Heart Run/Walk 5K Recap

Saturday, April 16th I ran the first annual Heart Run 5K here in Rochester. In years past they've always done the Heart Walk to benefit the American Heart Association, but this year they decided to add a 5K run. At first I wasn't going to do the run because the price was a little steep, however, my friend Natalie was running the 5K, so I decided to jump in and run/walk with her.

This year, only a few of us from the Cardiology department actually registered for the race/walk. Our team included myself, Natalie, our coworker Linda, and then one of our Attendings and his wife. The run/walk was also at a different location this year. This year it was at Frontier Field, where as in years past it has been at Blue Cross Arena. Or you could be like me last year, and be laying in a hospital bed 1 day S/P open heart surgery. But, I digress.

I woke up Saturday morning and got myself around to leave. It was a beautiful sunny day (surprising for April in Rochester), but it was still pretty chilly. I arrived at Frontier field around 8:30, and text my coworkers to see if any where there yet. The race was set to start at 9:00 AM with the walk to immediately follow. My coworkers and I set a meeting place and waited in the sun until it was time to walk over to the race start.

(Standing in the sun waiting for the race to stsrt)

We decided to wander over to where the race was going to start. On our way over, there was a big billboard for all the participants to sign. I thought that was cool, and Natalie told me they also had one last year for everyone to sign.

While we were stretching we noticed there were some characters/mascots (if you will), so of course we had to grab a quick picture before the race started.

Finally it was time for the race the start. For the inaugural race, there were about 400 registrants, which I thought was a decent number. We made our way to the starting line, and then they counted us down. Once they blew the horn for us to start, they released about 25 red balloons into the sky which I thought was a neat idea. Since there wasn't a huge crowd, I told my friend Natalie to let me know when we wanted to walk. I was game for whatever she wanted to do.

The course for the 5K (and the walk) was an out and back on the Inner Loop. It certainly wasn't flat, but the small hills provided a little challenge and made us work a little harder.

(Course map: Source)

Natalie, Linda and I made it to about the one mile marker, and we were all dying. We had definitely overdressed. My thermometer when I left my house said 38 degrees, but the sun was warm. Linda and I stripped our top layers and tied our shirts around our waists. Poor Natalie had worn a black Under Armour shirt under the black Heart Run shirts we were given at packet pickup. As we were making our way out to the turning point, we watched the other side as runners started to make their way back to the finish. Then we saw Ryan and Carrie! We all waved at each other and kept trudging along.

We had finally made it to the halfway point, and looped around and started back towards the finish. As we made our way back toward the finish, we were able to run past all the Heart Walk participants that were making their way to just about the 1 mile marker. It was great to see how many participants there were doing the walk. There were also little activities and snacks along the course for the walkers to partake in. The 3 of us chatted as we made our way back over the hills and turned the corner towards Frontier Field. The last 1/10 of a mile we kicked it in and finished strong. I finished in 41:40, not my fastest, but that's my fault for not running consistently this winter/spring. A huge shoutout to Natalie who ran her FIRST timed 5K, and she rocked it!

Once we finished we met up with Ryan and Carrie and chatted for a few minutes. Ryan had mentioned that Scott Hetsko had run the race, and just finished a few minutes before us. I went up to him to say hello, and introduce myself, and asked if I could get a picture with him.

(Chatting about our heart surgeries)

Scott was extremely nice. We chatted for a few minutes, and I told him that I had open heart surgery about a year ago too, and we compared scars. His looks awesome by the way, hardly noticeable. I commented on his Penn State shirt, and was excited to learn he is also a Penn State Alum!

After that we decided to check out the sponsor tents to see what goodies we could pick up. We stopped at the Kodak booth where they were taking pictures of participants, then printing them off so we could take them home. Not only that, they were offering a service where you could print pictures from your phone to take home with you, so we definitely took advantage of that.

We grabbed a small snack at the refreshment tent and decided that we would go for a bite to eat together when we left. We quickly walked around the tents and picked up some goodies and decided to head out. Linda, Natalie and I decided to head to Village Bakery for breakfast. It was such a beautiful day and we were lucky to snag a table outside in the sun. We ate our breakfast and stayed and chatted for quite a while, then we all headed out to enjoy the rest of our weekends.

