Running is cheaper than therapy

I have a t-shirt that says this. I believe it 100%. Life, work and personal, can be hectic and stressful, and might cause one to go crazy, hence the title of my blog. I'm very Type A and let alot of things get to me. Internalizing stress is not good. Running is one great way to relieve that stress. That's why I enjoy it so much. I might not enjoy the actual runs themselves, especially when its so hot and humid, but when I'm done, I feel such a sense of accomplishment, no matter the distance. Its nice to still feel a sense of accomplishment after every run even though I've been running many distances for many years. Running has changed and improved my life in so many ways, more ways than I care to share on the internet. Just take my word for it... I'm a better person because of running.

My running group, Houston Fit, starts hill workouts today. I've been looking forward to it, because not only does running relieve stress, it also burns alot of calories! Unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll be able to participate... I am having terrible neck pain and have little mobility this morning. Its never a good sign when muscle relaxants and pain medication have no effect. Some history - I have degenerative disc disease in my neck, and had surgery in 2003 to fuse my 5-6 vertebrae after that disc ruptured into my spinal cord. Talk about pain! My neurosurgeon told me I could never run or do impact aerobic activity again. Okay. No big deal since I wasn't a runner in 2003. I hadn't ever run more than 3 miles in a row at the time. But as I was healing from my surgery and weaning myself off of all the medication I was on, sitting around doing nothing for 9 months, I couldn't get it out of my head that he said I could never run. It suddenly became a challenge for me... never say never, right? So in 2004, I signed up for Houston Fit to train for the Houston half marathon. I promised myself that if my neck bothered me in any way, I'd stop. Pretty soon, every Saturday morning, I was reaching new running milestones... 6, 7, 8 miles... and I felt great. It was so exciting, and my family was very supportive and excited for me. I decided to forget about the half marathon and go for the full Houston Marathon in January of 2005. I achieved that goal (there is nothing like crossing the finish line of your first marathon) and have never looked back (you can check out my marathons to the right). My neck really hasn't given me any issues since then, until now. I'm very concerned. I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't run. I'd miss the exercise, and most of all, the friends I've made in the training group. That's what really gets me up at 5 am on Saturdays. Plus, I might go crazy and actually have to pay for therapy!

My doctor is actually stopping by my office this morning while he is in my building (its great working for a medical school!). My guess is he'll order some scans. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is just an "episode" and not another disc issue.

Told you there would be some drama and venting in my blogs...I'm just getting started :)