Having Crohn's Disease is a constant battle of finding a line of how hard to push yourself without breaking down. I have definitely found that line. The physical stress of training for my June half marathon is starting to take it's toll on my body. The aches and pains that every runner deals with (sore feet, knee's, etc.) I can handle. The flare ups of Crohn's are a different story. As important as this half marathon is to me, I will not allow it to destroy my health. This does not mean quitting. That word is not in my vocabulary. What this means is finding that line of what my body can and cannot take. I have been running anywhere from 8 minute to 9:30 minute average pace miles and running anywhere from 25-30 miles per week. That workload is starting to takes its toll. I ran 6 miles early this morning and have spent most of the rest of today in the bathroom. I am going to take tomorrow and Friday off, with my next run being Saturday with Team Challenge - NJ. The first thing I am going to do is cut my pace back. The team typically does long runs when we train together. I am going to cut my pace back to 10:30 per mile to see how my body holds up. I will then take it day to day with my training to see how I'm doing. I will do the race in June, even if means walking it.
All of us with Crohn's constantly live that battle of wanting to get the most out of life that we possibly can, without compromising our health. It is mentally a very difficult thing to constantly deal with. The struggle of knowing that, without Crohn's, I can do the entire 13.1 mile half marathon in a 7 minute mile pace. The problem is, there is no "without Crohn's". I need to find that pace my body will allow me to go at and I will.
So, the issue Emily, Adin and I went through on Monday was much better by late in the day Tuesday, except that it did lead to a minor flare up of Crohn's for me. It was probably worse than it would have been because just as I was feeling a little better, I went out for a 5 mile run on Wednesday....and Thursday. I really didn't feel well by Thursday night and all day Friday. Cut completely back on my training and stuck to an all shake diet. The good news, by mid-day Saturday I was feeling better, the bad news was I had to miss my training run with Team Challenge on Saturday.
On a related but different subject, I need to vent. On Thursday, Emily and I went to the mall and because the flare up was kicking in, I had an emergency run to the bathroom in J.C. Penney. Now, for all of you inconsiderate ASSHOLES out there that don't clean up the mess you leave when you go to the bathroom in public, some of us don't have the time to clean up YOUR mess when we aren't feeling well. Do you leave your bathroom like that at home? One more time...INCONSIDERATE ASSHOLES!!! Ah, I feel much better now.
We went out to dinner with our friends Harvey and Jean last night and had a really great time. I've known Harvey since I'm 10 years old. They don't come any nicer than he and his wife.
Today was a lazy day. Adin had his usual Sunday morning hockey game (they lost 5-2). Two more games and then the playoffs begin. My brother came to the game with Emily and I and the 3 of us went out to eat after the game. The rest of the day was just hanging at home in sweats and relaxing.
Back to training tomorrow. I have a 5k coming up on April 15th, then a 10k the 3rd week of May to help prepare for the half marathon. The fundraising push starts big time this week. Time to raise some money for a great cause. I'm running for a cure...
Unbelievable !! As I wrote in my last post, finally, I felt great for the past 7-10 days, that is, until today. What a day today was. Let's just say, I have never been so happy to be in the bathroom over 20 times in 1 day. Happy, you ask? Yes, happy. The alternative would have been what was going on with my wife Emily and that was vomiting. As a matter of fact, my step-son Adin is also sick. With the issue of the cracks at the corner of my mouth not healed, I was petrified of the possibility of vomiting. Fortunately, that was not the case with me. Don't know what we got but the 3 of us were pretty miserable all day long. It seems every time I get my training for the half marathon back on track, it gets thrown off by something else. I really did not feel like eating, but thank God for those Myoplex Lite shakes I always have when I cannot tolerate food. They are truly a life saver. Even while feeling that badly, I was able to tolerate that.
I'm hoping that we all feel better tomorrow. If that's the case, I will start back up in training again on Wednesday. I've got a pretty long training run (8 miles) coming up on Saturday with Team Challenge-NJ and I hope to be ready for that. I am so completely DONE with not feeling well. The whole house has been on and off sick since the 2nd week of February. We are all just looking forward to a nice stretch of being healthy.
I really don't think this has anything to do with my Crohn's, but man does my mouth hurt. A couple of weeks back, when I had my sinus infection and 5 straight days of fever, the corner of one side of my mouth cracked. It was probably from being dehydrated from the fever. Three weeks later and not only has it not healed, but the other corner has also cracked. Don't know if anyone out there has ever dealt with this, but it really SUCKS!!! I have been attempting to treat it with vaseline, to no avail. Today, I "googled" it and went to CVS to pick up a topical anti-fungal creme. I am really hoping that it works...SOON!!
