Tag: Fitness Journey

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Skipping a Rainy 10K and Finding Progress Somewhere Else

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

I find progress somewhere else after skipping a rainy 10K run. This morning was warmer than yesterday, considerably wetter, and apparently determined to make my usual Saturday 10K as unappealing as possible. The humidity was already high when I woke up, but I got dressed and prepared for my run anyway.

Then I reached the front porch. It was raining. Not a pleasant little drizzle, either. It was raining hard enough that I stood there contemplating the prospect of spending nearly two hours running through heat, humidity, and steady rain.

Usually, I can tolerate one or two of those. Today, the weather had apparently purchased the complete package. I decided I simply didn’t want to do it. Some days, perseverance means heading out despite imperfect conditions. Other days, you look at the weather, reconsider your life choices, and walk back inside.

Today belonged to the second category. Once I made the decision, I simply continued my morning as though I had completed the run.

Next came vacuuming, followed by a shower and then breakfast. Admittedly, showering without first becoming completely drenched in sweat was a rather pleasant novelty. Some encouraging news was also waiting for me on the scale. After spending much of the summer struggling to maintain my weight, I have finally gained enough to reach the exact middle of my target range.

Not barely inside it. Not hovering nervously along the lower boundary. Right in the middle. Considering how much my weight has fluctuated with running, lawn mowing, and other summer activities, I am quite happy to see it there. The day’s progress wasn’t limited to my weight, either.

We finished caulking around the bathroom sink vanity, which means that part of our seemingly endless bathroom project is finally ready for the plumber.

I’ll call on Monday and hopefully arrange for someone to come early next week. So far, our plumbing company has usually managed to send someone within a day, so this stage of the project may move quickly.

I have learned not to say that too confidently. Home renovation projects can be optimistic. So, no 10K today. Still, my chores are done, my weight is exactly where I want it, and another part of the bathroom project is ready to move forward. Sometimes sticking to the plan is important. Other times, success is knowing when the plan deserves a rain check.

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Balancing A Busy Schedule With Family Time

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

Today required a little more attention to the clock than my usual Saturday. Naturally, Saturday morning also meant my regular run, but I expected a busy schedule.

We had arranged to visit my sister’s house to celebrate both my wife’s and my mother’s birthdays, which meant I needed to finish my normal morning routine before it was time to leave.

So, as soon as I woke up, I put on my running clothes and headed outside. Unfortunately, the run itself was difficult.

Once again, my pace was disappointingly slow. I have been working hard to improve my speed, so seeing another slower result wasn’t exactly the encouraging start to the morning I had hoped for.

Fortunately, I wasn’t running against only one clock. I may have lost to my target pace, but I was still comfortably ahead of our departure time. I’ll count that as a different category of victory.

Once I got home, I didn’t have much time to contemplate my running performance. Saturday’s next contestant was waiting for me: the vacuum cleaner.

I finished vacuuming, took a shower, and finally made my way to my desk for breakfast. I still needed to fit in my planking and stretching exercises before we left, so the morning became a carefully choreographed sequence of running, cleaning, eating, exercising, and occasionally checking the clock.

Some Saturday mornings are relaxing. Others apparently require project management. Despite the full schedule, everything worked. We left on time and arrived at my sister’s house exactly as planned. Once there, the stopwatch could finally retire for the day.

We had a wonderful time catching up with everyone and celebrating the birthdays together. My brother-in-law made tacos for the occasion, and after a morning filled with running and exercise, I was more than prepared to participate enthusiastically in that part of the celebration.

My running pace may not have been what I wanted today, but the rest of the day went beautifully. That is worth remembering.

Not every successful day needs to include a personal best. Sometimes success means finishing the run, completing the chores, arriving on time, spending an afternoon with family…

and being rewarded with tacos.

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Birthday Celebrations, Lawn Mowing, and the Mystery of Four Pounds

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

Yesterday was my wife’s birthday.

