FFffeeeedddd MMmmmeeeeee

23 Weeks Out

[Note from last week on strength training: Jay Dicharry of “Anatomy for Runners” has a new book with apparently a focus on strength, “Running Rewired”.]

No one has ever accused me to not liking food or not eating enough. But I might’ve been hormonally fucked for a few years because of not eating. “Might’ve” because the jury is still out, blood work to be done, things to monitor.

It starting with moving to an overnight shift. I went in to it full of energy and drive—waking up, running, rolling in the hay with Charlotte, enjoying breakfast, before putting in a full day. But after a year of 11pm-7am, I was a shell. My doc diagnosed me with hypothyroidism and low vitamins D and folate. “The perfect storm of low energy,” were her words.

Mornings became “wake up, pop a pill of Levothyroxine, wait 20 minutes for coffee, limp through the day.” Energy came back to functional levels but that drive to do shit never returned. It flat out sucked.

Over the years, my dose went up. 25mcg. 50mcg. 75mcg. 100mcg. It topped out at 125mcg when I was at the Inn. Blood work usually said things were fine.

Then this Feb, the blood work changed. Instead of being in good range for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), I had swung from an under active to a balls-to-the-wall over clocked thyroid. My doc was afraid I had been accidentally doubling my dose. Why someone would do that was beyond me—I felt like I was mainlining crack cocaine with a caffeine chaser.

The big change had been leaving the Inn at Little Washington. Stress was down, physical activity was up, but the major change was FOOD.

And BAM! “Oh, shit, do I have RED-S???”

Dunno. Maybe. There isn’t a test for it. As a dude, there aren’t the classic symptoms that had it branded the female triad for years. Its renaming and expansion to men is still relatively new to the point that “RED-S” and “relative energy deficit” return nothing on WebMD.com or MayoClinic.org. I only heard of it because of the Roche’s podcast.

Digging into the cause, symptoms—and apparent resolution—I can only believe my hypothyroidism and other symptoms were less “welp, getting old sucks” and more to do with a low energy availability issues and chronic caloric deficits.

When I moved to the night shift, I had a hard time eating enough. My stomach wouldn’t take food between waking at 9PM and 7AM. I’d spend most of my work day—a physical job, moving and lifting—with an empty stomach. Then, I’d try hard to shove enough calories in me before trying to get to sleep by 1-2PM. That might’ve been the snowball that launched the avalanche.

The next job wasn’t much better. Early hours, little time to eat, no appetite. Next job was better, I was getting sleep, eating, but intentionally restricting calories to lose weight. My weight got down, but then I moved to the Inn where my diet suffered, again. Days were 10-12 hours long, with barely time to eat—essentially forced intermittent fasting. Sure, I’d get all my calories, typically shoved into two meals—a massive breakfast and as much as I could eat when I got home, but low energy availability is exacerbated by hourly deficits not daily deficits. It was years of physical jobs and chronic under-fueling, powering through an empty stomach.

I left the Inn to work with Charlotte and started running from scratch, a reboot. Taking a note from the the Roche’s, I ate before running. Ate during. Ate after. Ate midday snacks. Ate a second lunch. Ate carbs. Enjoyed ice cream. Got stoned and fed my cravings once or twice a week. I didn’t care about too many calories, macros be damned. Grumbling stomach? Feed it. Feel like a grilled cheese? Eat it. I fueled my metabolic flame, stoked it, fed it into a bonfire. Why the fuck not? I love food. Might as well enjoy it. That’s when my blood work changed. That’s when my pace started picking up. The fix apparently was to embrace my gluttonous love of food.

Between February and late April, I’ve been poked half a dozen times. Results were always too high, always resulting in a script for a smaller dose. Three weeks ago, I just stopped taking it. I’m going in for blood work next week. I expect to pass with flying colors. For the first time in five years, I feel good. Waking up energetic, getting handsy with Charlotte, feeling passionate about projects, wanting to do shit.

Moral of the story: Just eat it, eat it. Get yourself and egg and beat it. Have some more chicken, have some more pie, it doesn’t matter if it’s boiled or fried. Just eat it.

Week 3 Summary

Goal: 45 mi, 5000 ft
Actual: 45 mi, 7500 ft

I got back from this week’s long run (15 and change), fueled with about 300 calories/hour. It felt great. Stopped by Before & After for a sandwich, starving after 3:48 on the trail. Topped it off with a bag of chips. Then a protein shake. Than a Dr. Pepper. And now, I’m starving again. THAT never happened on long runs—my stomach would shut down, but fueling runs is a different topic.

Hit the goals pretty easily. Legs are feeling a little fatigued. Took a nap instead of hitting the gym one day. One more hard week, then a cut back to relax and recover. Woohoo!

Week 3 Log

Mo: 3.2
Little recover run from home to get the blood flowing. Legs a little tired from yesterday. Pace was two minutes faster/mile, at a lower HR, than last times I ran the route in December.

Tu: 15.2
Knob-Neighbor loop. Apprehensive going in to it. New fueling strategy, first time really

feeling good, and first long run since changing lifting routine. Promising results. Fuck. More than promising. It was the mythical “good run.” Legs stayed solid and strong through everything. Stomach behaved. It was 14 minutes off a PR—at two years older and ten pounds heavier—might as well be the same thing.

Finished it with maybe another 5 miles in the tank, excellent mood, energized. Was starving within 30 minutes.

We: 7.3
Intervals then tempo on RFD. Built up some lactate, let it clear a little, then kept it up. Legs did pretty well despite some fatigue. Had a good weight session in the evening.

Th: 4.3
Tired legs. Super easy effort at Marshall’s N. Fauquier Park . Little bit of pep in my step. Lots of forefoot, even at a slower pace.

Fr: 0!
Much needed rest day. Little niggle in upper left hamstring. Some tightness so we’ll see how it feels tomorrow morning. May need to reconfigure the next few days. Otherwise, normal fatigue, but not DOMS from lifting.

Sa: 9
Busy day out and about. Passed a runner on the return and then stopped and chatted with Dawson at the foot of the hollow. Nice pace overall, happy with the effort, just under 12:00/mile.

Had every intention of going to the gym, but took a nap instead. Hey, if the body says “RECOVER,” I’m gonna listen.

Su: 6.2
Buck Hollow & Ridge with Adam. Good pace. Legs felt strong climbing and had a good rhythm on the technical parts of the down. Hit the gym later for a good strength session.