Post Op 13 Weeks!

The usual weekly update...

Brief history, microdiscectomy on L5-S1 for a 1.5 cm herniation and bulging disc on Jan 5 of this year.

The tempo swims are going awesome. I'm getting the half lap back done in 20 seconds or less typically. I really hope for an awesome under 30 minute mile when I do my next mile swim for time. I would need to shave about 7 seconds per lap to do that and I think that will be very close to do-able :).

The weights are going well. The SHELCS are killing my hamstrings and my balance still isn't great coming back down from those but I'll get there. The hip weakness on the right makes the balance a bit off. It's really close, close enough on the step ups and doing pretty much everything else, but trying to lower my booty back to the ground when doing those requires pretty good control with both hips equally. That is not yet the case.

Continuing with the 40 lb assist on the pullup/dips but soon I'll be upping from three sets of six to three sets of eight.

And kettlebells, day one I had a couple kettlebell kisses but it'd been months since I did snatches. Since the first day no more bruised wrists!

I'm running two miles now, it's difficult definitely but last nights two mile run was much easier than the mile and a half last week. I might also be better hydrated, really trying to keep up on that particularly when running after work.

Other random things I'm down a full 14 lbs since my surgery. To go to what I've always considered my "normal" is now only 5-7 lbs away (varied day to day by those couple pounds). Very exciting! I'll be trying on the clothes I have stored very soon! My wonderful sister will be telling me what to keep and what to toss. She's awesome!

I've still had a little bit of lower back pain, still I think lingering from the shoveling the other day. But much MUCH improved and now not so bad in the mornings, only after I start doing things. I thought maybe it was the running, but last night running made absolutely no difference so shoveling it must have been. I could really go for an awesome massage though! Really miss those.

Bathroom Remodel

Busy weekend this past weekend!

I had two events to attend Saturday as well as my usual appointment with the gym. Got home and after putting the little man to bed decided to paint the walls. Then the next morning I had a friend help pick up my flooring and then before meeting family for Easter I put up the mirrors and lights.

Meeting family for Easter was at a buffet where I ate WAY more than I should. Healthy options mostly though! Then off to the store for a few things and back home I decided to work on the pattern for the flooring. Little guy was really helpful by stepping on the paper I was trying to tape together for my pattern :). Got it downstairs and taped it to the sheet vinyl I'd purchased. Cut it to the pattern and then got my little dude down for bed. Once he was sleeping, put the floor in. Not nearly as hard as tile. About as easy as carpet with backing already attached. Lots of clean up left to do and the toilet is still in my garage... Also need to do the baseboards yet so that'll be next weekend if all goes as planned. Then maybe I can get caught up on cleaning my house!

Here's the before, when I decided I had to take a sledgehammer to the damn custom shower that I couldn't stand...

And here's a couple after:

I started the tempo swim training in the gym today. Six weeks without a mile time to check is going to be hard! Well, I did a mile, but with the tempo training it's 1.5 laps breast stroke, half lap back all out front crawl. I was making it to the other side of the pool consistently in 20 seconds or so. I'll up the front crawl as my lungs and strength accommodate the all out pace I'm doing. That'll be every Monday. Wednesday is water aerobics and Friday is the next tempo day though I'll be mixing it up a little. Half lap breast stroke, half lap front crawl for form- so a slower pace. Then half lap breast stroke and half lap all out front crawl. I don't want to decrease my stroke length or sacrifice form for more strokes per second. 

San Diego!

I've got my trip booked, going to San Diego for an extremely reasonable price in a few weeks! Can't wait! I've been wanting to go for at least 5 years. Planned with people and it always fell through. Well, I'm going! Me and my little guy are going to see the ocean and have a relaxing few days away from home.

I know I have other things I should be spending my money on. Or saving it. I've kind of come to realize every time I get caught up something else happens or there's another project. So, all future projects are on hold and I'm going to take my trip! And after my trip I'll worry about the financial repercussions. I can afford it but I don't like having debt. And I don't have a credit card so this is all being bankrolled by yours truly. I really should get a credit card for the trip though. Just in case I need one for rentals or other things. I don't want much of a limit. My current credit cards are store cards and gas cards with the gas card having the highest balance I'm sure. They all get paid off monthly but this month, I'm thinking it'll be a minimum payment month so I have extra cash for the trip. Only big debts I have is my house and a consolidation loan and I know I can get caught up on the rest of the cards pretty quickly if I don't take on any more large household projects and my car doesn't break down again!

