Geeze…is it here already? Seems like I just did it…

Anyway, this time around will be a little different. For the first time in 4 years , I wont be doing the half marathon at the SFM. In fact I wasn’t planning on doing any of the SFM events this year, because I wanted to save myself for the ET marathon on Aug 16th. Well, after a lot of coaxing, a friend talked me into doing the 5K. Actually, it’s a separate 5k race that they call the “progressive marathon”.

I think the progressive marathon is an event that is exclusive to the San Francisco marathon. The way it works, is that you’re put on the honor system for completing the first 23 miles of the marathon on your own prior to the race, and then you do the last 3 miles on marathon day. Hmmm …I wonder how many people actually do the first 23 miles . I think it’s basically a marketing ploy to reel in those people who wish they could complete a full marathon, but cant . Anyways, accumulating the first 23 miles was no biggy for me…Heck, I walked that much last week alone.

I’ve never done a 5 k race , because for some reason , I associate them with speed. It’s such a short distance that I think most people are compelled to do it as fast as they can ( not surprising since it is a race.) There are many runners and even racewalkers in my age group that can finish a 5K race in 25 minutes or less. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them. I ‘m stuck at one speed….SLOW! I’ll be extremely happy if I can finish in under 48 minutes. I have no experiencing in pacing such a short distance and I don’t have the lungs to just go all out, so I’m just going to walk at a moderate pace. No running , no jogging…just plain old walking and maybe some racewalking if I’m breathing OK.

It’s weird , because on the one hand, I’m intimidated by the runners who do short fast races, but on the other hand, I don’t know if I’ll find a 5K challenging enough…. at least not from an endurance standpoint. I kid you not, it takes me at least 5 to 7k just to warm my legs up. Anything under 2 hours on a course is barely a work out for me, especially if I’m breathing well. My biggest fear is that I’ll push myself to hard and burn my lungs out after the first mile.

Oh well, I guess its the whole marathon experience and the chance to share it with good friends that matters most for me. After all, this is San Francisco , this is where I live, this is where I love to walk , and this is where I finished my very first race. Love or dread the event…..I gotta do it because San Francisco is hosting.

I guess I’m still going through the break- in and sore muscle phase, cuz I’m having pain in places I didn’t even know I had muscles! But other than that, I’m enjoying my time at the Gym…it’s something different and keeps me out of the polluted and allergen filled outdoor air.

I’m currently putting in 2-3 days per week, spending an average of 2.5 hrs per visit. I’m hoping to increase that to 4 days a week after I get into better shape. On a typical visit I spend about 30 to 45 minutes warming up on the treadmill, during which time I tend to attract a lot of stares (seems not too many people racewalk on a treadmill ). After warming up, I’ll do about 30 minutes of stretching and ab work , followed by a full hour on the arm and leg weight machines.

With my current 3 day schedule I have to do both my pulling and pushing weight exercises on the same day, but eventually when I able to come in 4 days per week, I’ll split my routine up and devote 2 days a week to curling exercises and 2 days a week on press exercises. My trainer/friend Steve, thinks this is a better way to tone up.

So, how’s it going so far ? Too soon to tell. This is the first time ever, that I’ve added cross training to my marathon training schedule. Overall I feel a little stronger, but I’m more tired than usual , I’m constantly sore, and even though I’ve cut back on calories, I’ve gained 4 lbs! I’m now up to 148 lbs which is the most of I’ve weighed in the past year. My trainer thinks it’s probably new muscle forming (I actually have noticeable biceps now.) I don’t know what to think. While it’s true that I’m working out hard in the gym, I’m also walking considerably fewer miles per week, which would translate into few calories burned.
I’ll have to give it another couple months to see what happens with my weight.

On the breathing front, nothing much has changed. Whether I do short intense cross training sessions indoors, or long distance endurance walks outdoors, I’m still experiencing a significant amount of air trapping and dyspnea afterwards.

