Blow My Socks Off

I had been stressed all week. I definitely let this 20 mile run get the best of me. It consumed my thoughts, and many other normal tasks throughout the week seemed overwhelming because I had this overwhelming run waiting before me. I had talked to a few people during the week, and I had explained to them that I knew I was being ridiculous. I knew that worrying was a waste of my time and my energy. I knew that the run was going to happen whether I worried about it or not. I knew that I would fail OR succeed in the run whether I worried about it or not. Worrying is non-productive. But try telling THAT to a novice marathon runner when they are about to run 20 miles for the first time! Every single one of us in our running "team" was anxious about this run.

I set myself up for success though. Even though it was Rick's weekend off, I had asked my mom to watch the kids for us. When Rick watches the kids for my runs, I am kind of at his mercy. He needs his sleep, and so I wait for him to wake-up before I take off. I did not want to do that for the 20 mile run. It would take many hours to get through this distance, and I wanted to get an early start! So with the kids at my mom's house, Rick and I took advantage of the opportunity, and he "helped" me carb load at Anthony's Fish Grotto for dinner. After that, we caught an early showing of "Soul Surfer". I had heard that it was an incredibly inspiring movie, and I was desperate for some inspiration. The movie was great (borderline-after-school-special) and it gave me everything that I was requiring of it! We went to bed (insert immature giggle), and I was asleep before 9:30pm...record time for me these days!

My goal was to be running at 6am, and since I chose to run down at the Embarcadero, I needed to be up at 5am. I had no problem getting up that early...in fact, my nerves had me awake (but not out of bed) at around 4am. Despite waking up that early, and despite Satan being a PUNK and giving me one of those horrendous pregnancy-cramps-in-my-calf-even-though-I-am-not-pregnant out of the blue in the middle of the night, I actually slept soundly. I felt well rested.

I got up, got dressed, ate a nutri-grain bar, grabbed the rest of my stuff that I had laid out the night before, and then I was out the door. I made my way down to the convention center, and just as I had expected, parking was going to be lame. With metered parking only lasting 2 hours, I had to pay $10 to park in a lot. Waaaa!

But you would have been proud...I had my ipod, my headphones, my snot rag, my fuel belt, my phone, my pepper spray, my chapstick, my car key clipped to my fuel belt, my GU packs...I had remembered it ALL! :0)

After talking to both of my girls (Katie & Jenni) one last time before I took off, I took a deep breath, and prayed the simplest of prayers..."Dear Lord, Blow my socks off." I needed to be surprised by the ease of running 20 miles.

I started at 6:06am, and my goal was to finish in 4 hours. This was another "out and back" run. I was going to travel 10 miles, and then turn around in my tracks, and take the exact route back 10 miles to my van.

My starting line...



I ran from the convention center to Sea Port Village, passed all of the cruise ships, the star of India, and the midway ship. I passed by all of the artistic pieces along the Embarcadero...that's always my favorite part about this area...and they had all been switched out since the last time I had been down there. My 2 favorite "statues"...for lack of a better word...were:

1. A HUGE hand that was holding a fish in it's palm using only 3 fingers to hold it...the pinky finger, the ring finger, and the thumb. Which left the index finger and the middle finger left up in the air...forming a "peace sign." The name of the artistic piece was, "Ask the fish." I loooooved that! So funny! (Except if you are the fish, lol)

2. There was this GIGANTIC bright yellow bird cage, and up and out of this bird cage was an even LARGER tree bursting through the cage. The title of this art was, "Liberation." It was an extremely motivating piece for me in that moment. I know for me personally I tell myself all the time that I can't do something...that I'm not capable of achieving certain goals. And yet here in my sight was the physical representation of something reaching far beyond the cages of our doubt. Freedom from self. "Liberation."

After passing by the Embarcadero, I ran to and through Harbor Island. I thought I had never been to this stretch of land, until I gazed upon...



Our great friends Josh & Rachel were married in this area, and then we celebrated at a reception in this restaurant. Seeing that sign brought back so many wonderful memories of that day. I'm sure Rachel wishes that we would remember other aspects from that day, lol, but I will never forget that after the bride and groom took communion before all of their guests, Rachel turned her body, and her gorgeous gown knocked over the glass of red wine and it spilled all down the front of her white dress. The best part about that moment was how cool Rachel was about it! I would assume that most brides would freak out, or would be destroyed. But Rachel just glanced at the dress, looked at everyone in the crowd, and then shrugged as if to say, "Whatcha gonna do!?" I will never forget that.

