My new normal - "normal" yet surreal...

The last few days have been non stop and oddly I have been the family member with the most energy and plenty left over. On Tuesday at Commonwealth games roles from any other stage of my life were reversed. I dropped wife and kids at entrance and drove to park the car a good 15-20 minutes walk away. Seemed to eat up the yards and hills on the way back. Well remember a football match (Bristol City away at Charlton) with my father. We were hurrying away from the ground post game as things were a little spicey. He at 65+ almost ran up a hill to the car while I waited at the bottom...

On Monday  I was up at 6am, in gym by 6:30 for a warm up 1.4k in 12 minutes followed by a 50 minute jog, average speed 8.2 kmph (new PB) then a family walk before 12 holes of pitch and putt and an hour plus drive to Glasgow. Back home around 11pm. A full and fulfilling day with mate's daughter winning Commonwealth Gold very special icing on the cake. 

Cheeses, eggs and yoghurt along with fish and meat formed my diet. Will check ketosis in next couple of days. Feeling very good though.

Even managed to run for a bus today!!

Am now testing this further by signing up for a couple of games of cricket in the next two weekends. One with another 3 mates from The City University team of 1984 turning out for Hinton Charterhouse and one, on 9th with my son for our UK village team Mortimer West End. Can't wait and more huge incentive to keep off the carbs. 

Need to find a gym though but should be able to fit in a treadmill session in London next week if not before.

Ultimately an excellent Friday and new PB by some distance

Up for early gym session with Jony and a chance for him to see me on the treadmill before thinking how best to progress. At the very least if I make the squad or I don't at least one more gym instructor/physio/team medic will understand this disease.

Only mildy in ketosis, really do have to get the diet sorted. While up, into taxi, straight to gym and then on the treadmill was probably the coldest of cold starts.

I just did a 12 minute treadmill and walked/jogged 1.35k - was disappointed with how i felt this morning.

Then to work before a heart stress test, which revealed nothing out of the ordinary and where cardiologist said he was happy for me to stay off crestor for 3-4 months and see how I go with a Ketogenic diet. He has seen friends lose a lot of weight on such but for me the diet is now for very different reasons - Normality!!!

Quick creamy yoghurt infusion and after another 2 hours at the desk of to the gym.

This time much, much improved and for once I was far from being the least able on the treadmill!!

Did the 12 minute session again and managed 1.49k, starting with brisk walk at 7k then jogging and slow back before 6 minute jog to end.

 

I stopped and then immediately started my normal 50 minute session. Quickly established a jog at 7.7K and maintained that for 40 minutes then for the last 10 minutes gradually incrased speed to 8.5 and then to 9 and above for the last minute. In total I jogged 6.4k at an average speed of 7.8Kmph.

 

That is a 25% improvement on length of time jogging continuosly over previous best set last week, 6 times better than my previous best ever jog of 8 minutes set earlier this year in Kuwait. It is also 0.6kmph better than my best ever previous average of 7.2kmph......

Happy with tat now to make sure during 3 weeks in UK i don't go backwards...

Will be keeping an accurate exercise and food diary and will see where this leads.

may not have the same opportunity to blog but when I can i will..

First business trip

Wednesday

Business trip to HK. Kept broadly to a water fast today but for a mini mouth sized quiche and some cheese on flight. Raced through Hong Kong airport with barely a murmur of complaint from muscles that normally would have been screaming.

Despite little sleep this week I feel energised and enthused both with work and extra-curricular activities that I would normally not have the energy for. Often in the past M has meant just keeping going has been a struggle with periods of work, sleep a lot, work sleep a lot, rest frequent. 

Thursday

Breakfast of fish eggs and cheese followed by 24 hour water fast before exercise tomorrow. The taste in my mouth this morning is a familiar one from the fast so I think am in ketosis will check tonight.

‎Important that I am for 7:30 am gym session and subsequent heart treadmill test. 

