Training with Flies

I did complete the 9 miles on Wednesday, the 4th. Temp was in the 57 degree range.  It wasn't a great run, but it was 9 miles.

Friday, I tried to do 6, but the muscles had some trash in the lines.  I got about 1.3 miles.  So, no 9 on Monday, the 9th.  I'll have to do a couple of 3's, next week.  Not the greatest situation to be in for a race on the 15th, but I'm in better shape than last year.  Last year, I did the first 7 and walked the rest.  This year, running the whole thing will be very, very nice and can do it, if there's some cooperation from the weather.  That looks like 46-50 at the start.  Clear skies (boo) and probably 64 at the end.  45 is seasonal.  Race day will be in the middle of 5 sunny days, so there's not much chance of a big change.  Maybe the High pressure will lolly gag around, so the north wind will stick around and keep it cooler than 45.

Thanks for ready.

ounce wrote:I did complete the 9 miles on Wednesday, the 4th. Temp was in the 57 degree range.  It wasn't a great run, but it was 9 miles.

Friday, I tried to do 6, but the muscles had some trash in the lines.  I got about 1.3 miles.  So, no 9 on Monday, the 9th.  I'll have to do a couple of 3's, next week.  Not the greatest situation to be in for a race on the 15th, but I'm in better shape than last year.  Last year, I did the first 7 and walked the rest.  This year, running the whole thing will be very, very nice and can do it, if there's some cooperation from the weather.  That looks like 46-50 at the start.  Clear skies (boo) and probably 64 at the end.  45 is seasonal.  Race day will be in the middle of 5 sunny days, so there's not much chance of a big change.  Maybe the High pressure will lolly gag around, so the north wind will stick around and keep it cooler than 45.

Thanks for ready.

Hope you enjoy the race.  I know it's not the ideal situation but make the best of it and have fun!

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:I did complete the 9 miles on Wednesday, the 4th. Temp was in the 57 degree range.  It wasn't a great run, but it was 9 miles.

Friday, I tried to do 6, but the muscles had some trash in the lines.  I got about 1.3 miles.  So, no 9 on Monday, the 9th.  I'll have to do a couple of 3's, next week.  Not the greatest situation to be in for a race on the 15th, but I'm in better shape than last year.  Last year, I did the first 7 and walked the rest.  This year, running the whole thing will be very, very nice and can do it, if there's some cooperation from the weather.  That looks like 46-50 at the start.  Clear skies (boo) and probably 64 at the end.  45 is seasonal.  Race day will be in the middle of 5 sunny days, so there's not much chance of a big change.  Maybe the High pressure will lolly gag around, so the north wind will stick around and keep it cooler than 45.

Thanks for ready.

Hope you enjoy the race.  I know it's not the ideal situation but make the best of it and have fun!

Thanks, Nancy.  I'll do fine, not as well as if the starting temp was 40, but others will be sucking bad gas more than I will.  As of today, the starting temp will be 50 +/-2 degrees and it'll be 70 when I finish around 11:15 CT.  My volunteer effort on Saturday will have a starting temp of 40.  As Saturday moves along, the south wind off the Gulf will be flowing and bringing in humidity that will be in place in spades on Sunday.  At least the breeze will be in the 15-20 mph range.  Running south occurs in the first 10K, then it's either running north or east for the last 11K.  Crosswinds aren't bad, as it can counter the sun to some degree.  This will be the first race that I will be wearing a sleeveless shirt as the only layer.  Clouds will be very welcome.

Yesterday, I ran 3 miles at a 158 cadence (+1 above last week) and it went well.  14:50 pace or so.  The breathing was a liiiitle labored, but that didn't worry the heart!  No, ma'am.  It was asleep in the hammock at 122 bpm average.  

I am SO chomping at the bit to get back to lifting.

I will probably run 4 miles in the morning.  It'll be in the 60s.  That'll be my last run until Sunday.  Saturday's volunteering will count as a short run, just for staying on my feet for 4 hours or so.  I pick up my packet, when my duties are finished.

Thanks for stopping by this episode of TAPER GLADNESS.

Thinking of you as one of my running training buddies and my coach are both running the Houston full.   My running buddy is not thrilled by the prospective weather, but I tried to convince her not to worry about what we cannot control.  After all that worked for me in NYC where the weather was absolutely miserable.

Good luck on Sunday and volunteer well on Saturday!

I hope it goes well! Taper Gladness is a new phrase to me! 

Eliana wanted to share these:

Julie wrote:I hope it goes well! Taper Gladness is a new phrase to me! 

