Hashemian Blog Web Tools, Financial Markets, Technology Tuesday, December 09, 2008 Showering Dilemma  What do you do when you come home at night, after a long day in the office and a 5-mile sweaty run and see your shower in this state? (It's being remodeled) You suck it up and go to bed sweaty and sticky. No sir, not me. It doesn't mater that it's almost winter time in the northeast and it's dark outside. Your tell the kids to be prepared to call 911 for a cardiac arrest case, then you go behind the house, strip naked and take a shower in record time holding the garden hose over yourself and hopelessly try to make soap suds in the frigid well water. And of course, you pray that the neighbors don't call the cops on you :) remodeling,bathroom,911,showering,running Labels: running <Showering Dilemma> // posted by rh 1 comments Sunday, October 05, 2008 Half Marathon 2008  Ran the ½ marathon today and as expected my performance was dismal. I ran the course in 2:14:58, at the pace of 10:18/mile. Last year I finished the race in 2:02:32 and the year prior to that my time was 1:55:52, and the one before that at 1:54:05. Beginning to see a pattern here. But this was my first race with a herniated disc, so I guess I can cut myself some slack here. The race started at 8:30 AM in a cold rain. I absolutely hate running the rain, but not much can be done about that. Some people had bundled up to face the cold and wetness, others (myself included) were going to brave it with only a t-shirt. My rationale was that extra layers will get heavy in the rain and besides the running will warm me up anyways. I hadn't taken any painkillers this morning so I was expecting back discomfort. The discomfort was there, some radiating pain and tingling down my left leg, but eventually it subsided enough that I was barely aware of it. I had decided early on to pace myself in this race, as in, go slow and steady to avoid any potential aggravation of my back. I pretty much stuck to that the whole way through. While I knew this would hurt my finish time, I had no idea about the positive side effect. In the few years that I have run in this ½ marathon, this race was by far the most pleasant and enjoyable of them all. Ironic, considering my fears of back pain flare-ups. The rain was a nuisance, but unlike past races, I finished the course barely tired and in no pain. In fact I could probably continue for another 5 or 6 miles with ease. I never downshifted to a walk, nor did I stop at any water stations. It was as if I wasn't even in a race. I was paying more attention to my surroundings (beautiful, scenic nature) than to the race itself. I feel a bit conflicted over my time in this race. I guess I should be disappointed, but I'm really not, and here's why. As recently as a week ago I didn't even think I could handle the course and here I was crossing the finish line. To top that off, it went smooth and steady and it turned out to be the most enjoyable ½ marathon ever. For the first time ever, I actually began entertaining thoughts about running a full marathon. marathon,running,jogging,back pain, Labels: herniated disc, running <Half Marathon 2008> // posted by rh 0 comments Sunday, September 28, 2008 Herniated Disc and Half Marathon  One of my biggest anguishes I've had about getting hit with a herniated disc has been my inability to participate in my town's annual half marathon. But as I recovered from this affliction and started to run again I began to think that perhaps my fears on that front were premature and I could at least try the race this year. So I decided to register for the event next week and give it a shot. My running performance hasn't been anywhere near before my injury. I jog slowly about 4 or 5 miles depending on my condition every other day and I've learned to be satisfied with that. Running 13.1 miles has been such a distant goal that I knew I was deluding myself about running, let alone finishing, this race. Then to add insult to injury I got hit with another blow to my back yesterday. I must have over-extended myself lifting heavy bags after grocery shopping. Those with back pain know what I'm talking about. As you begin to straighten up you feel the dreaded pop in your back followed by the pang of sharp pain. It's unmistakable and it's the beginning of yet another bout with extended back pain. After muttering a few expletives under my breath I realized that this was the kiss of death for next week's half marathon. Just my luck! Oh well, perhaps this was a sign that I should accept my condition and avoid strenuous activities. Yet there's that stubborn part of me that just won't capitulate. So after a painful night, I popped two Advils today and decided to pay a visit to the half marathon course to evaluate my condition. I planned to run the course as far as I could and then quit at the 7th mile or so, if I could get that far. Right from the start the back pain kicked into high gear and kept hounding me to stop. "No way," I thought to myself and I kept on going with pain piercing my back and pins and needles