Still Smokin'

Sorry for the hiatus, folks. Well, things are moving along. As always, not fast enough, but still moving forward. I'm getting in about 10 miles a day on foot and incorporated stair work outs again.  I started swimming as well, or rather splashing around like a kid with ADHD after sucking down a couple Cokes. My freestyle ain't pretty. I manage to get in about 40-50 laps before the back lets me know it's time to stop.

I'm still being taunted by this persistent pressure in my low back. It's a very familiar type of discomfort that I've beed dealing with for about 20 years, but it's not completely limiting me from getting out and living my life. I'm coming up on 5 months now and haven't experienced any sharp pain or numbness and tingling for a while, so I'm hoping that phase is behind me. That 'foreign object' feeling comes and goes. Some moments I feel light and airy, other moments I know it's there. I imagine this will follow me around for a while based on accounts from other ADR patients.

About 6 weeks ago I was able to begin stretching again, starting slowly and inching my way back to yoga shape. My downward dog is starting to look pretty damn good. I can bend at the waist and rest my knuckles on the ground, so the hammies and glutes are starting to respond. I can ease into a spinal twist that really helps stretch out my piriformis. Stretching, more than anything else, seems to really help with my recovery. And it just feels good to know that I can bend and twist without that fear of something 'catching'.

One big change is the work situation. I've been living the lifestyle of the not-so-rich and shameless on the beach for most of this year, and it looks like this extended vacation is coming to an end. I accepted a job that starts on August 25th. I'm not looking forward to sitting for long periods of time, which my job requires, but it will be nice to get back to work and start replenishing those pennies I spent in Germany. I'll be in Santa Monica for a few more weeks, but I'm moving to Santa Cruz for the foreseeable future. The new job allows me the freedom to work remotely, so I'm going to check out a couple other potential locations to lay my head. But for a while at least, I can be found traipsing around the forests in the Santa Cruz mountains searching for Sasquatch.

Peace out!

Good luck, Drew!

During my recovery I've become friends with a fellow spiney who has had a long and arduous road to surgery. Right about now he's moments away from going under the knife in Barcelona to have three discs corrected with a combination fusion and disc replacement.

Good luck, Drew! See you on the other side! Bring me back some paella.

- I

What goes down must come up

I had intended to go out for a light walk and ended up doing some serious climbing. For the first time in a long while I can honestly say my legs are cooked. One trail in particular was about 900 feet of elevation in less than a mile. I've done more on the single speed, but since it's been the better part of a year since I've really exerted myself, that took some effort. As always, the climb up was much easier on the back, but the river at the bottom was worth the descent.

A River Runs Through It

The good news is that my sacrum and hips feel pretty decent while hiking. It's my low and mid back that get cranky. But once I sit or lay down for a moment it seems to settle down for a while. It feels more muscle related than mechanical at this point, which is what concerned me a couple months ago. Muscle tension I can deal with. 

Here Kitty Kitty

I caught a fairly spectacular fireworks show in Scotts Valley with some friends last night. Living in the Bay Area you aren't accustomed to actually seeing fireworks as it's quite common for fog to role in this time of year in the evenings. In the 6 years I lived in San Francisco I never actually 'saw' a fireworks show. More like a cloudy glow. Unfortunately my camera was dead, so no photos of the pyrotechnics. But trust me, it was awesome! But here are some flags for ya!

'Murica! Home of the big gulp and land of the monster truck.

So things are moving in the right direction. Setbacks are fewer and less frequent, and gains seem to be multiplying. Knock on wood. 

I hope everyone had a great fireworks day!

8 Mile

Indeed

More like 8 and a half. I managed to manhandle my biggest workout yesterday. I eeked out an 8.5 mile hike with about 1500 feet of climbing. As expected, walking downhill is the hardest part, but the uphill climbs felt good. I'm very conscious of how I plant my feet and absorb energy on steep descents. Who knew your knees could act like shock absorbers!? I stopped and rested a couple times when my back tightened up, but overall felt pretty decent and was able to push off my feet without any pain. There were numerous short, steep hills and one long climb that forced me to elevate my heart rate. I miss feeling my ticker pump hard. Being winded is a glorious feeling!

Natures lawn mowers

It's a popular loop in the East Bay hills that circles around a huge valley with an intricate network of singletrack trails favored by mountain bike hating hikers. I stuck with the fireroad to play things safe. But I'm building back up towards tackling more technical trails with varied terrain. Inching closer and closer to getting back on the bike!

Room with a view

Overall I'm pretty satisfied with my effort. I was very tight and stiff after the hike, but once I sat down and rested my weary bones I felt OK and was able to enjoy a nice meal with a friend in relative comfort. Exercise itself is less of a concern so much as the recovery, and once my back settled down after the hike I was relieved knowing I can handle such efforts and feel a lot better about slowly increasing my output. Operative word being slowly. Not taking any chances this time! I think that's called growth. Damn, I hate this getting old and patient stuff!

Now where's that Everest mountain place people say is tough?