Catching up!

Website was having issues and I couldn't update anything for a few day. Guess I'm the only one reading this so it doesn't matter!

Big news was this past Saturday. Cam Kelly decided to do an early version of the Medoc Mountain Meltdown 50k since he would not be running on the official day. I wasn't sure what I would do. I came prepared with supplies to do the 50k too. My plan was to check my urine every 3-4 miles and stop if blood appeared. That turned out to be a really bad plan.

Cam and I met Brian and Chuck (sorry I don't have their last names!) and started to run at about 8am. We headed out fairly slow, real slow for Cam and especially Brian, but I was fine with the pace and I believe Chuck was too. We decided to use this as a test for the "turn sheet" I had written (and it turns out it worked well.) Cam took the lead and served the group well as our "spider-web buster!

Not sure the temperature at the start but the humidity was just a little worse than inside a closed hot shower after 10 minutes! Seriously, it was super humid. I was totally soaked by mile 2. My plan to do a urine check at 3 1/2 failed. Even though I was forcing fluids as much as I could, I couldn't pee at 3 1/2! Took me to about mile 6 before I could do my check . . . everything was fine . . . code yellow!! But I was really struggling. I slowed and let the group go and by the end of loop 1 I was done. Stayed to tell Cam I was leaving as he looped back by at 11 1/2 miles. Cam promised to call me as soon as he finished

I went home, showered and took a nap. Connie came up and we hung out until about 3:15 . . . Cam had estimated he would finish by 3 pm. No call. I waited another 15 minutes. Still no call. So Connie stayed by the phone and I headed back to Medoc (a 30 minute trip.) When I got there I could see Cam's stuff still on the picnic table, so I started running the course in reverse. Found Cam after about two miles. He was totally fine, just had slowed down due to the mid 90 degree temps and the near 100% humidity.

What a day to run 31 miles . . . Cam . . you are "The Man!"

Don't know when the last time I headed out to run 31 and stopped at 8!! Guess it was the heat and humidity combined with the hills (the dreaded triple H!). At least I hope so. I have my Urologist tests tomorrow and will be releaved to get them behind me.

Not running is hard!

Without a doubt, not running is hard! Since mid last week, I've had to put my running on hold. Believe me, this definitely was not in my plans! A friend, Doug Slater, is up here at Lake Gaston this week and he and I were going to do a run this morning. And next weekend Cam Kelly and I were going to do a 50k so we could "officiate" our Medoc Mountain Meltdown 50k on August 23 (http://runmedoc.blogspot.com/).

While blood in your urine is not uncommon for runners, it hadn't happened to me in about 35 years of running. And it didn't even start on a long run! About three weeks ago I "ran" the Sweaty Butt 50k at Umstead Park in Raleigh and did fine . . . no blood at all. But the next Saturday I ran a fairly moderate 6-7 miler and was freaked out to see blood when I took a pee. (Before this I had often wondered if I would ever really know if I had bloody urine. Believe me . . . you'll know!!!). A doctor I was with told me to force fluids and that worked! But the blood has come back twice since . . . and the last time was way worse and it didn't go away for about 18 hours! REALLY freeks me out! I may try another run late this week and see how it goes.

I have some tests in early August to rule out some very unlikely bad stuff, so hopefully this time off will help me. I probably need a little time off.