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Iron Infusion for Anemia: Hoping for More Energy and Better Runs
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
Yesterday, I had another hematology appointment. It was just as long and boring as expected, but at least I managed to finish most of my chores before bed.
My doctor believes I don’t have enough available iron to produce the hemoglobin my body needs, and my hemoglobin has gradually been declining. So, I received another IV iron infusion at the hematology office.
By the time I got home, I was quite tired. Unfortunately, the chores still hadn’t been done and were waiting for me. I finished what I needed to do and went to bed later than usual.
I hoped the iron infusion would give me an immediate boost for this morning’s run. Apparently, that’s not how it works. Sadly, I did not wake up with a newly installed high-performance blood supply. My run was still difficult, and my pace didn’t magically improve overnight. It will take time for my body to use the additional iron, so I’m hoping I’ll start noticing a difference over the next several days.
I certainly wouldn’t mind having fewer medical appointments. They take a significant amount of time and can leave me exhausted afterward. Still, they’re important, and improving my hemoglobin should ultimately help both my health and my running.
So, for now, I’ll keep going to the appointments and practicing patience. Hopefully, next week’s legs will appreciate this week’s IV.
When My Slow Run Became Proof of How Far I’ve Come
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
I’m unusually excited about next week’s weather forecast. Not because I have outdoor plans. Not because we’re having a picnic. I’m excited because the morning temperatures finally look like something designed for running rather than slow roasting.
Tomorrow, the temperature may not even climb above 70°F before I finish my run. After spending much of the summer running through Nashville’s heat and humidity, that sounds almost luxurious. Naturally, I’m hoping the cooler weather will translate into more speed.
I still have about 30 seconds of pace time to eliminate before reaching my speed goal for the year. Progress toward that goal has slowed considerably over the summer, but that wasn’t entirely unexpected. There is only so much speed I can demand from my legs while running through air that occasionally feels more appropriate for growing tropical plants. Summer has mostly been about maintaining my fitness and running consistently. Now, with cooler mornings approaching, I’m hoping I can start pushing for speed again.
Interestingly, though, one of the most encouraging signs of my progress came from one of my worst runs. Last week, I developed that mysterious heel pain. I attempted to run anyway, hoping the discomfort would disappear once I started moving. Instead, I ended up half limping along the trail before finally abandoning the run. It was certainly not a performance I would normally celebrate. Then I looked at the numbers.
Even while moving much slower than usual, and with one foot clearly objecting to the entire activity, I was still running faster than I had three years ago. That surprised me. It also gave me some perspective.
When you focus constantly on the next target, it is easy to overlook how much progress you’ve already made. My current definition of a “bad run” would once have qualified as a very good one. That’s worth remembering.
I still want those remaining 30 seconds. I still intend to keep working toward my speed goal. And when the weather finally cools down, I hope I’ll start chipping away at that number again. But whether I reach it next week, next month, or a little later doesn’t change what I’ve already accomplished.
Three years ago, I was trying to become the runner I am today. Today, I’m trying to become a faster version of that runner.
Sometimes progress becomes much easier to see when you stop looking at the runner ten seconds ahead of you and turn around to look at the runner three years behind.
Anemia and Running Performance, and Understanding What Affects My Pace
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
After several days of intense heat, Nashville finally received some relief. Naturally, I expected my running pace to improve with the cooler weather. My legs apparently didn’t get the forecast.
This morning was cooler than Monday, yet I still couldn’t reach my target pace. Frustratingly, if I could simply exchange Monday’s run with today’s, I would have recorded two successful runs this week. Unfortunately, my running app doesn’t offer a retroactive pace-exchange program.
For weeks, I assumed Nashville’s heat and humidity were primarily responsible for slowing me down. But with cooler weather, I’ve realized there is another factor. I’m tired.
At my latest doctor’s visit, I learned that my iron and hemoglobin levels have dropped again. My hematology visits have become more frequent while my doctors monitor and treat the problem, which may explain why running has felt harder lately. I remember how much easier running felt this spring when my hemoglobin improved. I had more energy, and maintaining a faster pace was noticeably easier.
