Joy

Managed a 5.25 km run along the Sutherland to surf course last Sunday. Sutherland to Caringbah. Just six weeks to make another 7km, I am trying to run short runs fast and long runs slow so i don't get sick. My symbicort is upped by 4X sand I am well Hurray. On the other hand I am taking daily antibiotics as a preventative. Working so far.

it's funny how the cement is hard on your legs compared to grass runs.

I got a little oxygen finger monitor and if I go too hard my oxygen goes way down. So i am taking it easier and not pushing speed so much. It measures gas in your blood by shooting a little beam of light through your finger. I recommend it to with those with dodgy lungs like me. 

Anyway I am so glad my running is back on track.

Next week I will have to try running early in the day. We have been having the best most beautiful weather here. Perfect running weather here in Sydney.

Some people have the flu already including the girl who sits next to me at work and my daughter but not me so far. Fingers crossed. 

I was up to week four of the running plan for the sutherland to surf 11 km run. the plan was based on running to a time not a distance.

Unfortunately when I started I also just got a chest infection which hasn't gone away.

week 1 1.39km and a 1.84 km 15 minute run.

Week 2 a 20 minute run and  a 15 minute run.

week 3 a 30 minute run- i only made 25 and 10 and a 15 minute run.

week 4 was supposed to be a to 15 minute runs. but because there was time off and I missed the 30 minute run last week I did a 35 minute run. I was fatigued after.  Later at the gym I had to do 2 six minute runs.

Next day I went to the specialist and felt so unwell. My blood oxygen was down to 93 usually 97. That was not a great sign. I got antibiotics instructions to quadruple my puffer.

I have to take a bit of a break from the running. I was losing a kilogram a week. My legs feel really strong but I do need to get rid of this virus. I went to the gym and went at half pace. I did feel like throwing up at the end.

so difficult to run with asthma. 

In first week in march i did 7 hours exercise in the week

In the second week 6hours.

In the third week 10 hours on the UOF course.

In the forth week 9 hours.

First week in April 5 hours. Caught the virus and slowed down.

Second week in April 4 hours exercise.

Third week in April 4 hours.

This week I thought upping the exercise may make me better. How foolish although it works sometimes! 7 hours this week and crashed and burned.

antibiotics, steroids yucky green stuff.

So difficult. sometimes running makes you better, sometimes it makes you worse. Its like going up a hill, when you get to the top you are not sure if there is another hill or if its downhill.

Well I didn;t pass the UOF but ti wasn't the fitness it was the gun drills. i got 5 hours sleep because my husband was on morning shift and then had to remember about 60 things kept forgetting some. Also my indestructible Glock wash[t so indestructible. Bits were falling off the sight, bits were falling off my belt. it was not meant to be. No second chances either thats it. I overheard them say "We don't want grandmothers on our course." Thats a bit rude, but the fellow was an ex prison officer so I suppose he learned a bit of nastiness in his previous occupation.

Oh dear. I found  a college in the city that teaches the self defence Creb marga or something like that so maybe I will start that next summer.

I was a little upset for about a day of two. Then it was a relief. I had been feeling a bit OCD and that all vanished. Less pressure to do overtime too, less danger and a good chance of a refreshing change of jobs HURRAY!

My lovely daughter hasn't had time to go to Ju Jitsu with me so its just been the gym.

I have a new challenge to go in the Sutherland to Surf run. 11 km with a few hills in it. I am on week two of the training.

I caught a cold / flu and so my Asthma peak flow is falling. It was 400 to 430 before now I am 370.

Week 1

The first week there were two small #runs. 1.39 k and a 15 minute run. It wasn't easy and it wasn't hard. My pace one day was 8.23 and the next day 7.29 per km. Peak flow was 350 - 390. I felt a lot better after the run- thats the #Bronchiectstasis.

Week 2

I have done the 20 minute run. it bucketed down while I was doing it. Cooled me down I guess but didn't do my cold any good.. Also a 15 minute run on the treadmill last night at the gym. The slope was on 2 which I didn't like and turned down. apparently thats to simulate the outdoors.

