Day two...the normal life

"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value."

-  Albert Einstein

Ha ha when you say normal life. What is that really? Ok so maybe it's better to say majority. Since I have been injured I have been experiencing a life I am not really used to. Getting off work at 3:30pm. Coming home relaxing a bit. Then making dinner with a little walk after. Now experiencing this is hard to see how to have this life and the life where you hit the gym for 1-2 hours a day. No wonder everybody has a hard time. I used to feel like I had no time by the time you get off work come home for maybe an hour then it's time to hit a class at the gym and at that point it's time for bed. Now don't get me wrong it seems it must be very feasible to do both it's all about managing time and priorities. I am definitely looking forward to getting back to the gym so much but this time maybe with a little different outlook. In a little over a year I plan in trying to have a baby. Wow won't that be an experience. It is an experience I have been planning and I am ready and very excited for. :)

Today was one of the hardest days at the hospital. I was planning on giving hot yoga a shot but after straining my back again with a very difficult procedure I decided it should wait until tomorrow. I came home, Iced my back and was so tired I thought I was out for the duration. But then got my second wind and fixed dinner for me and my husband.

Baked rockfish with lemon pepper seasoning. Spaghetti squash with a garlic butter sauce and herbs from provence spices. And left over veggies from yesterday with broccoli, kale and spinach.

Completed with a glass of wine. Yes wine in small amounts I don't believe is bad at all actually healthy depending on who you ask. Antioxidants right? ;) everything in moderation and the more you workout the more flexibility you have. This week I will be going to the doctor and physical therapist in hopes to gain some improvement in my back so I can workout again. I have accepted that I might not be as lean by the time I am healed but my goal is to do the best I can. Eating as healthy as possible and doing the exercises I can do. It's awesome to still have people tell me I inspire them and I am the kinda person they inspire to be in fitness and in life. If we are inspired by something and have somebody to look up to it helps drive us further in our own accomplishments. 

Where to go from here...the journey continued

“Peace of mind, attained only through self-satisfaction and knowing you made the effort to do the best that you are capable.”

- John Wooden's Definition of Success

Today is Day 1 again on my journey to living a healthy life. You might be thinking right now...what does this mean? Well this journey to health and happiness is kind of like a roller coaster. Or I should say that is life. Life brings ups and downs, trials and errors, and failure's and successes. For the past year I have been struggling with the ups and downs of sports injuries. Could be that one stems from the next but the truth of the matter is you don't really know what is going on inside of the body without a lot of investigation. For the past 2 weeks I have been dealing with back pain causing me to not to be able to workout like I am used to. My exercise routine has been consisting of walking about 5 days a week. I do enjoy the walks but now I am starting to really miss my lifting. I guess I feel like I have been crazy obsessed over exercise during the last 4 years or so since I lost my weight. I get extremely frightened of the possibility of ever gaining my weight back which has probably helped me to keep it off this long. Just because I am saying it has helped me doesn't mean being paranoid is a very good thing. 

I would never tell anyone this journey is easy. I continue to try to search for ways to make this journey easier for myself and others. It is very very challenging working full time at the hospital, preparing meals, and being able to make it to the gym 1-2 hours a day. Oh and managing to have a life outside of all that. I continue on my journey to manage my stress and maintain my path to a healthy life. Striving each day to be the best I can be. To some my fitness career wouldn't look like much of a success. I am not the best at any activity I have chosen even though I would consider myself good. Do you have to be the best to be a success?

Today after working 8 hours at the hospital I went grocery shopping. Determined to find a way to make preparing food easier. Ok so maybe that will never happen but sometimes we just have to suck it up. After going to about 3 stores and finally getting home it was time to cook. Yes I was already tired. I experimented with some spices that are supposed to be very good for you and decrease inflammation. I cooked my chicken for about a minute each side on the stove in some coconut oil and spiced them with rosemary, sage, garlic, pepper, salt, and thyme. If I missed anything its just an after math of the brain having enough and shutting down. I don't even know how I am typing right now. After that I put the chicken in the oven for about 35 minutes. During this time I cut my spaghetti squash in half, scrapped out the seeds and put them upside down in a microwavable dish with a little bit of water at the bottom. Cooked that in the microwave for 10-13 minutes. I already had some kale and spinach salad in the fridge and some fresh berries from the local farmers market. Topped with a little honey mustard dressing and some carrots and tomatoes. 

This looked absolutely stunning until I cut my first piece of chicken with a knife and my hand slipped pushing half my salad off my plate and onto my lap and the floor which I can say my dog was very very happy about. Me on the other hand even though not surprised had to let out a big sigh. At this point all you can do is laugh well to cover up the wanting to cry after being completely exhausted from all the work you have done all day. But in the end it all turned out ok with a little walk after dinner to calm down.

The journey continues...

My First Half Marathon

Determination

A fixed purpose, the power and will to persist, resolve, to have the drive, to have the grit, to go the distance, to be hell-bent on reaching a goal and getting it done no matter what.

