Drink Up! and rest

 

I have become one of those people. Thank you to Beth for decorating the jug for me. I promise not to drink directly from the jug.

 

I have not finished a gallon yet..always just short.

 

This week I have had some serious calf pain from all the walking that I have been doing. So to avoid any injury I took this week to rest and stretch. Compression sleeves, heat, ice, over the counter pain medications, bio-freeze, I have tired everything. I even pulled out the night splint to see if it would help. So far no relief.

 

 

I am treating myself to a massage. Praying that it will give me some relief so I can return to my training schedule. 

Three weeks of training

 

What did I learned about myself?

 

I am not a quitter.

 

December 30, 2012 - I set the goal to run the Princess 10k. That was 5 years ago. I would start my training and quit. My back would hurt or my feet would go numb after 15 minutes of walking. I would get to week 2 of training and think there is no way I can do this. Week 3 my back would hurt so much that I would "take a break". Months would pass and I would try again. 

 

In other parts of my life I had not quit. I failed out of nursing school on the first try. Bring up my 1.2 GPA was not easy. Didn't quit! Got my bachelors degree and have a national certification. Why was this so difficult?

 

Fast forward to the last 3 weeks. I have hit my daily goal of 10k steps. I have stuck to my training schedule. There was one day that I fell short. Didn't let it get me down. Actually finished my Star Wars Virtual Half Marathon. It took me almost 5 hours but I finished. Earning these medals also provides a lot of motivation. I look forward to my training days.

 

I'm holding myself accountable but I also have great support. My husband has been helping to get the kids where they need to go so I can get my training in. My son keeps me on track with eating breakfast everyday and drinking only 1 soda a day. I have an accountability partner, friends and family that offer kind words or a kick in the pants. A wonderful group of doctors that have given me my life back.

 

I can't quit this time. I will do this for me!

Neurosurgeon follow-up

 

One year follow-up with the neurosurgeon!

It was my last appointment with the neurosurgeon!

Looking at the x-ray above you can see there is only a small gap between the bones which will continue to fill in. I have been cleared 100%. He gave me the okay to start running and weight lifting. Reluctantly he said I could ride 1 rollercoaster at Disney. Space Mountain here I come!

How can I thank someone who has given me my life back?