Still, today’s run wasn’t terrible. I nearly matched Monday’s target pace and finished close enough that Friday’s goal feels achievable. Fitness doesn’t exist in isolation. Weather changes. Health changes. Energy changes.
For now, I simply have to work with the energy my body gives me and keep trying. On Friday, I’ll head out again, find my pace, and hopefully hold onto it. Maybe my legs will finally check the weather forecast first.
Running in a Nashville Heat Wave
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
Nashville is in the middle of another heat wave, but my weather app says it should finally break tomorrow. The heat may linger for another day or two, but I’ll be happy to see the worst of it leave.
Running in extreme weather is particularly challenging for me. I already have difficulty maintaining my weight when my activity level increases, and even my early morning runs have been noticeably slower.
The heat is bad enough, but Nashville also provides plenty of humidity. On some mornings, the air feels so heavy that running is less like outdoor exercise and more like using a treadmill inside a sauna.
Unfortunately, nobody provides the fluffy towels afterward. I’ve struggled to reach my target pace lately, but I know fitness isn’t the only factor. Weather and health both affect performance.
Fortunately, the forecast looks much better by the end of the week, with cooler early mornings that should be much more comfortable for running.
My iron levels have also dropped again, and I’m scheduled for another iron infusion the week after next. I’m hopeful that treatment will improve my energy and endurance as it has before. So, despite a frustrating start to the month, I’m optimistic about the second half. Sometimes progress isn’t about forcing yourself to perform better under increasingly difficult conditions.
Cooler mornings are coming, my iron will be treated, and I’ll keep running. The heat wave can win a few rounds.
It doesn’t get the entire month.
A Long Hematology Appointment for My Anemia
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
Today was another one of my regular hematology appointments. This particular visit seemed to take longer than usual. Quite a bit longer, apparently, because my headset battery finally surrendered on the way home.
I had been listening to an audiobook for nearly four hours by that point, so I really can’t blame the headset. It had performed its duty admirably. Fortunately, it gave up only about fifteen minutes before I arrived home.
I suppose fifteen minutes without an audiobook is survivable. Barely.
I’ve been visiting hematology regularly since February because of persistent anemia. I have Mediterranean sickle cell along with kidney problems, and when my anemia became more significant, my doctor referred me to hematology for additional treatment and monitoring.
Right now, I go about twice a month. I’m grateful to have treatment available, but the appointments take a lot of time. Between traveling, waiting, treatment, and returning home, a significant portion of the day can disappear.
That explains why audiobooks have become such useful companions. I’m hoping that, as my anemia improves, I eventually won’t need such frequent visits. For now, however, they remain part of my routine.
I also got some encouraging news today that had nothing to do with hematology. My heel feels considerably better.
Yesterday, the pain became bad enough that I had to abandon my run after only three kilometers. Today, I can almost walk down our stairs normally again, which feels like a substantial improvement in a very short period of time.
If that improvement continues overnight, I plan to cautiously test my heel with a run tomorrow morning.
When Heel Pain Cuts a Morning Run Short
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
I’m a little worried about my heel.
When I first woke up this morning, I immediately noticed that my left heel was unusually tender. Even my half-awake trip to the bathroom was considerably more uncomfortable than it had any right to be.
Since I still had another hour or so before my alarm, I went back to bed hoping that a little extra rest might magically solve the problem. Unfortunately, my heel hadn’t received that memo.
When I got up again, it was still sensitive. I considered skipping my run, but I decided to give it a try. I hoped the discomfort was just stiffness and that once I started moving, everything would loosen up and return to normal. That was optimistic.
I headed onto my usual trail, but instead of improving, the discomfort continued. After about three kilometers of what was becoming less of a run and more of a partially limping negotiation with my left foot, I finally admitted defeat. I turned around and stopped the run. I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to finish, but I’m more concerned about whether trying to run on it made the problem worse.
Right now, one possibility we’re considering is that my running shoes had simply reached the end of their useful life. Running shoes don’t last forever, and sometimes they start losing cushioning and support before they look particularly worn on the outside.
