When are you going to give us pearls of wisdom about running?

Hi and welcome to WebMD! My name is Joe and I will be your host on the website. Today, we talk about sinusitis.

You may have thought that this site was all about following the escapades of a runner living in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. And, in truth, that was what my intention was when I started this blog. But, it has become more of a health check report. And, if you are bored by how much I've been coughing lately, well, I don't blame you. Pardon the pun, but, I'm a bit sick of it myself.

However, I did, in fact, go to the doctor and he told me I did not get over my first bout with sinusitis and I am officially a sick person again. So, I am on antibiotics for two weeks, steroids for a week, and I need to cut back on exercise until I am better.

So, if you happen to read this blog next week, I won't go whining about feeling tired and how I'm not putting in the miles, and Steve is going to beat me in Falmouth, and woe is me. No, I'll talk more about where I run or who I run with and leave my bellyaching for another day.

Zero to twenty-four in a week

Kids, don't try this at home.

Having been sick for two weeks and then vacation for a week, I have gone against all conventional wisdom in getting back in shape by doing a 12-mile long run on Sunday. But, here is my theory.

When I left off my long runs, I was up to nine miles. Granted, that was 3-4 weeks ago but I was still up to nine miles. The past week I did two runs of 6 miles. Granted, they were sloooow runs to mainly get my legs back and to help me start breathing again but, nonetheless, I felt pretty good afterwards.

This weekend in the Doylestown, Bucks County, Pennsylvania area of the United States was absolutely a beautiful weekend. In the morning, temperatures were in the 60's-70's (F) and the humidity was low. If there was ever a weekend I was going to test myself to see where I left off in fitness, it was this past weekend.

I did a six mile run with Melissa on Saturday and a twelve mile run with Eric on Sunday. I expected to be totally wiped when I was done. But, I wasn't. I think the runs were slow enough that I didn't overly tax myself.

It's kind of a weird as I can do these runs but I'm still feeling not 100%. I'm thinking of going back to the doctor's as I STILL have this persistent cough and sometimes I feel like I'm breathing through cheesecloth. I don't have the energy as I did earlier this year. So, I wanted to get the doctor's take on this as being just an extension of what I had a month ago or just allergies that I have to deal with. (All this whining from me!)

Last week, I had a great idea of entering a 5k race before Falmouth. It would give me a true indication of where I'm at as my competitive juices would start flowing and see if my 'laziness' is all in my mind. Well, I haven't been able to find one between now and the weekend of August 10 as the local Wednesday races are all finished for the year. Oh, well. It was a good idea anyway.

So, the moral of this story is, if injured (or sick) , you MAY not be as far behind as you think you are. It will take a little patience to get back. But, marathoners know, patience pays off at the end.

(Note: Though my long run was a positive step in my goal to run 2 marathons this year, I still haven't signed up for either one. I think it's just my procrasinating nature.)

St. Kitts & Nevis

For the most part, I don't particularly like 'reality' shows.
But, I admit, I do follow 'Survivor' from time to time. The concept of being away from everything for an extended period of time really intrigued me.
Now, I'm not saying that I would do well if I was on 'Survivor' (I would be so grumpy from lack of sleep I'm sure I would be one of the first to be voted off). But, I did experience a week where I had no contact with the outside world when I went to the island of Nevis last week. (pictured is the town of Charlestown with Mt. Nevis in the background)

My wife and I stayed at the Montpelier Inn (I'll put a link in My Favorites on the side). The Inn was a former sugar plantation nestled along side Mt. Nevis. We had no TV, no radio, no newspaper. It was truly a chance for us to get away and relax. I'm a news junkie so I had withdrawal symptoms. But, I learned, that I didn't need a Paris Hilton update everyday. As a matter of fact, I was a better person for NOT ever having a Paris Hilton update last week. It was the first time I ever missed a baseball All-Star game in my life (And, I'm talking about remember watching Pete Rose plowing into Ray Fosse to win a game). But, somehow, I survived. You learn that things that are very important for some are irrelavant for others. There is something to be said for that way of thinking.

Here are some of things I won't forget about my trip to St. Kitts & Nevis:

• The tropical breezes that cooled us off when we were sitting around the pool.



• The island of Nevis was discovered during Columbus' second trip to the New World in 1493 though Carib Indians lived there a thousand years before.



• Alexander Hamilton was born there and Lord Nelson married there (and there are two museums in Charlestown celebrating those facts.)



• Sunshine's, next to the Four Seasons' Resort, served one of the best BBQ ribs I ever tasted.



• I will miss not having Carib beer available to me. It is a great summertime beer to drink.



• I have two new 'friends', Rudder and Calypso. They are two Labador Retrievers that would lay on our front porch every morning and would sit with me as I read my book and looked out on the Caribbean having my first cup of coffee with them.



• Nevis is a wonderful, beautiful place to go but expensive to eat there.



• You must have a Death Wish if you are an American and rent a car there. First, they drive on the left side of the road (as they were a British colony). And, the roads are so narrow, hilly, bad with chickens, goats and cows running all around that I was nervous just being a passenger in the taxi.



