Searching for vital signs...

Okay, I have cured my dizziness on my own by a healthy dose of antihistamine before going to bed at night. Guess I could have saved a bit on the ENT specialist if I had tried that first. Well, now I know what to do next time I take a plane trip.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I couldn't help but think of an old joke about a hypochondriac who overheard two doctors at a cocktail party; they were discussing a strange new disease that presented no symptoms.

"Oh my God," exclaimed the hypochondriac, "I've got it!!"

While reading my running book, I've come across warnings about overtraining, stress fractures, and other ailments rather common among runners. (No, my knees do not hurt.) Because of the fibromyalgia, it would be impossible for me to determine whether I am overtraining because I always feel fatigued during hot weather, so I decided the only way to know for sure was to check my resting heart rate; it you are overtraining, it tends to rise as your body tries to recuperate. So after my light workout at the park, I donned the heart monitor and proceeded to sit and watch the news on television.

It reminded me of the time in Mexico City when I was in unbelievable physical condition and went to the doctor for who-knows-what minor ailment (probably digestive, you can't take a deep breath in Mexico City without inhaling some kind of parasite, it seems). After listening to my heart and taking my blood pressure, the doctor (an American expat and good friend) informed me that I had died and that's why I wasn't feeling up to snuff. He said my heart rate was down around 40 or so and my blood pressure was also low although still in normal range. O shades of cardiopulmonary condition of the past! My resting heart rate (in spite of watching the news) was 41. The rest of me is shot to hell, but at least the old ticker is taking it easy. It is, in fact, the heat that is getting to me, not overtraining. Now I've lived here for 21 years this August, and in spite of having fewer aches and pains in the heat, my energy levels simply can't handle it. My plan is to maintain a degree of minimal conditioning so that when autumn comes, I can begin to up my distance and time in order to be ready for Austin in February.

A dove just crashed into the glass doors, but it managed to pull up in time to avoid breaking its neck, and it made it to a tree to recover. Come on, what is this?? Well, anyway, I've got a retriever now and I am waiting for the next one.

By the way, poodles are high maintenance dogs, and it is fine with me that TootSweet doesn't jump into bodies of water. That would only mean ear infections. So be it.