Eliana wanted to share these:

Thanks, Julie.  Taper Gladness is a new phrase played off of Taper Madness.  We've all here graduated past Taper Madness and buried it.

Eliana has fine taste in emoticons!  Happy to have her brighten up the place however you allow and she like.

-30-

So the morning weather at 4:11 a.m. CT is showing the following for 100 miles around Houston:
96%-100% humidity 
Generally southeast or south-southeast breeze 3-8 mph  
Temps at 46-60 degrees, but close to downtown at 53-55 degrees.
Clouds are partly cloudy to overcast 

So downtown at 8 (when I cross the timing mat), I'm thinking a quick warm up to 60 by 9 (mile 4), but the cloudy skies and SE winds will do its best to keep me as cool as 65 degrees will allow.  I'll appreciate the unobstructed cross-breeze for miles 11 and 12 with an accelerated wind tunnel effect within the grand buildings of downtown to the finish line.  

Once I leave here for the 10 minute drive downtown, weather won't be a concern.  I'll adapt the best I can, knowing full well that this weather is not new to me.  Three hours 15 minutes is the target.  That's a 14.88 minute pace, so 15 minutes for 13.1 miles.  I figure to clock 13.25 miles, which makes it a 14:44 pace.  I plan on running the whole thing, except for pee breaks and an occasional walk through a water station.

I'll see how it goes.

thanks for stopping by.

I finished the race on Sunday.  I really felt sorry for those people that finished after I did, whether the full or the half.  When I finished at 11:15, it was 71 degrees & mostly sunny.  My target was 3:15 and I finished in 3:26:56.  This was about 3 or so minutes slower than last year, but it was 20 degrees warmer than last year.  I ran or plodded all, but about 100 yards.  

I had never seen so many people that were dressed for this race, as if it was March weather, which it was.  Sleeveless was the general shirt of choice.  The first 10K was easy as running for me goes, but before the first 5K timing mat, I knew this was the best weather of the day.  The cloudy skies gave way to fewer clouds and a warmer wind.  The south breeze up to that point was cool, as all of that cold air that went through Houston on Thursday into the Gulf, was still cold out of the south when I left home about 5:40 a.m. on Sunday.

By the 15K mat, I was getting hotter and going slower.  I was less efficient at dissipating the heat to the degree that at the 10 mile aid station, I got a volunteer to fill my bottle, then douse my head with water.  That helped, but I was still plodding along.  I forgot that getting my gnome wet would silence it.

By 19K (I usually will follow the Km signs, rather than the mile signs in a race), there was this 30-something girl with pink hair that looked like I could keep up with, if I sped up.  She ended up going faster than I thought, but I still sped up heading into downtown.  My gnome kicked in and I was off (relatively speaking).  As I entered downtown, there was a 45 second or so cool headwind for us.  Didn't last long enough, though.  But I was moving as fast as I was in the first 5K.  I never caught her, but she wasn't pulling away from me, neither.

In the last 1/4 mile, I looked at my HR and it was hitting 158.  The Garmin said I clocked a 13:22 for the 13th mile, almost a minute faster than any earlier split.  I caught up to the girl with the pink hair and thanked her for being the rabbit.

So that's my 6th Houston Half official finish (I thought it was 7, but I was wrong).  I have 9 fulls.  I'd love to get another full, so I'd have 10 and achieve Legacy status.  But it won't happen without losing a bunch of weight, first.  

And a cold race day, too.  I plan on registering for next year's Half, this month.

Thanks for reading.

Forgot a couple of things on the race.  Other than heat, there were no physical issues during the race.  Afterwards, it was the usual stiffness for sitting too long, including Monday.

This morning, I went and lifted for an hour.  I've lost about 10% of lifting the pounds ability.  I was there for a full hour, as I resumed my usual 3 sets of 6.  I added a body-weight routine.  Lunges.  I tried to do them on the basketball court by going sideline to sideline.  Made it almost to the other side's 3 point top of the arc line.  Left quad is definitely weaker than the right because I'll usually push off the right quad to stand up from one knee on the ground.

I haven't figured out what my weekly schedule for exercising will be, but 3 runs and 2 lifts seems to be a good place to start.  I'd like the ability to keep running a 9 miler each week or every other week.

I'll just have to see how I can do what I want to do.

Yesterday, I was targeting a 3 mile run.  That didn't happen.  It turned into a 3/4 mile run followed by 1-1/4 mile walk.  Did I mention it was 71 degrees at 5 a.m.?  Anyway, the legs were trying to help, but they could only do so much.

