The Road to Recovery...Step It Up

I woke up this morning determined to endure whatever pain comes my way without the need for pain medication. I also decided that I would take Bailey for a walk up to the entrance of the subdivision. A whopping 0.8 mile! Off we went and surprisingly, that seemed to go much better than the attempt I made yesterday. We made the trip and returned home. Of course, this walk got me thinking...if I can do that, I can surely walk to the Lake Murray Dam and back. I was running this route in my sleep without any problems pre-surgery. I sent my training partner a message that I would be headed that way (she had met some buddies to swim and run up there) and I told her she could just pick me up on her way back. The entire route would mean walking about 5 miles with 3 inclines. Surely, an Ironwoman in training could accomplish this minor task.

I grabbed a bottle of water, turned on my iPod and headed out the door. Walking...slowly. I had made it back to the entrance of the subdivision without too much difficulty. Proudly, I turned right as if it were my first days of Ironman training. Just as I did then, I looked UP. Understand that this first right turn includes an incline that leads up to a redlight. Not an easy feat after 14 days of not working out but seriously, surely I can do it! After a few steps, I made the decision that I should probably go halfway to the dam. The more steps I took, the more it became evident that sometimes in life we set our sights on lofty goals much too quickly. In other words, we set ourselves up for failure. A few more steps...Goal #3 for the day...I simply want to make it up the hill to the redlight and I will turn around and go home...

The moral of this story is you should be able to eat more than toast before you decide to walk 5 miles. I didn't make it to the redlight, not even halfway. But, I made it out the door and a total of 1.5 miles. Yes, I was sweating. Yes, I was breathless. No, it didn't kill me. But, it was a start and we can't move forward in anything in life unless we get started. Even though I didn't achieve my original goal today, I did more than I did yesterday. For that, I am pleased.

And now, I must take a nap. I am exhausted!