Long weekends are the best, especially when they involve lounging around the house in pajamas, eating whatever your heart desires, and mountain biking. Sound familiar? I typically jump at any chance to go on a quick trip up to “the city” but decided to go against the grain and stay home. Boy am I glad we did! Not only did I get some much-needed rest, we also went out biking not once but twice! (Insert applause here) I was so stoked enjoying the good (read: dry) weather and doing something physical. So much so that I don’t even mind that I had to spend all evening Monday icing my Achilles’ tendon or tending to a new bruise on my thigh. I love a sport that hurts me so.
The good news is that I am more comfortable on my bike now than a month ago. I take bigger risks, ride further, and feel stronger overall. Sure, I’m limping around like a big baby after the rides, but that’s mostly due to making noob mistakes. Sigh. At least I’m making progress. Also, the boyfriend and I stop and practice log overs (not sure this is the name?). It mostly consists of him going casually over a huge stack of logs and me backing out at the last-minute because I’m terrified. True story. Sad, I know, but sometimes I can’t help it!
We tried to take pics while riding but it’s hard to capture decent photos of us biking using our iPhones, so I don’t have anything worthy of being posted. Plus, someone has the annoying habit of cutting of a certain boyfriend’s head. Ahem. I’m so focused on watching him do a trick, or see how he jumps that I forget I should be focusing on the picture. Sorry! I will try again this weekend. Fingers crossed, it doesn’t rain!
I am nothing if not inconsistent. Sure I have some really great qualities but this is by far one of my biggest flaws. Over the past few months (start of summer to be exact) I have thought a lot about pain management and fitness. Are the two related? The best way to determine if lupus and the pain associated can be managed by an active lifestyle, is to simply be more active. If anything, it can’t hurt me, right? So I have. For the first time since moving to Baltimore, about three years ago, I have consistently gone to pilates class twice a week for about two months now. This is huge!
To mix things up I started mountain biking as well. I go on Thursdays with a large group of men a few women. On the weekend my fiancé and I go together on a much harder trail. Overall, slowly there has been progress. Below are a few screenshots from a few recent rides. Don’t let the low distance fool you, it’s anything but easy.
Since starting the pilates and mountain bike routine I have thought a lot about my fitness goals. Can I manage my pain associated with lupus by becoming super fit? Is there a correlation between how active my body is and the aches and pains of this mysterious disease? Below is a list of what I hope to accomplish physically, as well as answer some of these questions. Over the next year, some of my goals include:
10 Full Range of Motion Push-ups (no judgement but I can’t even do one)
Two-Minute Plank
10 Pull-Ups
10-Second Handstand
Complete the Yellow Trail at Rockburn/Pataspco with minimal rest
Hold a Deep Squat for 60 Seconds
Last but not least, get my killer six-pack back!
I read if you have trouble with consistency that aiming for 10-minutes of exercise every morning for thirty days can immensely help. Although I’ve done extremely well with pilates each week, I want to push myself. So for the next thirty days I will be doing either crunches, jogging, rowing, etc. every morning before work.
Do you make fitness goals? Or has working out become so ingrained in you that you don’t even think twice? I’m especially interested in your fitness story if you have a chronic illness. Share what keeps you motivated, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
My least favorite season is sadly coming to an end. I know what you’re thinking, how can you dislike the season and yet be saddened by its departure? Easy. While I hate summer because of all the extra steps I have to take to protect myself from the wrath of the sun, it means I get to go out and do things I can’t or won’t do the rest of the year. So with that in mind, let’s get into a recap of what I’ve been up to.
Biking (Roadster)
I kicked off the summer with a ride along The Great Allegheny Pass, er, a portion of it. It was a wild and crazy adventure complete with biking through a passing thunderstorm, camping two nights, and the swallowing of many bugs. We did 153 miles in 3 days. It was tough but such an amazing experience.
There are a few reasons I loved this ride so much. For starters, I’ve never done anything like it. Prior to this trip I’d never gone on a ride longer than 20 miles round trip, so this was pretty epic by those standards. Also, I didn’t exactly train for this but that’s because I’m a masochist.
Secondly, the group of people we took the trip with were awesome. They were positive, full of energy, biked circles around me, and lastly were about 20 years older than me. A few of them have kids my age. Needless to say, it was a humbling experience. If I didn’t have them, I wouldn’t have made it. Period.
Would I do it all again? Totally! I love a challenge, but I would probably train the second time around.
Cascade Brewery (and a waterfall or two)
Lil’ ol’ me!
The Pacific Northwest was awesome! Portland in particular. Sure, Portlandia is one of my favorite shows, but did I think I’d find the bliss I experienced only forty-five minutes outside of the city? No. But I did. And I’m grateful. I need PDX in my life, like forever.
Mt. Rainier (in all its glory)
Despite the fact that I threw in the towel about fifteen minutes from Camp Muir, I still made it pretty far. I can’t be disappointed in myself for stopping where I did. In a perfect world, maybe, but given how I felt at the time I did this I am proud of myself. The views were beyond breathtaking. I want to quit my job and move to Washington immediately.
Mountain Biking
While practicing a stoppie, I almost flew over the handlebars. Fortunately for me, my left leg twisted weird and then and voila, instant bruise.
Since I purchased my mountain bike for the epic Allegheny Pass (lots of asphalt), I have been going out once a week away from concrete to get down and dirty on trails it was actually made for. It has been really hard but so rewarding. Mountain biking is dangerous, fun, and makes me feel like I can do anything. I forget about lupus and being sick in general. Simply put, I love it.
Philadelphia
Let’s face it, as much as I love being on my bike riding downhill and through streams, or even climbing trails that take me closer and closer to God, it doesn’t mean I can’t also be a city gal. Out of all the cities I’ve traveled to (not a ton) I have loved them all–with the exception of where I live. God knows how I feel about Baltimore, but I digress. Philadelphia is no exception. It delights me in a way I can’t quite describe. The museums, history, and shopping. Even the parks. The city of Brother Love has my heart.
This summer has been filled with the good, bad, and ugly but through the many adventures I found myself in, I had a blast. Besides, my favorite season yet is fast approaching! Autumn, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. . .
One of the biggest challenges we face with lupus is that it’s mostly invisible. Aside from the scars on my face (which most people will not immediately associate with lupus) you don’t know I’m sick until I tell you. With this invisible disease comes challenges; how I look doesn’t always correspond with how I feel. It might seem strange, and I definitely can’t say it works every single time, but looking good and dressing up despite how much pain I’m in has helped me.
On days I feel the worst, days where my muscles ache for no reason, days I’m low on spoons, I try to dress up to balance everything. Sure I don’t always feel like it, but I’ve found that on days when I take a little extra time in the mirror and put on that fierce pick me up lipstick (we all have it) I feel a little brighter. And to be honest, sometimes that’s all I need.
I liken this practice to positive thinking. Be the light that you wish to emit, mentality. It can really get you through the tough days. I won’t pretend that I don’t have days that are giant pity parties but it can always be worse and I try very hard to keep that in perspective.
Lupus might kick my ass on some days but I’ll be damned if I don’t look fabulous regardless. I happen to have lupus, but lupus certainly doesn’t own me.
This is a recent picture from a trip to Portland last weekend. I love how carefree and happy I am here. 😀 Stay positive my friends!
What's on my face 
