I will post in greater detail when I'm feeling better, but this past week was not my best. Honestly, I did not get a single thing done that was on my to do list. Not one thing. No exercise. No cleaning. No race planning. Nothing. Having the flu and the resulting lupus flare-up was just to exhausting and painful.
But I'm feeling better--not 100%, but well enough to fake it! I go to see the rheumatologist February 22 to get new medicine. I can't wait! I really want to feel human again. Also, I'm really tired of this butterfly rash. Today, it was really prominent. I tried to take photos of it, but with the lighting and the flash, they didn't turn out too well. But I'll post them when I'm feeling better.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sunday, Jan 24
On Sunday, I was feeling a bit more mobile and did not yet realize that I had the flu. And after feeling trapped for three days, I decided that I was going to get in my 7 mile run. I know this was not a smart idea, but I needed to move. I’m happiest when I’m out moving—walking, running, dancing—I don’t care, as long as I’m moving. I get so tired of being in too much pain to move!
My husband decided to join me on this run, and, at first, it the run went pretty well. Up until mile 4, we were averaging 9 min/miles. But a little after mile 4, the pain hit. My joints stiffened with incredible speed. I felt my knees stiffen, then buckle under me. I winced with pain and caught my balance before I face-planted on the path. I was really glad my husband had just passed me and missed my painful moment. But after that, I couldn’t run with any speed. We ended up completing only 6 miles in total—spending the last two miles walking and jogging. We completed our last two miles at a 16 min/mile pace—we were very, very slow. I felt really bad for my husband since he stayed and finished with me even though I slowed him down. I’m very lucky to have someone so supportive!
My husband decided to join me on this run, and, at first, it the run went pretty well. Up until mile 4, we were averaging 9 min/miles. But a little after mile 4, the pain hit. My joints stiffened with incredible speed. I felt my knees stiffen, then buckle under me. I winced with pain and caught my balance before I face-planted on the path. I was really glad my husband had just passed me and missed my painful moment. But after that, I couldn’t run with any speed. We ended up completing only 6 miles in total—spending the last two miles walking and jogging. We completed our last two miles at a 16 min/mile pace—we were very, very slow. I felt really bad for my husband since he stayed and finished with me even though I slowed him down. I’m very lucky to have someone so supportive!
Monday, Jan 18 – Saturday, Jan 23
Last week was horrible. I’m not complaining--just stating the truth. It was, in fact, horrible. I only got in one good run, and battled the flu for the rest of the week (and the beginning of the next week).
Monday: After the 5k, I had Monday scheduled as a rest day. Even though I did not run the 5k, but walked it, I decided to follow my schedule and rest. My body felt a bit off, and I thought I could use the rest.
Tuesday: I misread my schedule. Although I only had a 4 mile run, I thought I had a 5 mile run. Since my dear husband was busy with school work, I bundled up, put on my reflective gear, and hit the road. I felt sluggish and achy, but still managed to complete the 5 miles with a 10 min/mile pace. Not too bad. After the run, I lifted weights to make up for resting on Monday. I went to bed early—exhausted from my exercises.
Wednesday: We hired a new employee at work, so I got up early to head to be at the office by 8:30 a.m. I was supposed to train the new girl, but our internet was down. Then, our legal software, TimeMatters, shut down. We spent half the day getting the internet back up and running. After that, I spent 2-1/2 hours on the phone with tech support for TimeMatters. I was already feeling physically exhausted, but such an unproductive day left me feeling emotionally exhausted as well. I was so tired when I got home that I just climbed into bed and did not leave the warm covers if I didn’t have to. Needless to say, my 3.5 mile run did not happen.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: When I woke up Thursday, I could not move. I was immobilized by the pain in my joints. As humiliating as it was, I had to have my husband help me to the toilet. I just couldn’t get there on my own. My husband came home early from school to keep an eye on me, bringing me medicine and water. He turned the heated mattress pad on our bed up so the heat would help my aching joints, but nothing helped. I was a prisoner in my own body. I ended up missing work both Thursday and Friday. I stayed in bed all day Saturday as well.
But even though I was in considerable pain, I still felt lucky. My wonderful husband took such good care of me. He sat and watched tv shows on hulu.com with me. He lay next to me and held me as I cried. He brought me Papa John’s breadsticks in bed. What more could a girl ask for?!
