Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Temper, temper

In a desperate attempt to "stick to the plan" I decided I should get a run today. We have had isolated thunderstorms popping up all over our area all day long. I had checked weather.com before leaving school and everything was either north of us or moving away from our area....so I knew things would be alright on the weather front. (pun intended...he he he)

I was so excited to finally wear some of my summer running clothes. For my birthday, my sister-in-law gave me a great running tank and I purchased another one from a clearance rack at Target just last week. I usually wear knee-length sweat-pant fabric shorts. This is because I hate, I'll say it again, HATE, my thighs. They have always been BFF's and have insisted on touching every chance they get. This is a huge problem while running. I won't describe the nasty details, you can fill in those blanks on your own. Anyway....despite that, I still picked some cute shorty-shorts because they matched my running tank. I thought I would solve this problem by applying liberal amounts of Vaseline to my wretched thighs...but that, as it turns out, didn't help either. But, I told myself as I looked in the mirror, I looked great!

To make a long and disgusting story short I completed the run in a run/walk/stomp and cry fashion. The stomp and cry came in when I couldn't balance the water bottle I decided to take with because it was pushing 90 degrees and I hadn't drank enough water today to make it through a run like that without bringing along a water bottle. I have never run with a water bottle before for this exact reason, and will probably never run with one again. I eventually chucked it into the bushes near a spot that I would have to run by again and hoped I'd remember to pick it up. The stomp and cry also came in when I had to side-step and jiggle to keep the center portion of my shorty-shorts from migrating northwards. The liberal amounts of Vaseline did nothing to aid in this process.

After what felt like a long and hard-fought 4 miles, I made it back to the house only to lose a battle to the Brown Monster in the final seconds. Blast!

On the plus side, I did make it back home just minutes before one of those rogue isolated thunderstorms found our neighborhood and unleashed a wrath that knocked out our power for 2 hours. Yay!


7 days of school left.....

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Thanks to ajh at Age Groups Rock for giving me the “Versatile Blogger Award!”


My directions are to list 7 things about myself and pass this award on to 7 new blog friends. Most of my blog friends are “old” so….if you’ve received this before, consider yourself blessed J If I’ve told these stories before, I’m sorry…..my brain is really fuzzy right now.


  1. I hate to clean. I have always thought of myself as a neat person. But now that I have a house and no one to clean up after me, or remind me to clean up after myself, I have become quite the slob. It doesn’t help that my husband doesn’t clean up after himself either…..
  2. I’m only 25 years old and I have more fun shopping for antiques than for clothes. Part of that is because I’m not the biggest fan of my body and know that I’ll probably outgrow something I buy now in a few months anyway. Antiques have a history and some story behind them. I like old stuff.
  3. I sunburn easily.
  4. I never liked drinking water until college. I drank water after sports and when I was thirsty, but I never just drank water. Now I drink it all the time and actually prefer it over anything else :)
  5. At recess, in 3rd grade, I married my 3rd grade crush. My friends and I all wore dresses to school that day and (without his knowledge) we staged a wedding on the playground. He was really confused and ran away when he figured out what was going on. The marriage didn’t last.
  6. If I could, I’d take my dog with me everywhere. He is very well behaved, for a puppy. I just hate leaving him home alone, and I think he’s the cutest thing ever, and everyone needs to meet him!
  7. I’m obsessed with popcorn. I could eat it everyday of my life….and I do.

Now for the nominees:


Life in Charleston

Finishing is Winning

Kristen Keeping Up

Lazy Bones Running

Long Legs on the Loose

Still Running

Lisa runs? Wait...what?

Randomthotschick

Colorado Runner

From 0 to Runner

Running Circles Around the Turtles


Let’s hear from you! List 7 random things about yourself on your blog and then give the award away to 15 bloggy friends (or as many bloggy friends as you have).


Here's to getting some good miles in this week!

Monday, May 17, 2010

Back into it

I'm finally done making excuses. Came home from work today, laced up the shoes, puffed on the inhaler, stretched, and went for a run. It wasn't too bad, but I can tell it has been a while. I really need to start taking this seriously if I'm going to shell out $100+ to run the Rock N' Roll Chicago Half.

Still haven't registered. I'm not sure I'll actually be able to make it through the race and don't want to feel like I've wasted my money. I'm also struggling with the completely insane concept of paying $100 to run 13.1 miles! That to me is the mark of a crazy person.....but so is jumping of a brigde, and I did that, so......I was in college, on a trip to the Bahamas......everyone else was doing it....

Anyway...

I am going to register. I am going to follow Hal Higdon's plan. I am going to do it.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Test results

I went to get my pulmonary function tests done today. My doctor ordered a spirometry test to see if I have some form of asthma. (For those of you who do not know what that is, please click here.) The nurse/technician/lady administered the test 3 times. First it was the "normal test." She smiled at the results and said I had fantastic lungs. The numbers she gave me were "113% of capacity, 125% of capacity...." which apparently were fantastic. She said, based on those numbers, continuing with the test would be silly because it appears that I don't need it.

