Making it to the Boston Marathon 2014

Hi, I haven't posted in a while. I took the family camping for 4 days to Huntington Lake in the Sierras and then came back to a bunch of work to do. Thanks for the support Eric. Things are going ok overall with some minor issues. Joyce, read your updates... keep up the good work! Sounds like it's going well overall. Fight the good fight!

My TMS update:
I've been excercising and not really following a plan per se this year. I've just been doing what I feel like doing and when I feel like doing it, trying to listen to my mind and body more. During the camping trip, I took my mountain bike and went riding around just about every day. And the lake was just gorgeous and with hardly anyone there, I put on my wetsuit and swam around a lot. Everything felt pretty good with a few things going on.

First, I notice is that I feel something in my knee. It's like a "sensation" and not really a pain. I am telling myself it is TMS, but my mind wants to believe it is a real tissue damage. So I struggle a little with that. I avoid poking and prodding it so I don't obsess about it, but I have to admit that it is attracting my attention, which I know is part of the pain cycle. I won't ride again until the Tri I'm doing this Sunday so I'll report back on that later.

Secondly, I notice the pain underneath my right shoulder blade is still there. It is not really a bad pain... just a very slight feeling. I was able to swim at a leisurely pace all last weekend with no restricting pain after, but when I turn my attention to my shoulder... I feel that sensation. Bottom line is that I try not to think about it. I still think it *might* be the remnants of a real injury unfortunately even though there's no proof of that. I also think that it might just be TMS... I guess I'm on the fence about it right now.

Lastly, two weeks ago, after my big project went live at work, my low back started hurting. TMS can be the only reason as I did nothing physical that could have caused it. The only thing I can think of is that somehow the project reaching a big milestone somehow caused my pain. This has happened to me before when a BIG Event completes. (It happened the week after I completed an Ironman event.) The current pain subsided since 2 weeks ago, but the pain still there and I'm thinking psychologically about it... there's nothing wrong with my back.

My meditation practice has been going well. I do the 8 minute meditation just about every day. I admit I have missed a few days, but I do feel good about how much I've done so far. I'm on week #4 so working on the "This Magic Moment" where I practice being here now, letting thoughts go, allowing, allowing, allowing. It's a pracitce I want to get better at.
Enrique

 

Hi Enrique – That camping trip sounds really lovely in Sierras!

I thought a lot about your post and your TMS. And it seems there are similarities with how our TMS attacks us. We both get soreness when swimming (mine has moved from upper arm to shoulder!). We both have knee symptoms when biking and have both dealt with plenty of running TMS symptoms. It really does seem like TMS attacks us when we are doing the activities we love to do. When I played Irish flute seriously in my 30s, I thought I had come down with carpal tunnel syndrome (thank goodness I found Dr Sarno back then).

I have to keep reminding myself that TMS uses a clever strategy and attacks us where we will fear the onset of a physical injury. But like I’ve said it’s easier said than done. I still can’t seem to come to terms with my shin and whether or not it’s TMS. Those green Superfeet seem to help but I have other little minor aches and pains in my lower legs after doing a hard tempo run. Will my shin soreness return? What will happen if I get orthotics? Will they resolve my shin? Will my TMS pop up somewhere else? It’s tricky stuff!

Great job with the meditation! I think it’s really important. I have been doing 10 minutes most week days and need to start doing it on weekends. I have to admit my mind has been difficult to quiet lately. But at least I am making an effort.

I’m looking forward to a 19 mile run this Sunday. Although we are going to keep it a bit easier in speed and terrain this time. Also looking forward to getting on my road bike and hopefully a swim on Saturday. Later I get to ride my commuter bike home and then do a nice moderate 6 mile run. I suppose I should be really grateful I can lead an active life. I do need to stay on top of my TMS in order to do all this!

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

Joyce, yes, I agree with you on the symptoms showing up in those areas where they have a great impact and will draw our attention and fears. That's what makes TMS so tricky. How do we know it's not really an overuse injury, right? Yes, I struggle with that a lot. I think that's why I've been slow to heal from the shoulder and knee symptoms. But it's my belief that my my body is a healing machine that keeps me going.

This Sunday I did an unplanned thing... I signed up for an Olympic distance race. Next week I'm doing the one that I've been planning to do, but this one showed up on my radar and I just decided to do it. All in all it was a fantastic race. Not that I broke any records or set a PR. I actually performed the slowest Oly that I've ever done and came 2nd to last but I had a really, really great time. My goal was just to finish it and enjoy the day. I did that and I felt absolutely no pain. Well, I shoudl say that I did feel pain when some guy knocked me over while I was mounting my bike, but my bleeding knee was really not that bad at all.

