Step by Step - Baby Steps

Hello everyone!

Firstly I want to wish anyone who has stuck with me over this punctuated journey, or indeed new readers, a very happy, if belated, New Year!

It's hard to believe that I only got ONE post up during 2016, but while so much happened for me (I'll say more about that in a moment), there really was nothing that warranted a blog post.  Before I go into a bit of a recap of that last post, I want to promise you that things WILL be very different this year!

So, let's recap, starting with the reasons why this blog was started WAY back in March 2014...
In short, having been through a number of health issues, it was to chronicle my progress as I Battled Back to full fitness.  You can read the full version here.

Challenge announcement...
On April 4th, 2014 I announced that the Battling Back challenge would involve swimming the equivalent of a marathon.  You can read the full announcement here.

Bicep injury and eventual postponement...
Very early in my swim training I sustained what I initially thought was a strain of my left bicep.  But it didn't stop me, despite what others, including my unofficial coach, told me.  Eventually though, having come to terms with the fact that the injury was being made far worse with every stroke, I made the decision to postpone the challenge and attempt to rehab what I then believed to be a tear to the muscle.  You can read the full announcement here.

So what's happened since then (to early September 2016)?
The biggest thing of note is that more than 2 years after the postponement, I am yet to get back into the pool.  No, I didn't seek the suggested medical advice for a very long time, but I did try and immobilize the arm as much as possible.  While I'm right handed, complete immobilization proved to be impossible.  But I did and still do try.

I've had general health issues, including severe anemia (caused by a vitamin B-12 deficiency), which has resulted in significant fatigue.  While I've not been swimming, I tried other workouts, but many of those were painful, due to the arm injury.  Indeed every day tasks were up until the time of writing in September 2016.

To that end, knowing that as stubborn as I am, I could not go on without medical  attention, I mentioned it to my doctor.  After he poked, prodded and pulled his diagnosis came as somewhat of a surprise; severe tendonitis.  Immediately he referred me to orthopedics, who in turn, without seeing me, referred me through to physical therapy.  I await that initial appointment on September 12.

Physical Therapy
Well, I endured and I truly mean that, the initial assessment appointment, four sessions of invasive ultrasound treatment.  It's a similar procedure to a regular ultrasound done in pregnancy, only this time pulses of electricity are sent through the gel in an attempt to break up the scar tissue.  It warms the gel and literally pummels the bad tissue into submission.

Arriving for the first treatment, the therapist asked me to turn my chair away from her and after a puzzled look from me I asked why, and pointed to my elbow.  Cue similar look from her and a hasty look at my notes!  "Oh!  Sorry, I thought it was the shoulder tendon!"

Nope!  As someone said when I recounted the events, "It's a wonder you came out with your tonsils!"  I had to agree!

Immediately following that and subsequent sessions, I was in as much pain as I had been since the injury.  I tried to keep up with the prescribed exercise "homework" and rest, but a hectic schedule meant that I couldn't rest it as much as I'd liked, so for the first few weeks there was little if any improvement.  I know.  My bad!

Following the course of treatment, I returned for another assessment in late October.  Where, after discussing the potential further treatment plan with the Senior Physical Therapist it was agreed that he would conditionally discharge me for three weeks, so that I could, hopefully, get back into the pool to see how the bicep responded.  Yep, I'm still referring to it as a bicep injury, despite the updated diagnosis, because the affected tendon is the one that attaches the muscle to the elbow.

I fully intended to get back into the pool, but as any writer knows, November is a no-go for most things with the exception of NaNoWriMo!  So, I let the weeks go by and didn't contact the department again.

What now for 2017?
As I write this, it's mid afternoon on Monday, January 9th.  Despite not getting into the pool yet, I am determined that I will, as soon as my schedule allows.  It might be a while off, but it will happen.

Because of so many set backs, my overall health has gone backwards, possibly to the point where I was right at the start of the blog in 2014.  And as the title of this post suggests, it's baby steps for me for the foreseeable future.  But I am taking action!

