Limited Not

I'm currently dealing with an IBS flare up. For me, that means tummy pain, lots of it, and very poor sleep quality resulting in me being tired all the time. So, while I wanted to keep on going with the Power Abs 30 day cycles, I had to pause a while back. Well, it was a pause at the time. It's a stop now. I even had to reduce my CrossFit classes because of the lack of sleep. 

And yet, I've kept up with my running goal. Such is the power of a streak. 

I have not wanted to run these last few weeks. Not even a little bit on most days. On the few better days, I'm happy to go out the door, but otherwise, it's a fight to get dressed for it. I'm doing it anyway, because I'm being stubborn about that streak. I want to hold on to some exercise - which is supposed to be good for IBS! - and it's got to be running, because I can't work my abs hard with the way my abdomen feels, and I would have to drive to do CrossFit, which is a huge psychological barrier when I'm not getting good sleep. 

Even with not wanting to run, my running is improving. I keep notes on my runs in the Map My Run app that I use to track my 10 mile per week goal. Each run gets logged so it can be counted towards the 10. Each log gets a few notes, and lately those notes have been my shorthand for, "my legs are feeling good and solid in their motion, they are ready to keep going, but my tummy pain and exhaustion make me really not want to be running at all." 

The goal is doing its job, even though I'm running really slowly while really tired. I am building up running endurance in my joints that I can use as a base for backpacking this summer. I am not letting IBS stop me from doing that.