WMA Tampere experience that wasn't

 

The WMA Tampere experience that wasn’t

After NSGA Nationals in Miramar Florida, I knew I had to change my training. On my return, I went one last time to Camp Gladiator (making it twice since April) before canceling my CG membership. Then I began going to the gym, masked up, to do modified leg extensions to strengthen my quads and leg curls for hams and glute.

I actually stopped doing the glute specific exercises I had been doing at home. I had finished the 12 week program, except for a few days even before Florida. Initially, I also did an elliptical like machine for 15 minutes, as well as the leg machines twice a week. Avoiding a packed gym was key. Once, I went while high school, which was a block or so away, was still ongoing and I did not go beyond the entry way seeing how packed it was. It was around 3pm. I had been lazy (sleepy?) so I did not have the energy to go earlier.

I began to think my quads were strengthening since my knees hurt less. Sundays I tried to go to the track, either Riverside or finally Duke. I intended to spend the time doing 30-60m speedwork, while also testing the Jawku, now that they had sent me a beta update to fix the problem I had been having. I wanted to test start methods and it helped to have a track rather than the hard packed sand trail I used during the week.

One Sunday while there, towards the end of my hour plus (the parking meter hatchet in mind), a couple of us were talking to a 40 year old who we’ve seen there before. Very fast. Very. An aside – one time he was having issues with his very expensive timing device, one that used sensors on either side of the finish area he has chosen and includes a wrist device. It was not picking up his time. Reminded me of my issues with Jawku before the fix. His, he thought, was the heat. At the time it was in the 90s around 2pm. He normally came later, around 6pm during the week and no problems.

On 5/29, I had done a very slow 400m, testing, to see if I could. At the time wearing my Nike Zoom 400s.

I was also testing not only if I could do so very slowly – no doubt close to 3 minutes – but if my leg would tie up. I had previously during a prior Sunday done the 400 in similar manner wearing my Saucony Showdowns 2. When I did 300m wearing the Zoom 400s, it went okay but later in the evening I experienced leg cramps. I wanted to see if this would occur if I did 400 in them. This has to do with a debate with a record holding pal who says the Showdowns are the reason that twice in two races my legs have tied up. It is always a question of which goes first the breathing or the legs. I needed to resolve the issue before going to WMA in Tampere Finland.

I mentioned the 400 concern and he said that us older folk (not my 40 and 60 year old training pals) but ancient me and others my advanced age ought not to be doing boot camp (ha!) and instead short 30m speed work several time a week. He said gym strength training and instead of the 300m training runs on the greenway as I had been doing, to use the gym bike to build endurance. Set it at Level ONE then pedal as fast as I can for 45 seconds then get off and do something for about a 45 seconds to a minute before getting back on the bike and repeating this cycle twenty times.

What an experience doing that! The first time I tried I did not think I would get to 20. I managed to get in about two and a half weeks of this twice a week effort. I think I probably was much stronger. My knees were far better. I am able to go up and down the stairs now without discomfort. I figured I would have better times in Tampere than I did in Florida.  And - I would finish the 400m without walking, though I might be last, I would finish.

However on June 15^th, after a pseudo softball game so that our and our younger sister team could get a state senior games qualifier in, with me in the outfield for a very long time as some of our team players (split among the two teams) were pitched at least 9 strikes before called out, I was feeling very uncomfortable never mind irritated. So I come home by around 8:30pm feeling cruddy. I seemed to have what I thought was a heat rash and the center of my back which had been itching for a few days, really itched now. I tried getting it with a back scratcher around 3am. When I looked at it Thursday morning, it looked ugly. By Sunday, I was miserable and my knowledgeable friends raged that I should get to a doc asap as it was shingles.

They concerned me enough to go looking. The first urgent care place was closed. Ugh. It was the only one I knew of. I did a google search and found one I had not known about and went there. I told the doc there that those who had seen the photos thought it was shingles. It was on my back and chest. No wraparound. He hems and haws and looks then says, no, it is first and second degree sunburn. I asked how could this be – I had a shirt on the whole time. Well he says ultraviolet rays can get through clothing. It is definitely sunburn. Shingles is only on one side, unlike what I have (by now my left arm has small bumps as well.) He prescribed Silver Sulfadiazine 1%. Okay says I and off to drug store I go. Then I come home and text my friends who again go berserk. He is WRONG, they say, one of whom has an oncologist daughter who can be funnily graphic in her expressions. Go to your PCP or oncologist first thing in am or ER.

Monday, the 20^th, I went to my oncology office and the PA says, yep, shingles! By then I had already started upchucking. The first sign that it was time to stop drinking (never mind eating) was when I spewed out the half a bottle of ginger ale I had in the morning. (I had been eating lightly usually fish and a vegetable or salad to be sure I could fit in the USA half tights. This would make sure I continued to fit!) The rest of the week was one of becoming badly dehydrated, drunken instability and an IV infusion of a liter and half of saline on Wednesday June 22. June 23 lumbar puncture to check for shingles virus etc in spinal fluid. (It came back negative for that.) That night I decided it was time to call it as far as the Finland trip. I managed to finally get my June 26 flight canceled by around 8pm. Then the withdrawal emails to the two scratch addresses, one team USA. The deadline for withdrawals was by June 24. my email went out June 23 at 22:40. The idea as if one missed that deadline one could withdraw from an event or events there in Tampere.

So my WMA Tampere experience as part of the USATF Masters Team USA is non existent. (and in one event I was one of three, so unless I did not get to the Finish, I was coming home with a WMA medal) btw, The USA Olympic Rio blue kit for the trip is snazzy and the singlet nice. All going back now.

My bad fortune is that shingles developed too close to my departure date and the good news is that it did and did not emerge while in Finland.

I coulda been a contender! (On the Watterront)

And so it goes. (Kurt Vonnegut)

So long and thanks for all the fish (Douglas Adams – Hitchhikers of the Galaxy)