My body began to say “Hey!” It wanted to move. It wanted to go pee. It did NOT want to just sit.  Yoga was on deck — waiting for the session to end and the post session discussion with YaYa’s tutor. I did my best to go with the flow. Although the 5:45 pm hot vinyasa class is one of my most favorite classes, I almost never can go to it as my mommy duties take precedence.

In the end, the more basic yoga class was probably the best option for the day. My body was adjusting to having a few rigid joints freed up and I had the task of getting acquainted ahead. I missed pushing my body through the flow-based vinyasa movements, the balancing acts, backbends, and twists. At the same time, I was thankful to take my time. The slower pace allowed me to spend another minute in child’s pose when I wanted to just rest. Likewise, it also allowed me time to hold a post a moment longer which is especially tempting if I only just got situated due to struggles attaining it.

At the end of the day, I crawled into bed with no more complaint than menstrual cramping — no cold or hot pack, and no pain meds. I snuggled up with my pillows and fell off to sleep with an eager curiosity for the day ahead. I woke at 3 am feeling well rested and quickly returned to sleep after confirming there was more to sleep to be gotten.

Now, with a full day ahead, the sun waits for the just the right moment to make an appearance. I, on the other hand, cannot wait to get moving. Maybe I’ll do a few sun salutations to encourage the sun to come out. Not a lot. Just enough to wake up my body and get this day off the right start. If only these salutations of mine would magically encourage YaYa’s body to wake up as well; his alarm clock has been sounding for the last 30 minutes but, as usual, he remains completely unaware.

In addition to feeling like my desk has been plopped down in the middle of a call center, the coughing and having to get up for more warm water (or to pee) thoroughly distracted me from my goal. I’d read and reread the documents, searching for my place. What was the point of my being there?

The mere fact that the culture I work in is compelled to come into the office in both sickness and in health has always maddened me. “Go home!,” I would tell them, “I don’t want what you have.” Yet here I was, in the office just because I felt like I wasn’t sick enough to justify a sick day — especially when the boss said she’d hardly heard me coughing. It made no sense.

During lunch, instead of joining the masses for the bi-weekly lunch, I grabbed my food and ate at my desk. I wished I’d had the energy to run but knew it would just push me over the edge. Although I was better in the quiet, this extra hour of work only served to wear me out even further. No surprise. I’ve always believed that walking away from my work mid-day helps to reset my mind for better efficiency and concentration. Generally, my body needs movement as well.

Not until I was leaving did I feel even remotely “sick enough” to be home. I grabbed my keys and said good-night to my colleague, murmuring “I’m taking my germs home now.” Much to my surprise, I heard a loud “GOOD!” come from her cube. Then I began to wonder if my perception of the cultural expectation to be seen in the office regardless of your health status was accurate. Perhaps I was still in denial that I was indeed sick.

Today, there is no denying that I am indeed sick. I will NOT be going to the office.  I feel it is needed, if only to be able to cough as hard as required to get this gunk moved out. Since I’m here in bed, I may as well take a really long nap too.

I started out small. I inserted quinoa into my menus adding soaked nuts, bananas, raisins, and a touch of cinnamon for breakfast. Lunch may have been quinoa or brown rice with nuts, avocado chunks, a sprinkle of cayenne pepper with some steamed vegetables (sweet potatoes, broccoli, red cabbage). It was all good, things were moving along nicely, but I needed to change it up a bit.

After scanning the recipes, I choose one that jumped out at me in the beginning: Monkey Love Smoothie. It’s a concoction of sorts on a base of bananas, almond butter, and almond milk, all spiced up nicely. Delicious!

At dinner, I played around with miso paste, coconut oil, and dark green leafy’s that I often pass on by in the grocery store. Yummy!

The hardest part about this whole thing is having to cook two meals. As you know, football practice gets me home at nearly 8pm. I scramble to get food on the table for YaYa already. Having to prepare an additional meal for me, no matter how simple, is challenging. This was the main reason I clung to quinoa. I drop the next day’s servings into the rice cooker the night before, and add the extra ingredients according to what I feel my body wants at the moment — and what I have on hand. It’s kind of a half-baked approach to this thing but it’s gotten me this far.

The good thing is, I feel fantastic. After a brief period of feeling slightly sluggish, I am now feeling energized and clear headed. The timing is great. I’m entering my weekend feeling pretty awesome and, amazingly, a few pounds lighter. Ready to conquer the longest of my training rides. With an open mind, I plan to roll out equipped with a mix of my old and new food worlds and see what makes me feel the best. I don’t want to send my body into shock from either approach to fueling this ride. It’ll be working hard enough.

Not surprisingly the next session fell during my training for another endurance event: my century. I began to mull over the pro’s and possibly con’s taking this on now, during the peak of my training. With the cleanse in consideration, it occurred to me that I always seem to have a big event, therefore training, on the books. This is who I am; it’s my norm. So, why not play around a bit with food if only to broaden my awareness of healthy food choices?

I thought back to the days immediately prior to Boston. YaYa and I stayed with a friend who is somewhat of a vegan chef. We ate amazing vegan meals cooked by him and his fabulous girlfriend. And I didn’t give it a second thought when I toed the line in Hopkinton. Furthermore, I didn’t pay a price for it either.

I signed up.

I received a detailed manuscript explaining the food-based approach, the detoxification process, and a whole slew of recipes we could use during the 8-day cleanse. I began eliminating the Foods to Avoid and the incorporating a few of the “Yes Foods”. Doing so helped me to discover which of the “Yes Foods” were actually “No Foods” for me (not appealing to my tastes). Additionally, I also got to experiment with adding foods like quinoa to the family dinner so that I’m not cooking two full meals.

In the short time of experimentation, I got a preview of things to come – some subtle and others not so much. One such thing, which I found interesting, was the return of my teen-like facial oils. Of course this is accompanied by a few blemishes. I’m looking at them as toxins bubbling up from my pores. Kind of cool. Yes? It beats the list of detoxifying symptoms which include extreme fatigue or weakness, lightheadedness, headaches, nausea, digestive issues like painful gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, emotional irritability including anger, impatience or depression, insomnia and/or intense dreams, rashes, body aches and hunger pangs, and bad breath. Nice, eh?

Of course, now that I am officially on the 8-day journey, I will probably experience a few of the symptoms listed above. That’s okay; I’m in it for the results. My main consideration is how to support the nutritional demands from my training – the long ride that is. I figure I’ll not get hung up on what I can and cannot eat. I’ll use it as a guide and adhere to it as life and training allow. By the time it’s time to ride long, my body should have adapted and I’ll, hopefully, have the worst behind me.

In the meantime, it is recommended that I treat myself nicely and surround myself with supportive and loving people. Therefore, I dropped a quick hint to The Man. Then, I skipped the free company lunch, and headed outside for a leisurely walk.

These days, I find myself dressing-the-part for runs as short as 2 miles. Sadly, this about as far as I am allowing myself as I come off my self-imposed restriction from running. As a result of the time off, I’m so out of practice that it takes an embarrassingly long time to get ready-to-run. I must laugh at myself, so that I don’t become frustrated instead.

At this point in my return, I be sensitive to the fact that every distance run is worthy of acknowledgement and careful preparation. Likewise, every tug, niggle, and questionable feeling in my foot and ankle get equal acknowledgement. With that in mind, I have an appointment to have my ankle reassessed before I extend my runs any further. Please keep your fingers crossed that i will be able to move forward in my efforts to get back running on a regular basis.