Week 5 - The Road to 13.1

And just like that...another week goes by...5 of 14...I am almost to the half way point in training!!  I missed my walk on Monday because I was still feeling a bit sick...but the rest of the week was fantastic.  I really worked hard on eating healthy food and as a result I know my workouts were much, much better.  On Thursday morning, my trainer gave me a brand new strength training workout...it is perfect.  Lots of Core.  Lots of Arms.  Lots of power.  I felt so sore and so good.  Later on Thursday night...I did three miles on the treadmill and then speed/form drills.  Thursday's have always been my favorite day of the week...and it still is.  Friday night I had some good quality time on the elliptical...I still miss it so much...but I am glad that I have figured out how to get at least one session in a week.   I almost hate to write it, but I feel like a switch was flipped this week.  I feel better in everything I am doing. 

 

After looking at it on the kitchen table for a week...I also finally calibrated my new Nike + Sportband.  I went to my high school track so that I could accurately measure the distance...I have not measured my time while doing laps in a long while.  It was so easy using the clock on the my iPhone...crazy!!  In my usual 4.0mph stride...I was doing laps at about 3:50...which after 12...was 45 minutes...and 3 miles.  Data!!!  Look who is all about the data??  If only tracking my blood sugars could be this easy.  I have a feeling that if I could wear a cute pink bracelet that tracked my blood sugar level...my diabetes management would be completely transformed. 



Week 4 - The Road to 13.1

 Another week done...another week of hitting all of my goals...including two days with strength training!!  And...finally...some time on the elliptical!!! I miss my daily 60 minute crazy, fast sessions.  The time is going by quickly and I'm feeling much better knowing that the time of my walks is now increasing more than 30 minutes.  My physical activity has drastically decreased in these first weeks...but I have taken advantage of this to add in stretching.  It has helped quite a bit...so much so...that it is now a solid part of my training.  I never used to stretch before.  I do feel like the pieces are starting to come together in terms of the training work...so now I have got to get more serious about the T1 diabetes stuff. I think my nutrition is getting better and I have been drinking much more water.

So yes, now I need to do more internal work. I need to harness some inner strength to really get my stuff in order.  Yesterday was my "rest day" and I spent about 3 hours walking around the zoo.  I had not been since a field trip when I was in seventh grade...so yes...ahem...many, many, many, many, many years ago.  There were lots of hills and the paths were great.  I'm thinking one or a few of my training walks would be good to do there.  I need to get walking outside more instead of the treadmill...if nothing else...on my endurance days.  I did 5 miles on Saturday.  It felt pretty good...but I have got to get off the treadmill.  I also have to calibrate my new Nike + sport band.  The running app I was using on my iPhone was not particularly accurate and that has been frustrating.  I want to have much more precise measurement of the distance and time.  So that right there is proof that I'm changing...look who is seeking data??  If only I could be just as excited about tracking my blood sugar data.

Getting on the Train...

I remember exactly how I felt that last night sitting at my Grandma's bedside...my Mom and Sister to the side of me.  We were in the place that had become our second home for almost three weeks, Casey House.  It is a precious space to be in.  It is not a place for wimps.  Only the truly authentic can hold their own in the room where one world meets another.  The space between when someone you love is here and they are out and about in the universe.

The truth is, I had been waiting for my time.  My time to help.  There were moments when I thought it would never come, but then I would stop and remember my mantra....Trust the Process.  I had learned it in when my Grandpa was in the same space several years before.  His journey was so different, but fitting for him.  Her journey was fitting for her...it was a quiet time of getting ready to get on the train again.  Her sparkly, funny nature slowly faded and that was what was so hard to watch.  Her last stroke had taken away her words, her ability to move on one side, then her ability to smile and then her ability to swallow.  I always knew that hospice was a magical thing...truth be told...if I could do my career again...that is what I would do.  But experiencing it first hand...watching it...made me respect it even more. 

On that last night, she looked peaceful, beautiful...just like how she had looked in pictures from when she was younger.  I remember watching her slow breathing and I just started talking.  Talking about how scared she must have been when she got on the train in Vermont at age 17 to start her life in DC to help with the war effort.  She didn't want to be stuck in her small town...working in the ten cent store.  She got on the train.  She never looked back.  She was fearless.  I swear I could feel how she felt when she was young...on the platform...waiting to board the train.  Saying goodbye to her family.   Knowing that despite their tears, getting on that train was what she needed to do.  Fearless.