I'm really excited about the race I've been planning on next Sunday. Now that I did this one yesterday, I'm even more pumpted to do it all over again next Sunday.

Hope you had a good weekend with the long run and the other cross training you're doing.

Enrique

 

Hi Enrique – congrats on doing the Olympic tri this weekend! That’s awesome you did it and without pain! You are definitely winning the battle over TMS even if it feels slow sometimes.

I can definitely relate to healing slowly due to wondering if my injuries are TMS or from overuse. It’s really hard when something truly seems like it’s an overuse soreness from an athletic pursuit. My shoulder is the same way lately. I’m only swimming once or twice a week and it’s still sore and been like this for a few weeks now with not much improvement. It’s not bad but I get annoyed it’s still bothering me. And I struggle thinking I did something with my upper body weight routine or swam too fast. I even sometimes believe I might have slept on it wrong which is ridiculous, but it’s been an off and on thing for a while now. A few months ago I woke up and it was very sore and lasted like that for weeks. Then it finally subsided. But I do plan on signing up for swim clinic again this winter where we swim hard (I get my butt kicked every week ). Just showing up will be my way of saying F-you to the TMS

My TMS update:
Saturday we didn’t get on our bikes as the weather was rainy off and on. But I did a good core workout and we swam later in the afternoon. It was cool so I used my wet suit. My shoulder hurt just a little in the beginning. I dismissed it as TMS and got a annoyed with it. Then it was fine for the rest of the swim. I was tired that day with low energy levels, but my shoulder was pretty good once I shrugged off the soreness as TMS.

Sunday we did our 19 mile run which was one of my best runs of the year. I ran 8 miles easier with my husband and then we did our own thing so I could go at more comfortable and speedier pace. I felt pretty comfortable running between 7:30s-8 minute miles. It was fun and I wasn’t in any pain. My shin did great and the rest of my body cooperated as well. I decided not to run with the green Superfeet as they were making both my arches sore. And my right lower leg was getting some odd sensations probably from the Superfeet. So without them I had a great run.

I do have this minor soreness in the back of my lower left leg that doesn’t hurt running but I feel it doing things like the pigeon stretch when I put pressure on the lower leg. I think this is nothing to worry about or just a little TMS. The important thing is that my legs didn’t feel sore running.

This morning I biked into work and I forgot about the TMS that has been targeting the top outsides of my knees. And guess what, they were fine! It was a lovely cool bike ride into work which was very enjoyable. I do have this niggly sensation on the middle of my right IT band but I’m not worried. I’m sure that will go away too.

Had a sports massage for my legs last night because I do think they are important for all runners/athletes when gearing up for a big event. Now that I’m coming into the bulk of marathon training I’m going to get them every 3 weeks. (Have one already scheduled). They hurt but really help afterward! The elite runners get them once a week but I can’t afford that!

Hope everyone’s doing well. I am feeling good about getting to my marathon in October and doing a half marathon in the middle of September. My TMS battle has been slow but I am seeing improvements and know my body is also getting stronger.

 

TMS update: Last weekend was pretty good in regards to my TMS where I even did a 19 mile run without pain or soreness. I had a massage on Monday as “maintenance” for my legs as the weeks get slowly more intense with marathon training. On Tuesday I had a nice bike commute to and from work and then a pleasant 5 mile run with my husband. All seemed fine. On Wed morning I noticed my right inner ankle was a little sore. I got this last year and Monte helped me through it. I even had a minor bit of this TMS at the end of June but then it was fine. Now it’s come back full strength. I’m thinking because my shin is doing well, my TMS needs a new spot to really upset me. When I did my 4 mile repeats (at 7:00 pace) in a 9 mile run on Wed night, my right ankle was the worst it’s been. It was also sore on yesterday’s 6 mile slow recovery run. It usually feels a lot better in the mornings. I’m trying not to worry as this has gone away in the past. But it’s frustrating as I fear it will hurt on tonight’s run. Being convinced 100% that’s it’s TMS is the crucial but hard part. I have to remind myself that 99.9 percent of these aches and pains is TMS because I am a classic TMSer – this is also according to Monte.

