Week 4 - Fear as Fuel

Retail Therapy - Earthy Vibes

Week 4 was something...but I got through it...by doing what I always do...keep smiling...keep moving forward...keep it in perspective.  Maybe I went shopping too...and got a new bracelet...natural wood beads...which felt grounding.  I needed grounding.  It worked.  

It was a tough work week but also a tough life week.  I have to preface that statement with the perspective thing...I am lucky to know amazing people who kick so much cancer ass it is ridiculous.  So part of what made me so upset this week was how upset I was about something.  Something I have always feared.  Surgery.  Surgery with anesthesia.  

I feared it because it will make me dependent on others.  I will have to ask for help.  I won't be able to manage my T1 diabetes...even if for just a day or two.  I have been doing it everyday for almost 28 years.  I don't ever want to be a burden.  I had accepted that surgery for my "frozen" shoulder was going to have to happen at some point.  What I wasn't prepared for was that doing it sooner rather than later would be necessary.  It through off my whole plan...I was going to get my 26 miles on January 2...and then have surgery shortly there after.  I know...plans...but I also know that everything happens in the right time, space sequence.  So a date has been set - - Friday, October 16th at 6:30 am.  I'll be home and in PT that same day.  I got this.     

The other thing I got is my miles...since I can walk no matter what is happening with my shoulder...I'm going to do my best to keep up with my training.  I may flip a week so that I can do 12 miles just before and only 6 miles the day after surgery.  I'll play it by ear...it will all work out...I got no worries.  

Week 4 Data

Total Week 4 Steps:  102,042
Total Week 4 Miles:  44.09


Total Overall Training Steps:  409,751
Total Overall Training Miles:  180.35

Week 3 - Good Company

The X's are filling up on the training plan and I have yet to miss a day.  Every weekday morning I get to the gym and get 4 miles (10K steps) before my work day even begins.  Even with the longer walks on the weekends...this is still happening...so that feels really good.  For me, it is all about motivation.  For the past two weeks, I have been picking a different singer/band to listen to each morning while on the treadmill.  It is good company...music in my ears...my mind free to wander wherever it wants to go.  My morning zen.  I'm lucky to have it.

I am lucky to also have people company on some of my longer walks...this week MPB joined me for what was supposed to be 7 miles...but we made it 8.  Not many people would ask for your training schedule to see which dates they can join you.  She also knows that this time of year I have to look at my AM soccer watching schedule...because I might have to be at the pub.  I may need to find one that I can walk too.  Hmmmm....

Week 3 Data

Total Week 3 Steps:  111,180

Total Week 3 Miles:  49.43


Total Overall Training Steps:  307,709

Total Overall Training Miles:  136.26

What are your life bullet points...??

Prepare to be offended...or not.  There is no sense in sugar coating what you believe.  I spend a lot of time thinking about words.  What to say.  What not to say.  What to write.  What medium to write in.  I enjoy the swirling of words.  I love when they fall into place.  Great things happen when they fall into place and then you share them.  Sometimes it takes a long time.  Sometimes it doesn't.

I think words on lists are my most favorite.  Who doesn't love succinct bullet points to really get to the point?  Over the course of many years...I have developed many lists.  Things to do.  Things to buy.  Experiences to be had.  Moments to Capture.  Believe me, I know that the most fun in life comes from ignoring lists and allowing yourself to "just be".  But, there is comfort in writing things down, in case you want to remember or need a reference point.  Sometimes it helps to have a bit of documentation to help make both important and seemingly unimportant decisions.  Guideposts.

I have list of tenets that I have thought about for many years...and I finally took time to write them down.  My life bullet points.  How I choose to be.  It is a short list.  But a good one I think...good for me...and I guess that is all that matters.

Week 2 - The Essentials

It feels wrong to say that I am in training because there is no intensity or stress in what I am doing.  I'm just ramping up the miles on Saturday so that I can easily do 26 in January.  It is easy breezy.  I'm having fun.  I'm generating more miles and steps each week...and for now...that is enough for me.  I'm adding in other things, like more mindful eating.  I focused this week on the essentials - carbs, hydration, and blood sugar.  For my six miles on Saturday, I did something I haven't ever done before.  I ate beforehand, monitored my blood sugar, and ate afterward as well. The fact that I took the time to deal with instead of ignore where my blood sugar was is important to note.  It showed me how much I have changed over the past few months.  I'm no longer ignoring my T1 diabetes.  I won't ever say that I am managing it, because I don't think you can.  I'm working with it.

Week 2 Data

Total Week 2 Steps:  112,053

Total Week 2 Miles:  50.20


Total Overall Training Steps:  196,529

Total Overall Training Miles:  86.86