Let's see, it's been about a year since I last posted on here, so let me catch you up on some things:
- I completed the Boston Marathon on April 18, 2022; it took me 6 hours and 37 minutes from start to finish. Fun fact (sarcasm): the BAA (Boston Athletic Association) has me listed as "Did Not Finish" in their official records because they don't recognize Boston Marathon finishing times that take longer than 6 hours - but I did in fact finish, and I have the medal and the lost toenail to prove it.
- I raised about $8,000 for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute as part of my Boston Marathon experience in 2022 - that accomplishment feels even more victorious than finishing the race itself.
- Since completing the marathon, I did not run at all for 11 months and yesterday (March 18, 2023) I actually felt like running and completed 3 miles on the treadmill. And man am I sore today - definitely out of practice! But it felt really good just the same. Until yesterday I was repulsed by the very thought of ever running again. About a month or so after the Boston Marathon I was telling my husband how surprised I was at my lack of desire to ever run again and he said, "You will run again, someday, when you're ready". I didn't think I'd ever feel like running again and then yesterday I woke up and thought, "I feel like going for a run". And just like that, my running slump ended.
- In May 2022 I got sick with COVID after going on a trip to Florida. The sickness was fairly uneventful - I felt pretty awful for about 6 or so days, lost my sense of smell and taste for a day or two, but otherwise was okay; I consider myself lucky and I credit all of the many COVID vaccines I received for making this illness very unserious.
- I have been on and off various diets and eating plans over the past year (while training for Boston I didn't follow any special diet and didn't allow myself to think about a weight loss plan, as that is not healthy or helpful when training for a race of that magnitude - but after I finished the marathon I decided to get back to working on my weight loss goals), all without much success - and then in October 2022 I started learning about intermittent fasting, and since then I have been following that lifestyle. I absolutely LOVE it, as it means I no longer have to count calories, track what I eat, avoid certain foods or food groups, calculate points, take supplements, or starve myself. There's a lot of great science behind intermittent fasting and for me personally it has helped with my blood sugar, the quality of my food choices, my hunger and satiety cues, and most importantly, my relationship with food. I spent my whole adult life fretting over what I am allowed and not allowed to eat, and if I ate something unhealthy I would spend hours or even days beating myself up over it. With intermittent fasting I no longer think that way - basically I eat during a specific window of time each day (anywhere from 4 hours to 12 hours, depending on the day and what my body needs - yes, it changes all the time) and during that window of time, I can eat what I want. When my "eating window" is closed, then that's it, no food or drinks other than coffee or water. It's so simple yet so effective, and I have never felt healthier and more free when it comes to food.
- My father-in-law had quadruple bypass surgery in the middle of January 2023 and since then I have been actively working on improving the quality of food I put into my own body. Watching what he went through shook me up and got me thinking about my own heart health (as well as the health of my family). Since January 19, 2023, I have stopped eating all meat except for fish and I have increased my intake of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and beans. I'm not always healthy (last night I had tater tots loaded with cheese for dinner - yum), but I am trying to eat healthily 80% of the time. Also, something I discovered when I cut out red meat and chicken from my diet is that I don't have as many headaches as I used to. I am looking into the correlation to see if there is any validity to it (or if it's just a coincidence), but in the meantime I am happy to have this as a positive side effect of being meatless/pescatarian.
- On February 26, 2023 (one day before my 45th birthday) I hit a new milestone in my sobriety: 1,000 consecutive days alcohol-free! In mid-June I will reach 1,111 days and since I love the 1111 number sequence, I am definitely going to celebrate that achievement when it comes.
From a health and wellness perspective, that about sums up everything that happened to me over the past year. I abandoned writing for a while, as you can see, but I am planning to get back at it from here on out. Not because I think you, dear reader, need to read and know my every thought - but because from a mental health perspective it feels good to write and share. If you enjoy reading about my health journey, then good news for you, more is coming! If you don't, that's okay, too. I'll still be here. Pop in to read more if you want. Or don't. It's all good.
To be continued...😀
