Support & Bondage

sums of the last couple of days

The saying goes "If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all" - reasoning behind my lack of blogging. No one likes a Debbie Downer so I have tried to keep the darkness to myself as much as possible.

"Walking with a friend(s) in the dark is better than walking alone in the light." - You tell it Helen Keller. When I'm alone I'm a complete mess. I feel as if I've fallen down a hole and I did not land in Wonderland. I just need to remember the Darkness is only a mirage. It's an optical illusion of my mind that only appears in solitude. I have found Kryptonite for the Darkness. It comes in the form of my mother, my friends and my work. I am really blessed that I so many people that care about me.

After the cortisone shots I was forced to take 3 days off. The physical aspect of resting wasn't THAT bad. I'm not really concerned with losing fitness. Fitness comes and goes. As long as I allow myself to fully recover I will come back physically much stronger. Not to mention a tough ass mental state. The hard part is coming to terms that my entire race season plan had just been flushed down the white porcelain God we pray to when we drink too much. That it's self is a mind****.

Anywho, Dean finally has one up on me as I bailed on my Friday night swim 200 yards in. My achillies hurt to push off the wall and the visions of ruptures dancing in my swim dreams was not a pretty picture. So I bagged it and washed my sorrows away in some delicious sushi and heart warming Saki. Thanks Dean!

Saturday was much better as I spent the whole day cooking. I made a jalapeno potato soup for my lunches next week and then prepared home made jalapeno black bean burgers and fresh guacamole for the BBQ that evening. Earlier in the week I had planned a BBQ as a send off to Wildflower and my room mate's first marathon. Just because I was no longer racing was no reason to cancel the BBQ, my room mate was still racing as was another friend. I did want to cancel as I had issues controlling my *ahem* allergies all day...the allergies made my eyes red and created tears at the drop of a hat. Damn you allergies! Thankfully by the evening they had subsided and I was able to pull myself together. It was at this point I realized what a positive influence my friends make on me. They got rid of my allergies! And they all contributed to create a beautiful BBQ. I was uber happy that my mom made it and brought her delicious angel food cake w/fresh berries. I did not appreciate the baby stories on the other hand! No more mention of marble head!

Sunday I awoke in pure darkness. The weather was forecasted to be very un-Oregon like. Clear sky's with a high of 70....and I was stuck unable to do anything active. My mama being the ray of sun she is kept calling and txting and made the clouds in my head part. Then my friend Lauren met me for a walk around the waterfront. This was bittersweet. It felt so nice to be out with a friend getting some highly beneficial vitamin D. 30 mins or so in my right achillies hurt and I was forced to sit for a couple minutes and let it rest. It continued to hurt for the rest of the day :( Again I found happiness in cooking when I made dinner for my room mate and I. Thai coconut chicken soup and shrimp salad rolls. They were delish!
We then laughed the night away watching Shrek 2. I heart Puss-N-Boots!

Monday came around and I finally had a workout on the schedule. A 2000 yard swim - with pull buoy and legs tied together with a rubber tire. I was excited to have a challenging workout. 1/2 through the energy excitement turned into painful fatigue. Swimming with your legs tied together is sadistic bondage! It's not right at all. Alas I did it...and my lats told me so all day long. Swim was followed up with my first PT visit. One leg has responded to the cortisone while one has not. One is significantly stronger and more flexible than the other. Can you guess which is the good leg? Anywho - I got shown more stretching to do and got the A-ok to start spinning/cycling and aqua running in Zone 1 (AGH!) as long as I have no pain during or after. At this point I'll take what I can get! I can't surpass zone 1/2 for a couple of weeks. Once the cortisone kicks in on the other leg I will feel completely healed and I'll still be seriously injured. It's very important I keep my PE in check. Doc is going to wait until Thursday to start the tissue therapy to avoid complications with the cortisone shots.

Work is another place that keeps my mental state happy. I have a very supportive boss and co-workers. Today I got to take CS calls. I really enjoying talking to other athletes. It keeps me positive.

My glass next weekend is not half empty but half full.

I will not be able to race in the Wildflower HIM BUT I will be there to see my room mate finish her first marathon. This will indeed be priceless. I have seen all the hard work and dedication she has put into her training. I am excited to be able to see her run across the finish line. Salt and vinegar chips with a PBR Jesse?

Ending with the blog title - My friends/mom/work are the glue that supports me. The tire tube bonds my legs together so that I can swim :) Bonding naturally happens through hardships - and I wouldn't give that up for the world.