I got up today, went out for a one mile run (47 straight days of running at least one mile), and then started moving boxes into my car to transport to our new house. These boxes weren't very heavy, but you can probably guess where this is going. As I put a relatively small box into the front seat of my car, I felt something in my right upper back "slip." It definitely didn't feel right. I immediately stopped and tried to shift my back around to get it back into place. Unfortunately, the damage was done. I'd had a rib shift out of place. This has happened to me in the past, and it isn't fun. Did I instantly stop and go in the house to lie down? Of course not. I moved a few more boxes, hoping that it would be ok. It wasn't. By the time I got to the chiropractors office about an hour later, I was in significant pain. That says a lot for me, as I try to take the attitude that I will always defy pain.
Ribs are important, and they tend to trigger muscle spasms that make it hard to breath. Give me a low back spasm or quadriceps pain any day of the week. Rib pain is paralyzing. The good news is that I got the area adjusted quickly and I'm hopefully just feeling the immediate impact of the local inflammation. I actually took a nap this afternoon and woke up feeling a little better. Still with discomfort, but none of the agonizing pain that keeps me from moving, or getting up from a lying or sitting position.
I'm supposed to run a 5K tomorrow, and do it as part of a long run, which I'd truly been looking forward to all week. Today, in fact, was a rest day. My wife noted that moving boxes all day wasn't resting, but I would stubbornly hold on to the fact that it was. I still want to run tomorrow, but it might take all my energy to keep my daily streak of one mile going. On the other hand, forcing myself to run tomorrow might be stupid. I'll have to see how I feel when I wake up in the morning. One thing is for sure, I do tend to know my body. I often say that bumps in the road like this are messages from my body letting me know that I need more of a rest than one day of moving boxes.
Mentally, this is tough. I've been feeling so good that setbacks really mess with one's mind. On the other hand, if I'm forced to take it easy for a few days and this resolves (similar to my recent hip/low back issues), then all will be well. Everything has been hitting positively on all cylinders lately, and I don't want to push unnecessarily. The metaphors between life and ironman continue. I was determined to help reduce stress by helping with moving today. The best laid plans. But, there will always be bumps on the road.
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