This time last week we were enjoying the last day of our vacation, and admittedly the associated over indulgences!  Instead of getting straight back into my former workout schedule of Monday - Wednesday - Friday, I had planned to ease myself in gently and do Tuesday and Thursday instead.  Nope!  Last minute changes to the plan meant a reversion to plan A and a Wednesday workout!

Workout?!?
As I said, it's baby steps for me right now, so I'm starting off with Leslie Sansone's 1 Mile Happy Walk...

Unsurprisingly, after so little intense activity for way too long, my calves screamed at me on Thursday, and after being a lot worse on Friday, they did ease up after that repetition.  

And I'm really happy to report that there has been no adverse reaction from my bicep!!!  I did, admittedly take it easy in terms of the injury, but with each repetition I'll slowly increase that, while listening to my entire body.  

It's still far too early for me to think about a charity challenge.  I've got to Battle Back first to a point where that's possible, but when I get there, there will be a challenge announced!  

I'm at the point where no pain equals no gain, but I'm determined to do things properly this time.  As determined as I am, I also hope that you'll join me on my journey, as I blog weekly.  Your support really does mean the world to me.  

Thank you!

The post Step by Step - Baby Steps first appeared on the Battling Back blog

It Truly is Step by Step

Hi everyone,

It's hard to believe that this is my first post to this blog since the first days of January 2015.  So much has, inevitably, happened since then, and it's my intention to use this post as an update.

But first, let's recap why this blog was started...
In short, having been through a number of health issues, it was to chronicle my progress as I Battled Back to full fitness.  You can read the full version here.

Challenge announcement...
On April 4th 2014 I announced that the Battling Back challenge would involve swimming the equivalent of a marathon.  You can read the full announcement here.

Bicep injury and eventual postponement
Very early in my swim training I sustained what I initially thought was a strain of my left bicep.  But it didn't stop me, despite what others, including my unofficial coach, told me.  Eventually though, having come to terms with the fact that the injury was being made far worse with every stroke, I made the decision to postpone the challenge and attempt to rehab what I then believed to be a tear to the muscle.  You can read the full announcement here.  

So what has happened since then?
The biggest thing of note is that more than 2 years after the postponement, I am yet to get back into the pool.  No, I didn't seek the suggested medical advice for a very long time, but I did try and immobilize the arm as much as possible.  While I'm right handed, complete immobilization proved to be impossible.  But I did and still do try.

I've had general health issues, including severe anemia (caused by a vitamin B-12 deficiency), which has resulted in significant fatigue.  While I've not been swimming, I tried other workouts, but many of those were painful, due to the arm injury.  Indeed every day tasks were and sometimes still are painful.

To that end, knowing that as stubborn as I am, I could not go on without medical  attention, I mentioned it to my doctor.  After he poked, prodded and pulled his diagnosis came as somewhat of a surprise; severe tendonitis.  Immediately he referred me to orthopedics, who in turn, without seeing me, referred me through to physical therapy.  I await that initial appointment on September 12.

Why and what now?
The timing of this post comes at the beginning of my personal year.  I celebrated my birthday last Friday and as such have been reflecting on a lot of things...

Yes, it's over 2 years since I sustained the injury.  Yes, during that time I came to realize that my swimming days were over.  But I've never lost sight of the ethos of the challenge I set myself.

I don't mind admitting that I've put some of the weight back on that I lost during the training.  Given the injury, I'm likely in a worse state physically than I was as I began the training.  But today marks a renewal of the determination I showed then.

Yes, I will be and indeed am already in pain before my next workout, which I'll do soon after this post is published.  But what I am and will go through is nothing compared to what some of those closest to me are going through.  I will BATTLE BACK.

In time, I will announce a new charity challenge; taking into account any and all physicians advice and my own capabilities.  Will it be on land or in the water?  Only time will tell.  But I assure you that it WILL happen, and I'll once again use this blog to document my progress; step by step.

Thank you.
Em

A New Year Begins

Hi everyone,

It's a little hard to believe that my last update was over four months ago and I'm so sorry I didn't get another post out after announcing the postponement of the Battling Back 2014 Challenge!

