Who's Your Mandi???

Alright, alright, alright!!! I'm into the full swing of things with my workouts and running and thus far we haven't skipped a beat. That's the good news. And the bad news is....NOTHING!! But seriously, I did want to share with you guys my feelings and emotions during my first week of getting back onto the saddle.

The hardest part is obviously just making things a routine again. Going from laying in a hospital bed for a month and then getting right into the holidays doesn't do much for the ol'routine. I had to force myself to get up early this past week and start off every morning with a brisk walk. If any of you are out there and thinking about starting somewhere, I would start here. It is absolutely AMAZING how much mucus I cough up on my morning walk. We're talking gobs upon gobs of the green/yellow/clear super glue. The best part is, it really sets up my lungs for feeling nice and clear for the rest of the day.

We've also been hitting the gym up again. So far we've been circuit training each time cause I haven't written down an actual workout program to follow yet. Circuit training basically means working out each muscle group with lower weight and higher reps in one gym session. We've been switching up the lifts, but hitting all of the main muscle groups, except legs. Why not legs you ask???

Cause they're KILLING me from running. I started out slow last week and didn't push it too hard during my runs. I did some interval running which gave me a chance to catch my breath in-between each "sprint". Even with the ability to catch my breath though it was still incredibly tough. Well this week, Mandi really took no prisoners with me and bumped it up to the next level. We're really pushing for me to do a 5k sooner rather than later, so she challenged me on Monday to run 1.5 miles. HOLY COW! I think the actual distance that we covered was closer to 1.3 miles, but I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that I couldn't have physically gone any further. I gave it absolutely every ounce of my being. When we stopped, I actually had to grab onto Mandi for fear of passing out. Luckily, I had 1.3 miles on the way back home to get my breath (and consciousness) back :)

So why am I saying all this? Well, I know I sound like a broken record to many of you, but working out and running is HARD. Especially if you've never done it or are just getting back into it. I can tell you that I want to increase my lung function more than almost anybody you know and I have the drive to do it and it's still tough. It certainly helps to have Mandi pushing me and for that I am very grateful. Honestly, I'm not sure that I could do it without her...well, maybe I could, but part of my motivation for taking my health back would be gone.

Do you have a Mandi in your life that can push you? If not, maybe it's because they don't know you want to be pushed. I encourage you to reach out to a family member or friend and let them know how important increased lung function is to you. I guarantee that if you take the first step in approaching your Mandi, they'll help get you across the finish line.