I’m fat, but I was fatter. Bug out? – yea right, I doubt I could have walked one mile with a bug out bag. Bug in? OK, but I’m not sure I could haul water from the basement to the living quarters.
I’m still not where I want to be with my weight, endurance and mental toughness, but I’m getting better each week. Check this out:
March – purchased a garage-sale treadmill. 15 minutes at 2MPH was the best I could do on my first walk. Went shopping for new tennis shoes. Shopping is fun!
April – I walked (scratch that, I strolled) my first public 5K walk/run race. That’s a little over 3 miles. My goal was to finish and I did but I came in last – and I do mean dead last. They had already torn down the finish line by the time I got there. I soaked in the tub for an hour when I got home and went to bed two hours earlier than normal.
There was a sign at the half-way mark that I will never forget. It said:
Did-not-win is still better than did-not-finish. Did-not-finish is still better than did-not-show-up. You’re already a winner.
May – Put myself on a self-directed program of walking in preparation for the next 5K. I got online and found all of the 5Ks in my area and scheduled myself for a race every-other month. Found a walking partner to train/practice/play with. She was a big help in getting my butt on the treadmill regularly. My motto became, “if I’m watching TV, I’m doing it from the treadmill.”
June 5K – My goal was only NOT to be in last place. I averaged 20-minute miles so the whole thing took about one hour. New mothers pushing baby strollers whizzed past me early on the course but I finished 100 from last. I got to experience the finish line, the announcers over the P.A. and the loud music. What a rush! I had enough energy remaining, I went back to walk with the last-place girl. I could tell she was struggling and I wanted to support her. It made me feel strong.
August 5K – My goal was to carry a 20 lb backpack. I filled it with small water bottles and shared water towards the end. It’s hot in August in KY and it was more of an endurance test in discomfort than anything else. It was a large race with a mob of 5,000 participants. It was at night but it was still 98-degrees and 98 percent humidity. Night put a whole new perspective on things, I started to think about what it would really be like to bug out at night. This freaked me out. It seemed so real being around so many strangers, at night, and carrying the backpack. I really scared myself. Must work on mental discipline. Finished 400 from last but moms pushing strollers still past me. Dang it!
I couldn’t find a good race for October so my next is September 23. Close enough. Most 5Ks have courses on level pavement. This one is through the woods, in the mud, and with obstacles. It’s shear physical punishment and mental toughness. As it turns out, this is very popular with the extreme sports people. It’s not a Tough Mudder, (look for YouTube videos if you are not familiar) it’s more of a mini-muddy for fat, middle aged women but it will push me a little further outside of my comfort zone. Ahhh, over the hills and thru the mud – I think my goal is back to “just finish.” Wish me luck!
For me, the concept of using the 5K was motivation to train with a goal date attached. In my area there is a 5K almost every weekend. Committing to completing a set of 5Ks put me in a position of thinking, and strategizing how I want to change my training to improve for the next one – something that I hope will have lasting overall general health benefits. I have a new set of “friends” now, the perennials near my walking speed, that I nod and smile to. People with familiar faces that I can walk up to and say, “How did you do?” or “Which race are you doing next?” It’s nice to have peeps to inspire each other to keep going when the finish line feels too far away.
If getting into shape is part of your preparedness plan then lace up the Nike’s and get out there. Most cost between $20 and $50 to enter. Most are fund-raisers for good causes. You usually get a T-Shirt. You could get muddy. You will feel good about doing it. Yes, there are the hard-core racers, running for a trophy but never mind them. Toward the rear of the crowd – where you’ll find me – you’ll find comfort in a large group of middle-aged, recovering couch-potatoes doing something fun and healthy. Just show up and you’re a winner.
See ya at the finish line.
Congratulations for your ongoing efforts. It takes a lot to not only try it once but to keep up the practice and keep on improving over the longer term. And isn’t it wonderful to feel the improvements – actually starting to feel like you can do even more, like when you went back to walk with the last person.
I’ve had a difficult winter with my health – not bad, but not good either. But, like you I keep working at it.
You are truly inspiring, MSKYP! And that you have a heart to help others cross that line. Bless you, Precious Spirit!
MsKYprepper, WoW Great and I am so very proud of you. You have made amazing progress. We older folks, are sometimes compared to our younger counterparts, and in some cases I guess that’s okay as for me not so much. I will never again be able to do the things I once did but I do what I can and try continually to push myself just a bit more. Congratulations on your journey and your improvements. You are a winner even if you don’t pass the finish line first.
What an encouragement you are MsKyPrepper to all of us. I can only imagine how that last place person felt when you went back and gave her water, and walked with her. That reminds me so much of the parable of the Good Samaritan.
By now you have run the Sept. 23rd. race, and I am sure you did great. BTW, don’t worry about the mothers pushing baby strollers, just give them a few years and see where they finish.
Hey, Brothers and Sisters!
I just spoke with Suni. They are burying her BIL today, and, this morning, her SIL passed away. Difficult time for Suni and her family, right now. You know how to pray.
I have suggested she step away from the madness of this world and take time to mourn and to heal.
Ecclesiastes 3: (New King James)
1 To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
8 A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.
servantheart-Words well chosen. Suni,we will be thinking and praying for you and your family.
Glenn Beck shares the miracle of a praying parent:
http://www.glennbeck.com/2013/09/27/miracles-still-happen-did-a-mother%E2%80%99s-prayer-prevent-a-massacre-at-mcdonalds/