Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Back Pain Makes You Annoying

I threw my back out about 10 days ago - not good when you teach fitness for a living and have upcoming rides.  Yesterday it was feeling good and I'd been teaching a few indoor cycling classes in the previous days so thought I was out of the woods.  I taught my first class and felt great, then I taught my second class and felt great...until I got off my bike.  As soon as I got off my bike I knew I was in trouble.  So here I am back on the couch flat on my back almost back to square one.  I must say, eating on your back sucks - unless you like keeping a detailed food diary on your shirt.

Over the past 10 days I've come to realize something.  You know all those annoying people who move super slow?  They walk slow, they drive slow, they come to almost a complete stop when trying to make a simple right turn and you just can't figure out how someone can move that slow through life?  I've come to realize that they all must have back problems!  I know this because I have become the annoying slow moving person.  Making a fast right turn in the car can be excruciating! 

So now when I'm stuck behind some slow person, I feel sympathy rather than frustration and think 'Ah, poor guy.  He must have a back problem'.

Your back rules your world, take care of it ;)

Monday, June 11, 2012

Got Back Pain?

This morning I taught my Cycle Fit class at the Arbutus Club and it went fine.  I chatted with the members a bit, cleaned up and went to grab my bag - that's when it happened.  That familiar radiation of pain spreading throughout my low back (I had a disc bulge years ago and it flairs up now and then) - and once it starts there's nothing I can do except accept the fact that I'm gonna be in A LOT of pain as the day goes by.

I was in a bit of a state of denial as I slowly hobbled out of the Arbutus Club thinking 'maybe the ride home will make it feel better'.  It didn't.  When I got home and tried to get out of my car I knew I was in trouble.  When you feel the need to scream a bit getting out of your car you just know.  I had to do the thing I hate the very most - I had to cancel a class at the very last minute!  I had to let Tash at Cadence know that I couldn't teach the class that I was supposed to teach in about 2 hours.  There are only two things that will cause me to cancel with no notice - sudden stomach flu/food poisoning (puking in a class is just not good for business) or back pain so bad that I can't walk properly (it just doesn't look good when the instructor hobbles, hunched over and cursing up to the bike to teach a spin class, and has to use the bike to hold her up).

So here's what I've been doing today: cancelling on multiple classes for today and tomorrow (just as painful as my back but in a different way), lying on an ice pack with my legs over some cushions, lying on my nice cold, hard tile kitchen floor stretching my glutes and hamstrings, using the same nice floor to roll a tennis ball under my glutes (hurts at the time but really helps) and, of course, cursing.

I'm hoping another day of this will do the trick - I really don't think I can stand not being able to teach my classes for any longer than that.  I should be fine by Saturday for the Ride to Conquer Cancer and will be super angry if I'm not.

If you have any good back pain remedies leave a comment ;)

Sunday, June 10, 2012

The Ride to Conquer Cancer

Next weekend I'll be riding in my 3rd Ride to Conquer Cancer.  These past 3 years I've managed to fund raise over $2500 each year thanks to the generosity of my friends, family and bootcampers - if you donated to me and are reading this, thank you so much!

I rode today with my club - Terminal City/Click Cycling and had an awesome ride!  Unlike last weekend when we rode up Cypress and then I had to get my boyfriend to come and pick me up because it was too damn cold to ride down!  Hypothermia was setting in!  No more Cypress or any mountain in Vancouver until August.

So this time next weekend I'll be in Seattle - thank you again to anyone who donated.  Fingers crossed that we get some nice weather this year (PLEASE!!!!!!!!)