Looking back and moving forwards

Wow!  For some reason I decided to log in and read back through my old blog posts today.  It was quite emotional.  I must apologise that I have not updated since April. things really hit rock bottom when I had a really bad M.E relapse on my birthday in May.  It has taken such a long time to pick myself up and it has been a slow recovery but I am getting somewhere now finally.  Exercise has been very limited but my weight loss has continued.  I have lost a total of 38lbs now which feels amazing, keeping it off it is the hardest part though!

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past 14 months.  It's been tough but so worthwhile.  I have amazed myself at times with what I could achieve and also exceeded my own expectations by getting 8lbs below my target weight.   

THANK YOU ALL AND MERRY CHRISTMAS :)

The first photo was taken at the Run Geordie Run Ball in September 2011 the night I decided that a change had to happen, the second was taken this summer when I was a bridesmaid. Big difference!

Swimathon

This morning I completed the Big Splash Mile for Sport Relief.  64 lengths of a 25m pool.  I woke up this morning feeling very nervous and tired but once I got in I enjoyed it.  I seemed to slow down the longer I swam and length 57 seemed to take a decade but I got through it and completed it in 55 minutes.  I have already registered my interest for next year 2.5km swim (100 lengths) to keep myself motivated.  Don't want to waste the effort I put into it.  I am still going to the gym and enjoying that, outdoor running has really gone on the back burner now and couch to 5k seems a daft name for my blog now too!

The gym!

So, today I joined the gym!  I never thought I would say it but I really enjoyed it and came away feeling a real buzz.  I got weighed when I got home and I have lost 30lbs in total since September.  My BMI was 29.7 when I started so I was almost obese, now it it 24.9 which is in the normal range! That feels great!

I can mix running, swimming, cycling, cross training and various other randomly named machines to keep the weight off and get toned up.  I never thought I would grow to love exercise but I really do!

New approach

I have been feeling for a while now that Couch to 5k isn't really working out for me.  I am enjoying running but I am not managing to get out for 3 runs a week and it has been really slow progress.  I have just got a new fancy phone and decided to download an app to track my runs and just go out for a run without any pressure or anyone telling me when to run and walk etc.  I gave it a go this morning and I loved it.

I run for fitness and fun not to train for anything specific.  I think Couch to 5k is a fantastic program if you need to complete a 5k and it you have the time to train regularly and would highly recommend it to anyone it just wasn't right for me.  I do love it because without that plan I would never have got into running and found a new hobby to share with so many amazing people.

I ran and walked for 2.53 miles this morning in 33 minutes, I ran as much as I could and pushed myself to keep going, there were so many other runners, cyclists and dog walkers out it was like being in an outdoor gym.  Everyone said good morning and I was actually breathing well enough to be able to reply to them all. 

I have finally graduated away from my field and can now run past people without feeling embarrassed, I am a proper runner!

Lack of exercise

So the past few weeks have been a nightmare trying to get time to run.  Firstly I had a gum infection where my wisdom tooth is coming through and then had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics.  Once I was fully recovered my son got a sickness bug and just as he was getting better my daughter got a bad ear infection in both ears and her temperature was so high that she had a convulsion and ended up in A&E so obviously running was the last thing on my mind.  Just as they both returned to school I have now got a head cold.  I know you can run with a cold however I have had a chesty cough and been coughing stuff up so really don't think it would be a good idea, especially with my M.E I have a lower immune system than most and don't want to overdo it while I am run down. 

The only couple of days I did have to run things cropped up in every day life and I still didn't make it out.  I am really missing it but I have done some zumba in the house so I haven't stopped exercise altogether. 

Huge positives to take from this week though I have hit my 2 stone weight loss target.  I needed to lose 30lbs to get to a healthy BMI but 2 stone was my personal aim so I am absolutely thrilled and I did a before and after photo and was shocked to see the difference in myself. 

So the couch to 5k journey is taking much longer than I ever expected however the fact that I miss running is a huge leap from where I started and could barely run for 60 seconds.  I still have the sport relief big splash mile to focus on too so need to get swimming next week. 

I just want to say yet again thank you to everyone who has supported me, if I had tried to do any of this alone I would have failed at the first hurdle but I have overcome so much, lost 2 stone, dropped 2 dress sizes and I am a happier, more positive and much more confident person. 

Not a good start to the day

Headed out to do week 2 day 2 today, woke up feeling really tired but got my running stuff on and went out anyway, I started out well but as I got further into the podcast I started to feel sick and by the end I had horrible stomach pains too!  Uh oh I hope its not a bug or something.  I got through it but it was pretty horrible and I feel dreadful now.  Plan for the day is to lie on the sofa and do nothing until I have to collect the kids, fingers crossed it disappear sharpish as I had planned swimming tomorrow and another run on Friday. 

Moving forward

Having done the week 1 podcast twice quite comfortably I decided to move onto week 2 today.

