Overall, I've been doing really well with the pledge some friends and I made to walk a mile every day this year. While I may have missed a day or two, I've definitely done at least 7 miles each week. If you believe the ads, moving helps keep fibromyalgia pain away. So, is it the walking or the Cymbalta I've now been on for a month that's been helping keep my pain levels in check? Maybe it's both. I really don't know and I'm not sure it really matters. All I know is that something seems to be helping and that's all I care about.
On the side of "moving helps", I'll offer up my experiences of both yesterday and today. Yesterday, I was a complete slug. I spent the day sitting in my recliner, feet up, mainlining episodes of Veronica Mars. In a side note, my friend tells me I'm like a decade late to the Veronica Mars love fest. I care not. I am thoroughly enjoying my binge watching. And can I just say that Sheriff Lamb is a complete and utter douchebag? Anyway, back to yesterday. After an entire day of doing nothing but play on my iPad or crocheting while watching tv, I started to hurt. First, my legs started to ache. Then my hips and lower back joined the party, followed by my shoulders and arms. I ended up having to take a pain pill for the first time in days.
I will admit that I would have liked nothing more than to just sit and mainline more Veronica today. However, I forced myself to get dressed and go get some miles in. Since I have a half marathon coming up and wanted to get in at least 5-6 miles, I did take a pain pill before I headed out. That's something I typically do if I'm planning on doing more than a couple of miles because of the osteoarthritis in my spine. I headed out, thermos of tea (my preferred drink, decaf and sweetened with Splenda) in one hand and iPhone in the other.
I've been listening to this podcast called Serial that was recommended by a runner friend. It's about taking another look at a murder case, involving two high school students, from 1999. When I started out today, I was halfway through the second episode. I'm now nearly through episode 5. It's definitely a great way to pass the time while walking! Not only did I get in 7 miles while I was listening, but I think it was the fastest 7 miles I've ever done, averaging less than 16 minutes a mile. I followed that up by taking my puppies out for a walk while I did my cool down. I left my phone at home so I'm not sure exactly how far we went but it was probably somewhere between 3/4 to a mile.
It's now more than three hours later and I'm still feeling good. I think I've earned the right to spend some time with Veronica and her friends at Hearst College. It should be interesting to see what my pain levels are like tomorrow. I'll keep you updated.
Oh, and speaking of updates, if anyone is wondering how things turned out with the kiddo, his fever, and the trip to Disney, I'm happy to report that he woke up fever free on Friday. I let him go and checked in with him a couple of times during the day and the band director kept tabs on him as well. He's remained fever free and seems to have suffered no ill effects from the day. Plus, he's told me a couple of times how glad he is that I let him go and what a good time he had. So it all worked out okay.
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