Jalks ?

This past week certainly was one of highs and lows both physically and mentally. After a week of taking Ambien I've decided it simply wasn't doing any good so I discontinued it, after all the longest I slept using it was just over three hours. So much for making sure you had eight hours available for sleep!

I have also been losing weight, after maintaining one hundred forty seven pounds for a couple of weeks I jumped on the scale one morning to see one hundred forty three. Thinking it was simply "water weight" I fully expected to see the scale dial jump back up but so far it has not. I feel like I'm eating enough calories but perhaps with a compromised digestive system what I'm eating simply isn't finding home base. I will be adding more high density calories to my diet to try to keep my weight above one forty.

Mornings have generally been pretty good and I have continued to lace up for my morning walks / jogs. It's been the afternoons and evenings which have been an issue as by mid-afternoon a deep down pain starts radiating out to my legs and back. I have found very little on the Internet to explain what might be going on but it sure seems as though nerves which may have been “asleep” are waking up. The discomfort has been bad enough that I even resorted to taking a pain pill just before laying down in bed to sleep.

Sue and Maggie have been very kind and patient with me offering foot, leg and back rubs to help take the edge off.

Saturday, I was hoping to get a ten mile jog/walk in (perhaps I'll create a new word and refer to those from now on as a jalks”) but an approaching thunderstorm cut it short at seven and a quarter.Even so I felt good and had plenty of energy left over.

Sunday, Susan and I participated in the ThorpeWood 5K walk 10K run. The race is held just a six or seven miles up the road from us on wonderful trails. The course winds along many scenic locations including Icelandic Ponies grazing in their fields and weeping willows framing a guest cabin on the far side of a pond. The course includes some short amount of roads, carpeted pine forest stretches and switchbacks climbing the one steep and nasty hill.

I have to admit, as the race started I had some pangs of sadness as the runners put distance between the walkers, even so, we had a wonderful walk regardless if my stopping for pictures did keep Sue from besting her former time. It certainly didn't hurt that Flying Dog Brewery was one of this years sponsors providing tubs of iced down, great tasting IPA's and Ales awaiting the returning runners and walkers.

Later.... Mike