Where did January go? I just did the Hangover Run with my family and now it's suddenly February!!
There was a lot going on in January. End of the semester at my school which translates into a lot of stressed out 7th graders who suddenly care very much about their grade. Only because mom and dad aren't going to be happy when they get the report card.
I woke up on MLK Day of Service with a horrible cold. That whole week I couldn't work out. I slept, got up and took DayQuil all day at work, came home and went directly to bed. Kind of a rough start to the beginning of getting serious about triathlon training for the upcoming season.
My "tired thing" (as I like to call it) has been over the top worse then usual. It would be easy to lay blame on the cold I had but it is more than that. All month I have been doing my workouts, doing my job and sleeping. That's about it. I go to bed before 8:00 p.m. and sleep over eight hours. And I still wake up completely butt dragging. SO sick of this!! On top of everything else I have gained about 10 pounds in the last four weeks. Not the end of the world but very frustrating considering how careful I am being about my eating and how much working out I'm doing.
I made an appointment with my doctor and once again tried to figure out what my problem is. I think my doctor is just as frustrated as I am! I took him a list of the last 10 days food and the last 10 days of exercise. He said I'm eating healthy and obviously taking my exercise seriously. We discussed several options to go from here. Some I am okay with, others I'm not. We did more blood tests just to see if there have been any changes.
My doctor had wanted me to see this one endocrinologist a few years ago but he wasn't taking any new patients. I went to a different one but all she did was pat me on the head and tell me that I needed to lose weight and exercise more. This was when I was seriously training for my half marathons and was running more than 25 miles a week.
Doc decided that he was going to make a call and see if he could get the specialist to see me, even if he was not taking new patients.
We also decided to do another at home sleep study. This is just to make sure that I'm really sleeping better than I was a few years ago. Back then it was determined that I had mild sleep apnea but that losing 20-30 pounds would take care of it. I have lost 40 pounds since that sleep study so I should be good but it's probably a good idea to be sure.
Doc also talked about having me take some weight loss medication, going to a weight loss clinch (like Monarch) to get help from a team that includes a nutritionist and weight assistance. Either of these are a maybe at this point.
One other option that he mentioned was doing a gastric sleeve. I tried to not dismiss it out of hand, even though my first reaction was no. I told him that that wasn't really something I was interested in. I know people that have fantastic success with gastric surgery of one kind or another. I'm happy for them! But it just doesn't feel right for me.
I told doc that the weight isn't really what is the big thing that is bothering me, it's the tired.
I went home and did some internet research on this procedure since it's a little different than a full gastric by-pass. Similar concept but it leaves more of the stomach intact and allows for a bit more food to go through. However, I would be severely limited on my calorie intake and that would severely impact my endurance activities.
I would rather be a heavier person who does triathlons (and have a more energy) than a skinny person who can't do triathlons.
I just don't want to be tired. All. The. Time!
Blood tests came back all in the normal range. Just like always.
Good news though was my doctor was able to get me a referral with the specialist. I go and see him on February 13th. The idea is that he will dig deeper and see if, while my blood work is in the "normal" range, maybe it is not normal for me and my body.
There is one part of me that is really hopeful and one part of me that thinks that I will just be told there is nothing wrong with me and I need to deal.
I know that I have a demanding job.
I know that I do a lot of exercise.
I know that a certain amount of tired is to be expected.
But I go to sleep exhausted and wake up barely one notch less than exhausted.
It's not fun.
I feel like a weenie.
Maybe it's all in my head.
Am I the only one who has this?
But sometimes when I'm butt dragging it is hard to keep that in perspective.
Lucky for me I have people who love me and care about me who help me with that perspective.
I was running with my coach last week and not having a very good day or a very good run. One of those days where nothing seems to work easy. Jon could tell that I was "off" and made sure that I cut myself some slack and at the same time remembered that even a bad day is better than a lot of peoples good day.
Our conversations often meander around some as we talk about different topics and experiences.