(With Natalie and Linda at Village Bakery)

QOTD: Running is always more fun with friends. Do you have a BRF (best running friend?)

Cupid's Cup 5K Recap

I know this recap is late, but I need to catch up. On Sunday, February 7th I ran the Cupid's Cup 5K out at the Pinnacle Athletic Campus in Victor, NY. It is a newer athletic complex that offers a variety of sports, classes and programs for all ages.

This was a new race, and if you hadn't guessed, the race was a Valentine's Day themed race. The dynamic of the race was different as well. When participants registered, they were able to select their bib color based on their relationship status. Green for single runners, yellow for " it's complicated" runners, and red for those in relationships are who are married. They also allowed runners to change their bib color if necessary. With the idea that the single runners could mingle and maybe light spark.

Another interesting incentive for this race was that when registering (at least by January 29th) you received a Cupid's Cup with your registration (it was a cute coffee mug). I thought this was great because the last thing I need is another race t-shirt. Not that I don't like them, but I'm running out of drawer space.

I met some of my Team RWB buddies around 10:30 at the athletic campus, and can I just say it was a BEAUTIFUL day, and perfect running weather. I actually over-dressed for the race. We hung out inside the complex until it was about time for the race, and then we made our way to the start.

(Hanging out at the Kiss 106.7 booth)

(Eagles soaking up the February sun)

The race started right at 11, and thankfully the start was right at the top of a hill so we were not required to run up that. The race started on Phillips road, then almost immediately the course turned left onto Main Street/Fishers Road. We ran about  a mile on Main Street/Fishers, then we turned left onto Wangum Road. Runners were then met with a HUGE hill. I'm not going to lie, I walked the entire thing. I hadn't been running enough throughout the winter to charge the hill. We ran on Wangum for about 3/4 of a mile and then turned left onto Victor-Mendon Road. After about a half a mile on Victor-Mendon Road we turned left back onto Phillips road and ran back to the athletic campus where the race finished inside the complex on the turf.

(Course map: Source)

Given that I have not run as much this winter as I did last winter, I was slower than normal, and like I said, I walked the entire hill on Wangum Rd. I still finished the race in 37:24 (according to my apple watch), so I'll take it. Two of my RWB teammates finished before me, so one of them snapped pictures of us coming into the finish line.

(I look so serious, haha)

After all of my teammates finished the race we walked over to where the race sponsor had a refreshment spread. They offered fruit: Oranges and bananas, Bagels with peanut butter or cream cheese, and cookies and chocolate. We munched on a few snacks and chatted before making our depart to enjoy the rest of Superbowl Sunday. Overall, I really enjoyed this race. I would have to say the weather had a lot to do with that, it was unseasonably nice for a February run. I can definitely say I will consider running this race next year. Another pro was that the race only cost $22 if you registered by 2/5, and there was no online processing fee.

QOTD: Did you run any races in February? Any Valentine's Day themed races?

Time To Catch Up. What Are You Grateful For?

I realize it's been months since I've posted, so I figured it was time for an update. To say life has been busy is a bit of an understatement, but I can say that it's all been good.

First I'll start with this. It's been exactly 10 months since I was discharged from the hospital after my open heart surgery. I was discharged on April 28th, my parents wedding anniversary. Second, I wanted to just what to say how grateful I am that I was able to wake up this morning and enjoy a Yoga class, and that I was able to enjoy 2 runs outside this weekend.

(Saturdays morning run was a chilly 26 degrees)

(And then there was todays run, when it was 65 degrees)

We had a beautiful day here in Western New York today, and temperatures reached 65 degrees on my thermometer here at my house. I also went to a different yoga studio this morning just to check it out, but I'll post about that on a different post.

So, I started doing Crossfit at the end of last year. I'm still only going once a week, but it's something to get my body engaged a little more than yoga. I'm also still going to yoga (at least) once a week, and I do feel like I'm getting stronger. Not sure if I'm getting more flexible, but I know all these things take time.

