running + auto immune diseases + common myths

not many people know this, but i am a runner who also suffers from an unknown auto immune disease, which began in July of 2006, so it will be ten years next year. it's kind of crazy to me, to have lived with so many different ailments for a very long time (chronic joint pain, chronic fatigue, low iron, migraines, sensitivity to sunlight, heat/cold, among other things). a while ago, i wrote the following post to answer some myths/question that i frequently get. please remember that there are many people who have auto immune diseases and their answers may be different! please be kind!

have you ever met someone with an autoimmune disease? some people are very open about what they have, while others keep it quiet. i’m somewhere in between. i don’t spill the beans about it immediately when i meet someone, but i also don’t shy away from explaining it. i even enjoy talking to others about it – not because i feel that i am special (trust me, i wouldn’t wish this on anyone), but i enjoy the chance to educate people. in particular, i tend to shy away from talking about my illness when i am running with my groupies, mostly because i don’t want to sound like a sob-story. plus, people tend to be aghast that i’m even running! i just want to look and be as normal as possible (though my body constantly tells me otherwise)!

anyways, i thought i’d list out some myths or things people have told me when they discover i have an autoimmune!

• are you contagious?! of course not! if i were contagious, i would quarantine myself to avoid giving it to others! being contagious also means i’d have something like a virus, which means it wouldn’t be a chronic problem. so when i tell you i have chronic fatigue or potentially have Lupus, don’t take two steps back! 

• you look perfectly normal! this can either be a complement or a negative to me. i suppose it might be different for each individual. for me, however, i like hearing i look like normal, especially since i feel anything but normal 99 percent of the time. however, if i’m having a flare up or a bad day, it’s the last thing i want to hear. sometimes i suffer so bad and it’s aggravating that i’m the only one who knows. internal illnesses are really blind handicaps and often, i feel bad for being sick. sometimes i feel people second-guess what i say or how i feel simply because they can’t SEE my disability. 

• how did you get something so horrible?! this is something i’d like to know. actually, i’d like to know WHAT i have, and then WHERE i got it from. if you’re a scientist or a doctor and you discover what i have, i will probably love you forever.

during a collegiate running race (my worst race ever), 2010. i was carrying quite a bit of excess weight and wasn't terribly serious about running at the time. interesting fact: i still own those running shorts...

• will you die? um, yes. but last i checked, so will you. perhaps i might die first, but who knows. 

• why the heck do you run if you have a disease? this is probably the second-most popular question i get, mostly because i run like it’s nobody’s business. back when i realized i had a long-term problem, my rheumotologist told me to take up some form of exercise (preferably swimming, yoga, pilates) to keep my joints from getting stiff. he also suggested it might help my fatigue. so what sport did i choose? running, of course! at the time, i was having trouble walking....
  
  GO BIG OR GO HOME!
  
  my rheumotologist probably thinks i’m crazy, but so what. he doesn’t have to live in my body and i will run until it’s physically impossible to do so. i can’t even count the ways running helps my illness – it gives me more energy, my joints are much less stiff, it helps my digestion issues among other things. 

there you have it. the next time you encounter someone with an autoimmune illness or something of the like, you will be more informed! autoimmune diseases are nasty and bad and horrible…but underneath the joint pain, fatigue and stuff, we’re just like you too!

2015! very serious about running and proving all my doctors wrong! also, my running friend Pam is the bomb!

i only included this photo because my leg muscles look pretty sick ;)

Mid-week recap!

Okay, I promise that despite the fact that I have NO readers, I'm still going to get on this blog train! I really miss writing!

Let me preface this blog recap of my weekend and week by saying that I just got the new Garmin Forerunner 225 and I am LOVING it. Love the built-in heart rate monitor as well as all the other features. I'm looking into doing more heart-rate training for future races (will not be employing this method 53 days -- yes, we're down to DAYS -- before my second full marathon). I'm really excited about heart-rate training.

Onto my weekend recap:

Over the weekend, we spent time in West Michigan. Saturday was beautiful, so  the Engineer and I logged 13 miles together. It was quite the run, as we slept in a tent the night before and I was feeling sore that morning. We ran from our campground to a nearby lighthouse that was at the halfway point of our run. It was so neat to stop at the halfway mark and just enjoy the scenery! Unfortunately, I have no pictures as I wasn't carrying my phone, but here are some pictures of Lake Michigan from the storm that rolled in later on Saturday/Sunday.

"Big Red" - the lighthouse in Holland

South Haven

Holland State Park

I find it amusing that people make fun of Lake Michigan because it's "just a lake" but what they don't realize is that Lake Michigan can get some pretty enormous storms that generate a lot of dangerous waves. It's very easy to get swept away in a rip tide or the current if you're not careful!

I'm not a fan of Wikipedia, but here's more info on Holland, Michigan and Lake Michigan!

Tuesday:

I jumped back into the running game and logged 6 miles with my running group and then 3 more  solo miles, for a total of 9. I don't often do solo miles after a group run, but yesterday, it made me appreciate my running group even more!

Wednesday:

Logged 7 slower miles. I have a 19 miler, so I'm trying to take it easy but not too easy. Tried to see what it was like to use the heart rate monitor on a run and boy is it interesting!

