My Crazy Week in Retro

Wow! What a crazy week and a half this has been. My intentions to post every couple of days got totally ransacked by too many obstacles in my path. Quiet time dedicated to just sitting down with my puter and laying down a few lines was nearly obsolete. So...needless to say...here I sit trying to recap. Well, I do I have some pretty exciting news to share so here is a brief timeline of this past week...

Saturday, March 31st:

Training with Gilda's Gang was a personal all-time high mileage for these 'ole bones and muscles. We managed to knock out 9.97 miles (expected 9.1) on Nashville terrain...aka lots of uphills both ways and very few straights (seemingly). Unfortunately, my left hip was paining me something fierce, so I struggled to jog as much as usual due to the discomfort. It felt something like a dagger jabbing into my flesh so I figured I would listen to it rather than ignore the obvious. Knowing that pushing thru til the end was important, I kept pace with walking and slow jogging to finish in 2 hours 21 minutes (plus or minus a minute or two due to stop lights). The best part was the 1235 calories that I burned (according to my Garmin). All in all...I felt great after it was said and done (with a little Ibuprofen). I finished the day with working my first night shift in almost 15 years. As a nurse, I have worked in many different areas along my career path but this is one that makes my heart melt by the minute. I am providing care for an 11 year old cerebral palsy patient with no ability to walk, talk, and eat on his own. After only a few hours of being with him, I have realized that I am blessed to have the opportunity to care for him. The irony of this assignment is that I am training hard and on my feet by morning and caring for a patient that has never walked a day in his life that same evening. I am so thankful for my health and for three healthy children of my own.

Monday, April 2nd:

Spent the morning stressing over the clothes that I "ruined" since I washed a gel pen with a load of laundry. Jumping ahead...problem solved with some intense prayer and OxyClean. In addition to my laundry Oops!, I had the opportunity to be part of filming a commercial for my grandmother's Assisted Living residence. I made some great memories as I sat next to her and my mom with a video camera pointed at us. My "Mamie" has declined mentally and physically over the past couple of years, so every opportunity to make a good memory ends up being worth every minute despite her not remembering it from one day to the next. I will try to share the video link when it goes LIVE on Fox News, Lifetime, and TLC.

My hubby has made a 120 degree turn toward health and fitness. I had to share this most recent 5K photo of me and my sweetheart. This depicts his personality and humor regarding exercise...race number pinned upside down and the lucky Irish beer shirt. Yes, I intended to say 120 degree...and not 180. He is learning how to eat in moderation (or starve to hear him put it) while thinking about being motivated to move his limbs and feel his heart pump. Knowing how much I love him and want to share the rocking years together, all he had to say was "I could use your help." Without delay, I took him up on the offer to "help out" and ran with it...no pun intended. Therefore, I conveniently signed us up for a 10K on May 19th (2nd Annual Nashville Hell or High Water Flood Run). He has walked (with the occasional jog) a few 5Ks in the past year; he has a few race T-Shirts to show for it but no real training progress.

No better time than the present so we are stepping it up a notch. Besides...this is just part of the grand plan since he made the mistake of mentioning that he might like to run/walk a half marathon by November 2012. I am feeling (not looking) like Jillian Michaels now...I can be his "pretend trainer" that pushes him a little harder each time...hahaha. If I bring him to tears, I will just stand by with a box of tissues and say, "You need to find your OWN purpose. I cannot BUILD desire." This quote is one of my all time favorites from The Biggest Loser.

I am proud to say that a few of my buddies have drank from the endorphin cup as well, and they are looking for more 5Ks and challenges. We started St. Patty's Day at Opry Mills with some of these good friends (Shelly, Kirsten, Linda, Kevin) and our youngest daughter, Katie (aka..the gazelle).
She is stinkin' amazing when she sets her mind to it. On Saturday mornings with Gilda's Gang training, she is about 8-10 minutes ahead of me the whole way. This 5K was no different!

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To summarize April 1st-April 7th: Completed 12.85 miles total according to the Garmin plus about 1 hour on the elliptical at the YMCA. I am still trying to figure out this Garmin Foot Pod so my mileage is not the most accurate when I spend the early AMs in the gym on anything but the treadmill. I think I am going to have to do a little research on that little gadget so that I feel like I am getting my monies worth.This week was supposed to be my "rest" week with training. I guess I took that seriously since I needed to get in about 6 more miles according to the training schedule. In fact, my FB post before the Gilda's Gang training on Saturday summarized my thoughts: "Still trying to decide whether "rest" is defined as (1) Less mileage so that my body recuperates and "rests"...or (2) The week that the "rest" of my body figures out I am 1/2 crazy. Either way, it is behind me and I am one week closer to RACE DAY.