A Constant Battle

Yesterday, I ran the Seattle Hot Chocolate 15K. Finally healed from a raging sinus infection, I was a little worried I would have some difficulty with this race, but I ended up finishing with a decent and consistent pace. Unfortunately, about four miles in I realized my old nemesis had crept into the race, which made the last several miles a bit of a mental fight for me.

Tachycardia is a pain to deal with. Recently, my resting pulse rate was so high that I scared my doctor until we had the "oh yeah... remember? This is normal for me..." conversation when my heart was pounding at a rate higher than 100 PBM just sitting on the exam table. A little white coat syndrome knocks my already-quick resting pulse to what some runners experience during a warm-up jog.

The cardiologist I met with years ago did a number of tests and monitoring then determined that while my pulse is indeed rather fast and that I do struggle with heart palpitations, my heart is healthy and activities such as running are safe as long as I don't overdo it. His recommendation was to ensure I am properly hydrated. Beyond my morning black coffee and a little wine on the weekend, I'm a water drinker. If I'm not gulping water, I'm sipping hot decaf tea. When I explained this to the cardiologist, he told me that water is simply not enough to keep me hydrated, and that I have to be drinking something with electrolytes. I've mentioned before that NUUN is my go-to electrolyte drink because it's the least sugary-tasting supplement I have found to date (sugary drinks gross me out - hence my hate for sodas - instead, give me all of the salt!!).

Well, despite prepping the day before by drinking NUUN, I realized about four miles into yesterday's race that my stomach was beginning to ache in that way that means my pulse is too high. Glancing at my watch, it was reading 180 BPM, which is high even for me. My legs felt great, my breathing was even, but dammit - my heart always gives out long before the rest of me feels tired.

I forced myself to walk through every aid station so I could gulp down two cups of NUUN and chase it with a cup of water. By the time I reached the 6-mile mark, the race had turned to downhill but my pulse was still much higher than it would normally be. After hydrating carefully at each aid station, though, the pain in my stomach went away and my chest no longer felt tight.

The mental struggle was tough. Because my legs and the rest of my body felt good, I wanted to speed up during the last half the way I normally do during a race. I couldn't because my pulse was having difficulty slowing down to my body's "safe zone".

Nevertheless, I felt proud of how I did yesterday. The Seattle race is extremely hilly and difficult, and I managed to keep my overall pace at a 9'43"/mile average (according to my GPS) despite everything going on. I felt pleased that I was able to push the ego aside and hold back on the speed even though my legs begged to run faster. I also learned a few things, which I'd like to share.

1. I should probably follow up with a new cardiologist. It's been awhile and my overall physical condition has changed quite a bit since my last appointment. Collapsing mid-race would be stupid if it's avoidable.
2. Running the long, intense uphills without stopping was something made possible by all the mountain-training runs I've been doing this year.
3. My endurance is increasing, and I know this because the middle of the race, which was all uphill, felt better than the first few miles once I got my heart rate under control. 
4. I still dislike running downhill; I find it more exhausting than uphill running, oddly.
5. I need to measure the amount of liquids I am consuming the day before a long race from now on. Obviously, I didn't get enough the day before, and this could have been avoided.
6. I looked awful during this race. Like, seriously stressed out. Usually, I'm smiling in all my photos, but the look on my face is pretty accurate to how I was feeling. Because I have no shame, I'm sharing one of my official race photos so you, too, can get a good laugh. You have to zoom in to see the bags under my eyes and the straining in my throat. 

See those folks in short sleeves behind me?
It was 37°F with a cold wind. They're nuts.
Also, my awesome Crane Tights are from
INKnBURN, naturally.

I didn't previously mention this because I chose to focus on my tachycardia today, but I also want to share that my daughter ran the 5K the hour before my race began, and she rocked it, of course. This was taken post-race, which is a little more flattering than my end-of-race photo.

Me and my awesome little runner kid!