Cat
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Posts posted by Cat
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You guys, I've been such a slacker. I only totaled 10 miles for the entire month!! Turning things around in July though!
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You guys are great. I did 0 last week. Just ran 3 today. Ahh.
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1. Spending an hour writing an email.
2. Overconsuming information and no ability to filter that information.
3. Unable to prioritize.
4. No intuition.
5. Confusing effort with getting useful things done.
All of this. Plus:
1. Awkward talking to coworkers.
2. Dread talking on the phone and attending meetings. Awful at networking.
3. Really nervous, heart pounding, and sweaty before presentations.
4. Look at the clock and realize you just spent 3 hours doing something minor and inconsequential.
5. Spend 2 more hours working on that thing, freak out because it's still not perfect. Submit the thing and feel bad about yourself because you spent the majority of your day on it and it wasn't perfect, nor was it even important.
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I also only got 5 miles last week. Oops!
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Way to go InRecovery!
I use the Nike app. I think it's a little bit off but close enough. During my half marathon it clocked me in at 13.5 miles compared to the official course length of 13.1. I just like how you can track your mileage and compare your speed and distances over time. Also, it's fun to be competitive with other friends on it.
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Good job Occasional! We'll hold you to that yoga promise. C'mon InRecovery and Ashley, you got this.
So yesterday I ran my first half marathon, and it was so fun! My goal was to finish under 2 hours 10 minutes. Even after two forced stops (one for a train, and one on a busy road) my time was 2:02 and change at an average pace of 9:24. I am super proud and can't wait to run another one with a new goal of sub 2 hours! This was my first real race/athletic event of any kind since high school and I forgot how motivating it is to be surrounded by a crowd of people pushing themselves for the same goal. I have officially been bit by the running bug. And the best part is it's something that belongs entirely to my post-adderall self. I never, ever would have pushed myself to accomplish anything athletic if I were still on adderall.
Edited to add: LilTex, you are a total badass for running two halfs in two days.
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Congrats on 16 months Jazzy! I'm also at 16 months. Based on what I've read from long timers like LilTex, InRecovery, Ashley, Cassie, Quit Once, etc it seems like we will continue to gain improvement. Personally I feel really good and there is no looking back. I still have bad days but the good days far outweigh the bad.
The area of life where I still feel a huge difference before vs after quitting is in motivation/the illusion of productivity during the day. I am so easily distracted at work unless I really force myself to focus, whereas before I loved being "productive" developing Excel spreadsheets all day. The reason this doesn't get me down is because I know my true output is as high or higher than before. Instead of spending 2 hours on a slow day creating a masterful spreadsheet, I'm spending maybe 1 hour doing something actually valuable and another hour surfing the internet. On a busy day I am even more productive because there is no choice.
Sometimes when I'm facing a workday or task I reeeaally don't want to do, I'll think about adderall and how much easier things would be with a couple pills. But honestly there's no way I'd go back. I've gained maybe 5-10 pounds since quitting but I am in better shape than ever and about to run my first half marathon. My husband and I are hoping to start a family soon and being healthy and off medication is a big source of pride. I feel like there are still challenges to being adderall free, but they are sooo surmountable and worth it compared to the challenges we'd face if we started taking adderall again and had to quit, again, a few years down the road.
Can't wait to hear from the rest of the long timers on this topic.
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Occasional, that's a cool story. It's great to be able to compare what you are capable of accomplishing now vs back then on adderall.
Checking in with 22 miles this week. Two 5 mile runs during the week and 12 miles today.
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LilTex, that's amazing! Back to back half marathons.. you must be in incredible shape. Were you sore after the first one? I am really sore today after 11 miles yesterday, couldn't imagine running another 11 miles let alone a half.
Ashley, not sure about the sweating, it sounds like you might be dehydrated or sick. But I definitely go through weeks/periods where running just hurts and sucks and can't figure out why either. Actually, lately I was struggling with feeling fatigue early on in the run - like after a mile or two - and major lower leg/calf pains. Then I put on my old running shoes and things got a lot better.
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Hey good job InRecovery and Ashley. Hope you feel better Zerokewl. And way to join a gym SC.
This week I did 18.5 miles with a long run of 11 miles today. My half marathon is in two weeks. I've been kind of slacking at getting runs in during the week lately, so I'm planning to try and make time no matter what to get in at least 3 runs of 3-5 miles during the week this week.
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Ha Occasional I agree with you about the treadmill - I can't run more than 3 miles on a treadmill because it's so freaking boring! Everyone has their own preferences I guess.
Started off the week with 4.75 miles yesterday, in the rain. Another thing I like about running outside, weather makes it interesting.
Ashley, hope your new job is going well. Good job InRecovery and Occasional!
