Support Systems, Sunsets and (Foot) Support Systems

So every Thursday I'm going to highlight some of the things that I'm thankful for that week. Sometimes the negative issues that come with Cystic Fibrosis can overshadow all of the good stuff going on in our lives. I have so much to be thankful for that I will never be able to cover it all, but I figured that a nice little reminder each week could be a good thing. I hope you enjoy.

- I'm so thankful for my support system. This includes my family, my friends, my girlfriend, and all of you bloggy buddies (RSR had 948 hits yesterday!) out there. It's so important to have people to lean on when times get tough and I need somebody's strength and encouragement (or food) to get me through the day or certain period in my life. This is just a small example of something my support system does for me- When I'm in the hospital, I NEVER eat hospital food for dinner, you heard that right, NEVER. My family comes every single night and brings me dinner. Whether it's my mom, dad, brother, aunt, uncle, cousin, friend, Mandi or a surprise visit from a stranger, someone is there to keep me company and bring me some "real" food. This may seem like a small thing, but I appreciate it beyond measure and hope they feel as valued as I see them.

- I'm so thankful for the Arizona weather. Sure it's hot, but it's also clear blue skies (mostly) and beautiful sunsets EVERYDAY. I always have access to a pool and I often just bob up and down on a raft and appreciate the crystal clear sky above me. I've lived in AZ all of my life and have yet to get tired of clear, bright and sunny days. The sunsets? I must say "WOW!" 360 out of the 365 days of the year when I look west and see the sun falling behind the horizon. The colors that are produced in the sky are so vivid and wonderful that a picture doesn't even do them justice; you have to see it with your own eyes.

- I'm so thankful that my foot feels better. One reason I chose to start running was because I hated it. Seriously, I've never before run in my life. Sure, I had a couple months out of my life when I would run on a treadmill and such, but I never kept it up. I for sure never wanted to run outside on the hard surface of the streets or sidewalk. No way. Too painful. Too hard. I didn't want to go through the pain to do something that I wasn't very good at and couldn't keep up. So naturally, when I decided that I needed to change some things around in my life and focus even more on my health, I chose running. I needed an enemy to defeat. I needed something to challenge me and mock me if you will. Running does just that. I started to actually "enjoy" running after a while. Not because it felt better, it still hurts like heck every time I run, but because of the challenge. So when that challenge got taken away because of my foot problems, I was upset. I actually WANTED to run and admittedly, I missed it. I recently got some specially made foot orthotics and so far, so good. I'm back to running and I can't wait to defeat this "enemy".

Here's Where We are with the Whole Running Thing

So here's the deal with my workouts. I've always been a believer in switching my lifting routine up about every 6 to 8 weeks so that my body doesn't get used to certain lifts. Many muscle-heads and personal trainers recommend this also, so I figure I'll listen to the experts on this one. Another person that I trust with my health and workout routine is Mandi and she suggested that we switch things up again completely. A big reason for this is to concentrate even more on my lungs and less on my amazing (I'm currently making a fart noise with my mouth) physique. So this change was going to call for more consistent and farther runs as well as other forms of cardio. Before I went into the hospital I was lifting 6 days a week, walking Jezzabel everyday, and running every other day (when my foot had no pain). But I was having some well documented problems.

If you've been following the blog for a while, you know that the only problem that I encountered with lifting was on shoulder day, but running increasingly became more and more of a problem. After (or during) runs, I wouldn't be able to put any weight on my foot with out excruciating pain. I had to completely stop running for about the last 6 weeks before my hospital stay. Right before checking into the hospital, I was able to get specially made orthotics for my feet that hopefully will solve that problem. You can check out my days at the foot doctor and diagnosis here and here. I've used them for the runs while in the hospital and the few runs I've gone on while out. So far so good! What follows is my new schedule that I will follow to hopefully be running that first mile in no time:

Monday: Chest and Tricep, Dog Walk

Tuesday: New Running Routine (click here for details)

Wednesday: Legs and Shoulders, Dog Walk

Thursday: New Running Routine

Friday: Back and Bicep, Dog Walk

Saturday: New Running Routine plus possible additional cardio (ie Hiking)

Sunday: REST

I already did week one the the new running plan and handled it very well. Besides throwing up my lunch one day after the run, there was no other "hiccups". I'm looking forward to really increasing my mileage and one day maybe, just maybe, being able to call myself a runner. This is Run, Sickboy, Run after all!

My total mileage will be a little harder to calculate since the new plans calls for running for a certain amount of time and not a certain distance. As soon as it gets to a point where it makes sense to keep track of distance I will do so. And of course, when I run that first whole mile, you'll know about it.

