Walking for my Dream (Comments welcomed)

[CaroleD]

Well, here goes. My dream is to Walk a Marathon. When I write that it gives me a shiver. One year ago I couldn't walk a block without extreme pain. I had end stage osteoathritis in my right ankle and had been in pain for ten years. And then I had my ankle fused last March. It was a long long road back to being mobile again. The miracle is that I have no pain. I also have no calf muscle to speak of. And my thigh muscle is a little small. But hey...I can walk without pain!
So last October I started walking on the treadmill. Just 4 minutes to start. I added 1 minute each visit. And now I'm up to 45 minutes and ready to start training towards my goal. I can walk at 3.9 (a 15 minute mile) and increase up to 4.2 for 2 minute intervals. I feel like a million dollars when I achieve my goal for the day.
I do weight training,back exercises (also had a back fusion in 2005) and abdominal work. I'm 51, healthy and only about 10 pounds over what I'de like to be. My BMI is high normal.
I have a personal trainer to make sure I don't get carried away. I check in with her every month for a new workout.

Well thats me What I did today for me was start my actual training towards long term walking goal of the Marathon. First I'm going to work up to ten K. The book I'm using to get to TenK is Walking for Fitness by Marnie Caron.

So today I walked just 20 minutes at 3.9.
No walking tomorrow..unless you count working 12 hours as a nurse. lol.

 

[wdw4us]

Well good for you. I'm 52 and started training for the WDW 1/2 marathon on Monday. The whole family is doing it.

I plan on powerwalking my way so I'm right there with you. I have arthritis in my neck but it has affected my arms and the pain makes it difficult to do anything. I am now on new pills that seem to be working for me and have the energy and drive to do this. The big difference is that I would like to lose 35 pounds in this process.

I am not on my feet like you all day but I do work full time.

so it'll be a long but fruitful year.

Good for us!

denise

 

[CaroleD]

Sounds like we are travelling along the same road. And you are a quilter to boot!!! Quilting had been my main passion for years. Right now I'm hand quilting a wedding quilt for my DS.
What are your plans for your walking program. This week I intend to walk 20 min, then 30 min,then 40, day off and then 30, 40, 50 minutes. My "rest days" are the days I work 12 hours. lol. Well at least I keep moving. My hips are thanking me these days because I'm not a couch potatoe anymore.
What are the pills that are working? Toradol was my best one. Got to love them when they work.
Do you have a journal?
Carole

 

[wdw4us]

Hello:

Just taking a moment to answer you. Yes other than Disney my passion is quilting. I’ve been to Quilters Heritage Celebration in PA many times with another trip planned in April for their quilt show. Been to Houston 3 times with another planned next fall.

I’m at work and don’t have the names of the pills but one is a muscle relaxant and the other is an anti-inflammatory. I take the muscle relaxant at night before bed as they knock me out. The other one keeps me pretty much pain free during the day and the combo keep me from massive headaches. This all stems from a car accident years ago.

Links to my quilts:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/index.html?id=4290592617

So far we’re going to do the ½ marathon at Disney next January. We all want to lose weight and this is a great motivator. On top of that the awards ceremony is taking place on my daughters 29th birthday so she’s very excited to be in Disney on her Birthday and get your “Today is my Birthday” pin.

We’re very excited. We’ll see if that’s the case come next January!

denise

 

[keenercam]

Yay, Carole! I am so glad you are here and started a journal! You are doing so great already! The pace you are doing now already puts you ahead of the sweepers and you will build up speed and endurance gradually and sensibly over the next 10 months! I am so happy for you. You have already come such a long way and I am really, really looking forward to sharing the journey with you!
Thank you again for all your support in my journal. I really appreciate your kind words and encouragement! :

 

[CaroleD]

I'm looking forward to the treadmill tomorrow. Having weird thoughts like " I get to do an extra ten minutes tommorrow" Guess I'm obsessed.

Denise..I really loved your quilts. I'm an appliquer too. I just finished the Roseville pattern. Though I still need to quilt it. Its great your whole family is involved in the races. My neighbour and good friend has volunteered to walk with me in a race.

Cam...Thanks for dropping in. And for encouraging me to do a journal. I think I will get alot out of logging my journey. When I'm on the treadmill I day dream about the Disney Races. Odd considering I've never been to one.

Tomorrow is 30 minutes on the treadmill and full workout. I'm just lately starting to feel the benifits. Not just the aches and pains. More energy and less saggy.

