I have totally sucked at blogging lately. It just hasn't been a priority, I guess. I hate to continually go to a favorite blog only to find that they have not updated anything. I am guilty as charged.
I have been back to work for a couple of weeks now. It's been nice to be back and see all of my friends and to do what I do best. Nursing. My running is going well, but I am still working on building up my speed and endurance after six weeks of no aerobic exercising. My toes feel really good. My big toe, which was not touched surgically is now one of my Achilles heel. It is really bugging me. My Doc says it has a lot of arthritis in it. Gosh, that sounds so old and decrepit doesn't it? Arthritis! Wow.
So today Suz and I ran my new found 12.6 mile run that has me all excited. We ran up the trails talking about life, cool people, new races, and nutrition. We never are at a loss for words when we are together. She is a great friend and I enjoy running with her so much. I had just gotten done telling her that I had not turned my bad ankle since I started back to running, when all of a sudden I turned my ankle and heard a loud crack. Crap. Five minutes later it happened again. Crap. My right ankle and my right big toe are really pissing me off these days. Maybe tomorrow will be a swim day. :)
Have any of you ever smelled ammonia in your perspiration after running? Every once in awhile I notice that horrible ammonia smell after my run. I looked it up today and it seems that when you release ammonia in your sweat you are dipping into your protein reserves and burning protein instead of carbos. I don't think we should be burning protein for fuel and I am wondering if it is because of my low carb diet. I have been trying to cut out breads, noodles and other "white stuff". I do feel better eating this way, but I guess I need to research this topic more.
So, it's late, I am working in the morning and I should take my ammonia smelling body, with my sore ankle and my messed up big toe, and hit the hay. I do want to say that 19 years ago today, my Dad went into the Hospital at age 60 and never came out. I thought about him today when I was driving home from my run. He wasn't able to join us for Thanksgiving and he died on Dec. 10th. I miss him everyday. I just felt like sharing that with you all.
"Even the fear of death is nothing compared to the fear of not having lived authentically and fully." Frances Moore Lappe
6 comments:
Kelly, I love this post and am so happy to retport that I have updated mine and am BACK! I just needed a little life reset button :) Thank goodness they are allowed...
I hope you are doing so well and hope to see you soon!
mer
You are right. Your body is using the protein of your muscles as fuel for your body. Your carb restriction is for what reason??? If your body can't find enough carbohydrate or fat to burn, it's using proteins which is very hard to burn and results in Ammonia smell.
It happens mostly to people with Anorexia Nervosa, who eats to little so the body has to burn itself to get fuel... Your heart is a muscle.
Running as much as you do, it doesn't make sense for you to restrict yourself as much as it appears that you do. And it is obviously having very negative effects on your health.
Hey Anonymous, thanks for the comment. I have been eating a healthy diet but trying to eliminate foods that I feel are not helping me be the best I can be. I have got a lot of my info from reading about the Paleo diet. I eat more food than most men eat, but I guess I need to look into this way of eating more thoroughly. I always appreciate feedback,so thanks for writing.
Congratulations on the success of your surgery, and your return to running! That is very good news.
I've never noticed the ammonia smell you mentioned. But ammonia is a normal byproduct of amino acid catabolism when they are used as fuel (usually from the free amino acid pool in the muscles- protein synthesis is postponed during exercise), and amino acids may also be needed as TCA cycle intermediates to keep it running smoothly. I don't think it is a problem as long as you replace what you've used after you exercise. Most people report they've done well on this sort of diet once adapted, and weight lifters and body builders use it sometimes and don't seem to suffer debilitating losses in muscle mass. I wonder if you are observing your body shifting back to endurance mode- if you were doing lots of resistance exercise when you couldn't run you would have built up some muscle that may be broken down now. Studies show that resistance exercise results in less protein turnover (less protein catabolism occurs) relative to endurance exercise. Also, less ammonia is produced in trained athletes vs untrained, so maybe it is a reflection of your changed condition. I would guess that it will pass soon, and I suspect you will be better than ever for having taken a break in your training.
Thanks for sharing!
Cynthia
Thanks, Cynthia. I appreciate your input. What you said makes sense and I know that you are aware of the Paleo way of eating. I will keep you posted on my ammonia "stink", provided it doesn't go away. Have a great Sunday and a Happy Thanksgiving.
Great post Kelly!
Glad to hear you're surgery went well and that you're back to running...and blogging!
I lost my dad a few years ago and it still brings tears to my eyes to tell a wonderful story about him. Thanks for sharing, I know that wasn't easy.
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