Extremities

Just a quick post (yeah...we'll see about that) just to update on some things that I've been twittering (tweeting?) and posting about on Facebook.

One...The Bike

I found a fabulous bike that I want. WANT. WAAAAAAANT. And heck. It only costs $1200 (on sale).

Isn't she purdy? It's a Trek 2.1 Triple WSD. Does anyone have an opinion? You can also check it out here.

So, I've been doing a fair amount of riding this week on my old-trusty-transformed-used-to-be-a-mountain-bike-that-now-has-road-bike-tires bike and my HANDS are freekin' killing me! WTF is that about?

Hands? Feet? Next it'll be my hair follicles and then all my extremities will be injuried. GAH! Seriously bike folks, what is up with the hands?

Two - The PT Appointment

I finally got in to see a physical therapist yesterday at Rehab United (RU). I was supposed to see someone on Tuesday, but I made the appointment when I was at the beach with Betty last week, and somehow I entered the wrong time on my iPhone, so I missed the appointment. GAH!!!!!

The good news is that I rescheduled the appointment (after apologizing profusely, even though I still don't know how I could have entered the wrong time...3pm instead of 9am...which is crazy. I would have had a whole different thought process about how to manage a 9am appointment than a 3pm one...and I was completely thinking about afternoon the whole time...but whatever) for the next day (after extreme whining about not wanting to wait until next Tuesday!).

Anyway, for the 3pm/9am appointment, I was going to work with a newer PT. Yesterday's appointment I got to work with one of their senior PTs and he was completely awesome! (There. I got to that point).

He had to do a quick screening (a little frustrating since I'd already done a screening appointment, but whatever), watching me walk, do squats, balance on one foot, then the other... He came up with pretty much the same diagnosis as the screening PT, that my PF issues (and my IT issues back in January) stem from the fact that my left side is really weak.

We did one exercise where, lying on my side, I did a leg lift, tried to push up as Brian (the PT), pushed down. On my right side, no problem. On my left side...I could barely even hold up my leg, let alone against Brian's pushing down.

I was pretty surprised by how weak my left side is, but it certainly explains all the problems I've been having.

So, I'm going to start seeing Brian three mornings a week for the next few weeks to see if we can strengthen the left side AND to get rid of the PF. (Yeah!)

The best part about going to this place (which both Irene and Edith completely recommended to me...so thank you Irene and Edith), is that Brian completely got it...the whole thing about running and me. He was talking to an intern that it was great to work with people like me who were highly motivated to get better (yes, I'm rolling my foot over the frozen ice bottle as I write this). He didn't laugh or even bat an eye when I said my goal was to run the AFC 1/2 marathon in 6 weeks. He just said, "OK then, that's the goal. You can do it!"

He did say that I probably should stay away from running for a bit longer (since it still hurts to walk since the surfing incident, I wasn't surprised and was ready for this), but then he acknowledged that I have to do something to keep getting the endorphin high that I'm used to getting from running.

Now, this is the part where I almost cried, because he understood.

We talked about how not running has been like coming off a drug and that I need to find something to get that high...we talked about biking and swimming (which I've been doing) and maybe water jogging (which sounds dreadfully boring, but I could do it).

But we also talked about how probably, for me, those things wouldn't give me quite the same emotional, physical, and social satisfaction that running has giving me.

And, he's right. And that's when I could feel myself choking back the tears, because I physically and emotionally miss running.

Not to mention socially...I miss running with my friends.

He explained to the intern that running probably changed my life.

It did. In more ways than I can even articulate.

I haven't run for 12 days now (yes, I'm counting). I've been cranky and sullen. I'm eating waaaaaaaaaaay too many comfort foods (for me...that would be chocolate and anything that's bread). It's probably a good thing I was sick last week or lord knows how much wine I would be consuming.

I fret about going back to being a non-runner, about being non-active...pretty much like I was before four years ago when I was fat and lazy and really out of shape.

Evidence - Ignore the fabulous overalls...it was a popular look then...really!

Yeah...that's me... DramaGirl and her uncle are in the water in front of me. Walter and Turbo are in the background. I'm sure he's thinkin' "who's that fat chick?" (Just kidding...he'd NEVER say or think that. Actually when we were looking at these photos, he blamed the photographer for making me look so bad, and trust me I look this bad in ALL of them)

This was taken about 9 years ago, Turbo was about 18 months old. We were at a rock-slide park near Sedona, Arizona on a family vacation. Everyone was having a really good time sliding down these really slippery moss covered rocks into this larger pond, but not me. I wouldn't have dared. Not only because I would have NEVER been seen in public in a bathing suit, I was completely afraid of anything that required physical effort, mostly because I was weak. I'm struck by how, in this photo, I'm not even paying attention to the people around me. I was completely focused on how freekin' difficult it was to walk around, and in truth how miserable I was because everyone else was having fun in the water and I was on the sidelines, watching.

I remember this vacation quite well...one of the things I remember (besides being absolutely fabulous in the denim overalls) was how many active things I wouldn't do. Just doing this hike was a complete effort. I'm sure I got back to the hotel and ate a mountain of food, justified because I'd just gone on a hike...

This is my fear. That I won't be able to run...and I'll become THAT person again.

There's still this little voice inside me that says that all of these injuries are a sign that I really should be THAT person. I mean, who am I kidding with all this running, active lifestyle stuff anyway.

I'm pretty sure I'm not THAT person any longer. But it is part of the reason I almost cried yesterday when Brian was, oh so accurately, telling the new intern how important running had become to me...and I thought, "oh, if he only knew...if he only knew."

Yeah...even with the quirky foot, this is ME!

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OK...Gotta go now, but stay tuned on Twitter. I'm taking Turbo and friends bowling this morning. I'm sure it'll be a fun-filled morning for me!