time I struck out in little league where I struck out twice, had an error, and got beaned and my parents said that I played well.
Sand
Footballguy
Bah - you've got lots of base to work from. You will likely light this thing up with super fresh legs.
I was proud of myself and got that 7 mile trail run in Sunday - 6-700 ft. of climbing (and that after a 50 mile ride - my longest in quite a while, so the legs were already feeling it). Lots of very short hills (think bike flow track) and some larger ridges, but nothing like the beasts you have. Just saw the profile of your run - two 1400' hills. ####### nuts.
Last edited by a moderator:
Nigel
Footballguy
Ned - Yeah I remember associating myself and my training progress with yours as well, we were kind of in the same place as far as our running "careers" went. Though I hadn't posted in here in three years I have checked in semi-regularly to read race reports and whatnot. What you've been able to do is ridiculous.This is the kind of story that makes me want to squeeze every ounce I have out of myself while I have the opportunity. Thanks for sharing.I posted in this thread a little bit a few years ago leading up to a half marathon, and then for a short time afterwards. Then I went off the grid.
The half was in October 2010 and I ran a 1:50 which was a great time for me, I was never much of a runner before and my goal when I started training was 2hrs. Then I set out to train for a fast (for me) Thanksgiving 5K with a sub 21 or 22min (I forget exactly) goal. Whatever it was Id done a practice run the weekend before and only missed by 10 or 15 sec so I knew I could crush it in a race. Then the race went horribly wrong.
I ran the first mile in 7 minutes but had to stop, couldnt breathe, felt like my heart was going to explode out of my chest. I walked/jogged in to finish around 28min, and I felt like death. I was wearing a heart rate monitor and when I downloaded the data it showed some insane numbers, I forget exactly but well over 200bpm at points. I should have gone right from the race to the hospital but instead I sat down for 15 min, got my body settled, had a couple of beers at the host bar and went home and enjoyed Thanksgiving Day as usual.
I did some looking online and speculated at the time (to myself, no mention to anyone else) that I had Atrial Fibrillation (AF), a condition where the top chambers of the heart flutter quickly and erratically, giving the lower chambers that pump blood out to the body an overload of electrical impulses, or signals to pump. The result is that the heart rate can soar even when resting, and even more so when active. But I went out for a couple of runs the following week and felt okay so I put off going to the doc. And then Id have a bad one, and another good one and so on. This went on for a while, kept putting off going to the doc, eventually just stopped running when there were no more good runs to be had. I still felt fine otherwise though with day to day activities, just decided running wasnt for me.
During this past summer I started feeling like crap at times even with doing regular stuff like yard work, running up a couple of flights of stairs, etc. I finally made an appointment for a physical. Part of my hang up before, and one of my excuses for not going, was that my longtime primary guy retired in 2009 and I never found a replacement doc. I had not been sick at all since and had stopped with the annual visits. But in August I finally got a recommendation for a guy at Mass General here in Boston and made an appointment for an October 15 physical, the first opening he had. In the meantime, between the time I made the appointment and the time I went my body was tanking. There were so many signs looking back that should have made me go right to the ER but I kept thinking Ive got the 10/15 date. Id find out whats up then. And I kept it all to myself. Did not miss work, coached my kids teams, socialized, went to parties.all was good as far as anyone else knew. The weekend leading up to my 10/15 appointment was Columbus Day weekend. That Friday night wife and I went out to dinner with four other couples. After a few bites of dinner I went to the bathroom and puked. I texted her to meet me at the car and I spent the next three days on the couch with feeling awful with a "bug". I knew it wasn't a bug.
I showed up for my appointment Tues and told my new doc Id been feeling lousy: no energy, easily breathless, no appetite, nausea when I did eat, waking up at night struggling to get a good breath, persistent congestion in my chest, etc. He skipped the normal stuff youd usually do and hooked me up to an EKG, looked at the results and called an ambulance to bring me to the MA General ER. At the ER the a-fib diagnosis was immediate. My resting heart rate was fluctuating between 130 and 190! The ER folks told me I had to be admitted so they could get my heart into a normal (sinus) rhythm, hopefully with medication but in the unlikely case that didnt work they would do a cardioversion where they reset the heart by shocking it back to rhythm think hospital tv show where they do the paddle thing where the body convulses off the table. The ER nurses thought Id be there a couple of days at worst.
