Saturday, January 8, 2011

The count down.

Was definitely premature in thinking that I was back without a hitch. After my second run (8 minutes) my peroneal tendons flared up and it was painful to do anything. I was worried that something was torn and in a rather bad mood fearing the worst.

We flew back from Hawaii on Monday, I put my compression socks to use. Anything to help in any way, I guess. On Tuesday I hit the elliptical (honestly, my least favorite cross-training, ugh) and tried not to panic or believe that running was that far off. On Wednesday I went to see the miracle worker, Mike Devitt, from whom I was expecting bad news but got great news. Peroneal tendons not torn, merely knotted, a few bones in my foot were jammed or "stuck". After some intense, painful massage and some mobilization I felt better than I had going in. I have been religious about the small and tedious exercises I was given and the super news...I will begin running tomorrow!

Mood balance is something I have struggled with since I became injured. I remember 6 years ago when my doctor at the time suggested I use antidepressants for a period of time. For two weeks I felt even keeled-no highs, no lows. And this is what drove me crazy and made me feel foreign to myself. I finally decided I was going to employ other tactics, mainly a high level of physical activity, to keep me balanced. Through my training (running, lifting, yoga) I have been able to "self-medicate" my moodiness which is one reason why NOT having that is so difficult. Over the past weeks aside from cross-training my ass off, I have explored nutrition and it's piece of the puzzle-something I began this spring in terms of performance enhancement effects.

Key findings that may seem obvious to some but a good review:

-Balance. I am talking not only about balancing what you eat but when and how much. The better you know your body and recognize it's signs, the more balanced you will be in your eating habits.
-Density. By this I mean, how densely nutritious is the food you are eating? A turkey, avocado, tomato sandwich packs more punch than does your peanut butter and jelly.
-Whole. Eating naturally, whole foods sounds like a commercial but I have found it is normally easier than the alternative. It is easier to grab an apple and a handful of pecans than it is to make a box of mac n' cheese.
-Adaptable. For me, this is the most important thing for my own sanity. By adaptability I mean being able to make due with what is available. This means eating out is not a big deal because to me, if you do things "right" most of the time, the rest of the time is over ruled.

In a small way, I am grateful for the time off. I have become physically stronger and more aware of my body as well as my motivations. Watch out 2011, I am back in the game.

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