Monday, June 22, 2015

Doctors Orders

Hello!

It has been a while since I have written anything about how it is going, well today is the day everyone learns what has been going on. In March I ran the NYC Half Marathon which was the greatest experience I have ever done. It was my first half marathon and I loved every pain staking minute of it. 6 miles thru central park, down 7th Ave toward Time Square, across 42nd Street, and down West Side Highway to the finish line. Since then I have been suffering from dehydration and weird dizzy spells.
I blacked out on the subway on April 25 let me tell you not the most fun I have ever had, But I had a really great best friend who took care of me and my things while I was down. He also got me off the subway, drank some water, and walked the rest of the way to work at a very slow pace. I made a doctors appointment for May 25...the soonest they could get me in.
When I went to see the doctor the first time he ordered blood tests, EKG, and an Echocardiogram. The blood tests came back with a slight touch of anemia, and the heart tests came back clear. They have now ordered a holter monitor test stating that I have an irregular heart beat that they want to see if it acts up in the 24 hours I am wearing the monitor. He also ordered more blood tests and a trip to the cardiologist.
So today I am a science project wearing the holter monitor 5 electrodes sticking to my skin reading everything my heart does. I will see a cardiologist on July 27 and hopefully have all the answers I need. I also will have more blood taken to check the anemia levels and we will indeed go from there.

What this means for my running life is...slower, which I didn't think was possible, and less miles. I will be running 14:00 minute miles and no more than 5 miles at a time. Till the end of July I will be running no more than 5 miles at a time at roughly 14:00 minutes a mile pace. Now this is a set back I don't have to stop running. I will be training for the Bronx 10 miler and for a second Ragnar from Cumberland Maryland to Washington DC. I will most likely not be running as runner 8 as this leg is 23 miles total. But I am part of a team and amazing team and I will cover the miles they need me to it just may be a little slower than I had hoped. This is not an end just a new beginning with a challenge.

-F