Be Thankful

I’m currently sitting on a comfortable hospital chair, getting an IV to treat a debilitating disease, rheumatoid arthritis. It’s amazing that just 5 days ago I was racing in a triathlon. It’s incredible how I feel right now.

I have to come here at Mount Sinai Hospital every 2 months, sit in a chair for 4 hours to get that life changing infusion. The medication is called Remicade, and I’ve been on it for more than 2 years now. Remicade is a biologic medication that has been working incredibly well for me. I wouldn’t be where I am right now.

I wouldn’t be planning for next year’s racing season. I wouldn’t be able to ride for 2 hours, or even simply enjoy a walk on the beach with my husband and the dog playing around.

I know because I’ve been there. I’ve been stuck to my bed, not able to get up, not because I didn’t want to, but because my joints didn’t want to. I’ve been suffering from walking for only 15 minutes, or even just standing in one of the many line-ups the city life brings us.

I’ve been crying from desperation, wondering why it was happening to me, why no medication worked and doubting it was worth even fighting for. Remicade came at a right time in my life. I was ready for a change, not only on the medication side, but also in the way I took care of myself. I know Remicade is a big part of it, but at the same time I started to trust my capacities, take a better care of myself, by eating better, drinking less and exercising. I also have to give credit to my husband, whose support made a huge difference, and still does.

Yes I still have some bad days, but they are comparable to the good days from 5 years ago! As long as I don’t forget this, I will be happy.

I don’t need to win a triathlon (or relay, or Aquabike), I just need to be there. Body and soul. Being able to be there is the greatest gift I have. And it doesn’t just apply to triathlons. It applies to every single aspect of my life. Everybody should realize that they are lucky to be able to do whatever they’re doing.

Be Thankful.

A reminder from my body

A lot happened since the last time I wrote!
We took possession of our condo early in July, and were working on patching, sanding, priming and painting the entire place. Then we cleaned, and we moved.
It was just my husband and me to load the truck. Fortunately, my brother-in-law came after his work to help unload at the new place. After that, we had to finish up at the other place, clean-up and make it ready for the transfer. Oh well, it is done now. The good thing is, I got some brutal strength and endurance training in! hehe

The past week was hard for me. My body reminded me that I'm not 100% healthy, that I have to stop at some point. I tried to ignore it, but my joints just decided it was enough...At some point I couldn't get up in the morning. I slept 12 hours per night for 3 days, and I'm still sleeping more than usual. My feet, hands and knees were pretty bad. It's almost back to normal now. It's all the walking and carrying heavy stuff, and also holding the paintbrushes that didn't help. So I've been taking my anti-inflammatory, plus Tylenol Arthritis twice daily since we started all of this. Usually, I don't need them...But it had to be done, and we're almost all setup at the new place, so we're good for another year or two! :P

Last week-end was the first week-end without doing anything related to fixing up, cleaning or moving stuff. So I got an open water swim on Saturday, and a very nice Mountain bike ride on Sunday. Except for a couple of easy bike rides between the two condos (about 15 minutes ride), and an easy 1000m in the condo pool to relax, I haven't done anything since July 2!

So on Saturday morning, I had my first swim in a long time. It was awesome! Plus it was my birthday! :) There's no better way to start a day like that! The Ontario lake temperature was much better than the last couple of times I went. No ice cream headaches this time. It was cool and refreshing, and no waves. Although I wish I could practice with some waves, it didn't happen yet.

Sunday we went to Albion Hills, my favorite mtb place in the area. It was hot, but under the trees it was perfect. We went for a couple of singletracks, and I felt much more confident than the last time we went. I had to put the foot down a couple of times, but it wasn't bad at all. And I felt powerful in the hills. I know I'm not back 100%, and I may have lost a small amount of endurance from doing nothing in the past month, but I'm sure it will be back by the end of this week.

So now I'm back into serious training, and regular updates!

I'll blame it on caffeine...

Caffeine Crash!?!
I didn't swim yesterday. Didn't do yoga, and I still have to kick my behind to at least get my ride in today.
My body is out of sync. My joints are great, even my fingers feel normal lately! But my energy level is down. I'm blaming caffeine.