But she did understand that this was an "exercise induced thing" and that my sypmtoms don't show up unless my system is "stressed." I told her that I didn't mind running up and down the hallway, and that's just what she made me do. About 5 minutes in, I wasn't feeling terrible but I also couldn't get a full sentence out without stopping every 3rd word or so. We came back and did the test again. Believe it or not, my numbers were actually better than before! Can you believe it? I was breathing hard, not quite gasping, but my lung capacity was apparently better? Weird.

She then gave me some medication and we did the test again. And....can you believe it.....the numbers were even better?!?!? What!? She didn't quite get it either. But we talked more about it and she said she would go over the results with a pulmonologist and send them to my regular doctor.
We then got on to a conversation about my thyroid. She was looking at my blood test results from last week (which came back normal by the way) and was checking out my numbers. The oxygen-carrying parts of my blood are on the low end of the scale. Which is strange. But she also noticed that my thyroid numbers were up. The top number in that range is 5 and my number is 4.75. From what she told me, that's not good. She said she was diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disease and her numbers weren't even as high as mine. She then referred me to a website that lists thyroid disease symptoms.

Now, I'm convinced I have some kind of thyroid disease. I told you I'm slightly hypochondriac-y! I will probably obsess over this one until I see my doctor again next month. It will probably turn out to be nothing....but my symptoms match thyroid symptoms better than they do anemia symptoms and you saw how well that went. Ugh.

This may turn out to be a diagnosis of "just get your lazy ass off the couch and quit complaining already." Or it may be that there is somehting wrong. Either way, it will cost money to figure it out.

So....until then. I will continue using that inhaler before I run (because that is also what this nurse/technician/lady said this might all turn out to be).


Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Cinco de Fieldtrip...and I can breathe!

Today I took my students on a much anticipated field trip to a living history museum Civil War expo. They had so much fun! It was such a great way to close out our Civil War unit. We talked about CW era baseball, what blacksmiths did, what soldiers wrote home about, the dancing, what soldiers carried in their knapsacks, how they fired their weapons, what children played with at school, CW ear medicine, and ladies fashion. They needed a volunteer and of course I couldn't resist...
They boys found it funny when I had to take the dress off. The hostess had just slipped it on over my regular clothes, but they boys still looked away when she went to take it off of me. Ha! The girls couldn't believe how many layers of underwear they would have had to wear.

Pretty sure I'm buying a dress like that to teach the unit next year :)

Yesterday I did my first run after taking my inhaler. I didn't feel any different after I used it. No tingling, funny taste, angels singing...nothing. So I wasn't sure. I waited the 10 minutes my doctor told me to wait by stretching and adjusting my shoes. As I set out I couldn't believe how I felt. From the first step I noticed a difference. When I ran before, I felt like I had to cough and my lungs were spastic. Now, I felt relaxed. I didn't have one single breathing issue. My airways were clear the whole time! I felt like I could run for days!!!! My legs didn't feel that way, but my lungs did.

I think I'm going to like this inhaler thing! My spirometry test is scheduled for next Tuesday, so I'll know more about things then. I still haven't heard any of the results of my blood test. Hopefully I'll get a call tomorrow.

I'll leave you with this photo...Happy Cinco de Mayo!




*Side Note.....Let's Go Blackhawks!!! Beat those Canucks!*

Monday, May 3, 2010

To the Dr. I went...

I finally reached a breaking point with my conditions yesterday. Yes...conditions...plural. These things just keep finding me!

We all know about my lung issues. You probably even remember my post about my scary run when I actually stopped breathing. My new condition prompted me to finally get that checked out.

The other condition showed itself yesterday. My sister kindly pointed out that I was having a problem talking to her on the phone. I had fallen asleep waiting for her to call me back (at 4:00 in the afternoon) and couldn't wake up enough to talk to her when she did call (around 5:00). She then kindly pointed out that I probably had an iron deficiency and should get tested for it. When I finally pulled myself out of bed, I googled the symptoms of iron deficiency and everything started to click. I have noticed that, for the past couple of months, I have been fighting the urge to fall asleep while I'm driving. I've needed to start singing and talking to myself just to keep myself awake. I've also taken more naps that I have in the past. These naps are really hard to wake up from. After I run, I ride that high for a while and then I completely crash.
All I want to do is sleep. This urge to sleep is starting to effect my ability to get my school-work done...not good when you're the teacher!

