View of CF (and Me) from a Girlfriend

**Mandi left this comment on my last post, but I figured that I would post it on it's own instead**

I'm generally pretty silent on Ronnie's blog, I figure I am in enough stories and daily routines that my comments wouldn't be additive. But I feel inclined to comment on this post..in large part because I know many CFers struggle to realize that they deserve relationships just as much as the rest of us. Ronnie has mentioned the complexities that come along with having CF and entering a relationship. I can understand that a CFer might have anxieties about letting someone fall in love with them and then making them witness what can sometimes be an uphill battle or even lose their loved one (the CFer). But as a girlfriend of a CFer, very much in love, I can tell you that that thinking should be changed.

Ronnie has blessed my life. While CF presents challenges and unexpected turns in our journey together, his attitude about it has rubbed off on me. I truly see CF as a blessing in our lives. It has made me stronger as an individual and has made our relationship stronger. And as Ronnie mentioned, I have thought about the possibility of being a young widow. The pain would be something I cannot begin to fathom, but I can say confidently that I believe God has a special purpose for Ronnie and I'm so blessed to get to be a part of it. And when God is done doing with Ronnie what he has put him here to do (whether that's at 35 or 75) I can find comfort in knowing it's all part of God's plan for my life and rejoice in the incredible journey we had together.

So with that being said, I encourage all CFers to search for that unique individual who is willing and excited to accept and face the challenges that come with a disease like CF. I can tell you, I'm sure there's plenty of people like me, who are just happy to get to spend as much time with their CFer as possible, and leave the uncontrollable up to The Big Man, who knows what he's doing.

I Need Your Help

So today was full of nothing but packing and getting ready for the big trip coming up. Tomorrow, Mandi and I take off for Rocky Point, Mexico which is about 4 hours from Tucson, Arizona. My family has been going there every year for the last 30+ years as sort of a yearly family reunion of sorts. Now, when I say family, I'm talking about between 28-32 people who go every year. We all pitch in to rent a 8 bedroom beach house and fill our days with games, eating, chatting, napping, etc. We are a very close family who will find any excuse to get together but this trip is nice because it's not because of a birthday, holiday, or graduation, it's just because we love each other. Having that support system is a huge reason why I am here today and I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am for them.

I'm also excited that Mandi is going to be able to spend so much time with my whole family. Everyone who has met her loves her to death (including family members) but they haven't had the chance to spend a whole lot of time with her. She's up for just about anything at anytime, so I know that she's going to fit right in on this trip.

As far as the blog goes, I'm going to try to keep it active with stories, pictures, and miscellaneous stuff from the trip. I would also like to write a couple pieces about Cystic Fibrosis while I'm there. I won't be exercising in Mexico like I do here, so I won't be keeping up an exercise journal like usual. I will be active, but there's no gym to lift at where I'm going, and I think my body needs the rest anyway. Mandi and I will be doing plenty of beach walking/running and there will be many a beach sports going on all day long. We rent kayaks while we're down there so I'll be getting a great upper body workout as well.

Last thing, I'm always looking to write about stuff that people want to read. So I'm asking you readers out there, "What would you like me to write about?". Send me your suggestions. Send me your questions. Have anything you want answered concerning Cystic Fibrosis? Anything about me personally? My views? Anything. You want it, I'll write it.

Thanks. I look forward to your responses.

Getting CFers on Film!

6:45am: Let me first say to my mom, I know you don't like hearing about my foot problems if I'm not doing anything about it, but I was trying it my own way and I think I've failed. I've tried different shoes. I've tried inserts. I've tried icing it. I've tried resting it. I've tried not doing certain leg workouts. I've tried just about everything I can think of. Next step is going to be seeking the advice of a professional. I'm going to avoid seeing a doctor (I see enough of them, no offense docs) and first try to have my foot "studied" at a running store. Maybe it could be as simple as having a new shoe or a better insert. I sure hope it is. I'm just tired of not being able to run consistently and my foot being sore even after staying off of it for a couple of days. I haven't done any pounding on it for quite a while now and it feels like I ran a 3k yesterday. The best way to describe the pain is it feels like someone is grabbing my foot and trying to bend it backwards onto itself. It's not the top of my foot that is hurting, it's my arch. I'm going on a little vacation on Thursday, but when I get back it will be Operation NoSoreFeet.

