I’m back! Did you miss me? I know that I missed this. My body/brain balance needs a little bit of attention after a month of limited exercise and lots of writing.
Some changes since last time: I’m not tracking calories or eating habits this time around. I’m mostly concerned with things that make me feel good but are also good for me.
I started running again last week, and I definitely feel like I’m out of my groove. For those who haven’t been tracking my life on Twitter, I was sidelined by a cold that morphed into a sinus infection, and that was treated with an intense, broad-spectrum antibiotic that, among other side effects, lists “tendon rupture” as a potential side effect. No, really. They even list it in bold print: “Fluoroquinolones, including LEVAQUIN™, are associated with an increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture in all ages. Call your healthcare professional right away at the first sign of tendon pain, swelling, or inflammation. You should stop taking LEVAQUIN® until tendinitis or tendon rupture have been ruled out, and avoid exercise and using the affected area.” I have to admit, those words were enough to scare me into the land of the couch potato.
Yes, my Philly friends: it does get cold in California, especially overnight.
I’m finally back to running, and my endurance just isn’t what it used to be. My runs have been shorter, slower and more difficult, but I’ve tried to plow through. This morning was a tremendous struggle. It was unbelievably cold, 38 degrees when I left the house (I took this screen shot after I had returned, once it had warmed up). I like a nice cool run, something in the 45-50 range, but this was just too cold for me. My muscles never loosened and with my nagging tendon fears, I decided to cut my run short and only do a mile. I came home and did some ab work and pilates-style exercises to round out the workout.
Now that NaNoWriMo has ended, I’ve been reading. A lot. In the last two days I’ve gone through two back issues of Wired, finished The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan, and started His Brother’s Keeper: One Family’s Journey to the Edge of Medicine by Jonathan Weiner. My brain needs reading material for replenishment after all of the writing in November.
And on that note, I’ll be shutting down the computer and curling up with a book for the rest of the evening.