Runs:

Sunday, August 9

7.2 miles.  12:42 per mile.  Strides: 155 per min.  Heart rate: 142 bpm.  Temps: 70s-80s deg F, sunny.

This was an easy paced, slightly hilly (369 ft. gain) run.  I felt pretty hot by the end, otherwise this run was fine.

Monday, August 10

7 miles. 12:25 per mile.  Strides: 157 per min.  Heart rate: 137 bpm.  Temps: 70s-80s deg F, humid.

This was an easy paced 7 miler.  Not much to note here, except my left forearm was feeling weak on this run, especially holding water.

I was definitely tired towards the end of this run, but I had my yearly endocrinologist checkup in the afternoon after this run, so some brain space on the run was taken up by worrying about failing another blood pressure test (I did! Always!  I get so nervous at doctor’s offices – at home it is around 107/67, at the office, 150/83).  Also, they always test for thyroglobulin to see if the thyroid cancer is returning, and always do an ultrasound to look for swollen lymph nodes in my neck, so there is also a certain level of anxiety about that, even though the odds of my thyroid cancer returning are extremely low.

Fun fact: For the first time, the resident I saw before my doctor had me hold my arms straight out to look for tremors.  Already my left arm was weak on this run, and with my frozen shoulder, there is no surprise to me that my left hand was a bit shaky today.  (This can be a sign of hyperthyroidism, it is also a sign that my shoulder is having problems, some days it is better, some it is worse.)  More on the appointment in running wrap up.

Tuesday, August 11

9 miles.  12:21 per mile.  Strides: 159 per min.  Heart rate: 135 bpm.  Temps:  70s-80s deg F, overcast and sunny.

This was an easy paced, flat run.  It was cloudy and overcast and breezy for part of the run, brutally sunny and hot for other parts.  Clouds would move away from the sun and it would be way too hot, and I would say “go away, Sun”.  There used to be a time in my life where it was almost never sunny on my runs and I would miss it.  Not now, apparently.  This is now where I am on my heat tolerance journey.

Most of this run felt very good and smooth, no problems making it to 9 miles.

Wednesday, August 12

7 miles.  12:42 per mile.  Strides: 155 per min.  Heart rate: 132 bpm.  Temps: 70s-80s deg F, sunny.

This was a hilly (346 ft. gain), easy paced run.  This was not an easy run.  My legs felt very heavy from the start, nothing injured or in pain, just sluggish, probably from the 9 mile run the day before.

I wanted to quit at 4 miles in, but once I got to 5, there was no issue convincing myself that the last 2 miles would be “super easy”.

Seen on this run: shirtless tree cutters.  I’ve noticed over the years that many of the tree trimming and removing companies operate completely shirtless in my area.  I first thought that this was not very professional and weird, but I think I’ve decided that, in a very dangerous job of operating chain saws and using wood chippers, maybe shirts are more a liability than protection, as cotton t-shirts could easily get sucked in with the chainsaw or stuck on branches as they are fed in to the wood chipper.  (This is the weird stuff I think about on runs – I have no proof this is why there are so many shirtless tree trimming workers in my neighborhood.)

Thursday, August 13

7 miles.  11:31 per mile.  Strides: 160 per min.  Heart rate: 144 bpm.  Temps: 70s-80s deg F, sunny.

My legs were feeling better than yesterday.  I’m not sure how this easy paced run ended up being 1 minute faster per mile than yesterday’s not easy, easy paced run, but I didn’t want to quit, and almost every mile was faster than the mile before, ending with a 10:32 7^th mile.

This run felt great.

Seen on my run: People actually wearing masks at garage sales.

Fun fact: About two months ago, I went with my mom to several garage sales to look for a deep picture frame so she could make a vertical succulent garden.  We were the only ones wearing masks at those garage sales back then, and an elderly lady actually made comments while we were walking away but still within earshot that the whole virus was made up and people were overreacting. Well, at least 70% of people at the garage sales today had masks on, so looks like times have changed.

Friday, August 14 – Two runs

5 miles.  12:11 per mile.  Strides: 157 per min.  Heart rate: 142 bpm.  Temps: 70s-80s deg F, sunny.

This first run was a short and hilly 5 mile run before going to a local farm/park with my mom, sister, and nephews.  It was cooler temperatures, but I was pretty sweaty by the end.  Not 7 miles, so had to make up the difference later.

2 miles.  12:04 per mile.  Strides: 158 per min.  Heart rate: 134 bpm.  Temps: high 80s deg F, sunny.

This was at 2:25 pm, in the middle of my daily fatigue period, and HR low at 134 shows that.  This was a lethargic run, and my right outside ankle started hurting for no discernible reason.  It felt fine later in the day, maybe just too much running today.

Saturday, August 15 – Long run

13.1 miles.  13:16 per mile.  Strides: 152 per min.  Heart rate: 133 bpm.  Temps: 70s-80s deg F, sunny.