My walk this morning was better then yesterday. If you recall, which I don't blame you for not, I felt pretty tight yesterday and it was hard for me to get stuff up in the morning. It was probably due to not working out on Sunday and moving around as much. After getting back in the saddle yesterday, my lungs felt much better on the walk this morning. I was getting quite a bit of clear to light yellow mucus up and not laboring in my breathing. It was a beautiful morning, actually a little overcast, and it was nice and cool out. It still isn't unbearable yet in terms of heat during the day, but I know it's going to get there fast. If I can get my walks in before 8am though, I think I'll avoid having a heat stroke this summer :)

Total Distance: 2.0 miles

Side Note: So the whole day was spent working, but what I was doing was very enjoyable. I traveled around with Mandi and my videographer David to film CFers and their parents answer some questions about CF and how it affects them and their daily lives. It will all be used in an upcoming project that will hopefully launch in the coming months. If you're in the Phoenix or Tucson area and are reading this and would like to participate in this film, please, just send me an email or leave your email here for me to respond to.

8:00pm: I can't believe it took me until 8pm to get to the gym. I was so tired working out but I think I still had a pretty good session. I'm getting stronger week by week and so far everything is holding up well except for my shoulders. I actually had to change a lift that I do on my chest today cause it just puts too much strain on my shoulders when I'm doing it. The one thing you learn quickly is that if your shoulders are hurt, it can effect almost every lift you do. My upcoming vacation will give my body some much needed rest and I'm looking forward to staying in shape by using the beach and ocean as my gym!

Total Distance for Day: 2.0 miles 

10.6 Total Miles for the Week of June 1st

Week of March 25th: 17.85 miles

Week of March 18th: 11.75 miles

Week of March 11th: 17.2 miles

Week of March 4th: 17.7 miles

Week of April 27th: 15.7 miles

Week of April 20th: 22.9 miles

Week of April 13th: 18.75 miles

Week of April 6th: 20.95 miles

Week of March 30th: 31.7 miles

Week of March 23rd: 24.48 miles

Week of March 16th: 34.85 miles

Week of March 9th: 23.6 miles

Back in the Saddle

7:30am: I know what you're thinking, "he sure does sleep in a lot lately". No, you weren't thinking that? You didn't notice? Oh, sorry for bringing that up then. I have in fact had quite a few mornings of "extra" sleep, but that's only because I've had quite a few nights that I have gone to bed later than normal. I generally try to get between 6 and 8 hours with 7 usually being the number that happens. I woke up with a lot of energy this morning and felt well rested. Jezzabel was chomping at the bit (anybody know where that phrase originated?) ready for her walk.

It was actually an overcast morning which is very rare for this time of the year. It felt great outside and was probably in the lower 80's. I felt kind of tight when I first started the walk and my mucus was kind of difficult to get up. After about .5 miles I started coughing really deep and forced myself to keep it up to try and get the stuff moving. It worked for the most part and I was able to get a lot of thick clear stuff up. Some of it had a slight yellow to it, but it was clear for the most part. My feet felt pretty good as well, with my left foot getting a little sore while making my way up an uphill section of the loop. I'm going to do cardio later at the gym, so I'm hoping it holds up for that.

Total Distance: 2.3 miles

2:30pm: Gym time! I've been working since I got back from the walk, so this gym time was a much needed break. Mandi and I headed out to lift shoulders and legs plus do a little cardio. It's been a while since we did cardio so we decided to do it first to make sure there were no excuses to miss it. We hopped on the elliptical and off we went. I had my iPod in and was reading through an US Weekly from March of 2008. I'll tell you one thing, it makes that half hour just fly by. Believe me, I'm not a fan of cardio because I usually would get so bored, but if I have a magazine I barely even take time to notice what I am doing. We ended up doing 30 minutes on the elliptical and by the time we were done my grey t-shirt looked black from the sweat soaking through. (Wanna feel good about what you're doing? Wear a grey t-shirt to the gym!) My lungs felt really open and my legs felt great!

It was then on to lift legs and shoulders. We did what we usually do with us alternating between the two muscle groups each set so that we never stop. That way you get another cardio type workout in. Also, the sweat never stops and you feel like you're getting an incredible workout. Today's gym session was constant movement for over an hour! Try it, I promise you'll like it...well, at least your lungs will!