radiating down my legs. I wasn't about to let the pain force me to quit. As I passed every mile marker already painted on the course, I said "one more mile" and pressed on. As I reached the 7th mile, I had a sudden realization that I've made it this far, might as well finish the darn thing. The temperature was mild but humid, pain was my only companion, and there were no water stations to get hydrated, but finish I did. When I incredibly passed the finish line, I continued for another fraction of a mile as a sort of a victory lap. Dehydrated, exhausted, and pain-ridden (and not just in my back anymore), I got in my car to drive home, dazed at what I had actually done. I hadn't stopped even once. It was one smooth jog from beginning to end. I'm not sure if this was a case of mind over matter or just a foolish act to defy my own body and prove a point. Whatever the case, I learned that the human body can sometimes be pushed beyond its perceived limits. The jury is still out on whether I can repeat the performance next week at the race. On top of that I might have aggravated my condition today. But even if I can't, I know I ran the half marathon even before the starter pistol's trigger will have been pulled. back pain,marathon,half marathon,running,jogging,herniated disc Labels: back pain, running <Herniated Disc and Half Marathon> // posted by rh 2 comments Wednesday, August 13, 2008 Herniated Disc, Six Months Later  It's been nearly 6 months since I was diagnosed with a herniated disc. During that time I have had to make some lifestyle changes, but looking back, the adjustments haven't been as drastic as I might have feared initially. Or perhaps I am now just used to dealing with the condition. When I was in the throes of the torturous pain, all I could think of was that my life as I knew it had ended. There would no longer be any running, no motorcycle rides, no hiking and no getting in and out of the car without the excruciating pain. Fast forward 6 months and those dramatic changes I was afraid of didn't quite materialize. There has been some changes to be sure. No lifting of heavy objects, no fast running, and occasional pain in the lower back and down the leg to contend with. But with daily exercises, sleeping on a hard surface, and avoiding long periods of sitting, I have been able to reclaim some of the freedom I used to enjoy. Thankfully, so far I have been able to avoid steroids shots or more drastic measures like surgery. I have done quite a bit of research during this time and realize that many people aren't as fortunate as I have been, but at the same time many others live normal lives with their herniated discs. As far as I can tell and as explained by my doctor, the herniated mass has probably shrunk with time, relieving the pressure on the spinal cord and affording me more freedom of movement. That is not to say that I am completely pain-free. There are occasional bouts with pain and discomfort which I manage with patience and a few doses of pain killers. But generally, I have resumed a relatively normal life. The prospect of another attack is on my mind every day, but I try not to let it rule over my life. My approach to my condition has been not to succumb to a state of hopelessness. It's difficult not to, but after accepting the situation, I decided that the best way to manage it was to continue with my activities the best I could. Ditching the bed for a thin pad on the floor has helped. So have daily back exercises and conditioning. As much as I wanted to continue with my running routine, I initially down-shifted to walking. Even that was painful at first, but as time passed I was able to slowly incorporate some jogging in my daily walks until I was ready to completely switch over to jogging. On good days, I would increase the distance to 4 or 5 miles. Currently I'm on alternate days of jogging and walking and that has been relatively steady. I have also learned not push it too far. When there's pain during a jog, I heed my body and slow down to a walk. There's no reason to be stubborn and risk paying a big penalty later on. The point is that if you are an active person who has suddenly been struck with a herniated disc don't lose hope and wallow in grief too long. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. There's always a middle ground. Accept what has happened and then make the right adjustments to battle your way back. You may never be the same as before, but concentrate on what you can salvage rather than fussing over what has been lost. herniated disc,back pain,running,walking,jogging Labels: health, running <Herniated Disc, Six Months Later> // posted by rh 0 comments Wednesday, February 20, 2008 Herniated Disc, on Steroid  I saw my doctor today and the diagnosis was as I had expected. I indeed have a herniated disc. Nicely ruptured, spilling material into the spinal canal, putting pressure on the nerve. At least I have confirmed results on the source of the pain. For now I'm on steroidal medication, Prednisone, 4 times a day. I suppose guessing the