A Year of Gratitude #114

 

A Year of Gratitude #114: The Patience of Others

This morning Gus and I headed to Newtown Park to meet Christy, Pilar, Leslie, and Kimberly for a walk before our playgroup playdate. We had planned on walking before the playdate and then staying at the park and having the kids play there. Kathryn hurt her ankle and was going to just come to the park to meet us.

I was so glad to see that the temperatures for this morning were in the upper 40s/low 50s. PERFECT walking/jogging/running weather if you ask me. I honestly do not know how I'm going to be able to get out and get moving when it's in the 90s. 

We met up and got started on our walk. The loop around the park is just over a mile and quite hilly. It wasn't too much uphill, but it wasn't flat. I felt a burn in my shins and calves that I had not felt in quite some time. When I mentioned to Christy that my shins were on fire she said, "That's a good thing!" Yes... I suppose she was right! If it's burning... you're exercising parts that haven't been exercised in a while!

We walked for about 45 minutes and while I didn't stop at all (I wanted to... believe me), I made it. We didn't run or jog, but we walked at a somewhat brisk pace. It was definitely faster than a casual stroll. At one point the stroller was a lot to push, so Christy offered to push it since Ryan (her son) was in the double stroller with Logan, and Pilar was pushing that.

It was much easier to just walk and not have to worry about the stroller, but it made me think about how it'll be when the time comes to start jogging. I can't even picture myself as a jogger/runner. I think it's because I'm so out of shape, all I can focus on now is picturing myself as active and moving. That's what counts.

I'm thankful that I had four wonderful friends to walk with this morning and that they were very patient with me. Pilar has run a marathon, and she, Christy and Leslie just ran a 5K this past Saturday. They're movers and I am so grateful that they were patient with my pace, and my need to walk instead of jogging or running. 

When we finished, Kimberly gave me a high-five and said, "We did it!" She also wants to start walking/jogging/running and was excited to get out and get moving this morning.

The weather couldn't have been nicer. It was a bit breezy, but I was working up a sweat as I was walking and it felt good to me. 

I'm proud of myself for getting out there and getting 45 minutes of cardio in for the day. I had an apple for breakfast and drank a TON of water. I've been keeping a food journal by using an app that a friend suggested (Lose It). It has helped me stay focused. I entered how much I want to lose and how many pounds a week, and it said that I should be able to meet my goal by April of 2013. So... that's a year. A lot can happen in a year, but my goal is to be running my first 5K in a year... so why not run it at my current goal weight? 

BTW-- it's one year to reach the goal that I set for me at the weight that I am today. It's not the optimal weight for me to be... Once I reach the goal in April 2013, I will reset my goal again and keep striving to attain it. 

Maybe... just maybe... by losing weight, I will be able to get pregnant. Who knows... anything is possible. I just know that carrying additional weight is linked to infertility and maybe that's part of my problem.

Anyway- I'm grateful for the patience and support of my walking pals from today. I look forward to walking with them again!!