First thing Friday morning I had an orthotics appointment. I obviously know nothing about how orthotics work. I figured that they would have to be altered (which they did) and that would set me back weeks. Turns out they alter them while you wait. I left the appointment with my altered orthotics and my right ankle pain cured. I wore them during my Saturday run and my Sunday run (9K) and have had no issues with the ankle pain again. I worked at home on Friday and saw a client in Hamilton so I was able to get a much needed pedicure fitted in. I've mentioned this before, but my feet have taken quite the beating from the running. They used to be fat and pretty. Now they're bony and ugly! Oh well. Still not gonna make me stop running.
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| May 2011 |
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| May 2013 |
I also tracked my caloric intake for the first time in 20 months to find that I probably eat on average 2500 - 2700 calories per day. Now granted those are calories from mostly protein and some fruits, veggies and nuts thrown in for good measure. I can guarantee you that if I ate 2700 calories a day of junk, I'd most definitely gain weight. But I don't. I eat whole foods and for me, that works so that I can always eat until I am full. Hence the high caloric intake. This may not work for everyone, but it works for me. Lean protein, fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and raw nuts are what my body craves.
Yesterday was my tapered long run of 6K. It was strange to run such a short distance. I had a good run though. There was a Boy Scouts parade in downtown Hamilton and Main Street was closed off. I ran right down the middle of a five lane road with people lined on both sides of the street. It was like running a race against myself. Everyone was cheering me on and I was just doing my thang! Very cool. I ran along the street just before the parade started. The stretch I ran traffic free was about 1.5K and about .5K in a young man joined me. I knew he wasn't a serious runner from his clothing (cotton sweat pants and hoodie). Cotton is rotten and he was way over dressed.
Anyway, he tried his darnedest to keep up with me. When we finally had to stop because traffic started again, I looked at him and said, "Buddy you need to slow down. You're running way too fast"! He replied in VERY labored breathing "I'm good". He was not. He sounded like he was gonna have a heart attack! I know he felt that he needed to keep up with me because I was a chick and he couldn't have a chick beating him. We only ran together about a kilometer and I took pity on him about .5K in and slowed down. I was seriously concerned he was gonna keel over and expire! Luckily that didn't happen and I turned onto a side street to relieve him of his misery. I'm considerate like that.
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| Julien and his Nonnu. |
After my morning run, I cleaned myself up and ate, then we headed to my in-law's house for my father-in-law's 83rd birthday. I have fabulous in-laws. Love them to bits. They love their grandchildren like nobody's business. Julien is lucky to have them in his life. Lately he's been asking me a lot of questions about who my mother was. It's hard to explain death to a five year old. I tell him she was very sick and died, and I can see the worry in his face when one of us gets sick. He's scared we're gonna die. Just last week he asked if the cat Baby was gonna live forever. She's 10. Most definitely not! But how do I tell him that?
This morning I ran with my 10K clinic. We ran 9K along the Hamilton/Brantford Rail Trail. It was such a beautiful morning for a run and I had a great run with my clinic. I have a clinic participant that I run with who lost over a hundred pounds. She has numerous health issues and the odds were stacked against her in regards to losing weight due to her health issues. Six years later and she is at goal. Now I completely admire her drive and determination. She is on a strict vegan/raw food diet and says she will follow this way of eating for the rest of her life. She knew what she had to do and gotter done. Regardless of how long it took her and the obstacles that stood in her way, she never gave up. She is truly inspirational.
Anyone who says that they cannot lose weight because of certain barriers just isn't ready to commit to the changes they need to make. And I respect that. I'm not here to preach to anyone about how to live their life. I can only tell you what has worked for me. Granted there are serious health issues that make it very difficult to lose weight, but I see these people posting on Dr. Poon's support group page via Facebook daily and regardless of how slow or how difficult the journey is, they continue to change their health for the better. If you want something badly enough, you will do whatever it takes to reach your goal.
My goal of running a full marathon is under way. I run my second half marathon one week from today. I'm excited and just a little anxious. I'm hopeful that my orthotics will work out. I'd love to run a long distance pain free just once! And if I get to run it once pain free, I'm sure that I will be running pain free from now on. I spent the afternoon planning out my training for my full marathon. Training begins June 30th. Hubby begins training for his half marathon the same week. It's a lot of work, but it will be totally worth it in the end. I can't wait until I can call myself a marathoner!
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| My fridge calendar. Hubby's yellow, I'm blue! |
