I am married to Seabiscuit (or Secretariat, which he prefers)

This post is dedicated to my husband, Steven. I love you very much and I hope you forgive me for what I am about to say!

Last Sunday, Steven tells me he is tired of talking about running. He says that is all I try to talk to him about. Usually, he says I am not talking to him enough. Then I do talk to him, and he doesn't like it. He was quite an athlete in his day, before ligaments, tendons, ACLs, cartilage, rotator cuffs, and muscles were all torn and in disrepair. No matter what shape he is in now, he will always be more kinesthetically adept than I can ever aspire to be. Since he was classified "athlete" and I was only "cheerleader" I thought it made great sense to talk to him about running because he could advise me from an athletic standpoint versus a how-can-I-do-this-and-still-look-cute mentality. I guess he had heard enough because he did say to me "It's running, not rocket science." Yes, smarty, I know it is just running to you, but to me it is rocket science because I've never pushed my body to any exertion, except maybe while I was shopping and I tried to see how many hangers I could put on one hand. He also said I needed to stop turning every conversation with another human into one about running. He said I was going to run people off--r-u-n-n-o-f-t!!!! (any O'Brother, Where Art Thou fans????) If I have run you off, please come back!!!!!

Let me get back on track here! I finally convinced him to come run with me. I had been running up and down our road, which is constructed of asphalt. I started having mega issues with my SI joint (where the dimples are in your back, well, if you have dimples...some of you are so small you probably don't know what I am talking about!) My running buddy said we should run on her dirt road that is packed because it would be easier on our legs and joints. She was right! Since he approved of our running surface, Steven announced Thursday he would come with me to run the dirt road. I know how he is, and how he is always competitive against his younger self. I told him to take it slow, to keep his stride short, and to run/walk the way I was going to do until he could get his body adjusted to the strain of running. We started...and I always start slow.  (I read a blog called Slow Is The New Fast and I pay attention to these things!)Not Steven! He took off like Seabiscuit(or Secretariat). This is no exaggeration--he was completely out of sight and this dirt road is straight as an arrow, and after a minute he was gone!
      I yelled to him "Sloooowwww Dowwwnnnnn!"
     He said,  "I can't!"
     I said,  "Yes, you can!"    Now, while this scenario is playing out, it happens in slow motion, like when the actors from the movie "The Matrix" are fighting, and the scene gets slow, then ends up fast...I hope you can understand what I'm talking about!)
........ All I heard was my voice echoing through the woods. We get close to the pond, which is about 0.8 of a mile, and I see him walking. Actually, hobbling is more of an accurate description.  He started running again, and he was out of sight. This was beginning to stress me out. I've read you shouldn't run in a stressful environment where you have to worry about cars, dogs, kids, etc. but they didn't mention husbands! Finally, we spot him leaning against a post. I make it to him, and he tells me he can't walk on his leg because he has pulled a muscle. I asked him why he didn't just stop running, and he said he was so angry at himself for failing! He was mad that his leg was hurt so he decided he would just continue to injure it more. A few years ago he lifted weights with his cousins, who had been lifting quite a while, and he tore his rotator cuff. He should have known....I should have known.....I did feel bad for him because his job is physically demanding and I didn't want him injured! And he is self-employed.  Finally, my running buddy's mother-in-law appeared out of nowhere on her golf cart--what a blessing for Steven! He had  no shame as he hopped on the back and caught a ride to our finish line. She gave us water and Gatorade--it was so hot and humid and we were pouring sweat and I think she was worried we were dehydrating.

 Once we recovered from all of this drama, I had to drive home. I rubbed Icy Hot on his leg and gave him Advil. He is still limping 9 days later! He says he is going to try it again and that he has a new appreciation for me, but I couldn't hear him. After all, he told me he didn't want to talk about running.

There's nothing like being asked..............

I started searching my computer today for "before" pictures........I didn't actually take any purposefully because I was scared I wouldn't see any improvement and I just couldn't bear to not look any better than my "before" pictures.Also, there have been lots and lots of "befores" in my life.

