Medical issues and running

A year or so ago I went to the urgent care to get tested for COVID and when they took my blood pressure, I ended up being there forever.  They had the dr come look at me, they kept me way past any time it should have taken. (They never did tell me what my blood pressure was at that time.)  It was odd because they kept me there soooooo long, and then suddenly a nurse came in, gave me the results of the COVID test (negative) and sent me on my way.  Then last summer I went to the dentist and they took my blood pressure on a wrist thing, it was really high.  Like really high (I can't remember the number).  They told me it was emergency room high.  The hygienist said that it was probably the batteries in the thing and they were going to take it again later, they never did.

Well, when I told my sister these stories she told me I needed to go to the dr to check out my blood pressure.  Well, I avoided it.  On my birthday (in October) I felt really awful, so I decided to go to the dr.  Turns out I have high blood pressure (imagine that).  It's frustrating because I am not super overweight and eat fairly healthy.  It's mostly genetic, which I find super annoying.  It took until February for me to actually get stable on my medications (dosage mostly) and for it to be under control.  

I've always bordered on high blood pressure.  Almost every time I've been to the dr they take it and say it's high and they'll retake it after I've calmed a little.  Usually when they retake it, it has gone down a little, but still at the edge.  When we were figuring out my meds they had me taking my blood pressure every few days, I remember one of those it was at 161/110 (if you don't know, 120/90 is as high as they want to see).  

Anyway . . .

As you know, I quit my running streak Oct. 31st.  It had been 4 years of running every day, but in the last year, I had run very little over a mile a day.  I just haven't gotten back into the habit, desire, whatever, to run.  I just haven't wanted to run.  One of the things that Kerri at Beachyogagirl talks about in her series on menopause and weight lose, is heart rate zones and the ideal zone to be in for peri and menopausal women.  Basically she says zone 2 is the best zone, it burns the most stored fat, but when running, I am in zone 3.  So I decided that I would start just walking 20 or more min to see if that works.  To get to zone 2, I have to walk pretty fast though, yesterdays walk was an average 14 min/mile (which is crazy because my 8 mile run on Sunday was 11.44 min/mile average).  

It's so strange to think about, I can talk myself into going for a walk easier than I can talk myself into running. My sister said it's probably because I forced myself to go run every single day for 4 years.  I don't really understand why because other people have run streaks much longer than that and still run a lot. I find it annoying.  I love identifying as a runner.  I am a runner. But I am not running a lot right now.  I did register for a half marathon that is on April 3rd, with the intent of motivating myself to run more.  And I suppose it does a little, but it will be the slowest half I've ever done.  

I've had a really hard time going out for long runs.  Last Sunday I had it in my head to do 8 miles, but Sunday morning I just didn't feel like running at all.  I decided that I would go for a 3-4 mile run and see where I ended up.  I ended up going 8 miles, and I felt really good for all of it, and wasn't very sore on Monday (surprisingly).  That was my first 8 miles in a year and a half (September 2021).  

I only have 4 weeks left before the half, and I am seriously thinking I won't do it.  I just don't feel ready, plus, maybe I just don't want to be so slow.  I'm going to be gone the weekend before the half, and I've been pretty lazy on actually doing long runs.  I feel like I'd have to run 10 miles this weekend and at least 11 next, but I just don't want to.  I guess we'll see.  

Just a very brief update on my last post about tracking my food.  I was really excellent with my food choices last week and I lost one lb.  I think that this week wasn't as good, so we will see what my weight does tomorrow.