Sliding toward my goals...

Yeah, the 8 mile run was good, so the higher HR was noteworthy, but not shock worthy.

Glad the smoke is abating, albeit slowly.

Whining body parts are good body parts because there's no sharp pain.

Thanks Doug.  The smoke kind of comes and goes so I have to pick and choose when I run.

Monday 5 miles @ 11:30 HR 150/163 Cad 159 SL .88
Nothing of note.  HR a bit higher than I'd like but pace was probably a bit to fast.

Tuesday Upper body and core.  Not feeling great but headed out anyway.  
5 miles @ 12:04 HR 151/165 Cad 157 SL .85 
This run was much worse than the numbers reflect and they aren't good.  151 HR for a 12:04 run.     

I don't think I've felt this bad during a run since Boston.  Wasn't real sure what to do.  I didn't want to overreact but I didn't feel well.  Spent most of the rest of the day relaxing and while I didn't improve I didn't feel worse...until the next morning.  After a very restless night I considered calling 9-1-1 (Marty had already left the house).  I ended up calling the clinic where my GP works and he was able to see me that morning.  The ECG didn't show anything abnormal when compared to my last ECG in July.  He ordered a chest xray, troponin test, CDC, CMP, and Lipid panel.  All came back fine today.  He decided to repeat the troponin test to see if there were any changes.  While I was waiting for the test results Dr. B's office called and said that based on the GP's notes he wanted me to go to the emergency room.   I was able to forward all the test results to Dr. B and he was then OK with what the GP had done already.

So while I'm not feeling great I am feeling better today.  Dr. B indicated that I could resume exercise but should contact him if I had any concerns.  I'm assuming that the stress levels that I've been dealing with combined with the smoke were the cause of my issues.  

I plan to run in the morning.  We'll see how it goes...

A high troponin level, while used as the indicator for a MI, doesn't mean you had one.  It can also mean you're stressed enough to cause a high troponin level.  Normal troponin is 0.000 - 0.040.
The same is true for a BNP level (B Natriuretic Peptide), which is indicative of congestive heart failure.  Normal BNP is 0-100.
File away the above info in your mind.

So, you're not structurally bad off, nor stressed enough to "TILT" the tests.  And by 'stress' I mean a catastrophic event like stroke, detox, both, etc. and survived or surviving.

Wellllll, I bet they're scratching their heads on you!

Now you have important information on yourself regarding cascading events and how it makes you feel.  To me, the next step is to figure out a corrective measure before the events travel too far (those symptoms that caused you to call the GP).  You tripped a circuit breaker that kept you from going too far into the cascade.  Now, figure out how to calm your body before tripping a circuit breaker.

Excellent intuition.  Some build up to Monday was ready to blow on Tuesday.  The tough part is to figure out what or why.  I would agree with your why in the next to last paragraph.  The smoke is abating, so see what else you can do.

hmmmm.

ounce wrote:A high troponin level, while used as the indicator for a MI, doesn't mean you had one.  It can also mean you're stressed enough to cause a high troponin level.  Normal troponin is 0.000 - 0.040.
The same is true for a BNP level (B Natriuretic Peptide), which is indicative of congestive heart failure.  Normal BNP is 0-100.
File away the above info in your mind.

So, you're not structurally bad off, nor stressed enough to "TILT" the tests.  And by 'stress' I mean a catastrophic event like stroke, detox, both, etc. and survived or surviving.

Wellllll, I bet they're scratching their heads on you!

Now you have important information on yourself regarding cascading events and how it makes you feel.  To me, the next step is to figure out a corrective measure before the events travel too far (those symptoms that caused you to call the GP).  You tripped a circuit breaker that kept you from going too far into the cascade.  Now, figure out how to calm your body before tripping a circuit breaker.

Excellent intuition.  Some build up to Monday was ready to blow on Tuesday.  The tough part is to figure out what or why.  I would agree with your why in the next to last paragraph.  The smoke is abating, so see what else you can do.

hmmmm.

My Troponin came back at 0.01 for the first test.  They haven't called with results of the 2nd test yet.

I can't believe how much better I felt yesterday afternoon and even more so this morning.  I think I/we learned a lot from this experience.  We're working on ways to keep my stress level down and/or deal with the stress that I/we can't control.  I'm convinced that this has been building for several days...maybe weeks.  Once it got to the point that I couldn't ignore it I panicked and then it just reached a crescendo.  The more concerned I got the worse it got.  On the positive side I don't think it was at all caused by exercise related stress...I actually think that the fact that I wasn't able to run for over a week added to the problem.  Exercise is a stress relief for me.

So...I felt much better by last night so Marty and I set the alarm to get up early enough to do a lower body lifting and core workout.  I wanted to see how I felt with exercise in the safety of my home with a partner.  It went well.

Janice and I had planned to run 10 this morning.  On Wednesday I explained that I may not be able to as I was waiting for some test results.  Last night I let her know that I was feeling better and had the go ahead to do a moderate run.  She was quick to offer to do a shorter run with me.  I let her know this morning that I was feeling much better.  I didn't want to commit to anything to long/fast but would like to see how it went.  We started out pretty easy.  I was feeling really good.  We kept the pace easy and just chatted away as the miles passed.  It wasn't fast but it was one of the most satisfying runs I've had in a long time.

9 miles @ 12:11 HR 149/162 Cad 159 SL .83

Janice plans to run a virtual half on Tuesday or Wednesday and I hope to be right there with her.  She is a good friend.

