2015 Running thread part four

[OhOneOhTwoOhThree]

Just saw the old thread was nearly full and didn't want us to run out

940.31

I'm amazed by the number of thyroidy runners here! I started on 25mg with a TSH of 500+ and no T4, now I am on 350 mg T4 and 35mg T3 daily. It took a long time to raise the dose because my heart was so weak from the problem. I do find now that I have to run a good few hours after my T3 dose or my heart is stressy.

What I find most depressing is the sheer number of calories I have to burn compared to a normal person to lose any weight! One whole third more. At least.

Still, weight loss or no, one of the worst symptoms of thyroid problems is depression ( and that's with Graves or Hashimotos, and I have antibodies of both, or simple under or over) and running is simply the best IF I can be arsed to get out. It's that kick out the door I need. It's why I sign up to more and more ridiculous runs and distances!

Poppy: When I was overactive it was a mare: have they given you a definitive Graves as a diagnosis? Have you had antibody tests? I know I feel dreadful when i'm having an antibody flare. I used to get up at 3am and eat bowls full of pasta and it would burn off by morning. I was 6 stone! Underactive I ate nowt and went up to 11!

All I can sayis: keep on running, it helps in so many ways.

I didn't know you could have hashi's AND graves! you poor thing! no we don't know yet, just had the radionuclide scan to check for nodules but it is in my family and also could (tho this is v rare) have been kicked off by lithium. Lucky it's been checked regularly for over 10 yrs so know baseline TSH and T4. I have no TSH whatsoever and T4 suddenly tripled sometime between last August and this Feb and continues rising. Is scary because it caused my mum's atrial fibrillation which caused her stroke. Gp gave me shedload of carbimazole and beta blockers the day the results came in then recently diazepam.

It's supposed to make you hyperactive but the fatigue and apathy are so overwhelming is unreal, don't know what to liken it to? Am going to find a sympathetic personal trainer next week for the psychological boost of 'working out' at least.

Did you find anything in particular that helped? Have recently eliminated gluten and cow dairy which has calmed my gut down and am actually absorbing my food now!

thanks everyone for being supportive

am addicted to whingeing about my hyperthyroidism

I did read a scary thing about training without enough carbs putting thyroid (whole endocrine system) under too much stress which can pull the trigger if you are already a loaded gun but don't know if it's a load of shit

Hi guys,

Unwillingly wanting to join you lovely lot. Unwilling because I'm lazy as shit but my thighs are getting bigger by the day.

Sooooo, what's your advice?

When I was a wee girl, I'd do 1500m and win every time. Now, I love chocolate. Im basically starting as a beginner. I've just bought some fancy running shoes and want to take them out for a spin. My dog is also fat and unhealthy (tho he is my goal weight of 55kg) so I'll probably be taking him with me very early in the morning.

What's the numbers at the bottom of peoples posts?

Hi Mean, the numbers are a mile count for the month.

As for starting off I did the C25K thing, free app you can download to get you running for increasing amounts of time. Starts with a minute and builds up.

Good luck

For each person or the group as a whole????

I'll download now and have a gander...

Thanks all for thyroid info, greatly appreciated! Sounds like it's very early days for dh but a good road to get to the end of

Sorry you're struggling so much PoppyShakespere keep posting though!

I also started with the c25k programme but used the Nhs podcasts YoureaMeanGirl. I run with my dogs too, off lead for some and canicrossing for others. I started running for general fitness after piling on weight I'd lost during pregnancy with ds2, found after a run I felt great but never wanted too go then all of a sudden it clicked and now I always make time to run. In fact I am pregnant and due Monday and still ran this morning. Hoping I don't need to start back with c25k after baby but it's all unknown to me so will see. Good luck with your journey!

Our miles and then we keep a monthly tally for the whole thread which if we can we bold.

I think you are fully justified in feeling the need to offload Poppy!
That does sound plausible about training without carbs putting the endocrine system under stress...can you remember where you read or heard it?

