healing/running update

Extra, extra, read all about it!

For anyone that knows me, most of 2015 (starting in March) and the first part of 2016 (until just recently) were not so conducive to running. I was dancing around a hip injury, running as much as I could but also having several surgeries (not related to the injury that was preventing me from running interestingly), each of which meant some down time and then a recovery.

As is normal (that's what I tell myself anyway), I got a bit bummed and moody and wrote about my very selfish woes.

I also tried to summarize everything some time later when I was feeling a bit more optimistic.

Well things are still looking up.

To recap, after all my trials and tribulations I eventually took six weeks totally off from running. Then, with no hip pain I saw a hip specialist to see how to proceed. Incredibly he told me to go run.

Ever since my hip doctor told me to re-introduce running I was skeptical. It had hurt so much for a solid 14 months and just because it had stopped hurting after six weeks of no running didn't mean I had any confidence that I was "healed".

If you recall, my Physical Therapist had me re-introduce running SLOWLY...  to the tune of one mile/day the first week, two miles/day the second week, you get the idea.

Well I started running on the treadmill 7 April. And I started running outdoors 4 May. And I did my first trail run 30 May. So far so good. I have felt a twinge in my hip on occasion but nothing has lasted and I feel fine that same evening and the day after, there has been no actual pain since I started running again. I have also been cycling lots and two weeks ago I was finally able to resume my core workouts which I had to postpone because of abdominal surgery.

Last Sunday I had my first trail run where I felt "good" and was able to carry on a conversation throughout. Plus, double digit distance! It has not just been about recovering from injury after all, I have had to regain fitness too! :)

Have I mentioned that I love running on trails? Oh man, does it feel good to get back out in the woods.

Thanks to all of my supporters for sticking by me. Here's to more getting outside.

• Shelley
• Hammer Nutrition
• Brooks
• The Balanced Athlete
• Seattle Running Club-Brooks Competitive Team

catching up with Martin (the start of comeback 4.0)

It's been a while... turns out not being healthy and motivated to exercise affects my desire to blog. I know, right? At least that is changing. So here is what Martin has been up to.

Surgery. More Surgery. Even more surgery. You guessed it, some more surgery.

ASIDE - I should get frequent flyer miles at Swedish Hospital.

Here are some dates.
23 March 2015 - I got a hernia repaired.
11 January 2016 - I got another hernia repaired (this one on the other side).
22 January 2016 - I had surgery to stop some internal bleeding.
11 May 2016 - I had a "mass" (aka "tumor") removed from my right kidney.



But hey, the tumor was benign! And Tuesday May 17 I started commuting to work on my bike again and Thursday May 19 I went for my first treadmill jog and Saturday May 21 I went for my first outdoor run after this most recent surgery so things are looking up! Plus, today. Boom.
Where to start? Perhaps with my self esteem. :) These days I identify as an "ultra runner". For sure there are times when I run more or less but since I decided to focus on this activity after I stopped racing bicycles I have done the following.

• Finished several 50 km races (including some doozies like The Rut), a 50 mile race and a 100 mile race.
• Been very competitive in my age group including winning a few events.
• Paced my sister Lucca at the Seattle Marathon four times, one of which was a Marathon PR for her.
• Gone on dozens of most excellent adventure runs in the woods with friends. This one to Mount Hinman ranks right up there.
• Secured personal sponsorship and support.
• Joined the Seattle Running Club where I am now on the Board of Directors.
• Joined countless running-specific Facebook Groups like Seattle Mountain Running Group, followed runners on Twitter and become a regular reader of several running web sites and blogs.

Obviously when I participate in an activity I like to immerse myself...

Turns out that all my talk about "just having fun" and "I just like being active" wasn't being 100% honest. When I decide to focus on something I really (REALLY) want to be able to do it. And when I can't I get bummed. And when I say bummed I of course mean I turn into a whinny baby that unfairly wears on Shelley and makes all my friends think I'm trolling for sympathy. Which I kinda was?

ASIDE - I find it fascinating how someone's (self-proclaimed) identity can be so closely tied to something (dumb?) like a specific or narrowly defined activity. For some it's a physical activity, for others it might be writing or cooking or whatever. Humans are complicated. And we get upset about trivial shit.

