With the spring solstice two weeks ago, the weather is at that pivotal stage where part of the country will be under snow warning, part under flood warning and part seeing record high/low temperatures. I eagerly anticipate the changing of the weather, this year more so than others.
I am a fair weather everything (runner, sitter outsider, gardener, you name it). I love to watch the rain through the window and listen to the patter on the roof. I hate being in it. The snow is pretty oooh aahhh. Screw freezing my ass off to run in it (last time I ran in the cold I ended up puking: snot issues, cold=snot, thought about it too much and someone in the neighborhood had my dinner in their yard).
I can feel the change of temp happening (and the stupid robins are screaming at me) so it is time to think about what I would like to accomplish health-wise this year. I have formally decided to run the half marathon and not attempt the whole marathon in Dayton in September. The only person I will be proving anything to is myself and I know I wanted to have one marathon under my belt by 50 but I think I have changed my mind on it. I can run a half (even in the worst health – i.e. Marshall) and although it damn near beat me, I had positive vibes and appreciated the race as a whole. I just do not think I can feel the same about a whole marathon. I have decided to do the Air Force Half and then, coming out of it, judge if I would want to do a full. If I think I am gung-ho for a full marathon, the Marshall U Marathon is just under two months after Dayton.
In preparation for spring, for running/walking/working out, I decided to do body measurements (as bad as I hate to). I can tell you, my body has gone to shit after surgeries two years in a row and crappy motivation to be more than a slug since April 2016. Imagine my surprise when my right leg was a full 3/4 inch larger than my left. Ok, let me wait a couple of days and try it again, maybe there is something going on and my right leg is retaining water (don’t laugh, I was sorting through ideas and that crossed my mind). Two days later and still 3/4 inch larger. Now, this really wasn’t a surprise. I have been looking up various ways to open up my hips because since last year my right leg/hip has felt off/different. My pants fit tighter on my right thigh. So, knowing me, you realize all the doomsday scenarios ROLLING through my head. That was, until a few days ago when it dawned on me…
I have been doing leg lifts every day, multiple times per day, for varying lengths of time on my right side. When I make coffee, when I go to the fridge, when I am walking to the back of the house. Because my Siamese is a freak and will not let people pet her with their hand, most of us tend to hold our leg out and let her “self pet”. I know, I know, we are enablers! That is not what this post is about though… Since my first surgery April 2016, Phoebe suddenly would not let me pet her, would not lay in my lap, etc – all the day I came home from surgery – I thought that it was a phase, it was not. Something about my chemistry changed and this was a result. But truly, I NEVER use my left leg to pet her. Ever. It was like a lightning bolt smacked me upside my head (weird reference but I’m rolling with it).
Suddenly I feel like Freddy Rodriguez’s character in Lady In The Water, who only worked out only one arm and so there was a disparity in the sizes.
Ok, I overstate, but still….
Now that I know the problem, I am trying to do the left leg self pet thing. And I will chuckle about this at some point (when my pants go back to fitting right). Right now I feel like an idiot. But the cat loves me.
Thoughts and Ponderances 