People with chronic pain often hide their condition; perhaps they are embarrassed by their suffering, or they are just tired of people saying to them “but, you look fine”. I have been very open with my struggles because I want people to understand that the face of chronic pain is very different from the stereotypes. Chronic pain sufferers are not all drug addicts, or lying helpless in bed, or unemployed, or look like shit. And, … Continue reading
Among the long list of benefits of sports and exercise are the opportunity to test oneself on a regular basis, improved health, a social outlet, a general sense of well-being, goal setting, and improvement in self-esteem. I would be remiss to omit endorphins from this inventory. Indeed, an endorphin surge might even top the list. Exercise and endorphins seem to go hand in hand. According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, “Endorphins (“endogenous morphine”) are endogenous opioid … Continue reading
I often tell my athletes that not every race can be about obtaining a personal best. Some races are merely stepping stones to other races, because nothing gives us the information we need about how our bodies will handle racing in the way that doing a race does. With that in mind, I toed the line yesterday at the Colorado Half Marathon in Ft. Collins. I had one objective and that was to get a … Continue reading