I've been smarter

[pecunium]

Sometimes I wonder what I’m doing.

I ache. My knees hurt. My muscles hurt and, most of all, some of my joints hurt.

I seem to be having a more serious flare of my reiter’s than I’ve had in quite some time. In, and of, itself this is moderately notable. Added to today’s PT test... well that’s another kettle of fish.

For the past couple of months I’ve had some pain in my right foot. Mostly when I awake, and mostly from the mid-point of my foot, along the outer tarsals. A little achey in/around my hands (but that’s so regular I almost don’t notice it).

So, the PT test. I passed. 42 push ups, 57 sit-ups and a 13:57 2-mile run; total score, 245/ 300.

It’s about my norm. I might have run a little faster (not the 13:20 which led the company; done by one of my new soldiers. My platoon [of which I was plt. Sergeant for the weekend] had no failures, which is a good thing) but somewhere around the 1 mile mark that pain in my foot started to slow me up.

This is where the stupid comes in. I might have slowed up (down? They are similar, but have slightly different connotations) but no. I had Lt. Carlson in my sights (there was a gaggle at the front. I was in it for the first 1/3rd of a mile, but fell back by the 2/3rds mark to being alone, with the LT about a ¼ mile ahead of me), and just kept plugging. I managed to leg it out down the stretch and beat him by a second.

So now my knees hurt, my foot pains me and I have some aches in my shoulder. My sore back might be from two nights on a cot. It might also be the fruits of inflammation along my spine (which was one of the real agonies of the disease at its most potent manifestation).

When I was talking with one of my rheumatologists (not the one who had RA), she said there were people who just toughed it out come the PT test. Today I joined that club. One of my fellows has the same disorder. His is worse than mine (more prevalent outbreaks, and some of the more unpleasant manifestations); he toughs out the PT tests.

If this keeps up, well I have ten more before I can retire, we'll see how tough I am.

Comments

[wcg.livejournal.com]

For whatever it's worth, my very best PFT scores came after I turned 40. Though I'm reminded by my left knee these days that my high state of physical fitness at the age of 42 was not without a price.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Oh, if I spent a little more time paying specific attention to working out, I'd be doing better (though to be honest, the numbers are about what they always were, saving the run).

My best (for numbers, not score) was a 52 for push-ups, and about 67 for sit-ups (not on the same test) and an 11:31 on the run (I have a 10:54 recorded, but I think the grader lost a lap).

In March, at 5,200 feet I ran a 14:26.

I don't think anyone who'd put 15 years into the Army, or the Corps doesn't have a couple of reminders of days they did too much. My right knee hasn't been the same since a Mud Run at Pendleton. Just the way it goes.

TK

[texaslawchick.livejournal.com]

Lordy, your two mile is about three minutes slower than my one mile. Sheesh.

[lexica510.livejournal.com]

Have you ever tried acupuncture? In the aftermath of my foot injury, I started seeing my acupuncturist again for the first time in several years, and the decrease in foot and back pain is amazing.

Pincushion me, baby — 'cause it feels soooo good when you stop. :-)