My trainer said that I can do another slow 15 min jog if i like. My peak flow is now 330 -370. I am starting to have a tiny bit of trouble with my breathing when running. Tendency to breath too hard as the peak flow goes down.

Its funny that after getting to 4-5 Km by myself I need to start all over again but this way strengthens up your legs and avoids injury.

I am starting on my third week of antibiotics and I will check in with the Dr today. I am drinking water, using salt nasal rinse. Eating well, taking symbicort 200, fish oil and vitamins.

Anyway, its all good, I still am trying to be the best I can be, the doctor last week said to me i remember when your peak flow was always in the 200s and I was worried about you. I said i remember when it was in the 100s, that was horrible. I didn't feel well last winter even if my peak flow was better.Last winter I think I got down to 230 for a time when I had the flu. Hopefully running will help with that if i can avoid the dreaded air trapping. that completely stopped me last year in winter. its very hard to unplug your lungs once they are plugged with gunk. 

The weather has been either lovely or raining. We are deluged with work. I think I need to organise a few social occasions to keep balanced of course.

I better try the butekyo breathing as well some time. I did promise my friend. I saw on the news they are trialling a new drug. That usually takes a lot of years to reach us asthmatics.

You know the biggest challenge running in the city is finding some grass to  run on. all the sports fields are starting to fill up with winter sports and its getting dark early.

Weather is so nice this week here in Sydney 27 to 28 degrees celcius. Today I did the first day of three days of first aid.

 last week I walked for a total of two hours, i danced for three (loved it) and was at the gym going hard for two hours.

This week so far  I went to bootcamp, swam for 2.6km

walked for an hour and did the strength core flex workout at home. It seems so easy now.

The plan is to go early to training tomorrow, go on the treadmill for some time and then run to this bridge and back. i think its either 3 or 7 km not sure. My trainer will time me- then do my normal 1hr class. Each week I will try and go faster.

Next week starts the UOF course. i hope I have done enough not to get injured and to pass.

I haven't had asthma or a chest infection for 10 weeks. that s a record for the last few years. Last prednisolone was finished Xmas day.

I did have a little wheeze the other day but the new #Daikin air conditioner with its great #asthma filter made it go away. so happy. Even people have coughed on me or sneezed in a car with the windows closed and I haven't succumbed. Last year I would have just got sick straight away.

I have started to go downwards if I get dehydrated so I quickly drink loads of water and get exercising. i just wish I could stay off sugar and eat more greens.

On the weekend I made Jamie Olivers Chocolate beetroot cake and a gluten free carrot cake. the Jamie oliver cake was popular at home and i took most of the carrot cake to work.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chocolate-recipes/chocolate-and-beetroot-cake  

Here's his picture - mine was solid chocolate o the top not drizzles otherwise the same. My daughter said it tasted like mud cake.

It was such a big 7 hour drive . So nice of Mark to take me to the party. However I stayed up dancing until past 2am. Still getting over it on Monday night.

We stayed at a B&B by the ocean where the lady was into raw foods. So interesting. She gave me a gluten free granola. Its got pecans, chia seeds, sprouted buckwheat, sprouted quinoa, white mulberries, goju berries, hemp seeds, date paste, vanilla, cinnamon, himalayan salt. It looks really interesting but I am not sure about the hemp seeds- would I fail a drug test  if I eat it?

I had to catch up on chores today so no running.

We went for a swim at Valla Beach while we were there= it was so beautiful in the water so warm. I did manage a quick  200 m jog on the beach, almost nothing.

So nice to catch up with old friends. our school captain was there. Her husband and she are into buteyko breathing method so I had to promise to try it again. :)

Thanks to having a wonderful trainer, a wonderful husband and amazing doctor I passed my medical even the spirometry which was meant to be impossible. I had to get a FEV C divided by FEV 1 of more than 70%. I was at 65% last year. Also all those blogs on the web helped as well. 

I stopped looking at my asthma as reacting to allergens and started looking at it as look after your immune system. SUCCESS!

Helps that its february and lovely and warm.

So I focussed on

1. environment- we got rid of old carpet and dust and got in Daikin air conditioning. I have showers to wash allergens off. code the windows when a bad wind blows.

