A Non-Runner for Now...

The back situation did not get any better but actually got worse this weekend. After encouragement from friends and family, I decided to go to a Chiropractor for the first time in my life. I thought he would bend me in half and twist my head around until it fell off, but it was actually nothing like that. I told him what had happened with the running and where my pain was. Then he had me stand on this crazy table that starts vertical and then lays down while you're facing it. It's hard to explain, but think dentist chair but as a table. Then he took his "hammer," which is more like a really giant click-top pen and showed me how the "adjustments" work. Basically, he had me lay down and do all kinds of movements (arm behind my back, head to my chest, arm up by my head.) When he found a spot that needed adjusting, he just clicked the giant clicky pen (aka the hammer) on that spot. Most of the time it didn't hurt, but a few areas smarted a bit.

Then he had me stand up facing him with my feet shoulder-width apart. After he did that, he had me sit down on a lower table and wrap my arms like I was giving myself a hug, put chin to chest and lay backwards. As I was laying down, he kind of squeezed me like a folded piece of bread, which lead to a very nice, non-painful pop in the back. After that, we sat down to discuss the results...

I failed the test. Big time. The hammer was a test to see if everything was aligned right and then help fix it. Out of 20 possible spots, 15 of them needed to be adjusted. NOT GOOD! The little back pop was also to help that. The standing test was where I really got myself into trouble with this running business. Apparently I am going flat-footed. Basically, my arches are lower, so it starts to bend my legs in toward each other. It's not so much that I would notice it in daily walking, but he said it would greatly affect my body with any impact exercise, like running. (His chart said that walking is like putting 100 lbs. of pressure on your body, but running is 400 lbs. of pressure! Holy cow!)

So I am put on hold for now (no exercise, no excess stretching) until my body starts to heal. I have another adjustment on Friday, so we are praying that this number will be less than 15 and work its way down to 0! The flat-footed thing might not change for a long time, but if I continue to run I will need orthotic inserts for my shoes to add extra arch support.

I'm so glad I went, but I genuinely miss the running. I hope to be back to it sometime sooner than later, but will follow doctor's orders. It's just nice to know that there's a reason why I run like a girl and that my injury can be remedied for the future. Thanks for your encouragement!

End of Week 2

Hey all! I just wanted to let you know that I did finish week 2 workouts. However, I pulled a major muscle in my back while running with my stroller (note to all - if you are running with a child, make sure you have a JOGGING STROLLER.) For that reason, I am officially missing my first workout today and taking a break until I can heal my pulled muscle. I can't believe that I am sad about not being able to run! That's truly a first for me. Anyway, I hope to resume after I am healed, but I'm taking it one step at a time. This Saturday I'm headed to Dallas for a Mary Kay seminar (super excited!) for 5 days. My hope is that this week and a nice vacation next week will give my body the rest it needs.

To those who are doing this with me, keep up the good work! I know you are all doing an awesome job!

Week 2-Workout 2

I hated my workout today. It was muggy, everything seemed to go uphill, and I hit my dying point at about 8 minutes. Not good! At points I was running so slow I thought I could walk it faster! But I kept going and finished my workout. When the C25K guy came on my iPod and said "workout complete" I thought "you're darn right my workout's complete, you big jerk!" Basically, today was one of those days that I didn't feel like doing it, my body didn't have the energy, but I did it anyway. In order to just get it done, I decided to take Natalie out in her stroller and push her while I ran. She had a great time, but I think that will only be on a necessity basis for now. Pushing the stroller and running was a lot to handle. At the very least, we'll save that for a less-hilly course. At one point during my run by the golf course, I prayed for God to kill me mercifully and mow me down with a golf cart! But I did finished and didn't happen to die of sweating, shortness of breath, or golf cart.

God did, however, bring me a small ray of hope on my cool down. An actual runner came by me about a block from my house. (We're talking special running outfit, sunglasses, shoes - the whole thing.) Even though he was running the opposite direction, I could tell he was going about 4 times as fast as I was and barely breaking a sweat. Just as I was about to throw my Camelbak waterbottle at him and give him a piece of my mind for being such an effortless runner, he waved at me. I felt like I was actually in the running club! I walked a little taller on the block home, like "yeah that's right. I'm a runner. I can do it."