In preparation for this trip I'll be switching to a fairly strict Paleo eating plan. I've always cheated with an ounce of cheese on my salads and that wont change. I'd really like to be as fit as I'm able if I'm going to be wearing a bikini for 3 days. My workout is also changing. I was supposed to switch next Tuesday but now that I have the new plan I'm too excited to wait and I'm switching tomorrow to my new plan.

New Plan:
3 days per week
Super Set 1: Side Lunges and Bulgarian split squats 3 sets 8 reps
Super Set 2: Incline press and Upright Rows 3 sets 8 reps
Super Set 3: Pull ups and Dips on the assist machine with 40 lbs assist 3 sets 6 reps.

Then off to the Kettlebell for 5 min of Get-ups. Then three ladders 5-4-3-2-1 of KB snatches. Because that's what my rant was all about the other day :).

Swimming x3 days per week. Monday and Friday tempo swims and Wednesday an easy swim or water aerobics.

Monday and Thursday after work running. Wednesday after work Pole Dance Party! And Friday after work Boxing. And one last run on Saturday.

Sunday and Wednesday are my "rest" days. Technically Tuesday evening till Wednesday evening is rest other than the super easy swim. And my Sunday will include Total Yoga by Gaiam.

Another swimming PR!

From ONLY a week ago I've cut 3:04 minutes from my previous personal record. That is over three minutes!!! In one week! Super crazy excited about that. I checked my laps repeatedly to make sure I didn't double click and it all checks out. Best lap was a mere 58 seconds for 1/33 of a mile. This will be my last PR for a while. The following six week program that I start next week will be working more on speed drills and form. I have no idea how I did that well compared to the following week. The stars must have been perfectly aligned. And I was quite happy that morning despite only 5 hours of sleep the night before. I completely shocked myself. I'm still having trouble believing it, but yep, I did it :).

I had my nieces over the weekend. Two awesome girls who I don't get to see as much as I'd like. The older one may have been a little bored since there's an 8 year age gap. Hard to find something all three are interested in doing. We went to feed the ducks at the wildlife reserve near me and then wandered through the learning area of the sanctuary. None of them would go down the slide :(. With a possible change in my shift at work hopefully I will be seeing them more. I'd really like to be more involved with them. And I'm hoping I can take them for a long weekend this summer sometime. Get them all some time away and my sister and her husband can hopefully celebrate her upcoming graduation from the nursing program.

Congrats Sister and Brother in Law on your ten years of marriage! Remember the first 4 decades are the hardest...

10 Weeks Today!

Surgery was ten weeks ago at about 11 am. It's so hard to believe that this is me from who I was ten weeks ago! Things are amazing still. Well, of course they are, I can walk again without pain :).

Since week nine only big change, I am allowed to run again. Half mile this week and I can up that by a half mile a week. I did my first half mile last night after work. I tried at 5.0 mph and I was shocked I couldn't do it. Why I was surprised, no idea. I guess just because everything else is going so well I thought I would just fall right back into running. I bumped it down to a 4.6 mph pace at the 1 incline. That I could do. Finished up my half mile with barely a sweat despite the perceived difficulty level. I'll be running a half mile again on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

At the gym I'm up to 20 lb dumb bells as of today. I feel slightly less wimpy now that I can at least squat a total of 40 lbs. But still...

Yesterday also more good things. I was planning on an easy swim since I was working on tearing up my bathroom floor and had some help taking down the rest of the glue over the weekend. The floor is not done, but what I did was hard work anyway. So yesterday was going to be just a relaxing swim. By lap ten of my mile swim I saw that my time was actually pretty decent so figured I'd go for it for my last 23 laps. And I killed my last PR by 29 seconds! Even though for the first ten laps I wasn't even trying :).

I'm really happy with how I feel physically. Emotionally since surgery I am so much happier. Just life seems good again. I wish I would have done this years ago rather than waiting as long as I did.

Now just for everything to align perfectly at work since one position was filled and one is still vacant. I'd just like to be on a general day shift eventually and that at least is looking like it might happen. As long as no one else retires or leaves!

