November

Day One:  Knee getting better, walked around downtown.
Day Two: nothing.
Day Three: Walked 35 minutes.
Day Four: Walked 67 minutes.  Cleaned the house for about an hour.  It counts!
Day Five:  Recovery day.  Also, got my knee X-rayed -  doctor says it could be cracked.
Day Six: Doctor said yesterday I wasn't ready to be working out yet.
Day Seven: nothing.
Day Eight: Still waiting on X-ray results.
Day Nine: Still waiting.
Day Ten: 5K fundraiser race for the Ellis Malone Foundation.  I wasn't supposed to run it, but I couldn't help myself and ran part of it.  It felt so good to run!  I did the run/walk in about 38 minutes  - within a minute of my first run.
Day Eleven: Worked out in the yard and cleaned house.
Day Twelve: recovery day, Billy out of town and running is hard when he's gone.  Fixed food for a friend's party tomorrow night and had a board meeting.
Day Thirteen: nothing - Billy came home today.
Day Fourteen: nothing.  Had to prepare for another board meeting tomorrow night.
Day Fifteen: Had one board meeting, a Chamber After Hours and a SW Chapter of the MSCPA meeting.  There was really no time for exercise - unless you count running from event to event!
Day Sixteen:  Friday night - family night.
Day Seventeen: Ran with Doozer, 47 minutes.  We're trying to get to 4 miles!
Day Eighteen: Walked to get the Sunday newspaper, took about 40 minutes.  Knee still doesn't bend right for riding the bike.  Then Dooze and I went out for 55 minutes.  We hit 4 miles, but we couldn't run the whole thing.  I wasn't dress correctly and we left at the height of the afternoon instead of waiting for it to cool off a little bit.
Day Nineteen: recovery day.  Two runs over the weekend was a lot for me.
Day Twenty: missed it - had a long annual meeting and then I had to take care of something after the fact.
Day Twenty-one: getting ready for Thanksgiving!
Day Twenty-two: Ran/walked for 51 minutes with Doozer.
Day Twenty-three: Worked out in the yard with Billy
Day Twenty-four: 39 minute run - closing in on 4 miles!
Day Twenty-five: Rode my bike to pick up the newspaper, worked out in the yard with Billy
Day Twenty-six: recovery day
Day Twenty-seven: missed it - very cold and wet and rainy outside.
Day Twenty-eight: I DID IT!  Doozer and I hit the 4 mile mark without stopping or walking!
Day Twenty-nine: REPEAT PERFORMANCE!  Hit 4 miles again, a little slower tonight, but it counts!
Day Thirty: family night at home.

Love, love, love that I have gotten over one of my humps!  I didn't think I would EVER break the 4 mile mark.  Now that I have, I'm convinced I can do anything!

October

Day One: nothing.  Mondays are my recovery days.
Day Two: missed it.
Day Three: missed it.  11 hour car trip to Jonesborough, Tennessee.  Not much time or energy left.
Day Four:  Took Riley on a walk in Persimmon Ridge Park.  Beautiful day to be outside!
Day Five: Storytelling festival - walking around the grounds all day.
Day Six: Storytelling festival - walking around the grounds all day.
Day Seven: Last day at the Storytelling Festival.  Cold, wet and rainy.  Spent most of the time in one tent.
Day Eight: 11 hour car trip back to Natchez.
Day Nine: Recovery day.
Day Ten: Missed it.  Billy left town and there was too much to take care of.
Day Eleven: All my time spent holding down the fort.
Day Twelve: Ran 38 minutes.
Day Thirteen: Ran 46 minutes.
Day Fourteen: Cleaned the house (it counts!) and rode my bike to pick up the Sunday newspaper.
Day Fifteen: Recovery day.
Day Sixteen: Ran 50 minutes.
Day Seventeen: Night off.
Day Eighteen: Ran 45 minutes.  Almost race day!
Day Nineteen: Billy's birthday!  We went out to eat and I got ready for tomorrow.
Day Twenty: Race Day!  3.1 miles in 35 minutes!
Day Twenty-one: Walked for 20 minutes.  I forgot to be somewhere and Billy dropped me off when we remembered and I had to walk home.
Day Twenty-two: Drove back to Natchez from Monroe and attended board meeting.  No time to run.
Day Twenty-three:  Ran 41 minutes on the hotel treadmill.
Day Twenty-four:  Missed it.  Working out of town and we worked later.
Day Twenty-five: Ran 30 minutes on the hotel treadmill.
Day Twenty-six: Nothing tonight.  Just got home after being gone all week.
Day Twenty-seven: Chili cook-off and board function.  Got some walking in between activities.
Day Twenty-eight: Face plant on the sidewalk after running, hard, for 25 minutes.  In pain and so disappointed.
Day Twenty-nine: Nothing.  Knee still doesn't bend and is swollen considerably.
Day Thirty:  Nothing.  Knee still swollen.
Day Thirty-one: Nothing.  Can maneuver some upstairs, but still not downstairs.

