Weekly Recap: Tales from the Couch (12/25-12/31)

Goodbye, 2017!

Don't let the door hit you on the way out. I can't say I'm sad to say goodbye to 2017. It wasn't the best year for me with health and running (it's actually the worst on record so far), and I ended the year with a week of zero runs and in excruciating piriformis/sciatic pain, hardly able to walk. At least I got in some yoga and one strength workout. So there's that.

So I spent most of the week on my couch, but least I had pretty views, right?

Workout summary

  
   Monday
   Christmas (and couch time)
  
   Tuesday
    Yoga + Sports Massage 
  
   Wednesday
   Off
  
   Thursday
    F45 Strength Workout 
  
   Friday
   Off
  
Saturday
    Yoga 
  
   Sunday
   Off
  
   Totals
    3 workouts

Not only did my piriformis pain keep me from working out much last week, it also kept me from doing anything productive that didn't involve sitting on the couch. So, I got some freelance work done, but I didn't get anything packed for our move like I had planned to do.

Oddly, the activities that hurt most are standing and walking (and certain positions laying down). Running doesn't actually hurt, but when I stop, I have immediate pain. Yoga is awesome and strength work keeps me moving so it doesn't hurt, plus I modified the moves that bothered my piriformis. Small favors, I suppose.

The good news here is that the pain is starting to go away. I no longer have terrible referral pain in my calf or ankle and the constant pins and needles sensation down my entire leg is also gone. Now I'm left with literally just a pain in the butt. Yoga and massage have been the things that help the most, so I'll be doing more of both of those. And really, who doesn't need more yoga in their life anyway?

And that's all I have to say about the last week of 2017.

My main goals for 2018 at this point are to get healthy, stay healthy, and remain uninjured. If I do those things, lots and lots of other things will fall into place. I'm sure of it.

I haven't been consistently healthy since before I had my son. That's not awesome at all. And it hasn't just taken a toll on running. Running is actually the least of my problems. The illness has taken a toll on my entire life - from being able to hang out with friends and being able to do the things I want to do with my son. When you can barely move from the couch because of exhaustion, illness or pain, it's hard to have a life beyond work, and it becomes extremely depressing.

I'm ready for some change and hopefully 2018 has some improvements in store.