Signed Up For The 10K, Eek!

[shan1212]

Does anyone want to join me reaching an exercise goal?

I did the local 10k in 2008 and 2011 (didn't do it when pregnant or last year when I had a one month old). While in retrospect I had my first POTS related ER visit a week before the 2011 race, I've never run it knowing I have POTS.

I signed up for an 8k last fall and worked up to a 4 mile jog, but my sister and I felt like sleeping in so we skipped it. Oops. But I'm not skipping this one unless I'm sick because it cost $80 to sign up!

I would like to slowly jog the whole thing, but if I just make it to the finish line, that's fine. My previous two 10ks I ran in an hour and 4 and a half minutes (ony deviated by four seconds!) but this year I weigh more, I've got POTS, and well, yeah. So I'm not setting a time goal but I'm expecting it to be about ten minutes slower, and that's if I'm able to jog the whole way.

So anyway, I wanted to make it "official" and post here that I'm doing it so that I don't wimp out again. Wish me luck! Today I jogged for 30 minutes, which was probably about 2.5 miles. So I've got a ways to go, but I also know from experience that the hardest part is being able to jog the first 20-30 minutes, so I'm optimistic.

[lfreem02]

My daughter and I jogged a 5k this past weekend. I signed up for it last year, but wasn't able to do it. I am hoping to work up to the 10k next year. I ran the Peachtree Rd Race after turning 30, which is a 10k, and wanted to run it last summer after turning 40, but it just didn't happen.

My daughter ran ahead of me at the end of the race Saturday, and cheered me on as I crossed the finish line. Being able to drive us there, and jog the whole way was a big accomplishment after this past year of icky symptoms. We celebrated by going to IHOP for breakfast. It has been a rough week, but I am glad I did it.

Even if you have to take it slow, and have to walk some of it, you will be glad you did it. It means a lot more when you have to work so hard for it. Good luck!!

[shan1212]

That's awesome! And how sweet that your daughter was there to cheer you on! It goes two blocks from our house, and I know my husband will have the girls out to cheer for me, which will be awesome.

I just hope the weather will cooperate. Hot and sunny is bad for me. I recently got a Camelbak that holds 50 ounces, so hopefully that will keep me going, plus I can grab gatorade every mile. Or I might just carry a hand bottle with EFS powder too (I only put water in the Camelbak because I'm not sure how to clean the bladder very efficectively).

[Katybug]

Go Shan, go!

[megsmit6]

I have signed up for a 5K that is in April! I am training now and so far it is rough but I am determined to do it! I also recently got my POTS awareness ribbon tattoo on my wrist as a reminder to keep going and to not let it bring me down! We can cheer eachother on Shannon! Good Luck!!

[ramakentesh]

if I was well I could do it no problem. Problem is I never really know whether ill be well or not at the time

[shan1212]

Thank you Katy!!!! I will need the encouragement!

Meg, I didn't know there was a POTS awareness ribbon. Off to google it . . . . My race is in April too. We can be training buddies!

Ramakentesh, yes, that is the kicker about this condition. I hate not knowing if I'll be well enough to do things. I just RSVPed to a baby shower that will require me driving 3-4 hours each way by myself, and I wanted to add the caveat, "If I feel well, that is," but I figured, oh well, I can always cancel last minute if I don't, but I don't need to say it ahead of time.

Running has always been hard for me (makes sense in retrospect). I couldn't run a block when I first tried. 6 years ago when I started exercising regularly, I worked my way up to speed-walking 6 miles, and only then did I transition to slowly jogging 1.5 miles. But ever since I worked up to being able to do, I've retained the ability to run a mile or two, no problem, no matter what I've gone through . . . pregnancies, weight gain, illness, etc. I'm thankful for that, at least, because I imagine my POTS would be worse if I hadn't upped my cardiovascular abilities. But a 10k is beyond my ability to just phone it in . . . I'll need to train and work up to 6 or 7 miles (I like to run farther than the actual race beforehand because I don't want the actual race to be the absolute most I can handle . . . not smart IMO if you are already handicapped as we are). And right now 4 miles is a challenge. Gotta get to work!

