I <3 EA SportsActive for the Wii
Or, an amazing thing happened today on my run.
So, I haven't run in a week. Last Sunday I did a 5k and had a lot of fun, but didn't run at all the following week. (I saw one of the Dr's from the office I used to work and he was running the 10 miler - yikes! Way to make me feel like a wimp for only doing 5k!)
Running is pain management for me. It's a weird system; you wouldn't think that pounding my joints into the pavement for miles on end would actually help align my spine and decrease the pain due to the crappy-ass discs in my back, but it does.
If I don't run every other day or so, my back pain increases exponentially for every day that I miss. I'm still in pain almost all the time, but it's waaaaaay less if I run regularly. Most often it's not really even all that noticeable, it's more like white noise that fades into the background. So if I miss a couple days or week, when I go back to the track it's excruciating.
Instead of running the past week, I've been using the SportsActive game for the Wii. The exercises are simple, but usually brisk enough to make me break a sweat. I mainly wanted it to get some regular structured exercises for my upper body, while also building the muscles I use while running. The resistance band that it uses is awkward and annoying, and not really strong enough to strength train. But it's better than nothing.
So, back to the amazing thing that happened.
I ran 3.5 miles, as is my usual routine. And for the first mile or so, no pain. There wasn't one part of my body that was in pain. I honestly don't remember the last time that happened - I'm so used to being in pain, even if it's just a dull ache, that the absence of it was quite strange. So I sprinted :)
The pain came back somewhere during mile 2, but still! Awesome.
So, I haven't run in a week. Last Sunday I did a 5k and had a lot of fun, but didn't run at all the following week. (I saw one of the Dr's from the office I used to work and he was running the 10 miler - yikes! Way to make me feel like a wimp for only doing 5k!)
Running is pain management for me. It's a weird system; you wouldn't think that pounding my joints into the pavement for miles on end would actually help align my spine and decrease the pain due to the crappy-ass discs in my back, but it does.
If I don't run every other day or so, my back pain increases exponentially for every day that I miss. I'm still in pain almost all the time, but it's waaaaaay less if I run regularly. Most often it's not really even all that noticeable, it's more like white noise that fades into the background. So if I miss a couple days or week, when I go back to the track it's excruciating.
Instead of running the past week, I've been using the SportsActive game for the Wii. The exercises are simple, but usually brisk enough to make me break a sweat. I mainly wanted it to get some regular structured exercises for my upper body, while also building the muscles I use while running. The resistance band that it uses is awkward and annoying, and not really strong enough to strength train. But it's better than nothing.
So, back to the amazing thing that happened.
I ran 3.5 miles, as is my usual routine. And for the first mile or so, no pain. There wasn't one part of my body that was in pain. I honestly don't remember the last time that happened - I'm so used to being in pain, even if it's just a dull ache, that the absence of it was quite strange. So I sprinted :)
The pain came back somewhere during mile 2, but still! Awesome.