I basically took a year off (almost) from updating this site. I wanted to just focus on learning more about myself and training, make some needed adjustments to my lifestyle (let alone training), and reset whatever habits in my life I needed to reset. Over this current year, a lot happened for me… not necessarily great.
I ran a couple more 10Ks that went okay about a month after my last post in 2023. Starting 2024 I stretched out my mileage and training volume ahead of a planned 5th round with the Vancouver Marathon that May.
And then in February I got really sick, definitely the sickest I’ve been in several years. I had planned to run the First Half in Vancouver that month but actually had to cancel the trip the day I was scheduled to fly out (which cost me a good chunk of already-spent money). I visited the doctor thinking I maybe had Covid, the flu or RSV, but he found I actually had none of the above: A similar flu-like bacterial infection was going around in Vegas, and I had gotten that. My immunity was built around being anti-viral, but it was not ready to combat a novel bacterial illness like this.
The illness took a little over a week to fully heal up (one advantage of a bacterial illness rather than a virus is that antibiotics are much more effective against bacteria). But I had to shut training completely down for that week, at the worst time for marathon training, and I realized once I restarted that at best I couldn’t get close to suitably ready for the Vancouver Marathon.
So, for the first time, I dropped down to the Vancouver Half Marathon. While not capable of getting ready for the marathon, I wasn’t far at all from half marathon condition and could comfortably handle that even if I wasn’t sure I could get into prime half racing shape. Not planning on an A effort, and being close to stretched out volume-wise, I decided to tinker with my training during the run-up and try different mixes of running and cross training.
While I finished that Vancouver half in just under 2:20, far from my best half, I had a good time this May in Vancouver and enjoyed running the rather popular half for the first time. Vancouver is planning significant construction in Stanley Park over the next few years to replace an old water main, and the course may end up changing to accommodate this (the course passes all the key construction sites), but (10/12/24 edit) for now I did create a write-up on running the half marathon. I think they can keep the same course for at least 2025, so we’ll see.
Another significant change is that my go-to Vancouver hotel, The Listel in the West End, is closing this November for at least four years so they can demolish and rebuild the property. So I also have to find a new hotel for 2025’s Marathon (yes, of course I’m going back, and I plan to run the full marathon again this time). This is my chance to try a hotel with a kitchenette, buy local groceries and cook some meals during my trip, something I’ve wanted to do on these trips. While I enjoy dining out in Vancouver, I’d like to have the option to go out rather than need to do it every meal. I do have such a hotel booked that appears to work, but it’s early and if better options materialize while I can switch I may do so.
One significant problem I had this summer is my already troubled sleep got markedly worse. I’ve had intermittent problems with what is called terminal insomnia: You can get to sleep on-time just fine, but you wake up in the middle of the night for no clear reason and can’t get back to sleep. I’ve always gotten to bed and woken up early and my schedule stayed consistent, but I kept waking up around 1-3am in the morning which left me tired during the day.
It didn’t help that Las Vegas had one of its hotter summers. While the average temperature will always climb due to climate change, the bigger problem is that the low temperature didn’t get below 80°F for weeks at a time. While my air conditioning is generally capable, I definitely noticed a negative overall affect on my sleep. My body generally doesn’t like the heat (I have family in Vegas which is why I’m living here now; I wouldn’t live in a place like otherwise).
I had been planning to run the Toronto Waterfront Marathon this fall, but given this and other struggles, I quickly decided to cancel that trip and just plan to stay home.
Good thing I did, because I then unexpectedly added to an unusual series of health issues.
- In June, a recurring issue with bad rashes on my left arm reared its ugly head and I needed a couple of weeks of antibiotics to heal that. This led to a significant pare-down in my diet: No more chicken, which for me has triggered skin reactions over the years (at least in Vegas: I notice this doesn’t happen when I’m living elsewhere). I’ve only eaten beef and fish for protein (like much of my family I have problems digesting pork), which appears to have helped.
- I’ve also had problems lately with beef here not spoiling after I freeze it, which led me back to my old Chicago practice of buying it off the shelf daily while it’s in good condition.
- A mistake by a pesticide contractor in late July led to some of that getting in my HVAC which also affected my sleep and recovery.
- I randomly hurt my neck during a workout that week too, and while thankfully that healed in a few days it certainly didn’t help me bounce back as the HVAC gradually cleared out the pesticide air.
