You Can Call Me an Idiot

:Edit: I had gotten blood work done a week or so prior and noticed certain levels were higher than they should be but had not idea what BUN/CREAT, AST, PHO, or NEUTROPHIL meant. I wisely decided to put the results in more knowledgable hands than mine and mailed them off to Shelly ASAP.

Here is an excerpt from the lengthy email she sent me:
High BUN:
A blood urea nitrogen (BUN) test measures the amount of nitrogen in your blood that comes from the waste product urea. Urea is made when protein is broken down in your body. Urea is made in the liver and passed out of your body in the urine.
A BUN test is done to see how well your kidneys are working. If your kidneys are not able to remove urea from the blood normally, your BUN level rises. Heart failure, dehydration, or a diet high in protein can also make your BUN level higher.
High BUN/CREAT RATIO
Creatine levels are fine so I don’t suspect a problem with your kidneys. However, I do suspect dehydration as it generally causes BUN levels to rise more than creatine levels. Thus a high BUN:creatine ratio. Sustained Chronic Dehydration can cause a compromise in kidney function. Athletes can and do get to this point (I have unfortunately) and it is generally results in a very painful trip to the ER. Bottom line… DRINK!

There was a bunch more stuff about neutrophils, low phosphorous, and aspartate aminotransferase or AST which is a liver enzyme. I had to read the email 3-4 times to begin to get a grasp of what she was saying. The overwhelming feeling that washed over me (no pun intended) as I read this email was one of relief. Finally I knew what was wrong with me! This was a fairly simple fix that required me to simply drink more fluids.

The second thing I was struck by was my stupidity. How could I forget to drink water! I was putting a lot of time and focus into ensuring I was fueling my body correctly following workouts, eating organic and un-processed foods, getting the right balance of carbs to protein to fat to vitamins and minerals. But in doing so I neglected to remember the most basic aspect of nutrition- water. Our bodies need water. Water plays a vital role in almost every reaction and process that occurs in our bodies. And somehow, I had forgotten to drink it; to the point that I had become chronically dehydrated.

6 days later finds me doing my best to re saturate my body with H20 while trying to ward off the possibility hyponatremia. Overall though I am feeling much better. I feel great in fact! I think that I've been somewhere between mildly and severely dehydrated for a good portion of this year as I find myself abounding with energy and vitality. So this is what "normal" feels like! I have a little extra bounce in my step, a song in my head, a swing in my arms- that hasn't been there for a while. I'd forgotten what it felt like to feel good.

I'm still running like crap. Maybe even worse than before. My legs below the knees seem to be in a state of chronic "tightness." My left side especially is giving me severe problems, running intervals at the track yesterday my left ankle, shin, achilles and foot were aching so bad it hurt to stop. Yes, it was actually worse when I'd stop and try to stretch it out. I'm struggling to maintain a pace that dips below 5:50/mile, but feel great and energized as I sprint the length of a soccer field. I think the speed and fitness is there, somewhere, it just needs to be uncovered.

I found out that I must make top 7 on our team at conference on November 1st to qualify for regionals two weeks later. Probably not going to happen as 4th-7th on the team are all running well right now. Conference will be my last XC race of this season. I should be disappointed but instead I'm looking forward to the future. Soon it will be time to start preparing for tri season again. Starting in January I plan to completely immerse (again no pun intended) myself in swimming. Collegiate Nationals is April 18th in Lubbock, Tx. I plan to be ready, and ready to go fast.