Thanks for listening Doug.  I appreciate your input and friendship as well.  

Huge big sigh of relief and a very relaxed schedule for the next few days...

A couple of ideas to throw out there to rule out or not.

Go through the pages of this blog starting August 1 and see how many times you wrote "I'm exhausted" or similar.  I saw 2 times on the first couple of posts on page 9. 
Also, look at how many times your HR was 150 or higher.

Clearly, your workout regimen and running, by themselves, are not a problem.  But adding park visits or unusual items like camping with the grandkids could merit adjusting something else or adding a relaxing day.  Also the smoke and re-locating your mom added to the stew.

I would imagine the Fall and its temperatures will help you out.

Maybe engage (and you probably have) Marty to be a traffic cop on tendencies of getting out of your routine and pull back on activities or maybe just taking a nap.  When you do something extra, you take a nap.

Also, write down what your RHR was since August.  Then, maybe if your RHR is greater than X, you nap that day sometime.  Maybe even eat something special, date night, movie watch, etc.

Stuff like that.  Have to go.  Have a good weekend.

ounce wrote:A couple of ideas to throw out there to rule out or not.

Go through the pages of this blog starting August 1 and see how many times you wrote "I'm exhausted" or similar.  I saw 2 times on the first couple of posts on page 9. 
Also, look at how many times your HR was 150 or higher.

Clearly, your workout regimen and running, by themselves, are not a problem.  But adding park visits or unusual items like camping with the grandkids could merit adjusting something else or adding a relaxing day.  Also the smoke and re-locating your mom added to the stew.

I would imagine the Fall and its temperatures will help you out.

Maybe engage (and you probably have) Marty to be a traffic cop on tendencies of getting out of your routine and pull back on activities or maybe just taking a nap.  When you do something extra, you take a nap.

Also, write down what your RHR was since August.  Then, maybe if your RHR is greater than X, you nap that day sometime.  Maybe even eat something special, date night, movie watch, etc.

Stuff like that.  Have to go.  Have a good weekend.

Good suggestions Doug.  

I'll spend more time analyzing in the next few days.  

I can say now that I was pleased after I started increasing my running days/miles but at a slower pace I saw my RHR drop slightly.  I think I mentioned that several weeks ago.  Well it did come back up in the last couple weeks.  The change is subtle but it's there.

I'll look more at the info I have on this blog and in my logbook but I am confident that the exhaustion and high HR runs are strongly correlated to lack of sleep.  As I get older I'm not able to miss sleep to help bale etc and then function as normal.  Unfortunately I don't nap well.  I tend to lay down and then all the things I need to do run through my mind and I don't sleep and just stress further...same with reading.  That's why exercise seems to be the best answer.

Marty is realizing that he unknowingly has been adding to my stress levels...we're working on that.  This was an eye opener for both of us.

In the meantime...I had planned a trip to the beach with Mom and Katie in June.  It got cancelled due to COVID and rescheduled for this weekend.  Then the activities we planned were cancelled due to the fires/smoke.  We decided to go anyway.  Mom and I both needed a break.  We are just enjoying some quiet time and relaxing.  I was able to organize a very short very touristy train ride for later this morning.

I went for an easy run yesterday before I headed over the mountain to pick up Mom and Katie.  
5 miles @ 11:47 HR 144/158 Cad 160 SL .85
As you can see the HR was still a bit high for a run at that pace...but much better than a few days ago.

I brought my running gear and would like to head out for a short run on the beach this morning if possible.  Katie insists I wait till it's light outside...hoping I have time before we organize breakfast for Mom.

Thanks for the input. It's much appreciated.

ounce wrote:A high troponin level, while used as the indicator for a MI, doesn't mean you had one.  It can also mean you're stressed enough to cause a high troponin level.  Normal troponin is 0.000 - 0.040.
The same is true for a BNP level (B Natriuretic Peptide), which is indicative of congestive heart failure.  Normal BNP is 0-100.
File away the above info in your mind.

.

One thing I need to make abundantly clear about troponin and BNP levels.
I gave the therapeutic levels, but didn't give the numbers for when the level shows a "very likely" perceived MI or perceived CHF.

Normal troponin is 0.000 - 0.040. Upon arriving at ER, the level was 2.170. This is not mine, but someone else's. 5 days later, it was 1.817. So it slowly decreases over time, but is abundantly obvious.

Normal BNP is 0-100. 3 days after arriving, the first BNP test result was 1,227. Again, abundantly obvious.

Yet, in both cases, there was no MI, nor CHF. But the stress to make those two test results spike was there.

Wanted to clarify that.

ounce wrote:

ounce wrote:A high troponin level, while used as the indicator for a MI, doesn't mean you had one.  It can also mean you're stressed enough to cause a high troponin level.  Normal troponin is 0.000 - 0.040.
The same is true for a BNP level (B Natriuretic Peptide), which is indicative of congestive heart failure.  Normal BNP is 0-100.
File away the above info in your mind.

.

One thing I need to make abundantly clear about troponin and BNP levels.
I gave the therapeutic levels, but didn't give the numbers for when the level shows a "very likely" perceived MI or perceived CHF.

Normal troponin is 0.000 - 0.040.  Upon arriving at ER, the level was 2.170.  This is not mine, but someone else's.  5 days later, it was 1.817.  So it slowly decreases over time, but is abundantly obvious.

