Journal to a Challenge revisited

 Hi Double Dub checking in.
Nine days in and my challenge is a bust. I did five rides ~ 14.53 miles with Debbie at the Marina
20.68 miles at the  LA River Trail
5.36 miles on the Southern end of the LA River
25.38 miles with Way from Torrance Beach to Marina Del Rey and back. (it should've been 26 miles but ...)
15.98 miles with Dan in Whittier
A total of 81.93 (endomondo has my monthly total at 81.85)
Total for the Endomondo Challenge, which started on April 14, 2013, is 840.56 miles.

Five in nine, Why? Well, I knew I couldn't keep up a pace of twenty miles a day. I'm not in good shape or condition. I started off great, with five rides in six days. My fifth ride was with Dan in Whittier. We had finished around 10PM. Saturday morning had me moaning in pain. Every move I made was like a heart attack. I had slept on my shoulder wrong and had inflamed some muscles in my chest and shoulder. It's a scary feeling! Left hand and arm would go numb, breathing was tight and congested. I kinda knew it wasn't a heart attack, you just know. But I had to take a couple of days off. Which killed me more. Through the suggestions of good friends and family, I made it point to get checked out by my doctor.
I got a "what's going on?" followed by "What the heck are you thinking? Why didn't you go to the Emergency Hospital?" Going through the examination, it was clear that this was muscular inflammation. He was happy to hear of my challenge but cautioned me not to over do it. He also recommended that I stretch before and after each workout and if I would, rest and recuperate a day or two in between. Yeah, there was an exchange of smiles on that one.

So, Although I won't meet my challenge in thirteen days, I did learn a few things. Stretching is important, both before and after each workout. Allow yourself time to rest and recover. And most importantly, If it feels like a heart attack, hurts like a heart attack, and you think it might be a heart attack, respond like it's a heart attack! Go to the ER, or call 911 immediately! I'm not a doctor, you're not a doctor. Don't play one when your life may be on the line. I'm also grateful for what I found. I found out that a lot of people, friends, care about me! I'm sorry to have caused any worry and thanks for being there. Promise, next time, it's straight to the E.R.
Much Love, Carve On!