Very, very sadly one of the men, the heroes, who had inspired me to Battle Back, passed away just days after my last post. Dr. William Lee Graham, my best friend's father and the man I know and love as Dad, lost his courageous year-long battle with cancer on August 9, 2014.

Dr. Graham had joined the US Navy on Pearl Harbor day, the day the US joined WWII. A great American Patriot, a great American Hero; faithful servant of his country and his Lord and Savior, at whose side he rests; an inspiration to his family and all those who's lives he touched, including mine.

After rightly taking some time out to focus on him and his beloved family, I returned to my workout regimen. However, the injury that had caused the postponement was proving as stubborn as I was in recognizing it's existence and I soon realized that only total rest would allow it to heal. If I hadn't taken a complete break I risked needing surgery to fix the muscle.

Complete immobilization of the arm was out of the question, but I rested it as much as possible. I moved house the first week in November and I was pleasantly surprised how the arm held up, despite all the lifting I had to do.

In the weeks since then I've continued to rest the arm as much as possible and will now slowly, very carefully begin what will be a long rehab. To that end, on this, the first Monday of 2015, I've this evening completed my first workout in around 3 months. I'm understandably a bit tired, but the arm seems fine as of this moment :)

I'm not yet ready to reveal any of the details of the rescheduled challenge, but what I will say is that due to the injury it won't now be water based. That decision was one that took some time and indeed a lot of prayer to make, but I know that it's one that had to be made, just as the postponement did. Even if the arm heals completely, a single long distance swim would be too risky.

So, as a new year begins, I reaffirm my commitment to you, to my Lord and Savior, to my heavenly inspiration and indeed to me too, that I WILL continue Battling Back. At this very moment I'm unsure how often I'll update this blog, but I'm aiming to do so at least weekly.

Thank you so much for your continued love and support. It truly means so much to me!

God bless,
Em

Step by Step 2014 ~ Halfway There

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by today, I'm truly honored to have you here. In today's post I'll be sharing my training notes from the last couple weeks and also giving some thoughts about where I'm at. If it's your first time here, and/or you'd like to catch up with everything about this year's challenge, you can find all the related posts HERE.

I can hardly believe that I've been training three times a week for almost 14 weeks, having started on Friday, March 28, 2014 and there are now 14 weeks until the start of the challenge. I'll say more about that a little later, but first here are the training notes...

Friday, June 20, 2014
1 mile/ 48 laps completed. I decided not to push myself too much today. I know, that's rare for me, but as the weeks are flying by and the challenge getting ever closer, I have to listen to my body. Especially because a friend of mine who has been both a national level swimmer and then a coach, warned me that if I were to get the troublesome left bicep checked (which I'm not going to do) and there is a tear, I'll need to rest up COMPLETELY for six weeks and then slowly rehab. That would mean that I can't do the challenge this year, but I'm determined that it WILL go ahead.

I KNOW it's a risk, but at this stage I'd rather bring the start date forward, if need be and turn the training miles into actual challenge miles, than to take a complete break and have to start over. Cumulative totals: 21-3/4 miles/ 1044 laps. I'm finally through the 1000 lap barrier! YAY!

Monday, June 23, 2014
I felt well rested after a really relaxed weekend and the niggly bicep seems to be behaving. Yay! The weather is finally warming up and so today's cardio was a bit harder than others, but I got through the 4 mile Walk At Home workout and still felt great afterwards.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014
1 mile/ 48 lap swim. Not many people manage to fall UP the stairs, but it seems I'm one of them LOL. On my way to bed last night I missed the top step and fell pretty heavily into the bathroom doorway. I was carrying my laptop at the time so my first concern was for that! Only when I'd checked it was ok, did I see and indeed feel all the grazes and bruises, including one on the left bicep! Typical LOL!

