Three days pass and no goals

Well, I said I would have a list of goals 3 days ago, but I have not had a moment to sit down and collect my thoughts. There's been a lot of last minute Christmas shopping, dinners, brunches, errand running and house remolding. As u can see its been busy, but I have my Thursday planned. So, there is time set aside to do some planning and things of that nature.

On a side note, I just recieved my power90 (beginners P90x) discs that I ordered. I am kinda excited to get started, but I want to start the program with the wife. So, that means planning when, how, and some meal planning as well. I guess it is better to have a plan, then jumping in with both feet and hoping to stick the landing.

Trying to get back on the horse, and re- start/re-energize this whole weight loss journey. 1 year down with little to now results. It's time to start anew!

If you have ever lost focus, what did u do to re-gain control? I need every tip/ trick I can get.

The Winter Slump

The winter slump is trying to set in. I've pretty much lost all focus on my goals. I've worked out on and off for the last few months and at this present moment I feel like I have giving up. I still have clue why I find it so hard to commit to exercise and eating healthy. I have no explanation for it, except that I must be that freakin lazy or I have no problem with where I am at. That last part has to be wrong, because I have a problem with a lot of things. Such as the way I fit in my clothes, the way I fit in booths at restaurants, and the way my body just aches all the time. Nobody likes feeling this way, but it is hard to admit that I am lazy, that I am afraid of doing things outside my comfort zones, just plan afraid of looking foolish. The funny thing about it is that I know no one is looking at me as I workout, swim, or bike, but every time I just feel like there are a thousand eyes mocking me and just thinking ugly thoughts. It sucks that I have not found the strength to just say "F&$@ it!" and do what I need to do at the gym or pool.

"It's all in your head! It's all in your head!" is what i have to tell myself every time I step out to go exercise or go to a restaurant and it is exhausting trying to fight your self. It is so freakin exhausting. I need to find away to just step out of my own way. Ive read about positive self-talk and i I am going to try more positive self-talk.(explanation will be in later posts.) Hell, I got to try something. I do not want to look back on another year and see that for all my accomplishments I really have nothing to show for it.

I gotta to start small and set realistic obtainable goals. I will stop looking at the end of next year or a month from now and just look at today. "How can I be a better person today? What healthy choices can I make today? ". There will come a time when I will be able to set goals for the future, but for right now I am going to work on daily goals until I can gain control over my lack of commitment an focus.

So, tomorrow/today is Monday. I am going to work on a list of goals I would like to accomplish on a daily basis and I will post them tomorrow. So, I can refer back to them when needed.

Sunday November 11th - Day ?

Today, the wife and I picked up a year membership to the rec center near the house. While there I rode the stationary bike 4.9 miles and did a couple of the arm machines. Not to much, but it's a start. I'm looking into getting a personal trainer and also doing some water aerobics. There is a water aerobics(aerobic) class Monday at 10 I am going to try to attend. That's if I don't have a meeting around that time. I have to check the work calendar tomorrow.

Woke up 5 minutes late

Today was a good start of waking up with my alarm clock. It was set for 6:45 and I got up at 6:50. I'm pretty sure I woke up at 6:50, because my alarm sound was actually part of my dream. You should not play battlefield 3 and set your phones alarm to sound like an actual alarm.

Also, today was not a bad food day as well. I had oatmeal for breakfast, Greek yogurt, flaxseeds, and almonds fir a snack, lunch I had 2 grilled chicken breast, mixed steamed veggies, and butternut squash and greens risotto(, and for dinner I had pasta with a slow cooker tomato sauce thing with a lice of pecan pie.

No exercise! Have not got the motivation yet. Working in progress!!

The scale is going the wrong way!

I woke up this morning and hoped in the scale. Didn't think I was doing to bad, at the least I was maintaining what I had lost. Well, the number looking back at me this minting was not what I expected. I am back in to the 330. 333.2 to be exact. I am very disappointed in my damn self. I am anger that I worked to lose the weight and then y acts of laziness allowed it to creep back up. I have to stop the cycle. It's so difficult to lose the extra weight, but a few days of bad habits can add it back on quickly. I know this is not an easy task, but damn. If I am not watching and trying every freakin day, the weight monster seems to catch up and jump back on. I know this is my fault, because I look at everything health is a pain or a chore, but I don't know how else to look at it. It's always been WORK to eat healthy and exercise. I have to fun a way to change my mindset. I have to start to love the earthy food I put into my body. Also, I have to figure out how to like exercise, again.

If anyone has any suggestions, I am all ears.

It'shard to get up in the mornings!

Why must it be so difficult to wake up in the morning. No matter what time I go to bed, my body seems to think 7 - 7:30 is a good time to actually say up. If I set the alarm for 6 or 630 I am dead tired, but at 7 as the sun peeks through the windows I am wide awake. In wonder if it is just a light thing? I set the alarm for 6 so I can get up and do some type of exercise, but I usually sleep right through it. I think I am going to try to set my alarm back 15 minutes every week. So instead of setting for 6am, I am going to set it for 6:45. Hopefully, this will help regulate my waking up patterns.