Injuries are the pits!  But you have to take them seriously or you'll end up doing more damage, possibly permanently.

35:24

Two of over 4,300 pairs of feet ready to run in Alexandria, Louisiana on October 20, 2012. 

My friend, Kathy, and I left Natchez at 5:30 in the morning to make the 2 hour drive.  Opening ceremonies were at 7:30.  It was dark and it was COLD!

But what a celebration we found when we got there!

The streets were packed with people!  Walkers, runners, all colors, shapes and sizes!  And all there for one purpose.  To shed light and support on breast cancer research.

We "Zumba'd" in the middle of the street to warm up.

We stretched and walked and paced.

We cheered as the promoters pumped up the crowd.

And then we lined up.

The "competitive" runners got to get in the front.  We will be competitive runners next year.  And we wiggled in not far behind them.  Just the two of us.  No pets or strollers or anything like that. 

And then the longest 30 minutes of our lives started.  We waited.  And waited, and waited.

Finally, countdown,

5....4....3....2...1 Go!

We had agreed earlier that we would each run our own race and meet up at the finish line.  And so we took off.  

I ran to my music.  Not really ordered like I would prefer, but good, fast tunes.  I started working my way through the other runners.  Some would pass me, and I'd pass others.

Before the first mile mark, there was a group of young cheerleaders on the street corner.  Probably 6th grade or junior high school.  And as I and the others ran past we heard " YOU'RE. AWESOME.  YOU'RE. AWESOME".

I admit, I had tears in my eyes at that point.  I don't know why. 

I guess because I didn't feel awesome.  The awesome ones are the ladies fighting the fight everyday.  Chemo.  Radiation.  Doctor's appointments.  Surgeries.  And still getting up every day and living their lives.

That's awesome.

But Alexandria certainly did make me feel special.  The high school band drum corp was there along with more cheerleaders as you made the final turn before the finish line.  The residents of the neighborhood through which we ran had their homes decorated and stood outside and cheered, some even passing out water.

And the finish line was festooned with pink balloons and surrounded by supporters.  The local television station even streamed the entire run live.  

As I approached the finish line, I could see the official time clock.  From my angle, all I could see was the last three numbers - basically the seconds and the second number of the minutes.  I could see a 5.  Well, I thought, that must be a 45.  I felt like I'd been running slower than normal.  I usually run with Doozer and without him to set the pace, I was sure I'd been lagging.  

Imagine my shock and surprise to see it was a 35!  

Almost 3 full minutes faster than my last race.  Such a proud accomplishment! 

It was Kathy's first run.  She finished in about the same time as I did on my first one - 38 minutes and change.  I waited for her at the finish line and cheered as she crossed over.

We had our bananas and water and grabbed our freebies and recovered.  Then started the two hour journey back home.  On our drive, we were already planning what we'd do differently next year.

I like running for causes.  I'm learning to love running in general, but knowing that I'm helping someone while doing something good for me, makes it all a no brainer.

Now, my goal every time is just to finish.  If I can do better than the last one, then so much the better.  My only competition is me.

And that always makes me a winner.

Why I Run

This Saturday is a Susan G. Komen breast cancer run. I am really looking forward to it, and for a lot of different reasons.

First off, I believe Susan G. Komen for the Cure does, and supports, good work. And I want to know that if I ever need them, I can benefit from that work. And that, hopefully, the funds I'm helping to raise now will go towards even better treatments, diagnostics, and prevention.

If I remember my family history correctly, my grandmother was a breast cancer survivor. She survived it twice, as a matter of fact. And since she passed away in 1980, you know that when she received her diagnoses, it was at a time when the word Cancer carried much more ominous tones.

Not that cancer is any walk in the park now, but not all types of cancers carry the same Death Sentence toll that they used to. Many have good diagnostic tests that can catch cancers early, and early detection often leads to more treatment options and better results.

In my own case, because of the family history, I started getting my mammograms at age 35. A couple of years ago, they saw something. So we tested again. It wasn't there anymore. So I went to a different doctor for another opinion. Some people thought I should just leave well enough alone and if the spot wasn't there anymore just be glad and just move on. I'm not wired that way. The spot had been there the year before as well. I needed to know for sure.

I'm proactive.

I'm also one of the lucky ones. Turns out I just have a sensitivity to caffeine and that was making me "lumpy". All I had to do was a couple more tests and drop my morning coffee for 6 months and all was better. Some of my friends, and friends of friends, are not so lucky. Some are younger than me. A friend had her own double mastectomy less than a year ago. And how many people do I pass every day on the street, or have lunch with in Kiwanis, or sit next to at a show that have dealt with breast or other cancers?