My legs were feeling stiff and achy before this run, and I wasn’t sure how it would go.  I took the run very slow, wanted to give up at 9 miles, but made it to the half marathon distance, for the first time since June 28^th.

This was pretty slow, even for me, and very sweaty by the end, but I made it, so that’s good.

Running wrap-up

1.)  I had my yearly endocrinologist check-up today, and this time I did not leave in tears!  I’m not sure how much anemia has been contributing to my ongoing extreme afternoon fatigue issues, but at least I now know the fibroid was a contributing factor to my heavy iron loss, and with months of no blood loss, I’m not surprised my free T4 was at the high end of the range (around 1.78, range 0.8-1.8).  Previously, it has always been around 1.5-1.6 ever since March 2019.  I’m pretty sure losing lots of blood every month makes it difficult to properly dose my thyroid medication (I’m not talking about normal woman amounts, I’m talking about my fibroid is definitely trying to kill me amounts of blood that many people never need to worry about).  Anyway, now that’s not happening, my free T4 was high (and TSH was extremely low, but a.) it should be low in someone who has had thyroid cancer and is taking thyroid medication after surgery and b.) doesn’t really mean a whole lot in someone taking T3).

Unfortunately for me (?) I could hear through the very thin walls, the resident telling my doctor his work up of me, and that he thinks I should just drop my T3 medication and stay on the dose of T4 I was at.  Also, that’s where he mentioned the tremor in my left arm.  And how fast my heart rate was and my high blood pressure. 

Anyway, my doctor then did the neck ultrasound and we discussed my medication at the same time.  He gave me the choice of dropping T3 or keeping T3 and dropping the amount of T4 from 150 to 137.5 a day.  I’m sure he thought I would push back about dropping the dose, but again, I now know some of the heavy blood loss (which can be a hypo symptom), as well as the fatigue, might have been caused by the fibroid which is now removed, and now that I’m not losing lots of blood (and the T4 medication which is in my blood stream) every month, I probably am at too high a dose.  I think T3 medication helps with the afternoon fatigue, so I said that was fine, I will stay on T3 and drop the T4.  No fights this time.  I’ve also noticed after the second fibroid surgery, my resting heart rate has been ticking up.  So, there is a good chance that I am a bit hyper and could use a dosage change.

As far as thyroid cancer monitoring, my thyroglobulin levels were “0”.  I haven’t seen the results and doubt it was actually zero, but it sounds like they are very low and that is good.  I haven’t had radioactive iodine, so even if the cancer wasn’t returning, it is possible there is some residual thyroid tissue in my neck that could be growing and causing changes in that thyroglobulin number, but so far, looks like I am good.  No abnormal looking lymph nodes in my neck, also good.  I was not expecting any sign of thyroid cancer return, but I am always a little anxious waiting for these types of results.

If I seem a little too laid back or not worried about thyroid cancer returning, I’d like to point out two things going for me:

a.) Papillary thyroid cancer has an excellent prognosis, especially in someone under the age of 55. Even if signs of cancer were returning, the first step would be to do radioactive iodine, which does not have the same type of side effects as chemotherapy or radiation.

and b.) My pathology after my right thyroid lobectomy showed no evidence the thyroid cancer had left the thyroid, which meant that the surgery itself effectively cured my of my thyroid cancer.

2.)  This was a hot week in August.  I’m running slow.  Sometimes I’m achy.  I ran lots of miles this week.

3.)  My weight is the same as last week.

Total walking + running miles this week (August 9 – August 15): 70.12 miles (up 4.67 from last week)

Total walking + running miles this year (2020):  2,120.85 miles

Total steps this week (August 9 – August 15): 127,750 steps (up 1,340 from last week)

Total steps this year (2020):  3,706,928 steps

Average steps per day (August 9 – August 15): 18,250 steps (up 192 from last week)

Average steps per day (2020): 16,258 steps

Total running miles this week (August 9 – August 15): 57.56 miles (up 1.1 from last week)

Average running mileage per week (2020): 48.67 miles

Total running miles this year (2020): 1,585.32 miles

Average running speed this week (not including hill repeats) (August 9 – August 15): 12:32/mile. (24 sec  slower per mile than last week)

Average running speed this year (2020): 11:53 per mile

Average resting heart rate this week (August 9 – August 15): 61 bpm (down 2 bpm from last week)

Average resting heart rate this year (2020): 61 bpm

Elevation gain this week (August 9 – August 15): 2,168 ft. (up 109 ft. from last week)

Elevation gain this year (2020): 63,810 ft.

Average elevation gain per week (2020): 1,959 ft.

Current thyroid medication: 137.5 mcg/day levothyroxine + 5 mcg x 2 times a day liothyronine. Started on Aug. 11, 2020.

Weight, weight fluctuate

Weight: 159.0 lb (down 0.1 lb from last week).

Weight January 1, 2020: 151.0 lb

Weight change since Jan 1, 2020: +8.0 lb

Previous week:  August 2 – August 8, 2020

Next week:  August 16 – August 22, 2020