Here is a picture of me my first day out of the hospital. I'm up to 192lbs (from 184lbs) and you can certainly notice a difference. The problem with gaining muscle rather quickly is that I lose it rather quickly as well. You can compare this picture to how I looked before I went into the hospital by clicking here.

That's all I got for this first edition of Workout Wednesday. As always, please don't hesitate to ask any questions or leave comments. I'm going to be busting my butt everyday to try and improve my lung health and PFT numbers (if you want to see a PFT on film, click here). I really appreciate you guys coming along for the ride!

I Got My Foot Orthotics Today!!! (pics included)

I bring you part two of my journey into the world of foot orthotics. Today was the day that I went to try on the new devices that could possibly put me in a much better position to take care of my lungs.

So, I wasn't starting out so hot. I missed judged how long it was going to take me to get there. I still had over 7 miles to go with only 10 minutes until my appointment. Thank goodness for freeways and high speed limits. I made it to the parking lot right at 11am.

I was excited like a little kid on Christmas to get these orthotics. I really hope they are what is needed to get me back on track...literally :)

While I was waiting for some tweaks to be made to the orthotic I read this story in ESPN the Magazine. It's about a 16 year old kid that sailed solo around the world. It's stories like this that make me wonder "Exactly what are you doing with your life?"

Good bye old normal came-with-the-shoe inserts. You gave it a good run, but you just weren't meeting my needs. Sometimes things just don't work out. Maybe I'll see you around.

And just so you know, Lindsey is also certified to handle breasts, post augmentation.

Well speak of the devil, no wait, angel, here she is with my new orthotics.

She even gave me the moldings of my feet in case I need them in the future...and to hang from my review mirror.

I was obviously very stoked to get them. Here's to new beginnings!

4:00pm: I got a late workout in today. I had trouble falling asleep last night, so I decided to sleep in a bit. A bit, ended up turning into 9am! I'm definitely slowing down some and it's getting harder and harder to get to sleep and then as a result wake up feeling refreshed. It's a never ending cycle that I know a lot of CFers out there can relate to. Rest is very important when trying to take care of yourself, but for me, it hurts my health if I sleep in too many days. There is no doubt in my mind that what is best for me is to get up early in the morning and out the door exercising. I cough up a ton of mucus that way and my lungs will feel more clear throughout the day as a result. Today though, I apparently needed the sleep, so my first (and only) workout got pushed to 4pm.

I went to the gym to do arms and get in the cardio that I missed this morning. Arms went well but felt a little weaker than I thought they would. Chest and back went so well yesterday and I expected arms to follow suit, but they didn't comply. Luckily, I didn't have to decrease any weight on any of my lifts, but I didn't get to increase any either. Other than that it was a pretty normal workout.

I finished it off with 30 minutes on the bike today. I was already sweating like crazy by the time I got to the bike and the bike just made it worse. Worse of course in a good way! I absolutely love it when I'm sweating like a pig. In fact, if I'm not sweating, I assume I'm not working hard enough and step it up. Could be faulty logic, but I'm sure I'm full of that, so I'll just go with it.

Total Distance: 5.5 miles

Side Note: You may be wondering why I didn't test out the orthotics today and try to run. I was told to give it at least a couple days while my feet get used to this foreign object in my shoe. Once I feel more comfortable with them, I can give running a shot!

Total Distance for Day: 5.5 miles

Some Answers About My Foot

11:00am: So my day didn't actually start at 11am today, but that was the first time that I left the house. I decided to sleep in this morning a bit (until 7am) and by the time I got up it was a little too toasty to walk outside. I was very excited to get to the foot doctor today and see if he could get everything figured out. I got some answers which I will do a full blog on tomorrow with pictures.

3:00pm: It was off to the gym for a little chest and back. I've been a little tired today so I knew it was going to be a challenge to push through my entire workout. Luckily, Mandi wasn't really in the mood to be at the gym, so we were able to be unhappy together while we lifted :) We managed (somehow) to do the full workout and it was actually a decent one. I was able to increase the weight on almost all of my lifts and felt much stronger than I thought I would. I also sweat probably 43 gallons of sweat into my shirt. I was absolutely soaked. It looked like I had entered a wet t-shirt contest in Cancun or something. One reason I was so sweaty was because Mandi and I decided to take very short breaks in between lifts so the "misery" wouldn't last so long today. We both just wanted to jet. Like I've said many times though, if you can stay committed on days like this, imagine how easy it will be on the other days? Current Weight: 187 lbs.