Normal BNP is 0-100.  3 days after arriving, the first BNP test result was 1,227.  Again, abundantly obvious.

Yet, in both cases, there was no MI, nor CHF.  But the stress to make those two test results  spike was there.

Wanted to clarify that.

Definitely didn't have high troponin levels...in either test.  I looked closer at the test results and it actually say <0.01 for both the first and second test.  Pretty obvious it wasn't an MI so I'm going with a stress induced panic attack??  Dr. B seemed very comfortable once he got all the test results.

***

I headed out for a beach run on Sunday morning as soon as I could see.  
3.1 miles @ 11:42 HR 131/141 Cad 158 SL .87
Full disclosure...I didn't want to get my feet wet and needed to cross a stream so I turned my watch off while I scrambled over some rocks/logs both on my way out and on the way back.  It didn't take long but did probably give my HR a chance to recover a bit.  It was an awesome run.  The sun was just starting to peak over the hill when I finished.  Was the perfect distraction after a tough week.

This morning was hectic on the farm so rather than make it more hectic I postponed my run till after lunch.  That did mean it was warm by the time I ran...but not hot.
5 miles @ 11:45 HR 144/162 Cad 157 SL .87
HR is a bit high for that pace but given the temperature I'm not alarmed.

***
As suggested I took a look at my running log.  In particular I was looking for avg HR of 150 or greater.  I went back to the end of April when I put the gnome back in the drawer.

• During May I had 5 runs at HR >=150 but they could all be explained by pace.
  
• In June I only had 2 runs with HR >=150 also both explained by pace and/or intervals.  This was in spite of the fact that I ran intervals several times in June.
  
• July 4 higher HR runs but I was doing more intervals and doing them faster.  Also one was my virtual 5K that I ran at a 8:54 pace...not unexpected.
  
• I only went over 150 twice in August...both interval runs.
  
• September started out looking good but then on the 19th things started to deteriorate.
  

1. 19th 8 miles @11:53 HR 154
   
2. 21st 5 miles @ 11:30 HR 150
   
3. 22nd 5 miles @ 12:04 HR 151  This was the day I finally admitted something wasn't right and headed to the doctor.
   

Not sure I can look at the data as a warning that something was coming or as documentation that something had already taken place.  Either way it seems like the issue is showing up in the data.

I mentioned in an earlier post that my avg RHR had decreased ever so slightly and I was pretty pleased.  I had noticed that it had slowly risen a bit in the last couple weeks.  The changes are slight so they are hard to pick up on.  Highest RHR during the last year was in December (152).  It dropped as low as 47 in July and August and is back up to 48 this month.  Definitely a trend to watch but it isn't evident quickly.  Daily changes are a bit more abrupt but often caused by lack of sleep or something that resolves itself quickly so the change is short lived and correct's itself the next day.

As far as the comments about exhaustion and/or disappointing runs.  They seem to be associated more with lack of sleep than anything.  It's apparent that at my age I can't tolerate missing sleep to bale hay or ? especially several days in a row.  Moderate exercise actually seems to help me cope.  We may need to modify my job responsibilities a bit moving forward.

And now I'm going to shower and then relax with a cup of tea and the newspaper...

Good data. While you have clock data to evaluate your runs, what about thoughts or memories about the non-running workouts that were part of the doubles that you did? Were there certain workouts that were more strenuous on days when you did a long or even a short run?

Does your body tend to enjoy or handle harder doubles moreso than lighter doubles?

I would also experiment with walking because there may be times when you don't have your running stuff and walking is all you can do.

Well, I need to get to bed. I'll try to think of other things.

Oh, diet. Think about your eating habits vis a vis what happened Sept 19 to the 25th.

Maybe divide up reading the paper with tea to twice a day? Just something to 'stop the watch' for a bit.

I'm going to hypothesize that September 2 was the start of your affliction:
"Wednesday - Rafting on the Deshutes River with 4 of the grandkids.  Emma wasn't able to get off work so Marty and I took Izzy (14), Abby (12), Owen (, and Royce (6).  We did a nice section near Maupin with some class 3 and 4 rapids.  The kids did fantastic.  We opted for a slightly shorter section that allowed us time to swim and play.  We hiked up the White River a mile or so and played on a natural water slide and stopped a bit further down the river to float one of the rapids in our life jackets.  The guide helped the boys through individually.  Royce was game to go...Owen was a bit hesitant but had to go once he saw his brother do it.  We're thinking about trying to do an overnight trip next summer."

I could be way off, but it was hot and lots of exertion.  Your affliction took some time to percolate and it cascaded the 3rd week of September.  Did your doc ever do a Covid test on you, last week?  If not, I'd get one done post-haste, just to rule it out.  One of the grandkids had the sniffles, recently.  Down here, test results are 2 days and it's not the kind where the Q-tip goes all the way to the brain.  No doubt the doc listened close to your lungs with that in mind.

You may know that doctors don't find out what your affliction is.  They find out what it isn't.  You're a tough bird, so you may be asymptomatic, but your contact list may not.  Don't fret, just do it.  You'll be much happier knowing you're negative, since I brought it up.

Well, hopefully this finds you recovered.  I read the last few posts and I think Doug nailed it.  I check in often - so don't go making me worry about you.  I did enough of that in 2015.  Oh and Joe says, "Hi".  I ran with him yesterday morning.  At 74, he has slowed down a lot - but he is 74.  I sure do hope I'm still running at 74.