Total Distance: 2.65 miles

Side Note: Mandi and I are heading out to dinner with the parents of a little CF boy to meet them and talk life with CF. They are also interested in helping with a project Mandi and I have going on that will have a positive impact on the CF community. I LOVE talking to cystics parents and hopefully giving them encouragement about the road ahead. My mom did a GREAT job in raising me and I just pass some of her knowledge onto other parents. If you haven't had the chance to read the posts I've done about my mom and her attitude towards CF, I encourage you to use the category posts to find those blogs and read them. Look under Mom and Pillar Articles.

Total Distance for Day: 4.95 miles

Need To Save Some Time as a CFer?

If so, go to http://noexcusesnoexcuses.blogspot.com/2009/06/vesting-in-car.html. She has a blog up about doing your treatments in a car and how to make it happen. Great Post!

CFF Pool Party

11:ooam: I slept in a little bit this morning, but I was still up by 8 or so. I did however really enjoy my morning and didn't rush out the door to go and work out. I wanted to make it a calm morning cause I know that I'll be heading to a CFF pool party later on and those are anything but calm. They raise a ton of money for CF, but that's generally the last reason people are there. I've always had a slight objection to events like that, but when it comes down to it, it's all about the money. That's the CFF's job. Raise money to find a cure and that next great med. There is no other non-profit out there that does such a great job in moving forward on it's mission. If I have to watch a bunch of people gather together "in the name of CF" who actually have no idea what CF is BUT they are writing checks, then I guess it's better than a sharp stick in the eye. Much better actually. It also puts "pressure" on me to go to these events and carry the torch so to speak and talk to as many people as I can about the disease. I've met many great people over the years through CFF events and many of them stay involved with the Foundation in some sort of capacity.

Ok, sorry, I got sidetracked. So I headed to the gym around 11 with some making up to do. I had to do my back workout that I missed yesterday PLUS arms. I knew it was going to be a long gym session. Mandi and I were looking forward to arms (especially because of the upcoming pool party :)) but back not so much. We did bicep and triceps first which went really well. It felt like we were both moving in slow motion, but the clock also seemed to slow down. About an hour into our workout Mandi mentioned that it felt like we had been there for 3 hours. By the time we got to back we were both super fatigued. Instead of the normal 5 lifts that we do for back, we ended up doing 3. The last exercise was wide grip pull ups and I couldn't finish my sets. My upper body felt dead. I was glad that we did most of our back workout though cause I hate missing workouts and I wouldn't have felt right if we didn't make up at least some of it.

Side Note: The CFF pool party was a huge success. It seemed busier than last year and I heard that they sold over 14,ooo dollars worth of pre-sale tickets. I'll try to get a number this week of exactly how much the event made. After a day in the sun, Mandi and I spent the rest of it relaxing. There was no more working out or exercising, but plenty of grilling and hanging out. Just what the doctor ordered...speaking of, time to do my treatments.

Total Distance for Day: 0 miles 

Feet Are Feeling Better Today!

8:00am: So I did the whole "5 more minutes" thing at around 6:45 this morning and wouldn't you know it, all of the sudden it was 8! It felt so good too! I got to bed way later than usual last night so I probably needed it. J Bell was ready to go the minute I woke up and wouldn't leave my side until I told her to grab her leash. I was a bad daddy yesterday and she didn't get her walk so I know she was extra excited. Not doing anything on my feet yesterday was probably a good thing though cause my feet felt better this morning than they have for a long time. I got out the door a little later than normal so it was definitely a hotter out. Jeezy for Sheezy was dragging her tongue quicker than normal and I think I broke a sweat about 200 yards into it. Got to love 90 degree heat at 8 in the morning! 

I was coughing quite a bit on the walk this morning but a lot of it was on purpose. I felt some mucus stuck towards the bottom of my throat, top of my lung area. You guys know what I'm talking about. It feels like there is a rock or something in there and it takes some really deep coughs to get it moving. I was moving stuff up and getting quite a bit out, but was also making myself out of breath in the process. It's hard to cough, walk, spit, and breath at the same time! I just did a quick 2 miler because I wanted to save my feet for cardio later. I have some making up to do for yesterday and I want to put myself in the best position to get it done. 

Total Distance: 2.0 miles    Time: 34'04"

5:30pm: So the day my feet feel better I'm of course swamped with things to do. I lost track of time today and by the time I got my head above water it was to late. We are hanging out with friends tonight for game night, so I needed to get back and showered for the 7:30 start. I was only able to get in my chest workout (which was very good), so I'll have to do arms with back tomorrow. It will be another full day tomorrow though with a CFF pool party to attend. Hopefully I'll be on the ball tomorrow and be able to get in some cardio as well. Me thinks that there will be no sleeping in! Current Weight: 185 lbs.

