Eluding Tuonela

The combination of the side effects of the second COVID-19 vaccination jab and the lingering pain in the right knee joint got me into a serious mental block. It gave me a perfect excuse for not getting out early so I didn't. These days are the hardest to be alone without anyone to push me out of the door when I just can't seem to find the motivation myself. I eventually did, though, but just barely.

I'm strongly considering of seeking medical advice on the leg issue. It doesn't appear to be anything serious at the moment as the pain levels are around 1-3 out of 10. I fear it might be something that will deteriorate in the long run if not fixed in time, and then lead to much more serious issues like what happened to Rick from the Running Channel. Based on intense searching online, I suspect the pain is caused by inflammation of the gastrocnemius tendon, that is, working the leg too much. Problem is, it hasn't gone away even with several days of rest. And to give it even more rest feels a really bad option since the pain is very mild at this point. This just sucks.

I wanted to get back to the swimming pool every day this week but the negative thoughts have been strong enough to keep me from leaving, it's super frustrating and feeds the vicious circle. I need to figure out a long but fun exercise to get me out of this black hole.