Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for? (comments welcome)

[superchime]

Also, I just want to say that if your "foot stuff" is impacting you this much...get yourself to some physical therapy (if you aren't already.)

Oh definitely! I've got a great sports medicine doctor who I checked in with first, then I started seeing PT in January right after I got home from Marathon weekend. You're right, the pain is in my foot, but that's not the root of the problem. Turns out I'm unstable on my left side, which makes my foot wobbly, so I have exercises to work on my core and left glute. PT is helping, but I'm considering adding in a visit to a podiatrist too, just to make sure the glute is the only issue (and to make sure I haven't done damage to my foot). I'm slowly assembling a team!

I'm glad to hear PT worked so quickly for you! I'm feeling so impatient, especially with SS looming. I went a little too hard on my core exercises last week and ended up hurting my back. I really need to focus on slow, steady progress (and remember that I'm not 19 anymore).

Sounds like it would be fine to contact DB sooner rather than later! I definitely need a more solid plan that whatever it is I'm doing right now. Thanks for the encouragement.

 

[GollyGadget]

if I stick with it, maybe I will when I'm 80! Then again, I saw some of those 80 year olds at marathon weekend... I've got a lot of work to do to catch up to them!

My main goal in running is just to stay healthy enough to keep running when I’m 80!

 

[superchime]

I want to start by saying, yes, I am going to see a cardiologist. I'm not taking medical advice from the internet. Having said that, there is a very weird thing happening with my heart and I want to throw some things out there and see if anyone has maybe had a similar experience (or just to have people tell me it's going to be ok, lie if you have to ).

Like a lot of people, I seem to catch everything that's going around lately. I had RSV in the fall, successfully fought off my husband's Covid in December, and caught some sort of crud in February that was just barely gone in time for Princess weekend.

I have an apple watch and love all of the data. This resting heart rate graph nicely shows the times I've been sick lately.

I get sick, RHR goes up. I get better, it goes back down. It's pretty neat.

But for this latest illness, I've noticed something that has never happened before. The next image is my VO2 max, which has stayed in the "above average" range through all but this most recent illness. For some reason, the new crud caused it to just absolutely tank. It wasn't a bad illness, felt like a head cold, with a cough that was kind of annoying and relentless. I was extremely tired for the first week or so, but after that it was just a nuisance more than anything.



See? Isn't that weird?

My heart rate zones app shows something similar. The first image is my info from the half marathon in January. It shows what I'd expect it to show for me during that race:



But this next image is my zones info from the 10k at Princess.

Just... really high, the whole time. Weird because I definitely didn't feel like I was working that hard. I was running more than I did at the half marathon, but at a pace I'm comfortable with and I wasn't huffing and puffing at all. I've got lots of training runs at that pace that show more normal heart rate zones for me. This one's not normal. My heart rate stayed high for quite a while after the race too. I remember sitting outside the Starbucks at Epcot, waiting for it to open at 8:30, and noticing how high my heart rate was. Don't worry, only drink decaf, so the coffee didn't make it worse.

So now of course I'm sure that I'm dying, because that's how my brain works. I did a few at home tests during this last illness and none of them were positive for Covid, but I didn't go in to see the dr or do a PCR test or anything like that because I didn't really feel all that bad. I actually had Covid last May and my heart didn't do anything wonky like this then (but I also wasn't running at that time, so I don't have a lot of workout data).

I feel fine, but I think I'm going to limit anything strenuous until I can get in to see my cardiologist. I have one of those because I had Kawasaki disease as a kid. It can cause heart damage but we've never seen any evidence that it did in my case. I just worry about stuff like that, so I pop in to see him every 5-10 years or so and just make sure everything is still ticking like it should be.

Still need to get my Princess weekend race report up! It was an ok weekend. Let's just say I learned a lot.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Any recent update on your device that is capturing HR during your run?

Try taking a 15 sec manual HR to get a comparative value.

It’s not impossible to see increased HR due to previous sickness. You’ll also see it when you change to suddenly warmer temps, or from an extended period of time without running.

That’s what comes to my mind outside of a possible medical issue.

 

[superchime]

Any recent update on your device that is capturing HR during your run?

Try taking a 15 sec manual HR to get a comparative value.

It’s not impossible to see increased HR due to previous sickness. You’ll also see it when you change to suddenly warmer temps, or from an extended period of time without running.