I was understandably very sore when I woke this morning. As a result I didn't even know whether I'd be able to do much in the pool at all, so for the first time I got into the water with absolutely NO target distance. It was in effect a "free" swim and whatever I could do would be a bonus and would get me closer to the challenge itself. As I progressed I decided that I'd get to a mile and then stop, no matter how I was feeling. Yep, I truly am listing to my body!

The prayer I said while still in the water was even more thankful than others. I'd felt not only everyone who is supporting me, but also my Ultimate Lifeguard's presence by my side encouraging me. Cumulative totals: 22-3/4 miles/ 1092 laps.

Friday, June 27, 2014
Because I was still feeling the effects of the fall and also having an early meeting this morning I decided to swap today's usual pool session for a 4 mile Walk at Home cardio workout. It went well and I'm pleased to have gotten through what has been the roughest week yet since I started training.

Monday, June 30, 2014
After a well earned restful weekend, I was pumped for today's cardio workout and felt great afterwards.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Thankfully the soreness from my fall has eased and I'm feeling great, and even the sometimes niggly bicep feels good! The bruise on the bicep from the fall is still looking angry, but because of my underlying autoimmune condition I take a long time to heal, so I'm not concerned about that at all.

I still don't want to push myself TOO much, but having taken it easy for a few weeks and because I'm feeling so much better, today's aim was to complete 1-1/4 miles/ 60 laps in the pool. I'm very pleased to say I DID it and by the end I STILL felt great!!! Could I have done more? Perhaps I could have, but yep, I am still being careful!

Today's swim also rounded out the cumulative total to TWENTY FOUR MILES/ 1152 laps! Am I proud? YES! Am I determined to give this my all? HECK YES!

Taking a SHORT break!
Last weekend when I looked ahead to this short working week, I had thought that although it's a very special holiday for us Americans on Friday, July 4th, that I would still hit the pool early and do a session. After all I've worked out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the last 14 weeks, including on other holidays, so why should this be any different?

I mentioned it to a friend, Mike, and as we talked, he told me how well I'm DOING, how well I've DONE and how he and indeed everyone know how DETERMINED I am to give this my all. It was then that I decided that I WILL take Independence Day off! I deserve an extra rest day and the fact that it is America's birthday and I've reached the half way point in my training means it's a doubly good time to do so.

There will be a celebratory post made to the blog on Friday, but I'll write it and schedule it for publication tomorrow.

To end this rather long post, I once again want to thank all of YOU! Your encouragement and support truly does mean so much to me. Each of you is an inspiration! THANK YOU!!!

God bless,
Em

Memorial Day

Hi everyone,

As an adopted American, today's holiday in honor of our fallen means as much to me, as it does to all citizens of our great nation. On days such as this, I struggle to put into words how I truly feel, therefore I will let some others speak for me and for all of us...

Apart from our national anthem, Lee Greenwood's "God bless the USA" is one of my favorite patriotic songs. I'll include the official video at the end of this post, but here are the lyrics...

"If tomorrow all the things were gone I'd worked for all my life
And I had to start again with just my children and my wife
I'd thank my lucky stars to be livin' here today
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can't take that away

And I'm proud to be an American where as least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land God bless the USA

From the lakes of Minnesota, to the hills of Tennessee
Across the plains of Texas, from sea to shining sea
From Detroit down to Houston and New York to LA
Well, there's pride in every American heart
And it's time to stand and say that

I'm proud to be an American where as least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me
And I'd gladly stand up next to you and defend her still today
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land God bless the USA"

We turn now to the words of three former Presidents of the USA, Harry S. Truman, the 33rd President...

John F. Kennedy, the 35th President...

Lastly, Ronald Reagan, the 40th President...

I am so, so proud to be an American...

God bless the USA and God bless all of us.
Em

Invitation, review and plans

Hi everyone,

Whereas we've focused on either retrospectively looking back at the 2009 challenge, or at my training notes for the 2014 challenge in recent posts, in today's we'll review my journey so far and look forward to this year's challenge. But first, it's...

Over to you ~ an invitation
We've all got a story to tell and I'd love to help you share yours, or those of your loved ones with the readers of this blog.

~ Have you, or do you know anyone who has served in the military, however long ago it was?

~ Perhaps, with the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One approaching, you'd like to share something of that time, or of another conflict, of which we know there have been many

~ Have you overcome adversity in any way?

If you'd like to share anything, you can contact me either via my Facebook page, or by email to emlouisef {at} gmail {dot} com. The address is written in this way here so it's not picked up spam bots, so remember to remove the spaces and replace @ and .

Battling Back 2014 ~ Review and planning
It's now six weeks to the day since my first very tentative, 15 minute workout that left me exhausted. Those six weeks have seemingly flown by, at least they have for me. Here are a few questions that we'll use periodically to review and plan, a kind of interview with myself...

Did I truly realize then the enormity of the task at hand? Yes, I really was starting from the beginning, physically, so I knew it would be VERY tough, but as I've said before, if I'd not been mentally and spiritually ready, I couldn't have gotten even to this point.

Did I think I'd have progressed to the point I'm at now? No! Although I had a rough idea of how the training would progress, I really was taking baby steps and especially with not feeling well for the first few weeks, I've surprised myself so much.

Did I have any idea that in just five pool sessions, I'd have already swum seven and a half miles? NO WAY! See above answer.

What was my expected weight loss at this point? I honestly didn't have a target for this point. All I knew was that I'd have around 15 to 20 pounds to lose over the course of the journey. I'm very pleasantly surprised to have lost 9 pounds already.

How am I feeling? I'm feeling GREAT! I'm so much stronger, so much fitter, my posture has improved and I'm a lot more toned. I'm enjoying seeing and feeling the physical changes. I'm happier within myself too and can HONESTLY say I'm loving every aspect of my journey, be it the workouts/ training or the planning and organizational aspects of the challenge, of which there are many.

Are there any changes to the already announced challenge plans? YES! If you missed the amended distance in a previous post, this has gone up from the original 23+ miles to 26 miles 385 yards, or marathon distance. Because of this, I can now confirm the start date WILL be Friday, October 10, 2014 and there will be 17 individual swim sessions, every other day, until the already announced end date of Tuesday, November 11, 2014.

The individual sessions will be of varying length, with the absolute maximum distance to be 2 miles/ 96 laps of the pool.

As of today, there are 22 weeks until the start date!

What are the next steps? This last week I've changed my workout/ training routine up from what it was. Next week it will change again, exchanging one of the cardio sessions for another pool based session. Because of this, I now need to take more notice of my nutritional needs. I've been watching what I eat since I began, adding more protein and carbs and have, for example, stopped drinking soda in favor of a lot of water. From this point I'm also introducing protein and sports drinks pre and post workout, to ensure I'm at my best and can recover quickly. I will continue to give my all during each and every training session.

I've registered the event with the UK based charity, Help for Heroes, but I still need to confirm the US based charity that will benefit from the challenge and once that happens I'll truly begin my fundraising push. If in the meantime anyone would like to sponsor me, please contact me by the details above.

Anything else to add? Once again, I want to say a HUGE thank you to everyone for all your support, encouragement and inspiration. Words cannot describe what it means to me. I thank God for each of you and for keeping me free of injury and safe during each session.

God bless,
Em

Step by Step 2014 ~ Best week yet

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by, it's an honored to have you here. Today we continue our look at this week's training notes. If you've missed the previous notes from this year, you can see them all by clicking HERE.

Friday, April 25, 2014
Following on from Wednesday's lifetime best swim, today's workout was tough. My muscles were still a little achy, but I was determined to push on and complete the hour. I did so, making sure I stayed hydrated throughout the workout, drinking more than a liter of water during then immediately after, having skimped a bit on this at times.

By the end of the workout, I was really tired, but proud to have completed my most strenuous week yet and very much looking forward to the weekend rest period!

Saturday, April 26, 2014
Today's rest day was very relaxed. The weather was typically spring-like, at last, so the sun was out one minute and it rained heavily the next, so I couldn't do anything outside in the yard. Instead, I went through some things and found the album that holds the photos from the high school battlefield trip. I looked through them quickly and the memories, which haven't faded much at all over the years, came back. I plan on scanning and uploading them to Facebook tomorrow.

Sunday, April 27, 2014
After a relaxed morning spent with those closest to me, I headed up to my studio this afternoon and opened the album. Even as I began scanning the first of the battlefield trip photos and noting the content so I could caption them later, the years melted away. The photos are over twenty years old, so not exactly delicate, yet I handled them with as much care as I had my Grandmother's album a few months ago, out of respect for those who served. Some of the photos in Gram's album, those of her father in his military uniform, are almost 100 years old. Once I have her permission, I'll share some of those images with you too.

Throughout the hour or more it took to scan the photos of the trip, I was filled with the exact same emotions that I'd felt during it, fear, trepidation and distress. I was back there, walking over the fog enveloped battlefields, through the muddy trenches and bearing witness at the memorials and cemeteries. When the last image was scanned, I silently said a prayer for all who had served, all who had lost their lives.

I then returned to the living room and began the process of captioning the images, checking a few details online so the descriptions were as accurate as possible. I'm only sharing one of the photos with you today, I'll share the others as the weeks go by, but if you'd like to see them all before they appear here, you can take a look at the Facebook album High school battlefield trip.

Monday, April 28, 2014
I had thought about changing up today's workout to something more challenging than the "beginner" dance workout I've done since I began the cardio sessions, but because I'm planning to increase the distance of the swim on Wednesday, I kept to the hour. I did push it as hard as I could and very definitely felt tired afterward, but very happy to have completed another session.

Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Having achieved lifetime best swims during each of the first three pool sessions, today I aimed just as high, so to speak. When I did the math for the challenge itself last week, I knew that the maximum distance I'd swim during one session would be 1-3/4 miles, or 84 laps. I've not swum that far in over 20 years and if I do it without pausing, it would be another lifetime best.

In the minutes before getting into the pool, just before 2:00 pm today, I realized that I'd be crazy to do the total without pausing. I know that some of you might think I'm crazy anyway and at times I think I am too! I pushed off from the wall at the start of the first lap and was soon into my rhythm. I had been unsure when my first pause would be, but it came at the end of lap 6 or 1/8 of a mile, when I needed to adjust my swim cap, worn for the first time today. After only about 20 seconds I pushed off once more.

The next brief pause, for the same reason, came at the end of lap 12 or 1/4 mile, followed by others at 18 and 24 laps, the 1/2 mile point. From here I pushed on and did a longer stint, the next pause coming at the end of lap 32.

The pool was quieter this week and once again my thoughts turned to all those who are supporting, encouraging and inspiring me. A few times I did almost lose count of the laps, but only momentarily and I continued to push on through the water.

Making the turn into lap 46, my thoughts went back just four weeks. At this point then I'd been 2 laps away from the finish of the swim and as brief as it could be, I smiled at the achievement of then and now. At the end of lap 54, 30 from today's target, I briefly thought about beginning to count down, but instead decided to continue counting upwards.

At the end of lap 60, still with a 1/2 mile to go, I again smiled very briefly and then pushed on. By now I was feeling the burn in my shoulders and a very slight twinge in my left calf when I pushed off, but it didn't deter me, I continued in the same rhythm.

At the end of lap 72 or 1-1/2 miles, last week's end point, I kicked on, determined to give the remainder everything I had. From lap 78 I did decide to count down the last 6 laps and then changed stroke for the final 2, as I've done during each session.

Standing up at the end of lap 84, having reached my goal, I coughed and for a brief moment struggled to catch my breath. The moment I did, my back to the pool, I said a prayer of thanks to God for getting me through the swim. Climbing out of the pool, my legs were understandably heavy my muscles protesting, but I'd done it. I'd achieved a 20 year best and yes, I'm once again, proud and determined to give this my absolute all!

God bless
Em

Ultimate lifeguard

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by, I'm honored to have you here.

In the majority of my posts, I've focused mainly on the physical aspects of my battle back to fitness and the challenge ahead. Today though, I want to say some more about both the mental and spiritual side of it, which is equally, if not more important, than the physicality.

In the Challenge announcement and training post, I spoke about how I'm now both mentally and spiritually stronger than for a very long time, if ever. I couldn't have set out on this journey if I wasn't ready in that way. Indeed that's the main reason why this year's challenge is taking place almost five years after the last, because if I wasn't where I am now in those respects, I'd risk failing to reach my goal and that is not a risk I would ever take.

In the majority of posts to the blog, I've mentioned all those who are inspiring, supporting and encouraging me. I know I'm never alone, each of you are with me. Jesus is too. Despite my mental/ spiritual strength, determination and yes, stubbornness, I couldn't do it without any of you, or Him.

Before each and every training session, I spend a few minutes in prayer, asking Him to strengthen and support me, to protect me from injury. Then, soon after I'm done, or in this Wednesday's case immediately I'd completed the last lap and was still stood in the pool, I say a prayer of thanks for getting me through the workout, and for everyone who is inspiring, supporting and encouraging me.

After I'd shared Wednesday's post and story of my latest achievements in the pool, one of my friends, Larry, posted the photo below on my Facebook wall, saying he thought is was appropriate for me, given the challenge. Thank you Larry!

It is appropriate for me, but it's SO true for all of us. Jesus Christ, IS our ultimate lifeguard.

God bless,
Em

Step by step 2014 ~ Proud, amazed, determined

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by today, it's an honor to have you here! In the Challenge announcement and training post I mentioned how the first four training sessions for this year's challenge had gone. Given that I've had a cough pretty much right the way through, I was really pleased to have gotten to the point I had, averaging thirty minutes per training session over the three for the week. I also mentioned briefly what I was hoping to do this week. I'm proud very proud to say that I've exceeded my own expectations. Read on to find out how...

Monday, April 7, 2014
Yesterday was my first day without taking medication for the cough in well over a week. It's still hanging on, but I figure if I can push myself a bit harder, it should aid my recovery, or least I'm hoping. Having started the third repetition of my cardio routine during last Friday's workout, I was determined to complete the rep.

I started slowly, determined to get to the end of the 45 minute session and towards the end of the first 15 minute rep, I pushed a little, then did the same approaching the thirty minute mark. When the last rep started I was beginning to feel the burn in my shoulders, but I still gave it my all. No pain, no gain.

I completed the full 45 minutes and reached a new milestone. Yes, I was proud!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Having initially thought I'd hit the pool on Friday, at the weekend I checked the sports center timetable and realized that Wednesday would be better. Not only would it be quieter then, but it would also fit the training better, between two cardio sessions. At this point I was aiming to be in the pool around an hour, with a target distance of a half mile, after more than four years away from the pool, I thought that both were fair targets.

I woke this morning still feeling a slight discomfort in my shoulders from Monday's workout, but it was nowhere near as bad as it had previously been. I was hoping to be in the pool by 2:00 pm, but realizing I needed to renew my membership, I got there just before 1:30 pm and was poolside by 1:45 pm, one of the staff having just told me that 24 laps equals a half mile.

Stepping down into the water, the coolness surprised me, but it wasn't unpleasant. I stepped away from the ladder, sunk down into the water and filled my goggles, which were already around my neck, then brought them up and adjusted them. I took a deep breath, pushed back against the wall and glided out at the start of my first lap in so long. I surfaced and within the first few strokes found my rhythm.

Reaching the wall at the end of my first lap, I already felt proud. Previously, even at my fittest, I'd stop a moment now, but not today. I turned, pushed off the wall once more and headed back to where I'd started. I didn't stop at the end of that lap either, or the next, I was determined to push on. After turning into lap ten, I upped the pace a bit and felt it, but still I kicked on.

Half way through lap twelve, with my goggles a little uncomfortable, I knew I'd need to stop a moment at the end of it, whether or not I needed to otherwise. I upped the pace, then glided into the wall. I'd made it to the quarter mile point! Yes, I was proud!