 I think back to all the healthy attempts I made to eat better and to exercise. The first one after the birth of my oldest son was SugarBusters and joining the local Curves. From there, I went on to try the Atkin's diet. Next was Biometrics at the Y--now THAT one really worked, but I didn't stick with it, so the pounds poured on. Then my youngest son was born, and I went to the South Beach diet. I did Biometrics again, but with poor results. I just gave up. I thought if I am going to continue to weigh this much, I might as well eat what I want! Well, that didn't work so well, because I gained so much weight clothes wouldn't fit. I refused to go to the "other" side of the store for the clothes with a W behind the size. I always thought that meant "wide", but my mama corrected me and told me it was for "woman"!!! I went to a diet doctor in the next largest city close to our little town who specializes in bariatrics and he would prescribe appetite suppressants and give you a vitamin B6/B12 shot combined, and you could buy high protein, low carb food from him. There was accountability involved--keeping a food and fitness diary and weighing in once a week. If the office was in my town, I would have kept seeing him, but it was out of town by 35 minutes, and once school started, I just didn't have time to drive the distance weekly. The most I ever lost seeing him the 3 times that I tried was 20 pounds.

 I remember feeling so disheartened that I deprived myself and saw no results. Instead of getting out and walking or going to the gym, I would just EAT and EAT and EAT."I'll show you, body!!! Take those Oreos...and take these crackers! Yeah, you wanna piece of chocolate? "  (Envision me vs. the pantry with boxing gloves.....) I ate due to stress, boredom, anger, frustration, while watching TV, while reading.....I really didn't need a reason to eat. Forget the fact that I might actually be hungry. Oops, forgot to mention I did Weight Watchers...about 4 different times. I gave up on that, too. I wish I had all the money back that I have spent over the years on diets and exercises. It's probably enough to outfit myself with a home gym.

Here are two before pictures--fully clothed. I won't show any with skin showing because this is a family friendly blog and I wouldn't want to scar anyone for life.

The first picture is February 2011 and the bottom picture is from May 2011. I remember being asked several times when I was due. NOTHING will make a woman who struggles with weight angrier than being asked this question. My first thought was to ask them what day were they scheduled for plastic surgery, but I refrained. Reality check--when more than one meanie asks you for a due date, then you MUST look pregnant. And if you aren't, then it means you look like you are about to POP! And you need to GET OFF THE COUCH and out of the chip bag and MOVE!!!! I'm one to talk....because I never did any exercise. Three little words motivated me...fatty liver disease. I made the mistake of looking it up on Web MD....next thing I figured is I would be on a transplant list and in the hospital. NEVER look up medical information on the internet. I have learned this the hard way.

 The downside of losing weight is that people think something is wrong with you...that you are sick. Now that's a heck of a note. You're either with child or ill with a dreadful disease.... Someone asked me at church the other day "Are you okay? I'm really worried about you." I'm not sure if it's due to weight loss or because Steven and I got to laughing so hard that I had tears coming out of my eyes and had to run out and get tissue before all my make-up came off. I'll post some after pictures soon--and you will see that I am not about to dry up and blow away....not hardly.

Day One of Running

CORRECTION:  The early morning running started at 5:00 am, not 5:30. I found some excerpts from a journal I was trying to keep and realized I put the wrong time. Thirty minutes makes a whole lot of difference...anything before 6:00 am is unheard of to me. Here is my take on running day 1:

