Preparing for a Physical

So, how does running affect a physical exam where blood is drawn? Well, it turns out it can affect it a lot. Muscles are torn when you exert a lot of pressure on them. That is how muscles get stronger. First you tear them then rebuild. This in itself releases myoglobyn into the urine. Don't bother looking, the traces are so small they are not visible to the naked eye, but in a blood test they will be seen. The good news is after 24 - 48 hours your pee goes back to normal. Your kidneys can release small traces of blood into your urine. Proteins are also released. If you want to know all the things that can be affected, read this article https://www.runnersworld.com/health/blood-test-results-for-runners.

So, what can you do if you want normal results? The easiest thing is to not run for a day or two before your blood work. If you must run, take it a little easier. You can always explain to your Dr that you are a runner and they may cut you some slack, but be warned, push yourself really hard the day before a physical could open you up to a whole bunch of additional tests.

Now, one more thing to think about. As you age, life insurance companies will make your take a physical. Running helps keep you healthy and can reduce the risk of falling dead from heart disease by approx 47%, but a grueling run the day before your physical could result in either being turned down for the insurance or seeing your rates go up.

Do yourself, and your wallet a favor. Take a couple of days off from exercise before a physical. This will help prevent false results that can be costly.

What Happens when your run ends at the ER?

In my short time as a runner I have had my own fair share of injuries. Some of them my fault from over-training, others the fault of others. So, what can you do to try to minimize your injuries, which ultimately cost you money and training time?

• Over-Training - It is way too easy to push yourself too far or too fast too soon. I ended up with a stress fracture and 4 weeks off of running just because I didn't respect my body. Start slow and only do the distance your body can comfortably manage. Then, each week increase the distance by no more than 10%. If you want to increase your speed, start by doing it at a lower mileage and then build it from there. 
• Stomach Issues - There is nothing worse than getting cramps in your stomach or needing a bathroom when none is available. So, what can you do to minimize the risk? First, understand how your body reacts to certain types of food. If a certain type upsets your stomach when running, don't eat it before a run. You will soon know what your body likes as fuel for a run. Also, don't overload on energy and sports drinks. Too much will upset your stomach. Make sure to drink more water than energy drinks. A good rule is 3 times as much water as sports drinks. 
• Falling/Injury - I group these together because for the most part both are avoidable. Not warming up or stretching your muscles can result in a strained muscle. If you are like me, I just start running. The first half mile or so I work into my regular cadence. This allows my body to warm up. Work out what works for you and stick to it. Remember, running requires a strong core. What about falling? Most people fall when running on a trail, or over grass (I wrecked an ankle by catching my foot in a hole while crossing a small strip of grass). Worse is tripping on a broken sidewalk. 
  

Yes, it happened to me. If you are running at a good pace, you will not have time to put your hands down to break your fall. A lot of cities are protected from being held responsible for broken sidewalks unless they are told about them. So, the best way to avoid this type of injury is to know the route you are running and if you come across a broken sidewalk, let the council know.

• Running Injured - It is hard to pull out of a race just because of a small injury. Of course, if you choose to run with an injury you are always at risk of making it worse. I did this at the end of last year. I managed to tear a muscle in my back. Not a big tear but painful enough. Dr told me to rest it for a few weeks. Problem was I had 3 races in the following 2 weeks, a 5k, then the Dallas Marathon Series weekend 10k on the Saturday and 1/2 marathon on the Sunday. Finish that weekend and I would get a special jacket and extra medal and we all know it's all about the bling. So, the 5k wasn't too bad. The 10k was a little worse and then came the 1/2. With a couple of miles left to run my back was screaming at me. I eased off a little and finished the race and went straight back to urgent care where the Dr gave me some very frustrated looks. Worse still, he told me in no uncertain terms that I was to not run for 3 months!!!!! So, be careful running while injured. At least I got the bling:)

Water, what is this magical stuff?

This year's London marathon has just passed and in the build up friends were asking about how much water, sports drinks etc they should carry. Well, on a formal race I normally answer none, since there are always plenty of water stations. You want to stay hydrated but not over hydrated. What if you drink way too much? Well, if you drink an extreme amount of water in a short time it can be very dangerous. In fact, it can be fatal. Drinking way too much water can cause the level of sodium and salt in your blood to drop. This can make you very ill, and in some cases can prove fatal. This condition is caused hyponatemia or water intoxication. Takes a lot of water to get that bad, but don't try it.

