Tuesday, October 23, 2012

It's Been a Year! Getting Motivated

Last year at this time I was in a hotel room recovering from a retinal surgery on my right eye, with my face down in a pillow, waiting for the time to pass until I could be upright again.



I had already registered The Captain and me for the Oak Bay Half Marathon which would not take place till May... and was working on putting together a training plan that would start in January.

We were living on the sailboat, knowing that we would be moving to our house/kitty-sit in December and that it would last time some time in May.  I had too many projects on the go.... and it only got crazier as time wore on.

During our training for the half we made the decision not to move back to the boat after our homeowners returned, so we rented an apartment, painted, furnished and fitted it out, ran our half marathon, spent weeks cleaning the boat top to bottom and hauled it out for annual maintenance, visited my sister in law in Vancouver,  and then my own sister in Calgary... have spent countless hours in the doctor's office and hospitals and labs for scans and blood tests and scopes, trying to find out why my blood protein levels are low and why my body does not hydrate properly, and why my left leg swells... an ogoing saga with no answers yet.



The summer passed by in a whirlwind!  My fitness activities took a bit of a back seat to everything else... until recently when I set up my own Fall Fresh Start Challenge to get myself back on track.  We have been running, but not a whole lot.  I am working out at home and really enjoying it.  I am challenging myself in new ways and my muscles are sore and complaining, but I am seeing results and quite excited about it.  I am spending lots of time in the kitchen experimenting with recipes and new ingredients.

But I am feeling a bit at loose ends...  I really want to commit to training for a longer run. I need something concrete to work toward.

Today while The Captain and I were running, and it was a bit windy and there was the threat of rain in the air, he said to me that he thought it will be really nice this winter, to just go out and run when we feel like it, and not feel like we have to run, to get training miles in.  And in all honesty, I had to agree with him.  I don't like to run in the rain, or the wind, either. 

But I do want to start running longer distances again.  I know that my body cannot take another half marathon at this point. I found out after my race in May, that for some reason, my body is not absorbing what it needs from all the water I drink or the electrolyte drinks I use, so that is why I experienced the terrible cramping that I did, and why it took me so many hours to recover.  I was dehydrated and salt-depleted.  Until I get some answers and get that under control, I am just not willing to put myself through that again.

Since that race in May I have not run anything longer than 6 km.  I think I could manage 10 km without worrying about the onset of these symptoms that plague me with long distances.  I need some event or even a virtual race to look forward to.

So, I am searching for a 10 km run to take part in in late November or December.  And now that I have made that little decision, I am quite exicted about it!

Do you need events or races to motivate you and keep you interested, or is just running or just working out enough?

Hey, little update!  SPUNKYSUZI, you are my 100th follower... so excited to hit this milestone. Thanks to everyone who follows my blog! 

12 comments:

  1. Working out is enough, but I struggle with the commitment side of things more. When I have a race I am training for I just find it easier to stay committed and to get my work done. Training doesn't seem like a chore then, it's just something I have to do. Have you found a good 10k yet?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I hope you get some answers to your health issues soon. That must be so frustrating.

    I like having events to keep me motivated, but with my last scheduled event this weekend, I'm looking forward to a little training break. I know I'll want to get a race on the schedule in a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I TOTALLY need races to keep me motivated, otherwise I won't run!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh man, health issues are so frustrating, especially when you can't get answers:( I agree, sometimes it's nice to run just to run. I am looking forward to 2013 without feeling like I have to race every month. Great goal for 2012, but will be nice to take the pressure off next year:) I hope you are able to find a 10k, if not you could always host a virtual one:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are one busy lady and I am sorry you have no answers yet.

    I do need races, real or virtual, to look forward to and focus my efforts. I really wish that wasn't the case and I could run to run but I like goals. It makes life a bit more interesting and gives an added purpose to why I do what I do every day!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Has it really been a year already? That feels like yesterday. Hope you get your health issues settled very soon.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Events and races are fun! It's nice to include a few things throughout the year to work towards...keeps things interesting! That said, I don't need them to keep going. I love working out and exercising :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I know races are what keep me motivated! They keep my mileage up, where right now I'm slacking! Busy year you guys had with so many memorable moments!! Hope this year brings lots of happy & exciting things!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. COngrats on 100! If I didn't put races on the calendar I'd do a bare minimum of running. Maybe 3 miles at a crack. I am longing for a break now though!

    ReplyDelete
  10. 10k races are fun! I think that's a great distance. I totally use races to motivate me! Otherwise, like Marcia, I would totally just do a bare minimum!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I remember the past year, very well. I was glad to follow you in your journey. This post just makes me smile because I am so very proud of you and all of your accomplishments!

    I need to get motivated to do ANYthing right now. I still feel sluggish and I know it is going to be a long road to recovery and running like I was.

    I made the decision this week NOT to coach next season, which I think is the right decision for me at this time, but it was so hard to make. I am really struggling with knowing I did in fact do the right thing so I can focus on getting myself back on the road to running.

    ReplyDelete
  12. did you ever discover why your body wasn't hydrating, leg swelling, low blood proteins etc...? I have the first two symptoms and am looking around for possible answers. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete

Love it when you leave me a comment!