The larger problem wasnt the a-fib though, it was heart failure. HEART ####### FAILURE!! I still hate to use the term, but thats what I have. They did an echo-cardiogram to measure my ejection fraction (EF, the % of blood expelled from heart with each beat). Normal range is 55-70%, mine was 15% (aka really ####### low), and my heart was enlarged. Theory is Ive been in a-fib for years and that beating at that fast a rate for such a long time did some serious damage. How I was living like this was a mystery to everyone. I had docs coming and going talking about quality of life, survival rates, transplants. WTF???
This post is getting way too long so Ill skip a bunch of detail but it took 12 days of mixing and matching meds to get me stable to the point where I could leave the hospital. Id lost 23 lbs, nearly all of it water weight. When your hearts not pumping it cant get rid of water. Oddly I was the same weight as Id been for years, mid 190s, but towards the end I was eating next to nothing. So any weight I would have lost for lack of food I was keeping on in water. When I finally left I had to wear a Zoll LifeVest, an external defibrillator worn under the clothes. It looks like a giant bra with a bunch of electrodes and wires attached to monitor my heart, and the whole thing is attached to a battery the size of an early 90s cell phone that I had to wear attached to a sling over my shoulder - like a large purse, 24 hours/day (could take off for showers). If I went into cardiac arrest it would shock me back to life, but not before vibrating and warning me, at which point if youre conscious and not really in cardiac arrest you can disarm it. You dont want to be shocked when conscious. I got a lot of warnings, and if youre not quick enough to disarm it starts giving loud, robot-voice warnings telling bystanders to STAND BACK!!. I got several of those at inopportune timesreally ####### embarrassing.
I had to drastically change my diet: reduce salt to a bare minimum (1500 mg/day) cut out caffeine and alcohol altogether, avoid any strenuous activity (I could walk slowly on treadmill, could not lift anything, shovel snow, do anything taxing whatsoever) take the 5 meds Id been prescribed religiously, and restrict liquid intake to 1.5 litres/day. I also had to weigh myself daily to make sure I wasnt putting any water weight back on, and take my BP a couple of times a day. I did all of this religiously through Thanksgiving and the holidays. The goal was to show improvement in EF at my echo-cardiogram scheduled for 10 weeks after discharge. I needed to get my EF to 35% to avoid getting an implanted cardio defibrillator (ICD). I read a ton and it was a real longshot to improve that much that quick.
Well I had the echo Wednesday, and got the results late yesterday afternoon. Im back to 47%!!! MA General is one of the top three places in the world you want to be treated if you have this problem, and this my Dr. is the head of the Heart Center. He did not use the term miraculous but he was floored. Over 3X improvement in that short a time is damn near unheard of. I still have heart failure, there is no cure for it once you have it. I will be on meds for the rest of my life and I will have to stick to a strict diet. It will likely be what gets me in the end but as long as I stick with the program Im not going to die in a couple of years which frankly is what it looked like.
I asked him what I could do physically and he said it was okay to increase the cardio gradually while always being mindful of heart rate and how I feel. Ill likely never run another half marathon or the full marathon I always wanted to run but never did, or try to set PRs in 5K. But after three months of being a miserable, depressed, self-loathing (so much guilt, why didnt I go to the doctor three years ago????) ##### I jogged a single 10 minute mile on the treadmill today at lunch today and it was the best ####### run of my life.
Looking forward to the next one.
I'm sitting here in shock. What a story.We came in here at the same time and basically "trained together" for our halves. I had wondered why you had disappeared. Glad to see you're on the upswing!
SC just recently went through an AF diagnosis. His symptoms sounded just like yours. Crazy.
Steve C - Are you the "SC" Ned referred to as having a-fib? If so what's your status, back in sinus rhythm? How'd they do it...cardioversion? I've had two attempts, one in the hospital that was aborted after the esophageal echo showed blood clots in the heart, and another a month later that worked but only lasted a few hours. Still in it now though heart rate is controlled with meds so not killing my heart like before. We'll consider more aggressive ways to treat it but I can live with it if I have to.
