As a runner there's few things that will stop me running. With niggles or aches i do the equivalent of turning the radio up I the car to "fix" the engine noise.
This changed recently, after a run on holiday in the Algarve I came home and my pee was red. Not just a little, it looked like IPA. Now I like an IPA as much as the next man but not when it's leaving my body the same colour that it went in. Initially thinking it an anomaly I set about hydrating and with each passing toilet visit the colour diluted eventually returning to normal. Nothing to worry about, right?
Wrong.
Next run and the same outcome. Pee like cherry juice.
The runs I was doing were not long or hard efforts. They were around an hour or so and maybe 7-8 miles. The only difference was that it was hotter than I am normally used to, around 20-25 Celsius. To counter this I was drinking first thing and then carrying a litre with me that I was also drinking.
After the second time this happened I took a break of a couple of days - my pee looked normal but post run was the same cherry red. I did some research and lots of things come up, more later, but I had/have no other symptoms. I am in no pain at all, I have no fatigue, I have nothing going on other then blood in my urine.
I decided to put out a tweet tagging a couple of sources to see if they had any ideas as to what it could be; Ian Corless at @talkultra, Eric at @ultrarunnerpodcast along with @runnersworld. I included a picture of my we which is not something I ever imagined doing.
The replies came in, the ultra community proving how supportive it is. It was scary reading.
My research pointed to everything from dehydration, slapping bladder, urinary tract infection through to cancer. The advice from @ameliaboone to see a doctor is sound and was echoed by @ukrunchat but the response from Ian pointing towards rabdomyloysis was perhaps the most scary.
.....kidney damage
.....dialysis
.....acute renal failure
Chilling and actually made me a little emotional.
Eric then directed me to a podcast episode where he talked about kidney stones. I listened to this and while much of his experience is mirrored by mine they are not exactly alike as I have no other obvious symptoms. Specifically I have zero pain. In fact other than pee that looks like beer there's nothing wrong with me.
With the advice that this is almost certainly related to hydration I have increased my efforts with this. I am drinking far more than I was even a week ago in an effort to restore hydration, coffee is limited to first thing and evening beers have been Cast aside in favour of water and iced tea. I know that I don't drink enough but it's always been the same and never been a problem.
Until now.
We fly home on Sunday, I will see the doctor on Monday. After that who knows? I think I may know too much and yet know nothing. The internet is a dangerous place with limited knowledge.
What's different with this is that unlike a niggle where you can still run a bit this stops you in your tracks. Blood in your urine is grown up and needs a response as such. I am hoping it's a simple fix, that I was just very dehydrated - that a week or two of rest with good eating and good drinking will resolve the issue. Anything else is pretty scary and at this point not something I want to really think about.
Without wishing my holiday over too quickly I need to see the doctor.