Dec. 5, 2011

4:45 came pretty early…..but I am always up around that time, even before my alarm goes off. I dressed quickly since I laid my clothes out the night before. I grabbed a protein shake and my water and since I am such a scared-y cat I decided to drive to my neighbor's house instead of walk………don’t want to go past the scary woods between my house and hers. Her garage is up and as soon as I get out of my car, she is ready. She gives me last minute advice and we are off! 5 minute warm up………..easy. First 2 minute run…not bad. I try to pace my breathing, and I am breathing pretty hard, but that’s ok…I’m making it. Next, a 3 minute walk. I downloaded Running Mate’s podcast from iTunes so I have a coach in my ear—Nice!  It’s nice to not have to think about the time of each interval. My neighbor is really on week 6 but she is doing week 1 with me because she has an injured Achilles tendon.  Turns out we dressed too warm—it is not even cold outside and here I am in a stocking cap (Daddy, you would be so proud!) a fleece pullover, long sleeved t shirt, and gloves. Too much—I am sweating profusely.  It is very very dark on the road and my neighbor tells me a story about a boy who was hit by a car back when her dad and my mother-in-law were children. The chill down my spine speeds me up! We go up and down the straightaway from her driveway to the end of the road. It’s flat and easier to run on.  She says I’m doing good and I surely pray she is telling the truth. We finish and cool down. The exhilarating feeling I have is a high—I could have pulled a Mac truck with my teeth! We did a mile and a half in 30 minutes…………..right now I have to focus on distance, not speed, but I know how competitive I am and it will bug me until I can get faster. I felt a little sore this afternoon, but now that it is time for bed, I am SUPA sore!!! I really want to stick with this type of exercise and I want to run a 5K. My large goal is to run a marathon by the time I turn 40—which is 20 months away. 

And here is the prayer I prayed on this day, and many others after....

 

Dear Father in Heaven,

Thank you for friends. Thank you for caring all about our lives, even our health. I ask you for good health, especially a good strong back and no plantar fasciitis. I pray that you will give me the endurance required to continue this run/walk program. I have faith in you and I know what I ask you hear and you answer prayers. Help me to run with faith, to stay safe on the road, to give me your hedge of protection, Father.  Give me wisdom to know what to do in each situation, help me to have good form and to be able to eat sensibly so I can also lose weight.  Getting a diagnosis of possible fatty liver disease is a real wake up call and I pray for you to heal me. I ask all this in your name, Dear Father. Amen

 

How did I become a running junkie???

First, I would like to thank my cousin for calling us "running junkies"! I wish I could have come up with something creative like her, but every fun name that I thought of was already taken.

By the way, you might want to get a snack and find a comfortable spot--this is going to take a while!

It all started 4 years ago.....my college roommate and her bestie were running! I read all about it on Facebook and for the millionth time wished I lived closer to town so I could run with them! I called her and got as many tips as possible. I visited Fleet Feet for the first time and was "fitted" for running shoes (La-ti-da-da!) I bought some exercise clothing to fit over my 70 pound overweight frame. And I hit the road! I used a couch to 5K program from iTunes that was $free$ to help me with timing my running and walking intervals. I was so impressed with myself. A few weeks into my "training"...and I laugh as I say this because it was more like "paining" to me....my feet became so sore I literally could not walk on them. After a visit to the orthopedic doctor in town, he advised me to take time off, freeze water bottles and roll my feet over them, and stretch them each morning before I got out of bed. That just required too much effort, so I shelved my running shoes. The only exercise I participated in from that point on was strengthening my right arm and other key body parts needed for snacking.

Chest Presses (Butterflies) --Opening and shutting the fridge (unlimited repetitions)
Dips--who knows how many I did--dip my hand into the Frito's bag and double dip into the extra large container of sour cream
Squats--squatting down to look in the cabinet to find something else to eat
Calf raises--looking up really high into my pantry to see if I could find some lonely piece of chocolate from Halloween, Valentine's Day, or Easter that someone left behind

Fast forward to November 2011--I had been having an odd sensation under my my rib cage on the right side of my body. It came and went, and wasn't excruciating. I finally went to the doctor, because my Daddy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer the day before his open heart surgery, and that is always in the back of my mind.  The doctor ran all kinds of tests, and nothing showed as being problematic. What an answered prayer! My blood work did show some sad results, however,  for a person only 38 years old. Triglycerides were 368. Cholesterol--229, and of course the ratio of good-to-bad cholesterol was the opposite of what it should be.Ugh...but really, who could I be upset with? It was my own fault for having poor eating habits. Also, I was as lethargic as a snail and engaged in virtually no exercise since my attempt to "run"!  My friends and I have a word for someone like this:  horizontal!  Yep, that described me! The real kicker, though, is when she told me I had the beginnings of fatty liver disease. She assured me it is completely reversible, but I had to EXERCISE and LOSE WEIGHT. The three most dreaded words in the English language, in my opinion. Seriously, I was terrified. I started praying as I got into my car in the parking lot.