Take care of yourself.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Well, hopefully this finds you recovered.  I read the last few posts and I think Doug nailed it.  I check in often - so don't go making me worry about you.  I did enough of that in 2015.  Oh and Joe says, "Hi".  I ran with him yesterday morning.  At 74, he has slowed down a lot - but he is 74.  I sure do hope I'm still running at 74.

Take care of yourself.

I'm feeling amazingly well Michele.  Pleased to hear that Joe is well.  I think of him often.

Per Doug's suggestion I spent a lot of time going back through my running log...electronic as well as hand written.  I've concluded that this was a very acute event brought on by stress and then I panicked and added to the problem.  My RHR was still nice and low (46) until around the 19th.  And I recorded some very nice runs in early September before the smoke settled in.  There was a lot going on here in addition to the smoke and evacuating Mom from the fire.  It's harvest time, we're establishing next years crops, we're short irrigation water forcing us to make difficult choices...the reservoir actually ran dry on Sept 17th...and the seed company that we contract with is going through some management changes and not honoring the word of the outgoing manager.  We all faced these challenges in different ways but I'm pleased to say that when we all realized the effect the stress and our reactions to it were having on my health we all made some very positive changes.

I'm pretty confident it isn't COVID.  Ayda's test came back negative.  We don't have access to the tests with quick results here.  I think that's why my GP ordered the chest x-ray.  It was a quick simple way to make sure nothing was going on in my lungs.

Not only did my symptoms come on quickly but they also disappeared very quickly once I got test results back and we as a family realigned our priorities.  

***
So back to training...

Tuesday Marty and I were up early to try a sample workout from one of the new programs that Beachbody is releasing soon.  Not sure it's one we'll participate in.  I followed that with a nice run on a very cool crisp morning.
5 miles @ 10:45 HR 150/164 Cad 162 SL .93
Nothing really stands out.  HR was a bit high but so was the pace so not unexpected.  Pleased with the cadence.  I actually did not intend to run this fast but I was cold.

Wednesday was a really fun day.  Janice needed to run her virtual half and I had planned to accompany her.  She left from home and I parked at the downtown area park and we both headed out at 7:00.  I ran up the hill and met her at the baseball fields.  We got in 7 miles in that area before heading down the hill to finish the run on country roads and the Willow Creek trail.  A bit of history.  We ran a half on her 74th birthday on August 20th @ 12:23.  She was pretty disappointed as she was hoping to run <12:00.  On Sept 5th we ran 11 miles @ 11:29.  She was very encouraged and thought that a sub 2:30 half might be possible.   Then the smoke settled in and she missed a lot of training and lost confidence.  I mentioned her 12:00 pace goal when we met up yesterday and she indicated she didn't think that she could do that.  She was at a 12:30ish pace when I joined her.  We slowly brought that down but I didn't want to push her to hard early on.  By the time we headed down the hill at mile 7 she had brought the pace down to 12:10 even though she stopped at the restroom twice.  I cautiously picked up the pace and the seconds continued to drop.  By the time we got to mile 10 she realized that we might be able to finish in <12:00.  The last mile was 11:10 and her overall pace was 11:57.  She was quite pleased with that!!!

My run ended up being 13.1 @ 11:55 HR 145/163 Cad 160 SL .85
I really enjoyed running with her.  We've been doing a long run together once a week.  It's been good for me to have the company and an excuse to run slow this summer.  It will be interesting to see what she wants to do moving forward.  We still haven't gone back to the pool.

***

So I'm not quite sure what my plans are for the rest of the week.  I did sign up for the trail run that is happening on Saturday.  When I signed up Janice was planning on running her half on the 23rd and I was getting out on the trails once a week.  Then things changed!!  I'm still undecided but I feel pretty good today even after my half yesterday.  Marty and I chose an upper body workout this morning.  I'm getting ready to head out for a very easy 3 miles.  The fire on the Warm Springs reservation has flared up a bit so there is a bit of smoke in the nearby foothills.  I'm still planning on running Saturday with no time goals in mind.  It will be well supported and so it will be a safe way for me to get out and away from the farm for a couple hours.  I may stay home if I'm not feeling up to it and/or if the smoke comes in.  

Ultreya...

That's a great pace job on Janice's half.  I imagine she's quite tickled to death with the her sub-12 and your diabolical scheme worked like a champ.  Ever thought of coaching?  After all, you HAVE completed Boston.    I mean, you have so much time on your hands.

I'm glad things have reset.  Can I bring you some tea for your newspaper?

ounce wrote:That's a great pace job on Janice's half.  I imagine she's quite tickled to death with the her sub-12 and your diabolical scheme worked like a champ.  Ever thought of coaching?  After all, you HAVE completed Boston.    I mean, you have so much time on your hands.

I'm glad things have reset.  Can I bring you some tea for your newspaper?

As I mentioned I've really enjoyed running with Janice this summer.  Not sure how much I'm actually helping her other than moral support. But the social time...and the excuse to slow down...have both been very good for me.

Yes on the reset.     RHR is right back in the 46-47 range where it belongs.  I'll admit that my HR during running is still a couple beats higher than I'd like to see but nothing at all concerning and so I'm not going to worry about it.

So...I mentioned yesterday that we got up and did our upper body lifting.  Later that morning Marty brought me roses....from the garden.  I should have known something was up.     They were short handed and needed me to drive combine this week for carrot seed harvest.  It's just an afternoon/evening job so I had time to get in 3 easy miles...I did it on the trails around the farm.  I proceeded to plug the combine during the first hour on the job.  Totally operator error in tough conditions.  Didn't work...they didn't fire me.