Back to crossfit. Dan convinced me to sign up for my first Tough Mudder. It's also the day before my 30th birthday. I joked with him that he had better come visit me on my birthday when I'm in the hospital in a full body cast. I'm actually very nervous. I'm not a huge trail runner, and this is anywhere between 10-13 miles of trails with obstacles. This is where I need to start getting my butt in gear and get to crossfit more than once a week to build up some upper body strength if I'm going to be able to do some of the obstacles.

(Yeah, I'm probably going to die)

So, for now that's my big fitness goal for the year. I don't believe I'll be doing any half marathons. 5Ks and 10Ks are more my jam (at least for the time being), and I just can't see torturing myself if I'm not enjoying the distance. That's not to say I won't ever run a half marathon again, but for now, I'm good.

As for races this year, I have run one 5K, it was the Cupids Cup 5K, and that was the weekend before Valentine's day. I will also post a recap of that race here in the next few days. I'm currently registered for a Shamrock 5K in March, I will be doing the Heart 5K in April, the Color Run and April and the Stroll for Strong kids in June. So, slowly but surely I'm filling my race calendar.

Aside from all of that, things have been going well. I haven't had any issues from a cardiac standpoint. I go back to see my cardiologist in April for a one year follow-up, and after that I should be back to my regular annual follow-ups. So far the year is off to a positive start.

QOTD: Do you have any fitness goals for the year?

runDisney's Wine & Dine "Half of a Half" Marathon: Part 2

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. It's one of my favorite holidays. Food, family and football, what's not to love?!

I apologize for the delay in posting the second half of my race recap. Life has gotten away from me lately, but it's time to get back on track. Last I left off, Lily and I walked down to the bus stop on time and were feeling better about things after the fiasco of getting to dinner on time, etc. Once we were on the bus we could breathe a sigh of relief. However, it was not over. Like I said, Fate was trying to tell me something.

We made it to the ESPN sports complex in no time at all, and made our way through the security bag check. We made our way over to the gEAR check, and got rid of our bags, then found a place to sit and relax while we waited to head to the corrals.

(Wilderness Explorers are ready for a 13.1 mile adventure!)

After a while we decided to hop in line for the port-a-potties so we would be ready to go once we headed to the corrals. While we waited in line we commented on all the neat costumes we saw. We saw two people dressed as churros, they were super cute. We also saw some other Wilderness Explorers, some even had full on backpacks with pots hanging from the back. Now that's dedication! I have to say, that the churros may have been the best costume we saw. As we waited, out of nowhere the wind began to pick up. Although it felt nice because the humidity was so high, we knew it was not a good sign. It couldn't have been 10 minutes later, that the runDisney announcers told us that there was severe weather in the area, and that we needed to be evacuated to the ESPN stadiums until further notice. Of course there was a mad rush because people started to freak out.

Lily and I made our way to one of the stadiums, and decided to head to one of the bathrooms in there since we never made it up to the port-a-potties, then we made our way to the bleachers and had a seat. While we waited, the people around us were watching the weather Doppler on their phones. Of course there was this big orange spot over us.

Finally after about an hour, they let us go back outside, and it had never even rained. We made our way back to where we were originally waiting, and people started making their ways to the corrals. Lily and I jumped in line at the port-a-potties one last time. We were trying to rebuild the momentum that we had lost while sitting in the bleachers. While we waited, the couple behind us was checking facebook and told us that because of the weather delay, runDisney was shortening the course. They posted the new course, and we calculated it out to be about 6 miles of the race. They decided to cut out all of the Animal Kingdom. We were both disappointed, but there was nothing we could do at this point. At least they didn't cancel it all together.

We went to the bathroom, then made it to our corral, where we quickly made some new friend while we waited to start. So, let's fast forward a bit. Lily and I finally crossed the start mat at 11:23 pm, and we maybe made it about 3/4 of a mile and we were both DRENCHED in sweat. Since it hadn't rained, the humidity level was still at 85%. We trudged along, and unfortunately because of the shortened course, it was SO congested the entire time. Before we knew it we were heading into Hollywood Studios and right through the Osborne family spectacle of lights!

(Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights)

We snapped more photos, but this one is my favorite from Hollywood Studios. We waved through Hollywood Studios, and before we knew it we were running out the front and along the water towards Epcot. I think by this point, Lily and I were over this race, and just ready to finish. We ran along the boardwalk and finally into Epcot. We ran past spaceship earth and weaved our way back out of Epcot and towards the finish line. I gave Mickey a high five, and Lily and I crossed the finish line together. THANK GOD that was over! Our clothes were completely saturated. We separated to go through our respective gEar check lines to grab our dry clothes, and met back up after. Then we made our way through the drink line and finally out to where we could breathe.

(The smiles... I think we're just happy to be done.)

This next part is a little sad. We slowly made our way back toward the after party at Epcot and made it through the bag check line.Once we made it inside, I ran into Chris, so I said hi and chatted with him for a few minutes. We must have been right by each other in the bag line because I was walking in JUST behind him. Chris went on his way and Lily and I slowly made our way past Spaceship Earth and towards World Showcase. We made it to the Cranberry bog and we both literally had had enough. We were both so tired, still soaked, and just didn't know if we could honestly even make it around the World Showcase. So, yes, we turned around and left.

We slowly made our way back to the resort buses, and thankfully there was a bus there waiting. We climbed aboard and plopped into a seat. It felt so good to sit down. Once we finally made it back to our resort, I hopped in the shower first, and it was ridiculous trying to peel my clothes off. I threw them in a pile on the floor and decided I would deal with them in the morning. Once I got out of the shower, I crawled right into bed with the box of leftover pizza from dinner, then it was lights out. It must have been after 2 am.

Sunday morning we took our time getting up and getting around. We certainly were in no rush to get to Magic Kingdom because we also had tickets for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, so we were going to be at the park until around midnight. I threw my medal in my bag, but wasn't all that thrilled about wearing it since we didn't actually run the half marathon. I still had Lily snap a quick picture with me wearing it, then it went in my bag for the rest of the day.

So there you have it. The mess that was supposed to be my great half marathon comeback. All in all, Lily and I still had a good time even though the weekend didn't go as we planned.

QOTD: Have you ever had a race not go according to plan? Ever have a race completely cancelled on you?

runDisney's Wine & Dine "Half of a Half" Marathon: Part 1

Yes, you read that right. If you're a runDisney enthusiast, then you probably already know that this past weekends Wine & Dine half marathon was shortened, but we'll get to that in my next post. Basically the only way I can summarize this race experience is with this: Fate was trying to tell me I was not meant to run this half.

So let's start with the Expo. Not that anything really went wrong there, but that's basically where it all started. Lily and I decided to wait to go to the expo on Saturday morning. The race was that evening, and we didn't want to waste any time on Friday going to the expo so we could get in as much park time as possible. Once we got to the expo, we went directly to packet pick-up, then we were directed to the Jostens center to pick up our shirts and gEAR bags. On the way over to the Jostens center we stopped at guest relations so Lily could pick up her race gift card. Mine had arrived in the mail, but hers did not. Luckily, they were able to deactivate the one that was mailed to her and activate a new one for her.

Once we got to the Jostens center we walked to the back where the race shirts and gEAR bags were. After we picked those up, we walked over to the Official runDisney merchandise area. Basically EVERYTHING was picked over. Lily and I did end up buying the unisex "I did it" shirts. Then Lily got in line at KT Tape, so I told her I was going to walk back over to packet pick-up and see if there was any runDisney merchandise there. Sadly, there was very little to choose from over there too, but it was worth a check. I'm glad I went back over there though, because I wanted to sign a few people up for runner tracking, and that's where that was located. I walked right by it the first time without even taking notice. After that, I walked back over to the expo to wander around.

(Countdown to fun!)

Maybe it was because it was the last day, but the expo was very underwhelming to me. I mean, it was better than what they ever had to offer at the Expedition Everest Challenge. Fit 2 Run took up a good majority of the expo floor. I honestly had no interest in buying new running gear while I was on vacation, but I did cave and buy a new pair of compression socks to wear to bed since I had forgotten mine. After I made my first round, I went back to check on Lily. She had moved maybe halfway through the line. Unfortunately with KT Tape, if an individual buys their own roll of tape, they will tape anything and everything you want taped for the race.