I exited out of Harbor Island, and then ran passed the airport...



After completing that stretch, I ran to and through Spanish Landing.



I have never been there before, and I would normally think that it's not that big of a deal, however, there was a MAJOR event going on at the time. They were setting up for the "Pineapple Classic"...it's a 5K race. I was SO impressed by this race! Not only was there a 5K (3.1 miles) run, but there were all of these super theme-related-creative obstacle course things to complete...bowling with a watermelon to knock over real pineapples, climbing up a rope ladder, going under this LOW canopy crawling on your belly, and much much more. I just kept thinking how much I wish I was participating in that race, and that I truly hope to do it next year. So much fun.

Next on the course was to make my way through a small part of Point Loma, and all of the way to Shelter Island. Again, I thought I had never been to Shelter Island before, but that is until I ran past the hotel/concert venue, Humphrey's. Another one of my favorite couples, Brooke & David, were married at this location, and we celebrated together there. It was a beautiful wedding. I can remember all of the beautiful candle light they had everywhere...GORGEOUS!

Shelter Island seemed to go on forever, and then finally I reached the end...the 10 mile marker...The Friendship Bell...



I took a mental check-up and realized I was good-to-go. Not too tired, not too sore. I had been listening to some Christian tunes ("WOW 2007") on the first leg of the run, but I decided to switch things up a this point, and get going to Shania Twain's "UP"...great choice. :0)

I knew I was only halfway done, and I knew as the mileage kept piling on that the run was going to get harder, that my body was going to get tired. Occasionally fear and doubt would creep in, and I continued to pray my "Blow my socks off" prayer. Since it was such a short prayer, it almost became like a chant. "Blow.my.socks.off.blow.my.socks.off." After saying it 100+ times, it begins to sound stupid. I started to over analyze the term...and then I started to imagine the act of God literally blowing my socks off. I'm sure I was growing delusional, HAHAHAHA!

Anyway, I kept on running...running along side the water...



I ran back through Spanish Landing (the Pineapple Classic 5K was completely underway at this point), ran back through Harbor Island, ran past all of the art work on the Embarcadero, ran past the massive ships, and then I came to...



The night before we dined at this restaurant, but at the La Mesa location. We had gone there for dinner for no other reason than the fact that we had a gift card to that restaurant from my birthday. Stupidly, I hadn't thought anything about it. But as I ran passed this restaurant on the Embarcadero, it brought back a flood of memories from my own wedding day. Rick and I had surprised our families and had eloped on a Saturday morning. My mom refused to let the day go by without a family gathering, and so later that night, my family gathered at this location and celebrated this occasion with us. I can remember all of the excitement (and craziness) of that day. 30-year-old-marathon-running-me was looking in at the young-newly-married-me sitting at the table, and I just wanted to SHOUT to her that life wouldn't always feel so chaotic...9 years from now you are still in love with your husband...9 years from now you will have 2 beautiful and healthy children...9 years from now your family will still be the best thing on Earth...9 years from now you will have an amazing relationship with Jesus Christ that somehow even topped the connection you had with Him in High School...9 years from now you will have confidence in your present, and you will continue to have hope for your future...9 years from now your world is lovely.

I kept running.

I had been feeling strong the whole run, but in the final 2 miles things started to ache a little bit. My right knee was barking a bit, and my lower right side of my back was letting me know I had traveled 18 miles. I asked myself if I needed to cry...and I said no, lol. I just kept one foot in front of the other. My normal peeps, and even a few unexpected peeps had been texting me and facebooking me throughout the run, cheering me on, and letting me know they had prayed for me. I was greatly encouraged.

The 2 miles had passed, I reached my van, and with no fuss or commotion it was over. There were no tears even at the end...just a great sense of accomplishment. The longest run was over. There was nothing left to stress about.

I had beaten my goal by 4 minutes. I ran the 20 miles in 3 hours and 56 minutes. If I hadn't let my nerves get the best of me, then I probably wouldn't have had to stop EIGHT times(!!!) to use the restroom, and who knows what my time would have really been!? Worrying is not only non-productive, but it is also counter-productive, LOL! But again, I'm not stressing that the hotel restrooms were my B.F.F. during this run. It's just life.

