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I really learned some things about myself after two weeks of laying low. No I did not have COVID, thank goodness, but I did have shingles. I won’t go into the gore details but let me just say it was the most awful, painful thing I have ever been through. Get a varicella vaccine! I had it around my left eye, forehead and scalp and it’s been almost 4 weeks and still have numbness, tingling and burning pain. It’s mostly just irritating and annoying now. 

Anyhow,  I’m telling you this because as fellow runners most of you have had to lay low for one reason or another and can probably relate. This however, was a whole new kind of low. I started with symptoms the week before Christmas and spent most of it in bed dozing on and off due to pain meds and overall feeling shitty. Here’s what happens when this runner is down.

5 Lessons Learned When Grounded

1. Online shopping is way too easy.  Yes I know we all shop online because it’s so easy but when you have nothing else to do but look at your phone, hitting that Buy Now button is so easy. Let’s just suffice it to say I have a lot of new InknBurn clothes on their way. 
2. Don’t shop online while on pain meds. This goes with number one but I thought it deserved its own category. It’s like drunk shopping…I don’t drink that much so this was new to me. I now am a proud owner of a fancy incense burner, but wait…I didn’t stop there, I also purchased the extra incense for a grand total of $70. Say what? My husband was like “What the heck?” Back in the day I bought incense for a couple dollars and put them on a cute little dish. Apparently I’ve moving on up.  That was just one of MANY purchases I made. (The Loft will be sending me a Christmas card this year.)

   

3. I missed running. Obviously you say, but considering I’m not training for anything I didn’t think being grounded would bother me so much. On the second week I ventured out to Dick’s and Target for some stocking stuffers (don’t you love Dick’s cabin socks with their buy one get two free? !) and saw a few people out running…”I want to run.” 🙁  

   

    

4. I missed work. Welll, I didn’t exactly miss work but I felt guilty not being there to help during the madness. Some of you may know that I am a nurse and work in a large Emergency Department. While I was out they had some crazy busy days with some critically sick COVID patients being held for long hours in the ED because the ICU’s were full. On one hand I was glad to not be there and actually anxious about going back, but on the other hand I wanted to help my work family. It was a very stressful time.
5. If you don’t move it you lose it. I say this all the time, but dang, it sure is true. I still feel weak. My runs feel okay but what little upper body strength I had is back to ground zero. It really makes one think about how important it is to do strength training, especially as we age. I don’t want to be that weak little old lady that falls and can’t get up. It’s so important to stay strong!

Well that about sums it up. Thanks for reading. I’m linking with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesdays Topics. Please take a minute to visit them and a few others and share the love. 

I’m also linking with Runner’s Roundup and with Coach Debbie, Laura Norris Running, Runs With Pugs, Mile by Mile,   Confessions of a Mother Runner 

BTW, I’ve brought back Music Monday. Check it out here and come back next Monday for another song to add to your playlist.

Keep running my friends and stay strong!

            Denise