Then I got home, stretched and layed on my floor for 30 minutes...

Week 2-Workout 1

I'm a day late, but here's how the run went yesterday...

It was a wild, mixed up Sunday because we went to Tremont, but we had tons of fun celebrating my nephew Alex's 7th birthday. I DID have a little birthday cake because my sister totally impressed us with her Sponge Bob cake. It was awesome! I made sure to plan ahead to bring my running stuff so I could change at their house and get a quick run in before our small group girls' night.

When we got to B/N, I decided it was time for my first official run on constitution trail. For those of you not from this area, we have a huge trail that winds through town where lots of people go to either workout or take a leisurely stroll. It's a beautiful trail and paved for safe running. Adam took Natalie out in her stroller for a walk, and I went for my run. It was the first day that my workout increased - 5 minute walking warm-up, 90 seconds running/2 minutes walking for 20 minutes, 5 minute walking cool-down. I thought it would be horrible going that extra 30 seconds on the first day, but it really wasn't too bad. I made it to about minute 18 of 30 before I started to really feel the pain. Even then, I pressed on and finished the rest of the workout.

I'm trying really hard not to think about the weeks to come and how I'll move from running/walking to just running. Right now I'm just focusing on this week and trusting that the plan is going to do what I need it to do. The ISU Town & Gown 5K is October 17th, so I may add a few extra weeks in there to work myself up to a 5K by then. The C25K program jumps pretty fast when you hit week 5. Either way, I am doing it!

End of Week 1

I'm happy to say that I have officially accomplished week 1 as planned! We had a very long day at the Graber house that ended in a dreaded trip to Wal-Mart. The last thing I wanted to do after I gave my two year old a bath was lace up my running shoes and head out into the muggy evening air. But surprisingly, a good run with good music was just what my body, mind and soul needed.

We live on the edge of town next to a golf course, which I usually run by on my route. Right when my podcast told me I had finished warm-up and needed to start my first run cycle, I came to this empty field that was filled with lightening bugs. The sun was just set and had enough of a faint glow to see shadows of houses and the road ahead of me. I decided to drop the baggage of the day and just spend some alone time with God.

"My heart and flesh cry out to you the living God - Your spirit's water to my soul. I've tasted and I've seen. Come once again to me. I will draw near to you." (Better is One Day, Kutless)

Normally I would plug in my playlist of cheesy 80s and 90s music, knowing that nobody could actually hear the music that I know my children will surely mock me for later in life, but today I wanted something that spoke to the heart. So I chose to listen to Adam's Christian music playlist (mine is a little too slow and girly for a running pace.) Here was my list of songs for the day:

Come Let Us Worship by Chris Tomlin
King of Glory by Chris Tomlin
Tonight by Kutless
In Me by Kutless
Overcoming Me by Kutless
Better is One Day by Kutless
This Time by Kutless

Lord knows my body isn't perfect, but it hit me in the middle of this run how God has given me this one body to care for in this life. It's the only one I get, and I only have so many years to establish good habits to last me through my life. When someone gives you a gift, you cherish it and give it special treatment that all your store-bought, throw-away junk doesn't get. The best way for me to honor my body, this gift from God, is to care for it - to give it special treatment and set it aside for his glory. He has also given me strength beyond what I ever thought I could bear emotionally, so why not physically? God is so much bigger than me and has surprised me around every corner of this life. When couch to 5K is done, I'm sure I will look back and think how surprised I am that I did it.

Hope all you readers out there are having a good week, and keep up the good work to those who are running with me!

Week 1 - Workout 2

Nothing motivates a run like a big fat storm on your tail. Workout two was exactly like workout one: 5 minutes brisk walk warm-up, alternate 60 second run/90 second walk for 20 minutes, 5 minutes brisk walk cool-down. Deciding to get over the fact that my neighbors may be pointing and laughing at my walking/running through their windows, I switched up my route this time and stayed around the neighborhood. Actually, it was kind of nice to run in the neighborhood and think, "yeah, that's right, I'm running. I'm cool looking with my iPod arm band." That mentality started to fade when my humility sank in around 20 minutes, and I started counting the seconds. I didn't feel quite so much like I was going to die this time, and it actually felt really good to hear the guy on my program say "end of workout 2." I am over the first hurdle and officially on my way to being a runner.