Things go backwards in the training now. :0) We have 3 weeks until the marathon, and during the next 3 weeks our bodies will recover from this 20 mile run, and strengthen for the marathon...26.2 miles. My next "long" run, this Saturday, is only 12 miles and I am beyond stoked that I get to run it through Forsyth Park in Savannah, GA! :0)



Exactly 19 days until I run a marathon!!! (I think I need to use the restroom!)

What's Not to be Happy About!?

The kids & I were blessed with an opportunity to go to Disneyland this past week...it's good to know people with connections. ;0) I have not been to "The Happiest Place on Earth" since Beatrice was 6 months old...that's 2-1/2 years. For someone who lives in So Cal, and for someone who is related to my sister (who goes to Disney practically EVERY WEEK, lol!), 2-1/2 years is a lifetime! :0)

We went with my sister and her family (DUH! lol), and my step-mom Michelle..A.K.A. "Piton".

Despite things not going our way, we still managed to have an AMAZING time!

After we got our passes for the "World of Color" show, everyone (except my BIL, shout out to Desmon, and the two little girls) went on "Soarin'". After that ride, Jennni stayed back with all the littles, and then Desmon, Michelle/Piton and I went on "Screamin'"...



Things were off to a GREAT start! After we took the kiddos on the Toy Story ride at CA Adventure...



...we then went back to Disneyland. All of our tummies were grumbling by this point, and I kick myself for not taking a picture of our lunch, but we all devoured a HUGE deliciously fried corn dog! It was incredible. Even though my stomach had not fully digested the foreign fried object, we were off again! Next stop was Space Mountain...my fave! The adults took turns staying back with the kiddos who were not tall enough (Bea & Samantha) or brave enough (Wyatt, lol) to ride. Meanwhile, even though they had just eaten lunch, popcorn was a good "waiting food" to partake in during the Space Mountain switch-er-roo...



After Space Mountain we went into the gift shop where some of us tried on hats...



...and some of us bought bag(s) of Sour Balls. After consuming a cupcake, a corn dog, some popcorn, and then a decent amount of this classic Disneyland candy, I officially had a sour ball hangover!

We made our way to Matterhorn where we discovered that an ADVENTUROUS Beatrice (a girl after my own heart!) was tall enough to ride! We waited for about 20 minutes, and when we were the very next group in line to ride, they announced over the loud speaker that the ride was experiencing technical difficulties....BOOOO!

We mozied on over to the nearest attraction, and filled a boat at It's a Small World...



There is something so absolutely cool about experiencing this MASSIVELY colorful ride with the SMALLEST member of our family. Seeing our world through the eyes of my niece was my favorite part of the day!



As if I hadn't consumed enough treats already, there were MORE...Piton treated us to churros!



Beatrice's only request all day was to see Tinker Bell. What better way to see her than to ride Peter Pan!? Much to Uncle Desmon's disappointment, we waited in the notoriously longest line in the park. And not only that, but after waiting 30 minutes, there was an announcement over the loud speaker which told of the ride's technical difficulties. :0( This time we didn't bail, and we decided to wait it out. After exactly 1 hour, we were on the ride, and Beatrice got to see Tinker Bell! :0)

We then made our way to Pirates of the Carribean. We had a minimal wait, and after Beatrice feel asleep within 30 seconds of getting on the boat, the announcement came over the loud speaker that the ride was experiencing technical difficulties. We were idle for a short time, but things got up and running very quickly.

While Beatrice continued to sleep, Jenni and I left the rest of the pack, and decided to cash in on our fast passes to Indiana Jones...just the 2 of us.



But after waiting for 20 minutes in the fast pass line, the announcement came over the loud speaker that the ride was experiencing technical difficulties...they told us to leave the line.

By this point everyone was hungry (believe it or not), and so we left the park and went across the street to eat dinner at Mimi's.

We returned to CA Adventure, the crew did some last minute shopping, and then we had time for one more ride before we headed to the World of Color show. Desmon, Brady, Piton & I went on Tower of Terror...



...and Jenni took the remaining littles on Mosters inc.

It was now 8pm...time to get pajamas on the kiddos, and head to the World of Color show! Grandma Piton surprised the kids with glow necklaces!