About two weeks ago, I decided I wanted to get rid of my caffeine addiction. I used to have a big cup (more like 2 cups) of coffee every single day. I know it's not that bad, but as soon as I would spend a day not having coffee, I'd get a crazy strong, handicapping headache, that would go away if I would drink coffee. So I decided I didn't want to depend on my daily coffee to function normally. I tried a couple of days without coffee. Ouch! It really hurts and doesn't stop. I guess I wasn't patient enough with it...

So I decided I would try to drink green tea. It has much less caffeine, compared to coffee (15mg compared to 135mg), but that's depending on how strong you make your tea/coffee. So I suppose I've been making it too strong, because after 1 week of green tea, I still have a headache if I don't drink green tea. Yesterday, I had no caffeine intake. And I was not functional.

I've been doing research and found that bit of information, according to Wiki:
"Withdrawal symptoms—possibly including headache, irritability, an inability to concentrate, and stomach aches—may appear within 12 to 24 hours after discontinuation of caffeine intake, peak at roughly 48 hours, and usually last from one to five days...may cause feelings of fatigue and drowsiness... A reduction in serotonin levels when caffeine use is stopped can cause anxiety, irritability, inability to concentrate and diminished motivation to initiate or to complete daily tasks..."

Yep, except for the anxiety and stomach aches, it sounds like me right now :(

I just have to be patient and wait until the effects go away. It shouldn't take too long. Wiki also confirms that a small dose of caffeine should ease the withdrawal, so I'm going to reduce dramatically the strength of my green tea!

I was able to quit smoking, cold turkey, 6 years ago, so I'm sure I can get rid of my caffeine addiction as well! I love coffee, but at least I'm going to be able to enjoy it on my own terms, instead of needing it!

Hubby is in!

I have been working out more regularly in the past 6 weeks. I decided to incorporate a strength training program in my routine, following Crucible Fitness's Triathlon strength training plan.

I've been doing just fine, even enjoying the strength training. The only problem I have with strength training, is that my arthritic fingers don't enjoy it so much. I found out it is worse with free weights, so I'm trying to keep the exercises to the machines as much as possible. It seems to help tremendously.

Then, 3 weeks ago, my husband decided that he started triathlon training! Wow! I was so glad, plus, I didn't even try to get him to do it!

He said that the main reason he started is because he wants me to be able to participate in local triathlon and not get a DNF. How sweet!!! There are no Aquabiking competitions in the Greater Toronto Area. The closest is about 400 km away from here. For me, that means traveling for each competition, or register for a full triathlon here and DNF.

My husband's solution: Relay! I do the swimming and biking portion and he does the running. Wait a minute, why is he training for the whole thing? Well, hopefully the triathlon series here will include Aquabike to their competition sometime soon, and I'll be able to compete by myself. At that point, my husband might be interested in doing the whole thing, or not. We'll find out. But he seems to really enjoy it, which is great because I can talk about my biking and swimming stories and worry less about annoying him.

So it looks like we might register for a sprint this summer, for the Toronto Islands Triathlon. We'll see, I don't want to push him too much, he's just starting running, and I want him to feel comfortable. And to say that last year he was a smoker!!! I'm so proud of him!

In fact, he's the reason why we started biking last year, and that escalated into Aquabiking for me. He decided to buy bikes after he quit smoking, as a reward for his decision (yes, I got rewarded even though all I had to do was endure his bad temper for a couple of weeks. My husband is spoiling me a lot. No complains here!) After that I started swimming again, and heard about aquabike competitions. Since then, there has been ups and down, but my motivation is still there, and I'm really hoping for a first competition this summer.

I think the biggest problem is money! God it's expensive! There's always something missing, or nice to have. And now we're two. But hey, there are other hobbies that are expensive too, and it occupies most of our time, it's a healthy lifestyle, and it's very satisfying. So why not?

Oh Summer, where are thou?

I don't train outdoors during winter. Maybe I'm a chicken, or maybe I have good reasons, like my joints don't like cold and humid weather and usually won't cooperate. I have to say Toronto is not so bad during winter, it could be worse. But it could be better.