During the afternoon, a cold front arrived and dried out the air.  It was 55, this morning, with dew point at 32.  We're supposed to be closer to our 64 degree seasonal for the next 10 days.

This morning, I lifted again for a little more than an hour.  Worked again on lunges and tried a couple of new machines.  Next week, I think I'll be able to cut in half that 10% reduction in ability.  Feels so good to lift weights again.

Tomorrow, I'll see if I can run 2 miles, rather than 3.

Sorry to hear that the weather did not cooperate on race day.  But it was nice to hear that you finished and finished well.  Thank goodness for the pink hair rabbit, a few minutes of cool breeze, a restarted gnome...and the determination that you showed!

Glad to hear you had no serious lingering physical issues after the race and that you're back to lifting.  I'm sure the legs will wake back up and carry you through a run shortly.

I had the "opportunity" to run on warm humid days a couple times during my travels.  I have a whole new level of respect for the conditions that you run in!!

Take care.

Nice work Doug.  I'd say you handled the weather well.   My training partner managed her BQ with a 4:03 and change, but that only leaves her less than 2 min for Boston 2024.  Who knows what that means as everyone got in this year, but you never know.    I think you had the right approach for sure.  She psyched herself out days before rather than forgetting about it and just going with the flow.   So many did the same in NYC whereas I just went with how I felt in the weather and kind of just forgot about it.

I think your schedule of 3 runs and 2 days in the gym is a perfect balance of cardio and strength.   Keep up the good work.

Just heard there was a catastrophic tornado in the Houston area today.  Hoping you are safe and well.

nkrichards wrote:Just heard there was a catastrophic tornado in the Houston area today.  Hoping you are safe and well.

Yes, ma'am, I'm doing fine.  Thanks.   The tornado(s) that got the coverage were 15-20 miles from me.

 The power at the apt complex went out about 6 hours after all of the weather cleared out to the east into Louisiana.  Yes, you read that right.  Never been able to figure out why that happens, but it's the homes and businesses too, not just the complex. 

I'm typing this in the dark at 4 a.m. CT.  I have sleep apnea and I don't sleep much without my CPAP.

Houston doesn't get bad tornados, usually.  EF0-EF1 because we have so much humidity and EF4s and EF5s require dry air colliding with moist Gulf air.  Julie is a better candidate for those.  Most now get bad in northern Mississippi and Alabama.

But we may eek out an EF3 because of the type of damage and its debris track.  Quite interesting to me to follow on live TV, when it's not heading towards me.

So, I'll try to steal a couple of naps between now and sunrise or when the power comes on, whichever comes first.

To close the tornado story from last Tuesday, the worst tornado was indeed an EF-3, which is a rare occurrence in the Houston area.  My power came back on about 45 minutes after I posted the last report.  Nobody died and a handful of injuries.  Credit for the low number of injuries goes to the fact that the school day was not over and schools went on lockdown, when the "Tornado Emergency" was broadcast.

-30-

I ran 3 miles on Thursday at Memorial Park at a pace of 14:21 and 3 miles on the streets at a 15:21 pace, this morning.  So, why may there be a full 1 minute per mile pace difference?  Temperature.  Thursday's temp during the run was 40 degrees.  This morning, it was a muggy 66 degrees.

Such is life.  I won't be able to run or lift on the weekends again until the Fall.

I also lifted twice, last week.  I'll go lift tomorrow.  

Come back and see us!

Sunday came and went, as did the temperatures.  We had a cold front blow by on Monday that brought rain and colder temperatures, but not below 32 degrees.  That distinction was left to north and west of Houston in the form of an ice storm in the central part of the state.  In fact, there was a report that the Metroplex (the Dallas/Fort Worth area) saw more snow yesterday than New York City has seen in the past 320-something days.

And it's still cold and wet (not frozen), here.  We might get to 41 here, which is below the seasonal low temp by about 5 degrees.  But I love the cold because of the Summers.

Monday, I lifted for about 60 minutes or 20-30 minutes longer than during running season.  Did that this morning, too.  

Yesterday afternoon, I ran.  It was 37 degrees with a 30 wind chill, but not wet.  Had 3 shirt layers, gloves, a knitted cap, but no long tights.  Just shorts.
I knew I would be running faster than Sunday's 15:21, 66 degree, 3 mile run.

So, I drove up to Memorial Park for this almost blustery run.  I knew I had started out faster, yet it was still to be determined if I could hold on to that.  I was at a 157 cadence.