Thanks guys for all of the other well-wishes, this thread rules. I repeated the mile Sat and bumped it up to 1.5 today. So nice not to be feeling like such a broken down POS.
And I never got around to stating it explicitly but moral of the story PSA I intended to deliver is to go to the damn doctor on a regular basis, especially if you know something's not right. I have great insurance (and pay a ####load for it!!!) but like a dope didn't use it for years, so freakin stupid.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
I am just outside Milwaukee. A june race would be good. What distance are we thinking? I am toying with the HFM Marathon in Manitowoc on June 22.
Grrr no that's not me. I hope to not have that condition for at least a good few decades. My best wishes to you though and please keep us updated on your progress. Extremely inspiring.Nigel said:Ned - Yeah I remember associating myself and my training progress with yours as well, we were kind of in the same place as far as our running "careers" went. Though I hadn't posted in here in three years I have checked in semi-regularly to read race reports and whatnot. What you've been able to do is ridiculous.This is the kind of story that makes me want to squeeze every ounce I have out of myself while I have the opportunity. Thanks for sharing.I posted in this thread a little bit a few years ago leading up to a half marathon, and then for a short time afterwards. Then I went off the grid.
The half was in October 2010 and I ran a 1:50 which was a great time for me, I was never much of a runner before and my goal when I started training was 2hrs. Then I set out to train for a fast (for me) Thanksgiving 5K with a sub 21 or 22min (I forget exactly) goal. Whatever it was Id done a practice run the weekend before and only missed by 10 or 15 sec so I knew I could crush it in a race. Then the race went horribly wrong.
I ran the first mile in 7 minutes but had to stop, couldnt breathe, felt like my heart was going to explode out of my chest. I walked/jogged in to finish around 28min, and I felt like death. I was wearing a heart rate monitor and when I downloaded the data it showed some insane numbers, I forget exactly but well over 200bpm at points. I should have gone right from the race to the hospital but instead I sat down for 15 min, got my body settled, had a couple of beers at the host bar and went home and enjoyed Thanksgiving Day as usual.
I did some looking online and speculated at the time (to myself, no mention to anyone else) that I had Atrial Fibrillation (AF), a condition where the top chambers of the heart flutter quickly and erratically, giving the lower chambers that pump blood out to the body an overload of electrical impulses, or signals to pump. The result is that the heart rate can soar even when resting, and even more so when active. But I went out for a couple of runs the following week and felt okay so I put off going to the doc. And then Id have a bad one, and another good one and so on. This went on for a while, kept putting off going to the doc, eventually just stopped running when there were no more good runs to be had. I still felt fine otherwise though with day to day activities, just decided running wasnt for me.
During this past summer I started feeling like crap at times even with doing regular stuff like yard work, running up a couple of flights of stairs, etc. I finally made an appointment for a physical. Part of my hang up before, and one of my excuses for not going, was that my longtime primary guy retired in 2009 and I never found a replacement doc. I had not been sick at all since and had stopped with the annual visits. But in August I finally got a recommendation for a guy at Mass General here in Boston and made an appointment for an October 15 physical, the first opening he had. In the meantime, between the time I made the appointment and the time I went my body was tanking. There were so many signs looking back that should have made me go right to the ER but I kept thinking Ive got the 10/15 date. Id find out whats up then. And I kept it all to myself. Did not miss work, coached my kids teams, socialized, went to parties.all was good as far as anyone else knew. The weekend leading up to my 10/15 appointment was Columbus Day weekend. That Friday night wife and I went out to dinner with four other couples. After a few bites of dinner I went to the bathroom and puked. I texted her to meet me at the car and I spent the next three days on the couch with feeling awful with a "bug". I knew it wasn't a bug.
I showed up for my appointment Tues and told my new doc Id been feeling lousy: no energy, easily breathless, no appetite, nausea when I did eat, waking up at night struggling to get a good breath, persistent congestion in my chest, etc. He skipped the normal stuff youd usually do and hooked me up to an EKG, looked at the results and called an ambulance to bring me to the MA General ER. At the ER the a-fib diagnosis was immediate. My resting heart rate was fluctuating between 130 and 190! The ER folks told me I had to be admitted so they could get my heart into a normal (sinus) rhythm, hopefully with medication but in the unlikely case that didnt work they would do a cardioversion where they reset the heart by shocking it back to rhythm think hospital tv show where they do the paddle thing where the body convulses off the table. The ER nurses thought Id be there a couple of days at worst.
