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

Step by step 2014 ~ Catching up

Hi everyone,

I'm sorry I've not posted anything to this blog for over a week, it's been a really busy time for me, but I promise I'll not slip up again! I have been keeping to my training schedule, I promise! If you've missed any of my previous notes about this year's training, you can read them all HERE. Here are my notes from the last couple weeks...

Monday, May 26, 2014
It might be a really important holiday today as we honor all military who paid the ultimate sacrifice, but I didn't take one from my schedule. I'm really enjoying Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home workouts and I felt great after today's Four Fast Miles.

Wednesday, May 28, 2014
I had hoped to complete a two mile/ 96 lap swim today, because it will be my only aquatic session of the week. However, when I got to the sports center the pool had unexpectedly had to close for a short time, so instead of starting the session at 2:00 pm, I didn't get into the water until 2:30 pm. During the delay I tried to keep my limbs loose and warm, and also stay focused mentally. I managed the former, but with the later start I knew that I may not keep my focus completely.

I'd completed the first mile, once again keeping count of the number of laps easily, when I made the decision to drop the total to 1-3/4 miles/ 84 laps. Physically I felt great, but the delay had affected my concentration a little. I completed the revised distance in just 90 minutes, so I was happy. Perhaps more importantly, for the first time since starting my training, I was ache free!

Total distance now covered... 14-1/4 miles/ 684 laps!

Friday, May 30, 2014
I gave today's cardio session, another Four Fast Miles, my all, upping the pace as much as I could. I'm really enjoying the workout.

Saturday, May 31, 2014
The weather has been somewhat mixed here, most days have seen showers of rain, so having had to drop to just a single swim session this week, I was really pleased, when I checked the forecast earlier in the week to see it was due to be a DRY day. I thought I'd make the most of it and head to the coast. It meant an early start, a 5:00 am alarm, but I knew it would be worth it.

The day was very relaxed and I was a little surprised on the way back when I realized that I'd walked around EIGHT MILES! It really didn't feel that far, and despite some minor sunburn it was a great day! Here are a couple of my favorite pix...

The Marine Lake at Southport...

Red pine trees line the edge of the dune on the approach to the beach at Formby. Feeling the warm sand on my bare feet was also a highlight! :)

Monday, June 2, 2014
Wow, another month gone by already! Perhaps unsurprisingly my legs felt heavy yesterday after such a long walk, and to a degree that was still true today, but I was determined to get through the Four Fast Miles and then rest up. I did just that! By the end I felt tired, but very happy.

Wednesday, June 4, 2014
I'm back to two swim sessions this week and hope to complete 1-3/4 miles/84 laps this afternoon, although I am a little achy still.

Arriving at the sports center I was happy to see the pool was open, unlike last week! I got into the water just before 2:00 pm and got into my rhythm quickly, perhaps too quickly, because around lap 30 I again began to feel the slight niggle in my left bicep. As usual I tried to ignore it, push on through the discomfort, but it was tough.

When I paused for a drink break after completing the mile/ 48 laps, I admitted to myself that I'd be unable to reach today's target, instead aiming for 1-1/2 miles/ 72 laps. I've said from the beginning of my training that I have to listen to my body, because every session is critical to being ready on October 10 to start the challenge. I perhaps should have stopped at the mile, but I'm also stubborn and I would NOT have been happy with that at all.

The last half mile was very tough and by the end of it I admit that I was in pain, but I'd gotten through it and while still in the water I dropped to my knees and prayed, thanking God for getting me through another session.

As soon as I got back to the house I dosed up on anti-inflammatories and rested my arm as much as possible.

As soon as I woke this morning (Thursday), I strapped it and have rested as much as possible. As I write this, late in the afternoon, I've taken the strapping off and it just feels a little niggly again. Did I push myself too far yesterday? Perhaps I did, but I'll not really know until I get back into the pool tomorrow morning. I am still aiming to complete another 1-1/2 miles/ 72 laps tomorrow and I'm determined to do so.

Thanks again everyone, your support really does mean SO much to me!

God bless,
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

Challenge announcement and training

Hi everyone,

Thanks for stopping by today and if this is your first visit, WELCOME, it's great to have you here! This post is likely to be another long one, but as with everything else, it's very important, so please do stay with me to the end. Thank you!

BATTLING BACK CHALLENGE
In the first post of note to the blog, Why "Battling Back"? and in most posts since, I've hinted at the nature of this year's charity challenge, which follows on from one I did in late 2009, but I've not revealed the nature of the challenge. Well folks, the wait is very nearly over, at least for the announcement!

You've waited nearly a WEEK for it, but I've waited over FOUR YEARS to make it, having decided on the nature of the challenge even as I traveled back from the last one! So, without further delay I can FINALLY announce...

"The "Battling Back Military Charity Challenge" will be a multi-session endurance swim, undertaken by myself, Rev. Em L. Fairley, with a total distance at this point to be determined, but I can confirm that it will be NOT LESS than TWENTY THREE MILES. The total distance to be covered will be split into individual swim sessions of around TWO MILES. While the exact start date is still to be determined, it will be around MID OCTOBER 2014, the exact date will be announced nearer the time. The exact end date IS known and because this is a challenge in aid of two military charities, a fitting end date can be announced at this time; November 11, 2014, Veteran's/ Armistice Day. This end date is all the more poignant this year, the one hundredth anniversary of the start of First World War, being as a trip to the Battlefields of the Somme when I was a teenager helped shape who I am and my love and support for the military."

MY BATTLE
Before I go into detail about my initial training, I want to go into a little more detail about why this challenge has been titled "Battling Back". In the Why "Battling Back"? post I mentioned that I'm now mentally and indeed spiritually stronger than I've ever been and you can find more details about that in a previously written, but ever evolving article, that I've written for our Ministry page on Facebook. Please do take a look at that.

Each of us faces our own battles, and I've never been one to make the exact nature of my own known, not even to some of my closest friends. Instead I've always put others first and will continue to do so. But having said that, and having titled both the blog and the challenge itself Battling Back, it is right and proper that I say what I'm about to...

I've always battled depression, for years without the need for medication. At times of extreme stress, I'd hit the pool and swimming became my therapy as I swam more than a mile at a time. In the months before the 2009 challenge, I added the gym to my routine and so when the offer came up, I was able to go out on twelve mile training sessions, having done nowhere near that previously.

I vowed at the end of the challenge to maintain my fitness level and as I've stated numerous times now, work towards the new challenge. However, in the year that followed, my mental health took a nosedive and for the first time in my life I knew that I now needed medication to help me, which I began immediately and so did the long route to recovery.

I have been off the medication now for eight months or so, having needed them for over three years. At my lowest, I became severely agoraphobic, only leaving the house when I absolutely had to and returning as soon as I could.

As a result, having been at my slimmest before starting the meds, I'd gained over forty pounds by late spring last year. In the time since then, I've dropped around twenty, but if I'm to have any chance of completing the Battling Back challenge, I need to lose the rest, though with the needed strength and stamina for the challenge and with muscle weighing more than fat, I'll be happy with around another fifteen off.

TRAINING 
I've not done any sort of training for years, other than prescribed exercises to overcome a shoulder injury that I briefly mentioned in the post A few notes of thanks. So, I really am starting over, right from the beginning and as such, I'm starting slowly, but with a long term plan which will get me to the start date ready and able to complete it. I'll be training three days a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

I started training last Friday, March 28, the day before the blog was started. My first priority is to work on some cardio and I found a relatively short, 16 minute long dance workout on YouTube. It might be short, but I gave it my all and by the end of it, I felt it.

By this Monday's session, 3/31/14, the niggly cough I'd started with over the weekend was getting worse, but having only just started, I was determined to keep going. For this reason, I did a double session, repeating the video. At the end I felt I'd gotten somewhere and rewarded myself with a long soak to help both my breathing and aching muscles.

On Wednesday, 4/2/14, I wasn't so fortunate. Still battling the cough, I only managed 20 minutes, but I paced myself and was so glad to have done more than the basic.

Today, Friday, 4/4/14, I'm finally feeling better, though the cough is still persisting a little. I knew that I wanted to push myself and I did so. Today I started the third rep and did my longest workout yet, getting to forty minutes before stopping.

Looking to next week, I'll continue with the home cardio workouts on Monday and Wednesday, but hope to hit the pool for the first time next Friday. From there I'll be aiming to do one pool session between two cardio.

I'm still having to be careful with my shoulder, though as of now, it's holding up great. In about a month, I'll take my cardio sessions into the gym and add in some strength training and weights, perhaps switching up to two pool sessions when I make the change.

I've got more than six months before the start of the challenge and I know that given my determination, as well as the support and inspiration I'm getting from everyone, that I will succeed in Battling Back to physical fitness personally and that the challenge will also succeed.

Thank YOU for being a part of my journey, it truly does mean so much!

God bless,
Em