1056.1 Miles

(2.4 treadmill)

I sometimes wonder how long it will take for it to sink into my head that working out makes me feel better. I've had a stressful week and didn't work out as many times as I'd have liked. I'm happy that today's workload was light enough that I had no excuse whatsoever.

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1053.7 Miles

(2.1 treadmill)

Today seemed like a normal day and when I got on the treadmill I was hopeful. I didn't run 10 minutes, but I did run for 7 before I had to walk a minute. I'm okay with that. Especially when I think about how far I've grown. I know that I still have a long way to go before I will feel happy with my level of health, but I know it will happen. Why? Because I'm not giving up.

The strength-training is beginning to show again. There has been a period of time when it seemed as if there was no outward change at all, but I am noticing differences when I look in the mirror. That makes me pretty happy.

1051.6 Miles

(2.1 treadmill)

It continues to be overcast. Everyone is on edge.

Today was a bit of a challenge to get myself onto the treadmill. My calves were still sore from the run on Wednesday which I expected. What I wasn't expecting was how much time it took for them to feel looser (walking) and how little time it took for them to hurt (running). So today was a much shorter run time. Even so, I feel good that I'm getting stronger.

There are days when I do want to quit. I've never considered myself an athlete, never thought of myself as super-fit, or anything like that. I also refuse to give up homemade cheesecake, Brianna's Brownies, or old-fashioned roast. In my mind, none of these fit into the "healthy lifestyle" that seems typical. Please understand, I'm not bashing anyone who has given up all of that, I just don't see myself that way. I enjoy sensual things and the taste, aroma, texture and visual appeal of food pleases me. Granted, I have let go of a lot of foods such as Oreos, white sugar, and myriad others, but it hasn't been arduous. Especially since I've learned about the attractiveness of so many other foods... or relearned in some cases (like fresh blackberries).

So, if you are reading this and you think you feel like giving up. Just push yourself for one more day. And do it again tomorrow. And the next. You can do this, too.

1049.5 Miles

(2.6 treadmill)

I'm not sure what happened with my other pictures, but I did spend some time on the treadmill and the bike last week. Oh well, that just means I have to go a few more miles on this journey.

Today I did something awesome. Seriously awesome. I ran for 10 minutes before I had to walk! Then I walked for 2 minutes and ran another 5 before walking again. I walked another 2 minutes and was able to run another 3 minutes before getting a stitch in my side. My warm up and cool down times were about 5 minutes each so I went over the 30 minute mark just a little, but I didn't care. I felt pretty euphoric that I was able to go for 10 whole minutes before walking.

1046.9 Miles

(2.5 treadmill)

My shin seems to be much better now which truly makes me a happy person. Yesterday's walk left me only slightly stiff today and I got on the treadmill with a smile. Since it had been a while, I chose to do a 1-minute-run/1-minute-walk session so that I knew I would finish with that same smile. At the end (around the 25 minute point) I decided to just run until I couldn't. It was my calves that finally prompted me to slow down since they were on fire. And that was after I'd run a solid 5 minutes. I wasn't smiling anymore, I was grinning! What will tomorrow bring? I'm predicting another smile.

1044.4 Miles

(1.8 - Sheldon Marsh State Nature Preserve)

This has been a truly beautiful day. After having a shrimp & spinach omelet (which was quite tasty) for breakfast I was taken to Sheldon Marsh (check out the link above) for a brisk morning walk. It was pretty cold, but the sun was shining and there wasn't that much wind. The air was filled with various bird calls that made me smile with the sheer joy of it all. Early in the walk we spotted a Bald Eagle in flight and could even see (very far away) that it was eating something while it was perched on a branch.

The road through the Marsh is about one mile, but we didn't walk the whole thing, instead turning straight to the beach when we got to one of the side paths. This is why I only am counting 1.8 miles.

I got only one picture and I love how the snow and moss look together -