Back in the Saddle Again

I was hoping to give this blog entry a title with a super positive spin, something like – “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands” – because I hadn’t had any ‘anxiety’ attack episodes for an entire week, only bouts of nausea – and they seemed to be lessening as the days passed - and mild abdominal pain that failed to recur mid-week. Sunny skies.

Alas, I had another episode late Saturday for 30 minutes, so my mini theory that the episodes had occurred over 10 days with their intensity peaking in the middle – such that if graphed it would reveal a bell curve distribution - is doubtful. Unless I attribute the most recent episode as an ‘outlier’.

I saw an internal medicine doc this week and he said that my primary doc was already doing all the rights things – “very thorough” - to check for heart trouble or that rare tumour. He also suggested that I could be having anxiety attacks without the anxiety and I told him I was totally cool and perfectly happy with that theory.

Lots of people seem to live with anxiety attacks – and with the fear/flight symptoms, which must really suck – so I’m fine with that diagnosis and clean urine and CT scan results will support it.

But my own personal unscientific theory goes like this: whatever was making me ill initially – and from which I’m slowly, but decidedly, recovering - infected or affected my adrenal gland(s) and now they are easily aroused and periodically release adrenaline for a while. I figure as I continue to recover – I still seem to need 10+ hours of sleep at night – they will fade away.

Also inspiring a lot of hope that I was getting over it all, was the return of my energy and ability to start training again to no ill effect. In the last 7 days I’ve managed to ease back into training:

3 swims - 30, 40, then 50 minutes, total 2 hours – continuous, very easy pace

3 bikes - 60, 70, then 80 minutes, total 3.5 hours – continuous, very easy pace

3 runs – 30, 40, then 50 minutes, total 2 hours – continuous, very easy pace

3 weights / core workouts

Compared to my pre-illness week:

4 swims – total 3:35 hours – continuous, easy pace

5 bikes – total 6:45 hours – hard days would include intensity

4 runs – total 5:45 hours – hard days would include hills

3 weights / core workouts

I’m aiming to test my body a little with a ‘real’ training day on the last day of March: a 60 minute swim in the a.m., then later a brick workout of a 2.5 hour bike with a 30 minute run. It will mark my first hard training day in exactly 6 weeks. It also means that Ironman Louisville is just over 21 weeks away. And as long as nothing major goes wrong between now and then – like I get too eager and over train and suffer a health setback or injury - I should be able to get enough fitness to get to the start line. Emotion will get me to the finish line.
Giddy up!