Another Awesome Day

Last night when I got home from work I had too much energy. So I turned on Pandora and got into my short shorts and a tank top and the no show socks (because you need the top of your feet free of sock). And I rocked out dancing with my pole for a good 40 minutes. It was awesome! And I do have bruises on the tops of my feet from gripping the pole. They don't hurt though :). Really working on the tucks because I'd really like to be able to do my first invert end of this month or beginning of next. But OMG do the muscles by my ribs and shoulders hurt! And my abs! From keeping my body horizontal to the ground I'm sure with all those tucks. By the time I turned off the Pandora, I'd already meet my activity goal for the day too. Quick rinse and off to bed feeling pretty awesome.

And then this morning, a nice slow swim. Monday I'll try to beat my record and hopefully even come in at under 38 minutes for a mile. But Fridays, just slow and steady with lots of breast stroke today. The water was perfect until the end of my swim when some guy jumps in to share my lane and starts talking to me while wearing BOXER BRIEFS as swim trunks! Dude... No. I told him I was done so he could have the full lane and finished my stretches, then he asked to race me doing laps. Seriously. I'm not sure if he was drunk or high or what, but he was not right in the head. Or maybe he was attempting to flirt and I just thought he was being creepy. Or maybe he is creepy because boxer briefs in the pool...

With the soreness tonight I'll go home and just finish up putting the laundry away and the other usual nighttime stuff before bed. When I wake up tomorrow it's another morning at the gym with my 15 lb dumbbells. Next week I can up to 20, for a total of 40 lbs! My legs will finally be able to feel the workout maybe at 40 lbs.

Meeting with my family tomorrow late afternoon for my nieces dance recital. Then hoping for a quick bite to eat with them before heading home and getting to the exciting task of finishing my glue removal. Getting there.

Hoping for a beautiful weekend for all of us! See you next week :).

9 Weeks Yesterday!

It was a super busy night at work but I really wanted to post on the week marks. Yesterday was week nine since my microdiscectomy at level L5-S1. It's been 5 weeks since I've been back to work and 3 weeks back in the gym.

How are things going? Work, well I'm already sick of being back! I love my job though, truly. I have an amazing job and work with great people. Really can't ask for more. Except maybe for everyone to NOT get sick at the same time. Space it out people!

And in the gym, things are going fantastic! I'm swimming a mile a couple days a week and the water aerobics on Wednesday. On Wednesday I do a ton of leg stuff in the water to help balance my hip strength. My right hip was significantly weaker when I first started out in the gym. Today, I have no more pain in my gluteus while working out or after and the muscle fatigue sets in about 80% of the way through the workout in the right hip and thigh rather than at the beginning of my workout. My right is still weaker, however it's probably close to 80% strength of my left hip and thigh now.

The weight lifting, I'm lifting my 15 lb dumbells (total of 30 lbs) yet this week. Doing lots of step ups as well after my weight lifting routine below, copied from my earlier post when I returned to blogging :)

For this first 6 weeks, Super set 1: wide squats, narrow squats, and deadlifts. 

Super set 2: Bench press and chest fly's. 

Super set 3: Split squat, shoulder press, and overhead tricep extension (with just one dumb bell for that last one). All at 15 reps of two sets. 

Then of course the pull up/dip station (changed to a 55 lb assist from 70)

 After that over to the stepper and doing boring boring step ups forward, backward, lateral. 

Those are also all 2 sets of 15 reps. 

My routine as above is going for this week and an additional two weeks after that. Week 12 I'll probably steal a routine from New Rules of Lifting (the men's version). Next week I'm very excited about something. I GET TO RUN AGAIN!!!! So my plan is to add in a half mile of running on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. I start an hour later at work those days so it'll be easier to run with the extra time. 

I really can't wait to start running again and registration just opened for my first half that I'm doing in September. I need to register for that as well as for my 10k in June. It really is awesome to have my body back. I had it taken away for so long with the pain and now, just the absolute joy I feel waking up in the morning, it's pretty great. 

Another Weekend Gone

But not wasted!

My kitchen chairs arrived Thursday so Friday when I got home from work I finished assembling them. So nice to have actual kitchen chairs since I sawed off the legs of a table to make it short enough for my kitchen (it was the counter height previously). And I only bought that table to get the chairs they refused to sell without the table. So it was a craft table until I hated my kitchen table and gave it away because I couldn't look at it for one more moment. Then I had no table and no chairs in my kitchen. Some days are like that, I just dislike something and one day I wake up and decide I'm done. Irrevocably. And that glass topped table, I hated that thing. And the awful custom tile shower I sledgehammered. Couldn't do one more day.

