6 Week Challenge

Last week I wrote a blog post about how I felt like I could finally call myself a runner…and subsequently also jinxed myself, because the very next day I hurt my ankle/foot. It’s been almost a full 5 days since my injury (6 hours in the ER, bandage, icing, crutches and lots of rest prescribed) and I won’t lie – I spent much of it being internally negative/pessimistic. I gave myself through the weekend to have my little period of dark clouds, and did enough unhealthy eating and drinking to demand a reset. While I was simmering in my own self pity I also got to thinking about how I wanted to move forward through both my injury and my own areas of focus. Knowing how I tend to be, I decided on a 6 week “challenge” for myself, because 1. This will cover the period of time between now and my (scheduled) half marathon, and 2. It will take me through the end of October and give myself a nice reset/setup for the holiday season.

Here is my plan, generally: More positive moves, less things that would be a setback in some way.

Specifically this looks like:
No online ordering. If I’m being honest, COVID gave me a good excuse to “convenience” EVERYthing. With that, from now through the end of October I am no longer allowed to have my groceries delivered, no Amazon purchases and no meal delivery like Doordash/Grubhub/UberEats. I tend to lean on the ease of these platforms a LOT and because of that I also tend to purchase more things than necessary. This morning I logged into my apps and removed my associated cards from the “wallet” so even if I try to buy something, I will be reminded because there will be no card on file to “one click” the order. This is not to say I can’t buy things – I just have to GO to the store and get them. I know this may seem silly; however, I know how much I hate leaving home, and how I don’t enjoy crowds and stores – so this will do nicely to curb some spending and cut some calories.

Along with the lack of delivered meals for the coming 6 weeks, I have vowed once again to do some “boring” meal prep and cooking. This is good for my budget AND my waistline. I chose to focus on this area because I recognize if my foot/ankle injury doesn’t heal in the very near future, my running will be greatly diminished and I will quickly put on the weight that I’ve lost since I will no longer be burning 300-1000 calories per run like I was. I also know that I want to clean up my diet so I can help my body heal optimally. It’s tough enough for our bodies to repair themselves from the stress, workouts, and general life wear and tear, but even more difficult when fueled poorly. I have big plans for the coming year, for my Triple Crown (3 half marathons between January to August 2022), so I will need to be in peak shape to maintain that training schedule. Even if my current training gets delayed and I can’t take part in my October half marathon, I want to lay the ground work for future me to pick up training and run with it (pun intended!).

Less drinking. I have written about my love affair with alcohol in the past many times, and with football season upon us…this could make for a perfect storm. I am a believer in “everything in moderation” so I’m going to do my best to stick to the following guidelines for alcohol for the next 6 weeks:
1. Monday – Thursday – 1 drink per day.
2. Scheduled events (on the calendar already) such as a beer fest, dates and/or outings with friends are allowed (some) exception but ideally not more than 2 drinks per outing on a weeknight. Of course Browns Football games are an exception as well.

More water, stretching and foam rolling.
It is now apparent to me, through my half marathon training, the importance of pre & post workout care. I used to be a person who would never warm up or cool down, but here we are…injured and annoyed. Along with various supplements that I have added to my daily vitamin intake (such as potassium and magnesium), I have committed to drinking 3 refills of my 32oz water bottle per day, along with foam rolling/stretching. I have neglected to give my body the care and rest it requires and I’m paying for it…so lesson learned, let’s do better!

All things combined, it seems like a lot (perhaps) but I believe it is a manageable list. I also like that I have an end date for this, so it won’t feel so bad in the short term – and I am excited to see how this all goes in the coming weeks!

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