(Everyone in line at KT Tape be like "Tape Everything!")

I waited with Lily for a little while, and then I decided to make another round at the Expo. I wandered over to Sweaty Bands to pick up a few Sweaty Bands for a friend, and then to Sparkly Soul. I did see a Sparkly Soul that I wanted, but they didn't have the band thickness I was looking for, so I'll look online. They were wonderful and told me if I e-mailed them, they would still offer me the expo discount if I bought more than one. I did another lap and then went back to check on Lily. She was much closer, so I waited until she was done. Her entire wait was probably and hour and a half. After she was done we walked around the expo once more so she could see what they had to offer then we decided to head out. By this point it was after 2 pm and the expo was set to end at 3 pm. We stopped at Wetzels on the way out to grab a pretzel (mmm, carbs) to snack on while we rode the bus back to the resort. As we walked down the sidewalk we had to grab a quick picture by the Wine and Dine 1/2 sign with our race bibs.

Our plan to lay by the pool was a bust by the time we got back to the hotel seeing it was getting a little late for that, so we just went back to our room to rest. We threw on some College football and took a power nap. I had set my phone alarm for 4 pm so we could catch the bus for our dinner reservation at 5 at Disney Springs. Here is where things really started to take a turn for the worse. We got down to the bus stop and looked at the estimated arrival of the next bus. We waited, and we waited, and watched the time slowly creep up. Before we knew it it was 4:35 and the bus was just pulling up. We still had 25 minutes to get to our reservation, so I wasn't going to freak out just yet.

Once we boarded the bus we noticed that there were 2 motorized scooters on board. Lily looked at me and goes, "Those are going to have to get off at some point." I sighed and nodded my head. The bus stopped at the next resort hotel on the loop, and sure enough both scooters were getting off. By this time it was 5:45, so I decided to call the restaurant to let them know we were going to be late and to make sure we could still come. They were very understanding and said it wasn't a problem, they'd be able to seat us when we got there. Perfect! The scooters finally got off, and there was another scooter waiting that needed to board. I don't even remember what time it was once the scooter fiasco was over and we were finally on our way.

While we were sitting on the bus, it felt like quite a long ride and it seemed like I was looking at different scenery than what I remembered from going to Disney Springs (Downtown Disney) on previous trips. Sure enough, I was right. The buses bring you in from the other direction now, and drop you off. It may be because of all of the construction they have going on down there. I had mentioned to Lily that there should be a stop at the West side of Downtown Disney, so we could get off there and it would be closer to the restaurant. Nope. The only bus stop is now at the Marketplace. By this point, it was already after 5, and Lily and I had to weave through the crowds to get down to the restaurant. We finally walked in at 5:35. It took us over an hour to get there, ridiculous.

The restaurant seated us immediately, and we were ordering within 5 minutes. We both ordered pizzas, and were surprised at how quickly they came out. After all that, I was thankful and began to relax a bit as I munched on a few slices of pizza. While eating I text my friends and told them everything we had just gone through to get to our dinner reservation and that fate was trying to tell me that I was not meant to run this race. I sat there thinking of what else could go wrong. I mean this was my first half marathon after my open heart surgery 6 months prior. Maybe it was a sign of worse things to come...

We grabbed take out boxes for the remainder of our pizzas, paid our bills, and I think we were out of there right around 6:00. Unfortunately, we had to weave back through the crowds to get back to the bus stop (horrible idea, Disney). We had to have walked a few miles to get down there and back. So much for trying to save our feet for the race... Our wait to get back on our resort bus was minimal, and luckily we were the first stop on the resort loop. I believe we were back in our room getting ready for the race by 7 or 7:15. Our plan was to walk back down to the bus stop at 7:45 to catch the 8:00 bus to the race start, so now we were back on track.

So what happened next? Stay tuned for part 2 of my post to find out!

QOTD: Have you ever had a perfect storm of things go wrong for you on race day?

