August 2009 Mile Challenge

[openag 0]

Week 3 - 22.16

[melinda_205 0]

Janai

WTG on the elliptical! After I got replies saying that I could join you for the remaining time in August I went to the gym after work, everything went great...the treadmill, the bike, done some strength training with my arms and felt really great and then I tried the elliptical. OH DEAR JESUS...I should have said a prayer before I got on that thing bc I was on it for like 3 minutes and just knew that I was gonna die before I got off of it! So now one of my goals is to actually be able to work up to maybe 10 minutes but I think that may take a while. But when I saw your mileage on it I just thought you really deserved a pat on the back! So how long do you stay on the elliptical at a time and how long has it taken you to work up to this? Im just curious, I would love to be able to stay on for like a 1/2 mile but I really think it would kill me! So I havent mastered the elliptical but I did want to share with everyone that after I got off work last night that went to the gym at 12:00 a.m., and I know that I wouldnt have done that if I was accountable to anyone! Goodnight

[willowcat 93]

The elliptical. I am spending 7 hours per week on the elliptical with the arms that move back and forth through an extended range of motion. Awesome!

Well I realized this week that I can fully extend my arm straight up now. (I had some shoulder impingement due to the rod insertion). I have 100% range of motion back. I cannot tell you how happy I am with this.

Jenai

I'm so happy for you, Jenai! :thumbup: What a wonderful side-benefit! Thank you for sharing that with us! Yeah!!!

[willowcat 93]

I didn't realize it but walking fast wasn't doing it and I actually jogged to the car parked quite a bit away to beat the crowd leaving. As I was getting my breathe back and driving to my building - I almost fainted when I realized I jogged! I also went over 100 lbs lost this week! Exciting.

Deb

Wow! You had a big week last week! Congrats on going over 100 lbs. lost and on the running--too cool! :thumbup:

[willowcat 93]

Week 3

8.25 miles

41.8 miles biked

18.2 miles to go

First week back for teachers. I spent over 11.5 hours at work each day. 7:00am to 6:30pm. Students come back on Monday. I WILL get the remaining miles in.

Your determination to get in your remaining miles is encouraging/challenging me to make up for two lost days this week (it was tough being back at school this week--it's crystal clear now why I didn't exercise in the past)! I'm so competitive (with myself and also with others) that it's really eating at me to think I might not make goal this month--12 miles is a lot for me to add on to my regular miles (I might need to spread it out a little over the next several days--maybe have an am and a pm exercise session a few days), BUT if you will get in the remaining miles, then I WILL too! :thumbup:

[willowcat 93]

She wrote a book called "Eat it up", which is available at Amazon.com for $11.50. I am finding it very helpful.

Did you decide to live with that extra .5 fill and things are settling down for you? I am going for another fill tomorrow. I am anticipating bringing my 4cc up to 5cc.

Jenai, Thanks for the book recommendation--I'm glad that you're finding it very helpful! Yes, I decided to live with the extra .5cc afterall. I'm still pretty tight, and the stress of work has made a few lunches at work last week a little "iffy", but overall, I guess I would say things are settling down for me. How's your new 1cc working out for you? Willow

[willowcat 93]

Janai

...and then I tried the elliptical. OH DEAR JESUS...I should have said a prayer before I got on that thing bc I was on it for like 3 minutes and just knew that I was gonna die before I got off of it!

I did want to share with everyone that after I got off work last night that went to the gym at 12:00 a.m., and I know that I wouldnt have done that if I was accountable to anyone! Goodnight

Melinda, I know exactly what you mean!! That eliptical is my Mount Everest!! I can walk; I can swim; I can bike--but three minutes on the elipitical is about all I can do. I can do more, but I have to rest for about a minute before I can do another three minutes, etc. My thigh muscles are on fire on that thing! For me, I've decided that I'm asking my poor thighs to lift all of my weight with each step (it's like doing a leg press of 250 lbs. on one of those weight machines!) I keep thinking that maybe after losing more weight, the eliptical won't be so god-awful hard.

Congrats on your stick-with-it-ness to go to the gym after work! Proud of you (I'm wiped out after work) good for you! Yeah!:thumbup:

[sparkles62 0]

19 miles ran this week. Moved my daughter to college and my son to another college so run time was cut down. Total for the month is 55 miles. :-)) Five more to goal for the month. Will surpass goal!!!!

[Jenai 0]

Janai

WTG on the elliptical! After I got replies saying that I could join you for the remaining time in August I went to the gym after work, everything went great...the treadmill, the bike, done some strength training with my arms and felt really great and then I tried the elliptical. OH DEAR JESUS...I should have said a prayer before I got on that thing bc I was on it for like 3 minutes and just knew that I was gonna die before I got off of it! So now one of my goals is to actually be able to work up to maybe 10 minutes but I think that may take a while. But when I saw your mileage on it I just thought you really deserved a pat on the back! So how long do you stay on the elliptical at a time and how long has it taken you to work up to this? Im just curious, I would love to be able to stay on for like a 1/2 mile but I really think it would kill me! So I havent mastered the elliptical but I did want to share with everyone that after I got off work last night that went to the gym at 12:00 a.m., and I know that I wouldnt have done that if I was accountable to anyone! Goodnight

Melinda, way to go on going to the gym after work! I had tried the elliptical many times in the past and felt the same way after 5 minutes. Burning leg pain. I went back to the gym in April to get ready for my surgery in May. I tried the elliptical again. I lasted 5 minutes, the next day 10 minutes. I would rest 30 seconds to a minute between the 5 and 10 minutes and kept building up my time. It gets better and improves pretty quickly too. I do 5 miles a day, and it takes me an hour and eight minutes currently. My goal is to get it down to an hour. I really like it now and I feel really good afterwards. It has been my accomplishment over the last few months and now just to increase my speed to get the five miles down under an hour. Also every ten minutes I increase the level of restriction so I'm at like the 8th level before I'm done. That's another little challenge I like to give myself. Anything to keep it interesting!