That’s what comes to my mind outside of a possible medical issue.

Thanks! I was hoping you'd weigh in.

It's an Apple watch, and there was an update sometime in February. I don't remember when, so I'll have to check and see what specifically was updated. I'm also investigating some different apps for the watch that may give me more useful HR data.

I definitely hadn't been running as much leading up to Princess weekend. And I was warm at the end, which could explain why my HR stayed elevated even after I stopped running. So that's reassuring!

I've been paying more attention to my HR the past few days, and something is definitely up, although maybe not quite as dire as the race data had me thinking. No doubt my fitness levels dropped while I was sick, but my HR goes up to 120 (the high end of the aerobic zone for me) just walking up the stairs, and a few jumping jacks get me into the 150s (over tempo HR). I haven't seen numbers like this since I was 40 lbs heavier and the only exercise I got was walking to the fridge for more ice cream. So it's looking like it's more than just detraining, which stinks because I really wish that was all this was.

I managed to get a cardiologist appointment scheduled for a couple of weeks from now, exactly at the time that Wine and Dine registration opens (trying not to see this as a sign from the universe or something). Until then I guess it's just a lot of walking and some mild strength training, and my PT exercises. Not sure what this means for my Springtime Surprise challenge. But I don't want to push things too hard until I know what's going on. I am bummed and trying not to catastrophize.

 

[superchime]

Ok, a quick update on the heart issue then my Princess weekend trip report.

VO2 max seems to be recovering. It's slow, but then again I'm not really pushing it at all. I'm walking a ton, and I am still going to Kung Fu but I'm keeping an eye on my heart rate and tapping out when it gets too high (which means I get to participate in the boring stuff like stretching but have to miss the fun bits!).

I got the Athlytic app which gives Garmin-like info about exertion and recovery. I've only been using it for a couple of days but I really like it.

Cardiologist appointment isn't for another two weeks, so I hope that things are back to normal by that time and I don't even need to keep the appointment. I hate not being able to run, or do any cardio at all. I knew it was good for my mental health but I didn't realize how much I had come to rely on it when I got stressed. Now, without that outlet, I'm asking endless questions in the SS thread, about precisely what the end of the 5k looks like. Disboards people are so nice.

If I do keep my appointment, though, I think I've decided to go early and sit in the parking lot and try to register for Wine and Dine before I go in. My appointment is at 10:00, registration opens at 9:00. We'll be at Disney during Wine and Dine weekend anyway, and one of my sons has agreed to do the 5k with me, so I really want to get registered.

I'd love to do the half too, but I think this is just not my year to do that. Will I have regrets in November? Maybe. But I am doing the Disneyland half and I want that coast to coast medal too, so I need to focus on that and not try to do everything. Wine and Dine will still be there later.

 

[superchime]

Day 1 - travel day



I know a lot of people don't like Southwest but I really do. Free bags, companion fare, and I really like choosing who I will sit next to when I get on the plane! The flight down was uneventful. I sat next to a mom and her 5 year old son who were also heading to Disney. I think mom was running the half? It was the son's first trip to Disney and first time on an airplane so he was really, really excited.

I got the room ready notification on my way to the hotel. I was arriving a bit later in the day so I had hoped that would happen. I had originally booked at Coronado Springs because I couldn't find anything at the Swan or Dolphin. I had given up looking but someone on the SD thread said availability was still randomly opening up, so I started checking again and was finally able to snag something. I had a "resort view" room with a balcony.








It was great. High floor, not far from the elevators or ice machine. Perfect for a race weekend. The hotel lobby was full of sales convention people, though, so I saw why availability was limited.

I dropped my things and headed for Epcot. From my Marathon weekend trip I had learned that I didn't really want an arrival night restaurant reservation. I don't really remember what I grabbed for dinner. Might have been an Uncrustable (the real mvp of this trip) or popcorn. Please don't ask how my pre-race nutrition plan is going. I know I walked past Hurricane Hanna's and grabbed some fries to eat as I headed in to Epcot. The HH fries are quickly becoming an arrival night tradition.



Epcot was packed! I knew it was going to be a busy weekend, but it was wall to wall people that first night. At Marathon weekend I didn't do much on arrival night because I thought I had so much more time. Then I ended up feeling crummy after the race and not really wanting to ride things or have any fun, so I knew I wanted to do a few things this first night, so I would have a little fun if things went south later (foreshadowing!).



