FIFTH SHOT AND RACING AGAIN!

I took my fifth shot of Simponi a few nights ago. I accidentally forgot to take it on my normal day, so it was the 26th instead of the 25th. Guess that could be considered a sign of progress that I wasn't jonesin' to take my next shot like I was on the first few.

The relief level seems to be petering out... I would say I am like... 85% relieved. I am not sure if I am "better" than last month... maybe. Maybe I was more like 80% then. I don't know. I'm not getting the "full" relief like I did with lefluonomide. However, I am getting enough relief where I don't want to upset the apple cart. I'm hoping it'll slowly continue to get better, despite the marathon training. Hah.

When I'm running or doing activities, I usually feel more than fine. It really is only noticeable when I am laying around doing nothing. You know that phrase "sitting is the new smoking?" Well, yeah, I can totally see that. Because when I have a "rest" day and I slob around the house, I often feel like shit. I went on a vacation to Lake Tahoe over a long weekend and was doing active stuff the whole time and felt pretty good. Whenever I'm feeling like crap, it's usually because I've done nothing all day. So, I need to get better about doing stuff on my off days. Even a quick walk can make me feel a lot better.

Hopefully Simponi will continue to work and I won't have a Humira-like relapse. We'll see where I am after the New York training cycle and marathon in early November. For my training, I'm just continuing to slowly ramp up miles. I haven't tried to increase my running from three to four days a week yet... I think my body could probably handle it; but, I'm afraid if it couldn't, it would set me back multiple weeks. I do need to ramp my mileage though, so maybe I'll start that third weekday run at like two miles and see how it goes.

My long runs are up to twelve miles and on the Fourth of July I'll be doing a half marathon... an ACTUAL half marathon, with people and aid stations and whatnot. Oregon is "open" again, so it should just be like a normal, old school race. No need for a mask in the corral or a wave start of socially distant runners or whatever... back to a normal race. So I'm excited! I figured it would be a good way to celebrate (and motivate me along) the return to that distance. It will be one of my slowest half marathons ever as I plan to run it in the 10's. I cannot afford the gamble of "racing" it with the shape I am in and the uncertainty with how my body will react. It will be hard enough just as a normal long run.

Other than that, I ran in 112 degrees last weekend. That was fun. It was 108 when I started and 112 when I finished. I did not do a long run obviously. I just did laps around the shaded park and called it good at five miles. No need to be any more stupid than I was already being (no direct sun and 10 degrees color in the shade though). With the heat and whatnot, it was probably the equivalent of an eight mile run. I just stopped at my car every lap or two to refill my water and rewet my neck towel. It was actually surprisingly bearable with these adjustments.

I'll give a report back on the half marathon. It is the Independence Day Half at Champoeg Park I did in 2018 and 2019 as well. Last year it didn't take place (they may have had a virtual option) so we'll call this the third year in a row. Toodles.

Mmm, toasty.