Polar Plunge

Wanted to put up some fun pictures of the Polar Plunge that Paul, Emily, and I did with my Cleveland Tri Club. 

It was at noon on January 1st - Lake Erie

Water Temp was 36

Air Temp was 22 with 13 degree wind chill

AND lots of snow.

Walking in - Note Water Temp

 

Em & I before the plunge

Right before the plunge, they called 90 seconds

 

Running into water - P is in bottom right (tattoos give him away)

 

Brrr, running out on the snow covered sand

 

After Plunge -I got dressed quickly

What a great way to bring in the New Year's! 

New Year and New Beginnings

Well the nine days off were nice.  I enjoyed a great holiday with family and the days off allowed me to really get some time for myself.

Christmas day was wonderful.  It was truly family time as my sister flew in from Florida on Christmas day.  We had not had a chance to be together since my final diagnosis.  It was a day of love and eating.  I received many wonderful gifts and the two items that I had asked for (which is surprising because Paul and I had decided not to exchange gifts).  My parents must have been paying attention and they got me a Suunto Heart Rate Monitor and a slow cooker.  

The hope is that the heart rate monitor will keep me in a good zone for training and keep me from getting too crazy during my workouts.  My doctor said to be careful with my heart rate getting too high (which I am still feeling out what the "too high zone" is).  If my heart rate is too high I will experience something called Uhtoffs Symptom in which my MS symptoms could become exaggerated due to high body temp.  Ironically, I am already experiencing this when I run.  Once my heart rate goes into Zone 2, the eye in which I lost sight gets worse (similar to where it was when I first lost sight).  So it was pretty funny during my four runs this week, I would lose vision and then stumble around because I could not see the difference between the trail and the snowbanks (snow is especially difficult when vision is lost).

The key to the last week off was the amount of working out that I did.  Compared to three months ago it was not much, but in a time of nothing I managed 4 runs and 1 hike this week (thanks Em).  I got my butt into working out mode again and I have a lot planned this week, hopefully my body will be ready for the Fools 25K in early April, but I am just glad to be doing something almost everyday.


I am off for my first swim in at least 3 months, yay for getting back to the grind.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving holiday could not have fallen at a better time. I needed a four day holiday to rest and really give me time to wrap around everything that has happened in a month.

Thanksgiving Day was a little exhausting. We woke up at 4:00 am to take some friends to the airport and decided it would be easier to just stay up until the annual Homerun for the Homeless. This year neither P and I were able to run, but it is a family tradition, so we had to go at least cheer on our family. It was nice to see the rain subside and the sun come out for the day. Ran into Perseverance, who I had not seen in awhile and she took a nice picture of P and I. Note the fine Thanksgiving headpiece. It was good to get out and spend some time with family and friends.

At P's uncle's house for Thanksgiving I was able to talk with his cousin more about living with MS. He has had a pretty rough time of it all since his diagnosis 12 years ago at the age of 22, but he reminded me that everyone has a different situation. Either way it was nice to finally talk to someone who has dealt with this for awhile. I am happy that I have the health that I have now, and I will work to keep that for as long as I can.

The rest of the three day weekend was taking long walks, naps, and reading. It was a much needed weekend of taking care of myself. I managed a 5 mi walk on sand run yesterday and felt like I had much more energy. I will be trying to run this evening (just one mile with a .5 mi warm up and cool down) and see how it goes.

The biggest reading that I did this weekend was the MS Recovery Diet. After doing a lot of research it seemed that a lot of people have had success with figuring out food allergies/triggers and modifying their diet. I figure, if cannot hurt, and if it helps than even better.

As this book explains, there are five common food triggers that can set off the symptoms of MS-dairy, grains containing glutens, legumes, eggs, and yeast. Yet because MS is such a complex disease, other foods play a role, as culprits or aides. The key is figuring out what triggers symptoms in me and eliminating them from my diet. I am waiting until after the holidays to start this, but I am excited to be really focusing on my health. I am sure I will see other benefits for this diet, that will only enhance my health.