The idea of how we look at exercise came up. He related a conversation he overheard between a parent and a child at the after school pick up line. The parent said that the child needed to exercise more. Jon asked his son what he thought about that later and Logan's response was that she should have encouraged the child to play more.
I get to play.
I play bike. I play swimming. I play running.
It was good to remember that.
For all of the fears I have had about my bike the thing that has kept me going is that thrill as I go zipping down a hill. It takes me back to when I used to play bike with my sisters and my brother.
For all of the work that I have had to put in to become a "real" swimmer I love that I still feel like I am having fun playing in a lake or river like I did when I was a kid.
For all of the work I have put in trying to become a faster runner, I love that I get to be out there moving!
God puts things in my path to remind me to focus on the positive.
I am thankful for the people that are in my life that encourage me and support me and kick me in the butt when I need it.
I am thankful for the random comments, Pinterest memes and other ways that God makes sure I get the point.
Right after Jon and I had our conversation about getting to play bike I was able to go for a bike ride outside. The first ride outside in months. It was warm, considering it was January, and it wasn't raining. I didn't worry about how fast I went. I didn't worry about my heart rate. I just enjoyed the ride. It was awesome!!
A few days later I found this on Pinterest.
God is so good to send little reminders to help me remember to be thankful.
I'm not giving up on figuring out what's going on with my tired issue.
I do believe that it is more than the usual person deals with.
I'm praying for an answer.
In the meantime, I'm going to keep working towards my goals. I'm going to not give up. I am going to remember that I am able to do more and accomplish more than a lot of people.
What ever your "thing" is that is getting in your way, don't let it get in your way! Keep working through it. It may not be easy but it's worth it. I should know! So many frustrations this month and quite a few tears. But I'm still working at it. Still trying to get healthier and still trying to figure things out. I'm focusing on the positive. I'm focusing on what I CAN do instead of what is getting in my way.
Beaver Freezer is the first triathlon of the year. April 1st, which will be here in no time! I'm excited to see how I do compared to last year.
There was a lot going on in January. End of the semester at my school which translates into a lot of stressed out 7th graders who suddenly care very much about their grade. Only because mom and dad aren't going to be happy when they get the report card.
I woke up on MLK Day of Service with a horrible cold. That whole week I couldn't work out. I slept, got up and took DayQuil all day at work, came home and went directly to bed. Kind of a rough start to the beginning of getting serious about triathlon training for the upcoming season.
My "tired thing" (as I like to call it) has been over the top worse then usual. It would be easy to lay blame on the cold I had but it is more than that. All month I have been doing my workouts, doing my job and sleeping. That's about it. I go to bed before 8:00 p.m. and sleep over eight hours. And I still wake up completely butt dragging. SO sick of this!! On top of everything else I have gained about 10 pounds in the last four weeks. Not the end of the world but very frustrating considering how careful I am being about my eating and how much working out I'm doing.
I made an appointment with my doctor and once again tried to figure out what my problem is. I think my doctor is just as frustrated as I am! I took him a list of the last 10 days food and the last 10 days of exercise. He said I'm eating healthy and obviously taking my exercise seriously. We discussed several options to go from here. Some I am okay with, others I'm not. We did more blood tests just to see if there have been any changes.
My doctor had wanted me to see this one endocrinologist a few years ago but he wasn't taking any new patients. I went to a different one but all she did was pat me on the head and tell me that I needed to lose weight and exercise more. This was when I was seriously training for my half marathons and was running more than 25 miles a week.
Doc decided that he was going to make a call and see if he could get the specialist to see me, even if he was not taking new patients.
We also decided to do another at home sleep study. This is just to make sure that I'm really sleeping better than I was a few years ago. Back then it was determined that I had mild sleep apnea but that losing 20-30 pounds would take care of it. I have lost 40 pounds since that sleep study so I should be good but it's probably a good idea to be sure.
Doc also talked about having me take some weight loss medication, going to a weight loss clinch (like Monarch) to get help from a team that includes a nutritionist and weight assistance. Either of these are a maybe at this point.