Total Distance for Day: 2.0 miles

You've Got To Do Your Treatments

6:30am: I decided to go to the gym this morning cause I will be traveling today and I wanted to make sure that I got my workout in. Today was legs/shoulders which is the quickest workout that I do. It worked out well that it fell on the day I was traveling. I was going to do some cardio also, but my feet are still sore from the last couple of days, so I figured that I'd give them a break this morning. I'll probably be giving Jezzabel a walk tonight when I get back into town. 

My lungs feel a little bit cruddy this morning, so although I'm traveling, I'll make sure to stay faithful with my treatments. In the life of a CFer nothing is more important than being active AND doing treatments. Like it or not, that's just the way it is. The CFF pours all of this money into improving our medications and then some of us just blow them off. I get it, treatments are sometimes a pain to do. Sometimes it feels like they are over taking your life. But you know what, get over it. I don't know how else to say it. Do your treatments and live, or ignore them and die. If I take four hours out of each day to prolong my life by 10 years (just throwing numbers out), then I'd say I'm getting a pretty good deal.

Side Note: I got home a little later than expected so all I did today was get to the gym. Looks like I have some making up to do the next couple of days!

Total Distance for Day: 0 miles (I think I just threw up a bit in my mouth)

The Trapdoor of the Stomach

7:15am: I was up a little late last night due to the CFF event that Mandi and I attended, so I decided to sleep in a bit. When I finally rolled out of bed and put my feet on the ground, I could feel the after effects of our long walk yesterday and the day before. Both of my feet were sore and my legs were a little sleepy still. I knew that I should cut back a little bit this morning in terms of my walk distance. Jezzabel had been whining since who knows when so I knew I had to get up and out the door in a hurry before she blew a gasket. As it has been, the weather was perfect for the walk this morning. Slight breeze and probably around 75 to 80 degrees. If only it stayed like that all day.

My lungs felt pretty good from the time that I woke up, but I knew that I had some stuff deep down in there to work out. I tried to keep a good pace to really make my lungs work. The whole walk I was occasionally bringing stuff up but most of what I was spitting out was post nasal drip type of stuff. It wasn't until the final push of the walk when I started walking uphill that I really started huffing and puffing. The deep coughs soon followed and then, you guesses it, I was throwing up on the side of the road. I'm sure many CFers out there can relate to this: once it starts, it's really hard to stop. It's almost as if a throw up trap door has been opened and there's no closing it until your body is good and ready. I must have unknowingly swallowed a lot of mucus and snot the whole night because that's all that came up. With me though it's to the point that I barely break stride, I kind of just turn my head, let it fly, and keep walking.

Total Distance: 2.0 miles   Time: 34'44"

5:00pm: Mandi and I hung out at her house today to wait for a sink repairman that was supposed to show up between 12pm-4pm. Yeah, he didn't show. We were able to get plenty of work done, but it messed up the ol' work out schedule. We finally got to the gym to do arms and I felt kind of weak.  I was hungry all day long and just kept eating and eating but never got full. I'm not sure if I didn't get the proper nutrition or I needed a nap, bit whatever it was I felt lethargic at the gym today. I'm also starting to think that the weights actually weigh different amounts at the LA Fitness near Mandi's house as opposed to the one near me. It could also be that the free standing bars weigh different amounts. Mandi thought that some of the lifts today felt heavier too. I was still able to increase most of the weights on my tricep lifts and I actually did dips unassisted for the first time today in what feels like forever. I was only able to do 2 sets of 10 unassisted, but I thought that was pretty good improvement from starting out with 120 lbs of assistance. Hopefully I'll be able to do sets of pull-ups with no assistance soon as well. Current Weight: 185 lbs.

Total Distance for Day: 2.0 miles

Lungs a Little Tighter Than Normal

6:30am: Because yesterday went so well I decided to do another long walk this morning, but this time Jeezy for Sheezy got the invite. She was super excited when I told her to grab her leash and we were out the door in a jiffy. Just to backtrack a little, I had trouble falling asleep last night (and it had nothing to do with the 2 cups of coffee at 9pm :)), but I woke up feeling refreshed this morning. My lungs also felt pretty mucus free although they were a little tight. Anyway J Bell and I took off on our adventure and the weather was again being my friend. It was actually a little hotter this morning, but I think it may have just felt that way cause I was directly in the sun's ray the whole time. Yesterday I was walking in the shade for about half the time. Today's walk was also different because half of it was uphill or slightly uphill. Talk about getting the lungs going!