I just wanted to take up a little bit of cyberspace to honor the passing of two people who touched my life in one way or another, and to extend my condolences to the families they left behind.
One of them was a friend and fellow lung blogger , the other was the loved one of a dear friend.

First, to my friend John Kirty who founded some of the UKs premier COPD websites………. “ Breathless with COPD .” John passed away a few weeks ago from the disease he knew would eventually kill him….COPD !
I never met John in person , but we corresponded with each other on a regular basis and became quite good friends. We shared a lot of our experiences in dealing with lung disease, and I think I even wrote a personal article about asthma for his website. He wanted to make sure that he had every aspect of lung disease was covered , and he preferred that people who contributed to his website, wrote from personal experience.
We was very passionate in his crusade to get the word out about COPD in the UK , and the importance of educating the public about this disease. He accomplished amazing things and helped countless others deal with their own disease before his finally took him. I’ll miss John, he had a great spirit.

Second, to my best friend Brandon, who’s dear Grandmother passed away just a couple of days ago from the very same disease. I never met her in person either, but her passing effects me as well, because she was an important part of Brandons life, and Brandon is like a brother to me.

Though they were quite a bit older than I am, I can still relate to a lot of what they probably dealt with on a daily basis. Unlike other, more scary sounding diseases, COPD/Emphysema/Chronic Asthma are insidious diseases that take their sweet time killing you.

We can stomp out this mostly preventable disease by getting rid of the things that cause is it in the first place…..Cigarettes, Air pollution and Ignorance.

This chart represents my dyspnea levels ( shortness of breath levels ), recorded daily for the past 330 days , and is part of a year long research study I’m involved in that deals with dyspnea, it’s effect on ones ability to exercise, and the most effective ways of providing education and support to those with chronic shortness of breath.

You’ll notice in the center of the chart , there was an extended period from early November through the end of January, where I enjoyed lot of mild to only moderately difficult breathing days ( 1s & 2s on the chart) . Then , as we get into February , I’m not so lucky. My breathing gets progressively worse,and from late March to Late April, my dypnea levels shoot up in into the severe zone ( 3s & 4s), where it stays for quite a while (the #4s coincide with my hospitalizations). Finally , in early June my dyspnea levels start trending back down to to my baseline where they have pretty much remained since.

Along with my daily dyspnea levels, I also have to record all of my physical activity as well as my exercise goals . At the end of the study on Aug 28th, the researchers will analyze all the data and come to some sort of conclusion. I’ll post the findings after they’re published.

I currently have 7 pairs of racewalking shoes, 26 pairs of Defeet cycling socks ( my favorite), 8 pairs of running shorts, 35 shirts and singlets , 11 hats, 2 garmin GPSs, and enough gels and recovery drinks to last a lifetime.

First, the good news; I got the results of my latest bone density scan , and guess what? I don’t don’t have osteoporosis anymore ! Since my last scan back in 2003 , my T score actually improved from – 2.7 to -1.9 They believe that this improvement is directly attributable to my walking and daily exercise program. A T-score of 1.9 still indicates a greater risk for bone fracture than most people my age, but it sure feels good to know that my exercise efforts have helped to substantially reduce lower that risk (btw…Osteoporosis is one of the more severe side effects of chronic steroid use).

Now for the not so good news; for the last 3 months Ive been experiencing numbness in my right hand . It started out as more of a nuisance than anything else, and I figured it was probably some type of medial nerve problem ( ie.. Carpel Tunnel Syndrome). But now the numbness has spread all the way up my arm to my shoulder and it drives me crazy. Sometimes my hand gets so numb , I can’t tie my shoelaces.
Yesterday they did a bunch of preliminary neurological tests and scheduled me to hook up with a Neurologist. They think it might be a pinched nerve or have something to do with a compressed disk in my neck, but until they rule everything else out, I’m supposed to wear this uncomfortable wrist brace at night .