On the upside I am feeling better. Not just physically (finally!) but also mentally. During all of these surgeries and recoveries I was also dealing with intermittent hip pain. At first I thought it was due to the hernias but when it returned after each repair I had more scans and tests which is how the mass on my kidney was discovered. "Oh by the way, you this spot on your kidney here... and the only treatment is surgery." I think I did find out what's up with my hip, I might - my last MRI was unfortunately not definitive - have a torn labrum on the left side. But that's another story.

Which is a nice segue to my other update - my ability to run (not to mention ultras) and race when I'm not recovering from surgery.

Ever since my hip first flared up just over one year ago my running has been sporadic at best. There are days when I am almost pain-free and there are days when I can hardly walk. Prior to this injury I was running about 50 miles/week and prior to this last batch of visits to the hospital it was reduced to perhaps 20.

When I finally (hopefully) figured out what this pain is being caused by the advice of my care providers was to stop running. Stat. Talk about going cold turkey, it sucked.

As we all know, some people stop and others "stop". This time I didn't fake it and took a total vacation from running that lasted six weeks. After six weeks I was pain-free so saw my hip doctor (who's name is Dr. Downer!). Here is what he said.

• You are pain-free, I only treat pain.
• Even if we operate, labrum surgery is not guaranteed to resolve your issue.
• The MRI you got which indicates you might have a tear was not done with contrast, is not definitive, and if you experience pain again we should start with another scan.
• I recommend you chat with your Physical Therapist and slowly re-introduce running.

What...?! After more than a year of pain I'm supposed to run? I'd be lying if I said I had not been steeling myself for the worst news. To hear this was actually a shock.

So we did slowly re-introduce running. What does "slowly" mean? It means never running more than four times per week. It means running on a treadmill. It means the first week I ran ONE mile. The second week I ran two miles. The third week I ran three miles. You get the idea. Since flat running was always the most painful thing for my hip, I became intimate with the incline setting on my treadmill. Turns out going uphill didn't hurt me at all even when this was flaring up so that's all I did, run uphill.

And it worked. I slowly increased my almost daily treadmill run to six miles and then I gingerly went outside for a jog. Talk about trepidation! Never before in my life have I been scared to run. I just kept thinking, what if this starts to hurt again? Will that mean I'm done with running for good? Yikes. Luckily it did not hurt. And to date I'm still pain free. FINGERS CROSSED.

Did I mention that cycling dos not hurt my hip at all...? And it just so happens I have a room full of bikes, how convenient.



Ever since I started focusing on running I have still gone on several fun rides and commute to work by bike whenever the weather is conducive. So when I couldn't run at all I decided to ramp up the riding. And guess what? It was fun. And in just a few short weeks I was back to doing long rides on the weekends. And Seattle was in the midst of heat wave. Sometimes the stars do align.

Did I mention the tumor was small? And that it was on the edge of my kidney? Hence my doctor could perform this surgery laparoscopically and there was no need to slice me open and I still have most of my right kidney. So much to be thankful for.

This process has been super educational and beneficial for me. It has made me realize that for all my moaning and groaning I have it freaking easy! It isn't like I lost a leg or broke my back or got blinded, if something like that were ever to happen to me I hope I could muster exponentially more positive attitude than I did this time. And once again it made me realize that people care. First and foremost Shelley has been a rock. For sure a rock that would have been justified in rolling its eyes more than it did so hooray for Shelley. And the friends that I did keep in the loop about all this crap were also very upbeat and encouraging. I have awesome friends! It also brought my family a little closer together, my sister and my father were and are extremely sympathetic, caring and supportive.

It is WAY too early to say whether or not I'll run another ultra but that is my goal. IT'S MY STATED GOAL! :) And so far (six more outdoor miles yesterday!) so good. And here's to having the support of your loved ones and the luxury of sufficient leisure time to try.

For a change, I'm looking forward to my run tomorrow. Progress.

Technorati Tags: Seattle Running Club,Ultra Running,surgery,injury,recover from injury,recovery,hernia surgery,kidney surgery,William Criminale,Lucca Criminale,Shelley Criminale,Seattle Mountain Running Group

Recovering from hernia surgery. Again.