Monster Scramble 10K and 6 Month Post-op Follow-up

MS Monster Scramble 10K:
Sunday, October 18th, my friend Lily came out to Rochester so we could run the MS Monster Scramble together at Mount Hope Cemetery. We had never run together and with our half marathon fast approaching, we desperately needed to get in a test run together. We also agreed that running more than a 5K was needed for both of us. I have not been training as rigorously as I should be considering all that's been going on lately. We also decided to test run part of our Wine and Dine half marathon costumes.

It was FREEZING that morning, and snowflakes were even floating in the air. Lily met me at my house that morning, and we drove up to the race together. The website had us park off site and we were shuttled to the start, which was hassle free. The event had packet pick-up at the start location, which is really one of my only beefs about this race. Pick-up lines were divided, the top half of the alphabet, and the bottom half. Once we got our packets, we pinned our bibs on and ditched our bags they gave us in a tree near the start. Then we found a sunny area to stand in while we waited for the race to start.

(Love a good candid... not)

The Monster Scramble offered a 5K option and a 10K option - which we ran the 10K. I have to admit, early that morning when I woke up, I was really regretting that decision because it was so cold, but ultimately, it ended up being perfect weather for running. The race started at 10 AM, and both the 5K and 10K runners started at the same time. The 10K route was 2 of the 5K loops. The good thing about that was that Lily and I knew what to expect the second time around.

Of course right at the start of the race was a HUGE hill, and I was definitely not looking forward to running that again. There were a few other hills throughout the remainder of the course, but nothing that we couldn't handle. There were also some areas of the course that had old cobblestone instead of pavement, so that was a little dicey. Overall it was a beautiful course, and I would definitely run it again.

(Certainly not the best shot, but whatever)

Overall, I feel Lily and I did well. We finished the 10K in just under 1:18:00 (because there was no timing mat at the start), and we averaged 12:37 min/miles.

(Course map and elevation details)

I really enjoyed this race, and like I said I would run it again. It was definitely something different for me as I have not run at Mt. Hope Cemetery before so it was different scenery, and it was perfect for a Halloween themed race. My only complaint about the race was the packet pick-up the morning of. I honestly didn't know that the race had pre-race packet pick up, and this is my fault as I had been so busy with other stuff the week leading up to the race to even check into it. I'm sure it was held at Fleet feet.

(Pre-race selfie in the sun)

Pros:
Price: It was cheap for a 10K. If I remember correctly, it was $25.00.
Water Stop: The race itself had one water stop (which since the 10K course looped twice it was 2), which I think was plenty for a 10K.
Volunteers: There was an adequate number of volunteers, and they even joined in on the fun and dressed in costumes.
Refreshments: Your typical spread, post race refreshments included fruit, bagels and water.
Shuttle: It was great that the race offered a shuttle from the parking area (it was necessary) The wait to catch the shuttle to and from where we parked was minimal.

Cons:
Race Day Packet Pick-up: I hated that this was held at Mt. Hope Cemetery so we were unable to ditch our bags in my car. I wish they had held it at the Al Sigl building where we parked. Again, my fault that I wasn't paying attention to pre-race packet pick-up.

6 Month Post-op Follow-up:
A few weeks ago I also had my 6 month post-op follow-up with my NEW Cardiologist. I found out who my new Cardiologist was going to be when I called to tell them I found out my new valve was leaking. So then I went right to the URMC website to look him up. I have to say, just reading about his training (residency and fellowships), I was quite impressed.

Once I met him and we started talking he mention that he had been going through my old Cardiologists notes to get to know his patients but he also wanted to hear from me about how I thought things were going, etc. So of course I went into the story about I had volunteered at RIT for the echo students so they could scan me as see some pathology, and that's when I found out it was leaking. I told him that the valve looked like it had more than a mild leak, but it wasn't quite moderate, etc. Then I mentioned that I was a sonographer, and that's how I knew. He mentioned he saw that on my patient information sheet, and we continued talking. He and a student that was shadowing him for the day listened to my heart and lungs, and then he said he wanted to get another echo just to compare it to the post surgery echo I had the day I was discharged from the hospital. He said even though I will have read the echo, we would reconvene after to discuss.

