My Life, and Lyme.

I don't talk a lot about Lyme Disease or my personal struggles with it. Most people either don't understand it, or are blissfully ignorant. Lyme disease is one of those things that you hear about but aren't educated on, something that happens to other people, not to you. If you are one of those people, please take time to educate yourself. Learn. Lyme does not attack only crazy trail runners, nor are you immune because you’re not out playing in the woods every weekend. 

I don’t pretend to know much about Lyme or even Lyme prevention. I have searched Google for everything about Lyme, and mostly what I've learned, is no one knows a lot about Lyme. We know where it comes from, the wide range of symptoms, but there is no "cure", only treatments that CAN help. All I really know is my experience with the disease. I did a lot of internet searches for distance runners with Lyme disease, or running after Lyme. The information just wasn't there, which was part of why I have decided to try and incorporate a little more about Lyme into my blog. I was desperate for success stories, and hope to provide one for someone else.

Over the last 6 months, I have done three different rounds of oral antibiotics, narrowly escaping the surgical implantation of a PICC line for intravenous antibiotics. I have been referred to an infectious disease doctor in Jacksonville, but our beautiful state of Florida doesn't have the greatest health care and I have been having a really difficult time getting in to actually SEE a doctor. Even after the treatments that I have had, I still suffer many of the Lyme symptoms. I am fortunate that they come and go, others aren't so lucky. They last anywhere from 2-3 days, to a week. I get extremely tired, foggy brained, and very sore and achy all over.I sometimes spike fevers and just feel very run down. I have a friend that asked me why I don't take a few days off training and take it easy during my "Lyme Attacks" so I can get rest. I explained that it doesn't help, I can sleep for 12 hours and still feel exhausted when my Lyme flares up. It's not like I am sick and need rest to recover. Lyme is just there. Taking rest time hasn't seemed to make any difference on my recovery time from it so I just push through knowing my running pace will likely be slower than normal, and the workouts will be harder than I expect. 

These last couple days I could feel it coming on, and it hit me full force this morning. My eyes hurt and my body aches. Getting out of bed this morning felt physically impossible. I had a migraine. I put my running shoes on, and left to meet my friend. It was a hard run. My whole body was fighting me, and my brain felt like I was playing pinball with it while I ran (bouncing around in my head). "It's just Lyme" I remind myself, I am stronger than this. I ran 8 miles, will do some deep cleaning today, then I have an 8 hour shift waitressing tonight. I will not succumb to Lyme Disease, and it will not overtake MY life.

"I suffer in silence.
I fight alone."

Also, I highly recommend reading Bart Yasso book, My Life on the Run. Bart Yasso is a running legend who has struggled with Lyme Disease for a long time. 

Marathon Disappointment

I made it to Savannah Friday afternoon and spent some time at the Expo, bought myself a few new goodies, had a good dinner and went to bed early.  I was going to have a good race. WRONG. I woke up stiff and with a migraine. I am really starting to hate Lyme Disease. I was sure once we got downtown the adrenalin and excitement would overtake all my aches and pains, but it didn't. Around mile 3 I stubbed my toe on a brick and broke a bone at the top of my foot. Ouch.  I still managed to stay with the 4:00 pacer, although I was struggling.  My breathing was great and I had no cramping but my joints hurt, bad.  My toes were aching inside my shoes... as well as my ankles, elbows and wrists.  My fingers were swollen I am assuming from bad circulation in the cold weather? Mile 12 I lost my pacer. Around mile 23 I lost the 4:15 hour pacer. I stopped at mile 24, stretched, cried, and walked. I was feeling so disappointed, so defeated. I failed. I couldn't push through the aches and pains like I thought I'd be able to. I walked for a few minutes, pulled myself together, and started jogging (shuffling?) again.

Mile 25 I picked up the pace not allowing myself to stop running no matter what. I was so close! I finished.  I was so happy to be done. I was anxious to stretch my legs and compress my achy joints. I didn't meet my BIG goal of 4 hours. I didn't BEAT my last year time of 4:16:32... no. I was slow. I felt like all that training was wasted on this run. I came in with a  final official time of 4:23:10. I hung out in the finishers shoot for a few minutes trying to pull myself together before facing everyone. I reminded myself, I finished. I ran 26.2 miles even when I wanted to quit. I put a smile on my face, took my pictures with a fake pride displayed, and walked out of the finishers shoot to face everyone.  My husband looked sad, my mom was crying (disappointed she didn't finish due to an injury). It was a very gloomy morning. We watched Phillip  Phillips finish his concert, and slowly made our way back to the car.

