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Thursday, January 2, 2014

Bad news...

Howdy, friends!

I am unfortunately the bearer of bad news. On Friday, December 27th, my back went out, and with symptoms I recognize from a couple of years ago, it appears I've herniated a disc again. I've spent a lot of time in bed and moving very slowly these past few days, and, obviously, I have not been running or otherwise exercising as a result.

What does this mean for the future? Well, my running career is on indefinite hold. I am going to have to get well and then strengthen my back before I can even begin to consider the pounding that comes with running. Most likely I will have to walk the half-marathon in May, which is definitely disappointing.

This also means that I am going to have to find alternative means of exercising once I'm mobile again. I am considering a membership to the YMCA so I can start swimming on a regular basis. Since membership fees are based on income, I'm thinking about a family membership so Abi can go, too. We'll have to talk further about going together and either leaving Lukas with the Y childcare staff or finding a babysitter, or Abi and I going at different times.

As for strength training, P90X and similar programs will have to be put on hold for a while, too.

I can't point to a specific incident that caused my present condition, but I know there are a few things I need to do in the future to prevent further problems. One, as I said, is to strengthen my back (especially my lower back). Another is to drop some weight, which will have to come through light exercise (probably walking) and being especially careful about my nutrition. Yet one more is to be even more vigilant about my water consumption. And, finally, I must make stretching/flexibility more of a priority.

I won't be posting here for a while, but I look forward to being able to share what I am doing when things are a little bit more normal.

On the plus side, the debilitating effects aren't nearly as long-lasting as the last time this happened, and usually only affect me at night (which is weird, because the only thing different some days is that I'm actively trying to sleep).

God bless you all in your own fitness journeys, and I hope to see you again soon!

(By the way, for those of you interested, I missed posting about my last five runs. Here are the details:

Monday, December 16th: 5.36 miles in 62 minutes
Wednesday, December 18th: 5.45 miles in 62 minutes
Friday, December 20th: 5.54 miles in 62 minutes
Monday, December 23rd: 5.91 miles in 68 minutes
Wednesday, December 25th: 6.0 miles in 68 minutes)

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