Cathy

Iron and sleep

After my last 24-hour mtb race in August I had to visit the doctor and got a number of long overdue medical tests. Basically the tests were all a waste of money, everything was fine, except for the $7 iron test.

My iron levels were low. Not surprising for a woman/veg/athlete. I have been vegetarian for nearly 20 years and mostly vegan for the last 4, but in the previous 6-9 months (maybe longer) I had been increasingly tired. Tired in a different way than I had been before. I felt like I was always in a fog. Even after a good night’s sleep I never felt completely awake. Work was torture. I had a hard time concentrating. Not only could I not stay up all night and crank projects out, it was even difficult to get anything accomplished in the morning, usually the most productive time of the day for me. I was starting to believe it was just the aging process. Then I found out about the iron deficiency.

I started taking a vegan, liquid iron supplement. I don’t remember if it was the next morning or the day after that I woke up feeling awake for the first time in many months.

A couple weeks later my partner heard James Maas, Power Sleep, speak at a conference. Though the importance of regular 8-9 hours per night of sleep had been expounded on by our most, excellent physical therapist/healer we didn’t really take it seriously until Dr Maas’ lecture. His story of how Sarah Hughes won the 2002 Olympic Gold Medal in Women’s Figure Skating by skipping early morning practice and getting a good night’s sleep every night was especially motivating.

The most surprising thing to me was how hard it was for me to sleep well the first week or so; even though I was very sleep deprived. While I am not getting 8-9 hours every night, I am sleeping 7-8 hours most nights. Between the sleep and the iron I am feeling energetic, enjoying work, accomplishing more, and my training is going better than ever.

I am not recommending that everyone take iron. Too much iron can be as bad or worse than too little. It is worth the ~$7 iron test, especially if you are a meat eater and/or man. I do recommend that everyone get more sleep, but I have said that before. You should be trying for 7-9 hours of sleep a night, with the same bedtime and wake time (without an alarm) and the last hour is the most important!

“This is Water”

David Foster Wallace hanged himself a week ago. He was the author of several novels including, Infinite Jest, a book I managed to finish sometime in 1997, and one I remember and talk about more than almost any book I’ve read since.

I heard his 2005 commencement address to Kenyon College was published in today’s USA Today and went looking for it on the web. It is worth a read if you have a few minutes.

Thanks to the USFS!!

Thanks to the USFS employee(s) that cleared the Dike Trail!! What a great surprise! I had a great 8 mile run yesterday from one end to the other and back, with no stops for climbing over trees.

I had given up on trying to keep the far 2.5 miles clear because between pine beetles, aspen worms and high winds, there was a tree down every few yards. I counted about 60 in one mile a few months ago. I know it was a lot of work to clear that section!! Thanks to the USFS!

Cruelty a ‘Cultural Trait’

Scott Simon’s short NPR commentary about dog fighting and foie gras, “Calling Cruelty a ‘Cultural Trait’ Doesn’t Excuse It“, July 21, 2007.

The title sounds like the 2005 bill passed by France’s parliament declaring foie gras, “part of the cultural and gastronomic patrimony, protected in France”. It will be interesting to see how that declaration holds up against the EU’s directive that all member nations must end feeding practices that cause “suffering or damage” by 2010.