Whether the shoes are actually responsible, however, I don’t know yet. For now, the plan is simple: give my heel some time to recover and see how it feels over the next few days. If it isn’t back to normal by Friday, I’ll skip Friday’s run.
Running has become such a regular part of my routine that skipping a run on purpose feels strange. But there is little value in completing one workout if doing so turns a minor problem into something that keeps me from running for weeks.
Today provided the other half of that lesson. Sometimes perseverance means continuing. Sometimes discipline means stopping.
Finally Beat My Running Target Pace After Weeks of Trying
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
I finally beat my running target pace after weeks of trying.
This morning began with a decision. I woke up about an hour earlier than usual and briefly considered taking advantage of the early start. With hotter temperatures expected later in the day, heading out immediately for my run seemed like the responsible choice.
On the other hand, my pillow was there. After careful consideration, the pillow presented the stronger argument. I decided that an extra hour of sleep would probably do me more good and went back to bed.
Fortunately, the weather rewarded my decision. Last night’s storm had left a thick layer of clouds behind, preventing the morning sun from immediately beginning its usual summer campaign against anyone foolish enough to exercise outdoors. By the time I headed out, the temperature was still reasonably comfortable.
And apparently, the extra sleep helped. I finally beat my target pace. It has been several weeks since I last managed to do that, so crossing the finish line ahead of my goal felt particularly satisfying. I’ve had plenty of difficult runs lately; heat, humidity, fatigue, and the occasional thunderstorm have all contributed, so today’s result was a welcome reminder that the progress is still there.
Sometimes improvement doesn’t disappear. It simply waits for better conditions to reveal itself. Today’s run also reinforced something I occasionally need to remember: more effort is not always the answer. When I woke early, I could have sacrificed an hour of sleep in the hope of getting a cooler run. Instead, I chose recovery, waited an hour, and performed better.
I suppose I’ll have to admit that sleeping can occasionally qualify as part of my training program. The morning produced another accomplishment as well. I remembered to call our plumber.
After our recent bathroom adventures, remembering to make that call deserves at least a small place on the list of victories. The plumber is now scheduled to come on Wednesday, moving us one step closer to finally finishing the project.
So, before the morning was even over, I had already accomplished two things I had been waiting for: I beat my running target. And I scheduled the plumber. Athletic achievement and home maintenance may not traditionally belong in the same category, but I’ll happily accept both. After several frustrating weeks, it feels good to begin this one with a few successes. Hopefully, the rest of the week gets the message.
A Humid Morning Run and the Small Victory of a Strong Finish
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
This morning’s run began with something I am becoming quite accustomed to this summer.
Rain.
When I first woke up, the weather had other plans for my morning, so I postponed my run and went back to sleep for another hour. Sometimes disciplined training requires determination. Sometimes it requires hitting the snooze button.
Fortunately, when I woke again, the rain had paused. I quickly got ready and headed outside before the weather had an opportunity to reconsider. The rain had at least given me one advantage.
Although the humidity was extremely high, the temperature had dropped, making the conditions somewhat more tolerable. After so many hot and humid mornings in Nashville this summer, I’ll happily accept whatever assistance the weather is willing to provide.
Running has been difficult lately. It seems as though we have had one hot day after another, usually accompanied by enough humidity to make the air feel considerably heavier than it has any right to be. Still, unless the weather becomes unsafe, I keep running.
This morning, however, my body wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the idea. I felt sluggish from the beginning, and the first half of my run was nearly as slow as yesterday’s. At one point, I was about 90 seconds behind my target pace.
That wasn’t exactly encouraging. But a bad first half doesn’t require a bad second half. Instead of accepting the slower pace, I concentrated on pushing harder. Gradually, I began recovering some of the lost time. By the finish, I had reduced my 90-second deficit to 42 seconds.
Technically, I still failed to reach my target. But I don’t consider the run a failure. I managed to recover more than half of the time I had lost during the first portion of the run. More importantly, I finished much stronger than I started.
