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May 28, 2006
The Recovery Begins
Memorial Day means I can say goodbye to training (and eating well) for a day and enjoy some brats and ribs during a backyard bar-b-que. It also means race schedules kick into high gear.
As you know, I’m training for the Aug. 27 marathon in Quebec City, but I’m part crazy. If you want to try a race, and I mean anything from a marathon to a 5K, here’s a link that will help you find one:
http://raceplace.com/
My first race was a 5K. I got hooked after that and progressed to a 10K, half marathon and then a full marathon. And also know that many of the 5K and 10K races are run/walks, so even if you don’t run, there is another alternative.
Now, as I left off last week, on to how I got over my panic attacks.
The first thing I learned was I was not alone in feeling overwhelmed. I found sharing my story to be therapeutic, and in my line of work, when you miss more than a month, plenty of people notice.
I was amazed how many others, including plenty of men, experienced something similar. Everyone has different stresses in their life, and at times many people told me they were overwhelmed and needed to take a few steps back to organize and prioritize. It gave me comfort knowing I wasn’t alone.
For me, professional help turned out to be a panacea. I was taught to analyze my situation, along with the variables that led to my panic, and not treat every problem like it was a catastrophe. It wasn’t long before I realized that I was a control freak, guilty of plotting out every aspect of my day way beyond need.
But it also wasn’t long before I learned I was equipped to handle, and handle well, all the things that stressed me. After learning some relaxation methods, and a breathing technique, I was on the road to recovery.
I was back at work, covering UCLA football, and not nearly as worried about extraneous stuff that filled my mind before. But one of the best moments came when I returned to running in late September. I set out to run a half mile, but couldn’t wipe the smile from my face and wound up going a full mile. When it took me a little time to cool down afterward, I did some of the relaxation exercises I was taught, and in no time I was relaxed and confident.
As I did my 12-mile run Sunday, I thought back to that September run, and what transpired in the coming weeks. A few weeks after that run, I ran past the spot where I cut my ill-faded 2-mile run short in exchange for a trip to ER. When I neared the spot I previously stopped running at, I slowed again, summoned up a nice loogey, and spat right on it.
Anyway, I woke up Sunday not much in the mood to run, but rather looking forward to The DaVinci Code matinee. But shortly after beginning my run I reflected, and remembered what a chore it was for me to throw out the trash last summer, and what a privilege it was to be healthy to train for another marathon.
It was shortly after that one mile return to running I decided where my next marathon would be. To me, it was a no-brainer. And when I tell you next week how I came up with Quebec City, I think you’ll agree.
I have 26 training miles this week. The schedule goes 3 miles (Tuesday), 5 miles (Wednesday), 3 miles (Thursday), 6 miles (Saturday) and 9 miles (Sunday).
Posted by Brian Dohn at 9:00 PM | Comments (3)
May 21, 2006
The Diagnosis
Four weeks of training in the books, and I feel tremendous. I am running strong, as a 9:22 mile to finish my 11-mile run Sunday attests. And I had some great motivation for the run.
I read an email my wife sent me. It linked to a story from a few years back about the Quebec City marathon, and I went from not feeling like running to finishing 11 miles in 1 hour, 54 minutes, 31 seconds.
Here’s the link:
http://www.runningtimes.com/rt/articles/?id=6328&c=420
Also, the 11 miles represented my longest run since falling ill last summer. What exactly turned out to be the problem?
I was having panic attacks, a diagnosis from a fifth trip to the ER in less than a month. I admit it was embarrassing, but I was thrilled it wasn’t something I perceived to be worse. It made plenty of sense. We were having our first child, and with training and the Alaska marathon done, much of our focus turned to getting ready for the baby.
We kept the pregnancy quiet for more than three months, but in late June started to tell friends and co-workers. We also went baby shopping (no, you don’t buy babies), and I was stunned at the sticker-price. Not quite the SoCal real estate market, but I was amazed at the amount of stuff to buy, and the cost. (At the time I didn’t quite get the concept of baby showers, and how gracious others would be in buying gifts for the baby. Thank you all, again.)
There was also another huge problem, and it was weighing on me. My dad died when I was three months old, at the age of 27, after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. The more I thought about this, the more I was blown away. We never discussed it as a family growing up, and it hit me just how young he was. And it continued to hit me often. I didn’t want to leave Kyan and Rebecca in the same situation.
Suddenly, it made sense. I use my runs to sort out my thoughts (as well as get in shape), and during the dreaded two-miler that sent me to the ER, my thoughts were on the health of the baby, my father’s passing at such a young age (10 years younger than I would be when Kyan was born) and my perceived cost of having a baby.
But how to get over the panic attacks? That was the next issue.
You guessed it. Check next week’s blog entry for that.
This was my best week of training. My cardio is improved, to the point where I ran three miles in 25 minutes, 36 seconds. It’s a three minute improvement from my first training day.
I was also thrilled to run six miles Wednesday at Balboa Park while pushing Kyan in the baby jogger. He loves to look around and check out the scenery. Of course, that’s when he’s not sleeping. As for the upcoming week, I run 3 miles (Tuesday), 6 miles (Wednesday), 3 miles (Thursday), 6 miles (Saturday) and 12 miles (Sunday).
Posted by Brian Dohn at 7:37 PM | Comments (2)
May 14, 2006
Trial and Error
For the first time since last summer, I feel like I’m in shape. I had a satisfying week of training in which I ran well, never got fatigued and my body bounced back quickly. The added bonus is I ran several times with the temperature above 80 degrees and didn’t feel like the heat was zapping me.