Who knew?

About nine months ago I had surgery to repair an inguinal hernia on my right side. That was after roughly six months of discomfort.

ASIDE - who knows how long I actually had this first hernia? Not me.

Not long after recovering from this procedure I started to experience discomfort again. I tried physical therapy (it didn't work), I tried rest (it didn't work), I tried cross training (it didn't work) and I tried warming up prior to runs (it didn't work). Finally, on a hunch, I had another ultrasound and wouldn't you know it, I had another hernia. This one on my left side. Today I had this second hernia repaired.

My friend Steven was kind enough to mock up this illustration.



I can sum up the previous 18 months pretty easily. It's going to be fun to run pain free.

Urban Float – a new level of relaxation

I tried something brand new today - Urban Float. It was awesome! What is Urban Float? It's a sensory deprivation/isolation tank, think Altered States.

I love the eerie, blue glow.

Here is what the pod looks like with a flash.

Since today was my first time I went for a little run before showing up. I thought it would be tough for me to relax for 60 minutes plus, why not do something really comfy after exercising? In retrospect this was a good idea. Being a newbie I started with an orientation video and then I was shown my room which was just like a private spa. I took a quick shower and got in the pod.

The water in the pod and air in the room is body temperature so descending into the water is almost imperceptible. You have ear plugs to keep the salt water out if you turn the room lights off and the pod light off, it is DARK.

At first I wouldn't believe that the water would suspend me sufficiently and I kept tensing my neck muscles in an attempt to keep my head but it's not necessary. This happened over and over and every few minutes I would be able to relax some other part of my body until perhaps 20 minutes in I was finally not fighting the suspension.

And the suspension is massive! A couple of times I would push my head or hand or hips down and the water pushed them back up immediately. It was like laying on a million little springs except there were no pressure points. Super fun!

When you first lie down your body is like a cork and you bounce off the pod's walls a couple of times before you settle into the middle. I'm 6' 2" and I'm going to guess the pod is a maximum of 7' long so in spite of me always being mere inches from the edge I'll cop to reaching out a few times so I could touch the wall as I lost all perspective and sense of space in the dark.

The longer I was floating the easier it was to be there. At fist my mind was racing and thinking of all kinds of things but eventually I actually tried to sleep (I wasn't tired enough) and then just let my mind drift without worrying about what was happening.

After 50 or 55 minutes some very gentle music comes on and you know your hour is almost up. I was surprised by how quick it went. In contrast, the first 20 minutes felt like an entire hour but by the end I would have guessed that only 30 minutes had passed. After a couple of minutes I turned on the light in the pod and a couple of minutes later I opened the pod up. The water is so buoyant that sitting up was not so easy…

ASIDE – after getting out the pump next to the pod turned on and started cycling the water. Just so you know it's fresh for every person.

Another quick shower to rinse off all the salt and I walked outside feeling pretty damn relaxed. It's not like having a massage, it's more like any residual stress or tension is gone. I suspect we are all constantly flexing unnecessary muscles and we don't even know it, this removes that.

I had a couple of scrapes from a trail running fall when I got in and they stung for about 20 minutes because of the salt. After getting out I saw that they provide some cream to cover cuts and scrapes. Nice. They also provide the ear plugs and super fluffy towels.

I can't wait to go back, what a great way to treat yourself.

Technorati Tags: Urban Float,sensory deprivation,isolation tank

core | bike commute | some reflection on wellness

I was able to do all of my core exercises today! Just two weeks after surgery, nice.

I think I have been posting about all my injuries but just in case here is the catch up.

About two weeks prior to getting my hernia (right side) definitively diagnosed I started experiencing discomfort/pain in my LEFT hip. Running hurt but I didn't pay much attention to it as I figured my body was just getting used to the movement again after some time off.

Then I got the hernia diagnosed, had the surgery and took more time off. I figured this would cure my left side. Not.

The very first run after my surgery my left side hurt. I took it super easy but it only got worse.

I saw Neal Goldberg at FootWorks PT this morning and we think it's my left sartorius (the same thing I injured some months ago). The plan this time is to rest and then specifically strengthen that area and then try to come back slowly. Again.

