Can't Fix Sick.... Got to Rest and Recover if your Gonna get Better.
My mantra for the month of March...literally. I've been sick this entire month. I have not got in one solid week of training. I've had to take off probably two days each week. Totally sucks. But Rest and Recover, better to be sick now, let the body heal, then make it worse. So I posted my first week of this month already, the busted week, the first long weekend I took off in a long time, and I spend is sick, sleeping in bed, resting.
Week Two started with my swim, went kinda easy, but for the most part felt strong. Next up my run Tuesday. took Kahlua with me and he kept me paced the entire 1:20 mins. I think I actually ran a bit faster then planned. Felt okay for the most part, not to tired maybe cause I had almost a week off due to being sick. Coughing a lot after the run, and a bit during, but the body felt strong. Wed was my swim and bike. My first two disciplines for this Ironman training. I got in my swim at the Y, and then home and on my bike, my first ride on my bike with POWER! Now I'm not really sure what all the numbers meant but I got them all written down to learn about them and what I need to do. all my swims for the 100, 200, and 300 M were pretty consistent, that was nice to see, I wasn't fatiguing at the end. I ate better today with clean eating. Thursday was rest day, and I came home, walked the dogs, and immediately fell asleep for the rest of the night. Seems to be my classic ritual for my "off" days. I'm to tired to do much else. trying to read my power meter book, but just not happening. Friday, I felt crappy again, so much so, I slept again, Rest and Recover, starting to hurt more in lungs, moving into chest with congestion a bit now. GRRRRR Saturday I had to do hill repeats, but I again had trouble breathing, the 27 mph winds were not helping, finding myself sleeping more, hard to get out of bed in the morning. Same with Sunday, ended up sleeping in till 9 ish, then got on my trainer for my long bike ride, not the best cause I know I need to be outside, but my body just didn't want to get that far out and bonk. So I focused steady on the trainer. Off to class for Kahlua, then home and sleep early. I think I need to focus on my sleep more, maybe that's another issue.
My Third week started out a bit better then I thought, was still feeling crappy, but I had fit tests schedule for my coach to prep for my next two months of training. So, still feeling a bit crappy, I headed over to the Y for my swim test. Hoping to not embarrass myself. A 200 M and a 800 M all out after warm up. Well, I got in my 200 Yds at 3:42 min/sec. Only 4 sec faster, darn. I Know I'm still sick, but I was hoping I'd do a bit better. Like I said, physically I felt good, my lungs just were killer. So determined i set out on my 800 M to not get a worse time, cause I seem to slow as the distance increases. Well, my distance did slow a bit, but I had a better time!!!! by 44 seconds!! 16:02 min/sec. I will definitely take that!!! Used my Osmo PreLoad prior to the swim as planned, and I think it helped. Back to coughing when I was done though. Tuesday I just had and easy 1:20 run, i was tired sore, I walked the dogs. and for some reason I felt like I was having a panic attack starting (which I now know what it was) and again feeling frustrated and overall crappy. Home in bed early, calming music...just trying to breathe. Wed I headed for the pool, only to realize for the first time in well ever, I forgot my plan!!! I knew my distance, and some of my warmup and main set, but I didn't know intensity. Which was ok in the end, I just focused on what I could control and worked out the distance. Thursday, blessed rest. I was done, sleep. Friday I decided on doing my bike fit when I got home. I felt rested, I felt good so I went for it. I got in my time and well, I was a bit discouraged with my time/power, thinking that i would of been a bit faster. But I know I went all out because I was dizzy at the end of the time trial, almost felt like passing out, and vomit. My HR was in the 170s for the last t10 min. So I know I gave it my all that night with everything I had. I just didn't have anymore. Power was 148 for avg: cadence 91: HR was 162.5. Then the coughing started again. I spent the night coughing, breathing began to hurt. I woke up Saturday so uncomfortable with my breathing/lungs that I spent the day in bed, yep the entire day sleeping, trying to breath. Like every breath hurt. I began to think...this feels like my pneumonia from when I had it. Or intercostal muscles strained, but "different". I couldn't take a full breath without pain. My body felt fine, I felt like I could go do my 1:20 min run no problem, but my lungs hated me. I caught up on my Fast and Furious movies. I slept. Sunday again, Feeling crappy to the point still, that even on the trainer I was not feeling up to getting on. So Sleep again, Training for Kahlua, but sleep after. GRRR this is getting frustrating. My patience was wearing thin. I felt like I could of went for it, but I know I would pay for it. So I let it go, rested and since I had Monday off, I decided to go for my time trial runs of 4 mile repeats.
