Pain is temporary... but it sucks

"You're a runner
But you're chasing yourself
Feel the hot breath on your shoulder
You're emotion
Running cold running warm
The young just getting older"
- "Hungry for Heaven' by Dio

Weight: 152*

Throwing up the asterisk on the weight this week... I got on the scale after a 10 mile run, before eating anything for the day. Even though it was between 20-25 degrees outside, I was layered enough to get a real good sweat going. I'm guessing 156 is a more accurate weight.

Friday is my 'normal' day to blog... but I had a busy Friday and didn't get to it. It was a teacher inservice day, so my wife had to work, but my daughter didn't have school. Additionally, I had a dentist appointment and we had to go grocery shopping.

Had I blogged on Thursday, it would have been an overwhelmingly positive "wow! Things are going really well" type blog. My morning runs were going well, everything was just seeming to 'click'.

Instead, I went to the dentist to have two fillings repaired (I tend to crack them by grinding my teeth in my sleep), and during the process, it was determined that I need a root canal. So instead of a routine fixing of a filling, I have a temporary filling until I can see a root canal specialist (10 days from now), and dull pain causing an unstoppable headache. My jaw feels like a whore on dollar night.

It's not enough to 'derail' my training... but it's enough to make me a bit grumpy. I still got my 'long run' of 10 miles in today, but I wasn't happy about it. I didn't feel like smiling or waving at other runners (even in 20 degree temps, there are plenty of other runners out and about in Buffalo). I honestly don't even feel like blogging right now... I feel like laying on the couch and closing my eyes.

I imagine it's a bit like a migraine. Not as severe, but longer lasting. If we were taking the SAT's, 5K race is to marathon as migraine is to dull toothache headache.

Here's the big picture: My half marathon is in a month... literally in 4 weeks. We leave for Nashville in 3 weeks. I really REALLY want to have this fixed before we leave. If you've ever had a good toothache and been on a plane, you understand. If you haven't, well, tooth pain is greatly increased with pressure changes, and flying is excruciating. While I have an appointment with the root canal guy, it's undetermined if the root canal will be that day, or if that will be a preliminary thing to set up the root canal. Hopefully, this can all get fixed AND I can fully recover (as in no mouth pain) before leaving.

In other news: My summer race schedule is taking shape. Since I have no marathon planned (which means not travel, hotel, entertainment for marathon weekend planned), I am able to sign up for multiple local events... more than usual, and more pricey than usual.

I mean, last year I ran the Marine Corp Marathon in Washington DC. I stayed with a friend, so I didn't have any hotel expense. But registration was $88 (fairly cheap given the size/prestige of the race), airfare was about $200 (also, fairly cheap), and even though we kept food and entertainment to a minimum for the 3 days I was there, I know I spent at least another $150.

So taking that off the table, there's some extra cash in the cookie jar for "Mark's athletic mid-life crisis". Since I licked the frosting of the multisport cake last year, I decided this year I will eat a whole piece. I have already registered for:
Tiger Duathlon
Quakerman Triathlon
Wet and Wild Triathlon
(if I complete all three of these races, I get a 'bonus' of an Xterra backpack... a $60 value. Basically, it's like getting one race free)

There is at least one more triathlon I will be signing up for, and I'll predict 10-12 5K races before the year is out. PLUS, I'm hoping to do a "swim for charity" with my niece this summer (I will hit you up for donations later on). Not too shabby for a guy who is still no where near the shape he used to be in (but I suppose I am in the best shape of my adult life right now)

Hard to really think about all that when I can't chew on the left side of my mouth though.

And lastly: with a last name like "Fryer", there has always been an abundance of 'chicken stuff' in my life. Decorations for the house, clothing, placemats, towels, etc. It's something most of my family members embrace, because you'll be consistantly annoyed if you do not. So I have a couple different baseball caps with roosters on them. One, in particular, is a 'trucker style' hat (the kind with the plastic mesh) that I have had for at least 3-4 years. And this week, on TV, Dennis Rodman was wearing the exact same hat on "Sober House". I am not exactly sure how I feel about this... but I do know I will not return the favor and start wearing douchey Affliction and Ed Hardy T-Shirts.

Pounding Away

"Sun come up, sun go down
Hear the feet see the sweat on the ground
Watch your step, keep your cool
Though you can't see what's in front of you"
- "The Runner", Manfred Mann's Earth Band

Weight: 156

Sometimes I have to decide what to blog about. I have multiple ideas running through my head and I have to filter what is 'blog-worthy' and what isn't. I know... this might be a shock to read, considering how I can ramble on about nothing. But really, those are the highly edited and shrunken versions of what I was thinking of typing.

This... is not one of those weeks. Not much happened, things are pretty status quo. I wasn't really 'inspired' this week, at least not by anything that stuck.