3 miles, 41:36, 13:50 pace, 131 avg HR, 157 avg cadence
1.  14:12, 127 bpm
2.  13:41, 132 bpm
3.  13:33, 133 bpm

I really can't remember the last time I ran 3 miles at less than a 14 pace.  Usually when I run, I don't run conversationally, even on a long run.  On this run, I might could say 2 words per breath.  I think other runs would be in the 4-5 word breath.  I can always blurt out a "How y'all doing?"  Not yesterday.  I was very pleased with the run.  Very pleased.

Supposed to be 71 on Sunday.  Thanks for stopping by.

ounce wrote:Sunday came and went, as did the temperatures.  We had a cold front blow by on Monday that brought rain and colder temperatures, but not below 32 degrees.  That distinction was left to north and west of Houston in the form of an ice storm in the central part of the state.  In fact, there was a report that the Metroplex (the Dallas/Fort Worth area) saw more snow yesterday than New York City has seen in the past 320-something days.

And it's still cold and wet (not frozen), here.  We might get to 41 here, which is below the seasonal low temp by about 5 degrees.  But I love the cold because of the Summers.

Monday, I lifted for about 60 minutes or 20-30 minutes longer than during running season.  Did that this morning, too.  

Yesterday afternoon, I ran.  It was 37 degrees with a 30 wind chill, but not wet.  Had 3 shirt layers, gloves, a knitted cap, but no long tights.  Just shorts.
I knew I would be running faster than Sunday's 15:21, 66 degree, 3 mile run.

So, I drove up to Memorial Park for this almost blustery run.  I knew I had started out faster, yet it was still to be determined if I could hold on to that.  I was at a 157 cadence.

3 miles, 41:36, 13:50 pace, 131 avg HR, 157 avg cadence
1.  14:12, 127 bpm
2.  13:41, 132 bpm
3.  13:33, 133 bpm

I really can't remember the last time I ran 3 miles at less than a 14 pace.  Usually when I run, I don't run conversationally, even on a long run.  On this run, I might could say 2 words per breath.  I think other runs would be in the 4-5 word breath.  I can always blurt out a "How y'all doing?"  Not yesterday.  I was very pleased with the run.  Very pleased.

Supposed to be 71 on Sunday.  Thanks for stopping by.

I knew our cold weather...temps at or below zero for a couple days...headed your direction after leaving here.  Looks like you were on the edge of it.
Good to hear you got in a nice cool...cold...run.  I actually enjoy cold running, within reason of course.  The fact that it gave you an opportunity to log a nice fast paced run and more importantly get your HR up was a bonus.  Goes to show what you could be doing on a regular basis if you had the conditions I have on most days.

No promises but I'll try and stop in more often.

This week has been mostly good.

The following is what kept the week (so far) from being great.
Since December 20, I've been having some dizziness.  The flavor where it occurs when I lay down, like for bed.  Last for 10 minutes and re-occurs when I get up.  Then abates after about 10 minutes.  If I get up a couple of times during the night, it takes about 20 minutes.

So, I thought it was related to my lack of potassium (I had been ceasing the daily dosage to see what happens).  I re-started it and after a week, the dizziness was abating, but reached a plateau and not back to baseline.  I added a 1/4 tsp salt.  That helped.  But after the Half, I concentrated on figuring out what tweaks I could do.  

I could bend over and pick something else, if I dropped a phone, for example.  Laying down, then getting up and standing up was the pickle.  After 10 or so minutes, I could get my running stuff on and hit the road.  No issue.

The REAL issue came when I re-started lifting.  I could not do any lifting where my head was further back than 40 degrees (where 0 degrees is sitting or standing straight up).  I'd get dizzy and grip the bench.  No traditional bench press, incline, nor decline bench press.

So this week, I made an appointment with the ENT that I saw, when my right ear quit working about 11 years ago.  Saw him today.

Turns out it's very common and he sees 1 patient a day with my condition.  It's called Positional Vertigo or BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo).
The vestibule in the inner ear is the location.  When laying down or tilting the head back, little crystals get loose into the posterior semi-circular canal and THAT causes the vertigo.

He gave me a 2 page sheet of exercises that help the vestibule thereby alleviating the problem over the next 3 weeks.  I'll be cured, when I can do the bench press again.

To give you a visual picture of the crystals and what it looks like, think of a snow globe.  After the vertigo stops in the mornings and for the whole day, the snow in the snow globe is resting on bottom.  But when I wake up, it's been shaken and the vertigo doesn't abate until the snow is on the bottom again.

That's that.