 A marathon is hard enough on it's own... doing it with the aches, pains and stiffness that comes with Lyme is just mean.


I'm frustrated because even after the race, my muscles feel great. I nailed my fueling the days before and the day of race day. I never got dehydrated, or cramps or sick. Everything was spot on. Everything except that fact that I have Lyme Disease and that sucks. #stupidlyme

But I will smile, because I pushed through and finished and there were times during the race, I didn't know if that was going to happen. I didn't think I would make it! I fought tears back off and on throughout the race, and once I finished there was no holding them back. I felt instant relief, disappointment, happiness, pride and failure all at the same time. It was overwhelming.

Marathon  #2 complete. I am now officially a marathoner. 

Hardest. Run. Ever. Feeling discouraged.

Well last week I ran my 21 miles, my last long run before tapering and let me just say, it was the hardest, run, ever. I woke up feeling extremely tired. My body was so stiff and achy  I literally couldn't hold my toothbrush in my hand because my fingers wouldn't bend enough. I got ready and left to head out.  Usually my muscles loosen and my joints start feeling better after 45 minutes or so of running so I had high hopes. My first few miles I was about 30 seconds slower than normal... not a great start. By mile 7 I was crying. Everything hurt, I was starting to get a migraine (yes while running).Each mile was a push. I looped by my car at mile 11 and stopped my runkeeper. I drank some Nuun (electrolyte replacer) and water. Then  I decided I was done. It was too hard.  I was going way too slow. Everything hurt... whine whine whine, blah blah blah. I sat there whining to myself for about 2 minutes while stretching my legs and rehydrating.

Then, I decided, Lyme disease wasn't getting the best of me. I am not a quitter.  I set out to do something, and even if I was crawling by the end I was going to finish what I started. So off I went for my second loop. It was hard, by mile 15 I was really excited to only have a 10k left. My overall pace ended up being right on target for marathon pace (seriously? I don't know how that is even possible). I felt very discouraged. I cried in my car. I yelled at my husband for trying to encourage me when I felt like a failure. But then I got to thinking, this is the hardest run I have ever done, EVER.

With that said... maybe there is hope? Even on my hardest run, on the worst day, with the most severe my side effects get... I didn't quit.

I don't think it is going to be my training I depend on to finish this race, but my sheer stubbornness is what is going to carry me through this marathon.

Lyme Disease and Running

I am in the final month of my 5 month marathon training plan. I have been exhausted with the most extreme form of fatigue I have ever experienced.  My muscles have been very sore, and my joints achy. I have randomly spiked fevers over the past couple weeks, and just not been feeling great. I thought maybe I was over doing it? Maybe I wasn't fueling well enough? Then I started getting headaches, and migraines (which I have never experienced before and let me just say, they are terrible!!!). Long story short I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. A few weeks ago I had got bit or stung by something on the back of my head. I get bit and stung often by spiders, bees, ect so I didn't think much of it. My neck has been stiff for over 2 weeks and it was getting worse not better.  My jaw line went pretty numb and my vision started getting blurry. I knew something else must be going on... I was laying on the couch  (so out of character) and I came across an article from Runners World Magazine about Lyme Disease (http://www.runnersworld.com/health/runners-and-lyme-disease) and was like "oh my gosh!" That's it!

I am now on 3 weeks of anti-biotics for it which make me feel super sick. I am still working and still training. I'm hoping the side effects go away sooner than later so I will feel refreshed and ready to go come Marathon Day (1 month from tomorrow!!!). The Dr said it can take several weeks to several months for the symptoms to be gone...  I'm hoping for weeks, or even days? I was glad to hear there was something going on and it wasn't me just being out of shape or something!

Anyway, I wanted to put my story out there, maybe I can help a fellow runner or friend who somewhere down the road develops these symptoms. Lyme disease is hard to test for so it's good to know the symptoms so you can get the treatment. The bulls eye ring they look for only shows up in  70% of cases, and doesn't appear on a larger scale until the disease starts progressing. Once it hits your nervous system (around 2 months) it can cause irreversible damage and permanent arthritis in your joints.

I would love to hear anyone else's experience with ticks and running or your experience living with Lyme disease and how it has or hasn't affected you.