Roadblocks

The story of my life! Nothing ever goes as planned around here which makes it very hard to start and/or finish anything.

One thing I didn't mention in my first post was about my not-so-great health. I have chronic sinusitis and have been on and off steroids and antibiotics for close to two years now. I also had sinus surgery and ended up on IV antibiotics last year because of severe infections. This week I've been put back on antibiotics and had another steroid shot to treat another infection. I think it makes sense to wait until I am feeling (and breathing) better before starting an exercise program.

We also have some holes in our home nursing care for our daughter, Ella, and I have been without help most days of the week recently. I can tell that finding a suitable time to run is going to be one of the biggest hurdles. I'm not sure what the experts say is the *best* time of day to run, but I think we can all be assured that it won't be in the morning. I will never be a morning person. Even if I have help with Ella in the morning, it's just not gonna happen. Granted I am usually pretty drained by the end of the day, but the evening is probably going to be my best bet. I know John (my husband) will be home to care for Ella and I like the idea of running - at least in the beginning - under a cloak of darkness since it's not going to be pretty.

Aside from all of these roadblocks, there has been SOME progress. I received both the mp3 player and diet book yesterday. I have already downloaded 45 minutes worth of "make you move" music on to the player so that's ready to go. The book, however, has me feeling a bit overwhelmed. It's a diet plan for people who love carbs and has some good-looking recipes, but the regiment is fairly strict and broken into phases sort of like the South Beach Diet. I don't tend to behave well when I feel that I'm being boxed in, so we'll see. It's going to take a lot of planning and there isn't much room for deviation which will make it tough with our lifestyle.

In the past I have been able to get into a good routine, go for a week or so and then Bam! Ella goes back into the hospital or something. Oh well. One day at a time, right? And it might be best to not overwhelm my system (and my mental state) by trying to start BOTH at the same time.

As for the shoes, they are still buried beneath the boots, high-heeled sandals and flip flops at the bottom of my closet waiting to be dug out. Baby steps.

Here Goes Nothing

I have apathy for most things in my life that I am *supposed* to do. I think I've always been this way...maybe was told a time or two growing up that I had an "attitude problem" or "problem with authority" or something. When you get older they call you stubborn instead.

Anyway, I (think) I want to start running. I've had the inclination for probably going on a year now. My body says "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" but my head says, "This couch is really comfortable. You're tired. Just relax."

If there was ever a time in my life to start, it should be now as I am nearly 50 pounds heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight before I had my daughter almost three years ago. She has special needs and our lives are extremely stressful. Not that it's an excuse to let yourself go, but it has certainly been a big contributor. Excercise is good for stress relief - so I've been told - so there's another good reason. And the importance of my overall health is a given. There. Three good reasons to go ahead and give this a shot.

In my mind I just pop on some sneakers, throw open the front door and start running like the wind feeling invigorated and free! But I KNOW this is not how it's going to work which makes me feel, well, apathetic.

This blog will chronicle my journey to become *a runner* from this overweight, stressed out, frazzled person I current embody. I'm enlisting the help of online training tools to get started. Luckily they have a category titled "Couch" into which I fit perfectly. Acutally, I have probably never felt so certain of anything in my life! "Couch to 5k" will be my initial goal. Timeframe? Well, however long it takes. Maybe six months, maybe six years? It's hard to say. But I'm making a commitment to do this and honestly share my experience via this blog.

Great! When do we start?

Although I haven't technically put on running shoes and stepped outside yet, I have started. Mental preparation has begun. I've also ordered an mp3 player and a "Carblovers" diet book which I am anticipating the arrival of. And of course I have to locate said running shoes, brush the dust off of them, and determine if they are indeed suitable for running. If not, a shopping trip will be in order. I must also gather together some running "outfits". Anyone who knows me will understand how important this is to the overall process for me.

So thanks for tagging along with me. This should be interesting! Now, where are those shoes...