It's pretty depressing if I think about it too much and for the first time I'm starting to wonder if I will be able to accomplish any of my goals for this summer. I sure hope so.

I'm throwing everything I can at this and have started seeing a chiropractor, I'll start back up with massage and I will even try acupuncture. Hopefully all this plus doing the right exercises/rehab and stretching will finally get me up and running. Literally.

Did I mention that being active is essential to my happiness? These last two years have taught me just how true that is.

Sleep	7.5
Waking HR	4:30 AM - 45
Body Weight	6:15 AM – 182 lb.
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Nutrition
Recovery
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day
Workout Type
Weather
Course	plank 3:30 min, 2 min each side twisters 50 each side - 15 lb. leg extensions 100 back extensions 3 x 40 hip raisers 2 x 30 each side fire hydrants 60 each side side leg lifts 80 each side clam knee lifts 80 each side roman chair knee lifts 50 push-ups 14/14/14 wobble disk 3 min each leg
Results
Time	core – 45 min
Distance
Pace
Equipment	Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing

Technorati Tags: bike commute,Neal Goldberg,FootWorks PT

Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Surgery

That's what I got last Monday.

Here is some information about the procedure.

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/laparoscopic-inguinal-hernia-repair

I saw Dr. Clayton Hackerman at the Polyclinic on Broadway. This was my first surgery ever (and only my second time under a general anesthetic) and I am extremely pleased with how it went.

ASIDE - when I first met Clayton I noticed he had a bit of cauliflower ear. Since you never know whether or not this is the result of an injury or a natural condition I shut my mouth. Plus I was thinking to myself, "How did this guy have time to do any MMA while going to medical school...?" Then just now I read his Polyclinic bio and see he's a fan of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Mystery solved. :) And kudos to you Dr. Hackerman.

Here is a rough timeline and redux.

• Somewhere around 20 February I noticed things were not right. At the time I thought it was a recurrence of my sartorius injury that I had last fall.
• Two days later things were definitely not right. I had pain in my hip/lower abdomen but brushed it off. I had just logged my first 60-mile week of the year (up from 40 miles the previous week - oops) and I was feeling like things were finally starting to fall into place.
• On 27 February I saw Neal Goldberg at FootWorks PT. It took him all of 10 minutes to tell me he thought I had a hernia. I resisted... but scheduled a visit with my doctor Oren Townsend.
• What followed was a series of timid recovery runs on the treadmill and on 1 March I tried a long trail run and was in actual pain. Uncle. Time to stop running.
• On 2 March (my first bicycle commute in months!) I saw Oren and he was unsure. There was no obvious hernia that he could find with a physical exam so I scheduled an ultrasound to confirm/deny. Plus Oren felt some inflammation so I was still clinging to the tendon/ligament/muscle theory.
• In the meantime I was enjoying riding my bike. I had been missing it anyway so it was a nice change of pace. Luckily this caused me no pain whatsoever.
• On 13 March I finally had my ultrasound. The diagnosis (I thought) was tentative and not definitive. Perhaps hoping for a miracle I hopped on the treadmill one more time on 14 March. It didn't feel good.
• On 16 March I talked to Oren and he confirmed the hernia after having spoken with the Radiologist. Rats. What's next? Schedule a consultation with a surgeon to see if fixing it is warranted and what my options are.
• On 18 March I met with Clayton and I decided to get this fixed. He said I do have a hernia and it would only get worse over time so it was an easy decision. Especially since just walking was uncomfortable these days. As I left the consultation I scheduled my surgery and what do you know, there was a cancelation and I could get in next Monday!
• On 23 March I had my hernia fixed.

My experience at the Polyclinic was awesome! It deserves a more detailed breakdown.