 

[windwalker]

Just stopped by to say hi and wish you tons of good luck with your adventure.

GoofyforErica08 and I will be there also, we are thinking about the N.O. Riverside or the FQ ourselves. We have stayed at the Coronado this last time and the Boardwalk in 06.

The walking is addicting. We have a walking board that is run by a personal trainer and racewalker, Patty is great advice for training and stretching and just about anything exercise related, she is 51 also. Her site is the walking site. Some of the wish walkers have come over there to. I'm hungry for any ideas I can get on getting better and staying healthy. I started walking to get back in shape 5 years ago, when I turned fifty. Then some running adventure, now back to the walking.

Good luck

Dave

 

[CaroleD]

Hi Dave,
I did register on the Walking Site but haven't really spent much time there yet. I have next week off work so figure I will have some time to look over the site better. This added time at the gym lately is wonderful, however I find I have to get more organized to get everything done plus make time for DIS. The support here is really helping me keep focased on my goal.
I've only ever stayed at Coronada Springs. I was sent there for a conference from work----a real hardship,lol--and decided that from now on Disney can only be done while staying at a resort. I booked Coronada at first again because I loved it but then realized there were so many resorts to choose from. I like FQ (at least on paper) because it was so small. And the walking paths looked lovely.

Today I changed my routine up a bit. It was a 30 minute TM day. I walked 3 minutes at 3.9 and 2 minutes at 4.2 for the 30 minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes I still wanted more but got off because "the book says to". Alternating the speed really seemed to give me a better workout....plus I got to play with buttons so the time flew by. Also did my abds and weights. Felt great, got home and suddenly I had to nap in the worst way. Not sure what that was all about. I'm not a napper generally anymore. Had enough napping after my surgery to last me a decade.

Tomorrow I work again so no TM for me. Monday I'm back to the gym.

 

[windwalker]

You may find listening to your body is better than listening to the book sometimes. As you get faster with your walking it actually gets easier. I can walk easier at a faster pace if I get below 4 mph I feel like I'm just crawling. Erica and I motor along on LSD walks at about 13 min per mile.

Yep a good workout is usually followed by the desire for a nap. Congradulations on a good one, the best workouts are when you do more than normal and feel like you could do lots more.

Dave

 

[angietuck2]

I just wanted to say "YOU GO GIRL"

My DH and I started on the treadmill gradually working our way up. This is going to sound really 'cheesy' but it's true, "you really can accomplish anything you put your mind to".

I set out 3 years a go as a newly 30 something to lose 30 pounds and I did. I went to the gym regularly and started adding "jogging" on the treadmill to my routine. Every time I would increase my speed or distance a little it felt so good. The first 'outside' run we went for last August, yes August in Florida - running outside for the first time did not go too well. My DH had this crazy idea that we were going to do the RFTT in October. Believe it or not we did it, then 3 months later we did the Disney 1/2 - other than having my children, this was the biggest feeling of accomplishment in my life.

Like someone else said, you are already ahead of the sweeping pace and you are almost a full year out. You will do awesome. I promise in just a couple months, with consistency, you will be AMAZED at the progress you will make.

angie

P.S. I noticed you will be at POFQ in May, so will we !! We are going for 2 reasons:
I am running the Minnie Marathon 15K for the AT Children's Project and
to celebrate my college graduation !!!! finally !!!!

 

[goldcupmom]

Carole, you are really doing well! I have a rebuilt ankle that was done by an experimental surgery when I was 16. At that point they told my I only had about a 40% chance of walking normally again, and that the 'fix' would never last and that if I ever broke it, it would mean amputation. I proved them wrong. It's now been over 30 years! We women are STRONG!!!! and DETERMINED!!! And we hand TOGETHER!!!

I did my first 1/2 Marathon in Oct w/o really training and did 3:13:13. I was fine until about mile 8 when my ankle started hurting and it threw my gait off. Still I finished under DIS time and you will too!

Keep journalling and you'll get tons of support here!

 

[wdw4us]

Like someone else said, you are already ahead of the sweeping pace and you are almost a full year out. You will do awesome. I promise in just a couple months, with consistency, you will be AMAZED at the progress you will make.

angie

Wow your words may me feel encouraged. I sometimes doubt myself that the task seems do daunting but then I think, you can do this! Back and forth I go.

