Category Archives: chi running

Slept in yesterday, got up today

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I managed to get out of bed this morning early enough to get a good run in. It was touch an goi for awhile. I woke earlier than my alarm and thought I had forgotten to set it, but I had a hard time bringing myself awake enough to look. I went back and forth thinking “Oh I slept it, too late to run” and “maybe I am early and the alarm hasn’t gone off yet”. Well the alarm finally ruined my internal argument and let me know that not only had I not slept in, but I can still get up and go running. It was tough to say yippee, but I did anyway.

I really focused on my footstrike today trying to land more on the heel rather than the ball of my foot. This focus led me to focusing on visualizing cushioning my joints. The I thought, what the heck, lets think a bit more about my breathing too. Pretty soon I was totally wrapped up in my run and trying to stay focused which actually worked well. My feet still hurt a little, I am thinking I might drop by my ortho guy and ask him if another set of cushioning inserts would work with my current orthopedic inserts. I am a bit worried about stacking them up, but I think it will be ok.

I made a mistake the other day in letting my flip flops get covered in sand. I ground it in to the FF strap and made it like sandpaper which wreaked havoc on the tops of my feet. I am now one big band aid.

Injection bruise

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I am taking rebif for my ms. So far so good, I am just into my second month of full doses. The injections kind of freaked me out at first, as I am sure they do most folks. However I found them to not me too bad. I usually ice the area I am going to inject into beforehand and that seems to make it much less bothersome. I use the very ice paks they shipped the rebif to me with, at least part of that packaging is getting reused.

So I have had very few site reactions with the injections. I use the auto injector to take my shots and I find it to be very easy to use. About two weeks ago I had my first site reaction. I got this hard lump that hurt a little. It lasted for about two hours, then went away. I asked my sister about it who is a nurse and she said it can be the result of many things. I could have not prepared my injection area as well as I should have, possibly picking something up from my hands. My angle of injection may have been off. She also said that needles sometimes get spurs in them that pull on the skin upon removal or injection. So all things to keep in mind (not much to do about the spurs I suppose.)

It is recommended that you rotate your injection area around so as to do as little damage to the areas I suppose. Their are eight spots, actually four pairs: back of the arms, above the buttocks on the back legs, stomach and front of the legs in pairs of left and right sides. I keep a little injection journal to keep track of where I am. So as a runner, my legs are somewhat muscular and have less fat to inject the rebif into (fortunately for me (or not!) even though I run I have enough fat in the other areas to where it is no problem.) But the fronts on my thighs seem to be a real problem. I now have really nasty bruises on both legs and enough pain in my left thigh that I earlier thought it was an abductor injury. So I think I am going to have to skip that area. My sister does not think this is a big deal, if one area gives you trouble, then skip it. I think I might call mslifelines and ask them about it, see if they have alternative areas for injection or if I don’t need to worry about it.

No run today, the polution from last nights fireworks (as well as the lack of sleep) kept me in bed this morning. Tomorrow I’ll finish off the week with another 30+ week, three in a row now (or then).

Injection bruise

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I am taking rebif for my ms. So far so good, I am just into my second month of full doses. The injections kind of freaked me out at first, as I am sure they do most folks. However I found them to not me too bad. I usually ice the area I am going to inject into beforehand and that seems to make it much less bothersome. I use the very ice paks they shipped the rebif to me with, at least part of that packaging is getting reused.

So I have had very few site reactions with the injections. I use the auto injector to take my shots and I find it to be very easy to use. About two weeks ago I had my first site reaction. I got this hard lump that hurt a little. It lasted for about two hours, then went away. I asked my sister about it who is a nurse and she said it can be the result of many things. I could have not prepared my injection area as well as I should have, possibly picking something up from my hands. My angle of injection may have been off. She also said that needles sometimes get spurs in them that pull on the skin upon removal or injection. So all things to keep in mind (not much to do about the spurs I suppose.)