The walk felt good and my feet almost held up the whole time. The ball of my right foot burned about .5 miles into the walk (which is new) and my left foot didn't hurt until about the 2.5 mile mark. I kept a good pace the whole time and J Bell helped out with only going potty about 4 times and rarely stopping to sniff. I think after the second uphill she didn't have the energy to veer off course and do any sniffing. Her tongue was flopping all over the place and you could tell she just wanted to get home. I could have gone longer, but I didn't want her to have a stroke this morning. My lungs opened up and I was able to get a good amount up and out. They still feel a bit tight, but I'm thinking they will be just fine after a treatment. I just need to ice my feet and suck on my nebulizer and this will be a great start to an even greater day!

Total Distance: 3.0 miles Time: 55'58"

4:00pm: So the rest of the day kind of got away from me. I was working on some stuff that I started this morning and before I knew it, it was 4. I had about 45 minutes to get in a workout before I had to get ready for a CFF event. I thought about skipping today and making it up tomorrow, but I figured that I had time to at least do something. I went to the gym and did two burnout sets. One on chest and the other on back. For chest, I started with 145lbs and did that as many times as I could. Then I took off 20 lbs. and did that as many times as I could and then took off another 20 and so on. I finally got all of the way down to the bar and I was only able to do it about 19 times. My chest felt like it had been torn. For back, I did the same type of thing but I did it with wide grip pull ups and instead of going down in weight, I went down in assistance. For instance, I started with 100 lbs. of assistance and worked my way down to 40 lbs. in 15 lbs. increments and did pull ups each time until I couldn't manage to hold myself up. Have I managed to confuse you yet? I hope so :)

Anyway, the key message for today is even if you're short on time, make sure you do SOMETHING. You've got to get your body into a habit. And for what it's worth, there's not many habits better for your lungs than exercise.

Total Distance for Day: 3.0 miles

17.85 Total Miles for the Week of March 25th

Week of March 18th: 11.75 miles

Week of March 11th: 17.2 miles

Week of March 4th: 17.7 miles

Week of April 27th: 15.7 miles

Week of April 20th: 22.9 miles

Week of April 13th: 18.75 miles

Week of April 6th: 20.95 miles

Week of March 30th: 31.7 miles

Week of March 23rd: 24.48 miles

Week of March 16th: 34.85 miles

Week of March 9th: 23.6 miles

Furthest Walk So Far!!!

6:45am: I decided to give a new loop a try this morning so I could walk in a different neighborhood and check out some cool houses. About a mile north of me is a neighborhood that I would absolutely love to live in cause each house is on at least half an acre and it feels like you're in another world. It's still in the heart of the city, but you have no traffic noise and it's mostly green all around with mountain views. Of course this is why it would cost me about 700,000 to get even a fixer upper in that neighborhood. A boy can dream though can't he?

Anyways, I took off this morning with an already slightly sore foot from yesterday but I was thinking that it only needed to be stretched out. The weather was PERFECT with a slight breeze and the sun shining. I may need to do a long walk at this time more often. I didn't bring J Bell along with me cause I didn't know exactly where I was going (and it's a good thing cause I had to jump a wall) and I didn't feel like stopping 800 times to let her do her business and sniff everything. I just wanted to take in the beautiful scenery and the gorgeous weather. I walked and walked, turned and went straight, up hill down hill, every which way it felt like this morning. I wasn't sure how long the walk was going to be (I went back and drove it later), but I really didn't care, I was enjoying it way too much to stop.

I also moved a lot up this morning. Without having Jezzabel attached to my arm I am able to keep up a faster pace. That faster pace gets me more short of breath and coughing which brings the mucus a flowing. I got up stuff that was way deep down in. At first I was coughing a little too deep and thought about tossing my cookies, but eventually that sick feeling subsided and I was able to cough deep enough to get the junk out but not deep enough to cough my stomach out. My legs started to get a little fatigued at about the 2.5 mile mark and it was getting hotter by the minute. Next time I'll leave a little earlier to avoid that heat on the way home. I drank almost 30 ounces on the walk though so I was plenty hydrated.

