Na'vi

Yes, I saw "Avatar" like the good sci fi/fantasy nerd that I am, the capitalist that Americans are expected to be, and the cinemaphile I pretend to be. I, too, am fascinated by blue people with pointy ears, prominent cheekbones tails, and a physical, tangible connection to their ecology. The idea of a species that co-evolved with nature fascinates me, and not just because of the screamingly obvious metaphor to Earth. And now for the Fibro connection...well, there isn't really one, other than the fact that my poor little nail beds are blue right now.

I unintentionally skipped the gym yesterday--forgot that I had a Girls' Wine Night, which made it impossible to hit the gym for weights and a swim in the evening, like I'd planned--whoops. However, apparently getting up early helped my sleep a tidbit. I was out like the Red Sox in the 2009 World Series (Go Yankees!) by 9:30pm. I remained dead to the world until 3:30am, when I woke up ready to start the day. After a short, less than kind, conversation with my body, we agreed to make an effort to go back to sleep. I'm not gonna lie--I rolled over so many times I'm surprised I didn't get dizzy. I forgot to take my melatonin before bed, though, so all-in-all I count that as a success.

It's getting colder outside, so the game plan is to run on the hamster wheel at the gym again tonight. I'm hoping to make it to the 7:30pm yoga class afterward, too. I miss going to the Hot Yoga class I went to for a while--it did wonders for my joints and flexibility and sweating out every available ounce of liquid in my body was very cleansing and relaxing.

So far this week has gone well, and I feel like I'm mostly battling to overcome the residual weakness and sniffling from my sinus infection, rather than fighting Fibro. Here's hoping it stays this way...well, not the sniffling.

Operation Rise N' Shine

Yesterday I resolved to get up at a reasonable hour, and as I indulgently breathe in the fragrance of my Pumpkin Spice coffee (I refuse to be restrained by seasonal traditions!), I proudly announce that I was out of my oh-so-warm-and-comfy bed by 8:05 this morning. Hooray me! I do have to admit that by 8:15 I was wondering just how long one has to stay out of bed before getting back in can be considered a nap. (Seriously, how long is it?)

I slept wonderfully last night, minus a late night interruption when someone came home from an impromptu guys' night. Although it did take me a little bit to fall asleep--maybe 20 minutes or so--once I did, I was out like a light. I count 20 minutes as a success! It seems that for the moment, the combination of a slightly later bedtime, melatonin and my normal workout routine are conquering the insomnia issue.

Score:
Me-1
Fibro-0

Take that, nasty disorder!

I do have to say that I'm not quite 100% after my bout with a sinus infection a couple weeks ago. I made it out for a trail run on Saturday, but for the first time, was not able to pull out the full ~9.5 mi. of the trail, having to turn around about 3 miles in and settle for a 6 mile run/walk. Yesterday I went to the gym to run on the hamster wheel (I'm not a fan of treadmills, you may have noticed) for a few miles. I managed a total of 4 miles, which isn't shabby, but my body was absolutely exhausted and I took far more walking breaks than I would have liked.

I have tentative plans at the moment to get an early morning run in tomorrow with a running partner, so I'm not sure what the distance will be. Saturday I'll be voluntarily plunging into the Chesapeake Bay for the Maryland State Police's annual Polar Bear Plunge, to benefit the Maryland Special Olympics. Did I mention that the forecast is calling for snow? I'm hoping to get a longer run in Saturday morning, pre-plunge, but at the risk of hypothermia, I may pass on intentionally drastically dropping my body temperature twice in one day. It remains to be seen.

P.S. If you would like to support the Maryland Special Olympics by pledging to support me as I plunge, email me (if you have my contact info) or leave a comment here and I'll let you know how you can make a secure, tax-deductible donation online. Even $5 or $10 makes a difference!