Hydration

I'm a registered nurse.  I take care of cardiac (heart) patients and everything related to that.  So yes, many of my patients come in with chest pain; I also take care of a lot of patients who have hyponatrium (low salt), dehydration, syncope (fainting) etc.  I also am an athlete currently training for a half marathon at the end of March.  So with the two combined, you would think that I know enough about the importance of hydration and the consequences that will occur if not done right.

My days at work are 12 1/2 hours long but more like 13. LOTS of walking, 75% on your feet, little time to eat lunch (15 minutes if I'm having a good day) and bathroom breaks....So drinking water becomes a challenge when I'm on the floor and spend little time at the nurses station where drinks are only allowed.  This past week, half was spent in WI (my home), flew back to Tucson on Thursday and then spent Friday thru Sunday working. 

Flying just dehydrates one period. So i made sure I bought the largest bottle of H20 I could find after security and finished that on the plane.  Came home to sleep, then run, then to bed.  Friday....5:00 am the alarm goes off. Drank 8oz of water with my breakfast, had the 20oz G2 at work and that's where it gets fuzzy.  I remember eating glasses of ice with water but I don't remember how many.  Early Saturday am I got up to use the bathroom.  I remember thinking, "wow, my legs are really wobbly."
Next thing I know, I'm crashing into the closet and on the ground. Yep, I have passed out.  Now, I always tell my patients, sit at the side of the bed and make sure you're not dizzy before getting up. Yeah...I didn't listen.

I went into work the next day and had my charge nurse check my blood pressure-it was low, lower than normal.  So I began to drink. Drank my G2. The next thing I did was set my alarm on my watch to go off every hour.  When it went off-as long as I wasn't in an emergent issue, stopped into the nurse's station and downed a glass of water.  A quick 2 minutes (and piece of mind)

My point-do what you need to maintain adequate hydration, especially being an athlete.  For me it's setting the alarm on my watch at work.  I don't have an issue with my water intake while I'm off since I'm glued to my Nalgene bottle.  Also, though, make sure that you are replacing your electrolytes. If you become over hydrated, you can also run into other issues that can potentially land you in the ER (not to scare you).  I really don't want to see you on my cardiac floor; I'd rather see you at a race!!

-T

Valentine's Day

So as Valentine's Day approaches, I decided to blog about that. These past couple of days have not been easy for me. As some know, or just saw, my boyfriend decided to end our relationship via email. Now this was a person whom I thought I was going to marry and be with. I was willing to sacrifice weather and a move back to a state that I REALLY dislike to be with him. And in one email, one click, he decided that it was over. Obviously, things could be worse..a death or divorce..but those who have been where I stand can understand. I was and still am crushed. It's now Saturday and the reality has finally hit me that I am single again and he has totally blocked me from his life; he doesn't even want to discuss it when I return home in 5 days.

I have received a world of support from friends/runners on twitter whom are my family (I'm in AZ right now and base is WI). One stated "he's not man enough to say it to you in person." Another, whom I've held numerous conversations with, thought he might come around aka grow some balls and step up to the plate-yea that didn't and won't occur. That person also helped me understand some of myself like I first come off as intimidating to a weaker person but that is a great trait to have. I'm still processing that one. Others said "your better off" or "focus on yourself and find yourself" or " I deserve better and I'm strong enough to move on".
To each and everyone who made one of those comments, thank you.

To Valentine's Day, I just don't like the day. It's 2 days before my ex-marriage wedding day and I have never had a good experience with the day. Not a good date or something with a relationship goes wrong. Case in point. So cheers to all those happy couples out there celebrating this happy day. For the rest of us, I propose a toast-to being single. It may not be all fun a games but we are only accountable to ourselves! Cheers to all

-T

February

It's only 5 days into February, so it's not too late to say this: My goals for this month. My overall focus, though maybe selfish, is on self improvement.
1)Always have my Nalgene water bottle with me. I can't tell you how many times I have forgotten it for work and come home so dehydrated that it isn't funny.
2)After each run, practice forefooting drills. I just saw, and heard stories of a teammate of mine, @KGIRLTRIS, and her strides she made this week up in Denver.
3)Keep my stress level as low as possible. I just spent January de-stressing it. My job is stressful enough-working with patients that are ticking time bombs..enough said
4) Take the Personal Trainer cert test on February 20th to make that goal come true!
5) Learning to re-accept myself as it is. I think Pink's F***ing Perfect http://www.pinkspage.com could possibly be replayed everyday