According to the Mayo Clinic Website:

Iron deficiency anemia symptoms may include:

  • Extreme fatigue
  • Pale skin
  • Weakness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Headache
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness
  • Cold hands and feet
  • Irritability
  • Inflammation or soreness of your tongue
  • Increased likelihood of infections
  • Brittle nails
  • Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
  • Unusual cravings for non-nutritive substances, such as ice, dirt or pure starch (I eat popcorn like no other! I also love potatoes and corn chips.....starch, starch, starch! I will also eat raw rice and pasta.)
  • Poor appetite (see above), especially in infants and children with iron deficiency anemia
  • Restless legs syndrome — an uncomfortable tingling or crawling feeling in your legs
The red stuff all applies to me......hmmmmmmm...

As I read further I discovered that some of the causes of this deficiency are related to taking acid-blockers like prilosec (which I take) and having celiac disease (which I have). Hmmmm.......

I called my Dr. this morning and was able to get in. She listened to my symptoms and recommended a blood test. I then brought up the breathing thing. Last year, at this time, I brought up this issue and she thought that it was because I hadn't built up enough endurance (which was true) and because my body hadn't adjusted to the meds (which was true). I then quit running last summer because I couldn't stand the feeling. Now I'm adjusted to the meds and have been building my endurance since November. I still feel like I'm being strangled when I run. "Not normal," she says. After our discussion she wrote an order for me to get some pulmonary tests...said I needed to get a spirometry test. I'm currently looking that up to see what it's all about.

My doctor prescribed me an inhaler to use until the test results come in. She also changed my BP meds. I am to work my way off my old meds and on to my new ones. I'm a little worried about the "caution, this may decrease the effectiveness of your birth control pills" label. Babies are not on my radar right now and I'd like to keep it that way. Next year maybe.....but not now. Those things are expensive ;)

I've been using the Mayo Clinic website for these things. Does anyone recommend a better source? I find May to be very reliable, but I want to make sure.

I'll post about my results when I get them. The whole deficiency thing was just speculation on my part (and on my sister's. She knows these things.) I also tend to feel that I'm a little bit of a hypochondriac....so this may just be a thing. I know I've gained quite a bit of weight over the past few years. Maybe my body just can't handle it. Maybe I really need to train more. Who knows. Who knows. Hopefully I find out something and this "thing"...whatever it is...gets better.

Planning to test the effectiveness of my inhaler tomorrow.


*Side note.....Go Blackhawks!*

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Cinco de Mayo 5K Race report

This was the strangest race I've ever been to. Being my second race and all, that's not saying much. But it was still strange.

Friday night we headed over to pick up our race packets and t-shirts. The address on our form said to head to 130 E. State st. When we typed it into the GPS the only options were for N. State and S. State. Weird. My husband remembered that his dentist is 140 E. State st, so we thought it must be close. As we drove down State st. we couldn't find the building we were looking for! We drove up and down that street 5 times! Finally my husband spotted a tiny 3'x2' lighted sign in a tiny window. In mismatched letters it said "5K sign up here." The "office" was about the size of our bedroom and was full of boxes of race packets. For such a small office, that race seemed to have a lot of participants.

After picking up the packet, we decided to find the park. Good thing! The park we thought it was totally wasn't! After driving up and down that road for 10 minutes we finally located the address. Wow.

On Saturday morning we headed over to the thing we thought was a park. As we pulled into the parking lot (30 minutes before race time, mind you) there was 1 other car there. Something wasn't right here. We grabbed the GPS, looked up the park, and sure enough, it was further down the road! Ugh! Only 1 tiny garage sale sign marked the entrance....on a dead-end road behind a cemetery.

Finally found it! There was such a great turn out! Oh wait....this is a trail race?! No one said anything about a trail race?!?! I'm not prepared for this!

As we were all standing around stretching, warming up, and talking someone (the race organizer) jumped up on the park pavilion table and shouted "OK! Get Ready!" She then held the starting pistol. The other organizer shouted for her to stop because he hadn't set up the time-clock! We then took that moment to pray....After the prayer the organizer attempted to fire the staring pistol, but it didn't work. This is where she then points it at her nose as tried to figure it out. Crazy! The time-clock guy set her straight and we started the race.

The trail part was hard. Sometimes we had to run across the grass. I feared for my ankles the whole time. But it wasn't bad. I enjoyed the scenery.

Because I had been sick over the past week, I wasn't sure how well I'd do. I concentrated on setting a decent pace for myself that didn't overwork my system. I felt like I didn't run as well as the last time. After mile 2 I needed to stop and walk. There was a couple in front of me the whole time and I wanted to pass them so bad! I couldn't catch up until the very end! As we were finishing the last tenth of a mile I found some energy left and kicked their butts!!!

Good thing I did. That extra burst of energy got me 2nd place in my age group! The girl in front of me took 3rd! Wow! I even beat my last time by 15 seconds! Ye Haw for a PR! Official time was 30:10. I received a maraca necklace for my efforts and a sombrero for finishing in the top 100!

For as weird as it was, it was a ton of fun!

Now I have to wait until June 12th for the next race :)