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Good job InRecovery! I also did 10 and let me tell you... I so wanted to stop at 8. But here's my trick - I do out and backs from my house so once I run 5 miles I have no choice but to run 5 more miles home.
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Good job everyone! I've been out of the loop... went on vacation and totally slacked on running. My half marathon is exactly one month from today on May 18. So far this week I'm at 7.5 and hope/plan to get in a 10 mile and 6 mile run this weekend.
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Good job Occasional and Liltex! 14 miles for me this week. I also did maybe 15 miles of biking.
I was vegetarian for 5 years or so but I eat meat now. My husband is vegetarian so we always cook vegetarian at home, but I will eat meat when I go out for meals or cook for myself. I try to be really conscious about knowing where it comes from, free range, grass fed, etc. My general theme for food is to eat mostly vegetables and very little processed food.
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I think that the length of time you took adderall is related your recovery period. I took it for 5 years and have been clean for 15 months now. The first 4-5 months off I was way tired. The rest of my first year I had good and bad days, with the good days increasing as time went on, but still had random days of feeling super tired or unmotivated. My latest turning point came at around the 14 month mark, lately I have been feeling pretty consistently energized and motivated.
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I would be desperately depressed and stuck. Fifteen months ago I started a new job, 3 days before quitting adderall for good. Picturing myself doing this job on adderall is a nightmare. Can you imagine working remotely full time on adderall? It's like an adderallic dream - make lists and do projects all day with no distractions! - that would quickly turn soooo nightmarish with no one to pull you out of your hyperfocusing thought tunnels, ever.
I would probably not be married. My now-husband who was my then-boyfriend probably would have gotten sick of putting up with my crashes and crazy mood swings.
Flabby-skinny and surviving on wine and burritos instead of training for a half marathon.
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I am with Cassie on drugs being drugs whether they come from the street or the pharmacy. For me the first time I tried adderall was from a friend, and I took it occasionally in college during finals or to write papers. But the addiction for sure only started after college when I got my own prescription and became reliant, dependent, and addicted.
There was a recent NYT (I think, maybe it was Time) article where a doctor was speaking out against the overprescription of stimulants. A lot of doctors will say addiction is rare. This doctor said point blank, "Addiction is not rare. It is common." And that's true whether you've got a prescription or not.
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Congratulations on getting to be 100% sure. I can definitely relate. In my case I was maybe 80% ready to quit for the last year I took it, then my doctor was phasing out patients from her practice and left me with a 3 month supply. At that point I just figured, this is my time. Three months later I woke up with no pills and that was that. I could never have quit with extra pills lying around.
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Great topic Cassie, I can relate to yours and LilTex's lists.
Things I still struggle with:
- Procrastination is by far number one
- Focusing on boring tasks
- Attention to detail (really need to find a balance here, because I used to spend waaaaaaay too much time focusing on details, whereas now I'm just ok with mediocrity)
Things I'm grateful to not struggle with anymore:
- Low energy
- Cravings
- Lack of confidence
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I'm doing the Rock n Roll half when it comes to my area. What about you, Liltex?
Way to rock it Occasional, Ashley, Liltex and InRecovery!
It is gorgeous here so really looking forward to my runs this week.
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Thanks for the support In Recovery! I ran 9 miles today which puts me at 13 for the week. New goal is 16 miles for the next few weeks.
This club rules!
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Hey Liltex, I'm doing a half marathon in May too! Mine's May 18. I've been on and off with hitting 12 miles a week the past few months due to lots of work travel, but can't really use that as an excuse anymore as I've got to start "training."
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I wish I was a morning workout person. It's still really hard for me. I have more energy later in the day and the run/workout feels easier and more fun. Plus, it's so hard to force yourself out of bed early to go work out. I've just accepted that my body's clock is more primed for afternoon/evening exercise. But I do it occasionally, and it does give me an accomplished feeling for the rest of the day. And some people say it gets easier if you make it a habit.
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I actually prefer running in cold weather! 18 degrees is pushing it though. My ideal temp is 25-30. It feels invigorating! Unfortunately the cold here has been accompanied by snow/ice/rain lately
Key gear for me in any temps cooler than 50 is a hat or headband. Does anyone else get crazy earaches from running in the cold? This happens to me while biking too. Anyway, with a headband or thick hat all is good.
Next most important: gloves, obviously.
I'm with you Occasional on the ski base layers and fleece tights.
Hoping the rain clears up soon, I'm jazzed for some cool runnings (hey, it's Olympic season).
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ADD is not real
in General Discussion
Posted
I have never really thought of ADD as a legitimate thing. I think ZK's got it right - everyone has varying cognitive abilities the same way everyone has varying athletic abilities, but the concept of a cutoff point at which the label "ADD" applies is false. What really makes my blood boil is hearing people say things like "If you really have ADD then adderall affects you differently." That's total bull. Adderall speeds everyone up.