So, as I said in the previous post, things were looking good, the month of April was quiet and I've been sleeping like a baby, 8 hours and more a day. Did not miss work this month and apart from some sniffles here and there, the world was starting to turn again... for me.
So, May comes and I start my running endeavours. I bought the shoes, remember the pink rockets on the previous post? I bought a watch to measure the distance, time, calories, etc. and off I went running. Oh, I almost forgot, Hubby (yes, I have a Hubby, he is awesome, we will talk about him sometime, he comes up often with his smart insights and dark sense of humour) gave me a book to learn about running. He used to run and thought the book would be of great help (how sweet of him), indeed the book has proven to be very good, simple to read and offers great advise.
The Competitive Runner's Handbook. Bob Glover and Pete Schuder. The Complete Training Program For All Distance Running.
Do I have a plan? I want to run the 10K
How am I going to do it? Running...duh!
So, first things first: Go running... and here I go!
My first run was a wet run, it was raining and hubby said, it doesn't matter, runners don't care about the weather. So, I look through my closet and found out I have plenty of gear for running in extreme weather. OK, a little drizzle is not extreme weather, but for me it was!
You can see Baby Spark in the picture, aaawww my sweet doggy!
OK, back to running, I ran 2.8K in about 18 minutes. It is not a lot but it was a start, my start! I felt good about my cardio and breathing, at one point my legs were feeling heavy, I guess that's normal. I came home and was sweaty inside but perfectly protected on the outside, not too hot, not cold at all.
2nd Run. 3.22K, weather was mild outside and I wore less than the first day, sun was shinning, wind was cold (found out while running)
I was feeling strong and my stride was firm and fast. The choice on what to wear was very good too up to my neck, yes, my ears started to feel cold, very cold, to the point of hurting, I started running with my hands over my ears LOL and ended up going back home, it was a pain, in the ears LOL
I felt that if it wasn't for the ears I could have gone forever, OK not forever but a for longer run.
On the same day I had an appointment with Ethan, the Chinese Doctor, I got there all pumped and feeling awesome, even though I had the sniffles, some stupid sneezing I didn't care much for. The month had been so smooth that when he asked about my cycle, I said lightly, Ovulation time already passed and I'm feeling great, so he started working on the SER (Somato-Emotional Release) and at one point in my treatment he left and a lady came in to announce in a very sweet voice that she was giving me a back massage, I was surprised, didn't expect it, she applied some hot oil in my back and warned that it will heat my spine, and then she started the massage. A deep, painful massage, she was going vertebra by vertebra, I felt that she was moving each one of them and I was in pain, I was shy to tell her that it hurt, somehow the voice in my head was telling me that I was being a cry baby, she was sent there to give me a massage and that I was not to say anything, and she kept going, at one point I couldn't take it anymore and I voiced out my "It hurts" and she asked, where does it hurt? but by then it was too late, Ethan came in, she was done with me! They exchanged some words and I was crying my heart out. I couldn't stop crying. He said it was normal, it was part of the SER process and I was not to feel sad about anything. Enjoy your emotions and live them, he said, or so I understood.
Ethan is very cool, he has a very positive view on all events and every time pain, emotions or anything comes up he would say, "that's cool", "oh very good", "I'm not too worry about it" and even one day I got hit by a car from behind (I was driving too) and my neck was hurting. he said: "that's so cool" Me: wwhhhhhhaaaaaa???? He: "well, you were driving here, so I can fix that right away". So clever!
He finished the treatment with the bone cracking, this time I did not laugh, nothing funny about it anymore. And I went home crying. That was Friday May 6th and here is a resume of my weekend went... Horrible!
This is part of the email I wrote to Ethan to let him know how I was feeling. The first email I exchange with him.
Friday 6th was the sneezing day! The sneezing went on after I left the office, it was actually worse than the morning, but I somehow thought that it was something to expect after the treatment and that eventually later in the day I would feel better, that didn't happen. I sneezed so much and so hard on Friday that I couldn't do much, just lay down and by 8:30pm I was asleep and exhausted (last thing I remember was looking at the time).
