Sick?
One Day at a Time
I thought I was suffering from a combination of fatigue (from running), stress (from work), and lack of sleep (because they are working me full time this week and odd hours to boot. But I don’t know. I’m really starting to think I’m getting sick. Actual sick. It all started after my long run. I got the coughs but I just told myself it was no big deal, I probably just got winded, running in the cold, dry air, and I would be fine after a day or so. The cough has gotten worse. I have only gotten about 14 hours of sleep in the last three nights (combined) so I’m averaging less than 5 hrs a night over three nights. The lack of sleep started when I worked until midnight the other night, then had to be up at 9 AM, then 6AM each of the two following days . . . this, when my circadian rhythm naturally runs from about 4 AM to noon for sleeping. Train wreck. But somehow I’ve managed to kick ass at work and get shit done. Today, I put up 3 pallets of freight, wrapped everything with security wire, put movies in keeper boxes, helped customers, completed opening tasks, as well as scanning outs (the dep mgr was off today, so he couldn’t do it). I got a lot done, is my point, even though I felt like I was going to fall out at any moment. Also, at lunch, my heart skipped into tachycardia . . . about 200 bpm. It only lasted about 30 seconds. Standing on my head is the most useful vagal manoeuvre for reversing the electric abnormality. But how could I stand on my head at work without looking very silly? So I tried holding my breath, and bearing down on my lower abdominal muscles, and it eventually worked. This used to happen about once a year at most. It’s happened three times now in the last 3 months. I have Wolfe-Parkinson-White Syndrome and it can cause occasional Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (mentioned this before but just saying, for those of you that don’t know). I think fatigue and stress makes it more likely to occur, although I had a doctor tell me one time that vagal tone increases with fitness level so he thought running would help make the occurrence less likely, so long as I didn’t over train. I’m wondering if I’m over training. Maybe I should have stuck with the pretrain regimen for a while, as recommended. After all, it was a huge jump to go from running 3 or 4 days a week to 5 days a week. Also, during the coldest part of the winter, I had only been training enough to maintain a specific length run (about 4 – 5 miles). I had not been training with weekly mileage in mind. I would often go for three or four days, even a week or so, occasionally, without running and still be able to run 4 miles. Or, I would cycle instead of run to maintain cardio (very good for cardio), but of course meant less running, so my running muscles weren’t used to being used as much. All good stuff for keeping in decent shape but not for preparing oneself for a half marathon training plan. Hmmm, maybe I should have done a 10K training plan first (but I’ve been running for a over a year and a half now, so I guess I thought I could handle it). This is rough. I thought after week one I could do it, but now . . . well, I’m not going to make any hasty decisions. I am skipping today’s run though. My sleep has been horrible, I feel like crap, and yes, I think I’m getting sick. Should feel better after some good sleep tonight. Nowhere to be tomorrow, at all.
Everything should even out the next couple of days as I have Wed and Thur off from work. I got a full time week, but of course still get two off days. I have worked 4 days solid and will work (unless I still feel like shit) a full shift on Friday. 40 hrs. My manager said this should continue in upcoming weeks. More money, which is good. Less free time, which is bad. And bad for the running and sleep too (as I have discovered this week).
Oh, my symptoms started off with a cough. Then fatigue, then light muscle aches. Some chills. I’m not sure what part of this may be due to being sick and what part of it may be due to fatigue from lack of sleep. Now I’ve added stuffy/runny nose. Jeez. Still no sore throat. Every cold I’ve had in the last couple of years has started with a sore throat. This one started off with a cough. I know it’s not flu though, because 1) it would have hit me more suddenly, and 2) don’t think coughing is a symptom of the flu. Taking Zycam so hopefully it won’t be too bad or last too long. Just glad I have two off days from work to rest up.
-AR
PS: I don’t know how the ultramarathoner’s do it. I can’t seem to progress beyond a certain point without complete colapse (something always gets in the way: sickness, work, lack of sleep, stress, etc). Maybe a decent 10K is all I’m capable of, physically, and I should just forget about ever doing ultramrathon stuff, much less marathon or half marathon. Distance, distance, distance, that has always been my future long term goal, or at least dream, for me with the running. Just to run, forever and ever, because it makes me feel good, and it gives me an adventure, allows me to be one with nature, gives me a "high", makes me feel accomplished . . . also I am a bit of a masochist, so I kind of like the whole battling nature, the elements, and battling oneself, seeing what I’m made of, how far I can take it, that’s part of the "adventure" that I talked about just now.
PPS: I knew it was more than fatigue, that I was actually sick, when I wasn’t hungry for lunch (or dinner) today. That’s always a sign to me that I’m sick. I can even feel my stomach growling, but the thought of food just makes me want to hurl. I force moderate amounts down anyway because I know I need nutrition.
3PS: There is a cure for the Wolfe-Parkinson-White, but it involves a catheder insertion and the tissue which is responsible for bad electrical impulses is destroyed. I’m afraid to undergo it because I fear they might destroy perfectly good heart tissue, and then of course, that would be the end of me. So, I have decided to live with the threat of tachycardia, for now. At some points in my life, I have gone years wihtout an episode. I’ve been told that frequency sometimes increases with age though.