The lead sonographer came to get me from my exam room and she walked me to her echo room. I mentioned to her that my valve was leaking, and that I knew there wasn't any post surgery. While she did my echo we chatted, then after she walked me back into an exam room so my cardiologist could come talk to me once again. He agreed that the valve had a mild leak, but that it wasn't uncommon for all valves to leak, and most of them do directly out of surgery. He said my pulmonary pressures hadn't changed, and that he believed that this would be my "new normal." He said I have no physical restrictions, so I can still run, etc, and if I feel there are any changes I can call him. If not, he wants to see me back in 6 months so we can re-evaluate just to make sure that nothing changes. All of that sounded good to me. He doesn't feel comfortable setting me up for annual visits just yet, and that's fine. I'd rather he be thorough.

Aside from the Monster Scramble and my follow-up, I've been keeping busy. This past weekend I ran another Halloween themed 5K (which I'll be posting about in the near future), and I also had a Halloween party which was a lot of fun. Tomorrow morning my friend Lily and I finally leave for Disney for our half marathon!

QOTD: Did you run any fun Halloween themed races this year?

Cardiology is awesome, but I'm kind of selfish

As of last Friday, I am officially 5 months post-op! So what exactly has been going on since my last post? Well, for one thing, I turned 29. I enjoyed a fun birthday weekend with my friends and family.

I haven't been running as much as I should be, especially when I have a half marathon in 35ish days. I've been getting little runs in here and there, but honestly, it's been bad. Can I also say that I'm so excited that it's fall. I love summer, but fall brings football and tailgating. In September, I spent two weekends in State College with friends going to the Penn State football games. Of course, lucky me, it poured during both games. All that aside, I still had a blast, as always.

(Nita, Eric, Me and Matt before the rain set in for the day)

("Nails")

(Tailgating with my girls, Dani and Kristen)

(Home: 103,000+ Stripe-out under the lights in Happy Valley<3)

Okay, so that's been my last few weekends. Let's get on with my 5 month update. So like I said, Cardiology is awesome, but I'm a little selfish. As much as I LOVE Cardiology, I'd be lying if I said I didn't go into the field of Cards without my own interest in mind. Last week I was feeling a little short of breath and noticed my heart rate was hovering around 105 bpm at rest. I received my flu shot on Wednesday, so I thought maybe it was a side effect of the shot hitting me, or possibly I was trying to fight off a virus that was trying to set it. Nevertheless, I had my coworker do another echo on me to make sure that nothing was actually going on.

Here's what we found:

My new Pulmonic valve is in fact leaking, which annoys me. There's not much I can do about it though.

(Lovely Pulmonic insufficiency)

My pulmonary pressures are mildly elevated. However, if the RV is remodeling and function is improving, it is possible for my pulmonary pressures to be elevated due to the fact that the ventricle is able to produce a pressure. Makes sense, could also be explaining my shortness of breath.

The gradients through the conduit also seem elevated to me. To be honest, I'm not even sure what the mean and peak gradient for my RV-PA conduit should be for the size and type, and I've searched journal articles high and low for values, but come up empty handed. So that will be something I'll have to keep in mind when I go back in November. Hopefully someone will have an answer for me.

(Gradients through the conduit)

Either way, like I said, I'm supposed to have a follow-up with pediatric cardiology in November. I'll keep an eye on things, and if I continue to get worse, then I'll call them sooner.

Moving on. This past Tuesday, I went to RIT in the evening to help a friend out with a lecture he was giving on Pulmonic Stenosis with Intact Ventricular Septum pathology. Though my pathology is a little different, he asked me to stop by so the students could scan me. It was a lot of fun, and the lab at RIT is beautiful. The students took their turn scanning me which took about and hour. My friend asked them questions while they were scanning. "Why does that structure look like that." "What does this measurement tell us?" Etc... It was great to be able to help out and have the students see a little different pathology than I'm sure they're used to.

Any way, that's about all I have for now - nothing too exciting.

QOTD: What's do you like most about the fall?