Rainy Sunday

It was a good thing I didn’t push myself during my run because I had the potential for doing some damage to my left leg. After helping the student from the PFT class it was time for me to go into the dorm. The ache in my left glutus maximus was getting more painful. As soon as I got inside I asked my bunk neighbor if he had any ibuprofen and fortunately he had a 600 milligram capsule. The only pain reliever which helps me alleviate any aches is ibuprofen and I was fortunate to receive one. After taking the capsule, it was time for a shower. I stopped calling it a hot shower because my fantasy about actually taking one of these has been squashed. I am now settling for a “lukewarm” shower which certainly beats a cold shower. As I was taking a shower, I could feel the pain diminish slowly. This certainly was a good sign but even though the pain was going away, I still could feel a dull ache. Had this ache occurred while I was on the outside I would have treated it with a heating pad and ice regime. However, neither of those two items is available so I am doing my best with what I have.

After I got out of the shower and got dressed I did some more writing while sitting on my bunk. I tried the best I could to take some of the pressure off my left glute. I propped up my two blankets and sat on them; however, the sitting only seemed to make the matter worse - it seemed to stiffen up. I did a few stretches prior to walking to the dining hall for dinner. As I walked to dinner I was walking with a noticeable limp. The pain is not very bad at all but when I make certain sudden movements I can feel it more. I made it to the dining hall without any problems but I was being very self-conscious as I limped. In my deluded mind, I set myself up for the inmate who runs all the time and is in very good shape so I wanted to mask my injury from my fellow inmates. Interestingly enough only one person asked me I was okay and that was my bunk neighbor when he saw me limping out of the dining hall. This means one of two things: either I was masking my injury very well or frankly no other inmate cared that I was limping. I will go with the latter and I have to deflate my ego or I will further injure myself.

Last night’s dinner was a good one because I consumed enough calories. It was Mexican food night and I received extra beans, rice, and corn. The fellas on the food service line took care of me last night. I had so much food it took me twice as long to finish my meal. I even ate the dessert which was canned pears. This meal was a welcome relief because it meant I needed no further food the rest of the night. I have a little trick I play on myself when I know I shouldn’t eat anything the rest of the night. As soon as I get back into the dorm from dinner, I brush my teeth which tells my stomach – “You are done until tomorrow morning.” Last night I implemented this trick right away even though I really didn’t need it. I decided to finish writing and listen to my CD player all night long. Yes, it is a CD player but I use it to listen to the radio. I wanted to rest my glute and again propped up the two blankets as I laid down. Even though I did basically nothing last night the evening went by very quickly. It was 10:30 pm before I knew it and it was time to go to bed.

I didn’t exactly have a sound sleep because I kept waking up every few hours to use the bathroom. This is one of the side effects for me when I take ibuprofen because usually the medication helps alleviate the pain. When I woke up the second time to use the bathroom I noticed the ache seemed to move to the left hip from my glute. The pain definitely subsided but now there was a dull ache in my hip. I know what I need to do in order to ensure I don’t further injure myself which is rest and stretching. The good thing is today being Sunday means it is my normal day of rest. Again I woke up at 5:00 am but stayed in my bunk until 6:30 am. Also, the sky was very threatening and it was starting to rain. It was going to be a rainy Sunday which was good for me because it forced me to rest. Yes, even though I do know what is best for me sometimes having outside factors helps influence my decision.

As I walked to breakfast, my limp was nowhere near as pronounced as it was last night. The dull ache most certainly moved to my left hip. One of the negative sides of running is the susceptibility of injury. Personally, I don’t know of anyone who has run a number of years and who has not suffered one type of injury. The constant impact of running provides the high probability of injury. For me it is know when enough is enough. Normally when I would feel an ache or pain due to the running I would concentrate more on my cycling which provides no impact while strengthening the injury. However, the situation I am currently in is anything but normal so I need an alternative plan. I do have to function in my job as an instructor for the next three days and really even though I tend to log many miles during the class the impact of these miles are really not taxing on my legs. The bulk of the miles are performed during the power walk which has much less impact than running. I just have to make sure I am able to do the power walk without any further injury tomorrow morning. I did some more stretching but this ache seems to be traveling from my left hip back to my left glute. This is new to me because usually when I have an ache or pain it stays in one place.

Today our tier had morning yard and in spite of the rain, the yard usually opens unless there is a fog. There was no fog this morning - just rain. The yard opened on time at 9:00 am which made me happy because I had a 10:45 telephone call scheduled so I could call my mother. Had it not been raining, I would have gone out into the yard when it opened. However, due to the rain, I decided to stay inside and catch the 9:45 am unlock thus minimizing my time outside in the rain. No sooner than 10 minutes after the yard opened it was closed. Everyone – only a few people – who ventured outside to go to church came back inside because the yard had been recalled –closed. I don’t believe the rain had anything to do with the recall; my guess is something happened on one of the other yards which affect everyone. Of course with the closure of the yard, I wouldn’t be able to place my scheduled phone call. I lost count as to how many times this happened and now it is just part of the normal program. I have come to expect this every time I sign up for a phone call and when I actually do get a chance to place one I am very surprised. It looks like my attempt at making a phone call will have to wait for at least two more days. I will try to sign up tonight for Tuesday but of course there is no guarantee. The yard will be closed on Monday and Tuesday during the day which means the earliest possible day I can place a telephone call would be Saturday. I am potentially having a visitor on Saturday so that day may be out. The next day I legitimately will have an opportunity to make a call is not until next weekend. My wife’s birthday is the 18th and unfortunately I have no control over whether or not I can call her. This falls into the category of “oh, well” and sure it is annoying but it is not permanent. These inconveniences are only temporary and will pass over soon enough. In ten years from now I will be laughing about this situation and as long as I stay in recovery I will be a better person for it.