For those of you that still read my blog, how do you get yourself to wake up with the alarm?

Day 2 - Day 5

Some time technology sucks. I thought I posted Day 2 and Day 3 from my phone, but looks like I did not have the good fortune for it to post. I am going to try and re-cap as much as possible. I know it's only been 4 days, but sometimes my thoughts and memories of days run together. Damn technology!!!! I am going to start backwards.

Day 5 - Wednesday 19 October 2011
So, I have not been keeping track of what I eat. I just stopped going out to grab lunch. I figure if it is in the house I need to eat it and stop wasting my money on food that is pretty much going to kill me. It is hard not to go out for lunch. I know, I work at home and it should be easy for me to stay in, but if you have a habit to go out and get food; it's hard to break. I am trying and I will beat my fast food demon. Even though I have not been keeping up with the caloric intake, I have felt much better. I don't feel so tired and ran down. I am pretty sure I am eating less calories, since I am not eating all the fatty, salty, greasy food from the golden Archy's, the red headed beast or that creepy king. I will keep trying to my habit on the daily.

On the exercise front. I started the Hundred Pushups app and completed Week 1 Day 1 for a total of 46 pushups and I took the the dog for a walk during lunch for 30 minutes. In the evening, my wife tried to make me go run with her, if she could not find anyone else to go. I am not a big fan of working out in the cold weather. I was totally against it and somehow I won. After she went to the grocery store, she gave me a choice and I took the easiest choice of not going. Looking back on it, it was not the best decision. I need to be encouraged when someone is trying to encourage me to get healthy.

Day 4 - Tuesday 18 October 2011

Well, this would be a good time to have a food log. I have not a clue which day I ate what. I know on Tuesday I had home-made chili for lunch and dinner(Leftovers from Monday). Other, then that I have no clue what all I ate. Exercise wise, I did P90X Chest and Shoulders on Day

Day 3 - Monday 17 October 2011

Once again I need to log my food. Only thing I can remember is the Chili I had for dinner. I did nothing for exercise. This will not happen again. I can do better. Totally just remembered that Monday was the date of the Motivation Seminar. Well, that changes things. I totally remember what I ate. Since, I was running late for my Carpool, I could not eat anything from the house. We grabbed McD's (Sausage, egg, and cheese Biscuit w/ Coke) before we headed downtown. Then we walked 6 blocks to the Arena set through a few hours of speakers and then eat concession food (1 slice of Hunt's Brother pizza w/ small Coke)  for lunch. Then we walked another 6 blocks back to the car. Then, I had the awesome SPICY chili my wife made.

Day 2 - Sunday 16 October 2011

This day was a very special day. My nephew was baptized today. My wife and I were named god parents. Then, we went to Monell's at the Manor with the whole family for linner. If you don't know about Monell's, it is a Southern family style eatery. I totally give it two thumbs up. I pretty much ate my butt off (well on). I had 2 pieces of fried chicken, green beans, 2 biscuits, 1.5 glasses of fruit tea, a taste of candied  yams, corn pudding, roast beef, mac & cheese, pulled pork, and Cajun catfish. Then for desert they had this fabulous concoction called strawberry lasagna.It was pretty freakin amazing. This was the first time I went to Monell's. Can you tell? Glad we do not do this very often, well pretty much not at all. Exercise was not on my agenda today. I felt like a tick and did not want to move.        

Things to take away from these last couple of days
I need to keep track of my food and make sure my blogs post properly. Need to work out more. It's a slow process. I am not trying to have a fad diet or exercise plan. I am trying to change my life. Like the saying goes, "Rome was not built in a day". So, I won't be re-built in a day. It is going to take work, mistakes/missteps, and more work to get to my goal.

Day 1

Day one was pretty good. I hit 10 miles on the bike. I was doing really well on the calories until this evening my wife brought home fajitas. I am not sure exactly how many calories fajitas are, but I feel I did not eat all of it. I ate all the chicken, but not much of the rice, beans, and guacamole salad. I need to work on my water intake. Well that's all folks. Day 1 down!

New start, well a re-start!

I have been I a funk and have not been able to shake it. Since, the B2JB, I have not ran or biked. It's been extremely difficult to get up and and exercise. Heck, I haven't even wanted to plan my exercise. I really don't know by I'm in this funk, but I have slowly tried to make small changes to try and break out of it and get back to training. I have two more months of 5ks for the year and then start planning next years events. Which will include a mini-triathlon. I need to get my motivation and swagger back. I just don't know where to start.

Like, I said earlier I am trying to make small changes. So, the first thing is my eating habits. A few months ago my doctor told me to start eating a 1800 calorie diet. I started off strong an slowly fizzled on the endeavor. I am back on that and I am bound and determined to stick to it. I know there will be slip ups here and there, but I have to eliminate those slip ups. It's been difficult. I kinda start/restarted this adventure the Monday after the B2JB, but I have not been I the mood to blog about it at all.

