Well, it's official - I'm doing the Alafia X-Contry 1/2 Marathon on November 23. I've decided I need to do this to get myself on track as far as my health goes.
In the past several months, I've had some back problems that have really hindered my ability to do any type of working out, and boy can I tell - I think I've gained more weight since January 08 than I could have ever imagined. And now to compound the problem, because I've gained weight, it's even harder to do any kind of working out - running is impossible (not to mention that it really aggravates my back), workout videos are even too much (I miss Turbo Jam!!!), my knees ache, my level of cardio is WAY down.
About 4 or 5 months ago, I was diagnosed with arthrisit in L4 and L5. The doctors say this typically starts in everyone in our 50s and 60s, and that I am "for some reason" developing it earlier in life. As a result of this arthritis, my spine basically doesn't move or flex from L3-L5 because all of my stabilizing muscles are overcompensating. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, but I never realized just how much we rely on our lower backs to do everyday things! Putting on shoes is hard, putting on pants is hard, shaving my legs is hard! Any time I try to bend or rotate from the waist I feel like I'm getting stabbed in the lower back. Then there's trying to work out - I can't ride for a long time because being bent over the handle bars makes my back lock up (basically, it's from trying to support my upper body in that position that does it), running compresses everything and causes shooting pain while I'm running and then when I'm done I feel like my back is on fire. My favorite workout videos are also impossible due to all the bending, twisting & stuff like that - that means no Turbo Jam (this makes me really sad), no pilates, no yoga, no nothing. Long story short, I basically can ride for 20-3o min, or walk. That's it.
I've done a few 1/2 marathons in the past, but I've been able to run. So, this is going to be a big change. I'm going to have to walk the whole thing. I've been training pretty regularly & am up to about 7 miles. I'm a steady 15 min mile while walking, so this really isn't too bad (Especially considering that when I "run" i'm usually between 11 and 12 min miles!).
The main problem I'm having is that walking doesn't burn as many calories as running does, so I need to walk double the distances I could run in order to see any results. Although I guess "slow and steady" is the best way to lose weight anyway. But this is like a big catch-22...I've got back problems, so I can't work out as much as I used to, so I've gained weight, so I need to work out, but I've got back problems, so I can't work out as much as I've used to, so I've gained weight...on and on and on...
Now, I know that I can change my eating habits too, and I'm working on that too. Hopefully the mix of focusing on an upcoming event and focusing on better eating habits will work out well for me. Historically, I don't seem to do well when I crash diet or work out like a feind...never fails that as soon as I get to the "I don't need to lose any more weight" point, I go right back to my old habits & start packing on the pounds again.
I know that I need to make changes in my life - I don't want to die young like my father did - I want to have kids, and my current level of fitness (or the lack thereof) is not healthy for me or for a baby - I don't want to be fat anymore.
So - I'm going to get myself into the mindset that it's Ok to lose weight slowly, and it's Ok to make minor changes a little bit at a time, as long as I stick with it! As they say in What about Bob "Baby Steps" I need to do this for myself - not for anyone else.
And now, it's time to focus on one thing - the Alafia X-Country 1/2 marathon on Nov 23rd. When I'm done with that, I'll focus on my next goal.
After this X-Country 1/2er, I'll be participating in the Disney 1/2 Marathon - I CAN'T WAIT for that one. Why? Because I LOVE DISNEY WORLD!!!! But more on that later...
