Don't Call it a Comeback

I've come to realize it is slow and steady that gets it done.  It has been a long couple of months of rebuilding, reorganizing, starting over and trying new things.  All areas of my life had to be switched around and prioritized with me first.  Selfish sounding?  Sure.  Actually selfish?  Not at all.  I can't be what I want for those I love without taking care of myself first.  While this can be a hard idea for those around me to understand at first, now that it has taken root it makes much more sense and I think everyone is happier.

For my running, I have a lot of races on the board coming up (with one big one in the rear view).  I've been making the true effort of getting out of bed at 4- 4:30am to meet my girls and get my miles in so I don't crash and burn without overdoing it and/or getting re-injured or irritating an old injury.  Good thing my ladies are punchy and chipper that early!  It makes for a good time and fun conversation, even on mile 10.

Yoga is what it is - relaxing, nice "me" time, challenging, making me more flexible and more forgivable of my body's current limitations.

Lifting has been another story altogether.  After being sidelined from doctor's orders for so long, I wasn't aware at what I had lost not just physically, but in terms of lifting being an everyday part of my life and the mental strength of pushing through the frustration of not being able to do what I used to do so easily.  While running comes back quickly and naturally, all the muscle I had taken for granted that had been built over years and years of effort, had severely dwindled.  After day one; pain and exhaustion.  After day two; still tired, still in pain.  During day three; almost broke down out of frustration.  It has been getting better day by day.

Yes, I know better.  Yes, I know it takes time, dedication, perseverance, patience.  Patience is something I've never been good at practicing.  This "re-do" from ground zero of my strength building is testing that like nothing else.  Being older now it takes longer to see the results which used to take a week or two, my eating has to be spot on 90% of the time instead of 80%.  I have also overhauled my eating plan again much to my family's chagrin.

This all takes more planning/preparing than before and takes some of my time away from my family and friends but overall I have to say I think everyone around me that depends on me is happier.  Even if the weight I'm lifting isn't what I want it to be RIGHT NOW, I know it will get there and I'm stronger after every workout regardless.  Because I feel stronger and healthier with every day, I'm happier.  I'm more giving, more empathetic and overall a better person.

Don't call it a comeback, call it a rebirth.