Since I last wrote, last week, a few things have changed. I was put on a strict medication routine that I wasn’t too happy about at first. The medicines make me drowsy and sleepy. So the first few days on the medicines all I did was sleep. Had trouble sleeping at night though because the pain would kick in.
I still spent a lot of time in bed as my mobility was limited. Some of the meds I am on needed a few days before it took effect and help ease the pain. Once the weekend came around, I ventured outdoors to see how my back would handle it..it went well! Met up with some amazing friends and had a lot of fun. They helped me forget about the struggles I’ve been dealing with and made sure to make me laugh, which I did lots of!
It seemed like forever since I last went outside, but it certainly felt great. An active person that has to be bed bound is not easy. I knew I had to, I do listen very closely to the queues my body gives me. I have enough damage done with my spine that I don’t want to make it worse. My running days are never promised so any hint of discomfort I will stop and rest.
Today I felt I was ready to give an easy run a try. Although the meds make me sleepy, I thought that a warm cup of CogniTea would give me the mental clarity, and productive energy that I needed to run. I knew I was ready physically, I had my KT Tape wings on and I was ready to fly!
Luckily this morning my new ASICS gel-kayano 21 arrived just in time for the ASICS #GORUNITJUNE3 Day(I’ll talk about that in my next post so stay tuned) I swear they were calling my name! They were just sitting there staring back at me! I already had it in my mind that I was going to run, but I’ll be honest, I was scared. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go so I was nervous to go run.
I laced up my new ASICS, and started stretching, warming up and prepping to run. I wasn’t sure how far or how long I’d make it but I started off easy by walking.
It took courage to pick it up. It was a mental battle for almost a mile until I just went for it. I took off and kept an easy pace of 11.18. I felt OK, I felt like I could do it. This run was a battle in more ways than one. But the toughest one was a battle of mental strength. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle it, I was afraid that I would fail. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to do it anymore. As I thought about everything that could go wrong, I started to focus on what can go right. I believe in myself enough to take risks, to go right to the unknown and not let fear take a hold of me. I ran and ran and ran. I was feeling fine. The fear quickly washed away as beads of sweat ran down my back. I was able to swing my arms, and was able to put one foot in front of the other. Finished 3.1 miles and was still doing OK. I was happy, thrilled, excited! My heart felt OK, I wasn’t feeling the pressure I had in the past.
I took some Vega Recovery Accelerator juuuuust in case I needed a boost to repair my damaged muscles. It is a plant-based recovery drink mix specifically developed to address post-workout recovery. It delivers a 4-to-1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein for optimal muscle glycogen replenishment.
I also iced my back for preventative measures. I don’t take running days, if any day for granted. Each day I can run, especially on a day like today, I celebrate it. That is why I share all my running days with you. I am proud of how far I’ve come and what I can do.
So I am happy that I am back on track! It will a lot of work and more rest days but I’ll get to my goals, I always do. For now I will take it easy and slowly make my way back to where I was. I am doing the best with what I got, I will never give up on myself or my dreams.
-gelcys
Empire Unleashed 
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