• St. Kitts & Nevis (it is one country) gained its independence in 1983.



• There are 12,000 people on the island of Nevis.



• Fort Brimstone, on St. Kitts, is a World Heritage site, not to be missed. (see picture below).



• After spending 4 days on Nevis, we went to Basseterre (the capital of St. Kitts & Nevis) for the day. I know how one must feel when they go to New York City for the first time as Basseterre seemed so busy in comparison to Nevis.



• Much thanks to all our taxi drivers but especially to Sylvia, who gave us a 4-hour tour of Nevis and to TC who was originally a bus driver from Leeds, England but enjoys life being a taxi driver on the island now. (Also, her stories about how she is friends with Peter, Paul & Mary were wonderful.)



• Seeing the 'Monkey Xing' Signs and seeing the monkeys crossing the road!



• The many hummingbirds around our porch as we looked out onto the Caribbean.



• How good a Rum Punch can be.



• Our ferry going back and forth from Nevis to St. Kitts (a 45 minute ride).



• How warm and clear the Caribbean Sea is.



• How beautiful the 'Flamboyant' flower is.



• The mangoes that fell from the trees that were just laying on the side of the road. People would pay top dollar for those mangoes!



• The different plantations which are now inns and the history behind those places. Especially, the history of slavery there and where they were kept on those plantations. Very sad.



• They no longer grow sugar cane on St. Kitts & Nevis. (At least, for exporting). We saw some sugar cane fields but it is generally used on the islands for a 'cane drink' or bottling of Coca-Cola or Ting (a carbonated grapefruit drink).



• We had a 'traffic' jam on the way back to the inn one night because of some cows that were blocking the road. It beat the one hour traffic jam on the Schuykill Expressway after we landed into Philadelphia coming home on Friday night.

It is a long list but I will have a lot of great memories from this vacation.

(Notes on my running: Last week, I still had the cough from my illness. My wife said it was like honeymooning with Felix Unger. There really wasn't a place to run there so no miles while on vacation. We got back on Friday and I did run 6 miles around Lake Galena on Saturday. It was slow but didn't need to stop so that was encouraging. I ran another 6 miles around my neighborhood taking some walk breaks after going up hills. Again, encouraging. I was going to run a marathon the first weekend of October. Before I got sick, I was up to 9 miles. Can I catch up and get back on schedule for that marathon? )

A Need to Keep Positive

This summer has certainly not turned into the summer I expected. Instead of being fit, ready and road-tested for the Revolutionary Run 10k at Washington's Crossing, PA on the 4th of July, I have struggled in the past few weeks to remain healthy.

I wound up getting progressively worse last week and went back or contacted the doctor's office three times. It was only on Saturday night that I started to feel human as opposed to a giant petri dish just oozing and flowing with growing bacteria that couldn't be stopped. It is only today that I actually feel the normal temperature that people in this area of the country are suppose to feel for this time of year rather than a degree or two warmer than I've been feeling. I can now stop sweating uncontrollably where I sit and turn the thermostat back up beyond the sub-Arctic temps I've been setting them at. I've actually been able to stop coughing and bringing up 'stuff' to complete the simple act of breathing. (Have I told you that I've been sick? )

And, now, vacation next week which will kind of put my training on hold yet again. (Though it is really hard to complain that, oh, woe is me, I can't train because I'm going to a beach in the Caribbean for a week. What will I do?)

I'm hoping I didn't lose too much. After all, when you last tuned into this episode, I had just run nine miles comfortably. I probably lost some speed (ok, a lot of speed) but the good news is I am now 6 pounds lighter than before.

I can't sit here and say my race with Steve at Falmouth is lost. Not now. I'll still have a month to recover and train and hope for the best. I can still run a little next week while on vacation. And, my bike is ready so maybe I can do more cross-training in the coming weeks to help me recover quicker.

No, if I can get out this week, even for a few miles, it will help me regain my confidence that I'm not going to pass out after a mile. And, even if I have it tough on the first time, I need to make sure I'm not discouraged and go back out there again the next day and run that mile again. It is time to live my philosophy: Don't ever give up!

(P.S. I will be on the island of Nevis next week so no posting then. However, I'm hoping to talk about my adventure to a part of the world that I've never been to the following week.)

Sicko

No, not Michael Moore's new movie.

My intention this week was to run the Tex-Mex 5k in North Wales, PA on Wednesday but those plans are shelved. After having run 9 miles along the Delaware River on Saturday morning, I felt like I was wheezing a bit. I have grass allergies and I just mowed my lawn on Friday, so I thought it was from that. I was more tired on Saturday than I usually am from a longer run and thought I could sleep it off.

It got worse on Sunday and really bad on Monday. I went to the doctor Monday afternoon and was diagnosed with a sinus infection. I get these about once or twice a year and zaps me of my energy. Considering that tomorrow is suppose to be in the low-90's (F), I don't think it's a good idea to try to run this race. Which is a shame as it is not my favorite course but you get a taco and a beer after the race and really just sitting around having a good time on a summer's evening.