I rode Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land, two favorites without long lines. Then I had a lovely little chocolate bundt cake in Sunshine Seasons and decided to head back to the room to watch fireworks from the balcony.



Most of the fireworks were obscured by the building to the left, but I'm not a huge fireworks person so I saw enough to make me happy. Then off to bed, with the expo the next day.

 

[azrivest]

Day 1 - travel day

View attachment 744877

I know a lot of people don't like Southwest but I really do. Free bags, companion fare, and I really like choosing who I will sit next to when I get on the plane! The flight down was uneventful. I sat next to a mom and her 5 year old son who were also heading to Disney. I think mom was running the half? It was the son's first trip to Disney and first time on an airplane so he was really, really excited.

I got the room ready notification on my way to the hotel. I was arriving a bit later in the day so I had hoped that would happen. I had originally booked at Coronado Springs because I couldn't find anything at the Swan or Dolphin. I had given up looking but someone on the SD thread said availability was still randomly opening up, so I started checking again and was finally able to snag something. I had a "resort view" room with a balcony.




View attachment 744879

View attachment 744878

It was great. High floor, not far from the elevators or ice machine. Perfect for a race weekend. The hotel lobby was full of sales convention people, though, so I saw why availability was limited.

I dropped my things and headed for Epcot. From my Marathon weekend trip I had learned that I didn't really want an arrival night restaurant reservation. I don't really remember what I grabbed for dinner. Might have been an Uncrustable (the real mvp of this trip) or popcorn. Please don't ask how my pre-race nutrition plan is going. I know I walked past Hurricane Hanna's and grabbed some fries to eat as I headed in to Epcot. The HH fries are quickly becoming an arrival night tradition.

View attachment 744880

Epcot was packed! I knew it was going to be a busy weekend, but it was wall to wall people that first night. At Marathon weekend I didn't do much on arrival night because I thought I had so much more time. Then I ended up feeling crummy after the race and not really wanting to ride things or have any fun, so I knew I wanted to do a few things this first night, so I would have a little fun if things went south later (foreshadowing!).

View attachment 744881

I rode Spaceship Earth and Living with the Land, two favorites without long lines. Then I had a lovely little chocolate bundt cake in Sunshine Seasons and decided to head back to the room to watch fireworks from the balcony.

View attachment 744882

Most of the fireworks were obscured by the building to the left, but I'm not a huge fireworks person so I saw enough to make me happy. Then off to bed, with the expo the next day.

Curious about your resort view room. Was it at Swan or Dolphin? I've tentatively booked a Resort View at Swan for MW2024 but based on your pictures, I'm less than impressed. I'm wondering if it's gonna be worth it for our family.

 

[RuntheMouse]

Ok, a quick update on the heart issue then my Princess weekend trip report.

VO2 max seems to be recovering. It's slow, but then again I'm not really pushing it at all. I'm walking a ton, and I am still going to Kung Fu but I'm keeping an eye on my heart rate and tapping out when it gets too high (which means I get to participate in the boring stuff like stretching but have to miss the fun bits!).

I got the Athlytic app which gives Garmin-like info about exertion and recovery. I've only been using it for a couple of days but I really like it.

Cardiologist appointment isn't for another two weeks, so I hope that things are back to normal by that time and I don't even need to keep the appointment. I hate not being able to run, or do any cardio at all. I knew it was good for my mental health but I didn't realize how much I had come to rely on it when I got stressed. Now, without that outlet, I'm asking endless questions in the SS thread, about precisely what the end of the 5k looks like. Disboards people are so nice.

If I do keep my appointment, though, I think I've decided to go early and sit in the parking lot and try to register for Wine and Dine before I go in. My appointment is at 10:00, registration opens at 9:00. We'll be at Disney during Wine and Dine weekend anyway, and one of my sons has agreed to do the 5k with me, so I really want to get registered.

I'd love to do the half too, but I think this is just not my year to do that. Will I have regrets in November? Maybe. But I am doing the Disneyland half and I want that coast to coast medal too, so I need to focus on that and not try to do everything. Wine and Dine will still be there later.

Sending support as someone who runs with an arrhythmia! Keep the cardiologist appointment for peace of mind if nothing else. I’m lucky that my cardiologist is also a runner so I feel very supported and safe with training. You‘ll feel better having the information they give you.

