20: The D (Detroit, for you Westerners)

It's nearly the end of our Spring Break; I'm pleased to report I've managed to keep on the fitness quest track.

Because where we're going, we don't need roads.

This morning I woke up at 2am, got on Facebook when I couldn't get back to sleep, and argued with one of my very first hiking partners, David, on the merits of hiking in Lenawee County.  

The aforementioned cornfield.

I stand corrected. David pointed out Hidden Lake Gardens as a place to hike, and he is correct.

I have clear memories of "hiking" here in my youth.

 It is lovely.

The problems with it, however, were numerous:

1) A thirty minute drive away

2) Mosquitos and ticks and bugs

3) Crazy attack swans

4) $$

5) Poison ivy

6) Mud

7) No vistas

8) No rock piles

9) Humidity

10) Mosquitos 

But, he is correct, there are no cornfields.

Dave and I completed our geology degrees together; he and Brenda were newly married, and I was engaged to my now late husband, the Knight of Physical Therapy.  Seeing as we were infinitely more mature than our fellow college classmates, we hung out in class and in the numerous geology field trips Rock Haines drug us on.  These trips usually involved hiking; Dave was my companion on the trail.

Old Rag Mountain, Virginia, 1992.  I'm in red, Dave isn't present.  Shall we ask why?

David also is essential in correcting my blog spelling, for which I am grateful.

I did fall back to sleep around 5am, and got up at 8am.  The King helpfully fetched me a coffee, while I finished writing an article.  By 9am, we had hit the jacuzzi-a great relief to my sore lower back.

Today has been a day full of the old tweaked back pain; it's truly the first time it's made a full blown appearance, waking me at 2am and nagging me throughout the day.  This is despite swimming ten laps in the pool, followed by an extended time of treading water before lunch.  Additionally, the King confirmed what I had suspected:  my right side is weaker than my left side.

The head injury has nothing to do with my back, but I find it interest in when symptoms from it crop up unexpectedly.  Doing squats in front of the mirror yesterday I could see the imbalance between my left and right sides; a simple squeeze test confirmed the strength difference.  These are both hopefully nothing more than minor unconveniences  in the Quest, but are worth noting.

Pink by Victoria's Secret, if you must know.

Because pain makes people seriously think about quitting.

Having just spent three days in a swimsuit, I'm disliking the old.

Ack!  Muffin top!

But loving how firm my legs and arms have become.

So quitting is not an option, despite the sore back, and these days of struggle will give way to rewards soon enough.

Looking forward to it.

I just like to watch them fly:)

A shout out to the D-missing my Tigers amidst the Cactus League.

19: Leaving Fighter Pilots at Home

I was instructed to start my day in the jacuzzi.

Which is not a bad way to start the day, I might add.

Oh, I knew what was coming.  The King of Athletics was to oversee my workout while we stayed at the resort, and I knew he was trying to loosen me up.

I think I look plenty loosened up.

After my ten minutes of relaxation, into the fitness room we went.  He told me to get on the treadmill for a five minute warm up; increasing the speed as I tried to adjust.  Seeing as I was wearing Parry's sneakers with no socks, this was an interesting struggle.

"It's too fast," I insisted.

"Stop complaining," he replied.

I moved the arrows "down" and started playing with the touchscreen.

"No distractions." 

I glared at him, as he shook his head no while gesturing at the screen.  Just what DOES his mind do when he's exercising, I wonder?

No.  That's too in your box for me.

After my "warm up" (which found me fiddling with every control and chuckling at the old iPod jack) he instructed me to complete a set of flutter kicks.

I couldn't.

He said I could.

My right oblique stressed that I could not.

He modified it to alternate leg lifts.

And so we went on; him instructing, me trying not to complain.  

You have NO idea.

As we worked through the sets, he occasionally showed me his technique.

Have I mentioned he's King of Athletics of the Central Highlands?

So he's hanging from two tiny little mountain climbing grips, and he shows me how he can do these totally sexy pull-ups on them.

Like seriously hot stuff.

"So you're not on American Ninja Warrior, why?" I ask.

He doesn't respond.

Men.

I am rather proud of myself by this point; I'm glistening in sweat and doubled my dead-arm hang time from earlier in the week.  That's when I see the scale in the corner of the room.

Do I?

Our scale disappeared, which is why I have no idea how much I weighed when the quest started.  I know it's over 160lbs, as that was the last weight I recall in late November.  Given the fact that half my clothes are still not fitting, I was curious about my weight.  Just how much did I weigh?

The King tested it.  198lbs.

 

Great.  He's at the weight I met him at.

I step on the scale.

158.

Well, really, 159.

But I like 8's.

I want this on my bomber jacket.

So, I weigh 159lbs.  I look at the King.

"How much weight do you think I've lost in the last month?"

He looks sheepish.

"I'll be honest-10 lbs."

"So I probably weighed 170lb?"

He nods.

I am horrified.

My first love was Capt. James Tiberius Kirk.

Yeah.  This explains the non-fitting hiking pants perfectly.  160 is my typical "time to cut back" weight.  With the concussion, I spent a lot of time on the coach and in bed.  In pj's.  No wonder only one pair of jeans fit.

Well, no sense crying over something already taken care of; I did feel better knowing that's why I couldn't see a change.  I did my ten laps in the pool, and spent the rest of the day writing in the sunshine.

My calves look big because I hike - that's all muscle!

Tonight, I had a delicious dinner; wearing the carrot dress that started it all.

I tried on a skirt February 7th that showed clearly I had too much weight.  The carrot dress, with it's A-line styling, hid all those lumps and bumps; when I wore it that night, you couldn't see my thighs.  Tonight, wearing it again, I noted the differences:

1) My posture is greatly improved

2) I have no pain in my back

3) My arms are firm and not jiggly

While I now know what I weigh, my fixation is not on a number.  It's on how I feel-and lately, I feel great.  You'll notice Maverick didn't come on vacation with us.  Turns out, I can leave him at home.