Too many.

Billy and I recently went back to the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. On Sunday afternoon they have a longer session and have probably 7 or 8 tellers come in and do 10 to 15 minute stories. Well, one of the ladies we'd heard a couple of times over the festival came in and did a "bit" about exercises you could do to get ready for your annual mammogram. "Grab two metal bookends, place them in the freezer, then have a total stranger come over and slam them together with you in the middle." And so on, and so on. All of the ladies in the audience were rolling with laughter. The next teller even found a way to incorporate her story into his story and eventually everyone in the tent was laughing so hard we were crying! But as we left and got back to our car Billy turned and looked at me and asked "Is is really that bad?". "Worse" I replied. And then I explained to him, in great detail, what it is like to get a mammogram. And how grateful I am to only have to get once a year.

It is because people before me ran in races like the ones going on all over the country this month that we have the technology we have. And I run so that my niece, Brett, and my younger second cousins, Caroline, Brittany, Savannah, Adi, Natalie, Ashley, Lily Beth and Mary Mason, and all their friends and the ones I can't even think of right now (it's always a mistake for me to try to name people because I forget folks, but never intentionally) may benefit from even more advancements 20 and 30 years from now.

It is for them that I run.

I continue to hope that I'll never need it.

 

July, August and September

So, anyone been wondering where those months went? Me too! I swear, I looked up and it was October. So, I must have been busy, huh. Well, yes I was. Too much to list it all here like I had been doing, but I will share. First, July was the hottest month on record, ever. So the running slowed up considerably. I can't take the humidity with my asthma. Not a good combination. But I did exercise. As a matter of fact, I burned up 4,180 calories in the month of July alone. August saw another 6,300 burn up, with only 3,300 in September. So, not sedentary! The biggest issue was consistency. I could run some nights, but I'd have to wait until 8 or 8:30 (still light outside) and that isn't good for sleeping, and sometimes it would still be way too humid to make it a good run. But running wasn't all. Mom, Andrea, Brett and I had a wonderful long weekend in Chicago where we walked the Miracle Mile many times over - usually carrying packages! In August, Billy and I took our annual trip to New York City where we walked mile after mile after mile. Sometimes even on purpose! September, the weather change made me a little under the weather so I didn't make much progress on anything. But I didn't lose any ground either so I was proud of myself. So, what did I miss? The half-marathon I wanted to do this past weekend in Mandeville. I'm not even quite up to 4 miles yet so 13.1 was out of this question. This time. It is still on my list and there are some in November, December and January that I might actually be able to make. The training programs, which I'm working, just not progressing quickly, are all well within that timeframe. So, my dream didn't die, it just got pushed back a little. And that happens to all of us from time to time. I am running in another 5K this weekend and again in November. I find that I have to have a goal. Once the half-marathon wasn't feasible, I filled in two more. They may not be pushing my limits right now, but they are pushing me to get out there and keep moving. Hopefully my absence from the blog didn't slow YOU down! And I will get back to regular reporting since it makes me feel better and helps keep me accountable. You know us CPAs, all about being accountable. So, I hope everyone had a fantastic summer and a great start to fall! It is starting to really feel nice outside and I'm going to do all I can to enjoy it!

June

Day One: nothing today.
Day Two: got my run on! 35 minutes, broke the 13/mile pace.
Day Three: 45 minutes walk/run. Way too humid!
Day Four: 45 minute walk/run.
Day Five: hit the streets again! 45 minutes walk/run in the heat.
Day Six: 50 minute walk/run
Day Seven: still hot, but I got my 45 minutes in!
Day Eight: missed it. Work got in the way.
Day Nine: 45 minute walk/run
Day Ten: got my 45 minutes out on the streets
Day Eleven: missed it
Day Twelve: missed it - work is ratcheting up!
Day Thirteen: 35 minutes walk/run
Day Fourteen: missed it
Day Fifteen: missed it
Day Sixteen: got in a double! Did my run and then took Doozer for a walk
Day Seventeen: 35 minute walk/run
Day Eighteen: missed it
Day Nineteen: missed it
Day Twenty: missed it
Day Twenty-one: missed it
Day Twenty-two: missed it
Day Twenty-three: missed it
Day Twenty-four: 45 minute walk/run. Humid, but good to be out there
Day Twenty-five: missed it
Day Twenty-six: missed it
Day Twenty-seven: missed it
Day Twenty-eight: missed if
Day Twenty-nine: missed it
Day Thirty: me and The Dooze hit the bricks! I have missed it!

