Monday, September 19, 2011

Acupuncture Works!!!

Sorry to let you all down on my last post. For those of you waiting for a "baby surprise" post, you're gonna be waiting a loooong time!!! Sorry to disappoint.

My heel has gotten SIGNIFICANTLY better since my last post. I've tried all sorts of things to solve my heel problem (as seen in last post) but the one thing that really worked for me was acupuncture. So far I have only gone 4 times, and already I've had huge improvements. I don't feel much of a difference immediately after the treatment, but when I wake up the next day I can feel a HUGE difference!! No more tightness, no more soreness in the mornings, no more stiffness and no more pain on bottom on my foot. I ran 4x last week including a long run of 11 miles. I feel like I am almost back to where I want to be but of course I will continue to take things slow and I will continue to do acupuncture 1x per week.

Think you can't afford acupuncture?? Look into "community" acupuncture, it is much cheaper! The place I go to is called "acupucnture for everyone," and the price is $15-$35 per session, paying whatever you can in that range. The catch? There are 4 recliners in 1 room and there are other people in the room with you. Supposedly acupuncture was intended to be done this way, in a group, but it has been modernized into an expensive, individual spa-like treatment. The only reason I tried acupuncture was because I could afford it (at the community level price!)

Does it hurt? No. Sometimes you can feel the pins go in but it's just a quick little sting and then it goes away. I have the acupuncturist leave the pins in for 1 hour and she places them near my elbows, wrists, middle of my forehead, on the outside of my knees, the side of my calves, near the outside of my left ankle, the inside of my left ankle and on the tops of my feet and I think a few more it he calf of my left leg. She also places a magnet on the bottom of my left foot. Sometimes I can feel energy, or what I think is energy, passing from pin to pin. I can feel the muscles relax and it feels like energy or something is moving throughout the muscles. If i had to pick a sound to describe it I would say ZIIIIIIIING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It feels gooood.

Well I certainly feel like I am on the mend but still not quite where I want to be. I don't feel that I've lost any endurance but I'm certain I've lost some speed. I do feel ready to add on distance but I do not feel ready to add on speed. Will probably give it another month. Next up is Disney's Wine and Dine half marathon on 10/1 and then Mount Desert Island in Maine on 10/16.

Let me know if you have any personal questions about acupuncture.

Also, on an unrelated note, did anyone sign up for Boston/get into Boston?? Good luck!!