I paused only long enough to adjust the eyewear and take a quick breath, before kicking off again. I've always done better with smaller targets, so the next I aimed for was 16 laps, one third of a mile. They passed surprisingly quickly and I pushed on toward the half, 24 laps. My pace dropped a little around the 20 mark when I started to feel the effect in my shoulders, but still I pushed on and I knew by now that I was going to continue to a mile!

I upped the pace again and pushed toward the wall at the end of the 24th lap. Having not swam for so long, I'd made my original target. I paused now for only the second time, an equally short break as the first, but this time I stood up, then sunk back into the water, to refresh myself.

As the second half mile began, keeping count became a little difficult. The pool was busier by now, my thoughts drifting a little to those supporting me and indeed who I'll be doing the challenge for, but still I kept count, lap after lap being checked off in my mind with the next interim target being 32 laps, or two thirds of a mile. The pool was really busy now and the wake from other swimmers meant I needed more effort, but from here it was just another four to the three quarter mile point, 36 laps.

I paused for just the third time and as I pushed off of the wall, instead of counting up, I began counting down, 11, ten, nine,... With just six laps to go and by now really feeling the burn, I upped the pace once more and decided that having done everything so far in one stroke, I'd change it up for the last two.

Two laps further on, with just three to go, I was directed to another, busier part of the pool, and lap 46 was probably my slowest to that point. I was just two laps away from the mile. Turning, I glanced ahead, then pushed off the wall. I gave those last laps everything I had, absolutely everything!

Gliding into the wall at the end of lap 48, I was smiling, even under the water, I was smiling. I reached the wall, turned around and lifted my goggles. There were a few others stood up, but I stayed low in the water, marvelling that having not been near it for so long, I'd just SWAM A MILE! Was I proud? YES!

Climbing out of the water, my legs, perhaps understandably, felt heavy. I returned to the locker room and retrieved my towel. Only after my shower, while I took the rest of my stuff from the locker, did I ask the member of staff what time it was. I was already proud, but now I was amazed too. I'd completed the swim in LESS THAN AN HOUR! WOW!

As I type now, it's almost three hours since I left the sports center. Am I sore? Yes, my shoulders are, a little, but it's bearable. Today's events have made me proud, they have amazed me, but they've also shown me just how determined I am to give this, both my fitness and the challenge ahead, my absolute all!

Thanks again to everyone for sharing this journey with me, I appreciate each one of you so much!

God bless,
Em

A few notes of thanks

Hi everyone,

If you read my previous post Why "Battling Back"? you'll know that the reason I'm doing the as yet unannounced, but definitely happening, challenge in late October/ early November is to raise funds for two military charities, the second of which is yet to be nominated.

In the last paragraph of that post, I thanked everyone who has and continues to serve and I said that each is my inspiration. But they aren't the only ones I need to thank at this point, nor are they my only inspiration, indeed the two go hand in hand.

I'd like to start by thanking my brother Zane, himself a veteran of the US Marine Corp. Bro, I've said this both publicly and privately and you know I'll keep saying it... You're one of the strongest guys I know, and you and your beautiful wife Jen are such an inspiration to me! You're both heroes to me! Thank you!

Aaron is another of my brothers, he's the one who was called by our Lord last Christmas day to bring me into what is now our shared ministry. Bro, I was so honored and blessed to be called to serve alongside you. You too are such an inspiration. Thank you!

Moving on to another of my brothers, Stephen. Since the moment you heard about the challenge, you've offered so much support, advice on training and encouragement. Thank you!

Last for now, but by no means least is my best friend, who got an anonymous mention in the last post, Spence. We've been through so much together over the years, shared laughter and tears and more recently compared shoulder injuries! It was, ultimately, your determination to overcome yours that gave me the push I need to get things moving regarding my own fitness and this challenge, and I look forward to us inspiring each other towards our goals. Thank you!

I'm so lucky, so blessed to have such wonderful guys and Jen in my life. Each of you are such an inspiration and I love you all so much. THANK YOU!!!!!

God bless
Em