-30-

Monday, I had a really nice run of 4 miles at a 14:15 pace in 60 degree weather.
Tuesday, I lifted for an hour, finding different machines to do the 3 types of bench press that I do, plus other things.
Wednesday, it was about 70 degrees at 5 a.m., so I went lifting again for about 30 minutes on different routines than on Tuesday.
Thursday, it was 45 degrees at 5 a.m. and I ran another 4 at a 15 minute pace.
Tomorrow?  Well, thinking of running, but will probably lift.  

I'll be tired after either workout.  Y'all have a good weekend.

ounce wrote:This week has been mostly good.

The following is what kept the week (so far) from being great.
Since December 20, I've been having some dizziness.  The flavor where it occurs when I lay down, like for bed.  Last for 10 minutes and re-occurs when I get up.  Then abates after about 10 minutes.  If I get up a couple of times during the night, it takes about 20 minutes.

So, I thought it was related to my lack of potassium (I had been ceasing the daily dosage to see what happens).  I re-started it and after a week, the dizziness was abating, but reached a plateau and not back to baseline.  I added a 1/4 tsp salt.  That helped.  But after the Half, I concentrated on figuring out what tweaks I could do.  

I could bend over and pick something else, if I dropped a phone, for example.  Laying down, then getting up and standing up was the pickle.  After 10 or so minutes, I could get my running stuff on and hit the road.  No issue.

The REAL issue came when I re-started lifting.  I could not do any lifting where my head was further back than 40 degrees (where 0 degrees is sitting or standing straight up).  I'd get dizzy and grip the bench.  No traditional bench press, incline, nor decline bench press.

So this week, I made an appointment with the ENT that I saw, when my right ear quit working about 11 years ago.  Saw him today.

Turns out it's very common and he sees 1 patient a day with my condition.  It's called Positional Vertigo or BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo).
The vestibule in the inner ear is the location.  When laying down or tilting the head back, little crystals get loose into the posterior semi-circular canal and THAT causes the vertigo.

He gave me a 2 page sheet of exercises that help the vestibule thereby alleviating the problem over the next 3 weeks.  I'll be cured, when I can do the bench press again.

To give you a visual picture of the crystals and what it looks like, think of a snow globe.  After the vertigo stops in the mornings and for the whole day, the snow in the snow globe is resting on bottom.  But when I wake up, it's been shaken and the vertigo doesn't abate until the snow is on the bottom again.

That's that.

-30-

Monday, I had a really nice run of 4 miles at a 14:15 pace in 60 degree weather.
Tuesday, I lifted for an hour, finding different machines to do the 3 types of bench press that I do, plus other things.
Wednesday, it was about 70 degrees at 5 a.m., so I went lifting again for about 30 minutes on different routines than on Tuesday.
Thursday, it was 45 degrees at 5 a.m. and I ran another 4 at a 15 minute pace.
Tomorrow?  Well, thinking of running, but will probably lift.  

I'll be tired after either workout.  Y'all have a good weekend.

So...you have rocks in your head...as my doctor describes it.

I recognized your symptoms right away.  It's been several years since I was diagnosed with BPPV.  The exercises helped and I'm able to pretty much do all normal activities but it is always lurking in the background.  Certain activities cause minor symptoms to reappear.  I can and do usually recognize the problem and if I stop doing whatever is aggravating it I'm fine.  I know that I can't do flip turns in the pool or it will be really bad.  I know that I need to be cautious about activities that require me to tip my head back like the lifting.  I just have to be aware and proactive and I'm fine.  For me it's manageable but still lurking in the background.

Hope the exercises help and that you're back to lifting and all activities soon.

Have a good morning at the gym and enjoy your weekend.

nkrichards wrote:

ounce wrote:This week has been mostly good.

The following is what kept the week (so far) from being great.
Since December 20, I've been having some dizziness.  The flavor where it occurs when I lay down, like for bed.  Last for 10 minutes and re-occurs when I get up.  Then abates after about 10 minutes.  If I get up a couple of times during the night, it takes about 20 minutes.

So, I thought it was related to my lack of potassium (I had been ceasing the daily dosage to see what happens).  I re-started it and after a week, the dizziness was abating, but reached a plateau and not back to baseline.  I added a 1/4 tsp salt.  That helped.  But after the Half, I concentrated on figuring out what tweaks I could do.  

I could bend over and pick something else, if I dropped a phone, for example.  Laying down, then getting up and standing up was the pickle.  After 10 or so minutes, I could get my running stuff on and hit the road.  No issue.

The REAL issue came when I re-started lifting.  I could not do any lifting where my head was further back than 40 degrees (where 0 degrees is sitting or standing straight up).  I'd get dizzy and grip the bench.  No traditional bench press, incline, nor decline bench press.