results in advance helped to ease the bad news for me. I actually went for a slow jog last night and this morning I was experiencing some moderate pain, so I had a couple of Advils in the morning to dull the pain. My doctor was pretty nonchalant about the whole event and that gave me some confidence in my prognosis. I suppose doctors see so many similar cases that they become rather accustomed to them. Other than the steroid pills, I am free to continue to with my activities, including jogging, as long as I don't have a great deal of pain. This week's nominal pain is nothing compared to my condition in the past couple of months, so I'm thankful for that. I know that my herniated disc will be with me for the rest of my life. But as long as the pain is kept at bay, I can live with that. It's not like I'm in my 20's anyways. This is just a part of mid-life and I have to be prepared to deal with lots more problems than a herniated disc as I go forward. That I'm sure of. herniated disc,pain,jogging,running Labels: herniated disc, jogging, running <Herniated Disc, on Steroid> // posted by rh 0 comments Friday, February 15, 2008 MRI, Back Pain, Herniated Disc, and Running  If you are an avid runner, you know that occasional pain is just a part of the activity. It comes in different intensities and it affects different parts of the body. Sometimes it's in the knee, other times it's in the foot, sometimes it's from a strained muscle, and other times it's in a joint. Take a look at my recent MRI and it's not hard to tell where my pain was coming from. Even my kids had no trouble spotting it. Mind you, my doctor is yet to see this on my next visit, but odds are he'll zero in on this anomaly too. The ordeal started about 4 months ago. At first it was a pulling and tightening sensation in my left hamstring. As time progressed it became painful, specially on long jogs and the hilly parts of my route. I would just attribute it to a strained muscle, yet strangely the hamstring was not tender to the touch. The discomfort would eventually subside, but kept returning with more intensity after each run. In my mind something was clearly wrong, but not bad enough to seek medical help. Then 2 months later my body decided to send a stronger signal, in the form of a nasty lower back pain. I've had lower back pain before. They would normally hit me every couple of years, and eventually go away after about a week. I would just ignore them and continue with my daily activities, including running. But this time the pain had no intention of leaving. In fact it kept worsening to a point that I could barely even walk. The hamstring pain was still there, but I was yet to connect the dots. My orthopedic doctor, however did make the connection when I finally decided to pay him a visit. An X-ray revealed no serious problems, so I was given some conditioning exercises, some anti-inflammatory medication and a follow up date. Slowly the pain began to subside and I started to resume my normal life and running. But a couple of weeks later, just before leaving for a week-long business trip, the pain returned with a vengeance. This was the worse trip I had every been on. There I was in Miami Beach near the beach where I should have been running after work. Instead I was nursing a debilitating pain. I couldn't sit, I couldn't stand, I could barely walk, and I still had my job to do. Things became even worse when I returned. Getting in and out of the car became a long exercise in pain. Turning in bed at night meant a certain wake-up with a piercing pain. Advil became a candy of choice in copious amounts. Finally I called my doctor again to see him before the follow up date. He discovered a distinct weakness in my left leg as compared to the right one. I believe this condition is known to some as Sciatica. He suspected a herniated disc and ordered an MRI scan, which took place yesterday. The MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine is truly a marvel of medical technology. It can virtually slice through the body and record images from multiple angles while the patient feels absolutely nothing, except his original pain that brought him there in the first place. Claustrophobics would certainly find the process disconcerting, as do people like me who can't hold still for even a minute. When I had to lie still in that loud coffin-like contraption for some 40 minutes, the desire to move became even more magnified. I don't know how I lasted that long, but somehow I managed to stay still the whole time. Moving around probably would have meant having to stay longer in there for re-scans, and my goal was to escape the mechanical beast as fast as possible. At the end of the session, I was given a CD-ROM to hand over to my doctor on my next visit. I hadn't intended to browse the CD, but by the time I got home, curiosity (both technical and medical) got the better of me and I started to browse the images. Many of them made no sense to my untrained eyes. I could almost make out the position of the sliced images, but they all looked like