I did find this (below) which will probably be helpful as these testimonies usually end up helping me get through different TMS running symptoms. I copied this from Dr Sopher’s page:
http://www.tms-mindbodymedicine.com/tmsinfo.htm

Dear Dr. Sopher,
Two years ago, I successfully overcame neck, shoulder, and buttock pain using the mind-body approach. Your book was invaluable to me -- thank you so much for writing it. Utimately the approach that worked for me was pretty simple: I just started doing things again, regardless of how much it hurt. This meant sitting, running, typing, and just bearing the pain. When I stopped letting the pain dictate what I could do, it rapidly diminished, and I got my life back.
I am sure you get plenty of email inquiries, and I will understand if you can't reply to this one. But if you have a couple of spare moments, I am hoping you can answer a question for me. The pain I dealt with back then was chronic. I'd had it for 6 months, and it was pretty obvious there was no real injury. But once you get active again, how do you tell if an "injury" is really an injury or TMS?
This is relevant to me because I am registered for a marathon on Oct. 28. Last weekend, I started having severe foot/ankle pain -- it's painful to walk on (much less run) and tender to touch. My doctor says that I've injured a ligament and tendon below my ankle, probably by turning my ankle. He says to forget about the marathon. On the other hand, I do not remember turning my ankle. There's no obvious swelling. This injury also occurred after the first week of my taper, when I'd significantly reduced my mileage. After hearing that it wasn't a stress fracture or anything like that, I tried to treat it as TMS and run through it. This is what I usually do when I experience pain when running -- and it's always gone away. But after a grand total of 12 excruciatingly painful miles this week, it is only getting worse, and I am starting to think the doctor may have been right. I don't think I will run the marathon.
I know you can't diagnose me via email. But as a runner yourself, I know you've faced similar situations (in fact, I read about one in your book). If you do have time to respond to this, I would appreciate your thoughts on how to distinguish TMS from a real injury, particularly when one doesn't have access to a TMS doctor.
Thank you -- and best wishes, S.
S.,
Your story is classic--it is one of that I have heard many times and also experienced. I have absolutely no doubt that your foot pain is a TMS manifestation and an example of what Dr. Sarno refers to as the symptom imperative. That means that the brain never gives up its strategy and will find new places to put pain. Foot pain has become epidemic in our society, a fact that I discuss in my book. Preparing for a marathon is very stressful; there is a tremendous amount of self-imposed pressure. There has to be--training requires an enormormous time commitment and meticulous attention to detail about nutrition and fluid intake, not to mention a lot of long runs. What your doctor has told you is what I refer to as "myth." The more you train, the more fit you become; that means you become stronger, more able and less prone to injury. If you do not recall a particular traumatic event, then there was none and you cannot be injured. I hear from so many distance runners about pain that begins when they taper, when they are doing less! How does that make sense?!?! The reality is that the marathon is getting closer and with it comes the inevitable anxiety about performance. Did I train enough? Will I hit my goal for time? What if the weather does not cooperate? Bad weather on race day is beyond disappointing--it can make the weeks of preparation seem almost a waste, right? Acknowledge these sources of stress.
If you can apply the TMS concepts as you did before with your other symptoms, you will triumph again. The key to getting better is eliminating the doubt you have that there could be some physical, rather than psychological cause.
Please keep me posted with your progress.
Marc Sopher, M.D.
Dr. Sopher,
Thanks for your reply. You told me exactly what I needed to hear. I did my best to think of my ankle pain as TMS and convince myself I couldn't have a physical injury. On Monday of last week, my ankle suddenly felt much better -- I doubt a real physical injury would have healed overnight like that. I ran my marathon on Sunday and qualified for Boston, as I'd hoped. My ankle feels just fine (though everything else is pretty sore!).Thanks again for your help,
S.

 

I also found this:
http://www.stjohnprovidence.org/innerpage.aspx?PageID=2480
Fear and conditioning. Fear plays a significant role in prolonging symptoms. Current medical wisdom says that you can't arch your back, you can't lift anything heavy, you can't sleep on a soft mattress, you can't sit for too long, you can't slouch, you can't sit in a non-ergonomically-correct chair, you can't run on pavement, blah blah blah. So if you experience pain after running on pavement, for example, you're probably going to blame the pain on the activity of running on pavement. It's Pavlovian conditioning. You're probably going to be afraid to run on pavement from that point on, because you know how miserable the pain is and you'll do anything to prevent an attack. So you start to gradually change your life, to the point where you're no longer able to do the majority of your favorite activities. You have to completely accept and understand the TMS diagnosis in order to undo this conditioning. It's crucial to resume your normal activities, to prove to yourself that there is nothing physically "wrong" with your back or neck or elbow or whatever.

