Half A Mile On A Stiff Neck And Some Inspiration

Holy stiff neck, Batman!

They happen to me ... a lot. In fact, I don't even know when the started. I feel like I've gotten them since I was little though, which means I can't blame high school track or color guard. Maybe softball (played community softball for 10 years)? Or maybe gym teachers? Yeah, gym teachers! Stupid gym teachers, giving me a stiff neck! Boooo!

So anyway, yes, I have a stiff neck. I woke up with it this morning. I'm guessing this onset had something to do with the 4 pillows I slept on last night to try to stifle my cough. (News flash, it didn't help. And yes, I'm still coughing. I've decided it's the plague and it's never going to go away. Who needs doctors?) So far I've slathered myself with Biofreeze, popped some Aleve, and did some neck rolls on the drive home (read: sitting in traffic) which lead to an AMAZING neck pop ... glorious! The stiffness has gone away a litte.

Do any of you get stiff necks? What do you do about them? Do you have any remedies? Stretches?

I went to boot camp this morning with every intention of telling ABC Linda about it right away so she'd know why I might poop out on certain exercises, but I decided to run first.

And let me tell you, I ran.

I ran around that track 3 times--WITHOUT STOPPING! That's 3 times at 0.2 miles a pop. MORE THAN A HALF-MILE! Through high school and college (track practice), my goal was to get around the track once without stopping. I met that goal maybe once a year and therefore gave up on running altogether. But 6/10 of a mile! (Yes, I know how to reduce my fractions ... 3/5.) Yay!

Please clap for me. Thank you.

Meh, but I guess I should mention that the rest of ABC this morning wasn't stellar. My lungs weren't up for the challenge of the workout after the run, and I just didn't have any stamina. I guess the running success paired with the workout mediocre-ness comes out to a cool zero. I can deal with that ... for a Monday. No go tomorrow, folks.

For you visual folks out there, here's a photo for you. Ladies and gentlemen, the site of the Anderson Adventure Boot Camp for Women.

Source: Anderson Township

Though I'm sure this amazing graphic work will leave you baffled by my amazing photo editing skills, I'll have you know that 1) I used my home computer and friggin' Paint to do this, and 2) Yes, actually, I can use Photoshop and Illustrator quite well, thank you (but they're on my work computer). So, forgive the crappy squiggles and just imagine professional work here. (My co-workers are free to vouch for me here ... I know you're reading.)

Speaking of co-workers, two of them told me this morning that they went running this weekend. Two non-runners, who have been listening to me gripe about it for months, felt compelled to give it a go. I AM SO PROUD OF THEM BOTH! Kudos you two! You know who you are. Keep it up and tell me all about it ... sore legs and all.

I've really seen this running (and walking) thing start to take off and it's wonderful! I can see how talking about it really gets the idea out there. I like to think that this blog is serving as a platoform for publicizing the idea of running/walking/being active. Though so many of my posts are about the negative feelings and aches and pains I go through, it's getting the topic out there. Yes, I imagine that reading about someone like me being able to do this stuff can be encouraging--"Well, if SHE can do it ..."--but I think it's about us bringing the topic to the forefront. It's like the Twilight books; if people hadn't spent so much time talking about them, would they have been such a big hit? Well ... probably ... but you know what I'm saying.

In fact, I don't know if I would have started this running mess if it weren't for my friends talking about it all the time. My friend Sarah has been running for a long time and Jeff started the C25K program before I did, and they both talked to me about it, whether it be Sarah talking about running the Half Pig (yay!) or Jeff getting to Week 87 of C25K. Then I read about Anne working out, and of course my circle of Facebook friends (from the casual runners to the habitual marathoners) posting about their running adventures. I certainly don't know how long I would have continued if it weren't for the support of my friends and the advice of my experience runner followers on here (Liz, Jan, Kristin, Zach, plus more). See, it's all about the talking.

So, are you trying to start a running/walking regimen? Talk about it! Tell your friends and family, start a blog, comment on here (or if you want to pipe in on your own post ... email me!) I imagine that's what this accountability concept is all about. Let others know what you're doing so they can help you, whether that be by yelling at you for skipping a run, or telling you that your 20-minute mile is a great first step on a long journey, because it totally is.

So get talking, people! Spread the word! Running hurts, but it's awesome!

Now, back to the Biofreeze ...