Sometimes progress isn’t crossing the finish line ahead of your target. Sometimes it is being 90 seconds behind, refusing to surrender the run, and finishing only 42 seconds behind. The stopwatch may not award partial credit.
Fortunately, I can. Next week brings my shorter runs, and today’s stronger finish gives me some reason for optimism. Perhaps the speed is still there. It just needed a little extra time to wake up this morning. Apparently, it wanted to use the snooze button too.
Preparing for a Power Outage Before the Power Goes Out
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
Today, my wife had an important work meeting that kept her away from home for most of the day, and she probably won’t be free until fairly late this evening. Meanwhile, I had my own agenda. After finishing the lawn mowing, I turned my attention to a solar panel and backup battery that we recently acquired from my mother.
There was just one small problem. It didn’t come with instructions. Normally, this would hardly qualify as an emergency. We have the internet, after all, and somewhere online there is almost certainly a manual explaining exactly how everything works.
But then I considered the purpose of the equipment. We would most likely need a solar panel and backup battery during a power outage. A power outage is also precisely the sort of situation in which discovering that you don’t know how to operate your emergency power supply becomes somewhat inconvenient. Even better, if the outage also disrupts our internet connection, the online manual would suddenly become considerably less useful.
There is something wonderfully circular about needing electricity and internet access to learn how to use the equipment intended to help you when you don’t have electricity or internet access. So, while everything is working perfectly well, I plan to find the correct manual online and print a copy.
Sometimes preparedness is simply solving tomorrow’s problem while Google is still available. The solar equipment may eventually have another purpose as well. My wife has informed me that she wants to use it to power some sort of outdoor robots she is planning to build. I don’t entirely know what these robots will do.
Knowing her, however, I suspect gardening is involved. For quite some time, she has talked about building something similar to a FarmBot. It is an automated gardening system that can help monitor and care for plants. She even studied Python with that project in mind.
So apparently, while I have been looking at our solar panel and thinking, emergency electricity, my wife has been looking at the same equipment and thinking, robot agriculture.
Both seem perfectly reasonable. For now, my goal is considerably simpler. Find and print the manual. Learn how the equipment works before we actually need it.
The garden robots can come later.
Although, knowing my wife, I probably shouldn’t be surprised if one day I look out the window and discover that the tomatoes have acquired technical support.
I made my Own Cookies
Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke
Today, a minor household emergency occurred. I ran out of cookies. So, I made my own cookies.
During the summer, I deliberately keep a small supply of calorie-dense snacks around because I have difficulty maintaining my weight when my physical activity increases. Between running, exercise, and mowing our steep lawn, I can burn through more energy than I manage to replace. Cookies have therefore acquired an unusually respectable position in my nutritional strategy.
I don’t eat large quantities at once. Normally, I have one small cookie here and there to add a few extra calories without dramatically increasing the amount of food I need to eat. At least, that is the theory.
With my weekly cookie supply officially depleted, I decided that instead of buying another package, I would try making my own. I found a recipe online for brown butter cookies and modified the batch with both white and semi-sweet chocolate chips, along with walnuts.
They turned out extremely well. Possibly too well. My original plan of eating one small cookie at a time immediately encountered an operational failure when I ate three in rapid succession.
Apparently, quality control required multiple samples. My wife tried one as well and said it was very good. This is a more significant endorsement than it might sound. She enjoys good food, but she isn’t particularly enthusiastic about sweets. So when she compliments a cookie, I take the review seriously.
Now we face the real challenge. Can we make this batch last an entire week? Considering how quickly the first few disappeared, the outlook is uncertain.
Fortunately, we have enough ingredients to make another couple of batches, and the recipe is definitely good enough to keep. The next time the cookie supply reaches dangerously low levels, I know exactly what to do.
Of course, homemade cookies have introduced a slight flaw into my carefully controlled weight-maintenance strategy. Store-bought cookies are easy to ration. Fresh brown butter cookies sitting in the kitchen are considerably more persuasive. If this batch doesn’t survive the week, I suppose I’ll simply have to make another.
For health reasons, naturally.