 

Hey there. I like that you're taking action to rid yourself of the fear, doubt, and conditioning. I've been doing the same here. It seems for me that it's a slow process of working out regardless of the pain, but taking it easy and just ramping up the duration and intensity slowly over time. While I have been successful this year in that, I wish it weren't such a slow process. That being said, I'm very happy that I am feeling good about this Sunday's Triathlon. It's the race I've been training for since Feb. Although I'm far from my peak prior-year fitness, I plan to race hard and finish under 2:50. My PR is 2:42 so we'll see... I'm expecting zero pain during or after the event. Wish me luck!

Hope your training goes well and the ankle pain evaporates in good TMS fashion.

Enrique

 

Best wishes for a great triathlon this Sunday!! You've been working hard with your training and TMS battle and I know you'll have a successful day. A 2:42 and 2:50 both sound fast for the Olympic distance. Heck, I'd love to just finish one next year My coach used to say at the end of a training cycle to not worry since the "hay is alreay in the barn". You've already done your work and preparation. Now you just have to go out there have fun and not worry about the pain (I know it's easier said than done). But it sounds like you are on the right path to a great race!

Yes I really need to take action or else I won't be running and the TMS could derail my training. I've been working too hard for that to happen. I leave my cube in less than an hour. (ugh! such a long day ) Then I can go for my run. It's rainy but warm and should still be a nice evening for a run. I'm not going to let the fear take over. There's nothing wrong with my ankle. How could I be that fragile as Dr Sopher would suggest.

The weekend is supposed to be very nice and sunny here in VT. Planning on getting on the road bikes and hopefully swim tomorrow and then run on Sunday.

Happy Friday everyone! Again, best wishes Enrique! You deserve it!

 

Much appreciative of this thread as after a long hiatus I have started working out again. I have been mindful but fear I have succumbed to the 'terrible toos' and have trained too hard.

I have a shin splint which is responding to RICE and an age old achilles problem which is something of a bugbear. Both are on the right side, and for a handful of days my mind has jockeyed 'is this tms or not'?

I've decided to play safe. To rest, and follow this with some yoga and leg strengthening, then I'll have both confidence and power to bounce back.

So thankyou JoyceVT and Enrique for this balanced and very informative thread.

 

Hi Plum – thanks for posting. I’m sorry to hear about your shin and Achilles. We can definitely relate to these problems. For me my shin is tricky but every other ache and pain from running usually goes away after treating it as TMS. Everyone is different so do what feels right for you. Resting for a bit and then building back slowly sounds like a good plan to build confidence. I wish you the best. Please keep us posted on how your running is going.

I hope Enrique had a successful triathlon this past Sunday.

My TMS update: I’m still doing well with training. Things are not 100% perfect in regards to my TMS but I’m working hard and taking it one day at a time. Saturday was busy and we only had time for a bike ride. It was nice to be out on my road bike. It was a gorgeous sunny day and I wanted to do more than 31 miles. But with the wind, hills and a 20 mile run on Sunday we decided that 31 miles would be good enough. No real TMS problems on the bike ride which was nice.

Sunday was a 20 mile run for me (19 for my husband). We ran part of it on a new half marathon course we signed up for on 9-15-13 (in preparation for my Baystate marathon). The good news is that my right inner ankle which was very sore during the week was almost completely better for the 20 mile run. I felt it a little a few times but it was very minor. And afterward it was pretty good. It think that TMS symptom is behind me for now!

Because my right ankle was good, I did have some small minor TMS symptoms in my left shin. Just a few twinges here and there but for the most part it was fine. I do still have this inner soreness deep in my left calf muscle that could be a deep shin splint on the back of the bone. But then again, it’s probably just more TMS.

The funny thing about this morning is that I woke up with both arms a little sore because I’m planning on swimming after work today. My TMS is always trying to trick me somehow. But it’s not stopping me or scaring me from swimming later. In fact my arms are starting to feel a little better!

 

Yesterday my arms were pretty good swimming with just a few minor aches. Swam alone across the reservoir for the firt time. Plenty of kayakers and paddleboarders around in case something happened. Too warm for a wet suit which is why I was a little tentative. I even did some upper body strength work later when I got home. Left inner calf doing better than yesterday.

Started to rain on my bike commute into work so I only got about 4 miles in until my husband rescued me Maybe the rain will cooperate later after work so I can log a few more miles. I do look forward to a nice run as well.

