And All Else Going On

My brother and sister both graduated this month (M. from Auburn with a nursing degree, Mike from VHHS headed to college in the fall):







So proud of both of you!!!!!

On the doctor's front I finally have a diagnosis: Mitral Valve Prolapse with a systolic murmur. I have an appointment with a cardiologist next week to discuss the severity of it and how it will affect my running, etc. The good thing is that this is the most common heart abnormality and in most cases isn't very serious. It does, however, mean that I'm not crazy and that I have been experiencing symptoms indicative of a heart disorder. I think J. thought I was just a wimp :o).

My doc thinks that the symptoms were exacerbating by tacking on all the extra training and trying to push my speed on runs. He says a good amount of the oxygenated blood is not getting to my muscles effectively which makes me an "inefficient runner." The three things I'm supposed to focus on avoiding are: heat, dehydration, and intense efforts that would cause chest pain.

So I'm headed out for a run today. For now I'm ditching the Garmin unless I need it to actually calculate distance. Boston may have to wait until I'm 70, but I am thankful that I will be able to stay out there and enjoy just being a part of the sport--even if my back-of-the-pack status is permanent.

I'm off for a run with M. More details to follow after I meet with the cardiologist.

Until then I'll just keep moving (albeit a bit slower than I was a couple of weeks ago).