Got my house related chores and 3 easy miles done this morning.  We ate lunch early and I packed sandwiches for our supper in the combine.  I plugged the combine once again this afternoon but still didn't get fired.     Guess I'm going to have to try harder.  Yields don't look out of this world but we should be able to pay the bills.  If things continue at the pace they are we'll finish up on Tuesday.  It cools down Thursday and there is rain in the forecast on Friday so we have a bit of wiggle room.  

I'm off to run the trails in the morning unless the smoke rolls in.  It's been a bit smoky in the distance but not at unhealthy levels.  I'll let you know how it goes...

OK.  Here's my race organized run report.  Remember I vowed not to race this.  

I drove to Sisters (an hour away) got my temperature checked and signed the COVID waiver and checked in.  I had plenty of time to kill before boarding the bus to the start.  Used the restroom and fueled.  It was weird as we were all masked so no one was chatting like usual before a race.  They split us into two waves for the shuttle ride and the race start to allow for more social distancing.  9:15 start.  It was getting warm.  It was a mass start...there were 68 registered runners in my wave.  We started on a gravel Forest Service road for the first .6 miles which gave us plenty of time/space to find our pace and spread out a bit.  It worked well. 

I quickly lost sight of a group of 5 ladies in front of me and the couple behind me was a ways back.  As they drew closer I offered to let them pass but they declined and they dropped back at the first hill.  I was on my own for quite a long time...and a bit uncomfortable.  I finally caught one of the ladies at mile 4.  By mile 7 I had passed 6 runners.  They had an aid station just past mile 7 but it was awkward and I thought I had enough Infinit in my handheld so I ran right through.  At this point some of the lead runners from the 2nd wave started to pass me.  They came up hard and fast and I tried to quickly step off the trail for them.  I had a nice 11:30ish pace and I was pretty pleased.  The trail was more technical than the description but I was handling it well I thought.  And then...I had stumbled a few times early on but caught myself quickly.  During mile 8/9 I was really starting to struggle.  My legs were just not responding well at all.  I slowed a bit and downed a gel.  I stumbled hard but caught myself.  I tried to be a bit more careful but I fell hard in mile 9.  It really took me out of the race mentally and even though I wasn't seriously hurt I struggled to get back into the race.  I walked through the more technical parts of the trail a couple times and just could not find my drive to continue.  One of the ladies I passed earlier passed me.  As the trail became a bit less technical I caught a glimpse of a couple more runners from my wave.  Remember the 2nd wave runners...and some mountain bikes...were still passing me.  I finally pulled it together enough to pass 3 more runners before the finish.

12.86 miles @ 11:47 2:31:33 HR 162/178 Cad 159 SL .86

1. 11:34 HR 143/155 Cad 160 SL .87
   
2. 11:33 HR 157/170 Cad 160 SL .87
   
3. 11:26 HR 155/166 Cad 159 SL .89
   
4. 11:03 HR 160/166 Cad 161 SL .90
   
5. 11:39 HR 163/169 Cad 160 SL .87
   
6. 11:49 HR 166/171 Cad 162 SL .84
   
7. 11:53 HR 165/173 Cad 162 SL .84
   
8. 11:32 HR 164/169 Cad 161 SL .87
   
9. 12:14 HR 166/174 Cad 160 SL .84
   
10. 12:47 HR 166/172 Cad 155 SL .82
    
11. 12:42 HR 166/171 Cad 156 SL .82
    
12. 12:11 HR 167/173 Cad 156 SL .85
    
13. @11:13 HR 174/178 Cad 163 SL .88
    

I totally underestimated this race organized run.  It got the better of me.  I'm glad I did it...not sure I want to do another trail run any time soon though.

They cleaned up my scrapes in the medical tent at the finish.  They didn't look nearly as bad once the blood and dirt was gone.  But I'm sore.

Janice sent me a congratulatory text and asked if I wanted to run with her next week.

I'm going to bed.

So after a restless night I've had a bit of time to assess my wounds and the run.

I've got the expected leg soreness but really not that bad all things considered.  I do have some minor injuries from my fall.  I took the skin off three knuckles on my left hand.  I also landed on the fatty part of my palm and my knee on the left side.  But there is no lingering injury on the left side other than those skinned knuckles.  The right side took the brunt of the fall.  My knee was pretty skinned up.  It didn't look to bad once they cleaned up the blood and dirt in the medical tent.  But it's pretty sore to the touch...as is my shoulder and thumb.  I obviously jammed the thumb and it hurts to use it.  The knee and shoulder are bruised and very sore to the touch but don't hurt with movement.  All superficial injuries that will heal with time.

As for the race.

• I obviously misjudged the difficulty of trail running vs road running.  I went out to fast.  It felt good at the time but it caught up with me.
  
• I'm pretty sure that running a half with Janice on Wednesday was not an appropriate taper even though I ran it at a comfortable pace.
  
• My handheld full of Infinit was adequate fuel for running with Janice but probably not adequate for running at the effort I ran yesterday.
  
• I'd love to know if my struggles after mile 8 were due to lack of fueling, running to much this week, or going out to fast.  My guess is as good as yours and it's probably a combination of all of the above.
  
• My Garmin indicated a total distance of 12.86.  I'd love to know if the course was actually short or if the Garmin just missed some of the switchbacks.  Not that it really matters.
  
