JoyceVT
Well known member
Hi Enrique – So good you are still swimming and not feeling the TMS symptoms right now. Sometimes an easy workout is a great confidence booster. It’s true, after a year the body should be healed. I have to keep reminding myself that about my shin which I do think was truly injured 2 years ago (from running huge runs and then the 50K race).
I took off almost a week from running, had a sports massage that focused on my shin (this helped me right before the Philly marathon) and then ran last night. It went well. Just did 4 easy flat miles to get back into the groove and build some confidence. Today’s a bike day (rode to work ) and then I’ll try and run Friday-Sunday. Staying positive and trying not to let my TMS consume me. I’m also taking the pressure off myself by not worrying too much about the Baystate Marathon on 10-20-13. If I can only run the half marathon it will be OK. My coach is going to modify my training for July so there are no track workouts. Perhaps I still need to build more base mileage and get my lower legs stronger.
Very cool about starting a meditation practice! I started off with 7 minutes and then each week increased it by a minute. But I have been steady at 10 minutes for a few weeks. I do think it is really helpful especially while we battle TMS. I bought a few books at the Meditation/Retreat a couple weeks ago but will check out Waking the Tiger. It sounds familiar to me….The book I’m reading right now is about Meditations for Healing (book is at home so I can’t give you the author and correct title). I’m hoping this might be helpful too.
I will see the TMS doctor on July 5th but am not too excited about a 3.5 hour drive each way and spending most of the day in the car. But a small price for something that might be helpful in getting over my TMS/shin issues.
Monte sent out a letter earlier this week which was helpful. Here are the key paragraphs that resonated with me:
“Have you heard the adage: "Learn the lessons that life comes to teach rather than resenting the teacher". TMS is a teacher, it is not a punishment! TMS is essentially a learning experience/situation/challenge that has a message. The big picture message of TMS is that something is out of Balance in your life. We are quite fortunate that our mind-body system has an inborn mechanism that seeks balance. Our job is to make some adjustments (minor or major) in how we are Being. What are our big, huge tension generators? Perfecting, Pleasing, Striving, Holding in feelings, Controlling, Being Competitive or Overly self-conscious, Habitual worry? When we are heavy duty in some or all of these patterns we are (1) Generating Inner Tension and we are (2) Repressing or Avoiding our Emotions. Eventually we get the effects of this unbalanced way of being.”
“Fear, doubt and rational/intellectual thinking. These are the typical qualities of the person who has not accepted TMS 100%. Again, Dr. Sarno's genius was making us aware of the intelligent Pain/Distraction Strategy associated with TMS. People keep the strategy 'alive' with fear, doubt and rational/intellectual thinking. Fear consumes and keeps you focused on the body and who can fix you. Doubt keeps you searching for a different cause or treatment. Rational/intellectual thinking is the sophisticated way to stay stuck. You can rationalize almost every TMS symptom into a physical cause or dysfunction if you try. The more you rationalize and intellectualize your symptoms the more irrational TMS will respond to you. It's all distraction. Distraction is your enemy and the TMS Strategy's best friend. Belief, Confidence, Conviction and Acceptance are your invisible allies that reverse and defeat the TMS strategy. These are also the qualities that allow you to genuinely live the lifestyle approach to reversing TMS.”
I took off almost a week from running, had a sports massage that focused on my shin (this helped me right before the Philly marathon) and then ran last night. It went well. Just did 4 easy flat miles to get back into the groove and build some confidence. Today’s a bike day (rode to work ) and then I’ll try and run Friday-Sunday. Staying positive and trying not to let my TMS consume me. I’m also taking the pressure off myself by not worrying too much about the Baystate Marathon on 10-20-13. If I can only run the half marathon it will be OK. My coach is going to modify my training for July so there are no track workouts. Perhaps I still need to build more base mileage and get my lower legs stronger.
Very cool about starting a meditation practice! I started off with 7 minutes and then each week increased it by a minute. But I have been steady at 10 minutes for a few weeks. I do think it is really helpful especially while we battle TMS. I bought a few books at the Meditation/Retreat a couple weeks ago but will check out Waking the Tiger. It sounds familiar to me….The book I’m reading right now is about Meditations for Healing (book is at home so I can’t give you the author and correct title). I’m hoping this might be helpful too.
I will see the TMS doctor on July 5th but am not too excited about a 3.5 hour drive each way and spending most of the day in the car. But a small price for something that might be helpful in getting over my TMS/shin issues.
Monte sent out a letter earlier this week which was helpful. Here are the key paragraphs that resonated with me:
“Have you heard the adage: "Learn the lessons that life comes to teach rather than resenting the teacher". TMS is a teacher, it is not a punishment! TMS is essentially a learning experience/situation/challenge that has a message. The big picture message of TMS is that something is out of Balance in your life. We are quite fortunate that our mind-body system has an inborn mechanism that seeks balance. Our job is to make some adjustments (minor or major) in how we are Being. What are our big, huge tension generators? Perfecting, Pleasing, Striving, Holding in feelings, Controlling, Being Competitive or Overly self-conscious, Habitual worry? When we are heavy duty in some or all of these patterns we are (1) Generating Inner Tension and we are (2) Repressing or Avoiding our Emotions. Eventually we get the effects of this unbalanced way of being.”
“Fear, doubt and rational/intellectual thinking. These are the typical qualities of the person who has not accepted TMS 100%. Again, Dr. Sarno's genius was making us aware of the intelligent Pain/Distraction Strategy associated with TMS. People keep the strategy 'alive' with fear, doubt and rational/intellectual thinking. Fear consumes and keeps you focused on the body and who can fix you. Doubt keeps you searching for a different cause or treatment. Rational/intellectual thinking is the sophisticated way to stay stuck. You can rationalize almost every TMS symptom into a physical cause or dysfunction if you try. The more you rationalize and intellectualize your symptoms the more irrational TMS will respond to you. It's all distraction. Distraction is your enemy and the TMS Strategy's best friend. Belief, Confidence, Conviction and Acceptance are your invisible allies that reverse and defeat the TMS strategy. These are also the qualities that allow you to genuinely live the lifestyle approach to reversing TMS.”
Thanks for posting those paragraphs from Monte. It's good stuff. 
It’s been extremely rainy here in the North East and it feels like a tropical rain forest lately. But I think the weather might be better for the weekend. Hoping to do a 50 miler on my road bike this Friday or Saturday. And I’m also hoping to get an open water swim done on top of my running. Sunday will hopefully be a 14 mile run. 
. I’m usually good about meditating as part of my week night routine and will get back to it tonight. 