So this week, I made an appointment with the ENT that I saw, when my right ear quit working about 11 years ago.  Saw him today.

Turns out it's very common and he sees 1 patient a day with my condition.  It's called Positional Vertigo or BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo).
The vestibule in the inner ear is the location.  When laying down or tilting the head back, little crystals get loose into the posterior semi-circular canal and THAT causes the vertigo.

He gave me a 2 page sheet of exercises that help the vestibule thereby alleviating the problem over the next 3 weeks.  I'll be cured, when I can do the bench press again.

To give you a visual picture of the crystals and what it looks like, think of a snow globe.  After the vertigo stops in the mornings and for the whole day, the snow in the snow globe is resting on bottom.  But when I wake up, it's been shaken and the vertigo doesn't abate until the snow is on the bottom again.

That's that.

-30-

Monday, I had a really nice run of 4 miles at a 14:15 pace in 60 degree weather.
Tuesday, I lifted for an hour, finding different machines to do the 3 types of bench press that I do, plus other things.
Wednesday, it was about 70 degrees at 5 a.m., so I went lifting again for about 30 minutes on different routines than on Tuesday.
Thursday, it was 45 degrees at 5 a.m. and I ran another 4 at a 15 minute pace.
Tomorrow?  Well, thinking of running, but will probably lift.  

I'll be tired after either workout.  Y'all have a good weekend.

So...you have rocks in your head...as my doctor describes it.

I recognized your symptoms right away.  It's been several years since I was diagnosed with BPPV.  The exercises helped and I'm able to pretty much do all normal activities but it is always lurking in the background.  Certain activities cause minor symptoms to reappear.  I can and do usually recognize the problem and if I stop doing whatever is aggravating it I'm fine.  I know that I can't do flip turns in the pool or it will be really bad.  I know that I need to be cautious about activities that require me to tip my head back like the lifting.  I just have to be aware and proactive and I'm fine.  For me it's manageable but still lurking in the background.

Hope the exercises help and that you're back to lifting and all activities soon.

Have a good morning at the gym and enjoy your weekend.

I was very glad that it was an easy to fix thing.  The doc was laying me down in the exam chair and turning my head left, then right, to see which side or both was affected.  I didn't feel something until I was raising by up.  He really jumbled up those 'rocks' by doing that exam.  After he left and I was walking to the lobby, I was feeling the vertigo.  I had to sit in a chair in the lobby for about 10 minutes, so the snow would drop to the bottom and I could go home.

I do believe that jostling spurred a faster recovery because I took a nap around 6 p.m., yesterday, until 7.  When I woke up, there was zero vertigo.  
This morning, very little.  So, I decided that after I finish lifting, I would do the exercises on a bench.  I first tried the incline bench press.  I looked to the left and the vertigo slowly came into play.  The exercises say to hold still until the vertigo abates.  That was about 2 minutes.  Then, I looked right and it wasn't much of a problem.  Then I lifted the bare bar and nothing bad happened.  I sat up and just sat there until I knew I was okay.

Then, I went to the traditional flat bench press bench.  Repeat the exercise.  Again the left side was the most irritated.  Lifted a bare bar, sat up and sat there.  I had no problem.

I decided against hopping onto the decline bench press, where the head is below horizontal.  No need to tempt fate, today.  But I left the facility with zero vertigo issues, which continues to now.

So, I lifted 3 times and ran twice.  8 miles total.  Over the past two months, running wasn't affected by the vertigo.  Very pleased the vertigo is just about verti-gone.

Thanks for your experience, Nancy.  Have a good weekend, yourself.

Over the weekend, I did not have many instances related to vertigo.  Any instances resulted in freezing my position and, following the exercises, waiting for the vertigo to pass.  This took anywhere from 20 seconds to 90 positions.  The instances were positions that are not every day, every time positions.  Those one or two pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that fills out a section of the puzzle.

This morning, I went to the gym.  I did the usual machines or routines.  Then, I got on the incline bench press, which I haven't done since the vertigo started in December.  I got in position and did one set with just the bare bar (45#) and it went well.  Then, I loaded 25% of normal workout weight, which was just 5 lbs on each side.  Did fine.  

The horizontal bench press went fine, except I did have 1 episode of vertigo on the left side, before lifting.  Turns out the left side is the problem child on vertigo.  It passed after about 30 seconds.  Like mentioned earlier, I hadn't lifted on a bench since December.  So, when I pushed the bar up and held it there, there was effort required to hold it up.  Why?  The stabilizer muscles in my forearm and sides of the ribs were weak.