Mean I too am a C25K graduate - I used the cool runnings app because you can overlay it with your own music. I re-did it after a break and used the NHS one the second time. There is usually a C25K support thread on MN - mine really kept me going .

suzanne I was searching for marathon training and hyperthyroidism/graves (seems to strike a lot of people before or after marathon although I'd barely got started this year) and I think one link led to another, might have been on RW, lots of thyroid overactivity there!

I doubt there is much truth in it but I felt like a wallow in guilt, everyone always told me to eat more carbs, I don't think anyone really knows much about it

Thanks I shall investigate.

even if there is a correlation I'd imagine that other factors combine to tip you over into thyroid problems ?
By which I mean it's probably unreasonable to blame yourself for not eating enough carbs ?

yeah it IS unreasonable! these things pretty much just happen I think - although if I ever run long distance again I will eat ALL the (non gluten) carbs

(even Paula Radcliffe herself struggled to run at all when her thyroid was overactive so there is hope and comfort there!)

you're in very prestigious company then Poppy, Id no idea there was a correlation between long distance running and thyroid problem (if indeed there is?)
I wonder what the underlying connection is?
perhaps those with a predisposition are more likely to get into running?

ie, thyroid problems cause running, rather than running causes thyroid problems?

I doubt there's a correlation

but is really sad to read about how her husband/coach insisted her fatigue and crazily high perceived effort etc was all in her mind and she very nearly gave up running entirely until they uncovered the problem

is bad enough as a rubbish mortal, imagining feeling like this as an elite, it must have fucked with her head

I don't think there's a correlation Suzanne, as thyroid is autoimmune disease, but it may be that people who do exercise notice the effects more? I wasn't a runner when diagnosed but had small baby so was thought to have postnatal depression. It was only 6 months later when I got palpitations that the thyroid was checked. But someone running several times a week would notice the effects quicker maybe.

They kept telling me it was and, even when all my hair fell.out!

I found when I was hyper I craved carbs badly, I was up at 3am eating pasta mountains. The exhaustion is terrible Poppy. I'd fall asleep in the middle of conversations. I found most of my GPS / inexperience cruddy but now I have a great endo and it made a huge difference.

I started with c25k too. Very accessible.

I think it's harder if you exercise a lot, hr being higher in the morning = overtraining, I knew I wasn't overtraining but thought maybe I was for me at that time - maybe had virus? Or body just needed more rest for whatever reason? The muscle pain is like super bad DOMS so was leaving more and more space between activities but of course it's just always there whether I lie down for days on end or not. But at no point would I have gone to the GP and asked for investigators as it all seems so easily attributed to other things. I'm just so glad she picked it up herself!

certainly people who don't exercise are NO HELP, they are all 'of course it feels hard to run ten miles, of course you are tired'

?
Autoimmune problems can be triggered by stress and endurance exercise constitutes a form of stress, correlation just means something relationship or connection between factors, not necessarily a simple cause and effect relationship.

That said if you have an underlying predisposition (to anything) then lots of things could trigger making it almost unavoidable in the long run.

And of course not exercising is probably the single worst thing for health (broadly speaking) ?

It's interesting reading all of your stories, the gp actually told dh that he probably masked the effects because he's fitter but he's a power lifter so no cardio as such. He trains hard and felt he was tired because of that and having a long commute and getting older and being stressed at work. The gp only started investigated due to his lack of response to the medication they keep trying plus his cholesterol is very high despite no apparently dietary reason for it. Think I will try to encourage him to find some forums to get some more info as so far I'm the only one who's done any research

Had a lovely parkrun this morning, our second highest attendance. Everything went smoothly, not too cold and they bought me a baby basket . We had a new lady who ran with her daughter who I hope will become regulars. Hoping to run tomorrow for the last time before baby hope everyone who ran/runs today has a good one!

I don't think the evidence states that autoimmunconditions can be caused by stress, only that it can increase susceptibility or perhaps be a factor in allowing the expression of a genetic susceptibility. My coeliac is genetic but not all with the gene have symptoms; there is a theory that the disease develops following gastroenteritis for example.

Having a lovely rest day today, even ds's 9am swimming lessons are off for Easter. Do however get to spend the afternoon at athletics club with dd2, time for warm clothes!
Good luck to all running/racing this weekend