Friday, March 15, 2013

Some answers about GI problems...a running movie...and DC

Thank you all for the comments on my last post.
You all made me feel a lot better about that race.

I am still sick...chest congestion and cough....it is taking forever to go away.
I ran twice this week...3 miles and 4 miles...it was not good...so resting today and hoping this weekend will be better.

I wanted to answer some of your questions about my GI issues...

I have seen a GI Dr a while ago. 
I have chronic GERD; Gastroesophageal reflux disease (acid reflux).  I take medicine for that.  Unfortunately after Bill lost his job in September we also lost our health insurances.  We got a private one that is not the greatest and cost a lot of $$.  My meds were not covered with this insurance and I ran out before Thanksgiving.  I have been taking OTC meds since then and it is not working as well.  I still have about a month to go before we get our new insurance.

I have problems during the races...not during my training runs.
I always eat the same thing before running: dry cereal, a latte and water. 
Before a race and the long runs I don't drink my coffee.  I drink it after I run.
I also take vitamins every morning, vit C, vit D, vit B, Omega 3 fish oil, Claritin D if needed.
For my long runs and half marathons I bring water and one honey waffle and salt tablets.  I don't aways eat.

I sometimes have problems also when I am not running.  Eating something that is not on my regular diet will cause trouble for me but not the same as when I race.  I usually feel the worst at the end...seeing the finish line often sends me in a panic...I don't know why...I want to sprint happy to the finish...instead I have to focus on not puking...and I am not really good at it...

You were all so kind about my pictures....it is true that I don't look in "distress" on the pictures...and I look happy.  The reason is simple.  Bill is the one who takes the pictures...and my 2 sons are standing next to him and I don't want them to see me looking like "death" so I put on a smile and I run when I see them.  They have seen me in dry heaves a few times but most of the time I can prevent that.   I am also truly always happy to see them...it always lifts my spirit!   At the end of races it is when it requires a lot of effort to look happy for my boys.   I also don't want Bill to see me at my worst because I don't want him to worry too much about me.   Race photographers are a good motivation to look as good as possible....right...I mean I do have some pride!! :)

Have you seen this documentary?



I had never seen it before and this week I saw that it was on NETFLIX!
It is the story of Fred Lebow the founder of the NYC Marathon.  What an interesting man he was.  At the end of the movie we see him running the marathon for the first time with Grete Waitz.  He was very sick at that time.  It is sad to think they are both gone now... $%^#@ Cancer. 

Yesterday I got an email from the fitness editor at Health Magazine about my weight loss.  I answered several questions... and she asked for before and after pictures..and I might be featured in the magazine.  We will see! 

We have decided to do a short vacation this year.  Bill does not have a lot of time off yet at the new job so we cannot go to Quebec this summer.  The tickets are very $$ and going just for 5 days would be crazy.  So we found a good deal on tickets for Washington DC!  The boys are both super interested in everything that has to do with the Presidents..Jonathan read 4 books on Abraham Lincoln this year.   I have never been there so I am looking forward to it.  We are going in May when school ends.  We will be there for Memorial Day!
Anyone lives in DC?  If you have any tips for me..please share!

Spring Break starts in 21 minutes......wish me luck!!
Happy St-Patrick's Day!
Wishing you all a great weekend!


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8 comments:

Nelly said...

awesome on going to DC! I've only been there once, but just walking to all the monuments was great. You should contact your congressman, sometimes they can get you a tour of the capitol building - I thought that was great. It was cool to sit in on the house or senate if they are session too. Never know who will be speaking - when I went in 2003 Feinstein was speaking about job loss in the silicon valley by coincidence - surreal to hear my area talked about like that. Also there are a ton of great museums there - Smithsonian, history, holocaust, spy, etc. I wish I would have gone to the holocaust one, I know it would be too heavy for the boys, but maybe you and bill can somehow go. Enjoy the city!

Anonymous said...

I live about an hour south of DC and I would have loved to meet up and show you around a little bit! But exactly that weekend we are in Jamaica. Too bad! Sightseeing: of course the Capital and the White House, all the museums around the Mall (they are free!). The zoo is also free and pretty good. You should go to Mount Vernon, beautiful there!! And a must for running: The Mount Vernon trail! Run it from Old Town Alexandria towards DC - breathtaking!!

Darlene said...

Have fun in DC. You always look great in your pics. Lucky you!

Kate @ The Wife That Prays said...

We went to DC a couple years ago and loved it! If you get a chance you MUST go into the Library of Congress. It sounds boring, but the inside of the building is so beautiful! I believe it is a hidden gem that most people miss! It was one of my favorite places to visit!

Tasha Malcolm said...

That is really cool that you might be featured in magazine!!!!! You will have to keep us posted.

DC is such a fun city and your boys are the perfect age for it. So many great museums to visit. I went twice when I was in high school for youth conferences. I went the year before 9/11 and then the year after. It was very interesting/scary how much the city changed.

Susan DeBruin said...

Hey! I have GERD as well and it has frequently affected my training in the past. It got bad enough that I had to stop running & have a surgery. I had to overhaul my diet in order to control it without medicine. I kept a food journal for a few weeks to figure out what was affecting it, and confirmed what my doctor had been telling me (but I had been ignoring): I cannot drink coffee or alcohol, I need to eat small meals more frequently, and I cannot eat less than 2 hours before bed or laying down. When I obey those diet restrictions, I have almost zero issues - but when I indulge, I pay the price. Try keeping a food journal and see if you notice any patterns. Also, cut out the coffee/coffee based beverages -- for real, that was a biggie. I switched over to black teas so I could still have a hot drink with milk & sugar and a little caffeine in the morning and it has been an astonishing difference for me!

Anne said...

C'est pas évident de devoir prendre des médicaments non prescrit avec les problèmes que tu as...une chance que les assurances seront disponibles bientôt! Tellement intéressant que tu seras peut-être dans un magazine...tiens nous au courant :)

Washington semble tellement beau...on aimerait bien y aller un jour!J'ai hâte de voir tes photos!

Big Daddy Diesel said...

I went to DC last summer, great city!!! And 90% of the atrractions are free, the train is cheap to get around the city. All the museums are right next to each other, which is a nice bonus.

One tip that I learned the hard way, there is a lack of resturants, and the ones you find are really $$$$, even the street vendors food is outragously priced. Hit a grocery store and load up the backpack before going to the city all day.