a mass of chopped meat to me, until I got to the length-wise sliced images. As I looked closer, I finally spotted the damming evidence, which I have indicated above with a white arrow on the image. Yes, that's really my spine. I'm no doctor (although I am a son of a darn good pediatrician), but this looks like an unmistakable culprit to me. It may be a herniated or bulging or protruded or slipped or ruptured disc, but it's easy to see how it's pinching the nerve between the L5 and S1 vertebrae. Ok, I googled their names. Obviously my doctor will have the last word on this when I see him next week, but this evidence is hard to contradict. The good news is that I know the cause of the pain, and the bad news is that I know the cause of the pain. Could this mean the end of my running days? I don't know, at least I hope not. For now I have replaced jogging with the much gentler walking. As depressed as the thought of not running makes me, there's no need for me to dwell on it and become inactive. Life is filled with all kinds of obstacles and personal disappointments. Whatever the case here, mine can be no worse than others'. MRI,sciatica,back pain,running,orthopedic,spine,herniated disc,lumbar,lower back,disc,jogging Labels: back pain, health, jogging, running <MRI, Back Pain, Herniated Disc, and Running> // posted by rh 2 comments Tuesday, January 29, 2008 Back! to Jogging  Those who know me (there aren't too many) know that running is an addiction of mine. But just like any addiction there comes a time when a man must realize when to quit. In the immortal words of Dirty Harry, "A man's got to know his limitations." That limitation hit me in the back with a Magnum force a few weeks ago and I'm still trying to recover from it. Running is a great stress reliever, but not when backache comes calling. This latest one came without a warning. One day I rolled out of bed and there it was. Like any addict, I ignored the pain and went about my running, but this one didn't seem interested in healing. The doctor says the spine looks normal, it's probably a bulging disc. The advice: take it easy, do some back exercises and ride it out. So for the past couple of weeks I had replaced jogging with walking. It's not so easy kicking such a strong habit, specially one that's been a part of my life for so long. Still, walking isn't so bad once you get used to it, specially if the alternative is painful pinches. It's inevitable that if live long enough, I'd have to give up running at some point. I just hope that time is not now. Anyways, tonight I finally switched over to some light jogging and there seems to be a glimmer of hope there. The pain is still there, but it feels more subdued now. Human body is a flawed piece of work. Regardless of the intelligent design versus the evolution debate, the human body is no work of art. I can understand that nature is imperfect, but if god is the designer, he can't be that perfect creator that religion purports him to be. He sure has a lot of learning about the KISS concept, as in, Keep It Simple, Stupid. I mean why all this complexity when he probably could have taken a much simpler approach? Reminds me of Nomad, the perfect sterilizing machine, from the Star Trek Episode, The Changeling. This is what it said, referring to biological units (humans): The unit Scott is a primitive structure. Insufficient safeguards built in. Breakdown can occur from many causes. Self-maintenance systems of low reliability. If only I could have Nomad fix my back the way he revived Scotty after killing him with a high energy bolt. But alas, Nomad wasn't so perfect itself either, and it finally met its own demise by the imperfect Captain Kirk. running,jogging,back pain,star trek,nomad,god,religion,dirty harry Labels: back pain, god, jogging, religion, running, star trek <Back! to Jogging> // posted by rh 0 comments Friday, January 04, 2008 Pain and Program Exceptions  Happy new year. Not so much for me. The new year was marked with a wicked lower back pain. An irritating bulging disk that gets inflamed every now and then and pinches the nerve, radiating pain everywhere. Guess that's just nature's way of manifesting my age to me. Yes I know, I'm not in my twenties anymore. Haven't been there for quite some time and the longer I live the further away I get. So what do? Just add the back pain to the foot pain, added to the hamstring pain, added to the knee pain, and I have a nice variety of aches and pains. I suppose pain is body's exception system. If you're a programmer, you know what I'm talking about. An exception in a program is raised when something totally unexpected happens in the running code and needs immediate attention. Good coding practice dictates that programmers anticipate and compensate for all possible errors before their code is hit by an exception. But sometimes there's no avoiding it. A number gets divided by zero - an exception is raised. A missing file is referenced - an exception is raised. A piece of data doesn't fit inside a database table column - an exception is raised. An