Crawl, Walk, Run

Howdy, folks!  I have been really busy over the past week.  I am now a card-carrying member of the YMCA in N. Raleigh!  Woot!!

I know I say this every week, but I have been slammed at work.  I literally get out of bed at 5am, go to the gym (ok, so today was the first day, but if I tell myself I've been doing it, then I'll keep doing it), come back home, shower, walk Paris, fix lunchbag, drive to work, don't leave parking lot until 6pm or so (tonight, I forgot where I parked... walked from one end of the parking lot to the other... hey, it's exercise!), come home, walk Paris, cook dinner, and.... CRASH.  Lather, rinse & repeat.  I should be in bed now.  But I have a feeling most of my friends are quietly mumbling things about me not keeping my blog up to date...

So, this week has been interesting.  Not only did I join the gym, but I did a bad, bad thing.  After I went to the gym Tuesday night, I was starving.  I decided to go through Chick-Fil-A drive through.  That was tough.  I ordered a Grilled Chicken Sandwich, no bun, with a side of fruit.  Ha.  You thought this was where I did the bad thing, didn't you?  Nope.  I was strong.  I was good.  I drove home... or towards home.  On the way home, there is a Bojangle's.  I had a migraine.  When I have a migraine, for some strange reason (in my screwed up head), Bojangle's fries make my head feel better.  Could be the carbs or the grease... dunno.  Or at least, that was the case, pre-op.  Now, I have paid dearly for the Bojangle's fries.  I probably only ate 5 or 6.  I scarfed them down.  I gave Paris some.  I was all about some Bojangle's fries.  (The Chick-fil-A sandwich is in the fridge, if you're wondering.)

This is normally where I tell you I was as sick as a dog, all night long.  Nope... Paris was, but not me.  I didn't get sick.  But I noticed when I got in the bed I had this strange sharp pain in this tiny little area below my stomach (pouch).  I ignored it and fell asleep.  Yesterday, it was worse.  It was constant.  And then it moved.  It moved it's way through my bowels.  It was a rough day.

Did I learn my lesson?  Absolutely.  Will I do it again?  I will never say never.  But, I will always remember how it made me feel.  Yuck.  Disgusting.  (Paris is fine, just had a nice intestinal blowout... aka diarrhea)

So I got up at 5:00 am feeling better.  I went to the gym.  That place is packed even in the mornings!  I got there in time so that I didn't have to wait for a machine, but there were people waiting when I got off of the treadmill.  I'm moving slowly... gradually building up my distance and time.  I'm not pushing or rushing.

I ran into the lady that registered me Monday night.  Her name is Jenny and she is so sweet.  She said she was glad to see me and had been telling folks about me and the surgery.  She is really excited to see the results.  I am too. :)

So after Tuesday and today, my shins are KILLING me.  I have some runner friends and I took their advice and went to Capital Run Walk for a gait analysis and to be fit for proper shoes.  I came home with some pretty great shoes (Brooks Adrenaline).  All this time, I've been wearing the wrong size.  I've been buying a size 10 or 11... mainly because of the width.  I came home with a 9 1/2 and they feel great!

It was funny, when I first walked in, they asked if I was there to pick up a packet.  I asked what they were referring to and there is a Krispy Kreme Dash this weekend.  I had not heard of this... apparently people enter this competition to run 2 miles to a Krispy Kreme, then proceed to eat a dozen glazed donuts and run back.  What the?????  NO.... THANK YOU.  I would DIE. (especially now)

Since I've been going to the gym, I am sleeping like a baby.  It feels great.  I am hoping some of the pain of my body adjusting to this new strange thing called exercise will subside soon.  I just have to push through the next few weeks.

Paris is quite confused with the new schedule.  She will get used to it, but I have to get it down to a routine, for her benefit and mine.  I will walk her in the mornings, and then when I get home at night, I will take her on a LONG walk to burn off some energy.

Today, when I was perusing the Capital Run Walk website, I found something called Fit-tastic!  Now, I love a good play on words, but this is genius (not the word, but the concept... stay with me folks).

"Fit-tastic is a 12-week training program geared toward the beginning walker/runner who wants to develop a healthy and sustainable exercise regimen. We have experienced, certified coaches who have put together a program designed to help you achieve your goals with the support of others like yourself."

Guess who signed up?  This chick.  Thankfully it doesn't begin until March 11, so I have a month to get out of the clumsy, awkward walking stage... yes, I'm clumsy.

I signed up for two different 5k's recently.  One is at the end of March - it is an Off-Road Challenge for The Biggest Loser in Charlotte.  The other is in April - Angels Among Us at Duke.  I may not be able to do the off-road challenge (given the aforementioned clumsy awkwardness).  I will decide that later on though.

But for now, I need to go to bed so that I can get up at 5am and get to the gym... in my new shoes. :)

Good night for now!
Kell
42 lbs lighter