2. Exercise to get my lungs pumping, the more cardio strength and stretching the better but it doesn't happen overnight.

3. Diet lots of leafy greens vegetables fruit, nuts and water. Find out what is upsetting your immune system. Mine was wheat and sugar and cut right back.

4. Water- Don't get dehydrated.

5. Sleep get lots

6. Stay calm- look after your mental health.

7. Probiotics and fishoil

8. Vitamins

9, Salt spray for the nose.

and for the bronchiectstasis clear your chest and exercise.

so it wasn't easy but we need to take responsibility for our own immune systems.

I have been well for 60 days although I have a cold i hoe doesn't get any worse.

I also passed the fitness test so I can go onto the next stage of UOF. Hurray!

So don't always believe what you are told if you put in a bigger effort than you think you can, you may be able to achieve what you want , even if it should be impossible.

I have been training really hard as the UOF course was coming up. I was going so well.  Today for example Bollywood dancing and an hour of boxing. Then at 5pm i read an Email from HR. I think I am getting bumped off the course for the 4th time.

Oh No..

My medical was supposed to last 12 months until late April. The course went from late March to early April. There is an exercise test called FFA before you can do it. I blitzed the FFA in November but it only lasts 3 months.  They say I need to do another medical and I am booked in on 18 Feb. Must attend. This despite the other medical is still valid for two more months. Last year the medical people send me to a specialist and who provided a letter to say I was fit and there was no reason I could n't do the course. having had asthma since i was two my lungs have changed and its affected my FEV1% of FEV C. So I fail the spiriometry usually even when iI am great. Last year it was 65.1 and it needed to be 70%.

Here is my great improvement:

30 Jan 10 Peak flow 240

30 Jan 11 Peak Flow 230

30 Jan 12 Peak Flow 360

30 Jan 13 peak flow 400

30 Jan 14 Peak Flow 470

On my peakflow meter 550 would be normal for my age. Today it was 420. A peak flow meter is a plastic device that you blow into and it moves a marker. The better you can breath the higher the score. Mine is a Asthma Check. brand. I like it because its small. i use it twice a day and write down the score in a book that also doubles for medicine symptoms and exercise journal.

I cannot get in for four months to the specialist to get a letter. By then the course is over. Also it will be coming into winter before the next course and it will be harder for me to do the next course in the cold.

They could have got me to do the FFA test in January. Do you ever feel like you are being set up?

 I ran for 20 minutes the other morning and I can run 3km easily. I have been training 5 days per week. I am strong, have a really strong core. I am fitter than most of the others. My cardio is not too bad. I have been around people with colds and haven't succumbed thats really rare for me.

They tell me I need to grapple so I start Ju Jitsu- thats been really fun and good fun for the stressed 18 year old. We both get new bruises every week. We have been learning how to fall and how to bring someone down.

I am so devastated. I don't know what to do. Imagine training for something for 14 months. Being scheduled 3 times and not being important enough. Being scheduled a forth time and then having it arranged so that you can't do it although you meet the policy.  

After I dropped my daughter to work I thought a run would do me good, cheer me up. My daughter has a driving test tomorrow and is stressed and was really cranky on the drive. Guess who she took it out on.

It was dark at the oval but there were workman in the amenities block 4 guys. I stayed over the other side of the oval just in case. When they turned the lights out completely i thought I'd better go so I had only done one kilometer.

Last time I went to the specialist and he wanted to reschedule the next appointment he said when do you know you will be sick.

Life is so strange when you can be succeeding and fail at the same time.

I hope the stress doesn't give me asthma.

All the classes are expensive but I can't get an allowance until I pass the UOF.

I am beginning to wonder if I will ever get to go on it?

Worst all the girls got injured last time. What if I make a fuss and then get injured, break a bone or fail the shooting part? or can't stand the yelling. One of the other girls broke her hand, another her foot in three places, another sprained her finger really badly and it's still bandaged four months later. The guys say one of my friends is still psychologically affected.

Maybe I am lucky after all? 

My trainer wants me to have a goal. i was thinking the Sutherland to Surf race. its 7km run in winter but I could walk up the hills.

One day I amy be able to do the city to surf- Sydney to Bondi