Dry socket...

I was starting to get excited about restarting the C25K program this week, but instead will be avoiding anything that will jar my body. Why? When I woke last night (a few times) I was in extreme pain from a tooth extraction. This really surprised me since the tooth had already had a root canal several years ago. The reason for the extraction was simply because I had broken it and there wasn't really enough left to repair. All was going fine until the wee hours of the morning.

A dry socket really doesn't make a lot of sense for me since I don't usually use straws or smoke or any of the several activities that increase your chance for one. Oh well, I know how to take care of it, even without returning to the dentist.

Even so, this diminishes the things I can do physically. Yoga? Nope, the downward position of my head increases the throbbing. Running? No way. Ah, but I can still ride the bike and I can still belly dance. And chains. It looks like it will be a productive week after all.

Other movements

Today was a gentle stretching and belly dance kind of day. My hips are a bit sore. Why hips? Who knows. I'm sure the stretching helped a lot, though. The hard days seem to come in waves - sometimes I feel no pain, others I feel a lot. Yes, there is a variation on the things I do, but it still seems strange to me that after this much time I'm still sore. I guess those little changes make a pretty big difference.

Tomorrow I will feel good enough to get back on the treadmill so I'll have a better update then.

Movements & thoughts

There was no biking today. Or even walking. Why? Because I listened to my body and lifted weights instead. And belly danced.

I started this blog as a way to share with you the journey that I had intended to travel. To catalog the miles I pedaled and attach them to one of my favorite stories. I've been doing that, I think. But there are days...

I was starting to feel guilty about not getting on the bike even though I'd done so much more during the day. After all, how do I show you that I'm lifting 8-pound weights more than 50 times in various positions (above head, behind head, leaning over & "pulling the lawnmower cord", etc.). How do I show you that I'm sweating quite a bit while I'm belly dancing? How do I describe the stretching involved in the yoga that I'm doing? The only thing I can really show is the screen on the bike after I've ridden for the allotted time.

As my body changes and grows in strength I hear different messages. It's an interesting thing, listening to my body. It has been telling me things like, "Be stronger," and "Push harder." And so, even though I know I should get on the bike because you might be watching for the miles, I need to listen to my body.

Part of that will include even more walking. I am not so sure about walking out in this neighborhood in the wee hours, but I am willing to walk in the afternoons. Also, I'll be looking at some treadmills. They are used, they aren't top of the line, but they are in my budget range. We'll see what I find.

779.2 Miles (Walking)

(1.9)

Heading southeast to Sirannon.

This morning was walking, and I didn't go as far as I usually do. I did belly dance before my errands, though, and that was nice.  I'm doing my best to not focus on how many miles I've come so far and instead focus on the fact that my legs are not as sore as they were last week. Part of me wants to go digging in the yard, but it's still pretty wet out there, which means I'd end up with big chunks of mud instead of nicely turned soil.

We have sunshine until Friday and I am so happy for that. Dare I say that winter is over? It just might be.

Other Movements

Today was a belly dancing day. It wasn't that I didn't want to get on the bike, or anything like that. Instead, I just wanted to move differently. I've been following an old disc that I have and am going to start a different set next week. While I like the friendly smiles on most of the DVDs, I prefer Rachel Brice's seriousness with belly dancing. If anyone asked me why I would try to explain that I see this form of dancing as serious. I see it closer to a sacred dance than most would. I know a lot of people prefer to have fun with it and I think that's wonderful. For them. For me, it is deeper than that.

I also did the leg chains and felt proud of myself for completing the whole set. I did take a 5 minute break once I reached the 7s, but I kept going after that.