• I showed up at 11:30 for what was a 12:30 appointment. Incredibly they were running ahead of schedule so after filling out some intake forms I was let in around 12:00.
• The intake nurse took me to a tiny closet of a room, gave me a few consent forms (the ones where you acknowledge that surgery and anesthesia can result in permanent damage and death, that sort of thing) and then after I had changed my clothes I was introduced to the operating room nurse and my anesthesiologist.
• While in the closet the intake nurse took my pulse and blood pressure and expressed concern over my resting heart rate which was hovering around 40. Yes!
• The operating room nurse walked me back and I felt like I was stepping into a lit tanning booth, it was bright! Hilariously, they were also blasting loud rock music! I wish I could remember what was playing... :)
• The operating room nurse helped me lie down on the operating table and I learned the anesthesiologist was an ultra runner! As he put the IV in my arm we chatted about great, local events.
• Lights out. I'm guessing surgery started around 12:30.
• I woke up around 1:15? I felt so good they called my father right away and he picked my up at 1:45 which was 15 minutes ahead of my scheduled checkout time.
• While in the recovery room the nurse told me to disregard the constant alarm that was sounding, it's set to go off when your heart rate drops to 35 and mine was fluctuating between 34-40 depending on how much I adjusted my blankets.

It's now two days after my surgery. Monday I took two pain pills (Oxycodone-Acetaminophen-325 tabs) that were prescribed just in case - I'm a bit of a wimp honestly and did not want to be uncomfortable. I also took some Ibuprofen Monday and Tuesday and will most likely take a bit more today. And I iced my abdomen Monday and Tuesday, that might have helped the most.

At the risk of too much information I'll also cop to taking a stool softener (Docusate Sodium 250 mg) gel cap Monday and Tuesday. That was also prescribed and let me tell you it makes total sense. The general anesthetic - and perhaps the pain medication to a lesser extent - block you up and the last thing you want to do when you have just had a hernia repaired is strain. Luckily my body bounces back pretty fast and I eat a ton of natural fiber so as of today I have a lifetime supply of stool softener in our medicine cabinet.

It's been one loooooong month since I have run! Boo. Here's to coming back properly and not dorking myself up yet again. And here's to cycling which has saved my bacon (read: fitness) more than once.

Technorati Tags: Oren Townsend,Clayton Hackerman,Polyclinic,herina,laparoscopic,inguinal,surgery

cardio | bike commute | hernia surgery update

Back to the gym in the morning for more elliptical and then off to the Polyclinic to talk with my surgeon to discuss options. After chatting he was able to fast track me so I'm getting my hernia fixed Monday.

Since my hernia is small and since I seem to have some other inflammation/issue on the right side of my hip there is no guarantee that this will relieve all the pain but it does need fixing so better now than later. I was told that this type of hernia will only get worse over time.

Gotta love those definitive diagnoses...

But in a way it's a relief. No more guessing. And thanks to my doctor and the person that bailed on their appointment so I could get in so quick. The summer is still long and I have lots of goals in the second half.

I rode home via my new favorite route again. This is such a cool way to go but you can't be super tired or the hills are too much on the single speed. These days I'm pretty fresh.

Plain old riding was getting boring so I thought I'd give teleportation a try.

Sleep
Waking HR
Body Weight	6:15 AM - 186 lb.
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Nutrition	water
Recovery
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	elliptical - 5:30 AM
Workout Type
Weather
Course	elliptical incline - 13 resistance - 13
Results
Time	elliptical - 30 min
Distance	elliptical - 3.6 miles
Pace	elliptical cadence - upper 140s
Equipment	Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing

Technorati Tags: single speed,bike commute

cardio | bike commute | hernia update

The big news is that I got a call from my doctor and after he spoke with the Radiologist I do have a hernia. I guess my hearing was somewhat selective during the ultrasound and it's actually fairly clear.

"On the Symptomatic right side, there is a broad bulging of tissue with Valsalva maneuver, including bowel anterior and inferiorly at the level of the epigastric vessel origins, which is constant with a small hernia."

The next step is to consult with a surgeon to see if this warrants fixing. Oh yeah, my PT said if I have a hernia I can't run. I guess this seals that deal. Crap.

I cheered myself up by taking pictures of bicycles on the UW campus. This gem had a frame with track dropouts (and no eyelets), a touring fork (with double eyelets), was set up as a single speed, had carbon fiber Easton handlebars and desert camouflage paint. Awesome.

I also took a new route home. It was awesome! I took my current favorite which includes Discovery Park and added Georgetown and Beacon Hill to the mix. I love it!

