I'm Still Here

Well, that didn't last long, did it? LOL!

Since I finished the 500 Festival Mini Marathon and wrapped up the blog, there have been several times I've thought, "Gee, I should write about that." And that would be followed almost immediately by, "Oh yeah. I ended the blog."

Well, pooh on that. It's my blog. I can continue it if I want to. And following my sister's suggestion, I'm changing the name of it because, well, I made it to 50 - in very fine shape, thank you very much. NOW the story is about how to keep it going.

But, how?

Here's where we are.

I lost 40 pounds just in time for my birthday. I've put back on about 5, but it is staying steady at that level, just below 170.

I walked the 500 Festival Mini Marathon in 3 hours 10 minutes and a handful of seconds (thanks to Sandi dragging me along). I lost a toenail from it, and am waiting for it to grow back in. I had an issue with my shoes just before and during the event, tweaked my knee, and still wear my knee brace when I go out - probably as much as a security blanket as anything, but I still do it.

I've found a fabulous Facebook group of people who each do their own thing to keep themselves in shape, and encourage each other in whatever we're doing.

Where do we go? How do I keep myself challenged?

First of all, I'm trying to transform from a walker into a runner.

I'll pause a moment for the hysterical laughter to subside.

This alone is huge for me. For one thing, I've had arthritic knees since I was in my 20s. According to the predictions I was given back then, I should've had knee replacements by now. There's no cartilage worth mentioning in either of them, so it's a constant balancing act between being kind and conserving what I have or pushing myself for more overall good.

When I started all of this last summer, I kept saying, "I. Can't. Run."

Well, I couldn't. But now I can. A little bit.

Lately, I've been doing intervals - running 1/10 mile, then walking 1/10 mile. Sometimes the sprints are a bit longer, sometimes I have to walk longer in between to catch my breath. The idea is to build up the running time and cut down on the walking time.

At least, that's the idea.

In order to give myself a reason to do this, I've signed up for a 5K at the end of August, with a goal time of 40 minutes. Ideally, I'd love to run 2 miles of it and walk the other 1.1 miles. 

My most recent time was 42:38, and I ran about half of it. So it's doable.

I'm facing some challenges, though. 

First, I just can't seem to get back to eating with as much discipline as I did at first. I know that if I did it, even just for a  month, I'd probably knock off those last few pounds and get to goal weight - and maybe below. But ever since I allowed myself to celebrate my birthday - a celebration that lasted for a few weeks, for various reasons - I just haven't been able to climb back on that wagon.

And second, my schedule is not the same that it was last summer. I can't dictate as much of it as I did then. Last summer, I started this during a stretch when work was slow, Kim was working a job that she didn't start until later in the morning, and she could take Ethan to daycare, which was available all day.

This year, work is (blessedly) busy, Kim has a full-time job 8:30-5:00 every day, and Ethan's childcare is only available from 12:00-6:00 each day, so he spends mornings with me (unless I'm working - then we figure out something other option). I can't just get up and hit the trails at 8:00 every morning - that's Ethan time. Ideally, I could be hitting the trails just after I drop him off at noon, but by then I've usually had an early lunch with him, and lately the weather has been hot and humid, and hot'n'humid doesn't mix well with a full tummy.

Beyond that, I now have to use my afternoons to do my work typing. So if I run in the afternoons, that cuts into work time, or pushed it to evening hours, which means I then don't get to spend the evening with Jim.

On a good note, Ethan has decided that it's fun to take his bike and ride it while I run. But he typically is finished after 1/2 or 3/4 mile, and he kind of goes his own pace, and I just have to stay with him. So that's a mixed bag of "good" and "frustrating."

Mind you, I'm not complaining. I'm just putting it out there - this schedule juggling is a challenge for me right now. This summer isn't as easy to make "all about me" as last summer was. So I'm doing what I can, as I can, while knowing that it'll change again in just 8 short weeks, when school starts again.

So that's where we are. If you're willing, we'll jump back on this train together. I don't know how often the blog will be updated. It'll happen when I think I have something interesting to say. But you're welcome to check in and see how it's going, maybe to be inspired, and certainly to know that none of this is easy.