Then I got on the decline bench press for which I was most curious about and only did just the bar because my head is below horizontal and I wasn't in a risk mood.  That was fine.  For the 3rd set, I added 5 lbs on each side and did fine.  

So, I'm back on the right track.

Tomorrow, if the weather cooperates, I'll go run either 4 or 5 miles.

Thanks for passing through.

The incoming rain, this morning, decided to slow down enough for me to run my 5 miles at Memorial Park.  It was 65 degrees in temperature and dew point with a stout 15-25 mph SE wind.  The wind helped make the run more bearable, but I started out like it was 45 degrees, which wasn't the best tactic for the weather.

Nonetheless, I did run the 5 miles on the 3 mile loop.  Even though I didn't think I was running it at the 157 cadence the whole time, the Garmin says that I did.  I stopped once for some water which, in and of itself, is quite remarkable for me and means that I'm acclimated to the 4-6 mile distances.

5 miles, 1:14:09, 14:49 pace, 123 avg bpm, 133 max bpm, 157 avg cadence
1.  14:44, 117 bpm, 157 spm
2.  15:04, 120 bpm, 157 spm
3.  14:59, 126 bpm, 157 bpm
4.  14:49, 125 bpm, 157 bpm
5.  14:35, 126 bpm, 157 bpm

This time last year, I remember being able to do one mile at a time, rest for a bit, then run a mile back.  Just 1 mile.

-30-

A big thing happened over the weekend with the opening to the public of the Land Bridge that goes over Memorial Drive in Memorial Park.  Memorial Park is 1,500 acres of land that's about 6 miles from downtown and it's twice the size of Central Park in NY.  Memorial Park will turn 100, next year.  It's a former WWI base called Camp Logan.  The park is about 7 years into being refurbished, but this land bridge is the big deal because it connects the south side of Memorial Drive with the north side without people having to cross Memorial Drive.  Of course, critters (wolves, rabbits, armadillos, etc) can cross on the bridge, but I don't know how their training is going.

Miles 19-21 or so of the Marathon goes through Memorial Park.

Below is a link to a story done by one of the TV stations that has some drone shots of it.  I'll have to take a trip on the new bridge.  Another benefit of the land bridge is that it becomes a hill workout area for the runners.  It will be interesting to see what a flood does to the park, now.  They've built in retention areas and drainage to Buffalo Bayou, which is the southern border of the park.  There are two access points from the 3 mile running loop to the land bridge.

'The Biggest Picnic in Texas' held at Memorial Park to celebrate new land bridge (msn.com)

ounce wrote:The incoming rain, this morning, decided to slow down enough for me to run my 5 miles at Memorial Park.  It was 65 degrees in temperature and dew point with a stout 15-25 mph SE wind.  The wind helped make the run more bearable, but I started out like it was 45 degrees, which wasn't the best tactic for the weather.

Nonetheless, I did run the 5 miles on the 3 mile loop.  Even though I didn't think I was running it at the 157 cadence the whole time, the Garmin says that I did.  I stopped once for some water which, in and of itself, is quite remarkable for me and means that I'm acclimated to the 4-6 mile distances.

5 miles, 1:14:09, 14:49 pace, 123 avg bpm, 133 max bpm, 157 avg cadence
1.  14:44, 117 bpm, 157 spm
2.  15:04, 120 bpm, 157 spm
3.  14:59, 126 bpm, 157 bpm
4.  14:49, 125 bpm, 157 bpm
5.  14:35, 126 bpm, 157 bpm

This time last year, I remember being able to do one mile at a time, rest for a bit, then run a mile back.  Just 1 mile.

-30-

A big thing happened over the weekend with the opening to the public of the Land Bridge that goes over Memorial Drive in Memorial Park.  Memorial Park is 1,500 acres of land that's about 6 miles from downtown and it's twice the size of Central Park in NY.  Memorial Park will turn 100, next year.  It's a former WWI base called Camp Logan.  The park is about 7 years into being refurbished, but this land bridge is the big deal because it connects the south side of Memorial Drive with the north side without people having to cross Memorial Drive.  Of course, critters (wolves, rabbits, armadillos, etc) can cross on the bridge, but I don't know how their training is going.

Miles 19-21 or so of the Marathon goes through Memorial Park.

Below is a link to a story done by one of the TV stations that has some drone shots of it.  I'll have to take a trip on the new bridge.  Another benefit of the land bridge is that it becomes a hill workout area for the runners.  It will be interesting to see what a flood does to the park, now.  They've built in retention areas and drainage to Buffalo Bayou, which is the southern border of the park.  There are two access points from the 3 mile running loop to the land bridge.

