I Don't Have Time For This . . .

I would call this an Easy Three, except it didn't feel that way. How about "Should Have Been an Easy Three, But Felt More Like Swimming in Molasses?" Ok, maybe it wasn't that bad, but Monday mornings are hard sometimes, and this was no exception. I did a long run of 8 miles on Saturday and actually felt really good - no IT band flare-up, no stiffness or soreness later. If the only consequence is a sluggish Monday morning, I think I did alright. I was supposed to follow the run with a quick strength training session. I managed a whopping 15 pushups before making breakfast, doing the bills and hauling my girls off on an epic school shopping trip. I'll catch up later.....

Ouch. That zero hurts. It's only the third time this summer that I've missed a day. On the plus side, I got to watch the opening high school XC meet. There were some impressive performances. I'm proud of my freshman son who ran well in his first high school race!

Started my day with that strength training I was supposed to do on Monday. Better late than never, right? Two sets of 15. Not ambitious, but it makes a difference and doesn't take too long.

I felt great and had a terrible run. Or maybe I felt terrible and had a great run. I'm not sure. I was planning on a nice comfy four miles, but about half-way through my heart started palpitating, my chest aching, and my head spinning. I took the sensible route; I turned off the main road (so fewer people would see me), and I walked home. Never fear - my heart is fine. I'm prone to panic attacks and I take medication for mild hypothyroidism. I haven't had major problems for years, but anytime I get stressed I don't eat, sleep or exercise well, so I'm more likely to have problems. I think I'm also more sensitive to my medication than I used to be. Might be time to adjust things. In the mean time, I'll split my pills and take half in the morning and half in the afternoon - that way it won't all hit my bloodstream at the same time. As far as the stress - well, school starts tomorrow. I should feel more relaxed by mid-October.

I took it easy today. My body is still working through this current episode of panic, but it's getting better. I'm down to some annoying cramping of the esophagus and a little shortness of breath. I walked a block or two near the end when I started feeling symptoms, but I picked it up and finished without a problem. I think if I'm going to be strong enough for a long run on Saturday I'd better move that number in the sleep column up to a 7 or 8. At least.

It's too bad that my first week of blogging runs has to deal with panic attacks. I really only get one or two a year any more. I've learned a lot over the last six years and this is the first time it's affected my running in quite some time. Come to think of it, my worst attacks have all been in August. School must really stress me out. Go figure. Anyway - for me, panic attacks normally start with an overwhelming fatigue (see Monday's post - might not have been the long run after all). Then I get a special headache that I call my panic headache. That was Tuesday; I knew I was in trouble then. That's usually followed by a couple days of shortness of breath, throat cramping, dizziness etc.. Some "attacks" are longer than others, but if I respond with extra sleep and good food I can get through it in a few days. One thing I've definitely learned is that, even if I have to back off for a few days, a little easy running helps me recover faster. 

Now my kids are in school, the house is quiet. Maybe I'll go take that nap.