Getting closer

When I woke up this morning, my back was feeling much better. I only had some small pains in my right hip & sciatic area... very managable. All during work today I kept getting up from my desk to stretch the way the PT showed me & it made a difference. I had my 2nd session with the PT this afternoon & it went really well. She showed me some simple exercises to do in the next few days leading up to the marathon... nothing too strenuous, but stuff that will help strengthen my core & hopefully get me in a better mind-set for the race. Basically I won't see a real difference for a few weeks, but the fact that I'm starting now may help me use the right muscles a bit more on Sunday. Here's hoping she's right.

I'm almost ready to go. I have my airline tickets, race singlet, all my other travel stuff for San Diego. Tomorrow I'm working a 1/2 day, then I'm going to get my hair cut (I can't wait!!!), then I'm going to pick up some more Cliff Bloks & Body Glide, then I'll go home, color my hair (yes, it will be purple again), pack, & hopefully get a decent night's sleep (although I'm not really counting on that last part). Then I meet everyone at the airport around 6 am Friday morning (whose bright idea was it to pick a 7:30 flight?).

EEEEEEEEEKKKKK!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S ALMOST HERE!!!!!!

PT - Day One

I met with the physical therapist this afternoon & things went pretty well, right up til the end. After the stretches & exercises, she hooked some electrodes up to my lower back, had me lay down on a bed & let the electrodes massage my back. It felt great while I was laying there, but as soon as it was done & the PT helped me sit up, I had a huge searing pain in my back. I actually screamed out in pain. (that scared her but good!) I went right home & got back in that fetal position, took some more drugs & crashed. It's still sore now, but better than when I left the PT.

I have another session tomorrow, & another on Thursday. Hopefully the PT will help get me in good enough shape to do the marathon.

The thought of missing this race, after spending so much time & effort on the training, not to mention the fundraising, is absolutely heartbreaking to me. I can't even think about it or else I just start to cry (& I've already had a completel break down over it all when I talked to my mom about it tonight).

I have to do this race. I just have to!!

2 steps forward, 3 steps back

I was all excited yesterday because my back was feeling TONS beeter. I could move without pain & I could even bend over! All I had was a little stiffness & only a teeeny bit of soreness when I'd get up from sitting. I figured by next week I'd be good to go for the marathon. I went to practice in the morning but only helped out at the water station (no running!) then went home to get ready to fly to South Padre for the long weekend w/ some friends. Everything was fine until I got to my friend's house. I felt a small twinge in my back again, only this time it was on the right side. It wasn't too bad at first, then I picked up my small duffle bag & started to carry it to the car. I quickly dropped the bag because the pain in my back was excruciating. I hoped it would calm down, but after the drive to the airport, waiting for our delayed flight, then the hour long plane ride, the pain just got worse & worse.

We got to our hotel & decided to go to the beach, figuring maybe just relaxin in the water would make me feel better, but unfortunately to get to the water, we had to walk through a huge section of SUPER soft sand. Every step hurt more & more. When we finally got to the water, it felt better in the cool ocean, but the walk back to the hotel thru that soft sand again, just made it so much worse. We went out to eat & I took some muscle relaxers & a double dose of anti-inflamatories. By the time we got back to our room, around 9:30, I was ready to pass out. Unfortunately, the bed was very hard & VERY uncomfortable. I kept waking up in more pain & just wanted to cry. When my friends woke up I told them how bad it was & started crying. Adrienne changed my flight & drove me to the airport so I could go home & rest. I felt bad for ruining part of her weekend, but she was super nice about it. Her mom even came to pick me up at the airport, drove me to Adrienne's so I could get my car, then followed me home so she could bring in my luggage & save me from lifting anything. How nice was that?

So now I'm home & I'm about to medicate myself heavily & pass out on my couch for the next 2 days. I've already decided that even if I'm still in pain by next weekend, I'll still go to CA & at least cheer everyone on. Although the eternal optimist in me is still hoping I'll be well enough by Sunday to run. We shall see.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Back update

I went to the doctor yesterday morning & had a bunch of X-rays. I have few discs that are compressed a bit, but not too bad. However, with all the extra running I've been doing to prep for the marathon, it's caused enough swelling to push the discs on my sciatic nerve, which is causing both pain & numbness down my left leg all the way to my toes.

Thankfully my super hot (& unfortunately married) doctor is a marathoner so he knew there was no way I was going to miss this race. He prescribed me some strong anti-inflamatory drugs & muscle relaxers, as well as physical therapy. He told me to double up on the dosage of the AI drugs for the next day or 2, then do the regular dosage all next week. Then I'm to double-up again the day before & day after the marathon. He said with that & the PT, I should be able to "push through" the marathon fairly well. He did say that I will be in pain afterwards though. (DUH!!!!)

