S-T-ruggle

I woke up yesterday feeling pain in the left side of my chest. It was an aching pain on the outer edge of my chest that would hurt for just a few seconds at a time and then disappear for a few moments. I had intentions of going to the gym to do some core exercises, ride the stationary bike for half an hour and then spend some time working on my basketball game. In the past, whether out of fear or discomfort, I would have let the pain I was experiencing deter me from physical activity, but I'm trying to push myself through these moments and convince myself (this is going to sound a bit ridiculous) that I'm not going to die today (I told you).

So, I went to the BC Flynn Recreation Complex, otherwise known as the Plex, and did a core workout and rode the stationary bike as planned. I felt good riding the bike so instead of stopping at half an hour to grab a basketball, I kept biking til I eclipsed the 10 mile mark and decided to call it a day. I definitely felt some pain on the left side of my chest throughout the evening and night following my workout, but thankfully I felt convinced (almost) that it wasn't cardiac pain. Rather, it seemed more likely that it was muscle or bone pain related to the rib injury I suffered months ago.

There are numerous possibilities as to why I woke up feeling less than 100%. I had a few nights of lackluster sleep towards the beginning of the week, which can catch up to me and even aggravate my heart condition. I ate out once on Sunday and again on Tuesday, so perhaps my sodium intake was higher than I estimated and/or higher than my body will readily accept. Or maybe it was just muscle pain - after all, I am kinda getting old.

Regardless, it felt good to persevere through what was likely a very minor physical obstacle. I've been sufficiently freaked out by everything that's gone wrong with my body the last two years, so it's nice to be able to remind myself that I'm not in fact broken - or at least not as broken as I think I am.