We waited for 30 minutes for the show to start, and after 3 minutes into the amazing water and lights show, the music halted, the water died down, and the lights shut off..."Due to technical difficulties, this performance of World of Colors has been canceled. We are sorry for the inconvenience."

SUCH.A.BUMMER.

But how could you be too upset when you got to walk down Main Street holding your FAVORITE Disney character's hand singing, "Just a Spoon Full of Sugar..."



...and spent the rest of the day with your best friends...



...the answer is: It's impossible! GREAT day at Disneyland!!! :0)

My name is Forrest, Forrest Gump.

This week's run was the calm before the storm. We had an 18 mile run last week, then it was a 14 mile run this past week, and then this coming week is our largest run we will complete before race day...20 MILES...EEK!

As I had explained in a previous post, I had found some cool new routes on the internet for these final long training runs. This week's 14 mile run was basically a loop around Point Loma. The cool thing about this run is I have VERY little experience in this area. In fact, I don't think I had traveled through almost 75% of it before in my life.

I started out at Hospitality Point in Mission Bay. I had never been there before, and what an eerie experience! The weather had drastically shifted from HOT and sunny earlier in the week to cool and breezy on Friday morning. When I got out of my car, I was immediately taken back by the GORGEOUS view! I can't believe I have lived in SD all of my life, and had never seen this particular part of our city!

But as I was gazing out at the water, I noticed this single cat perched up on one of the rocks...


I thought to myself, "How weird is that!?" So I took a picture. As soon as I took a picture, 10 more cats came out of the rocks!!! It was SO crazy! More and more cats kept coming out of the rocks! I am NOT an animal person, and I have literally had nightmares about cats coming out in huge masses! An elderly lady was walking toward me, and I asked her, "What's the deal with all of the cats!?" She explained to me that this is nothing, there are HUNDREDS of cats living in these rocks, and she feeds them on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays...another couple feeds them on Tuesdays, and Thursdays...and then there is a separate rotation for cat feeding on Saturdays! She went on to explain that when the cats get injured, or look ill, they take them to the VET!!!! I honestly felt like I was in the Twilight Zone!!!

But enough about cats...time to get running...



After I ran out of Hospitality Point (A.K.A. Cat Country!), I ran across the Mission Bay Bridge, and then ran along the flood channel...taking in the site and smell (peeeew!) of the San Diego River. I was a bit concerned about this run. As I had described in my previous post about my sessions with my personal trainer, I was still completely sore from my training sessions when I completed this run on Friday. I literally couldn't walk normal, and I was wondering how it would feel if I were to break out in a run. I had an inclination that running would feel better than walking...but I was wrong...at first. Running was every bit as awkward as walking was! But I pushed through that, and eventually, my gut feeling was right...running through my soreness felt GREAT! After running along the flood channel, I ran to, through, and out of Dog Beach...



Seeming as though I just explained my feelings about animals, it should not come as too much of a surprise that I had never been to Dog Beach before. That was kind of neat to check that off of my San Diego list of things to see. After I exited Dog Beach, I ran through a bunch of the city streets. That was one of my favorite parts of this run!

I saw really fun restaurants...


And cool art along the sidewalks...


After running a zig-zag pattern through the city streets, I eventually made my way to Sunset Cliffs, and ran along the cliffs for about a mile and a half...


I could not get over the beauty! This was definitely the most gorgeous view I had ever seen running! I hate to not go on and on about it, becuase I know I am not doing it justice, but I don't know what else to say...TRULY GORGEOUS! (Oh wait, I already said that.)

After running along the cliffs, I ran UP (and literally up) a street that lead me to a dirt path, that lead me UP the crazy steep road that lead me further UP, and through, and out of Point Loma Nazarene University...



If you don't count (and just know, that I don't count it), my solo semester at Grossmont Community College, then I can say that I never went to college. It's not something I think about EVER, and in fact, I'm grateful that I am still a highly functioning human being despite NOT having a college education. The thought of studying for hours makes me want to drive a pencil through my eye. But being on that campus, and seeing the students leaving their dorms, and seeing the different "Halls", gave me the sense of what I had missed out on. I don't regret my life choices, and I LOVE where things are currently at in life...BUT it would have been really neat to have EVERYTHING I currently have, AND have had the experience and comradeship of attending a University. Can't I have it all!? LOL!