So, what about on training runs? Well, the answer is it depends. How long and far is the run, what are the weather conditions, how flat is the course? All of these things change the amount of water you need to carry. If, for example, I am running for less than 45 minutes I will drink a pint of water before running, then go for the run and then drink another when I get back. Now, if I am running further I will add a bottle or two that I fill sip as I'm running. I will not take a sip until I hit the 3 mile mark unless the temperature is over 100F. Now, how do you know if you haven't drank enough? Well, your body will tell you. You may get a headache, you may stop sweating. You may feel feint. If you do, stop, hydrate and learn from the episode.

I am not an expert. There are many professionals out there that will spend hours telling your the right and wrong ways to hydrate, but end of the day, it is whatever works for you. One thing though, don't just drink sports drinks. On a long run they will get you into trouble. Drink more water than sports drinks, although on a longer run you will want to mix it one or two to help balance your body. Trust me, you will know if you have drank too many:)

Anyway, keep running and stay hydrated.

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, after the marathon (which I completed in 5 hours and 2 minutes thanks to a knee injury) I continued to have a difficult running year picking up multiple other injuries. I ended the year running the Dallas weekend series, running 10K on the Saturday and the half-marathon on the Sunday, both with a torn back muscle. This caused me to have to take a few months off from running. Well, now I'm back and plan to run more, have more fun and do more and try new things. I'm signed up for a few virtual races and runs and also for a 5 mile run. Then in December I will take part in a relay marathon.

I've just signed up for the Running Dementia Down 2018 virtual race. This benefits Alzheimer's UK, a charity I hold dear to my heart. Having lost my Dad to Alzheimer's and with my Mum currently suffering from it when I get a chance to raise awareness and raise a little money I jump at the chance. So I will be running at least 100K between now and the end of August to raise money for them. You can make a donation at https://runningdowndementia2018.everydayhero.com/uk/andytate. During this time I also run a virtual 10K for the Royal wedding and the Dallas 5 mile on July 4th!!!!

Hopefully I will get back to blogging more frequently. Anyway, I will leave this post with a photo of my Mum, the last time she came over to Texas, when we started to realize that she was suffering from Alzheimer's.

Sometimes the boy just has to do it

So, 2 weeks tomorrow is the London Marathon. Yes, all of us who are running it are tapering, but today was the Purple Plume 5K for my daughter's high school band. Lovely weather, mid 60s at the start about 70 something at the end. I decided to just go out for a jog, not risk injury and not try to keep up with the teenagers.

So, race time. I line up with the seniors (for you not in the US, these are the kids in the last year of high school, 17 and 18 year olds). The horn goes off and the start is on a running track, as is the end. I go off a bit faster than I planned but soon got into my cadence.

No music today, just listening to my breathing, keeping it steady. Nice flat course. Slight breeze. I lost sight of the kids, they were off and gone (probably a dozen of them), but I kept going.

With about half a mile to go there was a youngster (11 year old) who stopped running. I talked to him and got him back jogging with me, encouraging him on until we got back on the track. Then he found his second wind and sprinted to the finish winning a medal for his age group!!! I finished without a sprint, remember I'm tapering. I felt great, not even out of breath. No injuries so life is good.

Now, it's time for the trophies, you know ones like this...

Hmm, that looks nice one. Come to think about it, I've never won a trophy for running. I've got a few medals, a couple of 2nd and 3rd in my age. So, the overall was won by one of those seniors with a time of just over 15 minutes!!!! What was he drinking. I've never broken 24 and he gets 15!!

Now, how did I do? Well, I am ashamed to say I went too fast. I finished in 22 minutes and change. So, not sure how I managed to run that fast, but I'll take it. Now, about that trophy.....

Yes, it's mine:) Now, slow down for London.

16 Days to Go

So, with 16 days to go should I feel nervous or confident or a little of each? I am confident that I can complete the race, nervous that I will start off too fast, nervous about the flight, excited to see my friends and Mum. So many emotions.

So, now that I am only just over 2 weeks away, what is life like for this virgin marathon man? First things first... It's Taper time. Yes, that wonderful time that, wait, what is taper time? Remember, I'm a virgin marathon runner. This time last year I wasn't even a runner,so I had to learn what this mystical Taper time was all about, why is everyone so excited? Does it mean ice-cream for the next 2 weeks? Well, no quite, but it is pretty cool. It means that last Sunday was my last really serious long run, now it is time to take is easier and get myself to the start line.

So, instead of 9 minute miles for my training runs it is more like 10 - 10 1/2. Instead of 18 mile long runs, this weekend it will be 13 at most, then next week it gets even easier and the week of the marathon is more like a walk in the park!!! So, if I am going so slowly, why even do it? Simple, got to keep the legs happy, not let them think they can go back to being lazy and not running. Don't want to stiffen up, plus it is now in my blood. I want to, maybe even, need to run. That feeling you get when you are miles from home with just you and your trainers. The piece and quiet, ability to clear your mind. Yes, all the good things from running you get to enjoy in the 2 weeks before the race. No more running out of water and feeling like you are going to die. That is now reserved for the big day, April 23rd 2017 10am UK time.