The larger problem wasnt the a-fib though, it was heart failure. HEART ####### FAILURE!! I still hate to use the term, but thats what I have. They did an echo-cardiogram to measure my ejection fraction (EF, the % of blood expelled from heart with each beat). Normal range is 55-70%, mine was 15% (aka really ####### low), and my heart was enlarged. Theory is Ive been in a-fib for years and that beating at that fast a rate for such a long time did some serious damage. How I was living like this was a mystery to everyone. I had docs coming and going talking about quality of life, survival rates, transplants. WTF???
This post is getting way too long so Ill skip a bunch of detail but it took 12 days of mixing and matching meds to get me stable to the point where I could leave the hospital. Id lost 23 lbs, nearly all of it water weight. When your hearts not pumping it cant get rid of water. Oddly I was the same weight as Id been for years, mid 190s, but towards the end I was eating next to nothing. So any weight I would have lost for lack of food I was keeping on in water. When I finally left I had to wear a Zoll LifeVest, an external defibrillator worn under the clothes. It looks like a giant bra with a bunch of electrodes and wires attached to monitor my heart, and the whole thing is attached to a battery the size of an early 90s cell phone that I had to wear attached to a sling over my shoulder - like a large purse, 24 hours/day (could take off for showers). If I went into cardiac arrest it would shock me back to life, but not before vibrating and warning me, at which point if youre conscious and not really in cardiac arrest you can disarm it. You dont want to be shocked when conscious. I got a lot of warnings, and if youre not quick enough to disarm it starts giving loud, robot-voice warnings telling bystanders to STAND BACK!!. I got several of those at inopportune timesreally ####### embarrassing.
I had to drastically change my diet: reduce salt to a bare minimum (1500 mg/day) cut out caffeine and alcohol altogether, avoid any strenuous activity (I could walk slowly on treadmill, could not lift anything, shovel snow, do anything taxing whatsoever) take the 5 meds Id been prescribed religiously, and restrict liquid intake to 1.5 litres/day. I also had to weigh myself daily to make sure I wasnt putting any water weight back on, and take my BP a couple of times a day. I did all of this religiously through Thanksgiving and the holidays. The goal was to show improvement in EF at my echo-cardiogram scheduled for 10 weeks after discharge. I needed to get my EF to 35% to avoid getting an implanted cardio defibrillator (ICD). I read a ton and it was a real longshot to improve that much that quick.
Well I had the echo Wednesday, and got the results late yesterday afternoon. Im back to 47%!!! MA General is one of the top three places in the world you want to be treated if you have this problem, and this my Dr. is the head of the Heart Center. He did not use the term miraculous but he was floored. Over 3X improvement in that short a time is damn near unheard of. I still have heart failure, there is no cure for it once you have it. I will be on meds for the rest of my life and I will have to stick to a strict diet. It will likely be what gets me in the end but as long as I stick with the program Im not going to die in a couple of years which frankly is what it looked like.
I asked him what I could do physically and he said it was okay to increase the cardio gradually while always being mindful of heart rate and how I feel. Ill likely never run another half marathon or the full marathon I always wanted to run but never did, or try to set PRs in 5K. But after three months of being a miserable, depressed, self-loathing (so much guilt, why didnt I go to the doctor three years ago????) ##### I jogged a single 10 minute mile on the treadmill today at lunch today and it was the best ####### run of my life.
Looking forward to the next one.
I'm sitting here in shock. What a story.
SC just recently went through an AF diagnosis. His symptoms sounded just like yours. Crazy.
Steve C - Are you the "SC" Ned referred to as having a-fib? If so what's your status, back in sinus rhythm? How'd they do it...cardioversion? I've had two attempts, one in the hospital that was aborted after the esophageal echo showed blood clots in the heart, and another a month later that worked but only lasted a few hours. Still in it now though heart rate is controlled with meds so not killing my heart like before. We'll consider more aggressive ways to treat it but I can live with it if I have to.
