I Threw Up a Banana Waterfall

6:20am: So I hit the old snooze button a couple of times this morning before rolling out of bed. When I first attempted in open my eyes to see what time it was they felt like they had been super glued together. I managed to open them after what seemed like a couple of hours but then I was seeing everything as a triple or quadruple image. When I looked at the clock, I couldn't tell if it was 6:20, 6:28, 6:50, or 6:58. I also didn't know exactly where to look since there were so many images floating around. After blinking my eyes repeatedly for about 30 seconds, I finally saw that it was in fact 6:20. I needed to get the ball rolling so I could get out the door and start the hike while it was still cool out. I decided to bring Jezzabel with me as well since she hasn't had a good long walk for a little while. Before I left, I wolfed down a banana which was incredibly soft and probably near the end of it's shelf life (If you've been reading this blog for a while than you know that I only mention food before walks/hikes because it will come up again in the story...pun intended).

We headed off on the trail which is 1.2 miles to the first outlook point and then another .7 to the peak. Starting out I hadn't decided how long we would go. Anyways, as usual, the first 200 yards or so were pretty tough in terms of locking in to a good breathing pattern and getting my coughs out of the way. I was able to move out a lot of mucus which was either clear or light yellow in color and got my lungs cleared out rather quickly. Problem was I had a slight tickle in my throat that was triggering more coughs than necessary. I tried my best, but eventually that banana I mentioned ended up on the side of the trail. I was able to throw it up right on a rock face though so it kind of looked like a banana waterfall. Hopefully my fellow hikers enjoyed that nice piece of nature that I left them.

After I got that banana out of my stomach the hike got a lot easier. I don't know about you, but when I feel sick to my stomach, I feel like it's harder to breath. I was also coughing a lot before I threw up and after my "great heave" my coughs subsided quite a bit. The rest of the hike went well and I only took about 4 or 5 breaks on the way up to catch my breath. I kept J Bell off of her leash for the whole way up, but then she wouldn't stop barking at these poor guys on the way down, so on the leash she went. She's definitely getting better though, we passed by 3 0r 4 people on the way up and she just walked by them like they weren't there. Maybe she sensed evil in those two dudes or something :)

I'll leave you with this thought: If you live in an area with hiking trails, I REALLY encourage you to take advantage of them. For me, they work better than a treatment in terms of making me cough and getting the mucus out. It also serves as a great set-up for my actual treatments. After hiking, or doing any sort of cardio, I feel more open to receive all of the meds into my lungs. Just a thought, but I a thought that I hope you seriously consider.

Total Distance: 2.4 miles

2:30pm: Headed to the gym with Mandi to work on our guns. We had a day full of Internet problems which certainly slowed work down, but we managed to work through it and crank out some much needed things. It did feel good to step away from the computer today and get to the gym. Although I work really hard in the gym and at times it is painful, it still serves as a sort of "restful" period in my day. I never thought I would view the gym in that way, but I guess that's what I get for being so busy. The workout went well, but my body felt tired overall. I was able to lift all of the same weight, but it definitely felt heavier than it did 3 days ago. I'm thinking I'll sleep in a little bit tomorrow to hopefully be a little more refreshed and energetic. Current Weight: 185 lbs

Total Distance for Day: 2.4 miles