She isn’t normally someone who makes a great production out of birthdays, so I was especially pleased that she was genuinely excited about the gift I chose for her. I bought her a collection of glow-in-the-dark acrylic paints. Apparently, I chose well.

She has already started experimenting with them and, judging from the number of ideas she has mentioned, the paints have acquired a rather ambitious project schedule. I suspect various objects around our house may soon begin glowing after the lights go out.

While my wife was happily experimenting with her birthday present, I was occupied with a rather different project.

I was trying to regain four pounds.

Apparently, my body had decided yesterday’s disappearance was merely temporary. I was so busy last week that my body couldn’t maintain the weight.

We also plan to try a new restaurant as a belated celebration of my wife’s birthday. Under ordinary circumstances, a calorie-dense restaurant meal might inspire a little nutritional guilt. At the moment, I am looking at it more as strategic replenishment. After today’s mowing session, those calories already have an assignment. Hopefully, they’ll help prevent another dramatic drop on tomorrow morning’s scale.

In the meantime, my wife has new paints to experiment with, I have regained my missing weight, and we have a birthday dinner to enjoy. All things considered, that sounds like a successful celebration. And if tomorrow’s scale disagrees, perhaps we will simply have to celebrate her birthday again.

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Building Muscle With Kidney Disease: A Recovery Story

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

After this morning’s mowing session, my garden’s cardio equivalent, I discovered something wonderful: I’ve finally hit the exact middle of my target weight range. After months of struggling to keep weight up, this feels like winning the wellness lottery.

Here’s the thing about recovery: it’s not linear. Three years ago, I couldn’t ask my brain to move my legs. My brain wasn’t taking calls. Stroke will do that to you. For months, I relearned how to walk with a walker, then without it. Eventually, I progressed from walking to running to jogging—each milestone a small revolution. Over the last 2-3 years, I’ve poured intentional energy into rebuilding muscle through resistance training, something my body desperately needed.

But here’s where it gets tricky: kidney problems and muscle-building are locked in a standoff. Building muscle demands protein; kidney disease demands I restrict it. Add summer yard chores—the kind that demand serious physical output—and weight maintenance becomes a high-wire act. I cycle through foods, strategically balancing activity, intake, and the restrictions my kidneys kindly insist upon. Ironically, resistance training actually helps my kidneys, yet the muscle I gain makes weight maintenance exponentially harder.

Tomorrow’s weigh-in will be telling. History says the day after heavy yard work, the scale drops significantly. But for once, I have a buffer. For once, I don’t have to panic about dropping below my range. Recovery isn’t just physical. It’s learning to celebrate the small wins, building strength within constraints, and finding your rhythm when your body keeps changing the rules.

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A Slow 10K Run and the Importance of Looking at the Long Term

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

Today’s 10-kilometer run was… let’s just say it wasn’t destined to become a personal record. It was a slow 10k run.

The morning actually started quite well. There wasn’t much rain, the temperature felt reasonable, and I headed out thinking it might be a comfortable run. Then the sun woke up. By the time I finished my first five kilometers, it seemed determined to remind everyone that it was still July in Tennessee. The temperature climbed, the humidity rose with it, and before long the entire route felt like a giant steam room.

With every kilometer, I could feel the heat draining my energy. My pace gradually slowed as if someone had quietly turned down the power on my legs. After several cooler mornings following the Independence Day heat wave, my body had become accustomed to more pleasant conditions. Returning to hot, humid weather felt like an unpleasant surprise. Running through that humidity was like jogging inside a sauna without the relaxing music. So, I briefly considered cutting the run short.

Yesterday’s run, however, had already been interrupted by a thunderstorm. I didn’t want to make a habit of stopping whenever conditions became difficult. There are certainly times when stopping is the right decision; lightning is one of them, but today’s challenge was simply uncomfortable, not unsafe.

So I kept going. I tried pushing harder. The weather responded by pushing back. In the end, I never found the extra speed I was hoping for.