Which probably would of been okay, I got up late on Monday, later than planned anyway. Headed over to the Iron King Trail, and headed out on my 2 mile jog/warm up. Then..I began, I took off at a nice steady pace, it actually felt easy for the first 1/2 mile, then it got bad. I finished in 8:37. But I could tell the wheels were falling off. I had to take longer to recover, three minutes ,cause i just couldn't catch my breath. So when I headed back on #2, I was feeling worse, I held it and finished at 8:27 min/sec. Wow!! I was happy, but I was done. My body hated me. I took my break, got ready to start the 3rd, then stopped, started again, stopped, Then started again and just went by feel. 9:00....grrrrrr The the 4th 9:11 Grrr I was done, breathing was taking an effort, so I walked most of the two miles back, but I finished about 8.25 miles total. Then I immediately called my doc, while through coughing fits, and a voice almost gone, I would see her on Wed. I was starting to have some chest pain as well.
Tuesday was a blessed day off, I didn't do anything. I talked with my coach about my training plan that arrived in my inbox and we covered any concerns for the next few weeks. The intensity is definitely picking up, as well as the volume. I keep forgetting that, Ironman Boulder is Aug, Not November. I"m racing in four months!!! I need to get going on intensity. I'm worried about my lungs and how much trouble they are giving me. But I hope the doc can help tomorrow. The training plan while picking up, is doable, it's still less time then my first Ironman, just more intensive, which is what I need. I really need to focus on good food, which I have been, I'm counting on that to help. Except tonight when I went to walk the dogs, I had trouble breathing again, Then when I attempted to fall asleep, i couldn't, I laid there working on trying to breath. I was up till at least 2 am before I was able to get minimal sleep.
I woke Wed feeling horrible, I was very tired at work, I had trouble focusing. So when I headed to the doctors, I was praying for something to be figured out. By this time, I was convinced that ti was one of several things. Allergies/exercise induced asthma, as this was reminiscent of last year at this time. Pneumonia, cause it was hard to breath and i needed antibiotics. So I headed into the doc's, described all my symptoms, the challenges I had been having.And after I failed the breathing test to see how much air I could forceable blow into a spirometer. It was determined that I may indeed have allergy induced asthma from all the insane winds and allergies blowing around. So she put me on an inhaler for a couple weeks to see if it helped, and an emergency inhaler for when I exercised.
Say Hellow to my new friends....
Also, full blood work and an allergy blood work up to see exactly what's going on. I could tell I felt better by the time I left, cause I only coughed 3 times versus every few minutes since getting there. I headed over to the Y for my first test. One of the draw backs of the inhaler, was that the emergency one, makes you tacky cardiac . So my resting heart rate of 120 wasn't the best way for me to get in my hard swim workout. So, I had talked with my coach prior to just do what I could. which is what I did, getting in my longest swim for this training plan. And while I didn't work as hard physically, my lungs sure did. The good news, is I had my best sleep for this month. That was nice. Thursday was rest day, so I didn't have a chance to test out my inhaler for the workout. Friday, I did. I got in my time on the bike, but did my EMR inhaler prior to my ride, still had some minor issues, but I only took one puff. need to do two next time. Saturday I had to work, but once home, i had to get in a one hour ride, which i again just took one puff thinking i could do it, but i had some troubles on the run, and then was tired when I got home. So I took a shower, ate, and slept the rest of the night. I woke up around 11 long enough to roll over and shut off the light, forgetting my inhaler. Which I payed for, cause when I woke up on Sun, I felt crappy again, no energy, sorta weak. I slept tell 11 am, got breakfast, then slept til Kahlua's class. Then home, felt better since taking the inhaler. Went and had dinner with the family of Sunny, who i ran in honor of for my IM AZ 13, and visited with her dtr and husband. We had a really good time. I'm still feeling pretty tired, and I'm ready for bed. But I'm hoping this next week starts getting back on track better, now that I'm getting better with eating, hopefully get results of blood work back, and back on track with recovery from training.
This month has really been a challenge training wise, but now that I have found out one of the main causes has been the allergy induced asthma, and I have a way to get it under more control now. I'm seeing this next two months of training having a positive vibe.
I have Tough Mudder next week, I also have the Whiskey Row 1/2 Marathon May 3rd. Looking forward hopefully to a long weekend camping in Zion as well. We will see. Heres to a better next two months.
On a really cool end note, one of my coach from Team FC, Joby, Raced in an Ironman today and came in second in his age group!!!! which means, he just qualified for KONA!!! What an inspiration!!!! So happy for him!!!
The Pain you feel today, will be the STRENGTH you feel tomorrow.
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