Another milestone reached.

CaptBligh001 · July 2015

Well I reached my 1 mile running goal today, it's been a long time coming since my accident 10+ years ago.

I started out this morning at 6:30 am with my normal 2 sets of 50 push-ups and 2 sets of 25 crunches and out the door by 7 am on my walk. Sometimes I walk 3 miles to McDonald's for coffee sometimes I take the long walk to the park and walk the trail around the golf course. This morning I decided to go for the long walk so I started out with the 2.5 mile walk to the guard shack. depending on how I feel this gives me the option of turning around here for a total of 5 miles walking,

Feeling good at the guard shack I decided to run the .25 miles from the guard shack to the next stop sign as a warm up and to evaluate how my body was feeling to see if I was up to the task of maybe attempting a .50 mile run. I walked another .25 mile at this point I'm 3 miles into my walk if I turn around here I'm at 6 miles total. I decided to run with the intent of just running a half a mile. After all I still need to walk over 3 miles home from this point.

My start line is a cement park bench, the half mile mark is a big oak tree (and a paint marker on the ground) feeling good at the half a mile mark I decided to shoot for .75 miles which is back at the park bench. Now I've done this twice before at a different park. Well the .75 mile mark came and went, I could see the finish line which is the 4 mile mark of my 7 mile park course. So I went for it, I have to be honest I almost didn't make it. Its amazing how far a .25 mile can seem. At about .9 miles in I was really mentally and physically struggling trying to figure out why the heck I was doing this. Of course that might have something to do with the last .25 mile or so being slightly uphill. But I was too close to reaching a personal goal that just last week I thought was unattainable. So I wasn't about ready to give up just a tenth of a mile from reaching it. So I adjusted my pace to compensate for the uphill grade and I focused on the ground, my pace and breathing ignoring how far away the marker looked.

I ended up running about 50 feet past the finish line for good measure and to prove to myself that I'm still in control of what I do with my own body. In the end I ran just over a mile and was now in 4 miles. I cooled down by walking the 3 miles back home. In total I walked/ran just over 7 miles this morning. Not too shabby for a man in his 50's who not to long ago needed help walking to the bathroom.

After my accident they said I would be lucky to walk a mile again let alone run one, I just wanted to prove them wrong. That was over 10 years ago. I've tried several times and failed mainly because I pushed myself to hard and ended up re-injuring myself. I'm getting up there in age and figured that I only had one last good fight in me so it was now or never. This time I decided to take my time, It's taken a year and a half of dedicated work, dieting and exercise to get here. I started out at 298.6 pounds, I was barely able to get out of my chair without help or even walk to the mailbox to check the mail alone. A year and a half later I'm down a 102 pounds and can run a mile and walk 10, I said I would quite after I broke a mile, Now I'm thinking maybe I want to shoot for 5K.

Sometimes the thing that's holding you back ... Is all in your head.

CaptBligh001 · July 2015

BreezinBre wrote: »

How did you break your arm from running a mile dude?

Arm ? Have no idea what you are talking about, 10+ years ago I was involved in a bicycle accident that resulted in severe damage to my back, legs and knees. I spent the next 8 months in a chair, It took two years before I could walk unassisted or get out of bed without help. I was told I would be lucky to walk a mile without a cane let alone run one. So while running a mile to a young buck might not seem like much, too some of us who are trying to overcome the limitations of injuries it's a milestone. By the way, when I was in my 20s I used to jog 5 miles on the beach without a thought.

WWnot · July 2015

Congratulations on today's success...and all the successful days you've had leading up to today. And if you can run a mile, you'll be able to run a 5k in no time at all!!! (And then you'll be hooked!

)

TheChangeIsNow · July 2015

Awesome!! This is huge! Congrats to you! I bet that feels amazing!

cahf · July 2015

Way to go! It is not easy to come back from that kind of injury - great work and congratulations!

jee_nee_us · July 2015

congrats.

Its not the last fight , its the new beginning. Age is no barrier for you.

CaptBligh001 · July 2015

Thanks for the positive comments, it really helps and I feel great, I feel strong again which is quite the contrast from when I was in a chair and needed help going to the bathroom. Back then I felt weak and vulnerable like if something happened I would need someone to rescue me, Like I was more of a liability rather then an asset. Now I feel like not only could I take care of myself in an emergency but my family and friends as well. It's amazing how good it feels to be able to stand up out of a chair rather then need someone to help you stand up.

The other day I was able to get up on my horse, on my own and without having to stand on a stool or the fence to do it. I put my foot in that stirrup and pulled myself up and into the saddle. No shaking legs, no trembling arms, no almost, but up and over like I was 20 years old again. My wife was so impressed she made me pose for a picture (it's in my profile) She doesn't know it but I've been training for it for quite sometime doing 2 sets of 25 squats and leg stretches almost everyday. I lost a lot of flexibility after the accident, in fact I still cant touch my toes. I also do balance exercises where I stand on one foot while pulling the other up behind me, while holding a leg behind me I lift myself up on my toes and try and hold it.

It might not seem like much to some people. I'm sure those of you who've been through rehab probably understand how important this was. It's one thing to make a break through or reach a goal but, it's another if you injure yourself trying. That means the real test is how you feel the day after. In this case other than a slight blister from a new pair of shoes I'm feeling fine. My knee, back and leg are tired but otherwise feel fine, In fact if it wasn't for this damn blister I would attempt a repeat tomorrow..

I do have one concern and that's my appetite, I need to increase my calories, Unfortunately I've spent the last year and a half so focused on making sure I don't eat to much that now when I need more calories I cant seem to eat. I walked 7 miles yesterday and ran a total of 1.25 miles of it yet I had to force myself to eat and I still didn't clear 1300 calories, It's already 9 pm here I've been up since 5:30 AM and I'm barely at 700 calories for the day and I'm simply not hungry. Ill be lucky if I can force myself to eat another 500 calories before bedtime.

Sometimes the thing that's holding you back ... Is all in your head.

Another milestone reached.

Replies

Categories