Monday: After the 5k, I had Monday scheduled as a rest day. Even though I did not run the 5k, but walked it, I decided to follow my schedule and rest. My body felt a bit off, and I thought I could use the rest.
Tuesday: I misread my schedule. Although I only had a 4 mile run, I thought I had a 5 mile run. Since my dear husband was busy with school work, I bundled up, put on my reflective gear, and hit the road. I felt sluggish and achy, but still managed to complete the 5 miles with a 10 min/mile pace. Not too bad. After the run, I lifted weights to make up for resting on Monday. I went to bed early—exhausted from my exercises.
Wednesday: We hired a new employee at work, so I got up early to head to be at the office by 8:30 a.m. I was supposed to train the new girl, but our internet was down. Then, our legal software, TimeMatters, shut down. We spent half the day getting the internet back up and running. After that, I spent 2-1/2 hours on the phone with tech support for TimeMatters. I was already feeling physically exhausted, but such an unproductive day left me feeling emotionally exhausted as well. I was so tired when I got home that I just climbed into bed and did not leave the warm covers if I didn’t have to. Needless to say, my 3.5 mile run did not happen.
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: When I woke up Thursday, I could not move. I was immobilized by the pain in my joints. As humiliating as it was, I had to have my husband help me to the toilet. I just couldn’t get there on my own. My husband came home early from school to keep an eye on me, bringing me medicine and water. He turned the heated mattress pad on our bed up so the heat would help my aching joints, but nothing helped. I was a prisoner in my own body. I ended up missing work both Thursday and Friday. I stayed in bed all day Saturday as well.
But even though I was in considerable pain, I still felt lucky. My wonderful husband took such good care of me. He sat and watched tv shows on hulu.com with me. He lay next to me and held me as I cried. He brought me Papa John’s breadsticks in bed. What more could a girl ask for?!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, Jan 17: Cross training
Goal: Cross-train for 60 minutes
Actual: Low impact steps for 120 minutes
Since I have nothing interesting to say about my workout, I'm posting pics from the Frozen Buns Run!
You can stand under my umbrella:
Actual: Low impact steps for 120 minutes
Since I have nothing interesting to say about my workout, I'm posting pics from the Frozen Buns Run!
Steven pre-race:
Awesome refueling table!
One of many ice sculptures:
Walkin' with the Dead Bear sculpture:
You can stand under my umbrella:
Saturday, Jan 16: 5k race
Goal: 3.1 mile run
Actual: 3.1 mile walk
When you have lupus, the last thing you want to do is try to strengthen your immune system. Although it isn’t ideal, it’s much better to have a weakened immune system attacking your body’s cells and systems than to have a strong immune system attacking your body. Therefore, in cold and flu season, I don’t take Airborne and garlic tablets to keep my immune system strong. And, inevitably, when someone around me gets a cold, I get one too. Unfortunately, my counterpart at work caught a cold, and despite all of the precautions she took (she kept cleaning the phones, keyboards, and door knobs), I managed to catch a cold.
With a cold, I have even less energy than normal. So, I’ve been taking Dayquil and sublingual Vitamin B to feel better and more energetic. The Dayquil definitely helps with the headache, congestion, and coughing. But the downside to taking Dayquil is that I can’t run when I take it. Two of the ingredients in Dayquil can be dehydrating, and if you add running to that, that can be a problem. Especially for someone like me whose lupus might be attacking the kidneys.
Because I had a cold, and because I took Dayquil, I didn’t get to run in the Frozen Bun Run. But I consulted with my medical expert (my mother), and she said I could walk it if I took extra care to stay hydrated. This is exactly what I did. I drank A LOT of water before the race, had two cups during the race, and had two cups at the post-race refueling station.
Walking a race is not nearly as much fun as running it. Especially since I didn’t have my running partner next to me (I told him to go ahead and run it). But I kept a good, steady pace and finished in just over 39 minutes. I can’t really complain about walking a 13 min/mile! I was surprised that I finished before some of the runners!
The Frozen Bun Run was connected with the Annual Ice Festival on Delmar. After the run, my husband and I walked down Delmar to admire all of the ice sculptures. Some were so intricately designed—they were amazing. With the decent walking time, the ice sculptures, and the delicious food at the refueling tent, I had an awesome time despite not being able to run!
