A little under 1 1/2 months from my Kick AS post " I'm no Superman", I thought I'd share a big milestone in my LSD / Auto-Immune Diet.

During week 16 of the Auto Immune Diet (Full post with more photos / videos) , I traveled to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica for vacation. Throughout all the difficulties during these past 4 months, I dreamed of going to Costa Rica. A unique opportunity from a special friend allowed me and my parents (it was our Christmas present to each other) to stay at a beautiful home along with cleaning, concierge and anything to make our stay stress-free.

Without a doubt, my number one focus was to conquer the zip and Superman line. During my highest levels of inflammation, pain, mental stress, and suffering, I mentally conquered the Costa Rica zip line. I prayed for healing, I worked my butt off, I ate what seemed like a 1000 salads, and I knew in my mind this was going to conquer it.

On Monday, 5/7, the big day arrived. For "insurance" I took a Naproxen the night before and 3 Ibuprofen during breakfast. The journey to the zip lines were bumpy dirt roads, a small hike uphill. The zip line company, MidWorld, knew about my special condition and applied a waist harness for extra support.



Three straps later, I was hooked in & shot off. The experience was exhilarating and not, I repeat, not painful (just remember to tell them not to make the straps too tight).

Once I was done on the dozen or so zip lines, it was time for the Superman. This is the closest I've ever felt to flying.



The hardest part was getting me up on the table you see below. They had to throw me up there like a sack of potatoes and shoot me off. I don't do well lying down on hard surfaces and my right hip was shooting pains for the 1st time + pain throughout most of the ride.



This is where all my praying and focus paid off. Instead of "feeling" the pain, I recognized it for a second, thanked God for all I received today, and focused on the spectacular view. Words cannot describe how cool it feels to fly at 40-60mph.

Here's a video of someone else doing the Superman:


In conclusion, all of the buildup and hard work paid off. This was my "mountain" and it was conquered. After everything was over, I actually felt better at the end of the zip line than I did at the beginning - it could have been the adrenaline, it could have been more. As for the superman, it's worth it. As I'm writing this post, it's the next day and I've slept for 12 1/2 hours and my body hurts in more areas...but still workable. Just remember to give yourself at least a day to rest afterwards. Pura Vida!

very cool!

congrats!

Hello Brian,

Looks awesome and glad you could enjoy it relatively pain free.

Te vaya bien!

Tim

Wow Brian,
Thanks for sharing the story and the great pictures. Oh the endorphins and adrenaline must have been awesome. Would love to do this too but me think's I'm a little past the point. I am so glad that you had a wonderful vacation. What a great friend to share his place. I have heard that Costa Rica is just beautiful. A man I used to work with went down with his wife and bought their retirement home there.

Thanks Tim & Sue!

@Pea - My parents are in their 60s and no issues whatsoever - you shouldn't have any issues on the zip line. I've heard many stories down here of people vacationing one day and ending up staying for many years. The nature in CR is so amazing and the people are quite friendly (knowing Spanish helps). Definitely more laid back and rules aren't as strict (i.e. cars pass each other on double yellow lines in roads all the time).

I am impressed that the company was willing to give a bit of extra help rather than telling you not to come. I went on a smaller zip line at San Diego Wild Animal park, and did not mention AS at all -- figured the most likely outcome would be they'd forbid me to go due to insurance concerns. No superman flight option, just soaring along in the sitting position looking down on the animals. It didn't feel nearly as fast as they told us. Despite seeming slow during the main part, I guess we were moving faster than it seemed... the slow down portion was quite jerky so my neck was extra unhappy for days.

Hello Brian,

I think a lot of Latin America is similar to Costa Rica... moving here to Argentina, culture is easily more laid back than States and people are very friendly. Rules on the road are less than desirable vs States.

Only real complaint for me is crime.. more of the common thefts and it appears to be on the rise over past 5 years I have been here and what everyone says. A lot of it has to do with drugs unfortunately.

Tim

@SJLC - They do have you sign a non-liability waiver before you go on the journey. However, after the 1st zip line, they were careful & informative about each zip line. The knowledge alone made things as pain-free as it could. Sorry to hear you didn't have as good of an experience as I did. Maybe the zip lines weren't long enough? Also, if we didn't make it to the end, one of the guys would go in after us & pull us in very quickly. It never felt like I wasn't in a slow or a noticeable non-moving position.

@Tim - Definitely more laid back and friendly - heck, even the dogs are more friendly. The rules of the road are crazy & half the time the dividers aren't marked. I haven't heard of crime rising (and there aren't too many police around) in Manuel Antonio, so I'm hoping the crime rate hasn't climbed like Argentina. Do you think it has to do with the global economy / job loss?

WOW!!!

Thanks so much for sharing...now I might be able to do this!