It is recommended that you rotate your injection area around so as to do as little damage to the areas I suppose. Their are eight spots, actually four pairs: back of the arms, above the buttocks on the back legs, stomach and front of the legs in pairs of left and right sides. I keep a little injection journal to keep track of where I am. So as a runner, my legs are somewhat muscular and have less fat to inject the rebif into (fortunately for me (or not!) even though I run I have enough fat in the other areas to where it is no problem.) But the fronts on my thighs seem to be a real problem. I now have really nasty bruises on both legs and enough pain in my left thigh that I earlier thought it was an abductor injury. So I think I am going to have to skip that area. My sister does not think this is a big deal, if one area gives you trouble, then skip it. I think I might call mslifelines and ask them about it, see if they have alternative areas for injection or if I don’t need to worry about it.

No run today, the polution from last nights fireworks (as well as the lack of sleep) kept me in bed this morning. Tomorrow I’ll finish off the week with another 30+ week, three in a row now (or then).

Quick start to the week

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I managed to get up and head out at 6:30 this morning. It seemed cool, but the thermometer said 61. I guess I must be getting used to the heat if 61 seems chilly. I started my run out with a small spell right off the bat, but didn’t have another the entire run even through my cool down. Ruthann is adamant that they don’t seem to be getting any better, but I disagree. I certainly don’t think the spells have gone away completely, but they are happening less and the severity is not nearly as bad. I am nor sure if dilantin is the perfect answer, but it seems to help. The question now is do I continue or switch meds. The other option is to increase the dosage AGAIN. Not sure I want to do that. I wish I knew what they did to my body. I know dilantin can affect the liver. My concern is what increasing the dosage will do as well as getting back on lipitor for cholesterol will do (if and when I do that.)

So side note. I walked to see the Happening yesterday. Being a big fan of M. Night S. I was looking forward to it, plus I really like Zooey Dechanel. I wanted to read some reviews first, but I was afraid they would reveal the traditional M. Night twist that comes at the end of all his movies. Well the movie was awful, just dreadful. And here’s the twist (spoiler alert): there was no twist. What a disappointment. At least the popcorn was good.

Quick start to the week

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I managed to get up and head out at 6:30 this morning. It seemed cool, but the thermometer said 61. I guess I must be getting used to the heat if 61 seems chilly. I started my run out with a small spell right off the bat, but didn’t have another the entire run even through my cool down. Ruthann is adamant that they don’t seem to be getting any better, but I disagree. I certainly don’t think the spells have gone away completely, but they are happening less and the severity is not nearly as bad. I am nor sure if dilantin is the perfect answer, but it seems to help. The question now is do I continue or switch meds. The other option is to increase the dosage AGAIN. Not sure I want to do that. I wish I knew what they did to my body. I know dilantin can affect the liver. My concern is what increasing the dosage will do as well as getting back on lipitor for cholesterol will do (if and when I do that.)

So side note. I walked to see the Happening yesterday. Being a big fan of M. Night S. I was looking forward to it, plus I really like Zooey Dechanel. I wanted to read some reviews first, but I was afraid they would reveal the traditional M. Night twist that comes at the end of all his movies. Well the movie was awful, just dreadful. And here’s the twist (spoiler alert): there was no twist. What a disappointment. At least the popcorn was good.

Volcano run

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This morning I left the house for my run at 7:15. It was already getting warm, so it was a good thing I got the early start. Since I got the early start and I was by myself (I never connected with my running partner) I decided to do my favorite run, Mt. Tabor. I usually do this by myself cause it is long. I also love it up there and the peacefulness of the solitude is wonderful. Mt Tabor is an inactive volcano, apparently the only volcano within the city limits of a major city, and is just over 2 miles from my house. Once I am at the park, I have a five mile trail I run, that winds around the caldera of the volcano (now capped with a basketball court), up the mountain to a 3/4 mile circle around the top, then down the back and around one of the several reservoirs on the mountain. I love it there, it is also very shady and cool on the trails which makes fr a great run any time of year (even during the wet seasons, the trails stay much pretty mud-free. The hardest part of the run is not the hill climbing (of which there is a lot) but the last 2+ miles home. Coming off the mountain it always seems extra hot and I haven’t found a good shady route back. But it is totally worth it.