What I did find was the finish line. Sometimes that is enough. One lesson running keeps teaching me is that improvement is rarely linear. Some days everything seems effortless. Other days every stride feels heavier than the last.

If I judged my progress by today’s run alone, I might conclude I wasn’t improving at all. Fortunately, one run tells only a tiny part of the story.

See The Improvement in a Long Period

When I compare where I am today with where I was a year ago, the difference is unmistakable. My endurance has improved. My consistency has improved. Even my recovery has improved.

The daily fluctuations matter far less than the long-term trend. That thought makes difficult days much easier to accept. Tomorrow is my scheduled rest day before beginning another week of training. The stopwatch will have another opportunity to challenge me.

And I’ll have another opportunity to prove that showing up consistently matters more than having one perfect run.

Hopefully…

the weather cooperates next time.

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A Cooler Morning and a Faster Run: Progress After the Heat Wave

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

This morning began with a small mistake. In my enthusiasm to get out the door, I completely forgot to put on my running headband. It wasn’t a disaster, but sweat kept trying to find its way into my eyes. A headband is one of those things you hardly notice, well, until you forget it.

The good news was that the weather more than made up for my oversight. After the intense heat around Independence Day, temperatures finally dropped. The heat wave wasn’t limited to the South, either. My wife mentioned that one of her colleagues in New York had been dealing with similarly extreme temperatures. For me, the cooler weather felt like a gift.

I don’t take holidays off from running, so I still completed my regular 10-kilometer run on the Fourth of July. Unfortunately, I ran in oppressive heat and humidity. Every kilometer felt like a negotiation with the weather, and it was one of the most difficult runs I had experienced in quite some time.

Today’s conditions were completely different. The cooler air made running noticeably more comfortable, and my pace improved immediately. I still didn’t reach my target pace, but I was faster than in every run I completed during last week’s heat wave. That counts as progress.

Weather affects every runner, but it hits me even harder because of my medical history.

Several years ago, I experienced a hemorrhagic stroke affecting my cerebellum. Since then, my body has struggled to regulate temperature as effectively as it once did. Hot, humid conditions are much more physically demanding for me than they used to be, so dramatic weather changes can significantly affect how I perform.

Knowing that helps me keep my expectations realistic. Some days, I am competing against the stopwatch. Other days, I am competing against the weather. The important thing is recognizing the difference.

Today’s run reminded me that last week’s slower times were not necessarily a sign that I was losing fitness. Sometimes your environment limits what your body can do, and the wisest response isn’t frustration but patience.

The cooler morning proved that the work I have been putting in is still paying off. I wasn’t as fast as I ultimately want to be. But I was faster than I was last week. And sometimes, that is exactly the evidence you need to know you are moving in the right direction. Tomorrow will bring another opportunity.

I’ll just try to remember one important piece of equipment before I leave the house.

The headband.

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When a Morning Run Meets a Summer Thunderstorm

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

This morning began with heavy rain tapping against the windows.

Instead of rushing outside, I reached for my weather app. According to the forecast, the rain should ease in about an hour. That sounded like a perfectly reasonable excuse to go back to sleep. So, I reset my alarm and happily returned to bed.

When I woke again, the house was quiet. The rain had stopped, or so I thought. I got dressed, laced up my running shoes, and headed out. Nashville’s weather has been a little unusual this year.

Normally, we receive plenty of rain from early spring into early summer, but this year’s rainy season seemed to arrive later than expected. June finally brought more regular rain, and even July has been filled with thunderstorms.

Earlier that morning, my wife had already gone for her run. She looked outside, decided the weather seemed good enough, and headed out with optimism. She came home completely soaked. Apparently, the weather had other plans.

I usually don’t let a little rain stop me either. When I started my run, the rain was still falling, but only lightly. I accepted that I would probably end up wet and settled into my normal pace.

Being soaked has never bothered me very much. Around the halfway point, however, the rain suddenly became much heavier. I briefly debated whether to turn around or keep going.

Every runner has that conversation with themselves.

“It’s only rain.”

“Maybe it will pass.”