I told her that we (my Mom, Sister, and I) would be okay if she wanted to get on the train again.  We would support her.  We would remember how much fun we had.  We would remember how she took such good care of us.  We would remember her amazing meals.  We would laugh and smile...always.  I remember telling her that she was so brave...then and now.  If she wanted to get on the train, we would cheer her on...she did not need to worry anymore.  She was strong.  She was fearless.

We each kissed her goodnight.  We went to get dinner...eating bad things...it was how we got through.  I remember looking up at an old calendar that was hanging on the wall...part of the decor at Bugaboo Steakhouse...it was from 1947.  That was the year my Grandparents got married.  If I had not known before...I knew it then. I don't know that we had been home five minutes when the phone rang...asking us to come back.  By the time we got back to Casey House...she had boarded the train and was headed to her next destination.  

Week 3 - The Road to 13.1

This week was much better than the previous two weeks...I hit every training goal for the week...despite the fact that work was crazy busy.  I really honed in on the things that made the first two weeks so difficult.  Better fuel (nutrition) makes all the difference and led to much better workouts because I had much more energy.  Strength training is essential because it makes me feel good and powerful. This provides a different kind of fuel that is necessary to keep plugging along through the training...confidence.  This has been missing for awhile...but I have figured out how to get it back.  Some days of the week...I will just go see gym twice.

I am excited that on most Mondays and Thursdays I will go to the gym twice.  On Mondays, I will do my walking in the AM and Refomer Pilates at night.  On Thursdays, I will do strength training in the AM and then my walk (plus speed/form drills) at night.  It is adding a bit more to my training plan...but I think I am good for it.  I can't tell you the difference this week.  It was like night and day.  I'm excited that Week 4 is already started!!

Week 2 - The Road to 13.1

I'm not going to sugar coat it...Week 2 was not particularly delightful...and I am not proud of my performance...in any aspect of my training.  Nutrition...bad.  I missed both of my cross-training days.  There was a point when I didn't actually care.  I know...this was definitely a low point...but I dug myself out.  I'm not giving up.  I'm readjusting things.  I miss using the elliptical.  I miss my mornings with Gym.  I'm figuring out ways to add in some strength training.  This is a process.  This is hard work.  I know I can do this.  The good news is that I did not miss any of my walking days...and even though I wasn't feeling good on Saturday...I still got my three miles in.  I was able to see some of my camp family.  I was able to finally watch some soccer live again back at RFK (VAMOS UNITED!!).  All of these things were exactly what I needed to get my motivation back...and Week 3 has begun!!

Week 1 - The Road to 13.1

Here we go...my first week of training for the half marathon in June.  It did not start off as I had planned, but I guess that is to be expected.  Life happens and you have to adjust.  As long as you don't give up and keep moving forward...right?  I was not feeling well...so I missed one of my training days.  The good news/bad news is that it was a cross training day...so I did not lose out on any miles. ;)

I used to just walk one day a week...now I get to walk 3 times a week!!  The two things that I need to work on are my nutrition and using the heart rate monitor.  I'm starting to think that maybe I am just lazy and not pushing myself enough.  I have a hard time raising my heart rate while walking...I guess I just need to keep fiddling with the incline and speed.  But I sure feel like I am working hard...even though the HRM says I am not.

Today was my walking for mileage day versus walking for intensity for a specified amount of time day.  I decided to take it outside...and I was happily surprised that I did a pretty good job of keeping my 4 mph pace even though I didn't have the treadmill pulling me along.  I was worried about it.  It felt so good to be outside...I love walking...it does my mind good.  I am also now obsessed with the Nike Running App...I love that it tracks your pace and mileage.  I love that I can link it to Facebook so that my friends can "cheer" me along.  It is kind of cool to be walking along and then get a roaring cheer...it is so motivating.  I am lucky to have so much amazing support...every like and comment and tweet helps me along.

My good friend N sent me something that I really needed to read...I have never trained before.  I always just worked out.  It was good to see how the two things are different.  My fears of earlier in the week are starting to dwindle...and reading this helped.

Training vs Working Out

Training is when you have a progressive plan with measurable goals and continual challenges. Working out is anything that makes you sweaty and tired but not necessarily better because it lacks consistency, direction and specificity.

I'm liking having goals.  This journey is so different.  I'm feeling good.  I'm making progress.  I've got good support.  I can do this.  I know I can do this.