It's the journey, and the destination.
The Downside of Running Is it just me, or do you also experience a wide swing of emotions after running? I know many people experience a “runners’ high” – that rush of endorphins that leaves you happy and intensely present – and I do get that, but I also experience the opposite lows. I’m […]
Ever heard of Rolfing? You read correctly, Rolf. I certainly hadn’t when my CrossFit trainer suggested I meet with his “Rolfer”. I was a bit wary making my first appointment, as Rolfing sounded like something that is illegal in most States! A word that seems better suited to describing the hurling you do after working […]
A wave of relief rolled over me with such force it spilled out my eye in the form of a tears. All of the emotions that came with 9 months of pain, agony, and finally progress rushed back to me as I exited the office building of my back doctor, head high with no pain.
It was a cool Saturday morning in the woods in the appropriately named town of Woodside. I was excited, but not overly – I had been practicing and training for this moment for a long, long time. In a way, I had been waiting for this day ever since I was a teenager. I spent countless days dreaming of how amazing it would feel. Especially at the end, after all of my hard work paid off.
I have to admit, there were some days last week, when the pain crept back, that I began to wonder if I’d ever be free from it. During these times I feel like I’m sliding back down the mountain, passing everything that I thought was progress.. I begin to doubt if I’ve really made it that far, or if it was just a mirage in the desert. Will I ever be able to make back into the real world? Or am I banished for life to the land of the invalids?
I went for a run last week. It was my first one in almost a week since I caught a bad cold, or possibly even the dreaded piggy flu (fever, sore throat, hacking cough). Whatever it was, I was completely out for a few days and didn’t feel up for much of a walk or run for a few more after that. I don’t suppose I was necessarily all better the other night when I went out for a run, either.
Last Friday night was Halloween Eve. Without coincidence, I found myself running away from demons on the trail in pitch dark. It turned out to be good practice for exorcising the demons that play havoc on your mind while you run near exhaustion. At least that’s what I’m writing it off as. Let me explain how this dance with the devil on Halloween Eve came about.
We’ve all heard it from time to time – we shouldn’t sit at our desk so much. We need to pay more attention to proper ergonomics or we’ll get carpal tunnel syndrome, become fat, or even get a bad back. But is sitting really that bad for us? Well, I found out the hard way that it’s even worse than that.
I should have known things were too good to be true. I guess I just got caught up in the euphoria that comes with having my condition improve for the first time in over three months. I began to think I was almost back to normal. Turns out I’ve forgotten what normal is. I made plans to return to work and live a relatively normal life once again. Well, I jumped the gun. Back to earth I came crashing.
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I’ve Got Achievement Amnesia
There’s something wrong with me. Something I need to fix ASAP. I’ve come a long way over the past 7 months, but I’ve forgotten that. Seven months ago I was lying in bed suffering from a severe herniated disc that left me unable to do more than watch movies and read books about running. I wasn’t even able to walk to the kitchen without being heavily doped up on vicodin. Yet even now, after being able to walk again and even do some running, I too often find myself feeling badly that I can’t do more.