Did you know that more people have heart attacks on Mondays than on any other day of the week?
Check out the article. It says that the effect is pronounced because of the start of the work week…but retireees also have more heart attacks on Mondays.
I get it.
Yeah, I said it. I taped my nipples.
The indignities that runners have to endure. Like getting up off the couch. And motoring along with only shank’s mare for horsepower.
The Broad Street run starts in 12 hours. I spent the last 14 weeks training for it. I’m ready. By this time tomorrow I’ll start the slow slog to the start line.
I’ll worry about a lot of things. But I won’t worry about nipple chafing. I’ve got that covered.
I finished the Stroehmann’s 5K today about 10% faster than I did in my first ever 5K just three weeks ago.
Not bad. Felt good the whole way. I warmed up by going 2.6 miles on the way to the race start and cooled down by doing the same after the race. Net distance for the day a little more than 8 miles. Now I need to string that kind of thing together for the next few weeks.
Next up: A 5-miler at Valley Forge next weekend.
Then: 22 days from now it’s gonna be 10 miles in the Broad Street Run.
I mentioned the onset of shin splints. Well, I got a recommendation today from Fran that she had a reiki treatment and it worked on her shin splints.
Crazy timing, but Helaina, our reiki/massage therapist was coming in for our regular Wednesday sessions at IFRACTAL. I asked her if she could give me reiki for my shin splints.
She started by asking me to state an intention. I said, “I want my shin splints to hurt less.”
She said, “Is that all you want? Do want more than to have it hurt less?”
“I want the pain from my shin splints to go away,” I said.
And then she started.
I don’t know if any of you have had reiki, but it’s a positive energy therapy. The practitioner lays her hands on you in strategic spots. And you can feel the energy and heat radiate from her hands. (I recognize the skeptics in the room are rolling their eyes. I would too. I did. Before I tried it.)
I had a nice, long, session. At some point I could feel my legs tingling. And at least 20 minutes after Helaina stopped with the session, I could still “feel” her hands on my shins.
Then I put on my workout gear and ran 5.78 miles.
No pain.
No shin splints today.
Popes have had miracles assigned to them that were less significant. Reiki (okay, Helaina) made my shin splints go away today.
I had a breakthrough with my back on Wednesday. I mean, one minute I was the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the next minute I was Bart Conner, springing around and doing back flips. Well, maybe not quite that, but I was able to stand straight up. Walk. And stop groaning.
I went to the chiropractor on Wednesday and told him my back was feeling better. Uh-oh. That led to him doing some manipulations that were scary, but worked great. He had me lie on my side, then he grabbed my lower arm while he twisted my hip. CRACK! POW! BAM! And…relief.
I had that procedure done on both sides. Major back crack and spinal realignment. And I could stand up and walk out pain free. Just one little thing. I was as nauseous as all get out. Like penny-under-my-tongue nauseous. I found out later with a little research that nausea is a common side effect of spinal manipulation. It makes sense, all those organs are connected to the nerves that were being unburdened.
But I’ll trade a little bit of throwing up in my mouth for a back spasm any day. This officially ends my writing about my back. I’m sure I’ll have a new ailment — even a hangnail — to complain about next week.