So, June was not my best month. The weather is brutally, and dangerously, hot. Way too humid! And work was brutal. Busy season hours in a traditionally non- busy season month. Too much stress. Odd thing is, I know that exercise would be helpful for my stress, but when I take the time to exercise I stress that I should be, or need to be, working. June 30 deadlines are a pain! But I met them. Hopefully things will smooth out and I can get back to normal.

May

Day One: Ran 30 minutes. Covered over 2 miles. Had to walk to the office first to find my phone so I could track it!
Day Two: Home sick. Been feeling it coming, but hoped it would pass. I thought maybe my throat was hurting because I've been running with my mouth open.
Day Three: Miracle shot has me back on the road! Got my 30 minutes in. Also got bad news this morning - Naunie passed away overnight.
Day Four: Ran my 30 minutes this morning before heading to Carlisle. I had a good pace. I seem to run better in the mornings.
Day Five: Got my 30 minutes in tonight. Felt good after such an emotional day. Good to get all the good endorphins working.
Day Six: Break day. Drove back to Natchez after spending most of the day with Mom. I needed a rest.
Day Seven: Back on track. Ran 30 minutes. Each day I cover a little more ground.
Day Eight: A little slow, but I got my 30 minutes in. Feeling a little sluggish.
Day Nine: Making up for lost time! Ran my 30 minutes, well over 2 miles, AND came home and grabbed Doozer for a 20 minute, 1.25 mile, walk.
Day Ten: In Jackson all day. I got home at 6:30 and had dinner. It was way too close to being dark by the time I could get ready to run.
Day Eleven: Headed to Atlanta, but I ran my 30 minutes before I got on the road!
Day Twelve: Started with a run through Heather's neighborhood. Broke through the 13 minute/mile pace. And then she and I shopped and walked a lot today. Very active.
Day Thirteen: Followed up 7.5 hours in the car with a 30 minute run AND walking Doozer for another 25 minutes. Covered a lot of ground today!
Day Fourteen: Another double! Doozer hates to be left behind but I can't run with him. Lord knows the extra walking won't kill me.
Day Fifteen: Just did the 30 minute run tonight. Felt a little sluggish again so it wasn't my best work.
Day Sixteen: halfway through my run I twisted my ankle and had to walk home. Stupid curbs. But I still got in over two miles, altogether.
Day Seventeen: Resting the ankle.
Day Eighteen: Resting the ankle. And it was my birthday so I ate too much today. Trying to run would have been like slogging through mud.
Day Nineteen: ran my first 5K! What a way to start my 46th year!
Day Twenty: a well-earned day of rest! My ankle is none to pleased with my victory yesterday, giving it a break.
Day Twenty-one: got a little walk in after work. Ankle still pretty swollen, but Doozer was happy.
Day Twenty-two: tried to run, had to walk home. Ankle is not going to let me push myself any more this week. Stupid curbs.
Day Twenty-three: rest and recovery.
Day Twenty-four: rest and recovery. hate it, but we're having good family time.
Day Twenty-five: found an alternative - or remembered I should say. Billy's van is in the shop and he needed the car so I rode my bike to work, home at lunch, back to work, home at day's end. Felt good!
Day Twenty-six: worked out in the yard - staking tomatoes. Went to Bayou Country Superfest in Baton Rouge so there was a pretty good hike from the parking to the stadium and back. Ankle started swelling, though. Wore the wrong shoes.
Day Twenty-seven: got a little walking in, still taking it a little easy.
Day Twenty-eight: left out on my run this morning, realized I forgot my inhaler and the humidity was awful so I turned and ran on home. Went back out this evening. Tried to do the whole 3+ miles but I could only do a little over half. Going to have to build back up.
Day Twenty-nine: rested. realize after all this that you do have to listen to your body and give it a break and time to heal.
Day Thirty: learned I cannot outrun the rain! headed out, could see the storm clouds. 25 minutes into the 35 minute minute run (which I did run most all of this time! yea me!), the clouds opened up! I was soaked and had to take shelter until it passed, at which time I ran home and into a hot shower.
Day Thirty-one: Just walked 1.43 miles with The Dooze. I promised him a walk after my run last night and he was cheated by the rain. Billy headed to Arkansas today so running, with my "track" record didn't seem like a good idea.

All in all, a pretty darn good month!

I Did It!! Amended

Here's the postscript to last Saturday's Cancer Fun Run.

That morning, I did get up a little early. A few nerves. Couldn't eat. That kind of thing. And I wanted to get there early. Registration and packet pickup started at 7:30 and the Run was 8:30. Billy asked if he was supposed to go with me, since he wasn't ready and I was starting to bounce off the walls by 7:15. I told him he could bring his own car. (Side note: most everywhere we go together we take separate vehicles. He doesn't want to be there and I'm never ready to leave. So this was not unusual on this day.) I waited and finally decided I couldn't wait any longer so I went upstairs to tell him I was leaving. He was almost dressed since he'd decided to go with me, on the provision that I had him back home a little after 9. I had already done the math and told him at 13 minute miles that I needed about 40 minutes and then we could come home.

