"Stay Very, Very Calm"

Before I get to that however, I want to give you all a giant thank you for your thoughtful responses over the last week or so, but especially as relates to yesterdays' video.  I can't tell you enough times how rewarding the whole experience is.  Riding my bike, recording my unrehearsed thoughts, listening to them afterwards, and then the real bonus; getting to hear your reaction.  Priceless!!

I actually recorded another video on the same ride, and my original intent was to show it to you today.  That all changed on account of my experiences today, and hence the title of my post.  I have something more pressing to discuss.

So yes.  I need to stay very calm.  I need to sit quietly and reflect.  I need to be very careful, and extremely patient.  I need to deny any impulsive reaction.

You see, here's what happened.  It would normally have been ride day, but since February returned with a vengeance, and since I'm a wimp, I left my bike on the stand.  I ran and walked yesterday, and although I didn't feel too bad, I was pretty sure that today was gonna be more walk than anything.

And before anyone reminds me, I know that it was just  the first of this month that I swore off running, and here I am again, banging my head against the proverbial wall.  Despite falling off of that wagon I have made sure that my efforts were very easy, and I don't think that the intermittent running I am doing is causing me any problems.

So today I started out at a very slow jog and anticipated lots of easy walking.  I have learned to recognize the tension in my chest before it's too late, and have developed the discipline to let myself walk, and recently even to walk easy, instead of my demented race walk thing.

But!  When the tension first came at about 2 kms I decided to do everything in my power to relax through it, rather than give it up right away.  Much to my surprise, within a few minutes I felt totally in control again!!  That same thing happened at about 3 kms, and again I relaxed and kept  going with no problem.  To make a long story short, that happened 2 or 3 more times on my run around the block, and each time I was able to make the tension go away!

Note what I said.  My "run around the block"!!!

I checked and that has not happened at least since last years Ironman, and I don't know for how long before that??  I ran around the damn block!!  Seven and a half glorious kilometres!!!  No walking!!!
No tension, no anxiety, no pain!!!

And you know what the real kicker is?  I could  have kept going!  I actually seriously considered it, but it was at that point that I decided what the title of my post would be.

I need to stay very, very calm.  I need to read no more meaning into this other then perhaps the possibility that I'm slowly making progress.

I'm determined to do retain my composure, but right now I'm also gonna let myself feel at peace.  It's kinda funny but since seeing the ENT and getting a clean bill of health on my throat, as well as seeing the head shrinker, I seem to have stopped worrying about doom and gloom physical health issues....hmmm...

So that's it!  I'm not gonna change my strategy at all based on today's events.  I will continue to try to ride every other day, weather permitting, and on alternate days I will run/walk as dictated by my comfort.

“Opportunity seldom rises with blood pressure.” ---Jarod Kintz

Love

Peter