After I left the University campus, things were pretty much downhill from there...literally and figuratively. I ran all the way down Canon Street until I made it to Rosecrans. Running the next 3 miles on Rosecrans was booooooring...



Except when I passed...



But since I did not eat a fried confection...still booooooring! But lack of distraction provides time for deep thought. During that time, I was able to reflect on everything I had just ran past. Every incredible sight I had just seen. And it was an amazing feeling. Hours before I was uncomfortable doing anything but lying down, and in the current moment I had already completed 7 miles of my run, and I was feeling strong. I was praising the Lord for His beautiful creation...the Earth...and I was praising our Lord for His genius creation...the human body! It was at that time that I had remembered a quote from the movie Forrest Gump, "Mama says they was magic shoes. They could take me anywhere." I felt like Forest...you know that 60 minutes of the movie when he was running from one side of the country to the other. Taking in the sites of the country. It was a neat feeling that my body had carried me from a parking lot 7 miles away, and that I had seen so many things not behind the wheel of a car.

I eventually Made it to Lytton, which then turned into Barnett, and then I ran a mile stretch on Pacific Highway. After running under the I-8 freeway bridge, I turned on to a bike path and ran for 2-1/2 miles back to my van.

The run was a success! I survived my sore muscles. I didn't get lost. I remembered my headphones. I had JUST ENOUGH liquids in my fuel belt. I never cried.

After I finished this run, and had a minute of pride, I was struck with doom...next week's run. 20 miles seems unimaginable. Maybe if I could make myself believe that walking would be OK, then it wouldn't be such an overwhelming distance. But my longer runs (16 & 18 miles) have been a HUGE struggle for me physically, and it's daunting to think what kind of a toll 20 miles is going to take. One thing is for sure, I'm sure I will be crying at the finish line...DORK!

"Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows. From that day on, if I was ever going somewhere, I was running!" -Forrest

Party, Party

Despite me working with a personal trainer this week, I had MANY opportunities for chubby moments!

Last Saturday, we celebrated Mother's Day as a family at Sea Port Village. This is our tradition for our mom. We always celebrate it the week before, and we always have a picnic at Sea Port Village, and then go in to the main area to browse shops, eat ice cream, and ride the carousel.

Mom and all 4 of her kids...


Just the girls...


All the girls...


Playing in the rocks...


Our lunch...


And eating ice cream...



Later in the week we celebrated Cinco de Mayo with our mommies group. We had a Mexican food potluck, a paper flower craft, a pinata, and just an all around FUN time!

The boys modeling their craft...


The girls modeling our new hats (for our trip to GA)...




Our delicious food...



Then...even later in the week, we celebrated at a bridal shower for my cousin who is getting married in about 6 weeks. :0) My mom hosted this beautiful shower at her home, and I provided some of the desserts.

Beatrice and I...


The beautiful tables...




Our incredible lunch...Tomato and Basil Soup with a toasted cheese crouton, White Macaroni and Cheese, and Fresh Fruit...


For dessert, I had made chocolate cake pops...


and cheesecake pops...


Shout-out to my Aunt Mary!!! (mother of the groom)...


My mom had made individual strawberry shortcakes...


Tangerine and Grapefruit Mousse Tarts...


Melted Chocolate with Peanut Butter Mousse Tarts...


Cream Cheese Pound Cake with an Optional Blueberry Compote & Fresh Whipped Cream...


And finally, Peanut Butter Mousse in Chocolate cups...


It was a fun (eating) week! :0)

Philipians 2:14

This was my first week with the personal trainer. I was nervous. And it turns out that I had every right to be, lol. Last Monday was my first day. On Monday morning Justin, my trainer, called me at home to do a "pre-show" evaluation. He asked me questions, and I was to answer him using a 10 point scale. How strong are you?...7-ish. How well can you balance?...5. How flexible are you?...4. How good is your endurance/cardio...I told him that there is always room for improvement, and so lets go with a 9-1/2...hahaha! A bit aggressive. He asked me what I wanted to get out of these 6 training sessions...Weight loss, and core strength. He told me at that time, that when we met later in the day that our first workout would be a "Getting to Know You" session...he would have me do different exercises with different weights to see my ability and gauge where things would go from there.

When I met with him later that day, he had me first jump on the treadmill for a 5 minute fitness test. He said that the treadmill reports a grade based on your heart rate during the activity. He prefaced the test by saying, that I shouldn't put too much weight on this exam, as it isn't incredibly accurate...OKAAAAAY??? After all was said and done, the treadmill reported that I was "Average"...LAME! I hate average.

