I felt like a troll with hemoptysis yesterday during my run – big, thick legs and all. My third day running can be described with one word: brutal. That, however makes for a very short and very lame update for a subject matter expert, so I best elaborate with my language skills exactly what that word consisted of yesterday.
To bring you back up to speed, Beautiful and I both ran Tuesday and Thursday last week, but due to the physical strain on our unprepared bodies there was going to be none of that over the weekend, so we opted to heal and start fresh on Tuesday this week. Then Tuesday was still not a good day. I don’t mean “not good” as in “lazy” or “unwilling,” but precisely as in knowing that if I ran, my body would reject any sort of physical activity for a few more days and that I’d risk getting sick over an effort to get healthier.
Thursday rolled around and Beautiful was just plain wiped from work and it had been raining for hours. I decided it was a day to determine whether or not I am serious about training for the 5K in February or not, so I went out alone (big news about the 5K coming with my next post).
Run I did. Hemoptysis I had.
I haven’t had any hemoptysis since late March, so I was not happy about this turn at all! Here’s what happened: I did my opening 5-minute walk pretty briskly and got a tad further than we did on Tuesday, but the same as Thursday before I started my running. This time, I concentrated on keeping a pace that I would actually do in a 5K situation, which ended up clocking at 5.6mph, which would give me an amazing 33:22 time if I kept that pace up the whole time. I’d be more than happy with that time, and that pace is really slow compared to my 400m or even my 1600m race pace.
You see, I used to run track in Jr. High. I ran the 100, 200, 400, 400 relay, 800 relay, 1600, 1600 relay, and long jump. I will be the first to admit that, when compared to taller, stronger (and more adult bodies at the time) kids, I was not that good. I am confident, though, that I am a solid performer and learned my techniques well. I look like a pro when I run and I move along at 8-10mph at my 400m pace now and 11.5mph back then… so 5.6mph feels like I should be able to run forever.
Wrong.
I was going really strong after a minute, so I decided to dump the plan to start walking again and decided to go for two minutes. It wasn’t my lungs that wanted me to quit this time, but my knees. They were protesting after 40 seconds, and they’d had enough at 2:00 and made me dump my new plan to run a lap around that block of buildings, which I estimate to be nearly 400m. I made it about 300m after slowing considerably for the last 50-100m.
Then the nightmare started. I coughed. I spit. It was streaky. Now, I almost expected gunk after that run because I’d probably shaken up stuff from years ago that aerosols and Vest is never going to free me of. Blood was not something I expected. Not even in the least. I coughed again as I rounded the corner. Another streak… and another. After I rounded the fourth corner, I’d seen about 5 streaks when I coughed one more time halfway down the first side again and it was pure, hot blood.
Then, no more. If it hadn’t been for the color (bright red) and consistency (very fluid, low viscosity), I would have thought it was old blood that had been stuck down there, especially given that it immediately stopped. In hindsight after the next day, I’m also perplexed by the lack of streaks the next day, as is normal with any bout of bleeding of any amount the day before. Nothing. No sign that I’d bled at all.
I discontinued my walk/run after that last cough, walked in the door very upset with myself: a failure. A failure, not because I had stopped my routine early, but because my body failed me. That is worse than giving up, because I can beat my mind into submission, but there is a certain point where you can’t beat your body into submission.
I’ve made darn sure I’ve taken every ADEK dose since then (I’d overdose on vitamin K now if the opportunity arose) and made sure I’m breathing really deep during my neb treatments to get all the way down there where my lungs are having air reach for the first time in years.
Saturday will definitely see me pounding the pavement again, unless the weather pushes it to Sunday. There will be no blood. I repeat, there will be no blood.
Try not to beat yourself up about it to much, it’s still early days in your training. I think if I tried to start training to do a 5k run now I would probably feel the pain in my legs for the first couple of weeks. I know with your determination you will be back out there very soon pounding the pavements. Run Fatboy Run! 🙂
Run, Fatboy, Run – I like that! Sounds like a comedy movie, eh? Thanks,
Sean. What a pal!
Good to hear that you’re pushing yourself to run. Sorry about the blood, but doesn’t sound like it was a big gusher – good news. Have you by chance gone to a running store and had them watch you run and then pick out the proper shoes accordingly? Once I did that, much of the pain I had experienced while running disappeared.
I think I’ll be okay today, other than being sore from my shot yesterday.
The shoes in my post last week are the ones I want from Zappos. They rock!
Sounds like good news/bad news to me. Praying that you can continue your training without having any more problems.
Love ya,
Mom
Yeah, good and bad, I guess.
It sure seems odd that you’d get such liquidy (is that a word?) blood and then it just stop & not repeat. I’m with the others in saying don’t beat yourself up. Having your body let you down isn’t any more culpable than having flat tire.
Might want to ease off a bit and work your way back up a little more gradually, though. Perhaps that will let the source of the blood heal (along with your legs & knees) while not loosing the gains you’ve already made.
I think I’ll stick to one minute of running this time and increase the
sessions today if nothing happens after the first or second.
Hmmm…I am off to check my phone messages. I like today’s post much better!
I think ADEK is taking care of it, but a booster probably wouldn’t hurt until I get the old, settled junk out. Something to discuss Friday at clinic. 2 more runs before then to increase my stats. 😉
Sometimes a little scarry?
It’s only scary the first few times. After that, it’s a bothersome part of life.