But I did have my physical last week - if you are reading this thinking about running or getting in shape or whatever, please, see your doctor first. Not only do you want to make sure you are physically 'ready' and 'capable' to tackle whatever challenges you have before you, but it's also a REALLY good way to see the positive effects of all your work later on.

That said, my last physical was over 2 years ago. It was one of the little factors that got me off my butt, off the couch, and on my feet. My cholesterol was right at the cusp of 'high'. It wasn't really 'bad', because my good cholestorol numbers were good... but still, I was in my early to mid 30's, and not ready to hear that anything was at the cusp.

So since my last physical, I have run 4 marathons. I have dipped my toe in the kiddie pool of triathons. I have become more careful about my diet and keep my binge eating to occasional nights instead of frequent weeks. I have lost over 15 pounds. It would be only natural to see my 'new numbers'... right?

Except I totally forgot to ask! I think i got caught up in other things... and it just slipped my mind.

For one, as previously written, I was curious about this whole Vitamin D deficiency thing. It kind of consumed me. I wanted to find out about that from the doctor, and everything else was secondary. Unfortunately, that was anti-climatic as the doctor basically said "it's winter in Buffalo... this is what happens". I've got 9 more weeks of Vitamin D 'overload', followed by daily supplements, and we'll look at it again next year.

I will say my runs for the last couple weeks have been better than average, or at least better than recent history. Maybe not faster than usual (I generally don't pay attention to time/pace when just training), but I've just felt better. Is the Vitamin D part of the reason? I really don't know. A lot has changed all at once. I'm getting a lot more sleep with my new work schedule. I'm running earlier in the day. The weather is getting nicer. My feet/legs are still acclimating to the Newton Running Shoes (for distancecs over 6 miles). I'll knock on wood... things are going good.

But I digress - another distraction at my physical was that I had to take my 5 year old daughter with me. This made the whole experience interesting and fun... for the staff at the doctor's office too I'm guessing.

To tell the whole story and all the little jokes and funny things that happened would make my fingers more sore than a whore on dollar night. So I am just going to bullet point it:

- while being weighed, my daughter announced "Wow Dad! You weigh a lot!" I replied "Not really, my shirt weighs 12 pounds". Not sure which of us the nurse laughed louder at.
- My daughter could play with a Sphygmomonemeter (Blood pressure cuff) for hours. And my blood pressure is officially not in the 300 range.
- 5 year old girls will ALWAYS have to go to the bathroom when they are in a new building, it's unavoidable.
- My doctor asked my daughter how old she was, and she sullenly replied "I'm still only 5... but (perking up) when I'm six I get to go to Disneyworld!" This made the doctor, the nurse, and two med students all laugh out loud
- I taught the nurse how to cure hiccups... suck it nursing school! (plug your ears and take 5 gulps of water. It works, I swear)

5 weeks until the Half Marathon. I haven't been swimming or biking much, but will step up those workouts right after.

Balance...

"Better learn balance. Balance is key. Balance good, karate good. Everything good. Balance bad, better pack up, go home. Understand? "
- Miyagi (Pat Morita), "The Karate Kid"

Weight :157

I've never snowboarded. I have skiied... used to be pretty good in fact. But moving to places with warm weather and/or a severe lack of hills, combined with numberous better things to spend my time and money on... and I'm sure I'd be more than just a little rusty.

But in order to successfully ski or snowboard, you have to marry two simple components. One of them is inevitable and unavoidable... gravity. No matter what you do, you can not escape it, can not change it. The other component is the one that takes work, practice, committment to perfect... balance. The gravity is constant. Never changing. The balance is constantly changing with turns, terrain, and terror.

Thus is life. Thus is my life and what I am trying to do. One thing is constant: Time. I can't stop it. I can't speed it up or slow it down. And I'm trying to find the balance of family, work, health, and athleticism (and probably some other stuff)... and that is constantly changing.

This week I started a new shift at work. Instead of working from 4 in the afternoon until 12:30 in the morning, I am now working a much more 'normal' shift of 9:30 am to 6 pm. This has flipped things like a whore on dollar night.

In terms of family - I get a lot more family time, and I love it! We're eating family dinners together, and are slowly making it 'ritual' to bowl a couple of games on the Wii together (my 5 year old daughter has gotten very good, and regularly beats my wife and me). The only down side is that I had forgotten what a good cook my wife is, and while she has been making healthy dinners, I have been eating 2-3 servings. This is a little counterproductive on the 'weight maintenance' goal.

In terms of health - I am getting at least 2 more hours of sleep a night, if not 3. I feel SO much more alert, especially in the morning. This has got to be better for me, right?