Thanks guys for all of the other well-wishes, this thread rules. I repeated the mile Sat and bumped it up to 1.5 today. So nice not to be feeling like such a broken down POS.
And I never got around to stating it explicitly but moral of the story PSA I intended to deliver is to go to the damn doctor on a regular basis, especially if you know something's not right. I have great insurance (and pay a ####load for it!!!) but like a dope didn't use it for years, so freakin stupid.
bentley
Footballguy
San Francisco is a great running town. I got here about 6 pm, checked into my hotel and went out for a 6.5 mile run down on the water. There were tons of people out. And the weather is perfect. I'm also averaging sub-8 minute miles now on my normal 5 - 7 miles runs so I'm starting to feel really good about breaking my 1:50 goal at the half marathon next month.
tri-man 47
Footballguy
There's both a 5K and 10K in Cedarburg on 6/1 and in Sheboygan on 6/8.parasaurolophus said:
-
jb - well done! Good to see the early start to the season!
tri-man 47
Footballguy
1:50 will be a worst case scenario with those runs
FUBAR
Footballguy
wonder if my wife would support me riding full time after I retire from this career in 2019.
Sand
Footballguy
I formally object to both on potential jealousy grounds.wonder if my wife would support me riding full time after I retire from this career in 2019.
Took yesterday off - nasty weather. Gained 3lbs. Bleh.
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
Best eye candy in The City is found running the path along Marina Green and out to Crissy Field. If you have the chance, keep going and run up to and across the GG Bridge.
Of course for really great runs you have to head north across the bridge to the trails of Mt. Tam.
SFBayDuck
Footballguy
It is a pretty tough course, I'll be getting some power hiking in for sure. You know a hill is steep when they have to put in a ladder.
FUBAR
Footballguy
I formally object to both on potential jealousy grounds.wonder if my wife would support me riding full time after I retire from this career in 2019.
Took yesterday off - nasty weather. Gained 3lbs. Bleh.
Seriously going to have some hard choices to make when I turn 42 and can retire. 
Sand
Footballguy
2Young2BBald
Footbaldguy
Another Welcome to the Asylum post/pic. "Normal" people would look at that and say no ####### way, we say that looks ####### awesome. I've climbed the aptly named Dirt Ladder during a trail relay, but never a REAL ladder.
bentley
Footballguy
Thanks for the tip. I'm already at SFO on the way back home. Yesterdays route was from Fishermans Wharf around the baseball stadium and back. Lots of hot girls there. It was also cool to see so many people out there in the evening.
beer 302
Footballguy
If any of you that are on FB and need a little more inspiration for the long run on Saturday, see below:
Meg Cross Menzies was tragically killed by a drunk driver while out for her morning run on January 13, 2014. As an avid runner, member of the Richmond Road Runners Club, and Boston marathoner, she was a member of the running family nationwide. In her honor, our hope is to raise awareness of drunk driving, texting and driving, and overall safety of runners and cyclists everywhere.
This Saturday, January 18, 2014, no matter what your distance, no matter where you live, run for Meg. Take in the fresh air, be aware of your surroundings, keep your headphones on low, feel the heaviness in your lungs, the soreness in your legs, and be grateful for it--for all of it. The sweat, the pain, the wind, the cold…everything. Be grateful for that moment.
Feel free to post pictures of yourself pre-run or post-run, post your distance, post your thoughts, prayers, condolences with the hashtag #megsmiles. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. Let all runners unite together and remember the loss of a beautiful spirit. It's not a coincidence the hashtag reads either "Meg's Miles" or "Meg Smiles." She will be smiling on all of us forevermore.
http://www.facebook.com/events/489458451159627/489828194455986/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity
Meg Cross Menzies was tragically killed by a drunk driver while out for her morning run on January 13, 2014. As an avid runner, member of the Richmond Road Runners Club, and Boston marathoner, she was a member of the running family nationwide. In her honor, our hope is to raise awareness of drunk driving, texting and driving, and overall safety of runners and cyclists everywhere.