Which is what we did. I ran, ate a banana and drank some water, visited a minute or two with some people I knew, and we left.

At the office, we start every Monday morning with staff meeting. We go around the table and discuss anything going on that week, work out of the office, sports scores, etc. My partner is always first and he announced to the room that I had completed my first 5K that weekend. Lots of "yea"s from around the table. Then he picked up an envelope and said "But what she doesn't know, because she left too soon on Saturday, is that she won this in her age group" and he pulled out a 3rd place medal.

Could have knocked me over with a feather!

Of course then the jokes started about were there even three people in my age group (yes, my partner - pointing out that he is about 3 months younger than me - got second in our age group and a friend of ours was first).

So yes, the bar is now set high, and hard work is its own reward.

But a medal sure is cool.

I Did It!!

First 5K in the books!

I know what some of you are thinking, big deal, 3.1 miles. Not like it's a marathon or anything (maybe next year!). But for me, it was huge.

When I was growing up, with asthma, sometimes just going outside was a death sentence. I didn't even have to do anything to have an attack - just be standing in the grass or the beanfield. If I actually tried to run or play too hard, there I'd go. Off to Dr. Stroop's office! I truly owe that man my life.

I've written about it before, but I would get so upset by things that I physically couldn't do, but that were expected. Everyone had to go out at recess. Everyone had to participate in Field Day in elementary school. In the sixth grade we played softball and it was hard for them to find a position for me. But Daddy came and watched anyway. I couldn't hit, run, field the ball or anything else. In the fifth grade, there was the President's Challenge, or some such thing. The Challenge was to be able to do a specific set of exercises within a given time frame. Daddy and I worked and worked and worked on it. I think I might have earned the White patch - which was the lowest level - but it was hard. I still can't throw a softball. But I also remember thinking that it wasn't "fair" that I had to run and stuff like the other kids when my body wouldn't let me.

"Fair" is where you go to ride rides and eat cotton candy. Life is not fair.

But it is what you make it.

I did learn that with hard work I could achieve my goals.

And I hit one yesterday. Yes, I ran with my inhaler in my hand, just in case. Was going to leave it in the car but Billy just looked at me and asked if I was insane. And I ran knowing that there was no shame in walking if I needed to. Ladies around me were doing it. But I wanted to push as far and as hard as I could.

And that was to the finish line. 37 minutes, 55 seconds.

I checked my log last night. I started training on March 27. At that time, running for one minute straight was a big deal to me. Then a minute and a half. Two minutes. Five minutes. When I ran eight straight minutes I was so excited you would have thought I'd won an Olympic gold medal! And it built and built and built and now I can run over thirty minutes. Straight.

And no, I'm not done. I want to keep moving up the ladder and pushing myself.

Because there is a half-marathon in Mandeville in October with my name on it.

April

Well, apparently the blog ate my April! And I am so ticked about that! I updated it on Sunday through Sunday night. Realized yesterday I needed to add Monday and publish it and now it's gone. This does not make me happy. Especially since it was a kick-booty kind of month! I only missed one day of exercise - April 1. I was driving back from Carlisle that day and everyone was so happy to see me when I got home that I didn't want to spend one more minute on myself. I signed up for a 5K in May so I'm in training. Many days I got in over 2 miles walking/running. Some days I even took Doozer so there was a lot of pulling and tugging and moving faster than planned! Now I go run first, then take him for a walk. I also found out my cholesterol did drop from 240 to 204. So the medication is helping, but I'm having trouble tolerating it. That is still a work in process. The good news there is that my good cholesterol is better than my bad cholesterol is bad, so I have a good ratio even with a bad number. Apparently the ratio is the most important of all those numbers. So April had a lot of plusses! I just wish I could share them all here. Maybe this new format won't eat my May.