One of my friends came and kept me company Saturday night while I removed glue from my bathroom walls. I managed to only have 5 steam burns from the steamer. Calling that a win! And came off much better than with the chemical remover. I have about four hours of wallpaper glue removal left I think. It's a boring process and wish I had more friends to hang with while I did the rest. My little guy helped by watching and sitting on the step ladder ;). He's too cute! Overall, about 6 hours Saturday night, another 4 hours on Sunday. Getting there! Next weekend finishing that and ripping up the floor. Big plans!

And made it to the gym Saturday for an amazing workout. After the workout I brought Lil Man into the pool with me. He had a great time splashing and playing and jumping off the edge and into my arms. No one else was in there so we weren't disturbing any lap swimmers :). Visited my aunt as well and even managed to clean my car.

Sunday had my dad and daughter over for dinner. Cajun chicken linguni. No where near as good as what they serve at Red Lobster, but it'll do :). Lil Man loved playing with Big Sister, he was waiting for her to get done with work all day long. Dad fixed the J channels for the mirrors in the bathroom before dinner too. So much to do yet in there... Then finally everyone left at almost 11pm and I was able to take MY first bath in the bathtub! Very enjoyable!

This morning I did a mile in the pool, it was very busy. Two per lane and when doing the side stroke and breast stroke sometimes the person on the inside of the lane, their foot goes under the line and onto the other side. Really happens ALL THE TIME. I've been kicked more times than I can count. It happens in a small lap pool like that. Today, I was doing the side stroke facing away from the center line. The guy on the other side was a really quiet swimmer and with the side stroke, I couldn't see him. I ended up kicking him 3 times. At the end of the lane when we were both there I apologized, because well, crap happens but still nice to say sorry. And he goes into this tirade of how I should be more careful and that I could kick someone in the head and that he knows it's not his fault because he was on his side of the line and that I kicked him 5 times (It was 3!) and I need to have more control of my swimming... 

Jerk, I said sorry. Move on. And yeah, predominantly my fault because I did kick him. But I am NOT an uncontrolled swimmer! When I hear someone close (or see them if I can see them), I minimize my kick until we pass, that minimizing is restrictive and less controlled. And when someone is doing the breast stroke on the other side of the line and I'm swimming, I watch for them too. He clearly was not making any effort to avoid being kicked. Can't see you, quiet swimmer so can't hear you... So, yeah. And I was making a ton of effort to attempt to avoid him. In all the miles of swimming I've done he's the only person I've kicked more than once and I very VERY rarely kick anyone. I'm more often kicked than the one kicking people. He was new to the pool, well I haven't seen him before anyway. But I can guarantee that if he doesn't also make an effort to avoid being kicked, he's going to get kicked by more than just me :). And I'll feel vindicated!

No dating life to update. Thinking if I don't accidentally meet someone at Menards in the next few months, maybe after my half marathon and Tough Mudder in September and October, and hopefully a trip to Florida or San Diego in October, then when that's all done, I might consider re-opening a dating profile. Maybe. Or maybe not. I really don't want to do random dating. I want to like someone and have it just happen. But well, where would I meet someone? Wait around in the veggie area at the store for a guy carrying a basket instead of pushing a cart? Has to be veggies, want a healthy guy. Basket implies single. Or ask a guy at Menards to help fix something? You'd think a guy fixing his own place would at least be generally stable. Eh, someday... 

In My Own Head

Just some random thoughts tonight, I swim about 3 times a week for about a mile. That ends up being about two and a half hours a week with basically no noise. I don't have the sweet headphones for underwater and really kind of like the silence. Silence is divine some days.

While swimming I've decided I'm not nuts ;). If I can spend that long every week inside my own head without distractions I'm either perfectly sane or too crazy to know it. I'm leaning toward sane since nothing else in my life is particularly crazy.

When I clean at home I should not listen to music either. I ended up dancing with my broom for an hour the other night... and the floor did NOT get swept! Then I realized I had spent an hour dancing with a broom. Maybe that puts me in the crazy category? Or not. Maybe everyone dances with their broom?