 

Hello! Well, I want to report that my Sunday triathlon went very, very well!! I felt absolutely no pain in my shoulder, my knee, feet, or back. I really had a wonderful race. I didn't beat my goal time, but that's ok. I was much more excited to just be out there doing what I love to do and not worrying at all about pain or the limitations that it has place on me since last July. I ended up in 8th place out of 17 in my division which isn't that bad at all considering that I'm really out of shape compared to last year.

I was able to push my effort in the swim as much as I wanted with zero pain in my shoulder. The only thing was that I mad e mistake and followed a guy who didn't know where he was going I suppose and we both ended up a little off course. I pushed on the bike as much as my fitness would allow me without cooking my legs and my knee was totaly fine. The course was a little longer than it should have been.. about 2K. The run was really awesome. I was able to negative split the course and finish really strong. Total time was around 2 hr 55 min. If not for going off course in the swim and the long bike course, I think I could have met the < 2:50 goal.

I'm actually, now looking forward to slowly increase my training intensity over the next 6 months to come into next season much more fit. I have at least one more triathlon this season in September which I plan to just do the best that my fitness will allow me to do.

Now, on a different note..... I was laid off last Wednesday from a 12 year position! I was very surprised when it happened. I've been on the other end of a layoff many times but this is the first time when I'm the one being let go. After it happened, I sat quietly for a while, prayed, thought about my emotions, talked about it with my wife and really just let everything sink in. I think everything happens for a reason. Opportunties present themselves in events such as this. I truly believe the saying that in every adversity there is a seed to an equal or greater benefit. Wish me luck as I work though this change in my life. I think it's rather exciting actually!

 

Hi Enrique – firstly congrats on fantastic triathlon! I’m so happy to hear you completed all three sports without pain! That is wonderful news! You are definitely on the winning side of TMS! Sounds like a great way to finish up with a negative split! I think I need to learn from you and just be happy to finish my upcoming marathon without pain or injuries and not worry too much on time! (I get caught up with PRs and putting pressure on myself which only adds to my TMS) We will become stronger and fitter the more we stay on top of our TMS and have the opportunities to train without fear and holding back. So it’s great to have upcoming events in the short and long term.

I’m so sorry to hear about your job! I can totally relate to what you are going through! I lost my job due to my division in the company being eliminated a couple years ago. I really had a sweet gig working 4 days a week in a good company with low stress in downtown Burlington, VT. I had it made! Life was good. I was devastated when I lost that job! I still miss it!

You are much more enlightened than I was since you were so good to just sit with your feelings and let them process. I never did that. I was so upset and ended up with a severe shin splint that unraveled my training and threw me on the sidelines for almost 3 months. I am grateful to have a good job with a decent company, but I wish we were financially secure enough where I could just quit my cubicle job and go volunteer on an animal sanctuary, grow a garden, and train for marathons and eventually triathlons.

It sounds like your layoff might be a blessing as your job was causing you so much stress and your boss sounded very difficult. I’m sure you’ll find something so much better and healthier. High stress jobs are just not sustainable. So it does sound exciting that you will have new opportunities coming your way. I really like the quote “In every adversity there is a seed to an equal or greater benefit”

If you feel like moving your family to Vermont, there are always jobs here at Green Mountain Coffee Roasters where I currently work

 

TMS update: So I’ve been fretting over my left shin area and the soreness on my lower inner left leg the last couple of days. I decided to stick the green Superfeet back into my running shoes since I had an 8 mile run with 6 tempo miles at planned marathon pace yesterday. I was nervous about this workout as I could still feel the soreness. But I was so happy that my shin area/lower left leg cooperated on the run. I know using the Superfeet isn’t going to cure my TMS, but they might be giving my shin a little relief. I wouldn’t wear them for anything else other than my shin which is still not completely better. All my other aches and pains I know are TMS but my shin is my “Achilles heel” and I’m still not convinced it’s 100% TMS.

My TMS saga is starting to become a comedy. Since my left shin area was doing better (with just a few minor random twinges) on the run yesterday, I started to feel my right lower OUTSIDE of leg a couple times during the run. It wasn’t anything bad but it was sore to touch after the run. And I can still feel the soreness on the tendon today, even when walking. It is mild and I’m not too worried as I know it’s just another manifestation of TMS.

Even though this is classic TMS behavior, I still have that slight fear in the back of my mind that it could be the beginning of a running injury. My TMS is always bouncing around to new spots. Last week it was my right inner ankle. This week it’s a tendon area on the lower outside of my right leg. And when nothing else is bothering me, my shin starts to act up a little. Maybe my TMS is on the run? (no pun intended). Maybe I have more work to do in order for my symptoms to vanish completely. But I know Monte and Dr Sopher would both agree I’m dealing with more TMS. I’m a typical runner-type TMSer! So today I’m not going to worry about it. I had a nice bike commute into work. It’s a gorgeous sunny day. I can’t wait to ride back towards home and then do my 6 mile recovery run. I am not going to have fear today.