I ran over 34 miles this week, which was more than I really should have. This week I probably should have only done 30 (according to limiting increases rules) so I figure I’ll shoot fpr that next week. Plus my watch seems to give me more miles than I actually run (I think my Tabor clocked at 8.5 last year on my Ipod, this time 9.3). But I can handle having the extra miles especially if I am not really running them!

BTW I took my rebif last night and seemed to only have a few shadow spells; one at the start and several during the last mile. I also didn’t take any ibuprofen before I ran. My leg muscles did feel a little achey while running and that was probably some light flu-like symptoms, or it could very well be the result of the amount of running I have been doing. I also read a post about joint pain and rebif. I am trying to spot it, but also be highly aware that I am exercising. My right knee has been occasionally achey while running, I am doing some pain-free Chi-running visualization where all my pounding joints have cotton in them absorbing the beating.

Volcano run

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This morning I left the house for my run at 7:15. It was already getting warm, so it was a good thing I got the early start. Since I got the early start and I was by myself (I never connected with my running partner) I decided to do my favorite run, Mt. Tabor. I usually do this by myself cause it is long. I also love it up there and the peacefulness of the solitude is wonderful. Mt Tabor is an inactive volcano, apparently the only volcano within the city limits of a major city, and is just over 2 miles from my house. Once I am at the park, I have a five mile trail I run, that winds around the caldera of the volcano (now capped with a basketball court), up the mountain to a 3/4 mile circle around the top, then down the back and around one of the several reservoirs on the mountain. I love it there, it is also very shady and cool on the trails which makes fr a great run any time of year (even during the wet seasons, the trails stay much pretty mud-free. The hardest part of the run is not the hill climbing (of which there is a lot) but the last 2+ miles home. Coming off the mountain it always seems extra hot and I haven’t found a good shady route back. But it is totally worth it.

I ran over 34 miles this week, which was more than I really should have. This week I probably should have only done 30 (according to limiting increases rules) so I figure I’ll shoot fpr that next week. Plus my watch seems to give me more miles than I actually run (I think my Tabor clocked at 8.5 last year on my Ipod, this time 9.3). But I can handle having the extra miles especially if I am not really running them!

BTW I took my rebif last night and seemed to only have a few shadow spells; one at the start and several during the last mile. I also didn’t take any ibuprofen before I ran. My leg muscles did feel a little achey while running and that was probably some light flu-like symptoms, or it could very well be the result of the amount of running I have been doing. I also read a post about joint pain and rebif. I am trying to spot it, but also be highly aware that I am exercising. My right knee has been occasionally achey while running, I am doing some pain-free Chi-running visualization where all my pounding joints have cotton in them absorbing the beating.

Seizure free 8.6 mile run

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This morning I struggled to get up. My alarm even had to wake me, usually I have been getting up before the 6 AM bell tolls, but no summer sunrise could do it this morning. I had to rely on FOX radio telling me the war is going great to do it (I have my radio on FOX cause Blazer games get broadcasted though it is way past time to change that this year.)

I had taken my rebif last night, no reactions and relatively pain free. I awoke with some flu-like symptoms and headed for the medicine cabinet for some ibuprofen. My mom planted the seed that I shouldn’t take it without eating something. Even though I have neevr done this in the past, I am sure her advice is not only true, but would cause me to have troubles the first time I went against it. So I grabbed my coffee, a raspberry emergen-C and a cliff bar (for the ibuprofen and some energy).

My abductor on my right thigh wasn’t bothering me at all. I don’t know if it was the rest and ice I have been giving it over the last 6 days or if it was indeed a reaction to a rebif injection. Perhaps I stuck myself in a muscle instead of fat. Either way I will take the thigh feeling better.

I wasn’t sure how far I would go, I thought I would see how my leg was doing. Turned out to be pain free for the entire run, so I decided I would do the full 8.6. Hopefully the ibuprofen wasn’t making me falsely confident and pain free. I did notice so issue with my hamstrings on my left leg (the other side) as well as some slight pain around the left kneecap. When I started out I decided to focus on my footstrike. I follow Chi Running by Dan Dreyer for most of my running form. Well as often happens I get into a run and start thinking about other things, so I loose my focus. Many of the ideas behind Chi Running become second nature the more you follow them, but occasionally I have found a need to re-focus in order to reestablish good habits. This need often raises its hand after injury to get me back into proper stride. So, back to the knee. As soon as I felt the problem I refocused on my Chi footstrike and the pain went away. Many time good running form can be totally over-rated and you should instead do what comes naturally rather than try to force yourself into a new pattern. Chi running and Danny’s concepts fit really well into my running, so I have adopted most of them. I also employ a leg style that incorporates a short leg lift in order to conserve energy as well as a forward lean for free speed. I can’t remember where I read about that, but it worked for me.

So my run was seizure free for the entire thing. It was also really cool out this morning, so that may have had something to do with things. Whatever, it was a great run. I hope to be able to get out tomorrow morning, but I know I need to be back early as Ruthann is taking one of our bedgies to the vet. Poor guy hasn’t been feeling well.

Seizure free 8.6 mile run

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This morning I struggled to get up. My alarm even had to wake me, usually I have been getting up before the 6 AM bell tolls, but no summer sunrise could do it this morning. I had to rely on FOX radio telling me the war is going great to do it (I have my radio on FOX cause Blazer games get broadcasted though it is way past time to change that this year.)

I had taken my rebif last night, no reactions and relatively pain free. I awoke with some flu-like symptoms and headed for the medicine cabinet for some ibuprofen. My mom planted the seed that I shouldn’t take it without eating something. Even though I have never done this in the past, I am sure her advice is not only true, but would cause me to have troubles the first time I went against it. So I grabbed my coffee, a raspberry emergen-C and a cliff bar (for the ibuprofen and some energy).

My abductor on my right thigh wasn’t bothering me at all. I don’t know if it was the rest and ice I have been giving it over the last 6 days or if it was indeed a reaction to a rebif injection. Perhaps I stuck myself in a muscle instead of fat. Either way I will take the thigh feeling better.

I wasn’t sure how far I would go, I thought I would see how my leg was doing. Turned out to be pain free for the entire run, so I decided I would do the full 8.6. Hopefully the ibuprofen wasn’t making me falsely confident and pain free. I did notice so issue with my hamstrings on my left leg (the other side) as well as some slight pain around the left kneecap. When I started out I decided to focus on my footstrike. I follow Chi Running by Dan Dreyer for most of my running form. Well as often happens I get into a run and start thinking about other things, so I loose my focus. Many of the ideas behind Chi Running become second nature the more you follow them, but occasionally I have found a need to re-focus in order to reestablish good habits. This need often raises its hand after injury to get me back into proper stride. So, back to the knee. As soon as I felt the problem I refocused on my Chi footstrike and the pain went away. Many time good running form can be totally over-rated and you should instead do what comes naturally rather than try to force yourself into a new pattern. Chi running and Danny’s concepts fit really well into my running, so I have adopted most of them. I also employ a leg style that incorporates a short leg lift in order to conserve energy as well as a forward lean for free speed. I can’t remember where I read about that, but it worked for me.

So my run was seizure free for the entire thing. It was also really cool out this morning, so that may have had something to do with things. Whatever, it was a great run. I hope to be able to get out tomorrow morning, but I know I need to be back early as Ruthann is taking one of our budgies to the vet. Poor guy hasn’t been feeling well.