• I'm pretty pleased that I maintained my cadence as well as I did.  The lower cadence splits are the result of walking a bit after my fall.
  
• I'm not disappointed that I really got my heart pumping.  It's encouraging to know that I can.  But it is curious that it didn't come down during those slower miles after my fall.  Obviously related to my mind more than my pace.  It did fall quickly after I finished.
  
• I obviously was not able to run at a fun pace.  As hard as I tried I just could not leave my competitive spirit home.  And that's OK.
  

It was an experience that I'm glad I took advantage of.  We'll see how I feel about trail running once my body heals up.  I do/did miss the normal social aspect of on organized race.  Partly because I don't/didn't have anyone to run with me, partly because trail running isn't really conducive to chatting, and partly because of COVID restrictions.

Kevin was kind enough to stay in the combine yesterday so I could rest and recover.  I'll try to give him some time with his family today.  It won't be a long day as we'll finish up the field and then have to stop to clean the combines before moving into the next variety tomorrow.

Ultreya...

They finally got the race run results posted.  They were busy putting on the 50K event yesterday.

My official time was 2:32:00
Overall 77/115
Female 35/67

At 62, I was the oldest female.  There were 8 females in the 50-59 age group.  I would have placed in the middle of the pack had I still been in that age group.

There were two older men, age 65 & 70.

I struggled to get my body going this morning.  I'm experiencing a bit more DOMS today...more like what I expected to be honest.  My bumps and bruises are healing slowly but well.  The left shoulder and knee are both obviously bruised and still a bit tender to the touch.  The abrasion on the left knee is going to take a bit more time to heal over.  The knuckles on the right hand are still sensitive but healing.

I just rested yesterday.  This morning I wanted to get in a recovery effort run.
3.0 @ 12:09 HR 135/162 Cad 159 SL .83

1. 11:59 HR 141/162 Cad 161 SL .83
   
2. 12:15 HR 132/140 Cad 159 SL .83
   
3. 12:11 HR 134/145 Cad 158 SL .83
   

So a couple things that surprised me this morning.  The first is how high my HR was during that first mile.     The second was how much it came down during the 2nd mile. 

Today should be a relatively easy day as we transition to the next...and last...carrot seed field.  We're all looking forward to the end of harvest...hopefully Wednesday...and also the end of irrigation in a couple more weeks.

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:That's a great pace job on Janice's half.  I imagine she's quite tickled to death with the her sub-12 and your diabolical scheme worked like a champ.  Ever thought of coaching?  After all, you HAVE completed Boston.    I mean, you have so much time on your hands.

I'm glad things have reset.  Can I bring you some tea for your newspaper?

As I mentioned I've really enjoyed running with Janice this summer.  Not sure how much I'm actually helping her other than moral support. But the social time...and the excuse to slow down...have both been very good for me.

Yes on the reset.     RHR is right back in the 46-47 range where it belongs.  I'll admit that my HR during running is still a couple beats higher than I'd like to see but nothing at all concerning and so I'm not going to worry about it.

So...I mentioned yesterday that we got up and did our upper body lifting.  Later that morning Marty brought me roses....from the garden.  I should have known something was up.     They were short handed and needed me to drive combine this week for carrot seed harvest.  It's just an afternoon/evening job so I had time to get in 3 easy miles...I did it on the trails around the farm.  I proceeded to plug the combine during the first hour on the job.  Totally operator error in tough conditions.  Didn't work...they didn't fire me.

Got my house related chores and 3 easy miles done this morning.  We ate lunch early and I packed sandwiches for our supper in the combine.  I plugged the combine once again this afternoon but still didn't get fired.     Guess I'm going to have to try harder.  Yields don't look out of this world but we should be able to pay the bills.  If things continue at the pace they are we'll finish up on Tuesday.  It cools down Thursday and there is rain in the forecast on Friday so we have a bit of wiggle room.  

I'm off to run the trails in the morning unless the smoke rolls in.  It's been a bit smoky in the distance but not at unhealthy levels.  I'll let you know how it goes...

It's soooo late in the day to learn something, but I did.  Farmer Google was able to help me.  In fact, there was a blog that was titled "How to unplug a combine rotor in 13 easy steps."  I have copied steps 2-4:
Step Two: Get over confident in the quality of the swath and your skill as a combine driver.
Step Three: Pick up enough grain to plug not only the header and feeder house but the combine rotor as well. (This will effectively stall the combine).
Step Four: Swear. Use whatever expletive you like. I believe I used a word that begins with “F”.

BAD girl.  Bad, BAD, BAD girl.

nkrichards wrote:OK.  Here's my race organized run report.  Remember I vowed not to race this.  

I drove to Sisters (an hour away) got my temperature checked and signed the COVID waiver and checked in.  I had plenty of time to kill before boarding the bus to the start.  Used the restroom and fueled.  It was weird as we were all masked so no one was chatting like usual before a race.  They split us into two waves for the shuttle ride and the race start to allow for more social distancing.  9:15 start.  It was getting warm.  It was a mass start...there were 68 registered runners in my wave.  We started on a gravel Forest Service road for the first .6 miles which gave us plenty of time/space to find our pace and spread out a bit.  It worked well. 

