[Girl♥Health]: Crickets

Things have seemed quiet over here in GirlHeartsHealth land lately, hasn't it?  Ever since the big back debacle of March and April, I haven't really given any indication of how things have been going for me health-wise, and maybe it's seemed that I've given up on the whole exercise thing.

Well, not so, my friends.  Not.  So.

Let's start with a brief update on my back.  Yes, I'm still deformed.  But my back and hip area aren't giving me pain any more, so that's a plus.  After my initial diagnosis, I started seeing a chiropractor regularly.  At first, adjustments were coming daily, then eventually only a few times a week, then only one day a week.  Eight weeks later, and I'm down to one maintenance adjustment a month, and regular self-care treatments like stretching every day.

All that's left of what went down a few months ago is the lingering fear that I'll twist or overextend or stretch or bend or move my body in such a way that I'll be on my back, staring at my bedroom ceiling with nothing but my own thoughts for company once again.

And that would suck.  Like, suuuuuck.

So I try not to think of it while simultaneously never forgetting it.  It works, for the most part.

As soon as my chiropractor gave the okay, I also began running again.  And I can't tell you how good it feels to do that -- which is something I didn't really ever think I would feel or say.  But there it is.  I love running.  Well, okay, maybe it's too soon for love.  Let's just say I'm really happy to be running, and to be running in a way that feels self-motivated, rather than guilt-motivated.  I'm currently training for an as yet to be determined race (I have a crazy friend who wants me to do this...and maybe I'm equally crazy because I'm not telling her no immediately), and probably another 5k in November.  For full disclosure's sake, I just started week 3 of this training regimen.

Side note: If anyone (and I mean YOU, little sister!) wants to run any of these upcoming races with me and said crazy friend, give me a shout and we'll make it happen!

I'm also swimming laps a few times a week, which is just the excuse I use to go to the university pool and sunbathe as often as impending skin cancer (a bad joke, but probably true) will allow.  The rule is no sunbathing without laps.  It works as well.

I'm trying to work pilates back into my routine, particularly for cross-trainings' sake on my non-running days, but that gives me and my weak ass back a bit of a pause when I think about some of the poses and the pressure it can create at the hip joint area.  I feel like a geriatric but, like, an inflexible one.  If pilates doesn't work out, then I may just cave and get myself a little (read: light) set of free weights -- the pretty, colored girl ones, obviously -- to use around the house.

But from here on out, barring any more insane injuries, it's full steam ahead!

[Girl♥Health]: Mermaids and Miles

This past weekend, my good friend Marisa and I ran the Mermaid Series 5k in San Francisco.  And aside from the fact that I had to get up at a God-awful hour, be outside -- on the water -- in the freezing cold and, you know, run, it was actually a lot of fun.  As you know, I've had my doubts and nerves, and have been half dreading, half anxiously awaiting this return to running and racing.  This was the first race I've run since high school, and I'm sort of excited for the next one already!

 The route we ran through Crissy Field was gorgeous, with views of the Golden Gate bridge as we headed out, and views of the city just waking up as we headed to the finish line.  With this particular race, an all women's race which I thought was a good way to re-introduce myself to running, you had an option of running either a 5k, a 10k or, if you were a child, a "mini-Mermaid dash," so it was overall a great spread of people with lots of different age groups and abilities.  It made it that much more relaxed.

 I didn't end up running the entire thing -- I probably ran half of it total, with walking interspersed with running.  It came down to about a 15 minute mile for 3.1 miles altogether and I'm super okay with that for now.  This told me a few things: 1) I need to train better and try to get outside more, and 2) Yay for me for not hating myself when I didn't run it all!

So at this point, I'm in search of another race (haven't decided if it's gonna be a 5 or 10k yet) for February or March.  It's such great motivation to keep on running that I'm almost scared I'll start lazy-assing it if I don't have something coming up!  Taking suggestions!

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