Fatigue, memory loss and other losses

Before I start, all this talk about the "pat down" was put in a different perspective in a cartoon sent to me by a friend. Here it is:


I lose memory after a third week of 75-80 hour work weeks, including Saturday/Sunday, of over 26 hours on those two days on successive weekends. I used to get concerned about this, but I no longer do. What is remarkable is how people tell me what I accomplished, and I look at them like, "where have I been."

I started to compare this to my long-running efforts. I have had several training runs that lasted over 20 hours. As I look back, I recall a common thing, once I reach a certain level of fatigue, my body goes into some type of auto-pilot before it crashes.

Like the 2008 ST 100 attempt, I recall so much of the race until about 4 AM (20 hours after the start). Then the memories fade, and by the 25th hour, I am totally unaware of what happened. My mind just shut down. When I quit at 28 hours, my mind regained control of the body, and that was the end.

In these long weeks, I have found the same thing. I go into auto pilot. I just float along. I am much more productive than when I am aware of my surroundings. It is an interesting phenomenon. It may be interesting if it has been studied. But sadly, I do not realize who I have spoken to or what I said. This could be dangerous. However, the general consensus of others is that my facts are significantly accurate and that I can answer much more detailed questions on the fly. This is just strange.

Taking extra vitamin B12 can assist in reducing this activity. I used to take a Multiple B vitamin each morning, but lately, I have skipped taking it regularly. I should consider taking it for 2 weeks and tracking the progress since I have two more bad weeks before I return to a 50-hour week. At times, this is all a bummer, but in reality, I am happy to be working in this time of job difficulties. I have many friends who would love to be in my shoes, so it is not bitching, just the facts.

I read an article today that was actually sad for me. Many might have known the 53-year-old Mike Broderick. He finished the Western States 100 in August, finished the 50K Green Lakes Endurance Run, and in September, he finished a marathon and half-marathon. On November 4, 2010, he died. He had an aggressive lung cancer.

He was a lawyer who left the profession to do what he liked—run, coach, and teach. He threw himself into running with knowledge so vast that he was in demand as a coach. I only met the man once. He reminded me of me with little tact in what we said, but we were also funny and charismatic. There is that trait of being happy with running whether we were first, last, or between.

One website posted an e-mail from Mike that read:

"It turns out that the shortness of breath and other symptoms I have been experiencing over the past several weeks are not due to pneumonia. I apparently have lung cancer and am now in the process of further testing and evaluation to determine the extent to which it may have spread and to begin a course of treatment."

He died just weeks later.

As I age, as we all age, we see life just for what it is—precious. It is times like these that I really need to look in the mirror and not see the fat, out-of-shape runner but the person who has been given another breath, another step, and another moment to either cherish or waste.

May we all cherish our loved ones, friends, and enemies on Thanksgiving.

Carry on, my friends, carry on!