Recovery

So I'm recovering from this slipped disc slowly, I've started walking with the dogs to get some exercise but I'm still cautious as I don't want to set myself back again.
I missed the last two 10k runs so that's 3 I've missed this year and as there's only 5 in total each year within a 2 hour driving distance I only have 2 left.
The next one is a new one to the area and is 10k around a new windfarm in September so that's the one I'm now aiming for, if I continue to recover this way I think I can start running again in a week or so and hopefully start Insanity in a few more weeks - I'll also be starting the next dietbet challenge at the beginning of August as I'm afraid I didn't make the healthiest food choices over the last couple of weeks.

Oh poops!

"Illness is the most heeded of doctors: to goodness and wisdom we only make promises; pain we obey". ~Marcel Proust


The first time I slipped a disc in my back I was about 18 years old. To cut a long story short I worked with horses and loved my job, on this particular day it was my job to fill a stable with bales of hay and straw and seeing as my boss was out and I couldn't drive I would have to barrow the bales from one end of the farm to the other - anything less than 4 bales on a barrow was deemed a waste of effort. I'd spent a good twenty minutes throwing the bales off the stack and into the yard ready for barrowing when the heavens opened, and I mean the rain was torrential. It only lasted about 20 mins but some of the bales had gotten so wet they'd doubled in weight and I still had to barrow 4 - 6 at a time.
I felt my back 'go' pretty early on but with no one else around to sort out some 20 odd horses I knew I'd have to keep going, even now I can remember the agony of every step and if I remember right I didn't actually manage to get all the bales loaded. By the end of the night with all horses fed, watered, groomed and the yard brushed I then admitted the agony I was in but I guess that because I'd shuffled about all afternoon nobody really believed how serious the pain was - then again I'm the girl who went to school and did PE for 3 days with a broken arm because I didn't dare tell my mum I'd broken it falling off a horse I shouldn't have been on.
My mum insisted I went to the docs immediately with my back though and I remember him telling me that I'd also managed to tear muscles on top of slipping the disc and that I needed at least 6 weeks off work.
"I can't" I insisted "I work with horses, I have to go in"
"Your choice" stated the doc "You want to be in a wheelchair by the time your 30, it's your choice".
Needless to say that got my attention and in fact I quit the horse job that day.
After several weeks rest I went back to work as a groom/jockey at a racing stables but within a week I knew my back was never going to be strong enough to support me while galloping in a jockey position - the pain would literally stop me breathing.
That was 25 years ago and now I'm right back in that pain.
My lower back has always been weak since that first slipped disc and I've grown used to the daily pain but there's 1 rule I always follow :- always bend from the knees and NOT from the back.
Last week I picked up a heavy planter and forgot the rule for some stupid reason. I felt the pain immediately and yet STILL continued to shift the planter.
Now I'm paying the price laid up with a slipped disc and unlikely to be able to do either run next week that my daughter and I have trained for.

Painkillers are working to an extent and 1 week later I have some improvement but as much as I want to do the run on Sunday (docs already said no) I don't want to make my back worse and increase recovery time.
So until I can run again I'll try to stay focused and not over indulge my sweet tooth while I feel sorry for myself.

Hooked!

I'm seriously hooked on Asparagus!
Last nights supper - Grilled Chicken, Potato, Onion/Tomato/Cucumber salad and loads of Asparagus.

3 mile forest run today with Leanne, we need to start getting back out on the roads and do a little less hill work cos my legs aren't recovering.

I haven't joined in with another Dietbet just yet because I'm going to start another round of Insanity and I know there's a chance of a weight increase to start with because I tend to retain fluid with this workout.
I've so missed Insanity though and cannot wait to begin this round knowing that I've dropped 18lb since the last one.

Asparagus and Smoothies

Last night I ate Asparagus for the first time. I'm not sure why I have never had it before maybe I assumed it would taste awful so just never bothered to buy it - well I'll be rectifying that from now on because I loved it and with these health benefits (according to eatingwell.com) I may even have a go at growing it myself.

1. It’s loaded with nutrients: Asparagus is a very good source of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells.
2. This herbaceous plant—along with avocado, kale and Brussels sprouts—is a particularly rich source of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps break down carcinogens and other harmful compounds like free radicals. This is why eating asparagus may help protect against and fight certain forms of cancer, such as bone, breast, colon, larynx and lung cancers.
3. Asparagus is packed with antioxidants, ranking among the top fruits and vegetables for its ability to neutralize cell-damaging free radicals. This, according to preliminary research, may help slow the aging process.
4. Another anti-aging property of this delicious spring veggie is that it may help our brains fight cognitive decline. Like leafy greens, asparagus delivers folate, which works with vitamin B12—found in fish, poultry, meat and dairy—to help prevent cognitive impairment. In a study from Tufts University, older adults with healthy levels of folate and B12 performed better on a test of response speed and mental flexibility. (If you’re 50-plus, be sure you’re getting enough B12: your ability to absorb it decreases with age.)
5. One more benefit of asparagus: It contains high levels of the amino acid asparagine, which serves as a natural diuretic, and increased urination not only releases fluid but helps rid the body of excess salts. This is especially beneficial for people who suffer from edema (an accumulation of fluids in the body's tissues) and those who have high blood pressure or other heart-related diseases. 

Last nights supper was so simple and yet tasted soooooo good.

2 Sausages, Onion/Tomato/Cucumber salad, Strawberries and that gorgeous Asparagus.

I also had a go at making my first fruit smoothie - Watermelon & Strawberry. I think I overdid the Strawberries and despite them being one of my favourite fruits they left a tang with the Watermelon. I preferred straight watermelon.

Looking forward to trying lots more recipes.

Leanne and I tackled that 3 mile hill run in the forest today. I've avoided doing the run a particular way round because it's uphill immediately and I always struggle in the first 10 minutes anyway so a hill is going to make me worse, but I figured I needed to face it so we did.
Amazingly we managed the 3 miles with just one short walk which was my fault because I'd gone too fast on a straight bit and had nothing left when the next hill came.
But we still averaged a 9 minute mile - get in!