All in all it was a great morning and the furthest distance that I've walked so far (not including hikes)!

Total Distance: 3.6 miles Time: 1:03'43"

1:00pm: The rest of the day was full of work and "putting out fires" but I did manage to get to the gym. It was my shoulder and leg day which is by far the easiest day I have. It is also the quickest which came in handy on a hectic day such as today. I'm taking it easy on my legs for two reasons: one, to not put a lot of pressure on my foot, and two, cause I don't want to have big ol' legs. My calves definitely have room for growth, but all of the calf exercises make my foot hurt. My shoulders felt really good today and I only had pain on the last set of the last lift. Mandi and I didn't take any time off between sets and were in constant rotation between shoulders and legs. It ended up being a nice little cardio session as well. Current Weight: 186 lbs

Total Distance for Day: 3.6 miles

The Key to Running

1:00pm: It felt really good to take the whole day off yesterday and just relax. I had to run errands and such, but to take a break from all exercise was much needed. I did however have a big itch to get back to the swing of things today. After church, breakfast, and a Good Will run, Mandi and I headed for the gym to work out our arms. As you know if you read this blog, arms may be my favorite day. Since my arms and legs aren't covered by anything while I'm at the gym, I can actually see "results" as I work out and it can be motivating. Don't get me wrong, it still looks like I have wet noodles for arms, but at least they're BIGGER wet noodles. Mandi's arms are also getting slightly bigger, but mostly more defined. While I do heavier weight and less reps, she does lower weight and more reps. I generally do 12,10,8 or 8, 6,4 with an increase in weight for each set. Mandi however usually does 3 sets of 12 all at the same weight. Soon, she'll be able to be a stand in for GI Jane! Maybe she could shave her head and do the sequel?

After the weight lifting portion we decided to head outside and go for a run/walk. We took off on our 3 mile loop and hoped for the best. I say that cause it was 100+ degrees outside, but I needed to push myself a bit after taking the day off yesterday. I of course was sweating almost instantly but we had water with us and I was also hydrating before and during our workout. In the very beginning my left foot hurt a bit and my right ankle had a bit of a kink in it. It only took my ankle about 5 minutes to feel normal, but my foot didn't feel better until the last bit of our walk/run. Just as we were making our way towards the last half a mile we decided to take a short cut to make it a 2.5 mile loop instead. We were both getting a little burned on the face and we certainly didn't want to test the sun in that regard. We ended up running the last .3 miles back to the car. I'm SOOO glad I was able to run, but let me tell you, it wasn't easy.

About 10 seconds after we took off all of the internal excuses started coming from my brain. "You're going to throw up" my brain said. "Seriously, just stop to cough out some of that flem you're choking on" he continued. "You haven't run for a while and certainly not in this type of heat" he shouted. Excuse after excuse just kept on coming out of me. I promise you this, I wanted to stop the entire time we were running. I wanted to run before and I was glad I ran after, but during, I wanted to quit. Running for me isn't easy. It's not easy for most. The key to running is to overcome that self doubt and just push through all of those internal voices and block out the pain. It's ALWAYS worth it in the end. I know it was only .3 miles, but it feels like I accomplished something much bigger. Current Weight: 187 lbs

Total Distance: 2.5 miles

Total Distance for Day: 2.5 miles

Random Picture of the Day

**I took the whole day off today to see how it felt. I feel rested, but I'm itching to get back into the swing of things tomorrow***

Picture: Corky, Me, Wong, and Bryan hanging out on Miami Beach.

Body is Tired, but Mind is Focused

7:15am: So I didn't really sleep in all that much, but I did lay in bed a little while and take my time getting out of it. It is certainly harder to get up and get going than it was say one month ago, but sometimes that just happens. My body is sore and tired, but my mind is still focused and sharp. I love the way that all of this hard work is making me feel and I know that it will continue to pay dividends if I keep this up. It's also great to have all of my blogger friends out there holding me accountable and motivating me to keep pushing. I also have one of the greatest support systems in the world through my family and Mandi. They all make comments on how my body shape has changed and my energy level. Stuff like that makes it all worth it. I would never want to leave this world without them knowing that I did everything I could to fight to stay here. It used to be all about me (admittedly), but now I have great motivation to take care of myself to stay around for others.

