Analyzing "the sickness" and catching up ye'aaaaal!l!

So (knock on wood) that weird sickness is gone!!! (I think that deserves 3 exclamation marks). I'm still not sure half of it wasn't mental, but I was talking to Wilma yesterday. She explained how it is actually common to get sick on the last day of a five day rest period which was the case with my timing. The body has been on so many ups and downs throughout, in my case, the toughest, most rigorous 3-week physical output of my life. Though there were some bad days, I was always pushing 100% so my output was at the highest plateau possible. Then, all of a sudden, the body is thrust into a whole new cycle of, say, lazing on the beach all day, hanging out, and maybe taking a jog every other day for 5 days. The intensity level being dropped from 100% to maybe, 20%, though necessary, can mess up the body's habits and it becomes super sensitive to attacking bacteria, thus getting sick very easily and having trouble acting against it. So once the bad bacteria enters the system it is there for a while. This is my understanding of it. It makes sense thinking back on how it all went down for me: I Got the sickness Sunday night. Though i felt great physically and mentally Monday morning, it was kind of a false feeling from the rest and throughout that day, I felt worse and worse. Monday through Wednesday was the worst in terms of the actual illness - cold sweats, headaches and all - yet I was kind of participating in the training. I thought I was getting better after Thursday morning's practice, after pushing through a little of the practice, but not as much as I could. I am thinking now that my body was getting back into the 100% mode and accepting reluctantly the new plateau, firing up the rusty cylinders. I probably should have pushed all out that morning but I couldn't anyway because I was struggling so much with the new boots. Though of course I was enthralled to receive those beautiful pieces of art, they probably came at the wrong time because I could not push all the way when that was in fact what my body needed to get back into the cycle and push out the illness. Later that day I was feeling terrible again. That afternoon I skipped weights with Ingmar, who is by the way an expert with the weights and a generally knowledgeable dude. Then I missed the following morning's practice and after ice training, instead sleeping in and doing nothing the whole day. Saturday I was mystified as to why I was not feeling better. I missed that training as well. The Sunday off-day, I still felt ill, but although it was annoying at the time, that day probably turned it around - stay with me, almost done here. It was Lexi's birthday and we went to Outback steakhouse. I jogged there with Ingmar, Alex, and Lexi, against my novice instincts which naturally were telling me to keep resting. I of course felt horrid and pretty bad the rest of the day. I went home and slept after the meal. I had determined that no matter what I was going to morning ice Monday morning but I wanted to get my eight hours of sleep for the 5am wake-up. So i said I'd make dinner that night to make it real early while the family was out at church. While I was sleeping, they stole out the house, lol, and I woke up and could not find the key to Ingmar's car to go to the store. I had to walk the whole way there and back. I kinda got really mad, not at anybody, just at my problems in general and stormed all the way there - maybe 1.5 miles - and did the shopping and stormed back. This unfortunately wasted a bunch of time and I didn't get to sleep until 10 or so but I went to sleep feeling more active and more fresh. I was super rested so yesterday morning was bad training, not due to lack of sleep, but do to the rest my body had starting that Thursday when I didn't push all the way. when I started getting that familiar dizziness after a while, I realized I should just push through because it was just a dizziness, no sick feeling - well, not as bad at least. I made it through and through beach training as well, getting better as it went on. I put you through this mono tonal text just to kind of recap for myself how it went down. You see now though that its not just a matter of pushing through the pain. Its a matter of yes, doing that but also doing it smartly and listening to every unusual act of the body and trying to make sense of it. Obviously it will get easier with experience - I will never make the mistake I made last week but then again, my body will be stronger from it next time and I'll be ready. More than a commitment, this is a lifestyle.

The skates are getting easier to wear and this morning I was able to get my foot in with the same socks on as those that the mold was done in. It was practically impossible to get them off. It took me half an hour! Lucky i got off early.

I got off early because yesterday I made another mistake i'll never make again. I went to Beach Training and after i was so hungry my stomach was churning. So naturally when I did finally eat, my stomach went crazy. The place i ate was part of the problem, i still maintain. It was an all-you-can eat bar, but basically vegetarian. It didn't have any good meat and didn't have any good carbs like pasta. I went to sleep with a stomach ache and woke up at 1 in the morning. I took some strong french advil which i still have from Exchange and it slooowly went away but in the morning my stomach was still cranky. I didn't have enough sleep so on the ice I didn't last long. However- I for the first time realized the potential these Best Feel skates hold. I can tell we will certainly be getting along juuust fine as time goes forward. It's too bad I was again feeling less than great because the workout I was on for was pretty cool: 5 laps. Person in back passes to front sometime before two laps to go. When pass is completed, it is an all out race to the finish. The first couple is when i felt the skates pulling me through the corners. I still have some blade work to take care of, but the skates are getting there. We did the 5 laps 6x and then I got off. I wrestled with my skates for half an hour, laid down for 10 minutes and then we did the knee-ups/sprints and a long jog. i felt close to normal by the end. Got weights this afternoon.

I have been sucked into the car world more now that I am in a place where you see almost all the cars you read about and see on shows! lol. Orange County, baby. I am getting into top gear with those ridiculous british accents. hahaha - how they always make the british cars look good. They love the new Ferrari 458. It does make one's mouth water.

I slept for three hours this morning after practice. i was dreaming like crazy and it reminded of one night when i woke up laughing hysterically. I can't remember the dream, but I just know I was laughing for a good like 10 seconds and when I woke up I couldn't stop laughing. I've been watching a lot of Chapelle Show lately - maybe that was it.

All-right, that's all for now. I'll try to do more short posts so i don't have to write these novels. okay, class dismissed!