I quickly lost sight of a group of 5 ladies in front of me and the couple behind me was a ways back.  As they drew closer I offered to let them pass but they declined and they dropped back at the first hill.  I was on my own for quite a long time...and a bit uncomfortable.  I finally caught one of the ladies at mile 4.  By mile 7 I had passed 6 runners.  They had an aid station just past mile 7 but it was awkward and I thought I had enough Infinit in my handheld so I ran right through.  At this point some of the lead runners from the 2nd wave started to pass me.  They came up hard and fast and I tried to quickly step off the trail for them.  I had a nice 11:30ish pace and I was pretty pleased.  The trail was more technical than the description but I was handling it well I thought.  And then...I had stumbled a few times early on but caught myself quickly.  During mile 8/9 I was really starting to struggle.  My legs were just not responding well at all.  I slowed a bit and downed a gel.  I stumbled hard but caught myself.  I tried to be a bit more careful but I fell hard in mile 9.  It really took me out of the race mentally and even though I wasn't seriously hurt I struggled to get back into the race.  I walked through the more technical parts of the trail a couple times and just could not find my drive to continue.  One of the ladies I passed earlier passed me.  As the trail became a bit less technical I caught a glimpse of a couple more runners from my wave.  Remember the 2nd wave runners...and some mountain bikes...were still passing me.  I finally pulled it together enough to pass 3 more runners before the finish.

12.86 miles @ 11:47 2:31:33 HR 162/178 Cad 159 SL .86

1. 11:34 HR 143/155 Cad 160 SL .87
   
2. 11:33 HR 157/170 Cad 160 SL .87
   
3. 11:26 HR 155/166 Cad 159 SL .89
   
4. 11:03 HR 160/166 Cad 161 SL .90
   
5. 11:39 HR 163/169 Cad 160 SL .87
   
6. 11:49 HR 166/171 Cad 162 SL .84
   
7. 11:53 HR 165/173 Cad 162 SL .84
   
8. 11:32 HR 164/169 Cad 161 SL .87
   
9. 12:14 HR 166/174 Cad 160 SL .84
   
10. 12:47 HR 166/172 Cad 155 SL .82
    
11. 12:42 HR 166/171 Cad 156 SL .82
    
12. 12:11 HR 167/173 Cad 156 SL .85
    
13. @11:13 HR 174/178 Cad 163 SL .88
    

I totally underestimated this race organized run.  It got the better of me.  I'm glad I did it...not sure I want to do another trail run any time soon though.

They cleaned up my scrapes in the medical tent at the finish.  They didn't look nearly as bad once the blood and dirt was gone.  But I'm sore.

Janice sent me a congratulatory text and asked if I wanted to run with her next week.

I'm going to bed.

My first reaction is OUCH!   Okay, now I feel better.

So, now you know what your organized run pace for that distance is, I guess.  And that's a good thing!  Cadence slowed, but your HR appeared to be able to handle the last 5 miles.  You were really hauling that last 0.86 mile!

I do imagine you were really, really, really sore.  I guess I'll find out in a minute.

Great job, though!  Hope you milked the scrapes back home.

nkrichards wrote:

Great photo of Mt Hood in the background? 

When did the warmth get to you, if at all?

nkrichards wrote:They finally got the race run results posted.  They were busy putting on the 50K event yesterday.

My official time was 2:32:00
Overall 77/115
Female 35/67

At 62, I was the oldest female.  There were 8 females in the 50-59 age group.  I would have placed in the middle of the pack had I still been in that age group.

There were two older men, age 65 & 70.

I struggled to get my body going this morning.  I'm experiencing a bit more DOMS today...more like what I expected to be honest.  My bumps and bruises are healing slowly but well.  The left shoulder and knee are both obviously bruised and still a bit tender to the touch.  The abrasion on the left knee is going to take a bit more time to heal over.  The knuckles on the right hand are still sensitive but healing.

I just rested yesterday.  This morning I wanted to get in a recovery effort run.
3.0 @ 12:09 HR 135/162 Cad 159 SL .83

1. 11:59 HR 141/162 Cad 161 SL .83
   
2. 12:15 HR 132/140 Cad 159 SL .83
   
3. 12:11 HR 134/145 Cad 158 SL .83
   

So a couple things that surprised me this morning.  The first is how high my HR was during that first mile.     The second was how much it came down during the 2nd mile. 

Today should be a relatively easy day as we transition to the next...and last...carrot seed field.  We're all looking forward to the end of harvest...hopefully Wednesday...and also the end of irrigation in a couple more weeks.

Time and placement was nothing to be ashamed of.  Well done.

As far as this morning, I seem to remember that your first mile HR is always higher.  Maybe not this much, but your heart was ready for war.  Then, when it wasn't a race, your heart kicked back.  Had you done 5 miles, your cadence would have slipped some more.  HR might have crept, too.

But as a recovery run, you cleared out some trash in the lines and the non-bruised or non-skinned up parts are back online.

ounce wrote:
Step Two: Get over confident in the quality of the swath and your skill as a combine driver.
Step Three: Pick up enough grain to plug not only the header and feeder house but the combine rotor as well. (This will effectively stall the combine).
Step Four: Swear. Use whatever expletive you like. I believe I used a word that begins with “F”.

BAD girl.  Bad, BAD, BAD girl.