And when at the gym, they always have music. And sometimes my song comes on and I want to dance. Which is Not Cool in the gym anyway. I do love to dance :). Maybe my son will love to dance, my daughter doesn't. I should add dancing to my criteria for my future possible boyfriend. Dancing should almost be a dealbreaker. However at the gym, it is frowned upon to dump the weights and start jamming out.

And today my son had his first bath at home!!!! You may remember my previous post about showering my son because we had no bathtub? Well, now we have a bathtub and he loved it! I can't wait for my turn :). With a book, a wine cooler, and candles.

Ok, think that's all my random thoughts for tonight. It's been a crazy busy night at work, took me all night to write this, but it's a good day. I might do some dancing when I get home yet, work on my vertical barre routine (to be pc apparently that's how you're supposed to say pole dance fitness). 

Have a good night world!

In Recovery! Return to Blogging!

So some of you may have been wondering where I went. I spent about a year being nearly unable to walk but still managed to get to the gym a little anyway. So this January I had back surgery. A microdiscectomy at level L5-S1, herniated by 14mm. I'm seven weeks post op about and at week six I was allowed back in the gym!

Most important thing, despite pain and agony and near death, I still did the Tough Mudder last year. Biggest priority of the year and only thing that was going to stop me was death itself :).

I'm back at the gym and swimming 3 days a week. I managed to maintain swimming last year till about October before I couldn't do that anymore either. My mile record pre-surgy was 39:00 in a saltwater pool. This Monday, 6w6d post op, I was only 40 seconds shy of my pre-surg PR!!! 39:40
Three days a week will be spent in the pool indefinitely. Two days swimming a mile, mid week water aerobics.

Other awesome news, I'm allowed to lift a total of 30 lbs, though I started with 20, two ten pound dumbbells for my first week and decided to stick with that for week two. Upping that at 10 lbs every two weeks though my doc said never with the bar across my shoulders at more than 50 lbs as a lifetime restriction. For this first 6 weeks, Super set 1: wide squats, narrow squats, and deadlifts. Super set 2: Bench press and chest fly's. Super set 3: Split squat, shoulder press, and overhead tricep extension (with just one dumb bell for that last one). All at 15 reps of two sets. Then of course the pull up/dip station with a 70 lb assist for now. Taking it easy you know ;). After that over to the stepper and doing boring boring step ups forward, backward, lateral. My right hip is much weaker than my right and it will take time to get that rebalanced strength. Those are also all 2 sets of 15 reps. 

Followed by the stationary bike for 30 min steady state or intervals depending on my mood. Then stretching for 10-15 min. I used to end with yoga but the scar tissue is currently too irritated to do that. So basic everything stretching. 

At week 10 I'll be allowed to run again starting at half a mile and upping no more than half a mile a week. Training will begin for my 10k this summer and my first half marathon this September followed by the Tough Mudder two weeks after that! 

In more personal news, I was in a great deal of pain nearly all of 2015. I left my very verbally and emotionally abusive ex in 2014. I made some bad choices and attempted to work things out with him very briefly this past year. Part of that was giving up. Depression caused by the pain made me have very little motivation or care much about what happened to me. He threatened to punch me and the police were called. He'd been physically violent with me before and I wasn't going to end up someone's punching bag. We were done. Truthfully we were done before we started. I knew he was not what I wanted and only tried because I felt like I was supposed to. The only thing I can be glad about with trying again with him is that I kept separation even during the trial, he moved back into my house but in a separate bedroom. It didn't take long even with that separation for him to attempt to control me again. I always want to believe people are better than they are and that they learn from their mistakes and wont hurt me again. Truth is people are who they show you they are. 

I've been doing everything as a single parent since my son was born basically and I met someone who I thought was ok with this shortly before my surgery. That person seemed to be everything I wanted and was looking for. A guy who takes care of his kids and cares about what happens to me. Someone who values fitness and clean eating. Who lives his life in a way that meshes well with mine. Someone I could picture growing with and decorating Christmas tree's with every year. This ended, but confirmed two things for me. I do very much know exactly what I want and I don't have to accept less. Ok, I learned something else too, my son is not a complication, he's the best part of me.

I am for the first time in years pain free! And fully happy. It's a good day to be alive :).