I believe...

And the angels sang...
(source)

I believe...
I believe if I run frequently, I don't have to take my thyroid medication.
Because of the above, I tend not to take my medication. Problem is, I haven't been running much lately. My runs have also been increasingly piss poor, which of course does not entice me to run more. I blamed allergies and the heat. Why did it take until my run this morning to remember yet again that my thyroid issue is the result of an AUTO-IMMUNE disease? What are allergies? A reaction by the immune system to protect your lungs/body from foreign objects in the air. What happens when my immune system goes haywire? I experience increased allergic reactions, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure...

I believe...
I believe my fatigue of late is due more to my thyroid issue than the workouts I'm doing.
I haven't been running much lately because I'm really liking the P90X and Insanity workouts (though more the former than the latter). I'm still tweaking the schedule to fit in as much as possible, but I don't have time to do everything. Running fell by the wayside in lieu of sleep.

I've been sleeping a lot lately. 8 and 9 hours a night, which is insane for me. I usually wake up on my own after 7 hours. I thought at first this was because I'm working out more, but in reality that's not the case. I blew off 3 days of workouts this week so I could sleep in.

I think, because I'm not medicating and I'm not running, my body is working overtime. I'm reminded of Char, a blogger from Australia who writes My Life's a Marathon. Char has been struggling for about a year with what (if I remember correctly) was diagnosed as over-training. She would get physically ill from running. She would also get incredibly fatigued. She would actually NEED a nap in the middle of the day. The cure for her has been to keep an eye on her heart rate while she runs. She's not allowed to let it get too high, or she pays the price later in the day.

My heart rate runs very high when I'm not medicated or running (as has been the case of late).

I believe...
I believe there's a way to do it all.
This past week's schedule was built around the idea that I don't do well waking up before 7am. I also found things like housework were not getting done on the previous week's schedule. I cut the pre-workout run so I could wake up a little later, and also keep the cats from pissing on my carpet because their littler boxes weren't cleaned.

I hoped to make up those morning runs after work and on the weekend, but running after work has yet to happen. I almost never leave work when I'm supposed to. By the time I get home I'm starving, I now have 3 days of standing 8-o'clocks, and the heat has been oppressive.

I think I figured out a way to run in the evenings. It will take planning and preparation. I'll have to pre-pot, as my Wow friends say. I already do some of this by preparing my meals on the weekend, so I just have to grab the appropriate tupperware at the appropriate time.

This takes care of the heat problem. Amazon.com is amazing. Who knew you could order air conditioners delivered to your doorstep (or Superman's doorstep, as the case may be). I bought 2, and can now run in the comfort of my own home. Ish. Treadmill running will never be my favorite, but it will work for the time being.

The evening runs have to be non-negotiable, like brushing my teeth or taking a shower. Otherwise I end up taking medication I don't want to take, that costs more what with the Dr. visits and testing involved in obtaining said medication.

This week's schedule looks something like this:

Today's run was supposed to be 8 miles, with another 8 miles tomorrow. That didn't happen, and is not going to happen. I took my thyroid medication yesterday morning, last night, and again this morning, and I still felt the effects of the disease. I've let it get out of hand, which is a huge no-no.

I believe...
I really like the iFitness Belt, even though I didn't think I would.
I decided to run the park near my house. The park is only 2.5 miles, but I figured I could do two 4-mile loops, stopping back at my car for a fresh bottle of water and fuel if necessary.

I've had the iFitness belt for quite a while, but never tried it because I equated it with the water bottle belts I've used and hated in the past. This is nothing like those. It is elastic and fits snugly so it doesn't bounce around. I only used it to hold my phone and keys, so it was almost unnoticeable.

I'm very much liking carrying a water bottle as opposed to the camel back. My back can breath. I can pour water over my head of necessary.

I found myself on Energizer Bunny's favorite trail (or at least one of them) for the first half of my run.

I like how only the right half of this picture is in focus. At least it gives you an idea of the terrain I encountered. I knew it would be hills, since that is the definition of this park. I didn't know how the hills would tire me out. I ran 4 miles and decided I did not want to run another 4. I walked them instead.

Maybe climb would be a better word. I found this path and couldn't resist.

This was halfway up, when I had to stop and take a break.

I'll be out again tomorrow. I've changed the ambitious goal to 6 miles instead of 8. Those will not be on the park hill, either. The rest of the week looks like this:

The times are relative, and this does not reflect the evening runs I'll be doing. Also, the yoga is a placeholder since Superman and I have not yet cashed in the Groupon. Hopefully that will happen soon, though it may wait until September when he's no longer working the bike shop. I'm not a fan of either stretching or ab work right now, even though I know it's important and good for me. Case in point, I haven't done the stretching yet for today, and I'm about to sign off and get ready for a party...