Actual: 3.1 mile walk
When you have lupus, the last thing you want to do is try to strengthen your immune system. Although it isn’t ideal, it’s much better to have a weakened immune system attacking your body’s cells and systems than to have a strong immune system attacking your body. Therefore, in cold and flu season, I don’t take Airborne and garlic tablets to keep my immune system strong. And, inevitably, when someone around me gets a cold, I get one too. Unfortunately, my counterpart at work caught a cold, and despite all of the precautions she took (she kept cleaning the phones, keyboards, and door knobs), I managed to catch a cold.
With a cold, I have even less energy than normal. So, I’ve been taking Dayquil and sublingual Vitamin B to feel better and more energetic. The Dayquil definitely helps with the headache, congestion, and coughing. But the downside to taking Dayquil is that I can’t run when I take it. Two of the ingredients in Dayquil can be dehydrating, and if you add running to that, that can be a problem. Especially for someone like me whose lupus might be attacking the kidneys.
Because I had a cold, and because I took Dayquil, I didn’t get to run in the Frozen Bun Run. But I consulted with my medical expert (my mother), and she said I could walk it if I took extra care to stay hydrated. This is exactly what I did. I drank A LOT of water before the race, had two cups during the race, and had two cups at the post-race refueling station.
Walking a race is not nearly as much fun as running it. Especially since I didn’t have my running partner next to me (I told him to go ahead and run it). But I kept a good, steady pace and finished in just over 39 minutes. I can’t really complain about walking a 13 min/mile! I was surprised that I finished before some of the runners!
The Frozen Bun Run was connected with the Annual Ice Festival on Delmar. After the run, my husband and I walked down Delmar to admire all of the ice sculptures. Some were so intricately designed—they were amazing. With the decent walking time, the ice sculptures, and the delicious food at the refueling tent, I had an awesome time despite not being able to run!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Thursday, Jan 14: 4 mile run
Goal: 4 mile run
Actual: 4.25 mile run
I really wanted my husband to run with me tonight, but his car appointment took too long. At 8:50 p.m., I went ahead and ran without him. Now that he’s back in town, I feel more comfortable running at night by myself. I called him as I was leaving to run, and left him a map of my planned run on gmap-pedometer.com. (I LOVE gmap-pedometer.com for mapping my runs!)
Because of the cold temperatures we’ve been having lately, my joints have been a bit inflamed. During my run, I was hurting. My fingers felt like they were expanding in my gloves. My knees felt like all the intricate pieces of the joint were scraping against each other. So, I turned on my iPod and tried to focus on the music. (Note: I kept the volume low so I could hear any noises in my surrounding area. Also, I ran in a safe area around campus and was unofficially escorted by a campus police car.) I’m sure I looked ridiculous since I was adjusting my gait to prevent more pain, and singing aloud with running playlist. But singing got through the pain! I completed my run with a slow 11 min/mile pace, but I completed it! Yay!
Actual: 4.25 mile run
I really wanted my husband to run with me tonight, but his car appointment took too long. At 8:50 p.m., I went ahead and ran without him. Now that he’s back in town, I feel more comfortable running at night by myself. I called him as I was leaving to run, and left him a map of my planned run on gmap-pedometer.com. (I LOVE gmap-pedometer.com for mapping my runs!)
Because of the cold temperatures we’ve been having lately, my joints have been a bit inflamed. During my run, I was hurting. My fingers felt like they were expanding in my gloves. My knees felt like all the intricate pieces of the joint were scraping against each other. So, I turned on my iPod and tried to focus on the music. (Note: I kept the volume low so I could hear any noises in my surrounding area. Also, I ran in a safe area around campus and was unofficially escorted by a campus police car.) I’m sure I looked ridiculous since I was adjusting my gait to prevent more pain, and singing aloud with running playlist. But singing got through the pain! I completed my run with a slow 11 min/mile pace, but I completed it! Yay!
Wednesday, Jan 13: 2 mile run
Goal: 2 mile run
Actual: 2.25 mile run
Sometimes I get a little scared running by myself when my husband is out of town. (He was in California for a few days.) I end up carrying mace on one hip, pepper spray on the other hip. I carry my cell phone in case something happens and I need to call 911. I also wear reflective gear and a flashing light. I probably go a little overboard with the safety, but I can get a little panicked when I run by myself at night.
Wednesday was one of those panicky nights. It took a lot of mental coaxing for me to convince myself that I was just going for a two mile run and would be just fine. But I finally stepped foot outside, and got into my rhythm—my very, very slow rhythm.