So basically the plan is to not run again until the marathon & just take my meds & do the PT (I'm shooting for 3 PT sessions before I leave for CA) & cross my fingers that I manage to cross that finish line next weekend.

Wish me luck!!!

Update

My back is much worse today. It's so bad I had to stay home from work. This is not good. I am FREAKING OUT!!!

Quick Update

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I'm just going crazy with everything getting so close. The marathon is less than 2 weeks away & I'm starting to freak out about it. One good thing that I thankfully don't have to worry about any longer is my fundraising. On Friday I turned in the last bits of cash & checks to get me exactly to my fundraising minimum. HOORAY! It was down to the wire, but I made it. *WHEW!* Tomorrow I go in to the office to pick up my airline tickets, hotel info, party tickets, & race day singlet. (I only wish the office wasn't so damn far away.)

Two weekends ago was our big 21 mile practice run at Terry Hershey Park. I had a few problems with the location (no lighting, 16 miles between bathrooms, & not enough water stops) but I made it. The 1st 9 or 10 miles were pretty good, but when that sun came out, with nary a cloud in sight, & those temperatures kept rising, with little shade to keep me cool, I slowed down significantly. I got overheated pretty fast, my legs felt like lead, & the balls of my feet felt like they were on fire. However, despite my very slow 2nd half & stopping at water stops from anywhere from 5-1o minutes, I still managed to finish in a decent time. I've been really worried about the time cut-off in San Diego at mile 19.2 because I have to get there in 5 hrs. 45 mins. But I despite my problems, & my super slow-mo 2nd 1/2, I was able to complete the 21 miles in about 6 hrs. 18 mins, which means that if the weather in San Diego is as "cool" as it says it's gonna be (as of today, race day forcast calls for a high of 75) then I should have no problem making the cut-off. *crosses fingers*

Of course, that can only happen if I am healthy & right now I am not. You see, I knew I never should've jinxed myself when I talked to my mother yesterday. I told her how great I felt after the 21 miler (minus some muscle stiffness Sunday & the HUGE blister on the ball of my right foot) & that barring any injury, I should be good to go for a 7:30/7:45 marathon.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Of course after all my bragging, I ended up throwing my back out this morning in the shower. I'd bent over to wash my feet & I felt a twinge in my sciatic area. As the morning went on, the twinge got worse & worse. I can't bend over at all, it hurts to sit in most positions, & I can only turn my body to the left without it hurting. *sigh*

I also have had a problem with the top of my left foot, right where it's connected to my leg. I'd tied my left shoe way too tight for the 21-miler & wasn't able to fix it right until about 6 miles into the run. By then, the damage had been done. It was red for a day or 2, & now feels like I have a huge bruise under the tendons, but there's no bruising & no swelling. It just hurts if I flex my foot too much & I'll get a super painful cramp. FUN!

Hopefully this all won't last long & I'll be well enough to do the 12 miles on Saturday. I REALLY don't want to miss my last practice.

Why did this have to happen NOW?!?!?!

Ugh!!!

I am majorly stressing right now. The marathon is only 3 weeks away & I do not feel ready at all. Thanks to some wicked thunder storms, our long runs have been rained out for the last 2 weeks, & things have been so completely crazy & stressful at work that by the time I get home from work, all I want to do is pass out. So basically it's been about 2-1/2 weeks since I've worked out. I did go to all the Tuesday night practices but this past Tuesday was awful because my back started spasming (apparently I pulled some muscles in my back on Sunday as I spent 3 hours hunched over washing cars for my fundraisers). It also woke me up at 1:15 this morning cuz it was spasming again so I got almost no sleep last night. And don't even get me started on the crap that I've eaten this week. Ugh!!!

Our big 21-mile practice is Saturday & I honestly don't know how I'm going to get through it.

And then there's my fundraising. I found out the other day that the fundraising deadline is this Monday. I thought I had another 2 weeks! I still need about $1400 & unless our crawfish boil on Saturday brings in several thousands dollars, I am SCREWED! (we're splitting the money btwn about 6 of us) I most certainly don't have that kind of money hanging around in my bank account. Ugh!!!

Nothing seems to be going right these days. In addition to this stuff, my honored patient, Jonathan developed pneumonia again this week. Also, about 2 weeks ago, the only son of a friend of mine was brutally murdered (his body wasn't found until days later). I went to his funeral on Saturday & it was the most moving service I've ever seen. I haven't been able to get him or that weekend out of mind.

The world is a crazy, messed up place & I don't know how we manage to get through life with any semblance of sanity.

Ugh!!! Something needs to go right & soon.