March

Day One: Excuses, excuses, excuses! Spent to much time getting Billy on the road this morning and then too much time dealing with him not being home tonight.
Day Two: Thought about it, several time, but didn't follow through. It really is a challenge to find "me" time when Billy is out of town, especially during busy season.
Day Three:ZUMBA! Only about 15 minutes but it was so much fun!
Day Four: Cleaned the house, shopping, planted outside - very active today. Gorgeous weather to be out!
Day Five: Nothing more than caring for the animals - which I'm convinced must count for something when Billy is out of town. I'm home two or three times during the day - up the stairs and down the stairs over and over and over again.
Day Six: Nothing I could really count - just the same as yesterday - except I did do some last minute cleaning before Billy gets home tomorrow - dusting and vacuuming, but not a ton of it.
Day Seven: Was so happy Billy was home that was all that mattered!
Day Eight: Missed it.
Day Nine: Missed it.
Day Ten: Walked to work and back. Wanted to ride my bike but I had a flat!
Day Eleven: Worked outside - planting flowers, carrying plants and so forth and I spent a ton of time in the kitchen. I'm always moving a lot when I cook - grabbing stuff, washing stuff and so on. Then I walked up the street to do some volunteer accounting work. Pretty active day!
Day Twelve: Did a little Zumba dancing in the wee hours this morning!
Day Thirteen: board meeting that lasted 2 hours killed it all. My thighs were still hurting this morning after all of Sunday's planting so I skipped the morning with the plan to do it after my meeting. I didn't get home until 9 o'clock and was too aggravated at that point to be productive.
Day Fourteen: started off with the best of intentions - standing on the Wii deciding whether I wanted to cycle or obstacle course and all the batteries died. Decided that was an omen that I needed to go back to bed and drink coffee with Billy. I go to work so early we don't get to do that very often during the week, especially in busy season. But all was not lost! I salvaged the day with a 30 minute walk after after dinner with Doozer. It was a beautiful night but we did more than just stroll.
Day Fifteen: I replaced all the batteries in the Wii and started my day off with about 10 mintues - while the coffee was brewing. Thought I would do more when I got home but it was not to be.
Day Sixteen: rode my bike to work and home, including lunch, so that was about 2.5 miles - even if it was spread out over 4 "rides". Also walked from the office to the bank to take care of some business and back after lunch.
Day Seventeen: Started with joining the Kiwanis Club to pick up trash this morning. Spent about 45 minutes out there. We didn't walk too terribly far or very fast, but there was a lot of bending and stretching so it was all good.
Day Eighteen: Worked out in the yard - scrubbing mold and mildew off the front porch and the garden wall. Went through 3 bottles of Clorox Clean-up. Then I gave Sadie a bath. Pretty active day.
Day Nineteen: 10 minutes on the Wii. My back and upper arms are killing me after yesterday!
Day Twenty: Started with 10 minutes on the Wii. Jog/walked 2 miles after dinner. Felt good!
Day Twenty-one: Jog/walked 2 miles after dinner. 3 minutes faster than yesterday so hopefully that means I jogged more than I walked the night before.
Day Twenty-two: according to the Wii, I'm down a few pounds this week. So nice to see the arrow heading in that direction again! I skipped my morning routine thinking I could walk after dinner but the deluge hit at work and it was already dark. Hate that I missed it!
Day Twenty-three: Took off with Doozer after dinner for the 2 mile jog/walk. Only made 1.6 miles. We ran into a friend walking her dog and stopped to visit. It was too dark to keep going and Doozer was beat. He was beat because I ran over half of the route! Yea me!
Day Twenty-four: Wasn't feeling it, but took Doozer out for our jog/walk anyway, and covered the whole miles. I still did it in about 30 minutes so even though I didn't run as much as I walked, I walked very quickly.
Day Twenty-five: Like the Sundays before, we worked outside. We expanded our patio and all with repurposed bricks from elsewhere around the house. Lots of bending and stooping and carrying and moving. Overall, about 3 hours outside. Felt good and the day was just too beautiful to not be outside enjoying it.
Day Twenty-six: Recovery day. And that is what it is! My thighs hurt from all the lifting yesterday, my back is sore. Going to crawl in bed early and "exercise" my right to rest.
Day Twenty-seven: Started off with 10 minutes on the Wii while I waited for the coffee to brew. Finished the day with 2.12 miles walk/jog.
Day Twenty-eight: 10 minutes on the Wii while the coffee brewed and the puppies ran around outside. I did have to laugh. Doozer came in and rested his paws on the balance board while I was exercising. The Wii told me my weight was very different - did I want to proceed? Glad to know it's watching out for me. Finished the night with a 2 mile walk with Doozer. He is loving it! But he's still a handful on the leash so we can't do it every night. At least not yet.
Day Twenty-nine: Little bit of time on the Wii this morning, but not much. The work hours are getting to me and I slept a little longer. Started out on my run but it go called on account of rain after a mile. I can take heat and I can bear cold but I HATE getting wet.
Day Thirty: few minutes on the Wii. Mostly focused on getting things done so I can leave early in the morning.
Day Thirty-One: had more important things to do today. Drove to Carlisle to spend the day with my grandmother. Most likely will not have another chance.

