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Day 450

Today marks the 450th day of consecutive walking 4-5 miles I have done. Last week, during the week of December 8th, I came closer than I have my whole time of missing days of walking. The reason is that I had a backache of enormous proportions. I am not sure why or how it happened. But beginning on Saturday morning, I started to experience the old knotted back, one side of my hips higher-than-the other, and enormous pain and discomfort. There are four possible contributors to the condition that I have identified:

1. Enormous stress at the U currently.

2. A *very* brief slip on some icy (perhaps an inch of sliding)

3. Enormous saddness of late due to thoughts about my mother and probably also to the very limited amounts of sunlight (I arrive to work in the dark and leave at night in the dark this time of year.).

4. A very small stumble while walking in which I caught the toe of my shoe briefly small patch of sidewalk that had heaved up slightly.

But, for whatever reason, my back hurt like hell on Saturday. I stretched and tried to unknot the muscles. Then on Sunday, I foolishly went bowling instead of canceling. On Monday and Tuesday, I could barely stand, and when I walked I looked like Groucho Marx. I actually SAT during my lectures on both Monday and Tuesday as well.

But, out of shear orneriness and the strong desperation to keep my walking number growing, I hobbled down the road bent over for the regular daily walk. It was torture and each trip took roughly 3 times the normal length of time. Interestingly, while most every step for the first 3 miles or so would be agony, by the time I was on the last mile, muscles in my back loosened enough that I would walk upright without pain. But when I arrived home, immediately upon sitting or laying, the back muscles would clench again.

So, this 450 milestone is especially important for me, for it was the closest I have come to failing at this task thus far.

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