Thishere blog has more or less turned into a litany of my physical woes, but that’s okay. There’s plenty of that, and it’s not like I’m doing much else of interest to the general public at the moment.
OR AM I? You’ll never know.
Anyway, been trying VERY hard to do this 100 Days thing. So far, so good, even though I skipped yesterday due to a thing we had to go to. It’s fine, because I did a whole hour today and I’m feeling quite pleased, overall.
On the elliptical, I tend to get this numb toes thing happening, but by rearranging my shoelaces, that can be fixed more or less. There’s not much I can do about my right leg and the nerve damage over there, but as long as I’m paying attention I don’t think I will cut off the circulation completely. The left foot is pissing me off a bit, though. I think it’s because I had to favor the right one for so long, it has thrown that whole leg off balance. It’s shorter than my right leg ANYWAY, so things are very strange on that side. I’ll make some adjustments and see if I can’t improve that some.
After the elliptical, I hopped on the treadmill. I am not a huge fan of the treadmill, since it exacerbates my tendency to develop shinsplints, but after talking with my physical therapist, he suggested I jack up the incline to at least 4.0 and GO SLOW. I don’t know how much slower I can go, but 3.2MPH is my limit for the time being. Outside, I can’t really judge my pace as well but that matters less because the mechanics are different and less taxing on my poor legs.
So the point of being on the treadmill was to see if my right foot is going to ever cooperate with the rest of the body. It will, eventually, but I think I am going to need some kind of orthotics or inserts or some shit in that shoe because MY FOOT IS CROOKED NOW. The shape of my foot causes my heel to point inward, giving me the illusion of being duck-footed on one side. IT’S LOVELY. And if I don’t get THAT corrected, it’s going to ruin my super-awesome new shoes, which I love.
All things considered, I feel pretty good about it all. I spent most of 2012 being frustrated that my body was resisting my every effort, but now I have managed to get over that and have decided to be more patient with myself. AND AND AND AND!! I am going to start swimming again. I am going to be working with a coach, even. I mean, I can swim and all that jazz, but I am hella inefficient in the water so I am going to be working with a coach who will help me refine my stroke and help me with my breathing (water in my sinuses, no matter WHAT I do) and get me faster and stronger.
Ooh, then I’m gonna get a bike. Maybe not right away, though. Any cash money that I’d be spending on a bike this year is taking my fat ass to ENGLAND, where I will eat my body weight in Proper Bacon and drink my fool head off. I am taking my running shoes, however. I’d love to run along the Thames and end it in a pub. I’m sure there are drinking clubs with a running problem that wouldn’t mind a couple of chubby Americans along for an afternoon. Must look into that.