Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

Taking two weeks off of exercise sucks. I hate it. But that’s exactly what I had to do, thanks to the plantar fasciitis in my left foot, and the injury in my right knee. It’s a good thing to let the body heal, so I’m trying to be good, and not rush back into exercise. I don’t want to aggravate anything.

The first week of no exercise was tough, because I missed it, and yearned for it. But then, in the second week, I swung to the far other end of the pendulum and start thinking maybe I’ll never exercise again, and I’m just fine with that thought.

67 Miles of Biking in St Joseph, Michigan

Say hello to my dragon buddy!

I met him while vacationing in St. Joseph, Michigan. We watched July 4th fireworks from the bluff, spent lots of time at the beach, and had lots of quality family time. I also biked a lot. Over seven hours, split between six different workouts!

The Worst Race Recap Ever

On Saturday, hundreds of people competed in the Tower 2 Tower stair race in Oxnard, California. I’ve been planning on being there for months now, but I did not race that day. And that makes this recap the worst recap ever.

Long story short: I injured myself a few days prior.

Long story long: On Wednesday, I decided to

Aftermath

I thought I’d be done blogging about my Birthday Burpee experience – especially since my last post was literally titled “I’m DONE with Birthday Burpees!” – but it turns out there’s one little post-script, and it’s this: I woke up the next day in pain.

Crap. An Injury Nine Days Before My Next Race.

How was your weekend? I spent most of mine in bed or on my couch. I had to, because I woke up on Friday with unbearable pain in my foot.

My left foot looks completely normal, right? There’s no swelling, redness, or bruising. And yet as soon as I

Will The Suffering Ever End?

OVERLY-DRAMATIC HEADLINE ALERT! Sorry about that, folks, I couldn’t resist. Sadly, it’s true. I don’t like that I’m writing back-to-back posts about health problems, but those are the cards I’ve been dealt this week.

First, let me address the depression that I discussed in my last post. Break out the bubbly, because I’m over it. I have this blog to thank, because writing about it really helped process what I was thinking. It was therapeutic. And thanks to the family and friends that reached out. That was a really wonderful help, too.

So what do I have to complain about this time?

My Stair Climb is Officially Postponed.

The easiest way to say it is to just say it:

I have to postpone this Saturday’s stair climb. I won’t be climbing the equivalent of the Burj Khalifa (pictured at left) this weekend, but it will be done.

The postponement is because of my foot injury. It’s gotten better over the past two days, but not enough to feel comfortable working out on it, let alone use it to climb 163 stories on a StairMaster. I’m still trying to keep it elevated and iced, and I’m limiting my walking and not putting any undue stress on it.

Here’s the thing: I want to do this stair climb when I’m at the top of my game. Climbing 163 stories without stopping won’t be easy, and I want to be able to keep my focus on the task in front of me, and not worry about whether my foot will hold up through the whole thing. I want to be strong and prepared, and not nervous about aggravating an injury that may have just healed.

I won’t be any of those things by Saturday.

So I’m giving myself two additional weeks to heal, train, and prepare. My 163-story stair climb challenge is now scheduled for Saturday, May 5, 2012. It’ll be the best Cinco de Mayo EVER!

I feel a little crappy about postponing, even though I know it’s the right thing to do. So I want to take a moment to reassure everyone – especially the 39 donors (!) that have contributed over $1,450 bucks (!!) to the Whaley Children’s Center in Flint, Michigan – that this postponement will definitely just a postponement. I have no intention of canceling. I will climb 163 stories on the StairMaster. I’ve worked too hard to just give up. This challenge means an awful lot to me, and while I don’t want to let my donors down, the person I most don’t want to let down is myself.

Thank you for understanding. If you’d like to learn more about my stair climb challenge, click here. If you’d like to make a donation (I’m still $175 short of my goal!) than click here.

Even though I’m trying as much as possible to stay off my foot, I’m still hitting the gym. Last night I hit up the gym for the second night in a row of doing seated upper-body weight lifting exercises. Lots of chest and shoulder presses, rows and lateral pull-downs, and my new favorite machine at the gym, the Marpo VMX Rope Trainer, where you continually pull on a looped rope, working most of your upper body all at one time. Last night I pulled that rope for 17 minutes, burning 200 calories – and all without ever putting my weight on my foot.

Keep it up, David!