Valentines Day

It's finally here! Valentines Day, Steve and I's least celebrated holiday :) I didn't end up decorating at all, so I guess I'll have to try again next year. I actually have a lot going on today, orthodontist appointment, errands, cleaning, homework and class. My schedule doesn't leave much room for romance...

But after class at 4:30 I think we might head over to Russian Jack park for the Sweetheart Ski. They have a "lovers loop" set up from 4pm to 7:30pm with free hot cocoa in the chalet. That sounds perfect to me, how about you? Have a happy Valentines Day!

Problems...

Well everyone, I have finally found out what has been causing the nagging pelvic pain (or tingling, or burning, or whatever it decides to be feeling at the moment). I have sciatica. The good news is, I will now be able to work towards solving the problem and getting back to normal. The bad news is, I have to retrain an entire muscle group in order to do so, and if it gets much worse without improvement, I could have to have surgery, as sustained nerve pressure can get so bad that it causes permanent damage to the nerve, which will in turn never relay messages quite right between my brain and my foot ever again. So…I have to start taking prescription anti-inflammatory and begin a psychical therapy regiment 3-4 days a week for four to six weeks. Sigh.

For the last month, I have been feeling pain/burning/tingling in the right side of my lower back/upper butt/pelivs and my whole right leg and foot go numb/cold/tingly as a result. This week it slowly started to get worse, until today I realized I really had to something about it. My right foot has been numb, cold and tingly feeling for about three days straight. I have to say, I am really glad that I went, because I get confirmation that there really is something wrong with me. I have a very bad habit of ignoring pain and thinking, “It’s fine, it will just go away on its own…blah blah blah”. Part of that is because I usually doubt my ability to decide whether or not whatever malady is affecting me is really something or if I’m just being a baby. But once again, I am shown that I really just need to get some help when I am in so much pain. Not that I’m in that much pain, it’s really more of a persistent annoyance, but still.

blah

(Me super excited about the state of my kitchen. and it only got worse)
I woke up at 5:30 this morning and slept fitfully after that until I finally got up at 7:15am. I was groggy and felt like I could have slept for hours and hours, but it wasn't to be. I let the dogs out and said good morning to my parents before sitting down to enjoy a bowl (or two) of lucky charms. Sugary cereals are a weakness for me, but I try to convince myself that it's better to indulge in them in the morning than to stuff my face with pints of Hagen daaz or a full package of raspberry licorice later in the day.

After sluggishly getting dressed and throwing my hair in a ponytail, I hopped into the car with my mom and little sis and headed off to my day. After spending the morning sitting on my futon reading all of Jill's (my all time favorite blog and inspiration) 2006 blog posts while the plumbers labored away in my kitchen, I went on to pick up Rebekah from work and headed back to my parents, looking foreword to hopping on my cannondale and riding for hours in the overcast, windy Alaskan afternoon. Unfortunately, once I got there and sat down, I couldn't get up again. And now I'm sitting here typing away instead of getting out logging some miles. It's strange, I spent all day looking foreword to biking, and now I can't find the motivation to do it. Now I've been invited to the dog park, and I feel like I can't pass that up, so I guess it might not be a biking day after all.

Maybe this lack of motivation has something to do with the fact that I dropped off my touring bike, a Novara Randonee, at REI yesterday for a total tune up, which is exciting and I can't wait to get it back all spic and span and working great. But at the same time, I just added batteries to my bike computer and only got to log one day with all the specific info before I dropped her off, so I'm missing that on my cannondale. I also just cannot wait to add some accessories to my Randonee to make her more comfortable and rideable for longer distances. But I always have plenty of elaborate plans that never seem to always come true exactly how I imagined them. I guess that's life, as they say. Fortunately, one thing I am pretty good at is making things work regardless of whether or not I have the perfect set up.

From Yesterday 6/17/1 0
Miles: 7
Average MPH: 16.2
Fastest MPH: 19.8
Slowest MPH: 2.3 (I was riding in the stop/start traffic of Anchorage's busiest streets)