On the way home from the doctor, I ran into my neighbor pushing her children in a stroller. On our road, you don't just ride by, you stop for conversation. She is a nurse, and she likes to hear medical talk, so I spilled my guts. She told me that she has started running, and asked if I would like to join her. I had flashbacks of my first attempt, but she was very convincing. "Sure, I'll do it!" I said. "What time do you usually go?"
     "5:30 a.m." she answered nonchalantly, like she was talking about what to cook for supper.
     "Umm, that's a little early for me. I'm not sure I can drag myself out of bed, much less get dressed and go out in the pitch, black dark alone and without coffee."
     "You can do it! If I can, anyone can!" (I was not buying it!!!!After all, she ran track in high school.)
(I beg forgiveness from all my English teachers--I don't remember how to type quotation marks correctly and I don't feel like researching it on the web!)

I went home and told Steven, my husband about my new plan. He looked at me like I had snakes growing out of my head. I could tell he didn't believe that I would actually do it, and that's when my Oppositional Defiant Disorder reared its ugly head. I made lunches. I took breakfast orders and laid out dishes and boxes. I assembled clothes for the next day right down to the shoes. And I dug deep into the recesses of my closet to find some long, thick workout pants. I raided Steven's closet to find a fleece pullover and a stocking cap. I dusted off those fancy shoes from Fleet Feet. I set the alarm for 4:45.  I downloaded a new improved podcast from iTunes. I was ready! Bye-bye 70 pounds, and hello fashion that didn't have a W behind the size.

It's amazing how God sets events in motion--through situations, and through people. Romans 8:28 comes to mind~

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This was only the beginning of how He would answer my prayers in regards to my health.

This blog is dedicated to my Daddy

In pondering what my first real blog post should be about, I decided to dedicate my blog to my Daddy. Bo was quite an athlete in high school--varsity basketball all 4 years and a high scorer of his team. He was a MVP and captain, too.. I'm not sure of all the years and stats, but it's still impressive to me! He was a runner--he started with three friends--Charles, Larry, and Tom. They would run from our house in town all the way out to McDonald's...haven't clocked that one yet, but I will! I remember thinking that one day I would do that~but all the athletic ability I had amounted to cheer leading. Yeah, I know you will say cheer leading is not a sport. I did try basketball for him one year, but it just didn't work out. After he died in 2000, we met with the open heart surgeon, and he was explaining to us just how bad Daddy's heart was--aortic stenosis, enlarged heart, aortic aneurysm, and congestive heart failure. The aortic stenosis had been with him since birth, and an attempted surgery to repair the valve was performed in 1959. The surgeon said that the surgery did not repair it, and he even questioned how Daddy could have played four years of varsity basketball with a heart condition like that....and he was even more mystified when we told him that when Daddy was 38 years old he ran long distances over a period of years. We weren't mystified. We know God had other plans for him than to die so young. We were so blessed to have him for the years that we did--most people with aortic stenosis to that degree simply drop dead. He had a scar from one side of his chest to the other in the shape of a W, and he said that made him "Wonder boy"! I agree--he was a wonder to me and to anyone who knew him. He was a mess, and he has two grandsons that are following in his footsteps. So Daddy, one day soon when I know how many miles it is from Edgar Circle to McDonald's, and I know for sure I can run there and back, I'm going to do it for you! And in my mind I will see you, Mr. Larry, Pastor Charles, and Mr. Tom laughing and running.

I can't believe I'm a blogger!

I've always wanted to start a blog, and finally, the moment is here! Can't wait to join the blogger community--I have so enjoyed reading running blogs since November, and now I am going to share my running journey. Hopefully it will help others in the same boat as me....old, tired, getting in shape, and injury-prone.