Sleep	7
Waking HR	4:30 AM - 46
Body Weight	6:00 AM - 187 lb.
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Nutrition	cardio - water ride - water
Recovery
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	cardio - 5:20 AM
Workout Type
Weather
Course	elliptical trainer incline - 13 resistance - 13
Results
Time	elliptical trainer - 30 min
Distance	elliptical trainer - 3.6 miles (my watch was just using its built-in accelerometer)
Pace	elliptical trainer cadence - upper 140s
Equipment	ride - Raleigh Mojave 8.0
Clothing

Technorati Tags: single speed,bike commute,hernia

bike commute | lunch run | ultrasound

Today my right hip maybe felt better?

It was a beautiful day - 65 degrees! I ran with Frank Barber again and we chatted the entire time. Man it was nice to be out in the sun. We added a tiny extra piece of Interlaken trail to our Foster Island loop. Good times.

I left work early and headed up to Seattle Radiology to get an ultrasound on my hip/lower abdomen. The goal here was to finally prove/disprove the hernia theory.

When you get an ultrasound for a hernia they keep asking you bear down/contract your muscles. the technician must have asked me to do this 50 times, it was a great core workout!

After tons of scanning the ultrasound technician said I had a bulge on the right side but that it was not super conclusive and she was going to call in the Radiologist and scan some more with her in the room. I was told I was "too fit" for a definitive diagnosis...?! I think what she meant was that I have lots of muscle definition in my abs and it was harder to tell if the bulging/movement was a hernia or normal muscle movement. Whatever. The Radiologist confirmed this (way too vague for my liking) diagnosis and I was sent on my way. :(

I will talk to my doctor Monday to discuss the results.

Sleep
Waking HR
Body Weight
Body Fat
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Nutrition	ride - water
Recovery
Injuries
Therapy
Time of Day	run - 12:30 PM
Workout Type
Weather	65 degrees, sunny, dry, calm
Course
Results
Time
Distance
Pace
Equipment	ride - Raleigh Mojave 8.0 run - Brooks Glycerin 12
Clothing	run - The Balanced Athlete Fitsok CF2, Brooks 5" Essential Run Short, Brooks Podium SS shirt

Technorati Tags: single speed,lunch run,ultrasound,bike commute

Joe Friel - The Fat-Burning Myth

http://www.joefrielsblog.com/2011/12/the-fat-burning-myth.html

This is what I'm talking about. Why do people always want to believe that lower intensity will burn more calories?

Nothing against low intensity mind you; just keep it real.

getting taped

Yesterday after work I went to see my LMP and Chiropractor and walked out with some fancy therapeutic tape on my body.

I've seen this stuff on all kinds of athletes and luckily it also works on people like me.

In my case it is just supposed to function as a reminder to maintain correct posture.

Long story short, my back is not so good and I tend to slouch; not just in my chair but when I walk, stand, you name it. In addition to striving for a neutral spine (not too bent, not too unnaturally straight) another good thing is to keep your shoulders back. The strips of tape that wrap around my shoulders are to keep them back and the strips that run up my back are to keep me from bending forward.

This stuff is SPACE AGE. The glue lasts for days even if you shower and the tape does not rollup or get rubbed off by your sheets when you toss and turn at night. The elastic is stronger than I thought it would be, it really tugs at you when you bend the way you are not supposed to.

What cool stuff this is.

I'm trying to think of a witty quip about some sort of recreational use for this tape and my mind is strangely blank.

Technorati Tags: Mobility + Healthcare

So that's why I'm always tired.

For some reason I missed my physical exam last year and it's been several years since I had any blood work so when I went to see the doctor last week I specifically requested not only the usual blood tests but also all the stuff an athlete might be curious about like iron, vitamin D, RBC, HCT, you name it.

Guess what... my numbers suck.

My nutritionist (oh yeah, I have one of those now... I'm learning it takes a team!) took one look at my values and said, "How do you even get out of bed in the morning?" To which I replied, getting out of bed had never been a problem, working out hard and recovering has... [Queue old school flash bulb going off above my head.]

Here is a sample of some of my numbers from my blood draw on 31 January.

HCT – 42.3
Normal is 39-51%
Remember the good old days (read: 1997) when the UCI set an upper limit of 50? That meant that normal people could legally dope right up to that number and not get penalized. What a retarded rule. Although not 'off the charts low', my level sure isn't helping me out any.

