Last night we taped up my little toe. By dinnertime, it was a lovely shade of purple. At least, that's what my stepdaughter says. Hey, she likes purple. My husband is beginning to worry. He hinted that I might want to at least consider a trip to the clinic. Honestly, I'd rather suffer through the pain. Besides, he said it himself. There really isn't anything they can do except maybe prescribe medicine. I really don't need a pain killer and I have plenty of NSAIDS available (Motrin). After all, this isn't my first trip to p-town..pain town that is. Pain and I, we go way back. There were the early days in uniform when my knees hurt all the time. There was the knee surgery where I had an allergic reaction to the anesthesia and nearly didn't wake up, the time I broke my wrist on a field training exercise, the time I delivered a 9.5 pound baby, the second knee surgery where they hit a nerve while doing an epidural (I wouldn't let them put me under with anesthesia). And lets not forget the chronic migraines that literally lasted for twenty years. Today, pain and I are like old friends who never seem to get along. We bicker back and forth until eventually one of us wins the battle. One day, its my back. Another, its my knees or my neck. And so on... Right now, its my stupid toe. Yes, it hurts. It hurts like the dickens (whatever that means).
So, this morning I was faced with the question, to walk or not to walk. I certainly could have waited another day. I could have done other things. But the truth is, I didn't want to. I wanted to walk. After all, Terry is a walker. So, despite what my old foe pain was telling me, I got up and tried my best to stay the course. I donned my work out clothes and went downstairs to have coffee with my husband. I fed the cat. I took my vitamins. Then, I put on my walking shoes. Breathe... Before you ask...yes, it was uncomfortable to put shoes on. But, you know what? Life is sometimes uncomfortable. That doesn't mean we lay on the couch and whine about it, right? Okay, some do. I used to. Not anymore. Now I am a warrior of health and fitness, a leader in the "I can do this" Army. We never whine about a little pain. Why? Because (repeat after me)..Pain is merely a pothole in the road of life. Take your time, breathe deep, and slowly go around it.
I went down to the basement gym and stepped up on the treadmill. My first thought? What am I doing? Am I nuts?(probably) I soon realized that my normal pace was out of the question, as was my normal incline.. No worries. I slowed my pace and walked at no incline. It took longer than usual. So long in fact, I had to stop the treadmill for a pee break about half way through. But, in the end, I made it to five miles. After that, I felt I could anything. I was supercharged. I was limping, but still I was mentally supercharged. I did my push ups next. I couldn't put any weight down on my left foot, but I managed my fifty. After one hundred sit ups, I took my shoes off. My foot was throbbing a bit. Also, I think I may have favored one side when I was walking because my hip hurt. I slowly did the butt lifts. That helped my back pain. Then, I did four hundred miscellaneous small weight reps. I was drenched, but I had a smile on my face. I had won this battle with pain. Take that!
We will see how it goes for you tomorrow, Pain. I love a good battle. Hooah!
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