 

[nancipants]

Curious about your resort view room. Was it at Swan or Dolphin? I've tentatively booked a Resort View at Swan for MW2024 but based on your pictures, I'm less than impressed. I'm wondering if it's gonna be worth it for our family.

Not the OP, but that's definitely the view from the Dolphin. The Dolphin has parts of the front facade that jut out, and therefore the balconies usually don't have much of a view. However, if you're able to upgrade to one of the rooms with the circular balconies at the edge of where the building juts out, those have fabulous views.

The Swan resort view on the regular balconies is better.

 

[superchime]

Curious about your resort view room. Was it at Swan or Dolphin? I've tentatively booked a Resort View at Swan for MW2024 but based on your pictures, I'm less than impressed. I'm wondering if it's gonna be worth it for our family.

Yep, Dolphin room 7075. My fireworks photo isn't great but I could definitely see the side bursts. Could not see Spaceship Earth, though.

For Marathon weekend I was in Dolphin room 1025 and even from the ground floor I could see SE. That was supposed to be a "traditional guest room" but I may have been upgraded? The hotel was packed to the gills this time, though, so definitely no upgrade although I did get the high floor I requested.

 

[superchime]

Sending support as someone who runs with an arrhythmia! Keep the cardiologist appointment for peace of mind if nothing else. I’m lucky that my cardiologist is also a runner so I feel very supported and safe with training. You‘ll feel better having the information they give you.

Thank you! I really appreciate the support. It's reassuring to hear that you're still running.

You're right, I will feel better if I keep the appointment. I'm slowly assembling a team to help keep me together. Feels like I need to change the title of this journal to "all the kings horses and all the kings men" or something.

 

[superchime]

Princess Weekend - Expo day 2/24

Since I was only running the 10k I could wait to go to the expo. For Springtime Surprise I'm doing the challenge so I'll have to visit the expo on day 1. I'm curious to see the difference because all of my expo visits so far have been pretty chill.

It was so foggy when I woke up around 7am. I wondered about the 5k runners and whether or not the fog had affected their race.

Boardwalk Deli has this vegan "egg" sandwich that I love, but it wasn't showing up on the mobile order menu that morning, so I just had some Mickey waffles from Fuel and headed to Epcot for early entry. I decided to skip Remy and rope drop Frozen. I think the sign said a 20 min wait when I got there (I did not powerwalk) but I was on the ride in 13 minutes. When I came out the time had jumped to 50 min.


I am an enormous chicken and always close my eyes on the drop here, so this is me trying really hard not to do that this time. Notice that I have a couple of people in the second row who are my expression twins!

After that I rode Soarin' and... I think that's it? Walked over to Beach Club to grab a snack and catch the bus to the expo.


Again, our hero the uncrustable makes an appearance. I also bought a refillable mug. Even though I wasn't staying at a Disney resort, I do like my coffee and I'm finding that it's a better deal to just buy the mug and walk to Boardwalk or Yacht Club in the morning for coffee. I also wanted to fill it up that night so I could have iced coffee in the morning before the race.





The expo was nice. I bought some Fluffy Fizzies towels and a bath bomb and a couple of other things. I also stopped by to see Jeff Galloway because I just love him. I wanted to thank him for his encouragement before the half in January and to let him know that I did finish.



My plan for the evening was to just relax in my room so I could have a nice early bedtime. My foot was feeling ok but I decided to ice it anyway just as an added bit of insurance.



Dinner was toddler food that I picked up on the way back from the expo. Baked mac n cheese from the Yacht club, another uncrustable, carrots (yay!). Overall I was doing a better job of sticking with my pre-race eating plan. I did have a pineapple cider at the expo, which I probably should have avoided.

Dinner sorted, I settled in with my bag of ice and a couple of shows, all ready to go to bed early and get a good night's sleep before the race (foreshadowing!).

 

[azrivest]

Some really nice pictures

The fog created a nice haze over the Showcase Lagoon, it was actually quite pretty

 

[superchime]

Aww yeah! She's back, baby!

I know I still need to write the rest of my Princess weekend report, but I'm so happy to have my VO2 max levels returning to normal.

