WHAT A DIFFERENCE 12 DAYS MAKES

It has been 12 days since my last blog. I finally walked/ran 3 miles today. It felt good, sort of blew the rust away. We have gone from caregivers to caretakers. Caregiving for my father-in-law was a 24/7 endeavor. He passed away on Oct. 20th. So now we are caretakers of the legacy he left us. Helpful, honest, hardworking, humorous, humble, honorable,--all attributes he will be remembered for. He ran a good race.

In 12 days the temperature has dropped considerably, as is appropriate for a few days before Halloween. It was downright chilly this afternoon when I hit the trail here in Rochester, IN. Chilly as a witches heart. I still worked up a sweat though. I anticipated I might struggle or have some discomfort but that was not the case. It was all good.

We have a lot of work to do here but now I'm back on track and hope to get out frequently to work out.

REPORT ON THIS WEEK SO FAR

The effort I've made this week hasn't been too great. So far I have walked two miles on Tuesday and walked with a little running today for another two miles. Life has been in something of a turmoil and holding pattern at the same time as we deal with the serious illness of my father-in-law. We had planned on another biking/running get together tomorrow but at this point it isn't a for sure thing.
I did look up the Mini Indy web site today and am now pondering whether to do the 5K or Half Marathon.

BIKE AND RUN

The beauty of the autumn season is really beginning to show now and today was a classic fall day. Perfect for our planned biking and running excursion. Cyndy, our sister-in-law Jo Ann and I met at New Haven to use the River Greenway Trail. They rode their bikes and I ran. It felt good to run again after the walking I have been doing while recovering from the 13.1 miles I ran on 9/27. I did 4 miles today--comfortably. No pain in legs so I guess I'm good to go.
We want to meet again next Friday. The trail should be even more colorful so I want to take a lot more pictures.

GOOD NEWS

Today I walked two miles. It felt good and I wanted to work some aches out. All week my legs, especially thighs have been slightly achey. I don't know if this is an after effect of the marathon or not.
Today the results of my lab test for blood chemistry came and some noticeable changes show. In comparison to the April test my cholesterol went down 22 points. My LDL went down 28. My HDL went up 9. Triglycerides went down 16. My sugar went down from slightly high to down in the normal range. None of the 29 items on the tests were out of the optimum range.
I have stayed at the same weight for some time now. The first three months I lost 22 pounds by the scale. Factoring in the muscle gain of 6 to 10 pounds that I added I am happy with the net loss of 22. However, my goal for the next three months is to lose some additional weight. I still carry a lot around my waist. That means not only continued exercise but cutting back on portions, which for me is the most important step I can make.

DID SOMETHING--FEEL BETTER

Yesterday afternoon was just too great an opportunity to hit the trail. We found a new one and as you can see from the pictures it is nice. We walked three miles but stopped short of my planned run for the last mile. Cyndy needed to get back to the care facility where her dad is.

It felt good to get out and do an easy work out. Plan is to go to the River Greenway north of New Haven this week and keep at it. Cyndy and our sister-in-law will ride bikes while I run/walk.

WHAT TO DO NOW?

This week has turned into a big question mark. After I did do the two mile thing on Tuesday the rest of the week I was totally not motivated. Now I feel guilty. I'm hoping that after I get my bearings I will get back on a schedule.
I feet that I have recovered well and only have had some occasional hints at cramping in the back of my thighs. Don't know why.
I have re-lived and re-told the exitement and satisfaction of the run last Saturday many times. I have pretty much decided to get an entry in for the Indianapolis Marathon next May. That training along with the possibility of helping in the training of next year's F 4 F group will be the ultimate motivators to keep me at this.

The other day I heard this: If you want to get there fast go alone. If you want to go a long way be part of a group effort.

I miss my group.