February

Day one: missed it
Day two: missed it
Day three: missed it
Day four: Dancing at a party!
Day five: missed it
Day six: board meeting right after work, missed exercising
Day seven: board meeting at 7, got home from work at 6, returned from board meeting at 8:30 and went to bed
Day eight: working late, missed it
Day nine: working late, so tired and not feeling well
Day ten: parade at 6, dancing on the float!
Day eleven: worked all day, had a party that night, missed getting any real exercise
Day twelve: squeezed in 10 minutes on the Wii
Day thirteen: at work from 6 to 6
Day fourteen: at work from 6 to 6
Day fifteen: at work from 6 to 6
Day sixteen: at work from 6 to 6
Day seventeen: dancing on the parade float!
Day eighteen: dancing, dancing, dancing at the Grand Ball
Day nineteen: gave myself a well-deserved break mentally and physically
Day twenty: got to work at 6:20 in the morning left and drove 4 hours to Clarksdale, worked until 5:30. Fell asleep after dinner.
Day twenty-one: got up early and did 15 minutes on the bike in the hotel fitness center
Day twenty-two: Ash Wednesday. Attended services at 6:30 this morning and fasted.
Day twenty-three: walking, about 20 minutes
Day twenty-four: about 15 minutes on the Wii
Day twenty-five: walked around town, up and down the street between work and the literary conference
Day twenty-six: thirty minutes on the Wii, plus a went grocery shopping with Billy and we were all over the store
Day twenty-seven: started the day with 15 minutes on the Wii
Day twenty-eight: long day at work then had to prepare a report for a board meeting. Sounds like excuses to me.
Day twenty-nine: left for New Orleans at 6:30 this morning but still cycled on the Wii for 15 minutes while the coffee was brewing.

Not my best month, but I'm trying to keep in mind that right now I'm working on re-establishing my habits. Anything is better than nothing. And some days are just better than others.

Timing Is Everything

Can I just go on record by saying that the height of Mardi Gras season was NOT the time to try to get myself back on track!

And not for the reasons you might suspect.

I did not overindulge at the parties. One, I really am not big on most party foods since they involve dips (I don't do dips at all) or appetizers with onions or other foods I don't care for and two, I knew I had to drive myself home so drinking was limited as well.

No, the problem was the sheer volume of activities! Since the first week of January through last weekend not one week went by without at least one party, and most had two or three, including work nights.

It got hard to figure out a routine when you're trying to plan how to get everything done, and no day is the same as the next. I sometimes envy those who have set work hours at a set location. I don't have that. The week of the Mardi Gras parade and Grand Ball I hit the 60 hour mark by 3:30 Friday afternoon. That didn't leave a lot of extra time for exercising, or even worrying about what I was eating. I was concerned a couple of those days that I'd even get to eat, period.

But I did get exercise - mostly dancing on the float and at the balls. I do love to dance! Don't do it well, but I enjoy it.

So, with that behind me I did do better this week. I worked out of town but used their fitness room and have tried to get my days planned a little better since I should only be leaving one more time for a long while. Still will have some crazy hours, but at least one major activity is off my plate.

And don't misunderstand. I was definitely "Mardi-Grased" out by February 18 but I would not have missed the opportunity for anything. I think I only missed 3 functions during the whole time (the royalty handbook said we were to attend all functions to which we were invited and I am a rule-follower, you know) and I was worn out with everything else going on, but I met some wonderful people and made terrific new friends and enjoyed myself immensely!

So, time to try again to get my "house" in order and get back to my game plan.

January

Day One: 52 minutes on the Wii
Day Two: did things around the house, including giving a wiggling dog a haircut! That should count for something.
Day Three: missed today. Didn't get home from work and meetings until 8 and Billy is out of town
Day Four: about 10 minutes on the Wii
Day Five: about 10 minutes on the Wii
Day Six: about 10 minutes on the Wii
Day Seven: danced, danced, danced at a Mardi Gras party
Day Eight: mostly rested but also worked on my dance routine for the Call-Out Ball. Not strenuous but I was up and moving
Day Nine: missed today. Billy's been sick and last night was the first in several that either of us slept so I didn't get up early and after work there was a board meeting and a football game.
Day Ten: about 10 minutes on the Wii
Day Eleven: 31 minutes on the Wii (hard minutes!) and I walked from one client to another for a presentation and then back. Felt get to get outside, if only for a few minutes
Day Twelve: sore muscles from boxing last night. Just got in a few balancing games on the Wii.
Day Thirteen: missed but totally worth it! Had a Mardi Gras duchess party tonight so no time to exercise. Better yet, barely had time to eat.
Day Fourteen: had to work, but that included moving and setting up new computers and walking around the office and so forth, not as sedentary as usual. Nothing I can quantify, but I did stretch some muscles.
Day Fifteen: kind of a rest day, but not entirely. I had to finish up with the computers this morning, still moving and stuff. Then I did a few things around the house and did some grocery shopping. So, again, nothing I can quantify but better than just sitting around.
Day 16 to Day 20: rough week. Worked out of town. Went to work early and stayed late at the client to maximize our time on-site and we ate out every meal. Tried to do okay with the meals but got very little exercise until Friday night rehearsing for the Call-Out Ball.
Day 21: Dancing at the Call-Out Ball! Tons of fun and good exercise!
Day 22: Had to go clean up the City Auditorium after the Ball. Carried furniture, walked up and down the stairs in the sections. Maybe nothing quanitifiable, but still moving and working the muscles.
Day 23 to 27: Another rough week. Was home, but Billy left on Thursday and it seemed that being gone for a week everything in the office piled up. Too much stress this week.
Day 28: Decorate the Community Center for the Dukes and Duchess' party and then danced at the party itself. No small feat in 6 inch platform boots.
Day 29: A few minutes on the Wii - balance games, some aerobics. Trying to stay in the habit before it leaves me completely.
Day 30: Needed a break. Mentally and physically. Being a "single" mom of 7 when Billy is out of town, in busy season, is draining.
Day 31: Not feeling well. Nothing major, mostly tired. Had to prepare for board meeting tonight so not much exercise other than climbing the stairs several times today - but that still counts for something!