'The Biggest Picnic in Texas' held at Memorial Park to celebrate new land bridge (msn.com)

Wow!  What an awesome area to have available for training.  So many options.  Just watch out for all those critters. 

Looks like you're in a good place with training compared to last year.  
Hope the vertigo is still at bay and improving.

Have a great weekend.

The vertigo is probably 97% resolved.  Tomorrow when I go lift will help the score maybe.  The problem with lifting is when I exert force on one of the bench press set up.  It just seems like, from a layman's perspective, that lifting a weight that's not-just-a-snap to lift (but not beyond my abilities) causes fluid or a feeling of fluid to leave my head.  I just don't want to have a problem with controlling the bar.

The other vertigo issue relates to if I get out of bed two or more times, then I get a muffled sort of dizziness.  Predictable as to what direction I'm going, though.

-30-

This morning, I went and ran 5 miles.  It was 70 degrees with 100% humidity, this morning, with a good breeze.  Seasonal for a high is 68 degrees.  Looks like that 70 degrees will be a new record for highest low temperature on this date.  But there was a really nice breeze.  Might have to start stashing water bottles on my route.

Overall, the 5 miles went well, even though my overall pace was 14:50 or so.  I would've stopped at 4 miles, if I had been almost home.  But I stuck it out for that last mile.  Cadence in the last 3 miles was 156, which is 1 shy of the 157 setting on the gnome.  So on the surface, it appears that I held the cadence well.  But I know miles 4 and 5 were tougher than it looks.  

5 miles, 1:14:46, 14:59 pace, 136 max bpm, 156 avg cadence
1.  15:32, 157 spm
2.  14:44, 157 spm
3.  14:46, 156 spm
4.  15:04, 156 spm
5.  14:54, 156 spm

The HR readings were not accurate, which might mean the battery needs to be replaced.

I want to be able to inch up the cadence at this pace, as the 70-80 degree temps settle in.  What I desire to accomplish is to not get any slower as the days tick off.  Plodding through those 16 & 17 minute splits was so sad.  Now, I have a solid base that I didn't have last year.  

I'll accept some 16 & 17 splits, when I start traversing that new land bridge at Memorial Park.  I look forward to getting my heart out of the hammock.

Next week, morning temps 'plummet' into the 50s for a couple of days.  Tomorrow will be lifting.

Thanks for dropping by.

Lifting today was interesting.  I am gradually moving back to the angles and weights in my pre-vertigo world.  Almost everything in the day to day World of Doug is back to normal.  There's just 1 thing in that world that is off.  One day, I'll explain and it's not a big deal at all.  Just have to re-create the scenario over and over again, which I can do anywhere.

Lifting still has a wee bit to go.  All involving the angle of the exercise.  I'd have to say that exertion doesn't help.  If the amount of weight lifted is worthy of an increase, it's that increase, which causes more exertion and will engage the vertigo, when I finish and sit up or stand up.  It will resolve in 60-90 seconds.

Today, I added 2 sets of 20 leg lifts.  Overall, 75 minutes, this morning.

Running tomorrow.  Maybe 6 + a bottle of water.

Thanks for reading.  Comments are free.

ounce wrote:Lifting today was interesting.  I am gradually moving back to the angles and weights in my pre-vertigo world.  Almost everything in the day to day World of Doug is back to normal.  There's just 1 thing in that world that is off.  One day, I'll explain and it's not a big deal at all.  Just have to re-create the scenario over and over again, which I can do anywhere.

Lifting still has a wee bit to go.  All involving the angle of the exercise.  I'd have to say that exertion doesn't help.  If the amount of weight lifted is worthy of an increase, it's that increase, which causes more exertion and will engage the vertigo, when I finish and sit up or stand up.  It will resolve in 60-90 seconds.

Today, I added 2 sets of 20 leg lifts.  Overall, 75 minutes, this morning.

Running tomorrow.  Maybe 6 + a bottle of water.

Thanks for reading.  Comments are free.

Hoping that the World of Doug does get fully back to normal...assuming that's the goal.  Life is more complicated than we're all willing to admit.  Glad we can share running.  It's a big part of my life...but only a part of it.

Saw your run on Strava.  Some days go like that.  I'm sure the lifting...and the weather were factors.  The most important thing is that you did lace up your shoes and head out the door.  And you'll lace up and head out again. That's life.  

Curious to hear if the winter storm affected your area and how.

Stay safe and have a great weekend.