This Saturday, January 18, 2014, no matter what your distance, no matter where you live, run for Meg. Take in the fresh air, be aware of your surroundings, keep your headphones on low, feel the heaviness in your lungs, the soreness in your legs, and be grateful for it--for all of it. The sweat, the pain, the wind, the cold…everything. Be grateful for that moment.
Feel free to post pictures of yourself pre-run or post-run, post your distance, post your thoughts, prayers, condolences with the hashtag #megsmiles. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook. Let all runners unite together and remember the loss of a beautiful spirit. It's not a coincidence the hashtag reads either "Meg's Miles" or "Meg Smiles." She will be smiling on all of us forevermore.
http://www.facebook.com/events/489458451159627/489828194455986/?notif_t=plan_mall_activity
FUBAR
Footballguy
10 miles on the trail today. No ladders, but 2700' of ascent/descent.
First time testing out my new kicks, the Adidas Vigor 4: http://www.adidas.com/us/product/mens-running-vigor-4-trail-shoes/CR034?cid=G99550
Good fit, a little heavier than my last few pairs of road shoes, but these are good shoes for the trail.
First time testing out my new kicks, the Adidas Vigor 4: http://www.adidas.com/us/product/mens-running-vigor-4-trail-shoes/CR034?cid=G99550
Good fit, a little heavier than my last few pairs of road shoes, but these are good shoes for the trail.
That's a crazy amount of climbing over a 10 mile loop. Even the most extreme trail in the western NC mountains wouldn't net that. If you weren't on ladders, you must have been doing steps. Where the heck were you running...hiking.
beer 302
Footballguy
LOL, those don't even come in 14's. Little baby man feet ;-)
FUBAR
Footballguy
Petersburg National Battlefield. https://www.google.com/maps/preview#!q=Petersburg+National+Battlefield%2C+Petersburg%2C+VA&data=!4m15!2m14!1m13!1s0x89b1a472cb7a6bc5%3A0xca607cfafc3b746e!3m8!1m3!1d20647!2d-77.333882!3d37.2377595!3m2!1i1366!2i624!4f13.1!4m2!3d37.23265!4d-77.359703
It was all rolling hills, not too many extremely steep but never flat for long. How would one check the accuracy? It's pretty consistent with the few times I've been on the trails.
I'm sure sure how you would check.
Basically your run was like going up a 10% grade for 5 miles and then down 10% for 5 miles. It takes us 20 miles to accumulate that climbing at Mt. Mitchell and 18 miles to Mt. Pisgah to climb double what you climbed in 5 miles. I would consider 10% steep, but you may not. If you don't then I could see that with a continously rolling course.
Regardless, you knocked out a beast of a run.
Sand
Footballguy
FUBAR
Footballguy
Thanks though it was more like going up 7 meters in 20, down 5...
On a different note, I am in the market for an inexpensive but adequate power meter for the bike. Any suggestions?
Sand
Footballguy
Three choices - Powertap, Stages, Power2Max. What crankset do you have? Do you mind having a dedicated wheel for power or do you want to switch out?
Yup, very nicely. Let me guess, you kept going up in size until you found one both you and your wife could fit into?
Sammy3469
Footballguy
Personal favorite right now is Stages if you are running Shimano cranks (they have a Rival ad Cannondale arm too now, but I'm not familiar with those). If you don't care about weight then a Powertap wheel is a choice.
From there you go up in price decently quickly. The Garmin Vector (pedal) and Quarq (crank) are next in price, but are 1600-2k.
If you can find a used SRM wired unit that's also an option.
FUBAR
Footballguy
Campagnello record ct.
Don't know but probably wont mind having a dedicated wheel.
No iPhone. Droid
FUBAR
Footballguy
Sammy3469
Footballguy
Cheapest option is finding a used srm wired one off eBay. That should be a few hundred if you are lucky, but you also have to install it, etc.
Stages/Powertap both run $700ish. I have a Powertap built for training (non-aero rims), but would go Stages now since I lose the power in races. Stages only real drawback is its really only a one legged reading, but as long as you aren't switching between devices it doesn't matter for 98% of the users.
I guess you can also search for a used Powertap which should be fairly cheap at this point.
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