I also don't have equipment to ride during cold weather. So I've been biking on my fluid trainer since November! At least it's still training with my bike, but I really miss the wind, the trees, the sun on my (protected) sooo white skin. At this time of the year, because of the lack of sun, my skin is usually so white it's almost blueish. This year doesn't seem to be as bad, maybe it's because I'm more healthy that I used to be. I miss the sun still. And no, I can't get canned sun, my medication doesn't allow for it.

But the thing I miss the most, is warmth. I love warmth. When it's 35 degrees and everybody is searching for shade and AC, I really enjoy it. Actually, the perfect weather I found so far (I haven't visited so many places in my life), was in Palm Springs, CA. 45 degrees during the day! Loved it! Except for the weird sensation of the skin in your face wanting to crack open when you smile! he he, but I could get used to that! My joints could get used to that too, I felt 100% for the time I was there! I suppose that's why this place is so popular for older people...The warmth and the hot springs.

Oh well, at least I feel good right now, and my joints are ok with all my training so far! :) I'm just hoping that this snow will melt (got some more yesterday) very soon, and that I'll be able to hit the trails! Can't wait for that!

The Groundhog was sooooo wrong! :(

I'm back

It's been two months since I've checked anything not work related on the internet, which is quite unusual. I used to go nuts if I didn't read my usual blogs and news sites daily!
Ok, when I started this blog, I thought I could be consistent, and write regularly... It lasted one month. For my defense, I have to say that a lot happened lately and writing about it didn't seem to be a priority.
I still get trifuel newsletters, and started catching up today.
Now that things are (kind of) back to normal, I want to take more time to write about it. I'm not promising I will write every day, but it won't be months between posts anymore.

At the start of the year, my best friend from childhood (also my cousin's high school sweetheart), got into a snowmobile accident in Quebec. She had a broken scapula and a headache. The hospital sent her home...Two nights after that, her parents found her having convulsions in her bed, she was transferred to a trauma centre. Her brain had swelled and there was excess liquid. She got brain surgery, and they plunged her in an induced coma. We had no idea if she would survive. If she was to survive, the possibilities of long term disabilities were there. There were a lot of complications, we didn't really know what to expect.
After a week, she finally woke up, and, although very confused at the beginning, she came back all herself! Some physiotherapy to do, but the doctors are saying that there will be no permanent damage! What a scare! I have to say it changes perspectives...

I was also extremely busy at work, the real estate market in the Greater Toronto Area is really picking up!

Now for the training. Well, I've had ups and downs. It has been hard to incorporate regular training in my schedule. Not that I don't have time, I know I can find time for it. I've made plans, but I believe I've left too much room for unexpected stuff. I am better when I force myself to stick to something. It's a good thing I just bike and swim!

There's also the health part, I've had a couple of bad joints days, a result from the stress, and a delay of a couple of days for getting my medication. When that happens, it takes me a while to move again. I know it will be better as soon as I start moving, but at the same time the kick needed to get up and do it is huge!

So I've been doing maybe 3 workouts on average per week, which is far from being enough. Swimming here and there, biking sometimes, cardio-muscular workouts and some yoga. I've signed up for a 5000M charity swim for April. So I have to get serious. I know I can do that. I won't be so fast (I expect 1:30 to 1:40), but I'll do it. This is the Foresters' Swim for Arthritis, if you are interested in sponsoring me.

So, here's my plan for the next 2 months (reduce by 60% every 4 weeks for rest):
Monday Rest
Tuesday 6:30am Swim Drills + speed 2000m
Wednesday 6:30am cardio (warmup) strenght workout + short bike (40-60 minutes)
Thursday 6:30am Swim Drills + speed 2000m
Friday 6:30am cardio (warmup) strenght workout + short bike (40-60 minutes)
Saturday 9:00am cardio (warmup) strenght workout + long bike (1:30-3:00)
Sunday 9:00am Swim 2000m straight

Add yoga every night at 10:00 before bed.
I know this is not much compared to some of you hardcore guys, but this is hardcore for me! :o)
I'll let you know how it goes.

I can make a plan now!