[jangle]

Ivabradine or beta blockers should in theory increase exercise tolerance. I noticed on low dose propanolol I don't get as winded and can run longer and faster.

10k I believe is roughly 6.5 miles. If you can run one of those (and have regularly trained to do so) your POTS will probably be significantly diminished.

[westernmass]

Woohoo I'm excited to see this! I just signed up to do warrior dash this summer. It's a 5k obstacle course. I've been going steady in my work out plan (prescribed) and hope to be able to complete this by June! I don't care if I have to crawl across the finish line.

[shan1212]

Ivabradine or beta blockers should in theory increase exercise tolerance. I noticed on low dose propanolol I don't get as winded and can run longer and faster.

10k I believe is roughly 6.5 miles. If you can run one of those (and have regularly trained to do so) your POTS will probably be significantly diminished.

I was on metoprolol last year but didn't notice any benefits and thought it was exacerbating my fatigue.

A 10k is 6.2 miles, but who's counting? (Me, of course!)

I will say, though, that in my case I wonder if it's more that without exercise, my POTS would be worse. I suspect I've always had a mild case of it. All my life I was extremely exercise intolerant, could barely lift a dumbell or hairdryer over my head. But I slowly worked my way up to being in very good shape. Then I had my first pregnancy, gained 48 pounds, nursed for a year, and then weaned my daughter (hormones, hormones, hormones). I imagine that if I hadn't gone into my pregnancy in very good shape, I would have had a rougher go of it. When I weaned my daughter and resumed my womanly stuff, I started having these horrific epsidoes that I thought were food poisoning or something (obviously POTS in retrospect). I even went to the ER the week before I ran the 10k, got IV fluids, but recovered. Then I got pregnant with number two and ka-BAM, I was unable to function and on an IV at home for a week.

Despite all of this . . . two pregnancies, gaining 45+ pounds each time, losing some/most of it, breastfeeding, illness, twisting my ankle . . . I can still pick up and run a mile or two at any time. And when I was starting to get into shape, I couldn't run a block. So I don't know, I guess I'm saying that I seem to still be in very good cardiovascular health (for me, a person with POTS . . . I've never been able to carry on a conversation while jogging, and I'm sure I never will). I contacted Dr. Levine's exercise study and they were like, oh, you can run for 45 minutes already, hmmm . . . In my case, I'm still fairly conditioned, and while it's important to maintain that, I don't know how much benefit is left for me to milk out of it.

Happily, though, I seem to be responding very well to Florinef and Zoloft. I still feel my POTS symptoms but it's like the volume is turned way down most of the time. An adrenaline surge or a dizzy wave is just this little nuisance, not something that precipates being in bed for a wild ride like it used to. Knock on wood, of course. It's all so dynamic and just when you think you'll never get better, or never feel bad again, of course it changes.

Westernmass, an obstacle course, wow! I can't even run on an incline, ha. And yeah, I hear you. Finishing is all I care about.

I love the winter! Why do I live somewhere with hot, humid summers? I had a great jog today in the cold misty rain. I did just about half of a 10k, and felt great.

[Ash]

I want you too know this post inspired me to sign up for a tough mudder 5k with my friends. It is 3.1 miles with 10 obstacles...I completely plan on walking the entire thing and will probably be in bed the entire next week. But I am going to do it and finish it! It was kinda funny though because I was telling my cardiologist about it and making sure I wouldn't have a heart attack or something from it, and he asked "you couldn't have picked something less involved" I told him no all my friends where signed up, he did state my friends didn't have POTs, and I told him as long as I don't die during it I am okay with spending the next 1-2 weeks in a bad flare, just to be able to go and do something I want to do and used to be able to do will be worth it....now time to start training, and considering just walking a couple laps around our house is a big ordeal I have a feeling it is a good thing I have till the end of June to build some endurance...maybe I should start practice crawling...but thanks for the inspiration I am a firm believer that we can't let PoTS keep us down, I know I personally don't feel any better then I did last year when I first got diagnosed but I do a lot more now, I just know that I am never gonna not be dizzy or have a fast heart rate and pushing through yes will most likely cause days where I can't get out of bed, but those few hours of "normal" doing things I enjoy are worth it and help me keep my sanity in this whole messed up and unfair ordeal.