January 26, 2008

Saturday, January 26, 2008
Obviously, I missed something. But I think I might be a little closer to figuring out what’s been wrong. While I’ve been feeling crappy since early December, in addition to a general feeling of physical exhaustion and emotional ennui, there were both specific and non-specific physical symptoms suggestive of autoimmune problems. For example, my sinuses would go haywire at random intervals throughout the day and there were signs of systemic inflammation, especially around old injuries. Since getting my tooth repaired on Monday, I could definitely feel all the symptoms fading. Except the damn sinuses. In fact, after swimming on Tuesday, my sinus irritation dramatically increased and stayed that way for the next two days. Noooo! If something in the pool does this to me, I’ve got a problem. After a couple days thought and rest, though, I found a simpler explanation which I and Occam prefer. Although the sinus irritation/inflammation was exacerbated by the pool water, it was probably caused simply by the dry winter air. Easy solution, I broke out the old neti pot to cleanse, soothe and moisturize the sinuses. Within two days I felt 90% improvement. The real test will be the next time I swim – I should rinse the sinuses out immediately after swimming and, with a bit of luck, I’ll be able to make it to spring on my original nose.
Ran 6.2 miles in 52:25. 22:05 out, 5:55 for 0.7 mile loop, 20:58 in, 3:28 for last 0.4. Feeling fine. Cool, 18 degrees and clear. Great mountain views near sunset.