XML stream is missing a tag - an exception is raised. Graceful code is supposed to catch the exception, alert the user, and halt. After all something catastrophic must have happened and continuing the program could mean entering an invalid and unknown state. I admit, I've broken that rule a few times by catching an exception, logging the issue, and continuing as if nothing had happened. Why should proper programs get all the running privileges? Body pain works the same way. It's a signal that something's gone wrong and needs attention. One must correct the problem before continuing with normal activities. That's exactly what I had intended to do. Give my back a few days of rest before getting back to running again. Except that last night I saw a jogger in the freezing temperature and my jealousy meter went off the scale. So tonight I resolved to go for a walk, only to naturally speed up to a jogging pace after a few steps. And thus I entered into the invalid state of pain, as in, not knowing how my back will feel tomorrow. Oh well, why should only healthy, pain-free people have the privilege of running? jogging,running,exceptions,programming,exception handling Labels: jogging, programming, running <Pain and Program Exceptions> // posted by rh 0 comments Monday, October 08, 2007 Half Marathon 2007  Maybe it was the heat and humidity, or my pony tail, or my worn-out shoes, or my usual lackadaisical training, but the results of my 2007 half marathon was nothing to write home about. This was my third annual half marathon race in a row in my hometown of Ridgefield, CT, and by far the worse performance of the three. Just like last year, I hadn't done much to prepare for this event, short of sending in my registration fee. I am an avid jogger, rarely, if ever, missing my every-other-day jogging habit. My regular distance is about 4 to 5 miles. On weekends I might push that to 6 or 7 miles. The only time, as of recent, I went farther than that was the Sunday prior to the race when I covered a 10-mile distance. Still, there is a big difference between casual jogging and a long-distance race, specially one that covers 13.1 miles and where speed matters. I had thought that I might have a chance of breaking my personal time from 2 years ago, but that goal proved to be elusive this past Sunday. I had a good rest the night before the race and, as this was my third race, I wasn't feeling much anxiety. I arrived at the starting point with just enough time to pick up my number and soon the race got on the way at 8:30. The first few miles were pretty typical for me. I'm not a morning person, let alone a morning runner, so it took some time for me to get comfortable and find my pace. I don't know about other runners, but for me it takes a few minutes for my body to warm up and then everything kicks into automatic. But around the 4th mile I started to feel some fatigue and had to downshift. A runner had collapsed on the side of the road and people were tending to him so I continued on. Soon I was hearing the commotion of sirens in the background; obviously the medics were on their way. There were still some 9 miles to cover. Things were going okay but with every passing mile I could feel the fatigue growing. Finally around the 9th mile I had to slow down to a fast walk. Going into a walking pace is something I always dread, but I also realize that ignoring the body's signals could have devastating effects, least of which would be failing to complete the course. After about a 1/4 of a mile and downing some water at one of the water stations, I was back in jogging pace, only to revert to a walk again at around the 11th mile. Another 1/4 mile down the road and with the finish line within reach, I picked up the pace and finally crossed the line at 2:02:32. A devastating blow, having breached the 2-hour time, but nevertheless I had finished my third half marathon race. As I guzzled down cold spring water and chewed on an apple at the end of the race I contemplated what I had done wrong. I could blame the weather, my old shoes, my age, or other factors, but in the end I knew it was my own lack of preparation that lead to the poor performance. Will I be better prepared for the next year's race? I don't know but, disappointed as I am, I know there's no sense in dwelling on this. The silver lining for me is that there will be no formidable personal time for me to shatter next year. I'll be remiss if I didn't mention the great job the race organizers, Wolfpit Running Club, the volunteers, the police, and the sponsors did in this event. They have delivered superbly every time. And for the real good news, word has it that the runner who collapsed during the race was doing okay. Here are my personal times for each year: Year Place Age Age Group Time Pace ---- ----- --- --------- ---- ---- 2005 286 38 50 M 30-39 1:54:05 8:43/M 2006 287 39 66 M 30-39 1:55:52 8:51/M 2007 299 40 87 M 40-49 2:02:32 9:21/M marathon,half marathon,running,jogging,racing Labels: jogging, running <Half Marathon 2007> // posted by rh 0 comments

