First, the triathlon was awesome! I haven't posted about it yet because I'm trying to collect pictures from those who took them.
I have really been struggling lately with being too busy. I haven't let my workouts slide because of it, but blogging is something I really want to be doing consistently and it just hasn't fit into my life recently. I felt like I needed to give up many of my volunteer and community activities in order to spend more time with my dad, and making sure his needs are met. I'm succeeding at that, but it's rapidly becoming at least a half time job, or even a little more than that. He has progressive dimentia, and he had a stroke just over two years ago. I'm pretty sure he is still having stokes regularly, but he refuses to take medicine for them, and there are days when his decline is visible. On the other hand, he recently started going to "speech therapy" (which covers a whole lot more than speech) and his improvement has been unbelieveable. It's like we went back about 8 or 10 months in time in his ability to hold conversation, and to think in general... last week, he almost beat me at chess. I hear a lot of "that must be so hard" from others; up to this point, it really hasn't been too difficult. His memory has been going for years, and emotionally it's much easier to deal with now, having a diagnosis, than it was for all of those years when I didn't understand why he is as he is. On the other hand, we've turned a corner and suddenly having him live with us is a LOT more time intensive than it has been previously. (A lot of this is because I'm now getting involved in managing his medical care... but it really needs to happen, and I am really the only person in a position to do it. Thus, I am able, and willing enough, so I'm starting to dive into this new experience...)
One thing the therapist told us, is that the BEST thing you can do for your brain - for your ability to think - is to exercise daily. My dad now has a gym membership, and I try to take him with me as often as he feels well enough to come.
I have a whole bunch of goals in mind for the next few months, and years. My most immediate goal is to improve my cardiovascular health. With that in mind, last Saturday I jogged 1/4 mile! Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I continued that, and Thursday and Friday I doubled that distance. I also managed to lift weights three times each of the last two weeks. It's always my goal to lift three times in a week, but that hadn't actually happened since before Christmas, so I'm really pleased to be back on track.
I'm really hoping to "run" (read: jog, slightly slower than most people walk when in a hurry) the 5k/10k race at the rec center in May. My doctor recently warned me to be extremely careful when transitioning from walking to running, because it's a sensitive time for injuries, so I am being very careful, but so far so good. It's interesting to be so conscious of my body as I move; I feel my feet and my legs and the places on my body where I carry the most weight. I try to think back to running a decade or two ago, and I think that it has always felt "heavy". I'm sure that there are contributing factors from my technique, as well as the sheer weight that I do carry, but I'm not sure how much weight will ever come off as I continue to train. Weight really isn't my emphasis - that's not why I do this at all - and I'm not willing to do anything temporary (read: count calories) unless I'm positive I can do it every single day for the rest of my life. So, I'm beginning to try to imagine what it will feel like to run as my body continues to get stronger and more able, day after day.
Also - this may sound crazy to many people out there - I'm honestly beginning to like my body, exactly as it is. I love what my body can do right now. I still remember too vividly so many times when I couldn't walk, couldn't sit up, couldn't put any weight on my spine or my knees or whatever was malfunctioning at that moment.... Exercise is giving me my life back. And truly, I would take my body today over my (skinner) body of the past, because I'm so grateful to be able to do all the things I can now.
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