Anyways, to my walk. I coughed a bit more than usual this morning during my walk and my mucus was pretty thick. It was clear however so I'm happy about that. I coughed though to the point of dry heaving and it forced me to stop a couple of times and regain my composure. My foot was still sore from yesterday's stairmaster so that was certainly annoying. I want to start running again so bad that I can taste it. Mandi has said that she is giving me no choice and that we will go to a "professional" running store this weekend to get proper shoes. If any one has recommendations I would love to hear them.

Total Distance: 2.1 miles Time: 37'47"

1:00pm: I had a really good session at the gym today! I worked out my chest and back with a little bit of abs thrown in. I increased the weight on almost all of my chest lifts so I was happy about that. It's getting around that time to switch up my workout routine again, although because of timing, I may need to do it in about 2 weeks. So the lifting was great, but not the best part. The best part would be the cardio that I did after my workout. Mandi and I decided to do the elliptical to avoid any pressure or pounding on my foot. I felt strong the entire time and felt like I had a pretty quick pace going. I was sweating like a mad man, but wasn't coughing a whole lot, but when I did I was bringing some stuff up. I ended up doing a full 30 minutes and I could have gone longer but I had to get home to get ready for tonight. I may try to push it to 45 minutes or something next time cause 30 almost felt to easy. Never thought I would say that! Current Weight: 184 lbs.

Total Distance: 2.55 miles

Total Distance for Day: 4.65 miles

Stretch, Yawn, Yawn, and then Stretch Again

7:15am: That's right, slept in a little bit this morning and it felt oh so good. It was just what I needed after a day of travel and busy work day yesterday. My body felt sore when I woke up, but after shaking off the cobwebs it started to adjust to the day ahead. I think most of it is the after affects of the hike. I can tell you who else is feeling it, good ol' Jezzabel. Last night she refused to get off of her bed to go to the bathroom. When I finally convinced her to go outside and give it a go, she stretched for about 2 minutes and yawned 6 times. Then she made her way outside, sat down, and stared at me with the "are you happy now?" look and "can I come back in?" stare. After 5 minutes of trying to convince her that she had to pee (with no avail), I let her back in the house and she promptly went back into her bed. Then this morning, she had to stretch out again before our walk. I could tell that she was sore and was doing a lot more wobbling than walking. It was pretty entertaining to watch and definitely had me laughing much of the time.

For me, the walk went well. I was able to cough up quite a bit and most of it was clear. My foot felt much better than yesterday and I might actually be able to try a little run later on! I really thought I'd be running a mile by now, but my "injury" has gotten in the way. And although I know it's not a true injury, I also know that if I push it I can make it one. It just gets to the point where I start limping even with a walk and so far nobody I have talked to has said that's a good thing. Icing my foot and resting it more has certainly helped, but I'm really itching to start running again.

Total Distance: 2.1 miles

3:30pm: So Mandi and I headed off to the gym for some legs/shoulders and cardio. We did the workout routine with absolutely no breaks in it. While I did a set of shoulders, she would be doing legs, and then we would switch. By the second set I was already sweating. What really got me going was some step-ups that we did. Mandi set the platform so high that it would have been difficult for Andre the Giant to step on to it. After 20 reps of those my heart was pounding and the sweat was drippin'! My shoulders held up well throughout the routine and are starting to feel almost 50% back to normal or so. I probably won't do a normal routine though for at least a month or so.

For cardio we did a the stairmaster. Word of advice if you're going to be doing the stairmaster: bring a magazine. The time absolutely flies by! We did it for 20 minutes but it felt like 5. Both of our magazines (and shirts) were soaked with sweat at the end. The stairs get my heart pumping and work up a huge sweat for me, but I don't do the deep breathing like I do on the elliptical or treadmill. I like mixing them all together though just so I'm not getting bored doing the same thing every day. If you're looking to really use your lungs though, it's the treadmill all of the way. Then again, nothing will get them like running on the road will! Current Weight: 184 lbs.

Total Floors Climbed: 55 floors

Total Distance for Day: 2.1 miles Total Floors: 55 floors

Great Post by a Friend of Mine

I would strongly encourage all of you to click the link to the following post. Sara has such strength and determination that it will inspire all of you.

http://oceandesert.blogspot.com/2009/05/that-is-what-happened-today.html

Enjoy! And don't hesitate to drop her a message....

