went for a run on monday morning. made myself go because no, it still does not come naturally. and it was hard. i felt slow. my legs hurt. my knees hurt. eventually i started feeling that old pain on the side of my hip. thought it might be from bouncing up and down in the speed boat on saturday. gave myself a talking to and pushed through it. did 16 laps and was actually only about a minute slower than my previous time.

later, the pain had still not gone away so i lay on the kitchen floor and used the sun harmony chi machine while the puppy jostled around me, licking my ear. it’s the strangest machine – one of those items you find in a second hand store and nobody knows what’s it’s used for! you place your ankles in 2 indentations, switch on the machine and lie there for about 15 minutes while it rocks from side to side, providing these s-like undulations to run up your spine. when it stops you experience the most incredible rush as the blood literally whooshes through your veins.

a few ibuprofen later, the pain had still not gone away and some googling informed me that i have either a.) legs of different lengths – which is possible b.) bad shoes (nah, these were professionally fitted) or c.) need to shorten my stride length, but in the meantime, i need RICE. rest. ice. compression. elevation. just as i’m beginning to get a little closer to that 10k mark!
not hip, not happy, not happening. tried the chi machine again this morning. will try some ibuprofen and see how i feel this afternoon.