Ferritin (iron) – 18
Normal is 24-336 ng/ml
What does iron do? It let's your blood carry oxygen. Oh right... I was told this is extremely low even for a sedentary person. I'm trying not to be sedentary.

Vitamin D – 38
Normal is 32-100 ng/ml
Turns out vitamin D is essential for the utilization of calcium (which is why it is always associated with bones) but what else uses calcium? Your muscles. My nutritionist said this level was, "Normal, if you just want to sit on the couch and do nothing. Like most 'normal' people."

So I was ordered to run (don't walk) and buy some Floradix and double the normal dose. I will also be taking a multivitamin and supplementing that with additional vitamin D. Hoorah.

Now I am NOT a supplement guy... I could barely remember to take my anti-inflammatory pill once per day when I was treating my IT Band Syndrome this past fall. And now I will be on the juice big time. It feels like the Criminale kitchen is going to start to resemble this:

I'm always curious how much of an effect this kind of knowledge has on a person. Prior to seeing these values I had no idea I was deficient in anything other than perhaps fitness or strength. Will I now quit when the going gets tough because I now know I'm perhaps not as physically gifted as the person I'm racing against or will I try even harder just to prove I am equally capable?

I'm dying to find out. I'm also dying to see if these supplements will amount to a hill of beans. I'm going to go back in three months for another blood test and see.

Technorati Tags: blood,iron,Floradix

Guess what, you've been doing it all wrong.

Son of a bitch…

I saw my PT last Friday and was made to realize that every single core exercise I have been doing recently is being done incorrectly. I felt so deflated.

Turns out what I was calling 'core' is really 'abdominal so great for the six-pack but not very helpful for the spine. Nice.

I hosed my back about six(?) years ago and after ignoring/resting it did not help and after re-injuring it about three years ago I finally saw my doctor, had an MRI scan, discovered I had a bulging/herniated disk and sought the help of a PT.

As is probably the case all too often, patients are not meticulous enough and after time they start to get sloppy with their form and soon they are not doing themselves any good or even doing themselves some harm. I was no different. Not only was I no longer doing the good exercise incorrectly, I was also inadvertently doing 'bad' exercises meaning I was doing stuff that was aggravating my injury. F'ing hell.

So I went and found a new PT as my original one had moved on and we started from scratch. He looked at my scan and discovered that I had TWO bulging disks. Nice. He also made me acutely aware how weak the muscles were that I thought I was exercising these past two years.

Time to re-find the resolve to deal with the back and hopefully realize some improvement.

Technorati Tags: Footworks Physical Therapy

itchy butt

I know, catchy little title for this post isn't it?

So last week I finally succumbed to the overwhelming weight that is SAD and went tanning at my gym. Not such a big deal, right? Well... not if you do it right and don't boil your booty so to speak.

Eight minutes the first day felt fine. 10 minutes the second day felt okay too. After 10 minutes on day three I needed moisturizer pretty much everywhere.

So I took the weekend off and did 10 more minutes today. Bad move.

Today I can NOT sit still. My ass (which is probably covered more than any other part of my body) is all prickly and tingly. I have to consciously tell myself not to scratch myself as I walk down the hall and I'm constantly shifting in my chair. It's like one of those slow tortures that isn't really going to hurt you, it's just going to drive you insane and break your spirit.

If I were an intelligent person, there might be a few take-aways from this experience.

• Deal with it. By the time SAD starts to kick in the sun is already out significantly longer than in the dead of winter. Daylight Saving Time is just around the corner! Well, two months is a pretty long corner but you get my drift.
• Cover your ass dummy! Unless you are a nudist it's probably okay to be pasty in that region.
• Take it easy! How about starting out with tanning every other day or even every third day? What's the big rush when it's only February? Besides, this time of year there is only one person in Martin's life that will see this tan.
• Hello...! Ever heard of skin cancer? Melanoma? 'Nuf said.

Of course knowing me once I recover from this agony the pain and discomfort will fade all too quickly and I will just end up repeating this mistake next winter or later this year even. If not under the radiation of indoor cookers then outdoors on a towel. Sigh...

On the bright side the itch is just in the back. :|

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