[darkpuppet]

Things have not been so productive for myself unfortunately.

When I got off my crazy pills last year I started putting on weight, and put on 40lbs over 6 months. I still kept up my running, and completed the Mississauga Half Marathon in 2:16, 8 minutes slower (and 30lbs heavier) than the year before.

The summer was off to a decent start-- got a new mountainbike, and was running, playing vball, and biking a lot...

And then the wheels fell off my wagon.

I started suffering some unbelievable anxiety attacks over the summer, tried some new medications that made things insufferably worse -- all while travelling for work in Italy. Turns out I also suffer from bad acid reflux that's eroded portions of my esophagus -- the sort of things that lead to cancer if not caught early enough.

I somehow managed to do my job to completion, lose a few pounds, got off the meds that were causing the bad voodoo and am going through some rigorous vascular assessments to make sure it's not my heart or arteries. Don't get me wrong, I feel like crap, but if it's just a chemical imbalance in my head, I'll feel better about working out again at least.

So I haven't ran or worked out in 2 months... but started light with changing tires on two cars yesterday... just mild dizziness..

The short of it is -- my year started off strong, but went downhill quickly. I still feel like I'm dying, but I'm slightly more comfortable about working out again -- so hope to get out for a run and start the long rehabilitation process once again tomorrow.

And of course, pray to God I can hold it together long enough to improve my situation.

I'm cautiously optimistic.