My doctor is awesome

The fact that I had to visit my doctor this week is not awesome and neither is the abundance of vitamins I've been taking for the last week.

My self prescribed cocktail of vitamin C, echinacea, garlic, horseradish, zinc.

I went to the doctor yesterday as a precaution. I've had a cold in the last week and with The North Face 100 only four weeks away, I wanted to be sure that it is just a cold, and there's no hidden infection, or worse, lurking about.

My doctor though, is awesome. I went in feeling like I was being high maintenance for presenting with barely a sore throat. I walked out feeling like an elite athlete.

I walked into her office yesterday and gave her the run down. Sore throat early last week, runny nose by Thursday, half a day off work Friday with all of the above plus a headache. Missed most of last weeks training and have taken it easy with low heart rate activity this week.

The punch line: I need to train this weekend and I need to be healthy for my event in four weeks.

She checked my temperature, ears, throat and chest.

The prognosis: clear.

And then the awesome clincher. "Maybe we should do a blood test. If you were at the AIS they'd be doing blood tests and all kinds of things. Yes, I think we should do a blood test to check your white blood cells."

I probably shouldn't have been surprised. My doctor routinely insists on checking the banned substance list before prescribing anything for me. I tell her every time that I'm about as likely to be drug tested as I am of winning Gold Lotto (and I never buy a ticket). Yesterday I told her the only way I'd get into the AIS is if they offer guided tours of their facilities.

Nevertheless, off to the blood collection place I went. When I got there the receptionist said, "Ultra marathon athlete. How far is an ultra marathon, is over 100ks?"

My doctor had noted this on my blood test form. 

There is probably a medical, or more likely legal, reason for her documenting my pastime. I'm sure she doesn't do these things just humour me.

Today my doctor left a chirpy voicemail to say that my blood test looks great, and there's no indication my immune system isn't functioning normally. Not only was she happy for me to resume normal training... "hopefully the ultramarathon that's coming up will be a beauty."

I hope so too... but I think I'll keep up the vitamins for a bit anyway.