I Threw Up a Banana Waterfall

6:20am: So I hit the old snooze button a couple of times this morning before rolling out of bed. When I first attempted in open my eyes to see what time it was they felt like they had been super glued together. I managed to open them after what seemed like a couple of hours but then I was seeing everything as a triple or quadruple image. When I looked at the clock, I couldn't tell if it was 6:20, 6:28, 6:50, or 6:58. I also didn't know exactly where to look since there were so many images floating around. After blinking my eyes repeatedly for about 30 seconds, I finally saw that it was in fact 6:20. I needed to get the ball rolling so I could get out the door and start the hike while it was still cool out. I decided to bring Jezzabel with me as well since she hasn't had a good long walk for a little while. Before I left, I wolfed down a banana which was incredibly soft and probably near the end of it's shelf life (If you've been reading this blog for a while than you know that I only mention food before walks/hikes because it will come up again in the story...pun intended).

We headed off on the trail which is 1.2 miles to the first outlook point and then another .7 to the peak. Starting out I hadn't decided how long we would go. Anyways, as usual, the first 200 yards or so were pretty tough in terms of locking in to a good breathing pattern and getting my coughs out of the way. I was able to move out a lot of mucus which was either clear or light yellow in color and got my lungs cleared out rather quickly. Problem was I had a slight tickle in my throat that was triggering more coughs than necessary. I tried my best, but eventually that banana I mentioned ended up on the side of the trail. I was able to throw it up right on a rock face though so it kind of looked like a banana waterfall. Hopefully my fellow hikers enjoyed that nice piece of nature that I left them.

After I got that banana out of my stomach the hike got a lot easier. I don't know about you, but when I feel sick to my stomach, I feel like it's harder to breath. I was also coughing a lot before I threw up and after my "great heave" my coughs subsided quite a bit. The rest of the hike went well and I only took about 4 or 5 breaks on the way up to catch my breath. I kept J Bell off of her leash for the whole way up, but then she wouldn't stop barking at these poor guys on the way down, so on the leash she went. She's definitely getting better though, we passed by 3 0r 4 people on the way up and she just walked by them like they weren't there. Maybe she sensed evil in those two dudes or something :)

I'll leave you with this thought: If you live in an area with hiking trails, I REALLY encourage you to take advantage of them. For me, they work better than a treatment in terms of making me cough and getting the mucus out. It also serves as a great set-up for my actual treatments. After hiking, or doing any sort of cardio, I feel more open to receive all of the meds into my lungs. Just a thought, but I a thought that I hope you seriously consider.

Total Distance: 2.4 miles

2:30pm: Headed to the gym with Mandi to work on our guns. We had a day full of Internet problems which certainly slowed work down, but we managed to work through it and crank out some much needed things. It did feel good to step away from the computer today and get to the gym. Although I work really hard in the gym and at times it is painful, it still serves as a sort of "restful" period in my day. I never thought I would view the gym in that way, but I guess that's what I get for being so busy. The workout went well, but my body felt tired overall. I was able to lift all of the same weight, but it definitely felt heavier than it did 3 days ago. I'm thinking I'll sleep in a little bit tomorrow to hopefully be a little more refreshed and energetic. Current Weight: 185 lbs

Total Distance for Day: 2.4 miles

Life Got in the Way

4:00pm: I had another day trip today for business, so the whole routine was thrown off a bit. As you see, I didn't get to the gym until 4, and I wasn't able to fit in a morning cardio session. I really hate it when my routine gets changed cause I feel that I'm short changing myself, but on the other hand, I realize that life sometimes gets in the way. On days like today, I just make sure that I do SOMETHING. I was able to be at the gym for about 90 minutes today and it was definitely a great workout. I was sweating like crazy and increased the weight on many of my lifts. Mandi and I are thinking about doing a hike tomorrow morning to make up for the lack of cardio today. Let's hope I get a good night of sleep so it's feasible. Current Weight: 184 lbs.

9:30pm: I had to sneak in a short little dog walk when I got home from my "trip" cause I always feel guilty if I don't get Jezzabel out of the house. I also figure that she shouldn't be punished for my "busyness". It was a very quick walk, but I know she enjoyed it. I on the other hand was an idiot and just went out in my sandals for the walk. My left foot started to ache about 50 yards into the stroll. Walking in sandals when you have a sore flat foot is never a good idea! This sucker better heal up by tomorrow morning cause it's going to be hitting the ground hiking bright and early!

Total Distance: .5 miles

Total Distance for Day: .5 miles