So well where do I begin. It seems the half marathon that I have been planning could of come at a better time but I am certainly used to making due no matter what the circumstances. And no matter what I just completed my first half marathon in 2 hours, 10 mins, and 49 sec. Ok so maybe we can subtract the bathroom break I had to take at mile 3? Lesson learned don't drink too much right before the race get it all in 1-2 hours ahead of time. My husband just laughs because I had to pee 3 times in the hour before the race started and when I heard 3,2,1 go I knew I was in trouble again. Every bathroom had a really long wait but finally I decided I would suck it up. On that note I will think of it as completing a half marathon in 2 hours even. ;)

I am very happy with my time and just the fact that I completed it even though it felt like my legs were going to fall apart makes me proud of my accomplishment. 

These items in my hands were my good friends during the race. About half way through I was given the bottle of water and energy goo or whatever the correct terminology is and just kinda worked at them little by little for the rest of the race since I wasn't sure how I would ternate them in large quantities while running I think a little went a long way. 

I could probably talk forever about my journey today but its been a very long and busy couple of weeks and I have to be at work at 3am at the hospital. Yes I said it right crazy I know but I have a feeling I won't have any trouble sleeping. I am actually having trouble making myself stay awake for a few more hours. 

As I was hobbling around Seattle after the race in pain of course I starting thinking about when I will do my next one. Doesn't get much crazier then that. And of course I am sure I will try a full marathon but thinking of getting a couple half's under my belt first. No matter what it will be hard but it's about the accomplishment. It's about pushing yourself to be better each day. This is what keeps me moving forward. 

Last but not least forgot to add my next goal. Qualify for the New York City Marathon. Now this may be a ways away but gives me something to work toward! :)

Change for the better

This is such an awesome quote that one of my friends shared. So often we think of change as being bad. But in order to continue to grow and move on in your life it requires a certain amount of change. And finding happiness in your life means surrounding yourself with people that lift you up not down. This requires you to walk away when someone or something is taking you in a direction you do not want to go as hard as it may be. 

This is a great motivation video I saw today! 

A pep talk from kid president

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=l-gQLqv9f4o&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dl-gQLqv9f4o

Super total

So on June 1st I completed my first super total weightlifting meet. I haven't been lifting as much since my IT band troubles but guess what I am lifting less often but more weight. Crazy phenomenon! 

I was really happy with my performance considering it was a powerlifting and Olympic lifting meet all in the same day which got a little chaotic at times. I pr'd my power lifts but ended up going a little lighter on my Olympic lifts then I probably could of but wanted to get a good total and get back in the game. This was my first meet in about a year since my injury which is a lot better but I have a feeling it may always be something I struggle with.

I pr'd on my deadlift at about 364 lbs which I am thrilled with since not that long ago 325 was my max. This is double my body weight!! :)

I consider that lift and totaling over 1000 pounds for the day my greatest success!

This got me so excited about lifting again but definitely have to remember I have been doing better by varying my workouts and not stressing so much over my competitions. I didn't even feel nearly as nervous as I used to. I was more focused. It's hard to let go of goals that you set for yourself. Last year I wanted to qualify for the American open. I made it 4kg away before getting hurt. I wanted it more then anything but I had to realize that even though I know if I really kept pushing and dedicating myself that I know it's possible to qualify but I also have to remember that maybe I am not built or meant to be a professional weightlifter. 

You don't have to be the best to be great! I am going to continue to compete and push myself to be the best I can be in all activities I do each and everyday and remember that anything is possible. And I will be happy with whatever end result that brings me. 

Stay Safe

Ok so I have to say I was a little upset when my husband first told me he didn't want me running on the trails alone. Where would I possibly run then? I don't want to run 10 miles on a track or run the same route all the time. But realizing that a lot of people can't be trusted these days and that my strong punches and tae kwon do kicks alone might now be enough if attacked in the woods. I was given some mace that we bought from a running store. Now I can do all the running I want even though if someone did decide to attack me I would probably still punch then first with the mace in my hand. What instinct right? Well point of the story is to stay safe no matter how silly you feel with a can of mace in your hand. I have noticed it does keep certain people from acknowledging you. ;)

Race day

"Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt."

~William Shakespeare

Today I ran the sound to narrows which is a 12k run in tacoma Washington. I haven't been running very long so this was my first race in preparation for the rock and roll marathon in Seattle. This will be my first half marathon. After my run today I can tell you it will suck but will also be a great accomplishment. After that maybe a full....Maybe! 26 miles does sound ridiculous but hey those are the kind of challenges I like. ;)

Today I started off pretty fast or I should say pretty fast for me. But let's face it...isn't it ultimately about running your own race? I run for me and as with all my fitness endeavors I do it to improve myself and be the best I can be. So I was ranging a little over 7 mins per mile and thought well I will just try to keep this pace. As the race continued I found I was still running under 8 mins per mile. I kept telling myself I could do it. At one point my pace went to 7:59 and I thought to myself you will not loose it now pick it up!  Next as I was struggling with a hill an Eminem song came on. Called till I collapse. It talked about never giving up no matter how bad you want to fall on your face. That's right! You can do so much more then you think you can do. When your mind and body are telling you to stop. You tell it you can do it. Fight through and you will end up where you never thought you could be. 

Now to continue my training for my half marathon. I am ready to do something I said I never would be able to do!