It went really well, no issues, no aches and pains and the 90 seconds were easily achievable.  I think I will do it again on Monday and then move onto week 3.  Because I have done this part of the plan before I feel like I can get away with skipping through it a little bit to allow me to improve and move forward.

I am still swimming and I managed 44 lengths (1100m) yesterday in 41 minutes which I was really pleased with.  I have about 8 weeks until the swimathon so plenty of time to build up to 64 lengths.

I just need a bike now to be training for a triathlon!  Quite a way off that just yet I think!

Back to the field!

After the run last Monday I woke up on Tuesday morning with terrible shin splints.  I had never suffered as badly from them and I think it has something to do with running on the roads.  By Wednesday the pain was much worse so I didn't get out for my run.

I went swimming on Thursday and did 40 lengths in 39 minutes which is great progress towards my training for the Big Splash Mile in April.  My legs felt fine when I was swimming so I planned to do the next run on Friday morning.

However, Friday morning I woke up with a head cold and if I am totally honest I couldn't be bothered.

I walked miles with the kids over the weekend at the park on Saturday and South Shileds on Sunday and finally got back out to do a run this morning.

I decided to go back to my favourite field to see if that helped with the shin pain.  I found the run went well even though I still have a cold.  It was bit windy but I got on with it and felt good when I finished.

There were two magpies on the field with me today, I am hoping that is a sign of a Newcastle win on Sunday!!

I was going to skip to week 2 but decided to just follow the plan from the beginning to gradually build back up, one more run this week and then move onto week 2 next week hopefully.

Back up and running

I AM BACK!! Went out this morning to start couch to 5k right from the beginning again.  It felt amazing.  I even changed where I run.  I have always just ran round and round a football field before but this time I felt brave and decided to try something different. 

My husband Stu is off work today so he came with me for support and we ran around the back roads at Beamish.  It felt so good to be out in the countryside and to feel like my running was actually getting somewhere instead of ending up exactly where I started from which was the problem with the field.  I was exhausted by the walk back to car but it felt good to realise we had covered so much ground. 

I managed every run without having to stop but on the second from last run we hit a hill and it was a bit of a challenge and meant by the time I had finished I was out of breath but I kept going and got through it and it feels so good now.  I don't have a single ache or pain and feel so much fitter than the first time I started the plan.

Onwards and upwards and huge thanks once again to everyone who has supported me through the bad times to get me back on track!

Slow progress

Being back at work has been a bit of a struggle if I am honest.  The first two weeks were so hard and all I did outside of work was rest and sleep.  Exercise has been pretty much non existant for a while.  I did manage to get out for a decent walk last week but that was all.

It's frustrating but my main priority is being able to keep on top of everything at home and stay at work.  I saw my M.E specialist again last week and she recommended more walking and some swimming (maybe once a week on a day off) to gradually increase activity levels without overdoing it. 

I have lost 20lbs altogether now, its taken 4 months so an average of 5lbs a month which I am quite pleased with considering the amount of exercise I have missed out on. 

Fingers crossed things continue to improve and I can get back to running soon, I really miss it which is so odd considering how much I used to hate it.  I am really enjoying reading friends blogs and updates to see how well they are doing, it really motivates me to keep going towards my goals.

Back to work :)

I went back to work on Tuesday and things have gone really well so far.  I am very tired from it but it's been quite a while since I had to do an 11pm finish so it was a bit of a shock to the system. 

I have started going swimming again and that is going really well, I did 20 lengths the first time I went and felt I could have done more but didn't want to push too hard.  I went again this week and did 30 lengths in 27 minutes which gave me a huge sense of achievement.  I have signed myself up for the sport relief big splash mile.  It is 64 lengths of a 25m pool.  It is not until the end of April so I have plenty of time to build myself back up but it is good for me to have a goal to work towards.  Feel free to sponsor me using the link below ;)

http://my.artezglobal.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=369827&langPref=en-CA

I don't quite feel up to adding running into the mix as I have found work very tiring and really can't afford to do too much and set myself up for a fall.  I am seeing my specialist on Thursday so I will take advice from her.

It feels good to be back in the real world with a purpose.

Getting back on track

Firstly apologies for the lack of updates on my blog, I haven't been able to run so I didn't feel there was much to tell.  I have struggled for a couple of months now with my M.E but I am finally on the mend and going back to work next Tuesday.  I can't wait!

I was advised by the doctor I could start back doing some walking and also gentle exercise at home so I have been doing some fitness dvd's and simple workouts.  I feel so much better when I am done so I am really excited that I can start running again in the next couple of weeks.

I haven't put an exact date on it as I want to make sure work goes ok first and follow the advice of my doctor to avoid any more issues.

I feel positive, confident and ready for anything now.  So bring it on!!  I am going back to Week 1 Day 1 as it has been so long since I did any running.  Also I am not going to push myself too hard at first and if I need to repeat weeks I will.  Pacing is so important for recovery in M.E and I know how to do that.

Wish me luck :)