Links Technorati Profile TMCnet.com ARCHIVES 09/01/2003 - 10/01/2003 03/01/2004 - 04/01/2004 04/01/2004 - 05/01/2004 05/01/2004 - 06/01/2004 06/01/2004 - 07/01/2004 07/01/2004 - 08/01/2004 08/01/2004 - 09/01/2004 09/01/2004 - 10/01/2004 10/01/2004 - 11/01/2004 11/01/2004 - 12/01/2004 12/01/2004 - 01/01/2005 01/01/2005 - 02/01/2005 02/01/2005 - 03/01/2005 03/01/2005 - 04/01/2005 04/01/2005 - 05/01/2005 05/01/2005 - 06/01/2005 06/01/2005 - 07/01/2005 07/01/2005 - 08/01/2005 08/01/2005 - 09/01/2005 09/01/2005 - 10/01/2005 10/01/2005 - 11/01/2005 11/01/2005 - 12/01/2005 12/01/2005 - 01/01/2006 01/01/2006 - 02/01/2006 02/01/2006 - 03/01/2006 03/01/2006 - 04/01/2006 04/01/2006 - 05/01/2006 05/01/2006 - 06/01/2006 06/01/2006 - 07/01/2006 07/01/2006 - 08/01/2006 08/01/2006 - 09/01/2006 09/01/2006 - 10/01/2006 10/01/2006 - 11/01/2006 11/01/2006 - 12/01/2006 12/01/2006 - 01/01/2007 01/01/2007 - 02/01/2007 02/01/2007 - 03/01/2007 03/01/2007 - 04/01/2007 04/01/2007 - 05/01/2007 05/01/2007 - 06/01/2007 06/01/2007 - 07/01/2007 07/01/2007 - 08/01/2007 08/01/2007 - 09/01/2007 09/01/2007 - 10/01/2007 10/01/2007 - 11/01/2007 11/01/2007 - 12/01/2007 12/01/2007 - 01/01/2008 01/01/2008 - 02/01/2008 02/01/2008 - 03/01/2008 03/01/2008 - 04/01/2008 04/01/2008 - 05/01/2008 05/01/2008 - 06/01/2008 06/01/2008 - 07/01/2008 07/01/2008 - 08/01/2008 08/01/2008 - 09/01/2008 09/01/2008 - 10/01/2008 10/01/2008 - 11/01/2008 11/01/2008 - 12/01/2008 12/01/2008 - 01/01/2009 01/01/2009 - 02/01/2009

هاشمیان.com

 Home

 Blog

 Web Tools
Usage

 News

 Articles

 FAQ

 About

 Contact

 Financial Markets Book
Read Complete Book

Search Amazon: