Anyone ever been sick/ill for an extended period?

Doug E. wrote:

I have also been under a lot of stress, since we will have to move to a new city, and I will have to find a new job. Throw in the Summer heat & humidity, and I'm having a tough go of it.

Uh, yeahhh, so maybe you need to chill out?

I agree that stress may be contributing to things, but there has been legitimate illness with it too. I don't know the details, but I know that Brian Sell had something similar going on. Granted, he was running 160 mpw, and I'm closer to the 60 mpw end of things right now.

You might want to get tested for Epstein-Barr Virus. It doesn't always cause full blown mono, it can hang out as a low level persistent infection for quite some time and give you similar issues. I dunno, completely guessing there, but that would be my first, and admittedly non-expert, idea.

ya, get tested for mono.

Doug,

I think that getting tested is a good idea, but I would guess that it's mostly stress. I'm going through a very similar time right now and have had incredible difficulty getting any good training in. Like you, I set a PR in Chicago and was training well through spring, but my schedule made it impossible for me to get more than 6 1/2 hours of sleep 75% of the time and after trying to maintain 70-90 mpw, I found that I ground to a halt. I was hoping to get things turned around this summer as I gained a little free time and the ability to sleep more, but instead I got injured. I'm also in the midst of a big move and major life change, and I really think that you can't discount the pressures that stress put on your body.

The advice I'm trying to give myself is to relax the running pressure for a while and just know that the fitness will come back when I have a better sense of my new life post move and and new job and can get back into running. At some point pushing everything to the limit comes back to haunt you...

Doug E.,

This is just a thought, but are you still taking 50mg of iron every other day? Unless your doctor is specifically telling you to take iron supplements, I would stop. And, even if your doctor is suggesting this, I would read up on iron supplementation and maybe get another opinion before continuing.

50mg a day of iron--which you took for 5 weeks--is quite a bit. As you may know, there are several drawbacks to iron supplementation. Iron is an oxidant and promotes free radical activity. Iron competes for absorption with other minerals (such as zinc) and therefore may cause other mineral deficiencies. Also, there is a small but significant percentage of the population (6-10%, IIRC) that is genetically disposed to anemia and other problems due to ingesting too much iron, a condition called Hemochromatosis.

I am not saying that too much iron is the cause of all your problems, or even that it is a problem at all. But, if I were you, I would give the matter some thought.

Good point. Iron toxicity can be just as bad as a deficiency. And actually, anemia isn't as much a problem for men, as it is for women. Men don't 'shed blood' every month, and the body is pretty good at recycling iron after blood cells die. But of course, any endurance runner is going to be vulnerable due to the demands of the sport. It would probably be worthwhile to get a complete blood profile done, just to make sure.

Definitely, stress is going to suppress your immune system, along with hindering adequate recovery and making you more vulnerable for injury/inflammation. Viruses tend to hide out and 'attack' when the immmune system is weak. It seems like your body is screaming 'Let me rest'-- take a vacation!

It was the hernia operation. They put a screen in there to keep the hernia from coming out but if you run the screen moves around. It can cause anything! A couple weeks ago there was a thread on hernia trouble and all kinds of problems were mentioned. One guy had his screen move into his prostrate. One guy said he has had 3 hernia operations cos the moving screen weakens the muscle structure and causes hernias in other places.

Bottom line is, Doctors treat SYMPTOMS. They do not cure illnesses and injuries. Something like a hernia, ulsers, running injuries, etc. should never be left in the hands of a doctor. They don't run.

I have always had a bit of low iron, that is why my Dr. had recommended that I suppliment every-other day when my mileage is above 50 mpw.

What about Glucosamin w/ Chondrontin(sp?). I have been taking it since about the time of the first virus to try to offset some minor knee pain. This was at the recommendation of my Dr., but it kind of coinsides with the time frame that things went South.

I hear you man. I had a great 3 months of training last summer and ran a PR in Chicago last fall. Took a month off, got back to training and on Dec 27 tore my meniscus due to a complication from a repair I had a year before. After a month off I had surgery to repair the repair. Got back to running after 3 weeks but battled constant problems with the knee for a few months until I got my leg strength back. Finally though I had everything together, got 3 weeks of good training in and was set to run a half marathon. Got to 9 miles ready to set a PR by about 5 minutes when I started feeling hip pain. A mile later I can hardly walk. A week later I find out I have a stress fracture and possibly a problem with the labrum. The SF will have me out for about 3 months now, may be longer if I do end up having a labrum tear and need surgery. So Chicago is out this year. Boston may be out in the spring if the Labrum turns out to be a problem.

You just have to keep your head up. Be relentless.