Where has this week gone?  It’s odd, because in some regards it feels like the week has just flown by.  But in other ways, it feels like the week has dragged on about 17 days longer than it should have.  I guess it’s a combination of not doing a lot of fun stuff (dragged) and too much work stuff (rushed).

Updates on me?
– I still can’t sleep through the night without a coughing fit unless I take my codeine cough syrup before bed.  And when I run I feel some lingering tightness in my lungs from the bronchitis so I’m puffing on my inhalers more than usual.  But overall, that area of concern is much improved from a couple weeks ago.
– I have been running, in spite of the toe.  I did a tempo run yesterday and felt the effects of that in my toe afterward.  I am also finding that I get sore in various different spots after a run, my hips or quads or hammies, which I think is due to compensating in little ways for the toe.  The soreness is a good reminder to me of the need to take care of those things so they don’t become injuries.

It’s a good reminder for any of us.

A while ago I tweeted about how my back hurts a lot because I sit at my desk all day/every day and the set-up is less-than-ideal.  WAY less-than-ideal.  The height of my chair & desk just aren’t right and as much as I love the function of Apple’s Magic Mouse, that thing has to be the worst design in terms of ergonomics.  After I tweeted, the local Relax the Back store tweeted back to me saying they had things to help my back.

So went to the store to check it out, because I’d always assumed that it was just lumbar supports and/or mattresses.  Well, they have those things, but they have a lot of other things to help with sports injury rehab and prevention.  They have foam rollers of all different sizes, hot/cold treatments, stretching devices, books on treatment, etc.  Not only that, but the employees in the store are pretty knowledgeable about anatomy and ways to help people with pain issues.

I bought a Theracane while there, to work out some of the knots in my back and shoulders from desk work, but the crazy-looking contraption can be used for pressure-point treatments in other spots. (#JadeTheBoxer is scared of it though, just the mere sight of it causes her to crouch down and grumble.)  It’s even used for muscle release on a website that I found a while back that is pretty interesting: Athletes Treating Athletes.

This site is serious business, it’s got a lot of scientific-y jargon and the writer, Leigh, knows her stuff.  She has series on self-massage, mobilization and stretching… all that go into detail on various spots of human anatomy.

She recently released a free e-book download, “Building Your Body Maintenance Routine” that explains certain moves that you can do to MAINTAIN your body for the lifestyle you live and the sports you are involved in.

Honestly, a few minutes of pre-hab is better than months of re-hab, right?

I now leave you with a riveting art collection I call: Photos of Jill with the Theracane