Jenai

[2911plans 16]

Your determination to get in your remaining miles is encouraging/challenging me to make up for two lost days this week (it was tough being back at school this week--it's crystal clear now why I didn't exercise in the past)! I'm so competitive (with myself and also with others) that it's really eating at me to think I might not make goal this month--12 miles is a lot for me to add on to my regular miles (I might need to spread it out a little over the next several days--maybe have an am and a pm exercise session a few days), BUT if you will get in the remaining miles, then I WILL too!

Willowcat, I know you can do it! I pull my strength from you and the others on this thread. When I come on and read the post I know that you are faithful to this challenge. This is what keeps me faithful. I thank God for my Cyper Friends everyday.

I am able to get more miles in on the weekend. I do 4-5 miles in the am and 4-5 in the pm. That's how I made it through the last 2 weeks. My goal now that I am back to work is to get at least 2 miles done before I leave for work and get more in after work. I can do 2 miles in 8 minutes. I can give up 8 minutes in the morning. I am compulsive about being on time for work. We must be there by 7:30. If I am not there by 7:00 I'm stressed out for a while.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

[2911plans 16]

I wanted to share a non scale victory (NSV) with you all. I fell and broke my arm in December 2007. It was a substantial break. It was a complex fracture in several pieces, a spiral fracture. I fell on concrete and tried to catch myself which actually put more speed and pressure on the fall as I landed. It was a multifragmentary fracture that involved surgery with rod and pins. I spent the next 1.5 years trying to get the arm back to full range of motion. It was close but still not 100%.

A few weeks after starting the exercise challenge, my arm started hurting. I was wondering one night why my arm hurt and was trying to think what I could have been doing recently to make it hurt. At first, I could not think of anything. Then a big "duh" crossed my lips. The elliptical. I am spending 7 hours per week on the elliptical with the arms that move back and forth through an extended range of motion. Awesome!

Well I realized this week that I can fully extend my arm straight up now. (I had some shoulder impingement due to the rod insertion). I have 100% range of motion back. I cannot tell you how happy I am with this. I am so thankful. It had really bothered me when I finished up physical therapy a few months ago and had to accept that I had what we thought was the maximum level of improvement I was going to be able to achieve.

I am very grateful.

Jenai

Jenai, before I got to the end of the post, my heart was sinking. I thought, " Oh no. She hurt herself exercising." I felt bad, but continued reading and was very happy to hear your wonderful news. I am so glad you are healthy.

I, like some of the rest of the team am in awe of your skills on the elliptical. I really am wiped out after 1 minute on mine. For now I am sticking with the bike, although I need a good upper body workout too. I will maybe challenge myself next month to do what I can on the elliptical and get the rest done on my bike. KUDOS to you!

[2911plans 16]

Good job Melinda, Sparkles and Openag for getting those miles in. We will see you at the finish line.

[Jenai 0]

Jenai, Thanks for the book recommendation--I'm glad that you're finding it very helpful! Yes, I decided to live with the extra .5cc afterall. I'm still pretty tight, and the stress of work has made a few lunches at work last week a little "iffy", but overall, I guess I would say things are settling down for me. How's your new 1cc working out for you? Willow

That one little cc became interesting. They put the one cc in the needle, insert the needle and draw out the Fluid in the band so all the fluid is in the needle and then push the fluid back into the band. Somehow the 4cc that we all thought I previously had, turned out to be 5cc and with the one additional they put in 6 cc. ooops. No Water would go down. So with water sitting in the espohasus, I had to lay back down to have .5 cc pulled back out to leave me at 5.5 cc. I still felt tight and swollen. I did liquids for 2 days and am back on regular foods today. It was an interesting feeling and I wondered how I would deal with the experience when I was too tight and couldn't swallow water. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined. I'm feeling fine today and life is good.

[Jenai 0]

Janai

WTG on the elliptical! After I got replies saying that I could join you for the remaining time in August I went to the gym after work, everything went great...the treadmill, the bike, done some strength training with my arms and felt really great and then I tried the elliptical. OH DEAR JESUS...I should have said a prayer before I got on that thing bc I was on it for like 3 minutes and just knew that I was gonna die before I got off of it! So now one of my goals is to actually be able to work up to maybe 10 minutes but I think that may take a while. But when I saw your mileage on it I just thought you really deserved a pat on the back! So how long do you stay on the elliptical at a time and how long has it taken you to work up to this? Im just curious, I would love to be able to stay on for like a 1/2 mile but I really think it would kill me! So I havent mastered the elliptical but I did want to share with everyone that after I got off work last night that went to the gym at 12:00 a.m., and I know that I wouldnt have done that if I was accountable to anyone! Goodnight

Hey Melinda, I noticed you live in Odenville, AL. I have a sister that lives in Oakman and another sister that lives in Fayette. Looks like they are about 1.5 hours away from you. I get out there to see them about once a year. Small world, eh.

Jenai

Edited August 23, 2009 by Jenai

[willowcat 93]

Willowcat, I know you can do it! I pull my strength from you and the others on this thread. When I come on and read the post I know that you are faithful to this challenge. This is what keeps me faithful. I thank God for my Cyper Friends everyday.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!

Thanks for the encouragement 2911! It really does help. Today, I biked my regular 6 miles and then kept going for another 6 miles--I didn't know I even had it in me to bike that long! Now, I just have 6 miles to catch up before August is over. We can do it!