I also found out on Friday that it was ovulation time for me, I misread the signs of my body and thought it was last week when I was in fact going through/starting the process on Friday (don't ask me for details, I just know and I'm 100% sure), so here I go again with this thing ovulation/period=sneezes/allergies/cold/sickness
I have to say that I've felt better since I started the treatments and my last period was uneventful, which was a bit of a miracle but once again it happened... Bummer!!!
Saturday 7th: I slept 12 hours!!! And the moment I got up the sneezing started, non-stop. My abs were sore from sneezing and my nose was beyond sensitive and irritated. I had to work, so I took my allergy medicine and even though it didn't stop it completely, it got me through my classes, the longest 4 four hours ever! Didn't want to take the pills but had little choice. After class the sneezing came back stronger and by then, I was tired, and mentally gone! Couldn't think clear anymore. I cried my heart out in disappointment at I don't know what and I just laid down and sneezed away. Sunday I had to attend a big workshop, couldn't miss it, I was teaching the workshop!!! What a nightmare, so I took one more pill but after two hours nothing happened so I took another one and went to bed (around 10pm) and suddenly the sneezing was gone but my heart was about to get out of my chest, racing, out of control, I was sure a heart attack was coming to get me, I couldn't even move without my heart going bananas inside my chest, how scary! So I did not sleep at all on Saturday, scared, tired, preoccupied, felling stupid for taking that pill. The sneezes were gone though!
Sunday 8th: Exhausted from sneezing and lack of sleep went to work with a choppy heart rate, a horrible back pain, dry eyes and mouth, the effects of the pill for sure, well at least I wasn't sneezing!... for a short while! After work I went home and straight to bed, still sneezing but I didn't care anymore, was mentally and physically tired, I cried my eyes out until I fell asleep. Slept 8 hours
Monday 9th: I woke up feeling "better" in the sense that even though my nose and eyes were a bit itchy I wasn't sneezing. I am however tired and have very little energy and I'm not referring to energy for work, move or do what I have to do, but that super cool feeling I have when I get treatments. All that is gone and I wish I knew how to get it back :-(
I practiced Yoga today looking to restore some of that energy but not sure it helped. My whole body is sore, painful joints (shoulders, elbows, knees, ankles), back pain, wrinkles... Feels like I've had a rough weekend!
I had to contact the Chinese Doctor on Tuesday 10th because I was going nuts!!! And, I didn't talk to anybody about any of this, fear of being labeled as something, fear of I don't know what, but I've kept this very secret from my world and only my family doctor, mom and husband know the extent of it. Well now, Ethan knows and you all.
As I told you in previous posts m
y monthly attacks are usually this intense or worse and they happen twice a month, usually ovulation time, then a week goes by uneventful and it comes back as I get my period.
Last month it was pretty much uneventful. I was so happy :-)
Wednesday 12th I was feeling "better" (lack of a better word), I was not sneezing anymore, in fact like nothing happened during the weekend. I went running and training that morning and did my things all day feeling OK. I am supposed to pass by Ethan's to pick up a Chinese Medicine, he wants to see me for a couple of minutes. I hate when this happens, hate to explain to people/doctor that I was sick but then they look at me and I look totally fine and of course I'm told that I'm crazy. And, I really wish I know what to do when this happens without having to jump right away into the pills.
I went to pick up the Herbs and The Chinese Doctor assures me that I'm not crazy at all. And as usual, he is not worried about it yet, "we didn't totally break the pattern in one shot but no big deal". He also thinks that he got sidetracked by the SER so we didn't stay on top of the "allergy thing", so I have to go back on the herbs, this time Ba Zheng Tang. Granules that I mix with hot water and drink twice a day, taste factor: OK, it could taste better!
He asks when I'm expecting menses and I respond 7 to 10 days... WRONG!!!!! More on that, next post, on the scary Friday!
In the meantime, I went running again :-)
Short & Sweet: 3.46K and again posting my outfit because my sister from another mother Stef (that's a long story and I love my sister, she is awesome) loves to check out my running outfits.
I'm drinking the herbs and Friday 13th... scary.... is my next app with Ethan, can't wait!!!