He then had me doing a series of pull-up exercises, mountain climbers on a BUSU ball, lunges with weights, lunges without weights, wood choppers with a medicine ball, and all kinds of other crazy things that I can't remember. I was sweating like crazy. I have NEVER sweat like this during an exercise routine. Even though this was a "get to know you" meeting, it was intense. I picked this trainer becuase I had witnessed his work ethic in the gym. This guy was serious. He demands respect. He doesn't let you slack off. But during this training session I was experiencing a different side of him. There were times that I was struggling during the workout, and he gave me lighter weights. There were times that I was supposed to do 15 reps of an exercise, and when I was struggling, he said, "Just get to 12"...or "Just get to 10." I never whined or complained in my struggle, but he could just see that I was having a hard time. By the time I reached the 10 or the 12 that he had told me to get to, with the exception of 1 occasion, I always then pushed myself to do the full 15 reps. It felt like I was cheating myself to do less. And one exercise he had started me off with a set of weights, but after doing a GRIP of lunges, I became weaker, and he gave me smaller weights...I took them. When I was supposed to do the exercise again, I told him not to give me the smaller weights this time. I was half way through the reps when I began to struggle, and again he offered me the smaller weights, and again, I took them. :0( Despite having an exceptional workout, I was concerned about this pattern. I wanted someone who was going to push me! I expected him to get in my face and yell at me. I expected him to tell me to suck it up, and DO IT! I told myself (and was reminded by others) that this was a "get to know you" session. If he did the same thing at Wednesday's workout, I was going to have a talk with him about holding me to a higher standard.

When I woke up on Tuesday, I wasn't too awfully sore. My upper body was squeaky, but manageable. My bottom half was totally fine. I took pride in that. I have been a running-cardio-queen for the last 6 months +/-, and my legs are strong. When I was at the gym later that night, doing my 9 mile run on the treadmill, Justin had been working the floor, and he come over and asked if I was sore from the day before. I had told him that my upper body was still feeling the workout, but my lower body was holding steady. He responded, "Oh." I explained to him that I thought my legs just must be conditioned from all of the marathon training. He said, "Cool." That was the extent of our conversation.

My 2nd training session was the following day on Wednesday. Note to self, "Don't tell the trainer you weren't sore from his workout!" Oh my word. The guy was nuts. VERY pleasant, but he was on a mission! He had me doing all kinds of crazy circuits with sumo squats, lunges with a medicine ball that I then had throw to him, lunges with wood choppers, squats with hand weights, high steps with high knees, rowing, bear crawls, holding a plank position, etc. Everything I did I had to do for 1 minute straight. I had 10 seconds to catch my breath in between each exercise.

In addition to all of those exercises, on one of the circuits, he had me sprinting on the treadmill. I only had to do it for one minute, but after each series of circuits, he kept the sprint speed the same, but increased the incline. I was proud of myself for just doing the sprint! But when it came time for the 2nd sprint, and I knew that he was going to be increasing the incline, I whined (boooo!) and told him that I didn't think I could do it. I immediately caught myself whining, and I told him to not listen to me whine, and if I whined again, to just ignore it. But again, I immediately felt convicted in my head. I don't need to complain at all. He doesn't need to ignore my complaining, he needs to not HEAR my complaining! I only complained the 1 time in both of the 2 sessions, but after that 1 time, I did occasionally feel like falling flat on the ground during a bear crawl, or sighing loudly during a plank, or...but just kept saying Philipians 2:14 over and over in my head..."Do everything without complaining or arguing."

At the end of the session, I was spent. Monday was the most I had sweat in a workout, and on Wednesday I think I had literally sweat double what I had sweat on Monday! My trainer was focused, but he was nice. Initially I began to say that comment to my family as if that was a bad thing. But then I caught my self, and realized...he doesn't need to be a jerk to be good at what he does!

And he was good...TOO good! I have never been so sore, for so long! My upper body was fine this time around, but my lower half was aching for DAYS! It hurt to sit down...to go to the bathroom...to walk...to do anything but lay down! I was discouraged, and wondered when I would feel normal again. Finally, 4 days later, on Sunday, I felt like myself again. Just in time to do it all over again today. :0)