12 June 2020

Normally around this time of year, I'd be well into training for a long walk and just ramping up fundraising. I registered for two events this year, Pledge the Pink and the Komen 3 Day (well, Komen moved my registration from last year to this.) PtP involved going all the way across the country--but the Spouse Thingy was going, too, which made it less dicey--and there were no hard minimums to raise, which made it attractive. Plus, my friends would be there.

Komen cancelled all 3 Day events this year, which I get and agree with. There were only 4 walks slated this year, but some of them would have been in the thick of COVID, and by the time the last rolled around another surge is highly possible.

PtP hasn't cancelled anything. Yet.

But.

I went to my annual appointment with my endocrinologist, who pointed out the veritable viral soup of that many people walking together in one location, the predicted second wave of COVID, and my kidneys.

It's wreaking havoc on internal organs, kidneys especially, and I have stage 3 kidney disease. She made the point that I also have a reactive airway and if I get sick...the potential to be really bad is significant. Added onto that...long distance walking requires downing high amounts of sodium, and while I'm not on a sodium restricted diet yet, it's just not a good idea if I want to keep my kidneys.

I've had issues the last couple of several times I've walked.

So.

Yeah, not going this year. And unless my numbers improve, not going next year, either. Komen switched everyone's registrations from this year to next, but the odds aren't terribly high that I'll go to that one, either, unless it's to cheer walkers on (which would be tons of fun and I just might do that.)

Like it or not, I may be done walking for charity unless it's a single-day event.

No lie, when she said that I kinda wanted to panic, because...cycling. I sweat, I replace lost electrolytes. I worried that she was about to take that away from me, too.

But, no. Cycling doesn't require traveling, the training doesn't have me doing absurd numbers of miles back to back, isn't one day piled on top of another, and I don't need to choke down salty drinks and food as often. Given the number of miles I ride at a time, and the most I would typically be on the bike is two hours, she didn't see any reason to worry about it and actively encourages me to keep at it.

(This was when I whined about my weight. All the miles ridden, the diet pretty well nailed down and at 1200-1400 calories a day, and I'm right where I was last year. She was quite kind in not rolling her eyes at me, but pointed out that my labs were all spot-on, my BP is ideal, HR pretty good, and everything looks better than it did last year. And apparently I wear the same track pants every year [I do, intentionally, because they're lightweight and the first thing they do to me is force me into a scale] and they've gone from skin tight to loose. So. "Keep doing what you're doing and stop worrying." I'm not worrying, I'm WHINING. I have a spiffy cycling jersey to wear but LYCRA IS NOT FORGIVING and I have a spare tire around my waist.)

Anyway.

I digress.

The walks are out for this year, possibly next, maybe even beyond that. So I need to find other charitable endeavors. I'll keep doing St. Baldrick's until I hit my 10 year mark, but I need to figure out something else, even if it's a virtual event that I can do on the bike.