Happy Tuesday!
I've broken my Internet curfew to bring you this important blog update (having my car not start and being 2 hours delayed in getting home also facilitated being online later than normal).
This past Sunday I completed my first half-marathon. I had to walk most of it, though I felt well enough to do a bit of jogging now and again. Two and a half days later, I'm still quite sore. At my current rate of recovery, I expect it will be Saturday or even Sunday before I feel pretty much normal again.
I've been feeling well enough in the past couple of weeks that the thought of starting the C25K program again has crossed my mind. Of course, I need to wait for my muscles to heal, as well as the quarter-sized blister on my left foot, before I start such an endeavor. Also, even though I've been feeling much better, I am hesitant about picking up a running program just yet. Being at the heaviest point in my life, I'm not overly confident in the ability of my low back and knees to bear up under the strain.
Abi and I are looking at nutritional options to combat the weight gain we've both experienced. An option I'm seriously considering is the Whole30 plan of nutrition. It's a paleo-type nutrition plan that you do for 30 days, and the testimonials, taken with an appropriate grain of salt, are impressive. One of my coworkers has just finished the 30 days, and while I don't have a number for weight loss, it is obvious a significant change has taken place. Abi and I would be happy with even a 5-pound weight loss, but it's entirely possible we could see 10 or even 20. What I've read so far gives the Whole30 plan an air of sustainability, a big plus, and I like that after the month is over they want you to experiment with foods you've eliminated to see how your body responds. It's entirely possible that something we're used to eating, something that is generally considered healthy, is causing one or both of us long-term issues.
I hope you're looking forward to what the coming months will hold. I know I'm excited about the possibilities!
By the way, my official race time was 3 hours, 33 minutes, and 49 seconds. I am optimistic that I could complete the necessary training to actually run the race next year and knock 45-75 minutes off of my time.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
Challenges...
It's been a trying year as my last post indicated. I spent all of January and part of February off of work because of my herniated disc (things got a lot worse than I had anticipated at the time of my last post), and my return to work was not a smooth transition. There were several nights where I hurt so much that I wondered how I was going to make the drive home. But God was good to me, and I survived every trip.
From a medical standpoint, I really turned the corner when my GP prescribed a three-week course of Prednisone. I'm not surprised, since a steroid prescription two years ago is what seemed to help me get over the hump and on my way to healing.
I'm not, by any means, done with this issue. I have muscle weaknesses in my core that will leave me predisposed to future injury is I don't correct the problem. Thankfully the chiropractor I've been seeing the last few months also has a physical therapy mindset and has given me exercises to do to help move things in the right direction.
I have to say that I've been recognizing just how much of a blessing it is to be able to walk, and to do so essentially fully upright and pain-free. If I overdo things and start to get a little sore, it serves to remind me that I've come a long way since February. I definitely miss running and lifting weights, but I still don't trust my body to be able to handle those activities right now.
However, I am still planning to participate in the Med City Half-Marathon next Sunday morning. I'm going to walk instead of run, and it's going to take me a while to finish even if I don't have pain issues, but the last couple of days in particular I've felt well enough that I think I can make it through the whole course.
Starting tomorrow I'm going to be making a concentrated effort to maintain a complete food diary. One benefit to being laid up as I was was that I didn't have ready access to the junk food that is commonly available at work. I lost roughly 10 pounds that month because I was eating healthier foods and fewer of them since I had mobility issues. Now that I've been back to work for basically three months, I've put it all back on. It's my own fault, and it really disgusts me. It's like I don't have any self-control, and that's something that should never describe a Christian's life in any aspect.
Where do you face your struggles? What are your temptations? How have you found success, no matter how small, in your endeavors?
From a medical standpoint, I really turned the corner when my GP prescribed a three-week course of Prednisone. I'm not surprised, since a steroid prescription two years ago is what seemed to help me get over the hump and on my way to healing.
I'm not, by any means, done with this issue. I have muscle weaknesses in my core that will leave me predisposed to future injury is I don't correct the problem. Thankfully the chiropractor I've been seeing the last few months also has a physical therapy mindset and has given me exercises to do to help move things in the right direction.
I have to say that I've been recognizing just how much of a blessing it is to be able to walk, and to do so essentially fully upright and pain-free. If I overdo things and start to get a little sore, it serves to remind me that I've come a long way since February. I definitely miss running and lifting weights, but I still don't trust my body to be able to handle those activities right now.
However, I am still planning to participate in the Med City Half-Marathon next Sunday morning. I'm going to walk instead of run, and it's going to take me a while to finish even if I don't have pain issues, but the last couple of days in particular I've felt well enough that I think I can make it through the whole course.
Starting tomorrow I'm going to be making a concentrated effort to maintain a complete food diary. One benefit to being laid up as I was was that I didn't have ready access to the junk food that is commonly available at work. I lost roughly 10 pounds that month because I was eating healthier foods and fewer of them since I had mobility issues. Now that I've been back to work for basically three months, I've put it all back on. It's my own fault, and it really disgusts me. It's like I don't have any self-control, and that's something that should never describe a Christian's life in any aspect.
Where do you face your struggles? What are your temptations? How have you found success, no matter how small, in your endeavors?
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