Tuesday was the first day back from a very long weekend (Memorial Day weekend) and I was ready to take on the week. I woke up at 4:30AM and made it to the pool for my 2,500 of lap after lap of swimming. I felt good in the water and emerged feeling confident and happy. I swam relaxed and as smooth as possible for me. The day was shaping up well thus far.
Work was work and I did what I needed to do. I decided to go out for a run at lunch despite the 90F-plus temperatures outside and 80% humidity. I was scheduled for an hour run, but since I was supposed to play soccer later on that night, so I opted to just run four miles (33:40 or so)....I was tired and it was hot. I was also having a bit of a tough time breathing which I will get to later. I toughed it out and was happy I did so.
Flash forward to Tuesday night at 6PM and I am up at Herbst Field, the local soccer/lacrosse complex. I coach my daughters soccer team and the head (Neil) of Smart Soccer, Central Bucks Athletics Associations soccer education partner, put together a year-end scrimmage for all of the coaches of the rec leagues. The weather wasn't exactly cooperating early on as the rain dumped on us numerous times, but we managed to finally find a window to play. About 15 or 16 guys showed up to play, of varying skill levels, all ready to kick the ball around and get a run in.....and run we did. Neil decided that we could play full field 7 v 7, which in hindsight was probably a bit off, maybe a smaller field would have worked a bit better considering the different fitness levels of all the players. Regardless, we played and had a great time.
About 20 minutes into the session I was reminded of how completely different it is to play a contact sport vs. training for running, biking, or swimming. I was jogging slowly one minute, then in a dead sprint the next, only to slow to a jog and then sprint again. I spent my whole life playing soccer and lacrosse, yet having not played those sports much recently, I forgot that there is a different kind of fitness that goes along with them. It was tough, fun, but tough.
After about an hour or so of playing we called it quits and I was so glad that I played. I had a really good time and can't wait to get out and play again (hopefully next Tuesday night). The one thing that I wasn't so happy about was the aches that I was starting to feel in my legs; my quads, hamstrings, calves, and groin were all screaming at me, "Why did you do this to us?" I didn't have an answer for them. All I could do was head home, shower up and get to sleep.
Wednesday I fortunate to be working from home and my body thanked me for it. I was able to sleep in, if you call waking at 5:30AM and lying there looking at the ceiling for an hour sleeping in. I do like the mornings when I get the girls ready for school, just the little extra time with them in the morning is special.
Once they were gone I was banging out changes to my companies intranet site and trying to respond to a plethora of emails. Around 11:45AM I decided to get my training in for the day, a 45 minute ride followed immediately by a 15 minute run. Even though it was over 90F, the session was awesome. I rode really well, felt strong and came off the bike feeling good. For the run I was conscious of the fact that I needed to keep my heart rate in Zone 2, which was tough. My legs just wanted to go and I had to pull it back a few times. Despite my attempts to slow down, I still managed 8:03/mile pace for the run and my average heart rate was right around 150 BPM. I should also note that my quads and groin muscles were still hurting from the prior nights soccer game. OUCH!!!
The second half of my day was spent going to a couple doctors. The first was an ENT (Ears, Nose, & Throat) to have my ears checked. I was told a few weeks ago that I have bumps in my ears and I should have them checked out. The ENT doctor diagnosed them as Exostoses, and told me that I don't have to worry about them unless I start to have some issues with my hearing. I also asked him about my nose and subsequent allergy issues. He told me to try switching my allergy medicine to Singulair and if that didn't work, Zyrtec.
My next doctor appointment was with my family physician. I scheduled this one because I have been having trouble breathing when the weather gets hot and humid. I have continued to take my allergy medicine, but haven't had any luck eliminating the symptoms. About 5 minutes into my runs I just can't take a good deep breathe, it feels like my chest just won't take the air in. I have dealt with this for a long time and I finally needed to do something about it. In short, my doctor told me that I probably have exercise-induced asthma. Although when it happens to me doesn't really coincide with all of the typical triggers (e.g. cold, dry air), the one that could be causing it would be my allergies. He prescribed an inhaler for me to use 10 - 15 minutes prior to heading out for a run or ride. I am praying that this will help me out and eliminate the shortness of breathe and unusual fatigue that I suffer from in the warm Spring/Summer months.
That is about it for now....oh I did get in a swim this morning (2,400M) and it went really well. I have a big night ahead of me, my little girl turned five years old today so we are going to be having pancakes for dinner (her choice) then cake for dessert. I can't believe that my youngest is now FIVE YEARS OLD.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LITTLE E-ROCK!!!
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