One thing I thought about often during my runs this week was last summer, and how far I’ve come from when a walk to throw garbage in the trash can was reason to celebrate.
Like I wrote last week, my trip the hospital was just the beginning. What happened next?
Well, after getting the all clear to leave the ER, I had a blood test the next day. I was diagnosed as having an underactive thyroid, and medication was prescribed. However, within a few hours of taking it, though, my heart was racing, my control of my limbs seemed out of sorts and I couldn’t relax. A walk that was supposed to be a half-mile was cut short after about 100 paces because I wasn’t feeling right.
I couldn’t believe less than four weeks earlier I ran a marathon, because now I couldn’t leave the house without incident. After taking medication for two days, I wound up back at my doctor’s office, and very confused. My vital signs checked out, but frustration built when my heart rate of 80 was being called normal. Yeah, maybe for a non-marathoner it is, but my resting rate was less than 50 beats per minute.
On the advice of my doctor, I stopped taking my medication after the second day. The toughest part was learning the medicine would take a week to get out of my body, and twice in the next four days I wound up in the emergency room with what I described as a rapid heart beat.
Subsequent blood tests revealed my thyroid was fine, so I was taking medication I didn’t need. And the medicine had me so amped up I was sleeping only four to five hours a night, I couldn’t eat, other than a handful of Cheerios now and then and some vanilla pudding. I lost nearly 10 pounds that week while lying in bed or on the couch throughout the day while Rebecca worked.
This was mid July, and it weighed on me that Rebecca and I were expecting our first child in December, and just what kind of condition was I in for this.
Once the thyroid medication was out of me, I was relieved. But there was a new concern. What was wrong? With my thyroid fine, it meant the original problem still was undiagnosed. Soon, I was back in the emergency room.
This time a breathing treatment was administered, and exercise-induced asthma was the diagnosis from the ER. So I used what was described to me as a preventative inhaler. But chest x-rays showed no signs of asthma. My primary doctor was skeptical, but told me to keep using the inhaler for a few days.
At the advice of my doctor I stopped using the inhaler after approximately a week, and wound up at the emergency room again. A few weeks had passed since my original trip to the ER, and the mind games in my head were racing like my heart used to.
But I finally got a diagnosis that made sense. I’ll tell you about that when I post my next entry May 22.
I am happy to report my foot problem seems to be under control, I am running with more consistency and confidence, and my new shoes are working well. It is wonderful to feel like I’m finally in shape again.
As for this week’s training schedule, the pace picks up a little bit. My runs are 3 miles (Tuesday), 6 miles (Wednesday), 3 miles (Thursday), 6 miles (Saturday) and 11 miles (Sunday).
Posted by Brian Dohn at 9:47 PM | Comments (3)
May 7, 2006
Cheerios + Bananas = 3 miles
I have to keep reminding myself that I’m not in the same type of shape as I was when I trained for Alaska last June. At least, not yet. I was coming off a January marathon in Walt Disney World, and was already in great shape when training began.
However, I am pretty much starting at ground zero this time, and I have to remember that.
What put me there?
Well, we’ll get to that in minute. First, though, at least once during my training for a race I have to be reminded I’m not as tough as I think. I always have a moment where I don’t eat properly before a run, and then kick myself during it.
Thankfully, this time it came during Saturday’s 5-mile run. I figured a bowl of Cheerios with a sliced banana was enough nourishment, but I was way wrong. I was starving by the end of the third mile. Thank goodness for Power Gel.
So it’s back to my usual peanut butter and honey sandwich before runs more than four miles, but there’s another part of training that is frustrating me.
I did my 9-mile Sunday run in 1 hour, 37 minutes, 6 seconds. It’s a training run, so the important thing is to finish it. It felt much hotter than the 70 degrees the thermometer said. This is where it’s important to have a helper. My wife, Rebecca, toted around our five-month-old son, Kyan, to meet me twice to replenish my water during the run. If you don’t have a helper, I suggest making sure you know where drinking fountains or convenience stores are located so you can refill during longer runs.
Although the best part of a long training run is finishing, there’s a part of me discouraged by my time. I use a 10-minute mile as a barometer for run longer than five miles. When I trained for my last marathon, I did my first 9-mile run nine minutes faster than Sunday’s run.
Why so much slower?
It goes back to July, three weeks after a personal best in Alaska, when I was couldn’t finish a 2-mile run. I had to walk the final half-mile because I wasn’t feeling right. When I got home, I couldn’t catch my breath. Nothing helped, and after 15 minutes of struggling to breathe, and becoming increasing nervous, Rebecca called 911. It was very scary having the paramedics check me out, and somewhat embarrassing being wheeled out on a stretcher because I couldn’t handle a short run when it was 82 degrees out.
The hospital stay lasted about five hours. From it, I was told I was in tremendous health. My resting pulse was 48 beats per minute, my blood pressure perfect, and my heart, I was told, was operating close to the level of an elite athlete. X-rays, blood tests and just about everything else came back perfect. So they sent me home with a clean bill of health.
Yet, that was only the beginning of my troubles.
Please check back for my next blog entry May 15. Meanwhile, my training this week will be 3 miles (Tuesday), 5 miles (Wednesday), 3 miles (Thursday), five miles (Saturday) and six miles (Sunday).
Posted by Brian Dohn at 9:15 PM | Comments (6)