Thought I would get the bad news out of the way first, because the rest of the week was great. My stomach has been terrific and I am full force back into my training for the half-marathon. On Saturday, we had a family Bat Mitzvah and Emily's parents and brother Chuck got into town on Friday. We had a nice dinner on Friday night and had a terrific time all day Saturday at the Bat Mitzvah. In 2008, I lost both of my parents and it is so nice to have such wonderful, caring in-laws like Emily's mom and dad. They live in Florida so the only bad thing is I don't get to see them as much as I would like to.
This morning, I ran for the first time with Team Challenge-NJ. They train on the weekends and between having the sinus infection and being in Tampa last week, I hadn't had the chance to run with them. We had a short clinic and stretch before the run and then did a 5 mile loop around the park. I ran at a much quicker pace than I normally do because my step-son Adin had a hockey game at 10:30 a.m. and I wanted to get to the game as soon as I could. I ended up doing the 5 miles in about 38 minutes and then headed to his game (his team won 7-0). We had a nice brunch after the game. I am a little over 2 months from the half marathon and training gets serious starting this week. That means I will be extra smart about my diet, meaning lots of shakes and no "garbage".
What a difference in vacations. While my trip to the Super Bowl was a trip of a lifetime, it was also completely nuts. Too much drinking, eating and not enough sleep. That trip of overindulging knocked me on my ass for 3 weeks. I learned from that one.
I arrived in Tampa late Thursday evening (around 8 p.m.) and after unpacking and a quick food shopping run, I met my friend Frank for a drink. After a quick beer, I headed back to my hotel and was asleep by 11.
One of the things I bought at the supermarket was a box of cereal. Too many big breakfasts can affect my stomach negatively. Since I had a refrigerator in my room, I wanted to make sure and stick to my normal routine of cereal for breakfast.
Went to a nearby park to run late Friday morning. Since I began running in October back home in NJ, I had never run on a really hot day. Today was really hot (nearly 90 degrees). The park had a beautiful 1.3 mile loop. I was able to complete the loop twice, but the heat got to me at that point, so I stopped. Headed back to the room for a shake and a shower.
On Friday, the Yanks were playing a 1 p.m. game against the Braves. Think I had good seats?
Yanks won the game 3-0. I actually left after the 7th inning because it was really hot in the stadium and the one thing I had forgotten to bring and to buy at the store was suntan lotion.
Went to a really nice restaurant for dinner with Frank and his brother in-law Tommy. It was called Bahama Breeze. I had a wood grilled chicken breast, which was outstanding. Had a few vodka's with dinner. After dinner, we dropped Tommy off at his hotel and Frank and I went to a sports bar in a mall across from my hotel. We were happy to see that the Rangers were on. When we walked into the bar there was 7 minutes left in the game and the Rangers led 2-1. We weren't in the bar more than 2 minutes and the Blackhawks scored 2 goals and ended up winning the game 4-3. Not happy about that. I had 1 more drink at that bar, then called it a night. Got over 9 hours sleep that night.
On Saturday, the Yanks were on the road, therefore, no game. Frank ended up staying in my room Friday night. When we got up Saturday morning we headed to a basketball court at my hotel for a couple of games of H-O-R-S-E. I kicked his butt both games. After that I took him back to his hotel and headed back to the park for another run. This time, unfortunately, I got thrown off the course after just 1 loop because a 5k was about to begin.
Headed back to my room for a shake and shower, then headed to pick up Frank for a day at the races. Tampa Bay Downs is a beautiful racetrack.
When Frank and I go to the track, we bet as partners. Frank doesn't really handicap horses, therefore, he has me handicap and bet the races. We put equal amounts of money into a bankroll and split whatever we hopefully win. After the first 3 races, we weren't even close to cashing a ticket. I said the Frank, lets take a break, go have some lunch and a drink. I had looked at the program for the 4th race, but we did not bet it. While we were eating lunch the race went off and again none of my horses were close. At least we didn't have a bet on it. At that point, I said "Frank, I'm done, you pick the horses you like the rest of the day and I will make the bets". He was really hesitant because, like I said, he really does not handicap. Long story short, we won over $4,000.00. I am officially retired from handicapping when Frank and I go.
Frank and I grabbed a quick dinner at a Macaroni grill and I was back in my room by 9 p.m. Another great night of sleep followed.
On Sunday morning, I had some cereal and then headed back to the park for a run. This time, I got to the park much earlier in the morning, which avoided the extreme heat. I ran the loop 3 times (4 miles) in a pretty quick pace (for me). Headed back to the room, just relaxed for a while and then had a shake and got ready to head back for a 1 p.m. game against the Phillies. I was really excited for this game because it was going to be the great Mariano Rivera's first appearance of the Spring. Here is a video of him coming into the game.
I got to speak with a bunch of retired players before and after this game. Just spoke for a few seconds to Lou Piniella and Goose Gossage. I spoke to David Wells for about 5 minutes. Most of the regulars only play half the game during the spring and I saw Derek Jeter walking to the players parking lot during the 8th inning. Derek has an endorsement deal with Ford and does a zillion Ford commercials. When he got to his car, it was a probably $200,000.00 Mercedes. As he opened the door, I yelled, "Derek, I knew you didn't drive a Ford". He laughed.