Monthly Reports

One of the things that helped me the most when I first started this journey was the weekly meetings of HealthQuest.

The weekly weigh-ins, I should say.

In typical, Deanne-the-perfectionist-fashion, I didn't want to somehow "disappoint" the lady recording my weekly weight in my log so I was always certain to make sure it went down a little each week. Some weeks were, obviously, better than others but it was the knowledge that someone other than me would know how I did that helped keep me focused.

Have no fear, I am not ABOUT to tell you how much I weigh. No way, no how. But I am going to give you my exercise "journal" each month. It will post at midnight on the first of the following month.

Which means I have to keep it current or you'll know I've failed at even the most basic of tasks. I don't expect comments or that you'll even read them but it is ME knowing I'm putting something out there PUBLICALLY that I HOPE will keep my focus on the exercise.

Because for me it is all about the exercise.

I can eat a lot or little but if I don't do something physical it just sits on me the same way.

So, you all are my public watchers. You will know if I tried or made excuses; if I stayed on task or wandered off the path; if I cared enough to try.

Be kind.

The Small Victories

I want to share this picture with you.

Not because I want to name drop (Duece McAllister), and not because a friend saw it and thought I'd dropped 10 pounds (but who wouldn't when standing next to that brick wall of a man!) but because of the jacket. Yes, I think it is lovely and all Mardi Gras-ish and festive, but more importantly because I purchased it in the early 1990s.

For those that, like me, don't realize it, it is 2012 and the early 1990s were almost 20 years ago.

I share it because I needed the reminder of how far I've come. There were many, many years that I couldn't wear that jacket. I know because I tried. A few times I managed to get my arms into the sleeves but it was nowhere close to closing in the front.

It fastened when I wore it on Thursday night. Easily, and with room to spare.

So, to myself, good job on not losing faith in yourself and continuing to focus! Despite the crazy schedules and traveling and stresses. It would be so easy at this point to just give in to all the comfort foods and bad habits and all that accompanies those. But I won't.

I am too important to me.

I am valued, and valuable, and my health is the most important thing. Without it, nothing else will matter. I wouldn't be able to enjoy whatever Life was handing me.

So, if you find yourself in a rut or feeling discouraged or just down about it all, find your small victory. That mile that comes easily now that you couldn't walk a year ago. Or that dress you'd thought you'd never wear again but hadn't donated to charity yet because you loved it. Or playing with your children or grandchildren or puppies or whatever that maybe you couldn't enjoy a few years, or even a few months, ago.

It is the small victories that truly count the most. They are what keep us motivated and moving in the right direction. The small victories are what add up to the bigger ones, which ultimately culminate in our overall goals.

So celebrate them!

Do Over

Perhaps I should have read my post from last May after I wrote it. Like, several times so it would have taken root.

Doctor's office called today. I didn't want to take that call. You know when everything turns out well you get a letter. Phone calls mean something.

Now, with all the testing that was done, I did get the best of the not so good news. My cholesterol clocked in at 240.

240.

I'm supposed to be under 180.

I'm nowhere close.

So, it's back to another doctor, another plan, a real goal this time. A true mission.

Wish me luck!

Thought for this Tuesday

Saw this in my Denise Austin newsletter this morning: make peace with your past - so it won't spoil the present!

What a great thought! The past is just that, past. Over. Gone. Done with. Every day is chance for a new beginning. A fresh start.

If you're not where you want to be, get there. Get started. There's no time like now.