Death and Running

A couple of days ago the elementary PE teacher at Megan's school died, either during or just after an afternoon run in the vicinity of the school. He was probably in his late 50's and from what I hear he smoked. Megan didn't even know who he was because she is in middle school now and had never had him as a teacher, so we didn't have to sit down and talk about it. Not that we would anyway, I think Megan is very well aware of the whole circle of life thing that goes on every day. Apparently, though, other kids aren't as well adjusted. I got a flurry of emails from the school stating there would be counseling and teacher's available to help the children process what happened to the teacher.

His death did get me to thinking, though. I run all the time and I would sure hate to die while running. I think it would be even worse if someone could blame it on some bad habit I have, like smoking or drinking. Fortunately, I don't have those things going against me. At least the smoking, and I don't drink enough for it to adversely affect my health. But I did take notice at the way Diep handled it; especially after she found out that the man smoked. It was a sort of, "Oh, well of course he would fall over dead in the middle of the road. He was a smoker!" I don't see it that way. I figure it could have happened to anyone whose heart just wasn't ready for that kind of stress.

I take precautions. I generally don't run in the afternoon. Too hot! Even in the morning during the summer I do a run / walk system where I will run for five or six minutes and walk for one or two. I feel like a sissy, but I find I can actually complete a course nearly as quickly as I can do it running straight through. I attribute it to running faster when I am running and the brisk walk during the minute break. I also have started the habit of running with water on every run now. I used to only take the water on runs over an hour, but now I think it is better to keep it with me all the time.

I do know this: If I do have a cardio / pulmonary issue on a run, I will not be able to depend on a Vietnamese to help me. As a matter of fact, talking to someone at the scene of the PE teacher incident, I found out there were only westerners trying to help him with chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth. There were security guards just standing around gawking... not even calling an ambulance. Knowing that is enough to teach me not to overdo it. If I feel too weak or if something feels quirky inside. I stop and take a break. It is just too scary thinking that my life would be in the hands of someone that didn't know anything about basic first aid.

I guess it is really a toss up. Is it better to exercise every day so you can deal with the stress of physical exertion, or is it better to not physically exert yourself. I mean, eating right and getting enough sleep would probably be enough to keep most people healthy for a good long life. For me, I like to exercise. I like the way I feel when I am running, biking, swimming, etc. Or at least the way I feel after I finish. If I keel over one day because of it, I hope people don't figure I had it coming for whatever reason. And, if I have a condition that means I am going one way or another, I would rather go running than sitting on my ass watching TV.