That night Frank, Tommy and I went to the Hard Rock Casino and had a great dinner at Council Oaks. I had twin South African Lobster Tails and other than the rash I got (shellfish thing, I guess), dinner was outstanding. Back in the room by 11 p.m. and another great night of sleep followed.
Yesterday, my flight was not until 7:45 p.m. so I just spent the day relaxing. Rather than running, I worked out in the hotel gym. Spent most of the rest of the day relaxing poolside (yes, by this time, I did pick up some suntan lotion). Got to the airport a little after 6 and was home in bed by 11:30 p.m.
Today is catch up day. Unpacked, went through all the mail and ran a bunch of errands. Looks like I brought the Florida weather to New Jersey because it hit 80 degrees here today. Went for a 3 mile run in the afternoon. I have a real busy weekend coming up, but I'm going to try and meet up with my fellow Team Challenge NJ runners early on Sunday for a 9 mile run.
Anyway, took care of myself a lot better on this vacation and the results speak for themselves...I feel great !!
I talk about quality of life quite often. In my opinion, it is the single most important thing in all of our lives. For all of us with Crohn's it's obviously more difficult to have as much quality in our lives as healthy people. That is why it is imperative that we take advantage of the times we are feeling well, to do things that give us pleasure.
I am heading to Tampa tomorrow for 5 days of Yankee spring training. Sports is my passion and baseball has always been my favorite. I still have a copy of my 6th grade report card where my teacher wrote a note to my parents telling them that in the spring of that year when she saw me staring out the window and not paying attention in class she asked me what I was doing. I said "I was thinking about playing baseball because it was finally nice outside". Yep, baseball has always been my favorite. Going to a couple of games and will also head over to the stadium to check out some workouts.
I have been feeling great since that strange episode last week with the vomiting. Been back running and working out on a regular basis. Knowing that this trip is upcoming, I have been especially careful with my diet.
My point is, us Crohnies need to take advantage of the times we are feeling well to add to the quality of our lives. I certainly do.
I have had Crohn's disease for 42 years and I have a really good handle on what works for me. I really need to emphasize the word ME. This disease is different for everyone. I see many books on diets for Crohn's. I also see many diets pushed on social media sites, such as Twitter. I am sure there are some general principles that people with Crohn's can learn from in all of these diets, however, you need to do what works for you. I had a really bad day on Thursday and I knew what the best plan of attack for me would be on Friday. Nothing solid. When I give my intestines complete rest, they respond positively. I did my Myoplex Lite shakes all day on Friday and sure enough, snapped right out of my funk. Other than being a little tired, having sore stomach muscles and throat from vomiting, I feel completely better today. Although I feel better, I was still very careful with my diet today. Again, for me, that means a combination of shakes and very easy to digest foods. I want my intestines to have to do as little work as possible. Also, I will not push myself physically until I am a couple days removed from not feeling well. I may go for a run tomorrow based on how I feel in the morning.
I cannot emphasize enough how careful everyone needs to be with these "diets". Do not jump in and completely change what you are doing. Try things out and see what works best for you.
What a great start to the week ! Started back running on Monday and was able to run 2 miles at a decent pace. On Tuesday, I did a double. I ran 1.5 miles in the morning, then went to the gym late afternoon to lift weights. On Wednesday, I ran 3.5 miles, feeling like I was nearing where I was before coming down with the nasty sinus infection. Everything changed, starting Wednesday night.
When Emily came home from work, we decided to go out to eat at a local diner. Typically, when I go to a diner, I eat "diner food" (i.e. breakfast, burgers, club sandwiches). I decided to try one of the "chefs specialties" on Wednesday. It was called "Ritz Cracker Chicken". This is a chicken breast coated with crumbled ritz crackers with a butter lemon sauce. I'm feeling nauseous just writing this. I had planned on taking off from working out today, however, I didn't have this in mind. I woke up this morning with pain in my abdomen. As the day wore on, it got progressively worse. When Josh came home from school at 2:30 p.m., I had to take him for an orthodontist appointment. I was feeling really miserable by then and knew what was about to happen. Last April, when Emily and I were in Florida, the same thing happened to me. My body was about to violently reject last nights meal. I didn't even go into the orthodontist office with him, because I didn't want to get sick in the waiting area. When we got back home around 3:15 p.m., I went directly upstairs to the bedroom and began a 4 hour hell of non-stop vomiting. This is the 2nd time in my life that I have reacted this way to a meal. There was a 3rd time, but that was nowhere near as bad as today and Florida last year. I really don't know if it is Crohn's or some type of food poisoning (I'm guessing the latter). When the vomiting stopped around 7:30 p.m., the diarrhea started and did not stop until around 3:30 a.m. I feel like I've been beaten with a club. Tomorrow will be a day of shakes and relaxation.