Since I was a little paranoid, I did not turn on my iPod. (You can’t hear attackers as well when you’re blasting tunes in your ears!) Instead, I ran with my thoughts. I reflected on how I was feeling (in pain) and how I wanted to feel (strong again). I came to the decision that I’m going to try to keep the most positive attitude that I can—even on days when the pain is almost unbearable. In a few years, I’m going to look back and see lupus as nothing more than a minor setback that I overcame.
Actual: 2.25 mile run
Sometimes I get a little scared running by myself when my husband is out of town. (He was in California for a few days.) I end up carrying mace on one hip, pepper spray on the other hip. I carry my cell phone in case something happens and I need to call 911. I also wear reflective gear and a flashing light. I probably go a little overboard with the safety, but I can get a little panicked when I run by myself at night.
Wednesday was one of those panicky nights. It took a lot of mental coaxing for me to convince myself that I was just going for a two mile run and would be just fine. But I finally stepped foot outside, and got into my rhythm—my very, very slow rhythm.
Since I was a little paranoid, I did not turn on my iPod. (You can’t hear attackers as well when you’re blasting tunes in your ears!) Instead, I ran with my thoughts. I reflected on how I was feeling (in pain) and how I wanted to feel (strong again). I came to the decision that I’m going to try to keep the most positive attitude that I can—even on days when the pain is almost unbearable. In a few years, I’m going to look back and see lupus as nothing more than a minor setback that I overcame.
Tuesday, Jan 12: 4 mile run
Goal: 4 mile run
Actual: 4.57 mile run
Because of my lupus, I try not to avoid direct sunlight as much as possible. (The UV waves in sunlight can cause lupus to flare, triggering inflammation and the development of the every-so-lovely facial rashes.) Lately, I’ve just been running at night, or slathering on the sunscreen and running when it’s freezing cold and overcast. But Tuesday was a bright, sunny day. And the only free time I had on Tuesday was at 10:00 a.m. So I layered on the sunscreens, donned a hat and protective sunglasses, and went running in bright sunlight for the first time in a long while. It was so beautiful. I really miss running in broad daylight. Everything just glistens under the radiant glow of the sun. Things just look and feel happier. I felt happier.
Actual: 4.57 mile run
Because of my lupus, I try not to avoid direct sunlight as much as possible. (The UV waves in sunlight can cause lupus to flare, triggering inflammation and the development of the every-so-lovely facial rashes.) Lately, I’ve just been running at night, or slathering on the sunscreen and running when it’s freezing cold and overcast. But Tuesday was a bright, sunny day. And the only free time I had on Tuesday was at 10:00 a.m. So I layered on the sunscreens, donned a hat and protective sunglasses, and went running in bright sunlight for the first time in a long while. It was so beautiful. I really miss running in broad daylight. Everything just glistens under the radiant glow of the sun. Things just look and feel happier. I felt happier.
Monday, Jan 11: Strength training and yoga
Goal = Strength training and yoga
Actual = strength training and stretching; no yoga
I completed the same basic strength training exercises that I’ve mentioned in previous entries. I was feeling very weak, so I lowered some of the weight. I only used 5 lb weights for a lot of the arm exercises. It can be frustrating, but sometimes I have to make adjustments to accommodate my joints.
Actual = strength training and stretching; no yoga
I completed the same basic strength training exercises that I’ve mentioned in previous entries. I was feeling very weak, so I lowered some of the weight. I only used 5 lb weights for a lot of the arm exercises. It can be frustrating, but sometimes I have to make adjustments to accommodate my joints.
Sunday, Jan 10: 6 mile run
Goal = 6 mile run
Actual = no run; 120 minutes of free step
I didn't run on Sunday. I was so worn out from our trip, and I didn't want to weaken my body further by running in the freezing cold temperatures. But I didn't want to just laze the day away. So I did two hours of free stepping on the wii fit. It wasn’t as good as a long run, but I was already tired and hurting, so I didn’t want to chance it by running.
Actual = no run; 120 minutes of free step
I didn't run on Sunday. I was so worn out from our trip, and I didn't want to weaken my body further by running in the freezing cold temperatures. But I didn't want to just laze the day away. So I did two hours of free stepping on the wii fit. It wasn’t as good as a long run, but I was already tired and hurting, so I didn’t want to chance it by running.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)