- In mid August despite not running too much and having scaled back training, I started getting weird pains in both calves. I hadn’t injured anything (plus it would be very unusual and notable to strain both calves or Achilles), and the aches would come and go. I got worried after doing some research and discovered that this is a common symptom in the condition spinal stenosis, which occurs when something in the spinal column (an errant disk or vertebrae, a bone spur) begins pinching the pathway of some of your central nerves. While worried, given for many a condition like that never gets better, I also did additional work on spinal decompression and static/moving posture to see if that would address the issue. It might just be a minor correctible issue (I’ve hurt my back lifting before and recovered within a week: It could be an issue with that spinal disc). Sure enough, within a week the calf pain subsided and everything was fine.
I think I’m out of the woods with all of the above, and have not had any such issues since.
I got an eye exam and new glasses for the first time in a few years. Like my last eye exam, my vision hadn’t deteriorated at all and in fact the vision in my right eye improved. I actually needed glasses that weren’t as strong for that eye.
I also decided as an experiment to cut out all supplements in mid-September, and miraculously my sleep improved dramatically. Perhaps as my diet evolved and improved, the supplements had gradually become unnecessary? I had cut back substantially during summer as it was, down to basically a multi-vitamin, calcium and magnesium, copper and taurine. I’ve gradually phased out all my Hammer supplements and fish oil.
The copper (3-6g per day) incidentally helped a lot with energy and recovery when I started regularly dosing it in May after some research, and the taurine had improved my sleep quality somewhat. I had always taken the other mentioned items.
But Cronometer showed me that, without all of them, I still had my RDA of the vast majority of nutrients. Hence I tried going without the supplements for a week, and suddenly I not only slept through every night for about a week but the sleep quality was strong. The only issue I noticed was that my teeth felt a bit structurally vulnerable, which along with precaution is the only reason I re-introduced the multi-vitamin and calcium/magnesium after a week. I still dose them but now I’m more comfortable leaving some out on a day over day basis. I have had a couple of occasional bad sleep nights but have slept soundly and consistently otherwise.
So, I’ve been dealing with a variety of health issues this summer. I had to pare down my aerobic training more than I had since the Covid lockdowns, nearly all of which was cross training.
One key change this summer was doing all my cross training on the Matrix ascent ellipticals at the gym, with the incline maxed out. While still not totally sure of the exact incline on these machines, I know the minimum it can be is about 10° or 10% (it could be as much as 20-25 but I don’t know that for sure). Used at zone 1-2, roughly 4.0mph, this per Runalyze EVO2max calcs gets me pretty close to the quality of a very easy run. I’ve been able to maintain solid aerobic and muscular fitness, plus my arms are doing more aerobic work. Despite only strength training 1-3 times per week, my arms have gotten noticeably bigger, not with muscular definition but with fullness… indicating they are carrying more glycogen than before.
As the weather has cooled in Vegas this past month, I started running regularly again and sure enough… that has actually gone quite well. Despite barely running at all, maybe once a week for 1-2 miles, I had no trouble bouncing back from easy 30-60 minute runs on gently inclined terrain. The ascent elliptical is more demanding on your quads and other deadlifting muscles than a run even if the impact is far lower, so the adjustment to running was just to the impact and the extra aerobic demand rather than the neuromuscular demand. My training volume within only 3 weeks is back to where it’s typically been before this summer and I don’t feel worn out.
After years of following different training plans (including my own), Garmin recently released its own adaptive heart-rate based Garmin Coach algorithmic training program for my watch. So for a change I’m going to let it steer the ship for a while. I have no trouble bailing if it’s making things too difficult or unworkable.
The biggest challenge with the Garmin Coach is with base training easy runs, getting my typically-low easy run heart rate to where Garmin wants it to be sooner so it doesn’t score those workouts as sub-par. Indoors on a treadmill, it’s easier since the warmer indoor air gets my heart rate up more quickly. Outdoors, with the weather cooling down, my heart rate starts around 60% of max and takes some time to get to the 65-75% the Coach wants.
I figured out when outdoors that if I (do what is typically a cardinal aerobic training sin, and) start the run at a brisk pace (the labored breathing is a challenge, the actual running is not), I can get the HR in range within 3-4 minutes. I slow back down to a regular easy pace, and everything’s fine the rest of the way.
That is where I’m at right now. Since I’m not traveling this fall, I signed up for a slew of Vegas 10K’s to work on this fall before ramping into marathon training next year. Like this year, the marathon will be the only 2025 trip I plan to take. I’ll plan on being more aggressive with traveling in 2026, circumstances permitting.