Now, back to reality. I still have a race to run before that day!!! What, I hear you say, are you crazy? Well, maybe, but that is besides the point. My daughter's high school band had their annual 5K this Saturday and I signed up without thinking. It's only 5K, but I know myself, I plan to just jog it, but, after all, I am a man and I have that competitive spirit inside me, so I already know, the the 10 minute mile I want to run while more likely be 8 or less. At least it is a flat course and there are only 200 runners. It will be fun, after all, I love 5K races. I plan to run a lot more of them, maybe even some 10K and even the odd half marathon. What, no more marathons? No, London is the biggest, so start with the biggest and call it good:)

So, race this Saturday, in nice weather, not too hot, then run another 10 or so miles on Sunday. Then it is 4 day week before Easter. So at least I get to spend a long weekend with the family before I head to the airport on Easter Monday to take that flight to London on my own, did I mention I don't like flying? I arrive on Tuesday all refreshed from the 8 hours of sleep I will not get on the flight, and then spend a few days preparing for the race. I will be staying with some close friends just outside of London, but will have to go in to get my number, timing chip and get my name put on my vest, maybe I should put someone else's name in case I do badly:)

Saturday, the night before the marathon and it will be no drinking and an early night. My biggest fear is I oversleep and miss the start, or worse still, will go to the wrong start, there are 4 different starting places and mine is Greenwich Park.

I plan to get to the start a few hours before the race starts to soak up the atmosphere, fully hydrate and take my first gel. Then it is race time. If I get a chance I will live stream, otherwise I plan to take a lot of photos and video which I will share when I get a chance.

After the race I plan to party like a rock star, but, my guess is a couple of beers and I'll be ready for bed!!!!

I have to admit it, every time I think of the marathon now, I get a little emotional. I'm not sure why? Is it because I have come so far in such a short time, that I have raised an impressive amount for Phab Kids, or is it because I think about my Mum and Dad, the real reason I'm running this race? Maybe it is all of these things and more. Truth is, a year ago I never thought about running a marathon and look at me now.

What does it take to run a marathon?

When you are training for a marathon you hear yourself saying, it's not a sprint, it's a marathon. You try to stay hydrated and carry enough water, but in the end, no matter how much you carry, the long run is longer than the water, today I had to beg for water from Pizza Hut and they were kind enough to give me a bottle.You have to wear the right shoes, for the right amount of time and even look right, all to get to the 26.2. So, really water does it take to run a marathon?

Having started running 9 months ago with the sole intention of running the London marathon of April 23 2017, I think now that I have some sort of idea. Normally to enter a race you simply pay the entrance fee and unless it is full, turn up, run and get the T-Shirt. A marathon like London is a lot harder. Unless you can run pretty fast, your options are limited, enter the lottery and keep your fingers crossed, or get a place via a charity, which is what I did. So, the givens are that you will train, but what about the costs? Well, I'll break it down....

• Raise the fundraising money. Yes, I entered via a charity so I had to raise money. so far $2500 and climbing (http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AndyTate) 
• I donated $75 because after all I would not ask anyone to donate to a charity that I was not prepared to support. Check the Virgin Money Living link in the point about.
• Buy a pair of shoes, after all I only started running in June. Ok, so I am onto my third set, $250 in shoes.
• Buy Clothes and things. You have to look right and with the weird weather in TX you need a mixed bag, so plenty of shorts, compression things, socks, things to cover you nipples (this is very important), water carrying belts, the list is endless, probably $200
• Sports drinks and gels. You have to hydrate with more than water on the long runs and the gels seem to work although I really don't like the Cliff variety, too chewy. $100
• Now it's race time, 5K, 10K, Half and a couple of extra 5K to stay in race condition. So far won 4 medals at a cost of $300
• Guess I can't forget my flight to London, $680 (Check Fin Air if you want cheap direct flight from DFW to London, including taxes and you fly on American!!!)
• Spending money for when I'm in London $750

Now, the $2500 is the Charity's money so we don't count that. so, what does it cost to run a marathon... $2,355
Now, this is just an approximation, but I have to admit, it's going to be close!!! OOPs, I fogot something...

• Medical Costs. I was lucky, we had already met our deductibles, so the stress fracture in the leg, including the crutches and the damaged ankle including the boot only cost about $150 which brings the cost to just about $2500,

So, it cost me as much as I raised for the charity. I'm sure the money raising number will get higher and so will the cost, because after all, I'm running the London marathon and my wife is sure to give me a shopping list so that I can buy her all the things she misses from England.