I'm very focused and at the least of it all, I'l be in shape and looking good by next January!

denise

 

[DisDee]

Welcome Carole! I love the title of your journal. Your goal to walk a marathon is inspirational to me. I love to hear about women in my age range (53) who are doing great things regarding their personal health and fitness. Much success to you in your journey. I'll stop by your journal regularly and see how you are progressing.

 

[hockeygirl]

Carole-Welcome to the boards! I look forward to reading about your training!! You are doing a great job already, and you still have 11 months before the race!! Keep up the good work!

 

[CaroleD]

I have to fess up and say I was kind of thinking of ducking the gym tomorrow, but now I'm all fired up to get on the TM. Its absolutely frigid here right now...-17 Celcius was the high today. Did I mention I hate the cold. Love Canada but hate the winters. Hoping to be a Florida snowbird someday.

Dave-Guess I'm too much of a newbie to know how to listen to my body yet. I'll have to get lots of info before I trust myself not to do harm. Any and all advise is welcome.

Angie--I'll be the one at POFQ being dragged everywhere by two twenty something year old girls everywhere. One is my DD and the other is her friend and incidently my hairdresser...she has dyed red hair of a shocking nature. We are there May 8th to the 17th. I booked the trip before starting this journey so didn't even know about the Minnie. Now I wish I was there to scream on all you Dis runners and walkers.

Julie-so good to hear of another person who has had ankle surgery and has become athletic. Some days its scary for me when I have a pain after working out. But its gone the next day so I carry on. I think I fear more becoming less than I could be because of worrying about injury. My surgeon said my fusion is rock solid. My only thing he said not to do is jumping.

Denise---quilters should stick together! Lets support each other.

Disdee-Somedays I think my title should be "A moment of Madness"...lol

Laurie-Your words make me feel very determined. thank you.

No workout today. I worked 12 hours instead. Tommorrow I do 40 minutes on the TM and full workout of weights and abds. And I AM going to the gym! Thank you so much!

 

[toystoryduo]

Hi Carole,

Welcome to the WISH journals board! We are so glad to have you here!

You are doing a great job with your training! Keep up the good work!

Hope you have a wonderful Monday! Thanks for the support and encouragement in my journal.

 

[wdw4us]

Monday, back to work and I start at 7 today.

Will be home and on the treadmill by 5 tonight for my workout. Through the help of some other board members found some podcasts to listen to and will try that out.

May even get some DVD's to get some better training.

Wish there was a Disney DVD treadmill trainer. We'd run through the parks while we worked out. Now that would be an incentive!

It was 6 this morning when I left the house at 6:50. Thankfully my treadmill is in the bedroom (ya I know a big no no) but it'll be nice and warm while I do my 3 miles.

denise

 

[CaroleD]

Brrrr...minus 17 C still here. Bright and sunny though. Good thing because I have never used the snowblower before. My DH flew to Florida yesterday for his yearly golf buddy trip and to visit his dad. Right now I am kicking myself for not tagging along...at least to visit his dad. I could be walking outside right now.
My DD is joining me at the gym today. Its been great having a gym partner and I see her more often now. She had a nasty virus last week and I missed her being there. She makes me do the exercises I hate. Like lunges. Last week was a pretty lungeless week. lol.

Tracy..You go girl! You are so right too about baby steps. It took months of lying on a couch to make my muscles disappear. It will take just as long to make them strong again.

Denise..My two goals today are 40 minutes on TM and workout and to get a section of the wedding quilt quilted tonight. I used the pattern Shakespeare in the Park by Judy Martin. If you google it you can find it. I did blues and creams. I like her books because she has the quilting pattern on them too.
Have a great day at work and warm up that TM when you get home.

 

[hockeygirl]

Carole--too bad you couldn't have joined your DH on his golfing trip!!! I can only dream about being in Florida right now...it has been SOOOOOOO....cold here in NJ the last few days. And I have a nasty cold, so Florida would be great right about now. well, I guess we all can dream once in awhile, now back to reality!!

That is so nice that your DD joins you at the gym, that must be great spending that time with her and getting your workouts in. I wish I could get my mom to go to the gym with me. SHe has a TM in her basement and will not go to the gym. Oh well, I can keep trying!!

I hope you TM workout went well, and you get your quilting done!

Keep up the good work!

 

[toystoryduo]

Hi Carole,

That's great that your DD will be joining you at the gym today... Glad she's feeling better too.

Have a great Tuesday!