Still holding up

End of October... not much to report in terms of the PM. Since last time, the Chile Pepper 10K came and went. It was fun. I felt strong and fast (ok, as fast as you can feel after you go out too fast in the first 2 miles and then try to hang on), and finished about where I usually do. 10K's are a tough distance... they're too short to get into a comfortable rhythm, but too long to sustain an all-out effort. Anyway, 6 months ago I didn't expect to finish where I did. I wondered if I could be happy doing events again without the feeling that I was "racing". But this resignation didn't have to happen. I felt legitimate: I put myself out there according to the ability level that I'm accustomed to, without any handicaps or caveats. It feels good to be a player again instead of a spectator. Now, on to endurance.

Am fighting my second head cold in as many months. They don't seem to be severe, just annoying and lingering. Don't know if methotrexate use has any influence on this situation, or if it would have happened anyway. Dipping to 9mgs of prednisone for the month of November. I take 12 pills a day. Wow. Ok, only 8 on non-methotrexate days. Still... they take up an entire drawer in my kitchen. I haven't had a single flare since I started tapering, just a little bit of a withdrawal syndrome where I had some fevers. Doc seems to think this is pretty incredible. And warned me to not get too used to such a smooth drug taper. Duly noted. I really don't perceive prednisone side-effects anymore, so I'm not as anxious for reductions as I was during the earlier days. In fact, I'm a little nervous as the pills get smaller and smaller. So far, so good.