“You’re already wet anyway.”

Then nature cast the deciding vote. A loud crack of thunder echoed across the sky. That ended the discussion immediately. Rain is merely inconvenient. Lightning is persuasive. I turned around and headed home. I didn’t complete my planned five kilometers, but I did manage to get part of the run finished before the weather took over.

Discipline is..

Sometimes we imagine discipline means refusing to stop. I think discipline also includes knowing when conditions have changed enough that continuing no longer makes sense. There will always be another morning to run. There doesn’t need to be another opportunity to test whether lightning can run faster than I can. I have no interest in discovering the answer to that question.

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Maintaining Weight with Chronic Kidney Disease: Every Pound Matters

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

Yesterday, I stepped on the scale and discovered that I had lost nearly three pounds.

For many people, that might sound like good news. Maintaining weight with chronic kidney disease can be challenging.

For me, it is exactly the opposite.

Maintaining a healthy weight has become one of the more challenging parts of living with chronic kidney disease. The difficulty is not simply eating more. It is eating more without eating the wrong things.

If I had no dietary restrictions, the solution would be fairly straightforward. After running, strength training, and mowing our steep backyard, I could simply increase my protein intake to help my body recover.

Unfortunately, protein is one of the nutrients my kidneys struggle to process.

That means every meal requires a balancing act.

Last year, after struggling to maintain my weight for quite some time, my nephrologist gave me permission to increase my daily protein intake slightly. Before then, I ate only about 36 grams of protein each day.

It was a welcome adjustment.

Even so, moderation remains essential.

Protein is only one part of the equation. Potassium, phosphorus, and sodium also require close attention. Foods that many people think of as healthy—such as bananas or melon—can become foods that I have to enjoy only occasionally.

Living with kidney disease often means making decisions that seem backward to everyone else.

Our current approach comes from years of careful adjustments.

When I suffered my brain hemorrhage, doctors also discovered that my kidneys had already deteriorated to Stage 5 chronic kidney disease—the point where dialysis or a kidney transplant often becomes necessary. No one could fully explain why my kidneys had declined so severely. I had always exercised regularly and paid close attention to my diet.

My wife and I refused to give up.

Working closely with my doctors, we gradually adjusted medications, refined my diet, and monitored my health as carefully as possible. Over time, my kidney function improved enough that I moved into Stage 3. Today, I generally fluctuate between Stage 3 and Stage 4.

That may not sound dramatic, but to us, it represents years of consistent effort.

My long-term goal is simple.

I hope to preserve my kidney function for as long as possible. Medical research continues to advance, and every year brings new possibilities. If I can keep my kidneys functioning well enough for long enough, future treatments may offer options that don’t exist today.

That thought gives me hope.

This morning brought some encouraging news.

I had regained nearly two of the three pounds I had lost yesterday, putting me right at the lower edge of my target weight range.

I would still like to gain a little more, but I no longer feel as though I am drifting into unhealthy territory.

Sometimes progress isn’t dramatic.

Sometimes it is simply watching the scale move in the right direction while knowing that you protected your health along the way.

Tomorrow morning, I’ll step on the scale again.

Hopefully, it decides to continue cooperating.

After all, the scale and I have been negotiating for quite a few years now, and I would appreciate it if it finally became a little more reasonable.

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Running in Nashville Humidity: When Finishing Is the Real Victory

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

Nashville’s famous humidity has returned. It arrived with all the subtlety of an uninvited guest who not only stays for dinner but also adjusts your thermostat. Let’s tell you that running in Nashville humidity is hard.

This year, the rainy season seemed to arrive later than usual, which means we are now enjoying the unique experience of combining heavy humidity with even higher summer temperatures. It is an impressive achievement by the weather, if not a particularly enjoyable one.

Running in these conditions is… memorable.

Every breath feels as though I am inhaling warm steam from an oven. The air is so thick that it almost seems to have texture. Instead of cutting through the atmosphere, it feels as though I am negotiating with it.

