It doesn't really matter what goals I have right now; a triathlon would be terribly difficult for me if I had to do one tomorrow (flat tires on my bike aside). I know I have to make up some lost ground from the last year--four months of being sick, four months of frustration trying to figure out what to do about Catalina (and then realizing it really wasn't in the budget) and then four months of simultaneous crazy busy schedule and lack of focus/motivation. To be clear, I'm not making excuses, just taking a look at where 2011 went.
Downhill.
So whatever my goals are now, I have a lot to do. And The Moroccan has agreed to train me for the Kilamanjaro goal.
One of my frustrations/complaints/excuses (take your pick; they're all accurate) over the past several months has been about Little Bug's bedtime and routine. We're a cosleeping family by choice. Our pediatrician fully supports it and for the most part, it has been the right path for us as parents. When I say "for the most part," there are two issues that have been challenging for me. 1) She likes to fall asleep WITH someone, and if I want her to go to bed early, that is usually me, I fall asleep with her and am not awake until the dog wants out. (I could go on and on about my sleep issues but that's another post. Or three.) 2) I spend a lot of time "resisting" the pushing she does as she snuggles, which I think irritates my back (as when I sleep alone I don't have that issue).
The big news in our household though is that a couple of weeks ago, Little Bug decided she wanted to sleep alone in her big girl bed. A tiny piece of my heart broke and The Moroccan was really sad about it, but overall it has been great for me. My back is already feeling better in the mornings AND I don't have to lie down with her to get her to sleep, so after reading stories I can do other things.
More big news: The Moroccan told me that if I'm going to go work out, he will make sure she gets to bed at a reasonable hour. I can't even say how much this means to me as having that shift to a more shared responsibility takes such a weight of concern off of my shoulders.
So a couple of days ago, we managed to set up an informal schedule for me to work out (around the evenings when he plays soccer). And the first task he gave me is to work on the stair climber. A lot.
Allrighty then.
I first tried this a couple of days ago. I knew that it would
Like five minutes at a time.
You know those little categories they have for heart rate that you can calculate? Resting, Fat Burning, Cardio training, Maximum? And how you should work at a set "target" based on your age and your goals?
After about two minutes on the stair climber, I had my heart rate up to "You Should Be Dead Already." I gave it three more minutes and then I quit and went back to the treadmill.
But I said I was going to be positive in this post.
On the way home, I started thinking about where I was in May 2010. I couldn't walk to the end of the block and back without having to lie down on the couch for the rest of the day due to pain. I always had pain unless I had painkillers. I couldn't do *any* form of workout without pain, including walking at two miles per hour on the treadmill while on painkillers AND because of those extreme limitations couldn't even get my heart rate into the triple digits--in other words, while working out to my maximum physical capability, I was still in the "Resting" heart rate zone.
Okay, so running my heart rate up to You Should Be Dead Already might not be genius, but I did it, and I did it without pain. Well, without back pain. I did feel some muscles on the right side getting a bit cranky, but it wasn't my back preventing me from doing more. For me, this is a hugely positive change from where I was. Not to mention that the treadmill--which I then ran on--felt easy and it used to be my nemesis.
