2 goals, 1 week!

I love reaching goals.  It used to be that I only had one goal.  "Get to 150-160 lbs....ready go."  But after trying every diet known to man, I kind of realized there had to be some smaller steps taken to get me to that HUGE goal of losing 180 lbs.  180 lbs...wow that's a lot.  But anyway!  I started setting smaller goals...things like "Break 300 lbs" or "Try a class at the gym" or "Run a mile without stopping."  That last one was especially hard for me to reach (which I did about a year ago) due to my chronic bronchitis and still gives me a really hard time now.

I belong to another weight loss group run by my great friend Angie...and she belongs to Jilly's Losers.  Running these groups and joining each other's has been a great motivation for both of us.  And it's given me double the chance to set goals for myself.  At the beginning of her current "season" she asked us all to set a goal to be achieved within the 12 weeks that the season runs.  In the past, I've always chosen a number. I want to reach such and such a weight.  And it's never quite pushed me as hard as I would've liked. So this time around, I told her that I wanted to run/jog a sub 14 minute mile.  I'm sure some of you are laughing and saying "I can walk faster than that!!"  And honestly, I probably can too.  But I wanted to RUN.  And running takes a lot out of me.

My last mile time was taken in February at the beginning of Jilly's Losers season 5 when I challenged everyone to a fitness test (that we're now repeating in our final week to see our progress).  My time in Feb. was 14:40.  That was better than my then "best" of about 15 mins so I was happy with that.  So when I set my goal of beating 14 mins, I thought "This is going to kill me, but I'm going to try it anyway."  And then I got so into zumba that my running training fell flat.

Then my foot started to hurt and I knew I was going to have to come up with another goal.  So I talked to Angie and decided to instead try and beat my best time at a mile in the pool.  I got in a few good, hard workouts in the pool and when this week came I decided to give it a shot.  I pushed myself harder than I have in probably 20 years and I beat my time by a whole minute.  I had reached the goal I set for Angie's group and I was ready to find a new one to move onto.

But then I posted the challenge in my own group.  Time to redo the fitness challenge from 3 months ago.  I'd lost 8 inches total (chest, waist, hips, thighs) and upped my pushups by 10!!  The only thing left was crunches and the mile.  I could have used the "Dr. said I shouldn't" excuse and sat it out, but I'm kinda stubborn....and it's just one mile, right?  So today I decided to suck it up and just go.  I hopped on the treadmill, race-walked for a minute and then started to run.  A 4.8 speed sounds like a joke to most of the people I know, but my lungs disagree.  I ran for 3 minutes then race-walked again....ran for 3 and walked once more.  As I got closer to the finish line I realized I was on track to get that sub 14 minute mile I so badly wanted so I upped my speed one more notch and ran the rest of the way..my eyes on that timer, willing it to slow down.  (I'd like to add that I forgot my headphones today, so I had NO music to inspire me.  It sucked!)

13:43.  I couldn't believe it.  I had taken 57 seconds off my time from just 3 months ago.  I was huffin' and puffin' like nobody's business and you'd think I'd just run a marathon, but I did it.  Two goals in one week.  One day I hope to run a mile under 10 mins and I fully intend on reaching 150-160 lbs...but those are long term goals and I don't need to worry about them right now.  One step at a time is all it takes.  Even if they're little ones.

Setbacks...

I'd mentioned in a Facebook post last week that my Dr. had diagnosed me with plantar fasciitis in my right foot.  What I didn't get into is just how much that diagnosis has upset me and felt like a setback.

I've had friends get this diagnosis before and heard the horrible stories about how they can't walk, let alone workout.  When my foot first started to hurt me, I honestly prayed that it was a stress fracture because at least that would be fixable.  I avoided going to the Dr. because I didn't want to hear that I had to ease up for a few months.  I didn't want to hear "You need to stop working out so hard."  In the past, I would've loved something like this from a Dr.  It's an excuse to avoid the gym!  It's an excuse to mope around and eat what I want and gain a few lbs. without feeling guilty because well...the doctor told me I had to take it easy so there!

However...I didn't get where I am by sitting around and avoiding the gym and eating what I want.  I've worked painfully hard to lose my 82 lbs and I know how much of that came from working out 5-6 days a week...every week.  My "typical" week usually goes like this:

Monday: 1 hour of zumba, 30 mins run/walk intervals on treadmill
Tuesday: 1 hour of zumba, 30 mins intervals on elliptical, 2 hours of volleyball
Wednesday: Rest or light walk
Thursday: 1 hour of zumba
Friday: 1 hour of yoga, 30 mins on treadmill or elliptical
Saturday and Sunday: resistance/cardio intervals and whatever else I'm in the mood for

Working out is the "easy" part of my weight loss journey now.  I used to HATE it, but now it's the air I breathe.  What scared me the most about this diagnosis is the realization that I'll have to focus that much more intensely on the diet part...on my eating.  As previously mentioned, I've gotten a lot better about what I eat and how much, but I'm far from perfect.  And without the ability to go all out and sweat my ass off in the gym...I'm terrified that if I'm NOT perfect with my food...I'll see the # on the scale start to rise again.

So I ignored my foot.  For 3 weeks, I kept pushing myself and ignored the twinges of pain until I just couldn't take it anymore.  So a few x-rays later, I got my expected diagnosis...and I wanted to cry.  Sure, he told me I can swim...which I love...but doing it every day is not something I would enjoy.  And if I don't enjoy a workout, I'm not going to do it.  But he flat out told me NO to volleyball and NO to running.  I suck at running, so I wasn't TOO sad about that (though it's a great calorie burner for me)...but taking away my favorite workout of the week was just cruel!!  I asked him if I could still do zumba or if it would make it worse.  He said, "Well...you can do it, but you'll know pretty quick if it was a bad idea."

So maybe I'll have to ice and stretch a bit more often, but I decided to keep my zumba.  I went to class today and it felt GREAT!  I know that I need to listen to my body and not overdo it, and I've promised myself I'll do that.  But I've also promised myself that I will do my very best to not let this become...a setback.  Part of me thinks maybe it's even a blessing in disguise as it's really honed me in on my eating habits and taught me even more about what things I can eat without a problem and what things will send that # soaring.  I'm slowly learning to ignore my cravings and late night fast food urges...and I've even started a counter on my phone for days that I've gone without a food binge.

So yes, this whole foot thing SUCKS and part of me wonders why I'm having so many health issues now that I'm healthier and smaller.  But I know that this is all just a bump in the road.  I'm a happier person.  Period.  And I'm not going to let this be the thing that sends me back down that slippery slope into the 300's+.  Been there, done that...threw away the t-shirt.