Today was also a frustrating day. My run was slower than I would like and I've been having some phone issues. Naturally, food was a good thing to turn to!

Everyone, pickle popcorn is amazing and so is Twinings Green Tea with pomegranate, strawberry and raspberry. Go get yourself some of both! My day is already looking up, so cheers!

Have you ever tried heart rate training?

Anyone else tried Trader Joe's popcorn with pickle?!

i really am a bad blogger.

i have made several attempts to post this week to no avail. at least my running fares better than my blogging!

here's my recap for the first half of this week:

Monday:

3 easy miles to start my week off. on my training plan, mondays and thursdays are considered my easy days, and i enjoy them!

Tuesday:

5.5 mile tempo run. on instagram, i wrote:

I've been really discouraged with my runs for some reason. I think it's because i always get nervous when i set really scary goals. Today i actually ran with my watch for the first time to see how all my speed and tempo workouts have either helped or wrecked my running (haha see what i mean by nervous... Since when do speed drills make you slower?!?). To my surprise, i was able to average my ideal race pace for the Dexter & Ann Arbor Half Marathon! Now maybe my nerves will finally shut up!

which leads me to Wednesday where i had spectacular hill workout that totaled at 5ish miles. i practiced running up and down a sequence of rolling hills to prepare me for my half, which will have plenty of ups and downs.

and today, thursday, i squeaked out 3 miles for my recovery run. ideally, i'd like to be able to run further on my easy days, but this morning, i had no recovery drink handy and within a half mile of starting my run, i realized i was starving. i made the decision to head home after three miles and called it a successful since anything longer than 3 miles would have been more than my schedule called for.

in an upcoming post, i plan to discuss my funky diet! between my husband and i have sensitivities or severe allergic reactions to the following: dairy, eggs, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts. we eat mostly fresh foods (veggies, fruit) and meat (turkey and chicken, no beef). because of the allergies/intolerances, many people suggest we follow a loose version of the vegan diet...but then most vegan recipes use various nuts for substitutes. but i digress. i will discuss how i work around some of that!

it's spring!

well, sort of! and i have started my half marathon training for the Dexter-Ann Arbor Half Marathon and the temps are in the mid-40's and 50's on most days.

here's my running log for the week:

Monday - 3.5 miles in the morning at race pace. 3.5 miles in the evening at a comfortable pace.

Tuesdsay - 3 mile recovery run with my sister-in-law. i got to push my nephew around in the stroller as we ran, which provided an additional challenge. it was a great arm workout!!

i also did a core workout. gotta get my butt in shape, literally!

Wednesday - Speedwork + ab workout! i did 7x400's into the wind. blah. i would not like to repeat that again, but i've been challenging myself to ignore things like wind and pain and just push myself to a new level. so i hammered my way through the workout.

Thursday - 45 minute tempo run. my stupid watch was spazzing out half the time, so i am almost completely sure i was running way too fast during the run. at any rate, i made it 5 miles in 44 minutes, and that includes warmup and cooldown. i was semi-pleased. the wind was, again, a battle, but worth it.

today - rest day and the first day of spring :)

an update: winter running hasn't gotten any better

are we all surprised?!

and i'm fighting a cold this week, so running has not been happening.

i did make it 13 miles this weekend and was hoping to make it 15 this coming weekend, but with no mileage this week, that might not be doable. we'll see.

i have decided that if it's going to be so ridiculously cold early in the morning, i will start two-a-days on the treadmill: 3-4 miles in the morning and the same in the afternoon. my body just doesn't do well mentally or physically if i'm not running. i miss it.

here's to hoping spring will come quickly!

winter running is the worst.

well, i made it down the alter.
i made it to Jamaica for my honeymoon.
and now i'm living in a cute little home.
and of course, i'm still running, i just haven't blogged about it!

i've decided though, that running in the winter is not easy. sure i'm used to michigan winters, but too much snow makes running impossible some days. so i've taken up the treadmill on days like today when the temperature barely makes it past ten degrees.

marriage has taken some adjustment. just a few months ago, we discovered that Mark has redeveloped his egg allergy which has meant a readjustment of our diet. it has been tricky, but good. we mostly eat veggies, rice, pasta, chicken and turkey. overall, the lifestyle is better, which makes me happy!

i'm hoping to start using this blog as a recipe log and running log as i train for another half and full marathon this year!

running challenge.

my wedding is in eleven days.

11 days.

in order to keep myself calm, my friend and I challenged each other to run at least six times between now and July 19th. sounds pretty manageable, right? so here's my schedule for accountability purposes:

Wednesday: 6 miles + gym time for core
Thursday: 6 mile tempo run

Friday: 2 miles

Saturday: 8 miles
Monday: 6 miles
Tuesday: 4x1200's
Thursday: 7 mile tempo run

Friday: 3 miles

Saturday: WEDDING DAY!!

i had high hopes of running on my wedding day. however, i'm having a morning wedding and with a hair appointment early in the morning, i've decided it's not feasible to squeeze in a run. but who knows. maybe my nerves will be too much to handle, so i'll run anyways!