It has been 2 months since my last post so I thought it was time for an update. As the title suggests, sping is now upon us so the weather has improved slightly. It has been warmer and sunny at times but horribly windy for the last couple of weeks. Not much rain though so we have made it out for a few long rides.
In my last blog I was considering entering the Auckland Half Marathon which I did thinking I could run a decent time since it is quite a fast course. I was very motivated and even wrote up a little program. Even before I entered I was intermittantly suffering from dead leg issues whenever I tried to run, bike or swim (with kicking) hard which was a bit annoying - my legs felt they weren't getting enough blood or oxygen to them. I tried getting a few massages but that didn't help, I wasn't really training much or very hard so couldn't put it down to overtraining. After a very depressing long run where I tried to do uptempo but could run any faster than 4min30 pace on the flat, I made an appointment to see a sports physician. Turned out I was horribly iron-deficient and anaemic despite becoming a full on red meat eater over a year ago. I had iron injections a year ago when my iron got very low but (as I discovered when I saw my blood test history recently) that iron had been reduced by half just before Ironman NZ this year and by the beginning of October there was not much left in the tank.
So when I said I felt like I wasn't getting enough oxygen to my legs that is basically what was happening since there wasn't enough haemoglobin to go around. Not ideal Half Marathon training. So I started on the iron pronto and had a whole barrage of blood and poos and wees tests to see why I lose so much iron. The good news is that I am absorbing the iron tablets and my haemoglobin has gone up so I am feeling much more normal but it is all a bit late for me to run a good time next weekend. So once I stop the iron we will just need to monitor it more closely and do more investigations if it drops.
It is very puzzling because I have always had issues with iron but I didn't eat red meat, and now that I do eat red meat it hasn't seemed to make any difference so there is obviously something going on.
 |
| Kona watching on the NEW carpet |
 |
| Saying screw you old carpet, I'm windtraining inside (mainly because the garage was full...) |
 |
| Finally we have a vege garden |
 |
| Apparently this is comfortable |
 |
Proof that I eat meat
|
We are now T minus 13 days until the wedding of the year which is very exciting. I am very excited about my pre wedding Hen run which is as good as it gets for a Hen's party for me. I have had so many people seem horrified that I am going running the day of my wedding which I don't get. If I need to be worried about falling over or hurting myself before my wedding at what point am I supposed to stop doing things?! Shouldn't I stop riding my bike or crossing the road at least 6 weeks before to allow for any injuries from those activities?! People are funny.
 |
| It will be run with military precision |
Anyway. I gues next update I will be a married woman!! And then my blog title will be wrong, hmmmm.
