Road Blocks

My last entry talked about my new journey and how I am running and back in the gym lifting weights. I went on and on about consistency and how I am ACTUALLY doing it this time. Could that post have been what jinxed me? Only five days after posting, I had a little set back. On my rest day, I was working at my PT job (as a sales associate in a local running store). We got a call from another store location looking for a missing shoe. As I was kneeling on the floor, leaned over a shoe box, with the phone perched between my shoulder and ear, I felt the muscles in my middle back cease up...intensely. It was so intense that it literally took my breath away. It was as if the back muscle was shrinking into itself and pulling back on my lungs so there was less room for air. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. Thankfully it was only 15 minutes until closing. I slogged through my closing tasks and ended up driving to my boyfriend's house, just a short 1.5 mile drive. I was afraid to go home, where I would be alone, in fear that I would wake up in the morning and not be able to get out of bed. It took a week to be able to move again without pain. For the first few days I couldn't even just sit in a chair without pain. Doctor visit just revealed a pulled muscle. I guess I went a little too beast mode right away and my body decided to let me know about it.

I decided to jump back in where I left off in the plan and got another 2 weeks under my belt. I continued to feel strong and consistent. And then the next road block jumped in my way. The work project that I had been involved with for months was finally going to be deployed to the real world. I skipped my first workout on "deployment day". And while I tried to use my workouts the first few days to help balance the stress of the go-live experience, I wasn't ready for that kind of schedule balancing. And off the wagon I fell....again. And in the grand tradition of me...I was hard on myself and gave up completely. I didn't even really run much, not the smartest of plans with a half marathon looming, but the stress overwhelmed and engulfed me...and I let it. It would be a full seven weeks before I attempted to take back my workouts. But on June 5th, I decided that enough is enough. The only controlling interest in my schedule and my goals was going to be me. And I took back control in a BIG time way!