Yessssss. I got my doctor's approval. In fact, she seemed so enthusiastic about my project that I felt stupid I doubted she would approve my participation in an Aquabike! Joints are doing great, motivation is high, and schedules for 2007 are getting ready!

So far, only the Somersault Series offers Aquabike races in Ontario. I would have enjoyed racing in Toronto, especially the Toronto Islands triathlon, but I'm not sure there's going to be any Aquabike event here.

Oh well, I'm still happy, there's a much bigger choice of events in
2007 than this year. I will aim for a sprint early in the season, to evaluate my level, and will go for a half-iron at the end of the season. Registration opens on November 1! I was hoping for an Iron distance, but apparently there is none for the next season (so far).
Maybe it would be biting more than I can chew anyway, so I'll start reasonably! :-) I'll post my training plan very soon!

A bit about me and why I decided to commit

I was diagnosed with Rhumatoid Arthritis when I was 5 years old. I couldn't do any high impact sport during my childhood. I was the kid forced to go to the library during physical education classes. At least I became good enough at swimming! I did a bit of competing, but because I was not a top performer in the club, I was kinda left aside by the coaches that were putting more energy in promising swimmers. I lost some interest in swimming because of that. I didn't like the "compete to win" mentality, I was mostly the "do it as best as you can" kind, especially in my condition!

At 14, my doctor decided to stop completely my medication (not good), it seemed like I was back to normal! I went nuts. I tried every sport I could and was really enjoying life and appreciating each moment. You heard that before, but yes, you really only enjoy things fully when you lost them. The thing is, having been diagnosed so young, I did not know at that time what I was missing. I was therefore discovering life in a new light.

The blast came to me when I was 17. After feeling pain I thought was due to a twisted ankle, I had to go to the doctor and they told me that it was back! But this time, it really hit hard. You're a teen, everybody around you is at the best they've ever been, you're at your worst. I've tasted what it felt to be in good shape. It made it feel much worse. Everything went quickly. Most of the time, I had to use crutches. My ankles, toes, knees, elbows, fingers, wrists and neck were affected. And no medication would help, not even what used to work before.

At 20, there were days I couldn't get up from my bed, both my legs wouldn't support me. My boyfriend at that time had to carry me to the bathroom. Simple buttons or zippers were a nightmare for me. I was crying from pain and was totally depressed. I was also not taking good care of myself, it was an endless cycle. You move less because it hurts like hell, and it gets worse because you're not moving enough. When my doctor told me that if it continued like that, I would be stuck in a wheelchair before I turned 25, I got angry. I just decided this wouldn't happen. I got a new doctor (I thank the old one today for shaking me out of my situation). I went on cortisone for a while until I heard about biologics (expensive!!! but not much for such a miracle).

Since I was 22, my situation has just been improving, and I became more and more active. Now, at 26, I am living a perfectly normal life (except that I can't run), and nobody would guess I've been through that.

I've always admired triathletes and wished I could someday participate in such an event. I also like the community feel, and how a lot of people are competing for the personnal accomplishment, rather than the glory. Until last year, there were triathlons and duathlons, but nothing that would combine swimming and biking, mostly the only two sports I could hope one day to put together for multisports, without endangering my joints. And yes, last year, some US triathlons decided to introduce Aquabike! I learned about it only recently, and was totally delighted! Then Canada got in this year, and it is getting popular. There are a lot of people out there that can't do high impact sports, because of injuries or diseases.

So, with that said, I'm very enthusiastic about having the possibility to show everybody (especially people that have had a similar experience) that I've been through all this and today it is possible for me to get out there and enjoy the chance I have to be able to do this stuff!

Anyway, wish you all a good day!

Sorry for the long story, I tried to make it as short as possible! :-)

Me and My Dog

By the way, this is what I look like...with short hair now.

Aquabike???

Aquabike. Or Two-Third of a triathlon. Swim, Bike.

In some sort of frenzy, I decided to commit for an Aquabike competition for next summer (2007). Nuts? Sort of. If I could, I would go for the entire thing (add running here), but life decided otherwise for me. I'll explain in a bit.

For now, let's just say that I've always admired triathletes and thought I would never be part of this world, until recently.