One other option that he mentioned was doing a gastric sleeve. I tried to not dismiss it out of hand, even though my first reaction was no. I told him that that wasn't really something I was interested in. I know people that have fantastic success with gastric surgery of one kind or another. I'm happy for them! But it just doesn't feel right for me.
I told doc that the weight isn't really what is the big thing that is bothering me, it's the tired.
I went home and did some internet research on this procedure since it's a little different than a full gastric by-pass. Similar concept but it leaves more of the stomach intact and allows for a bit more food to go through. However, I would be severely limited on my calorie intake and that would severely impact my endurance activities.
I would rather be a heavier person who does triathlons (and have a more energy) than a skinny person who can't do triathlons.
I just don't want to be tired. All. The. Time!
Blood tests came back all in the normal range. Just like always.
Good news though was my doctor was able to get me a referral with the specialist. I go and see him on February 13th. The idea is that he will dig deeper and see if, while my blood work is in the "normal" range, maybe it is not normal for me and my body.
There is one part of me that is really hopeful and one part of me that thinks that I will just be told there is nothing wrong with me and I need to deal.
I know that I have a demanding job.
I know that I do a lot of exercise.
I know that a certain amount of tired is to be expected.
But I go to sleep exhausted and wake up barely one notch less than exhausted.
It's not fun.
I feel like a weenie.
Maybe it's all in my head.
Am I the only one who has this?
- I don't have cancer.
- I can use my legs.
- I can swim, bike and run.
- I have so many things to be grateful for.
But sometimes when I'm butt dragging it is hard to keep that in perspective.
Lucky for me I have people who love me and care about me who help me with that perspective.
- I don't have cancer.
- I can use my legs.
- I can swim, bike and run.
- I am grateful for all these things.
I was running with my coach last week and not having a very good day or a very good run. One of those days where nothing seems to work easy. Jon could tell that I was "off" and made sure that I cut myself some slack and at the same time remembered that even a bad day is better than a lot of peoples good day.
Our conversations often meander around some as we talk about different topics and experiences.
The idea of how we look at exercise came up. He related a conversation he overheard between a parent and a child at the after school pick up line. The parent said that the child needed to exercise more. Jon asked his son what he thought about that later and Logan's response was that she should have encouraged the child to play more.
I get to play.
I play bike. I play swimming. I play running.
It was good to remember that.
For all of the fears I have had about my bike the thing that has kept me going is that thrill as I go zipping down a hill. It takes me back to when I used to play bike with my sisters and my brother.
For all of the work that I have had to put in to become a "real" swimmer I love that I still feel like I am having fun playing in a lake or river like I did when I was a kid.
For all of the work I have put in trying to become a faster runner, I love that I get to be out there moving!
God puts things in my path to remind me to focus on the positive.
I am thankful for the people that are in my life that encourage me and support me and kick me in the butt when I need it.
I am thankful for the random comments, Pinterest memes and other ways that God makes sure I get the point.
Right after Jon and I had our conversation about getting to play bike I was able to go for a bike ride outside. The first ride outside in months. It was warm, considering it was January, and it wasn't raining. I didn't worry about how fast I went. I didn't worry about my heart rate. I just enjoyed the ride. It was awesome!!
 |
| This was my view when I played bike. I am blessed! |
God is so good to send little reminders to help me remember to be thankful.
I'm not giving up on figuring out what's going on with my tired issue.
I do believe that it is more than the usual person deals with.
I'm praying for an answer.
In the meantime, I'm going to keep working towards my goals. I'm going to not give up. I am going to remember that I am able to do more and accomplish more than a lot of people.
What ever your "thing" is that is getting in your way, don't let it get in your way! Keep working through it. It may not be easy but it's worth it. I should know! So many frustrations this month and quite a few tears. But I'm still working at it. Still trying to get healthier and still trying to figure things out. I'm focusing on the positive. I'm focusing on what I CAN do instead of what is getting in my way.
Beaver Freezer is the first triathlon of the year. April 1st, which will be here in no time! I'm excited to see how I do compared to last year.
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