Believe to Achieve

another impromtu EXERCISE moment :D.   Got up at 6am.  Took Courtney to swim team at 630am.  BACK TRACK--- yesterday went to chiro.....ah!!!!!!!!  he is sooo good--  heat, ultrasound, massage, adjustment, decline table (strestch the lumbar region).  He worked my tight hamstring, psoas muscle, and lower back for a while.  Almost an hour!!!  I had hope coming out of the office but then a few hours later even with icing my back was throbbing.  I had another appointment with my regular doctor (his PA actually which I wasn't sure was the right decision but it turned out great since he has had three back surgeries and has had very similar troubles for a while).  Well he of course is starting conservative (the way I like to be....I just want the pain to go away and the NUMB ankle really WORRIES me!!).  He said I most likely have two herniated discs based on previous MRI four years ago that showed central disk protrusion in two places (L3-L4 and L5 -S1)and that they were obviously clamping down on my sciatic nerve causing the hamstring, calf and foot/ankle pain/numbness.  He told me most people read that on their report and think "see I am disabled" and look for claiming disability at 30).   NOT me of course, having run at least 10 marathons since then :D) He put me on ORAL prednisone taper for 13 days!! YIKES.  Steroids always worry me.  When I was on solumedrol that was one I would NEVER take again--- it gave me the most intense back and leg pain (severe MUSCLE cramps spasm, takes your breath away and you can't move).  The pharmacist told me that although prednisone and solumedrol are both corticosteroids, solumedrol has an extra molecule at the end (chemical makeup) that was probably the cause but that I should be very careful that if it happens again to call my doctor.  It is a high alert med for this problem being serious.  YIKES.  I have taken prednisone before and the only problem I have had was some cushing's syndrome symptoms for being on it for over a month and if you don't taper off it ---- IMPENDING doom symptoms.  So of course drs. always taper you off them.   One dr. didn't and it was the scariest thing ever!!  Anyway enough about prednisone the necessary evil drug!    HI KATE!! :D  7 peaks today?

As I was driving my daughter I saw my neighbor Cristi on her road bike taking off on a ride.  She was nice enough to ride back to my house and wait for me to get back from taking the kids to swim team.  It took 10 minutes.  I hopped on my bike and we were off on a 20 mile hilly adventure to the mouth of the canyon--- taking all the PG, Lindon, and Orem hills along the way.  It was scenic (a bit smokey smelling air however, but started to clear with the wind on the way back).  Loved the workout.  I was on my mountain bike.   We averaged 4:18 pace I guess--- she had an odometer and I had my stopwatch-- 1:26:18.  This was a great exercise day.  I feel great!!  Endorphin high or prednision ???? who knows.  Loving the biking thing!!   Oh yah when I got back I dropped off my "on its last leg" Honda Accord with 212,000 miles on it at the shop.  IT burns thru oil like no tomorrow!!  Apparently that is normal for an old car the repair man said.  I go to him a lot.  He knows a lot about cars.  He said he doesn't see too many cars (with original parts, ie motors) go more than 250,000 miles and lucky if over 200,000.  So I guess we are doing better than we thought!!  Rode my bike home 1.5 miles.  Legs feel great!! :DDDDDDD Century rides here I come!!