Tuesday, July 27, 2010

My head is whirling

My mind has been occupied lately with the stupid bunion surgery I'm supposed to have in a couple of months.  I don't know if my feet hurt worse because I know I'm going to have surgery or if I am just acknowledging it more now.  I know the surgery will be good for me in the long run but I'm so worried about how it's going to set me back for a few weeks.  I have this vision of myself gaining 25 pounds and losing every bit of muscle tone I have.  I worry I'm going to literally see my body turn soft.  It is freaking me out!  Honestly, I am losing sleep over this.  What I keep thinking about is "Weight bearing - one week.  In a shoe - three weeks.  Swim - four weeks.  Cycle - six weeks.  RUN - EIGHT WEEKS".  Gah!  Sometimes I feel like I want to call the doctor and say I no longer want to have the surgery.  Other days the pain is so bad I think maybe I should have them both done at the same time so I will be completely pain free.  But then I'd have to crawl everywhere for a few weeks and that would really suck.  LOL  I certainly hope I don't chicken out.

Of course I'm not slowing down at all.  I won't until I HAVE TO.

Thursday I woke up in a bad mood.  I had a lot of "stuff" to do that day and didn't have a ton of time for exercise.  I knew I needed more than a walk but didn't have time for a run.  So, I took Ellen out for a spin.  I rode up Palomares which is a six mile climb of 1,100 feet.  It did the trick, I came home in a much better mood.

That night my birth father came over for a visit.  He's moving from Utah to Oregon.  I don't see him enough since he moved from the Bay Area six years ago.  I found him when I was 22 years old.  Oooh, that sounds like a good story to save for another blog post.


I went back to work Friday and worked all weekend so I didn't get back out to the mountains until yesterday.  Boomer and I picked up Bella and went for a 4.5 mile run at Garin before going to work at 1:30.  I don't know if I'm imagining it but the leaves are looking a bit yellow for this time of year.  It was a great run.  I was thrilled to be outside. 








I still feel so blessed to have this beautiful place to run in, whenever I want to.

This morning I had hoped to go for a group ride with the Fremont Freewheelers but when my alarm went off I looked outside and it was windy and it looked cold.  I stayed in bed for a while and ended up going out by myself around 9:30.  I drove out to the Sunol train station and rode up Foothill to the Dublin grade.  On the way back I went through downtown Pleasanton.  I'm practicing riding in my drop bars to try to alleviate some of the pain I've been having between my shoulder blades on longer rides.  Any of you have advice for avoiding that pain?  I have signed up for a 100-miler next month and would like for that pain to not affect me at about mile 58!

I'm looking forward to another bike ride on Thursday (hopefully with Aron) and then a trail run with HSE Lori on Friday.


"MED2010" Accountability:
07/20 - 5.5 mile trail run, "24SET" class
07/21 - 2.65 mile walk, "CAMP24" class
07/22 - 15 mile bike ride
07/23 - 3 mile walk, "24SET" class
07/24 - 3.25 mile walk
07/25 - 2 mile walk
07/26 - 4.5 mile trail run, 1.65 mile walk
07/27 - 26 mile bike ride, 2 mile walk

Until later.............

14 comments:

audgepodge said...

Gorgeous pics! At first, I thought that was a dog you encountered on the trail :)

Unknown said...

You ARE blessed to have that beautiful place to run in whenever you want to!

Everything will be okay, JoLynn. Have faith. :-)

Looney said...

As for the shoulder pain, some of this can be posture, some the bike setup and some just the amount of time on the bike. One thing I remember was keeping the back mainly flat. When you go down onto the drops, the whole body rotates, rather than simply bending the back more. Hope you can succeed with the 100 miler!

Lily on the Road said...

I'm with Lisa JoLynn, have faith...you come through so much, I just know that you will dig deep and see the bright side of the picture. Plus Boomer will put a smile on your face.

Speaking of pictures, I love the photo of you and your dad...he looks like a nice guy.

Lily on the Road said...

oh and....

Get a bike fit done, it's well worth it, good luck on the 100 mile!

René said...

Good luck with your surgery! My friend is barely walking again 6 weeks after a hip fracture on the Terrible Two, but he's in great shape because he stayed active with calisthenics and strength training.

Katie A. said...

I know I would be in the same boat as you with worrying over the surgery - but, as you know, it's a minor blip in the long run and just try to remember how good you feel once you're all healed!!! Sending big hugs!
I NEED to make a date with you and Boomer to go to Garin with you before the surgery!

RunningLaur said...

100 mile ride is very exciting!

I haven't had much feedback on bunion surgery with customers at the store, so I'd just be sure to ask your doctor every question possible. And then ask another doctor. :)

Runners Fuel said...

Such a great place to go workout and ride. As for the surgrey, just remember to wach what you eat (I know, easier said than done). You'll be fine.

Kris said...

The surgery will be a good thing in the long run. No pun intended. ;)

A bike fit is a good idea. It's amazing how big a difference even tiny adjustments can make. And just try to relax those shoulders. I know I tend to scrunch mine up when I ride and really have to remind myself to relax.

Marathon Maritza said...

I'm sorry to hear you are stressed about your surgery, but I hope it will prove to be a good, beneficial thing for you.

Those trail pics are GORGEOUS!

Anonymous said...

Love your hair! :)

When I get overwhelmed with what is going to happen in the months ahead...I force myself to only this about the week ahead of me. Enjoy the time you have and remember this surgery is a just a bump in the road.

Maryland Girl aka Michelle said...

You will make it through. I will echo the bike fit recommendation and the relaxing the shoulders. I too often find my shoulders all tensed up when I am on the bike and I have to think RELAX!

Stuart said...

Gotta love that flat grey cool sky!

The surgery will be fine and you'll be up and running asap!