We took the day off tomorrow so we could do a longer bike ride and just enjoy the day. The whole weekend is supposed to be nice and I look forward to being active and spending time outside. If I don’t check in again this week, have a great weekend everyone!

Enrique, my thoughts are with you and I hope you are doing OK.

 

Hello, Thanks for the well wishes. I am doing well. I'm taking this week very easy, doing easy, short workouts. It's not always easy to have the confidence in the TMS diagnosis, but you have a couple of very knowledgeable people (Monte and Sopher) on your side to help give that confidence. Focus on that vs those doubtful thoughts. I also just thought of Alan Gordon's "Breaking the Pain Cycle" and think about the extinction burst. The pain starts to increase when you try to break out of the cycle. You could be experiencing that.

Well, for me, I am doing well after the race on Sunday. Like I said, I'm taking it easy right now. I plan to do one more triathlon in 5 weeks so I'll get back to regular workouts next week. I do still have some pains (foot, shoulder, glute, low back), but none are bad enough to not workout. And my knee seems fine, but there's a weird "sensation" there that I can only assume is TMS. I'm able to run, bike, do squats with no pain, but that odd sensation, almost like a pressure-from-within is there. I try not to think about it. As for my income situation, I have been preparing to start a real estate business since January and I figure that now is as good a time as any to do it. So that's what I'm focused on. There will be pressure for sure since it's a pure commission type of income and my ability to handle the stress in a positive way will be tested I'm sure. (Worse case, I can move over to VT and roast some coffee . I love coffee btw )

Enjoy the weekend!

 

Hey Enrique!
Thanks for the reminder of the Extinction Burst, I needed that as I've had a relapse (or whatever it's called) and it took me 2 months to figure out that it's TMS! Now that I'm re-reading The Divided Mind and also just starting Dr. Schubiner's Unlearn Your Pain it's good to go over all the things that I learned 8 yrs ago. The Extinction Burst is a new term for me but it's spot on!!
My TMS nausea extinction burst is at a high pitch, but there's good news- I now have ringing in my ears!
Have a great weekend!

 

Hey Rinkey! I'm glad to have helped you a little bit. Sounds like the symptom's on the run. Hope you have a great weekend also!

 

Enrique-
What?? I can't hear you from the tinnitus in my ears! And I'm not kidding!
Glad to see that you're still using the term "sensation"! Awesome.

 

Yes, I use that word a lot. BTW, I also have tinnitus... had it since I was a kid. Doesn't bother me much though... it's just there and don't really notice it until moments like this one where I think about it.... I'm sure yours will go away.

 

Hi Enrique – that’s so great to hear you are going to start your own real estate business! And from what I understand about the housing market, now would be a great time. My running coach is originally from SoCal and is moving back soon. She says there is not enough inventory and houses are selling within days (this is Orange Cty). Hopefully Northern Cal is doing well too! I wish I was brave enough to start my own business. I always wanted to open a running store and coach people. There’s still time…….

My TMS update: We had a really nice 3 day weekend. Friday we did a 6am group swim for 1.2 miles. I was so happy I could keep up with friends who do triathlons on a regular basis. One person thought it was so funny that I haven’t done a triathlon yet since I swim and ride my bike on a regular basis in addition to the marathon training. We later did a 49.3 mile bike ride and that went well. No aches or pains swimming or riding but the medial side of my right knee was very sore just walking around. This lasted the whole weekend and seems to be subsiding now. It doesn’t hurt to run, bike or swim but after being still for a while it would really hurt when walking. Yes, another TMS symptom!

My shin was a little bothersome which was a surprise on last Thursday’s run. I didn’t run on Friday but ran 7 miles on Saturday and it was a lot better. I’m also back to using the green Superfeet. Sunday’s 15 mile run went very well. My shin and legs had minimal aches and pains. I was even able to do a few miles at marathon pace which was fun. This morning just a few minor aches and pains but nothing alarming. Glad today is a rest day from running and biking. Going to swim after work today and that will be the best part of my day.

4 weeks until my first half marathon this year (first race of the season!!). Feeling like I will get there!

I need to read more of Alan Gordon’s work! Thanks for the reminder of the extinction burst!