Busy day buzzing around walking here and there with colleagues, at pace, without a care in the world. No longer worried about simple seizing up. Would not have believed it possible having spent most of my life avoiding walking with anyone if possible and always looking to meet at a destination rather than walk together. One Christmas long ago a fear of walking a young lady home, as I knew there was a long uphill slog between us and destination brought an end to a short relationship. She walked home with friends but was none to happy.....

Will I now become a last minute Larry having thus far always been early? I already seem less prepared to compromise. 

As I charged through Hong Kong airport this evening have eaten and odd mix of fried fish and cheese with a few veggies. Confident I am in ketosis. Usually I have a few glasses of red wine now 7pm waiting for an 8:30 flight, but not tonight!

On the flight I did though indulge 1 glass champagne, Cheese, Cheesecake and a two chocolates.

Landed midnight and home for a skype call with M guru Andrew Wakelin until 1:30am meant a short night of sleep.

Harder today but still a very good treadmill session

Just putting together a note while in cool down on the treadmill. Having pushed myself pretty hard this last 5 days my quads felt the twinges of M this morning and today's session was a little harder than it has been. I was slower to be able to jog. Tried at 16 minutes and managed a 3 minute jog at 7.5 kmph. I tried again at 20 minutes and from then on well in the grove. With 5 mins left of my 50 minutes session I upped my speed to 7.8 kmph. 3 minutes out to 8.1 and then 2 minutes 8.5 k. Finally with 30 seconds to go finished strong at 9 mph. 

Overall average 7.2 kmph. 

I have arranged the dreaded treadmill test with the cardiologist that diagnosed me, for Friday. Mt abysmal performance last time was one of the clues that led him to M. Am hoping to have remained in ketosis and to complete the test this time.

first thing Friday though have a gym session with the Singapore Indoor cricket fitness guru, Jony. Last time I did a supervised gym programme was in 1986 at Tom Turks in Hong Kong. An introduction I was shown how to, use each of the machines and to do several reps on each. this was well before diagnosis. next day full on rhabdo - but not seen as such, and every muscle in my body was rigid. 3 days in hospital, an endoscopy, cystoscopy and renal biopsy later we were none the wiser. i think to justify the expense they "found" minor glomerular abnormalities" - oh the joys of private medicine and a lost and confused 24 year old.

I am sure Friday will not be the same as i now know what i can do and what i cant do and am quite unashamed in saying so. bring it on....

Wide awake club

Awoke at 3am and as i was still not asleep by 4am have decided to get up. Was going to head for the office, but as trains are not running yet catching up on a few things and work email before heading in.

Attached are my 2005 exercise prescription and the notes Dr Slonim made in explaining the disease to me.

Singapore Over 40's indoor cricket

So my life at present is certainly not dull - invited to train with a group of over 40 players with a view to potentially playing in a tournament in New Zealand - not sure quite how. I joined the session this evening- the first time i have been coached, with the exception of one day at Lord's with Mike Gatting, in 30 years. I would not have dreamed of exposing myself to such a challenge 10 days ago - it simply would not have entered my mind. Tonight a warm up and 90 minutes of fielding drills - nearly non-stop were accomplished and I am full of energy and feeling no M effect at all. I did stop some of the warm ups when repetitions began to yield early warning signs - I know my body now and know when to stop. I had a great time met some new fellow cricketers and a physio with whom i discussed the condition and this magical fix that I have stumbled across.

I have signed up for a weekly fitness session, adapted to my needs, and weekly training from now until the tournament in New Zealand. Given this bizarre journey I might just make it.......needless to say I will keep you posted!!!

Losing Ketosis

A stiff neck needed ice and a single diazapam last night but is now resolved. I remain full of energy. Did not make a treadmill session. Instead am going for 90 minutes of indoor cricket! Oh the joys of youth...

on way back from the station this evening legs a little heavier than they had been. checked ketosis level and sure enough its lower will need to be cautious this evening. And may water fast tomorrow, Something i had planned for Wednesday in any event...