I played around with my intervals on today's run, trying to find something that will keep my (still slightly wonky) heart rate below 80% MHR and still keep a decent pace. The first mile was 15 seconds of running, one minute of walking. The second mile was 30 seconds of running, 1 minute of walking. Both felt pretty good, but 15 seconds of running felt pretty short (I usually run 30:30) and was slower than the 16mm pace I want.



I have a cardiologist appointment scheduled for next week, which I am going to keep, but I'm feeling better about the issue.



Also completed the "Wine and Dine registration challenge" this morning. My son has agreed to do the 5k with me (if I give him my snack box). I was going to just do that, until the challenge theme was announced. Feeling really lucky and grateful to have been able to register for what I wanted. I had a little glitch because I tried to register for everything at once and got an error. When I reloaded and registered for just the 5ks separately I was able to get it done, and luckily the challenge was still available so I got that too. I know a lot of people were frustrated this morning, though. Seems like RunDisney could take a few lessons from some of the other large races? But I guess if races keep selling out there's really no incentive to change the way they do things.

 

[GollyGadget]

View attachment 748061
Aww yeah! She's back, baby!

I know I still need to write the rest of my Princess weekend report, but I'm so happy to have my VO2 max levels returning to normal.

I played around with my intervals on today's run, trying to find something that will keep my (still slightly wonky) heart rate below 80% MHR and still keep a decent pace. The first mile was 15 seconds of running, one minute of walking. The second mile was 30 seconds of running, 1 minute of walking. Both felt pretty good, but 15 seconds of running felt pretty short (I usually run 30:30) and was slower than the 16mm pace I want.

View attachment 748064

I have a cardiologist appointment scheduled for next week, which I am going to keep, but I'm feeling better about the issue.

View attachment 748065

Also completed the "Wine and Dine registration challenge" this morning. My son has agreed to do the 5k with me (if I give him my snack box). I was going to just do that, until the challenge theme was announced. Feeling really lucky and grateful to have been able to register for what I wanted. I had a little glitch because I tried to register for everything at once and got an error. When I reloaded and registered for just the 5ks separately I was able to get it done, and luckily the challenge was still available so I got that too. I know a lot of people were frustrated this morning, though. Seems like RunDisney could take a few lessons from some of the other large races? But I guess if races keep selling out there's really no incentive to change the way they do things.

I was watching the chaos unfold this morning and happy to not be a part of the registration madness. Then I started wondering why they don't do a lottery like a lot of the big races. Obviously it would be a lot more complicated because they host more than one event per weekend but surely someone could figure it out.

 

[superchime]

I was watching the chaos unfold this morning and happy to not be a part of the registration madness. Then I started wondering why they don't do a lottery like a lot of the big races. Obviously it would be a lot more complicated because they host more than one event per weekend but surely someone could figure it out.

Disney is great at coming up with ways to manage crowds, in general, with things like virtual queues and park reservations. Their IT is a weak link, though. They could definitely handle race registration better if they really wanted to.

 

[striker1064]

Congrats on getting registered for W&D! It's a great weekend.

Then I started wondering why they don't do a lottery like a lot of the big races.

Well, from their perspective, it sold out fully in 90 minutes so... why bother?

 

[GollyGadget]

Well, from their perspective, it sold out fully in 90 minutes so... why bother?

Great question. I'm not expecting any changes. However, races like NYC and Chicago would also sell out quickly and they still have lotteries. Why? I'm really not sure. Better customer experience? Perceived fairness of registration? Easier on their IT systems?

 

[striker1064]

Great question. I'm not expecting any changes. However, races like NYC and Chicago would also sell out quickly and they still have lotteries. Why? I'm really not sure. Better customer experience? Perceived fairness of registration?

I'm not sure either, but my guess is it's perceived fairness and equity, and generally caring more about runners overall (because race organizations exist solely because of the events). Disney, on the other hand, puts on runDisney as a draw to for the parks and brand, and as such does not really care all that much about runners as a segment. This isn't meant to be a negative-Disney post, but they've shown time and again revenue is their #1 concern and they are willing to erode the customer experience to that end, so I think it makes perfect sense that they'd never spend time, effort, and money to equalize the experience while still pulling in the exact same revenue.

But that's just me!

Easier on their IT systems?

We already know Disney's IT is a hamster-on-a-wheel and paperclips held together by used chewing gum. It's a very sensitive operation! You can't just go in there and change things all willy-nilly!