Nice research!  I actually only plugged the feeder house so it wasn't as serious as it sounds.  Combining carrot seed is a very difficult task...second only to swathing carrot seed.  We jokingly rate a day of swathing by the number of "volkswagen beetles" created that morning.  These clumps not only contain more material but they don't dry out as quickly so they do make combining challenging.  Back to the lesson for the day.  There is a reverser on the feeder house.  Unplugging...if caught quickly...just requires the driver to stop, slowly engage the reverser and feed the plug back out the way it came in, then restart the rotors and the feeder house and slowly feed the clump through.  Not nearly as serious as plugging the combine further up the thrashing process.

ounce wrote:

So, now you know what your organized run pace for that distance is, I guess.  And that's a good thing!  Cadence slowed, but your HR appeared to be able to handle the last 5 miles.  You were really hauling that last 0.86 mile!

I do imagine you were really, really, really sore.  I guess I'll find out in a minute.

Great job, though!  Hope you milked the scrapes back home.

I'm not sure I nailed in my organized run pace for a trail run.  Based on my HR data and the long slow recovery I'm needing I think this may have been race pace or more.    Recovery is slow.  Not sure how much is from the fall and how much is from pushing the pace.

I am proud of that last split.  I did finally get my head back in the race.

Yes, I am still sore but healing.

I didn't get much sympathy at home.  Marty is well known for telling the kids/grandkids and I to "quit whining as it's a long way from your heart."  This became even more comical after my heart attack!  And that's what he said when I got home on Saturday.

ounce wrote:
Great photo of Mt Hood in the background? 

When did the warmth get to you, if at all?

Way to far south for a view of Mt. Hood.  That's Mt. Washington.  The race was in the hills above Sisters.  Apparently we did have a view of the Three Sisters as well but it was over our shoulder and I missed it trying to keep my eye on the trail.

I forgot to list the warmth as a possible factor in my run.  There were so many factors that could have influenced my troubles which started around mile 8...I'm not sure I can identify any one or combination.  I will say that Janice and I have been running early...7am start and we didn't start the race till 9:15 on a warm day.  Strava says it was 45 when I started running the virtual half with Janice and 56 when I started the trail run on Saturday.  It warmed up quickly.  

I also realized that I've been running at 2500' elevation.  The race was over 4000'.  Not sure if/how much difference that might make.

ounce wrote:Time and placement was nothing to be ashamed of.  Well done.

As far as this morning, I seem to remember that your first mile HR is always higher.  Maybe not this much, but your heart was ready for war.  Then, when it wasn't a race, your heart kicked back.  Had you done 5 miles, your cadence would have slipped some more.  HR might have crept, too.

But as a recovery run, you cleared out some trash in the lines and the non-bruised or non-skinned up parts are back online.

I am not at all ashamed of my time and placement.  After all it was a PR trail run for me.  
I like trying new things and even though this was closely related to road running it was definitely a new thing for me.

***
Struggled a bit to get up and get moving this morning but Marty was anxious to get back to our lifting routine.  I picked an upper body workout and felt better afterwards.  Then I headed out for another recovery effort run.  I'm in the shop office and apparently my stats haven't downloaded yet.  I got in 4 miles @ 12:14 pace if I remember correctly.  Like yesterday my first mile HR was extremely high but it settled down as the run progressed.  I do feel like I'm recovering...slowly...  I'm trying hard to give my body time and not push it. 

Janice will be home later today and wants to run one day this week.  I may have to ask her to slow down for me.

The VW was a great picture.  Reminded me why using a lawn mower on wet grass produced those big cow patties.  Never did THAT again.

As far as the recovery, would you think your fall and the usual muscle soreness doubled your recovery effort?  I'm just curious if the 'trauma' of the fall has its recovery cycle and your running effort has its own recovery, too.  Seems like your recovery is longer than your usual and your maintenance crew is working harder to repair.

Bet you have some hum dinger bruising going on.

ounce wrote:The VW was a great picture.  Reminded me why using a lawn mower on wet grass produced those big cow patties.  Never did THAT again.

As far as the recovery, would you think your fall and the usual muscle soreness doubled your recovery effort?  I'm just curious if the 'trauma' of the fall has its recovery cycle and your running effort has its own recovery, too.  Seems like your recovery is longer than your usual and your maintenance crew is working harder to repair.

Bet you have some hum dinger bruising going on.

We finished carrot seed harvest.     That's the last crop and we'll only be irrigating for a couple more weeks.  We are still pretty busy but we already feel like we're on the downhill slide and the pressure is off.  I don't think it will go down as our best year but I think it will be average or slightly better.  We won't know till we get the clean seed weights in a few months.  Considering the drought situation we're pretty pleased.

I felt significantly better this morning...and it showed.
5 miles @ 12:04 HR 132/150 Cadence 161 SL .83
My first mile HR was 119/131.  Right where is should be for that pace.

I do think that my slow recovery has been the result of a combination of my fall injuries and my race effort.   In all honestly probably further complicated by my health scare a couple weeks ago.  And the 10 days off due to heavy smoke.  The fact that I was trail running and using different muscles differently had to add to the race stress as well.  Anyway I am feeling much better and the stats reflect that.  Janice wants to run 8 in the morning.  I'm looking forward to it.

As far as bruising...they are getting more noticeable.  The biggest bruise is on my right shoulder.  It's smaller than a tennis ball and an odd shape.  Even though the color makes it more apparent it isn't as tender to the touch as it was yesterday.  My right knee abrasion is starting to heal over a bit as well.  The main abrasion is only as big as a quarter but the entire knee is slightly bruised, scraped and still tender to the touch.  My knuckles still bleed if I don't keep moisture on them.  Nothing that won't mend nicely with time.

It must be time for tea...