My favorite part of running so far has been listening to music. My favorite song right now is "Run" by Collective Soul. If anyone has some favorite workout songs, send me a comment and let me know! I'm always looking for more on my playlist!

The other thing I'm working on is eating better. Of course it hasn't been a perfect four days, but I'm starting to get excited about hunting for healthy alternatives and good recipes. My first attempt was whole wheat oatmeal blueberry banana muffins. (Picture) Here's the recipe:

1 mashed banana
3/4 cup low fat vanilla yogurt
1/4 cup Splenda brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup frozen blueberries

Directions

Combine banana, yogurt, brown sugar, egg and oil in a large bowl.
Add oats and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.
Combine dry ingredients.
Add blueberries and dry ingredients to wet and stir until just combined.
Put in paper lined muffin tin and bake in a preheated 375 oven, until tops are firm to touch.

Week 1-Workout 1

This is my journey. I recently lost about 10 pounds, and I was doing pretty well. Hanging out on my elliptical in the evenings for a few minutes - maybe doing a workout DVD if I'm feeling really adventurous. My doctor even gave me praise and told me to "keep up the good work." Then I hit a wall. Bad food started tasting so good again, my favorite shows just happened to come on during my workout time, and I was tired... certainly too tired to slip on my running shoes and hit the treadmill.

Expecting a holiday splurge on fair food and Ted Drewe's this 4th of July weekend, I was challenged by my two friends, Jen and Melissa, to pick up the pieces again.

• Introducing Jen: Jen, aka Frito, lived across the street from me in high school and spent our college years only blocks away. Has always been known as the "athletic one" due to high school softball and basketball and college softball. Now a Jr. High teacher, she is affectionately known as "coach" to many of her kids.
• Introducing Melissa: Melissa, aka Melis', grew up with me from Jr. High through High School. Went to college in Missouri where she met her husband, Nathan. Has been known to love adventurous foods and is a total health nut. Recently had an AMAZING weight loss and can now stand in one leg of her old pants.

Melis' and Jen started talking about all things running - what shoes to wear, those rejuvenating things to eat in the middle of a race to keep you going, do you like running skirts?

Confession: I have never been able to run a mile in under 10 minutes and can count on one hand the number of times I have done it without walking.

Melis' said she was the same way. Remember that day they announced that it was time to run the mile in PE? For us, it was the worst day of the year. Everything after that day seemed downhill. Now Melis' can run 7 miles! How can she do it? Better yet, how can she actually look forward to it and enjoy it? She told me about a program she used called "Couch to 5K" and how easy it was to get going. Jen even said that running didn't always come easy to her, and that C25K was adjust your body to running.

Still a little skeptical that I could be a runner, I thought about it the entire way home. Could I be the kind of person who could run for relaxation? Could I finally turn into someone who said things like "a salad sounds so good" and "I wish I had a glass of water instead of this diet soda."

So I looked up Couch to 5K, or C25K, online. It's a 9 week program that you begin with 20 minute workouts, 3 times a week. At first you run for 1 minute and walk for 1.5 minutes through the workout. (5 minutes walking warm-up and cool-down) As the 9 weeks progresses you run more and walk less. By the end you can do your first 5K. So I downloaded a program for my iPod that gives me a bell and a nice woman telling me when to walk and run as I listen to music. Feeling the guilt of my less than perfect dinner setting in, I decided there was no time like the present to dust off my shoes and go for my first run...

At first 60 seconds flew by, and 90 seconds felt like a nice long break between runs. Then I got about half done and started to feel the burn. I'm not gonna lie - just over that point I felt like I wasn't going to make it. Then I pulled myself back together and finished it up. I'm hoping my first day will truly be the worst and that it will get easier from here, but I am determined to see myself run a mile without dreading it. So join me in the Couch to 5K plan if you are ready to take back your body and do it until you love it! If you can't run it, walk it with me!

Thanks Melis' and Jen for giving me the kick in the pants this weekend that I didn't expect but truly needed. I love you both and hope to run beside you one of these days.