For Now, I'll Leave the Running to YOU

My apologies for my extended absence.  I warned in my first post that I wouldn't be very good at this.  I believe I said it then, and I'll restate it now, I'd rather read yours, than update mine.  I hate being the center of attention, being put on the spot, talking about myself, or drawing attention towards myself; so it's only natural that I don't much like writing about myself, either.  Buuuuut.... some of you have requested updates and have brought it to my attention that I haven't posted in over a month, so here is your update my friends: 


Last weekend was the Wharf to Wharf 10k in Santa Cruz.  Last month, I was training for it, raving about how proud I was of myself that I could run 3.5 miles and looking forward to doing more.  Well, turns out, I couldn't  can't.  As I get older (27 tomorrow--eek!), my scoliosis gets worse and that means all kinds of bad things for my entire body.  I don't have an actual picture of my own back, but it pretty much looks like this: 

While it should look like this: 

And my back view looks like this (but mirror imaged): 

Now, this curvature doesn't look pretty, and it certainly doesn't feel pretty.  My clothes don't fit right and my back hurts all the time; it's sort of a numb, dull, aching, constant pain.  However, when I work out, it hurts more.  When I'm running, the muscle under my right shoulder blade gets a sharp stabbing sensation with every other step.  When I strength train, I can't straighten my legs, lift them past my waist, or do many core exercises, as I get a sharp stabbing sensation in the lower left part of my back (think sciatic nerve area).  I do what I can, but I can't do much.  Also, I discovered while training for my run that my left knee now hurts as a result of the curve and the tilt of my body which puts more pressure on my left side.  All in all, I'm a complete mess, people!  

So, with all that, it turns out that I couldn't run the 6.2 miles from the Santa Cruz to Capitola pier last weekend.  I walked it in an hour and a half, but I absolutely could not run.  I wanted to do a little, but Rick was concerned about my deformed body and the injuries I might would bring upon myself as a result of pushing through the pain and refused to give in (in hindsight, I'm glad he didn't, as I was bed ridden three weeks earlier with pain that brought me to tears, and Lord knows I don't want to go there again!).  I still had fun, though, and wasn't upset that I couldn't run.  I know deep down that it wasn't due to lack of motivation or heart strength, but that I am just not physically or medically able to run long distances at this point in my life.  After my surgery (sometime in the near future.... c'mmon full time job!) I hope that the pain I experience while exercising will go away and I can actually run a 10k (or do a plank... or hamstring curls...)!  

Also, I know you are all wondering where my Wharf to Wharf pictures are.... yeah, me too! :/

My camera died the night before and I didn't bring a charger to the beach.  Then, the camera on my phone was acting up and didn't work either.  The good news is that Rick's brother in law had his camera and took pictures, and I ran into my cousin and she got a couple of shots, too!  I'm just waiting to get them so check back soon for pictures!