Friday, February 27, 2015

You know that scene in 'Superman II'...

...when our hero decides he wants to permanently be a human Clark Kent, and then nothing good comes of it?

I did not want to make that choice, but the feeling is still there - I am becoming human.

For 10 years, I was Superman.  I was healthy, strong, fast, fit, focused and alert.  I rarely got sick.  I could knock out a case the common cold in two days.  I could eat to my heart's content and never gain weight.  My small-sized clothes fit perfectly and my mediums fit comfortably.

But in the past two months, I have had two colds; I called out sick from work for the first time in six years. I feel achy and tired.  Things hurt, and not in that good way that exercise usually brings.  Sleep is irregular.  My appetite is on and off, and when it is on, I make a lot of bad choices.  My belly is flabby.  My legs feel like lead.  

So I finally saw a doctor today.  He brought up the "S" word - "sciatica".  Yet at the same time, he sounded hopeful, like it could be dealt with, treated, and ultimately healed.  Even better, he said that what I have been doing - trying to work through it despite the pain - probably is not making it any worse.  That is good news because I am willing to suffer through pain in order to get my daily exercise routine done.

Next week is the X-ray.  The following week, physical therapy should hopefully start.  Winter 2015 has been a bust.  Worst season ever.  But things may be looking up in the spring.  I dare say, there is a glimmer of hope again for Superman.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Not much better, but no worse

Walk 10 minutes, jog 15, walk five.

That has been the workout for the past two weeks.  In total, I net about 2.5 to three miles. 

Some days it is painful. Other days, it is merely uncomfortable.

Some days, I feel it in my right butt cheek.  Most days, the agony is in my right lower back.  On some occasions, it moves to the left side.

On the plus side, the speed and distance has been naturally increasing.  The walks have gone from 20-minute miles to near-15.  The jogs have progressed from 11-minute miles to 8:30s (on good days). 

I am still not sure what to do, but it is starting to get me a little crazy.  It hurts my brain to think that less than two months ago I was running sub-6:00 miles.  The pain is definitely as mental as it is physical.

Plus, I am gaining weight because comfort-eating is a very, very, very real thing.