My next race then would be the Washington's Crossing 10k on July 4. I've used this race in the past to measure how I think I would do at Falmouth in August. I'm sure I will feel better in the next week and a half but sinus infections take a lot out of me. Then vacation the following week. Not exactly the plans I set out to do this summer. I find it hard to schedule sick time in my calendar.

Lessons from the Past

Last weekend I went back to Connellsville, PA for a family reunion. While I was there, I ran 7 miles on Saturday on the Yough River Trail, (pictured at right) starting at the site of British General Braddock's crossing of the river in what is known in the US as the French and Indian War. This crossing was a prelude to the disaster that was to happen to the British at Fort Duquesne where they met the French army. Connellsville was also the scene of the most disastrous race I ever ran and ever hope to run.

In the fall of 2002, I ran my first half-marathon in Philadelphia. I enjoyed the experience so much that I couldn't wait to sign up and run a half-marathon in the spring. 2002 was also the year that brought me back to a town which was a big part of my life growing up called Connellsville. At the time, I had not been back there in over 25 years.

Connellsville is where my father was born and where my grandparents lived. For the first 18 years of my life, I would go there at least once a year but more often twice or three times. Truthfully, there is not a whole lot to do there on an average day, so, we would spend our time counting the number of cars on a passing train, walking around collecting 'pop' (soda) bottles to trade in for baseball cards, anything to occupy our time. As it always seems to be the case, they were simpler times spent and I look back it with fondness.

With nostalgia in my heart and with a sense that I can do no wrong since I just ran my first half, I signed up for the Yough River half-marathon in 2003 to be held in Connellsville. This was a lesson that, just because you prepared for a race, doesn't mean you are ready for a race. That day, in 2003, I didn't eat right, drink right, wear the right shirt, wear the right socks, wear the right shoes and didn't run the right pace.

Back then, I would eat a protein bar before a race. I never bothered to bring one with me as I assumed I would be able to find one at the local convenience store. Well, not quite. I think I wound up with a donut and a muffin. I, also, can't drink water during the race as it will upset my stomach. I assumed that any 'big' race would have Gatorade on the course. That may be true but this race didn't. So, I was left with the choice of dehydrating or upsetting my stomach with water. I washed my mouth out with water but didn't actually intake any water that day. That decision would come to haunt me.

The Yough River half-marathon is an out-and-back run on a trail with frozen bike grooves. Only 110 people ran the race, so it was very easy to have your pace thrown off at the start as you don't want to be in the back of the pack. I remember feeling ok for the first 4 miles or so, even though I was running at an 8:30 pace. Up to the point, that was usually my 5k pace. No matter. I was feeling good and I'll be damned if I was going to be in the back with the slow runners.

On the turn around, that's when everything fell apart. As I was going into mile 7, my legs started to cramp up. I noticed that the long-sleeved shirt I was wearing to keep me warm at the start of the race, was now making me hot as the morning wore on. With every step, I was feeling the bike grooves on the trail. Every part of my body was hurting but, in order for me to get back to my car, there was only one way to go and that was towards the finish line.

With only 110 runners, I was far back in the pack and felt lonely and isolated. It was the longest 6 miles I ever ran (in reality, walked). I couldn't see anyone in front of me and walkers behind me. But, I was determined to finish. Finally, when I saw the finish line, I wanted to, at the very least, run the last 100 yards at the end (and before they started to tear down the finish line banner). When I crossed, my thighs seized up and I needed medical attention to be able to walk again. I'm proud to say I didn't finish last and somehow finished in front of 10 other participants.

I use that race as a milestone and compare everything I do now to what I did then. I learned the value of a fresh pair of running shoes. I learned that socks (at least for me) are very important and now will only use DryMax as they are the most comfortable for me to wear. I check before the race on what liquids they will have on the course and where I can expect the water stops to be. I bring my own food to races that are out of town. I bring 2 or 3 different shirts to choose from but will generally wear the lightest for the race and an old shirt to throw away if the start is too cold. And, I've learned to harness my energy at the start and 'take my temperature' of how I'm doing at various points along the course.

As I ran last Saturday on part of this course again, all those thoughts and the lessons I learned were going through my mind. This time, I made sure I paid attention to the baby bunnies that were along the trail, the sounds of the river, the smell of the honeysuckle and even the train whistle heard in the distance. Because, last time I was here, my only thoughts were of how to survive the disaster I created for myself that day.

When work gets in the way

I try to post a blog every Monday but this week work got in the way of my fun.

I was hoping to write about the Chalfont Challenge 5k race that happened this past Saturday. I was hoping to do the Bud Murphy 5k in Connellsville, PA tonight but had to postpone my departure date and time to western Pennsylvania by a day so can't do the race. And, I had no chance to run this week at all as, again, work got in the way. (We need to do something about this 'earning a living' thing as a society. ) :-)

Anyway, hope (I seem to be doing a lot of hoing this week) this doesn't set me back too much. Plans this weekend is to run in Connellsville on at least one of the days I'm there.