In terms of athleticism - with my old schedule, it was easy to work out. While the wife and kid were at school, I could work out at me leisure. Whatever time I want was good, and I could be out for 30 minutes or 3 hours. Didn't matter.

Now? I've been running early in the morning while my wife gets ready for work (before my daughter wakes up). This is good, but limited to about a 3-4 mile run unless I want to set another alarm to wake up before anyone else. Evening workouts are non-existant so far, because that is time I could be spending with my family... it adds a bit of guilt to the mix.

Granted, for now, it's not a big issue. I am not training for something so huge that I need long workouts in the middle of the week. But if I choose to do a marathon again... there will be sacrifices.

I mean, there's ALWAYS sacrifices. But sometimes it's the people you love who have to sacrifice too. I know of people who never find this balance between their wants and desires and their family's willingness to sacrifice. This can be horrible for family life, and even break it apart. It something that should be considered, and discussed, before taking on new bold challenges.

However, if your wants/desires/and goals are reasonable... and you discuss it openly and passionately... your family will support you. You just have to prepare for the change in balance. If you're careening down a snow-covered hill, you see what's ahead of you. You prepare for turns, dips, and bumps, and even keep aware of something changing at the very last second. You look ahead to the upcoming changes in balance. And with enough preperation and anticipation, you do not fall.

Milk - it does a body good

"And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know"
- Al Green (and countless others) "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone"

Weight: 154

Weight is a little low today/this week, because I stepped on the scale after running, and before eating today. but still, not too shabby. Maintaining it this early is a good sign for later.

Ain't no sunshine... in Buffalo for most of the winter. But I think compared to most, I do pretty good about getting outdoors and getting a little fresh air and sunlight. My runs are when the sun it at it's peak (more or less), and it takes quite a lot before I wear more than shorts on my legs.

So I was thrown for a loop last Saturday when i got a letter from my doctor's office. I had some blood drawn for an upcoming physical, and the results were sketchy enough they couldn't wait until I go to the office... they wanted me to get a prescription... NOW. For vitamin D

Yes, even though I am outside more than anyone else I know, and even though I drink a glass of milk (at least one) after every workout, and even though I am a cereal eater... I am vitamin D deficient. I have spent a lot of time searching the internet for information, and truthfully, I'm a bit fascinated by this... and by these numbers:

The 'normal' range for vitamin D in your blood is 40-70 ng/ml. 30 ng/ml would be considered 'minimal'... my number is 17.

Depending on the source or study, it is recommended that an individual consumes 400-1000 IU (international units) of vitamin D a day. An 8 ounce glass of milk has 125 IU of vitamin D.

The older you are, the more you need. Additionally, the less sunlight you get the more you need (sunlight helps with the whole vitamin D process). But even then, 2000 IU would be the high end of required intake and/or supplimentation. In fact, I was talking to a co-worker in his 60's. He takes 1500 IU a day.

My levels are so low, that with the letter the doctor sent, was a prescription for vitamin D... for 50,000 IU a week! that's more than a whore on dollar night! I am to take 50,000 units a week for 12 weeks, at which time I will drop to 1000 units a day (over the counter supplement) until my next blood test. This just seem like an insane amout of... well... anything to take. But there you have it. My levels are so low the doctor wants me to take over 7 times the 'regular' amount for 3 months.

What is TRULY insane, is that my prescription is for 1 pill a week. 50,000 units, one pill. So I go and pick up my prescription... and it contains 4 pills. What?!?!?!? I have to pay for this 3 seperate times? They won't give me all 12 week's worth now? It's not a barbituate, or opiate, or pain killer, or something with street value, or even anything I could OD on! but this is just the insurance companies screwing us. They want their extra $14 (the cost of 2 extra prescriptions).

*sigh* So it will be interesting to see how this translates into my running and working out. It will be interesting to see if maybe this is what made last year, overall, a bit of a disappointment performance-wise. I mean, major symptoms are bone pain, muscle weakness, and fatigue. That's pretty much how I've felt for a year now. And pretty much why most of my races last year went worse than planned, and my training went all haywire.

The important thing is to get it fixed. While vitamin D deficiency doesn't seem to CAUSE serious health risks, it is ASSOCIATED with a lot of bad stuff. Cardiovascular disease, Cancer, Diabetes, Cognitive Impairment.

And I'm a bit curious as to what may have caused it. Is it just a weird 'blip in the Matrix' from when I was violently ill? Could one week of horrible health knock it down that low? Do I have kidney issues? After last year's Country Music Marathon that would not suprise me. I think I got dehydrated to the point they started failing... maybe I did some damage. Who knows?

It will be an interesting physical next week. But I am getting all my runs in. They aren't all as long or fast as they should be, but hey, I have a vitamin deficiency, give me a break.