Monday 05.05.08: 186.4 stinkin' pounds

OK. I need to start focusing on dropping some pounds if I'm going to have a shot at running. It's been about 3 1/2 weeks since the surgery, and since May 1st I've been allowed to walk around without my walking boot on all the time. While the boot was still on, I pretty much stuck to an indoor recumbent or upright bike for my daily habit. Now I've been able to use my rowing machine and my elliptical machine, and yesterday and today I took Oslo out for walks. Dr. Thomas has told me all along that I could return to running 6-8 weeks post-surgery, and I've told myself all along that I may wait longer to get back to it.

My foot feels better (and looks better) and much of the swelling has gone down. There's still swelling and pain in it, though, and I'm nowhere near the point where I'd want to try running on it (even on the treadmill). I go back and forth on it. Sometimes I think confidently that the surgery has corrected much of the problems I've dealt with the last 2+ years, and that when it's all healed up, I'll be able to gradually ease back into running. And other times, I think that's a pipe dream (no, I'm not on the pipe) and that my foot's gonna be fucked for the foreseeable future. I worry that there was more than just the stress fractured sesamoid bone causing me pain in that area, and that I'll have to deal with that problem. I worry that my neuroma pain will return with all the swelling and trauma to my foot causing the neuroma to grow again. I worry about scar tissue. But then I'll remember that I had surgery to correct a problem, and it may have just done that.

So I weighed in at 186.4 pounds this morning. Here's my previous weigh-ins that I have handy:

• 04.29 183.2#
• 04.16 182.0#
• 03.31 183.0#
• 03.28 185.6#

We had some pizza last night, so that may have spiked the number up a bit, and I could see some "self correction" for tomorrow's weigh-in. I do plan to weigh myself most mornings going forward. Here's a list of short term plans and goals to increase my activity, increase my fitness, decrease my weight, and get myself prepared for a run at running:

Week of 05.05.08-05.11.08

• Update the blog regularly
• 7:00+ of activity for the week
• 2:00 of walking Oslo (this has really slipped with my foot issues and then the surgery)
• 2 weight lifting sessions
• Weigh-in each day this week

Short-Term Weight Goals/Plans

• 180# by 05.22.08 (6 weeks post-surgery - make next goal when I reach 180#)
• No running before I'm down to 175#

Ultimately, I should have an easier time with my weight - I have one less bone weighing me down, right? This week, I'll work a mix of the rower, elliptical, bike, and weights along with walking Oslo, and possibly walking some on the treadmill.

More tomorrow...