By the time I had run a short distance, my shirt was completely soaked.

At one point I honestly wondered whether I was sweating that much or whether the humidity had simply decided to wear my clothes for me.

Running through a Nashville summer can sometimes feel remarkably similar to jogging inside a sauna, except the scenery is better.

Not surprisingly, I finished more than a minute behind my target pace.

That was disappointing.

I have spent a long time gradually improving my running speed, and I always hope to inch a little closer to my next goal. Lately, however, the weather has been making that progress considerably more difficult.

On mornings like this, I remind myself of something that is easy to forget.

The most important part is showing up.

Speed matters.

Improvement matters.

But neither of those things happens without consistency.

When I think back a few years, I realize just how much progress I have already made. I have improved my pace by more than a minute per kilometer. That is not the kind of improvement that happens overnight. It is built one ordinary run at a time, including the frustrating ones.

Sometimes training is about setting a personal best.

Other times, it is simply refusing to let miserable weather decide whether you will run at all.

Today’s run belonged firmly in the second category.

There was one final piece of good news.

The 10-kilometer run did not take off much weight this time. I lost only a fraction of a pound compared to yesterday, which means my carefully negotiated relationship with the bathroom scale remains intact.

Even better…

Cake is still on the menu after our weekly grocery trip.

Sometimes the greatest reward for surviving a humid summer run is not a faster pace.

Sometimes it’s dessert.

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Maintaining Weight with Kidney Disease: The Unexpected Challenge of Summer Exercise

Brian’s fitness journal after a brain stroke

When you have kidney disease, you will face the unexpected challenge of summer exercise. This evening, you’ll find me doing something many people would probably envy.

I’m deliberately snacking.

A bowl of dry cereal now sits beside me, and I keep reaching into it every few minutes in an ongoing effort to replace the calories that disappeared during today’s exercise. It may not be the most glamorous recovery meal, but it is crunchy, convenient, and currently working overtime.

Every summer, I face the same struggle: the challenge of summer exercise.

Keeping my weight up.

Our backyard isn’t especially large, but it is built on a steep hill. Mowing it is far more demanding than people usually imagine. It feels less like ordinary yard work and more like a long endurance workout that just happens to leave the grass looking nicer afterward.

The physical activity itself isn’t the real problem.

Replacing the calories is.

Because of my kidney disease, I have to be careful about almost everything I eat. Protein, sodium, potassium, and phosphate all require close attention. Those restrictions eliminate more than just large steaks and salty snacks. Even foods that most people think of as healthy, certain colorful vegetables, dairy products, and many fruits, have to be eaten thoughtfully and in moderation.

Rather than relying on one “perfect” food, my wife and I constantly rotate what I eat so that no single nutrient becomes excessive.

Managing my diet has become something of a long-term strategy game.

Protein and sodium are the nutrients I monitor most carefully. I also take medication for high blood pressure, another condition closely tied to my kidney health. Every meal becomes a balancing act between providing enough energy and avoiding foods that could make my lab results less than ideal.

Last summer, I thought I had found the perfect solution.

Melon.

It seemed refreshing, easy to eat, and ideal for helping maintain my weight.

Unfortunately, blood tests revealed that it contained far more potassium than I could safely consume on a regular basis. So my brilliant nutritional discovery quietly retired after one season.

Sometimes your laboratory results become your least forgiving food critic.

Of course, exercising is not optional.

Running, strength training, and even mowing the lawn are all important parts of maintaining my health. If I burn more calories, however, I also have to replace them.

Hence the cereal.

Tomorrow offers another opportunity to replenish those calories. After our grocery trip, I’ll finally get to enjoy a slice of cake and finish the leftover pizza from last weekend.

Before anyone concludes that I have discovered the world’s greatest fitness program, there is one small detail.

Tomorrow is also my regular 10-kilometer run.

So those extra calories already have a job waiting for them.

Such is life.

Most people spend the summer trying to lose weight.

I spend mine trying to convince the scale to stay exactly where it is.

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