The next step to this plan is to blog for 30 days straight. 30 DAYS! I was told that a habit is formed after 30 days of doing something. The plan is simple, blog for 30 days and then keep blogging after that. That's it, simple!

On the same note I am going to exercise for 30 days straight. I have to exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. That 30 minutes can come in 10 minute increments or all at once. Everything, over 30 mins. Is money in the bank. So there is a crap load of stuff I can do. I have to get back into running, biking, swimming, P90X, weight training, and yoga. So, I have a lot of choices. This is the beginning of my plan. There is no set distance, just time. There is going to be days where I just to the minimum and there will be days I kick it up and knock out a hour or two.

This is my plan and the 30 days goes in effect tomorrow Saturday, October 14.

Any words of wisdom, support, or comments please leave them.

What will you do for 30 days?

"Bike to Jack and Back" Recap

The ride took place over a week ago. I have not really been in the mood to blog. I am kinda in a slump right now, but I am working my way out.

The B2JB was pretty fun. I took it slow and steady. I was nervous and freaking out the whole time before the race started. The events before the race went like this: We met up with the rest of team Walgreens and got jersey. When I say the jersey was tight it was tight. I felt a little like a pig in a blanket, but it was not as tight as the V.I.B.E jersey. That jersey was like it was painted on. Anyways, we get our jerseys, take the team photo and start getting ready to ride. I get my bike ready, grab a crap ton of gu, and take my bike to the bike mechanics station to get my tire pressure checked. They check the tires and see that they need more air. This is were things start to go wrong. They inflate the tire, try to pull off the pump from the valve stem and rip the valve stem off. So, my tire now needs to be replaced. I walk over to the other mechanic station and they give me a new tube and I get it inflated. As I am getting my tire fixed the ride starts, so I freak out some, but I remember that this is a ride not a race. There is no official time or anything, just "survive". I hit the Start line and head out. The first rest stop is only 6-7 miles away. There is not much to say about the first leg of this adventure. There was a pretty large hill that I had to walk up, but I knew it was coming. I get over that hill and everything else before the first rest stop was gravy. I hit the first rest stop, grabbed water, Gatorade, and some snacks. I chatted with some members of Team Walgreens and a few other cyclist. Then, I head off again.

Rest stop two was 9 miles away from the 1st rest stop. The ride was not to bad. There were some rolling hills and a lot of me resting. Hills are my kryptonite. I did my best to power up as many hills as possible,  but there were a few that I had to walk up. I am still in this fight. Before, I knew it I was pulling into the 2nd rest stop. At this point I felt great. Filled water bottles, pounded down some Gatorade, ate pickle chips, and talked with a few cyclist. Two members of team Walgreens and I head out for the next Waterin' Hole(rest stop) and lunch. The next stop is 14 miles away.

This seems to be the flattest part of the course. To bad I can't switch gears to add resistance, so I can propel myself forward. I totally feel like a hamster. My legs keep turning but I am barely going anywhere. Well, don't get me wrong I am still moving, but not as fast as I would like. I ride into the 3rd waterin hole with Rob and Mandy, also with Team Walgreens. Mandy and I hit the mechanics stand. I thought it would be a big fix for my shifter. It was NOT! The bike mechanic tightened/loosened a screw and that was it. Mandy's back tire had dry-rot. While her bike was getting fixed we had lunch, more Gatorade and water, and watched a little football. After lunch, we learned that the mechanic had to run to Walmart to get Mandy a new tire. So, we set back and waited until her bike was fixed, then we took off for the next waterin hole which was 12 miles away..

Some where on this section I start cramping. I grab my water bottle and pretty much empty it. I stop and stretch and keep drinking. I know once a cramp starts, it is hard to stop it from happening, but I was going to fight this until I had to stop. I get 6 miles in, pull into a church parking lot, and my my left leg just locks up. Luckily there was a sag wagon to pick me up and take me to the best darn waterin hole ever. Once we get to the Walgreens waterin' hole, I hobble out of the sag wagon, meet my wife. She helps me stretch and then I meet the massage ladies from Zen massage in Spring Hill. They work me over and get my legs as loose as possible, but I still can barely walk. So, I make a decision that I am going to sag the rest of the way. So, I hit 36.6 miles. I am freakin proud of what I accomplished. I actually signed up for an event with out prodding, trained for it, and participated.

After the ride we all got cleaned up and hit the party on the hill. It was some great food and music. As the night went on I slowly started dosing off in the middle of dinner and the bus ride back. As soon as we got back to the camp, we settled in our tents and got ready to go to sleep. I wondered how late is was since I was so freakin tired, after looking at my watch I found out it was only 7:30. Mike and Court was already asleep, but I could not sleep due to the noise from the buses. I finally got to sleep.

Day 2 I did not ride, due to soreness. I helped out at the Walgreens waterin' hole and then headed back to the Finish line at Page High School to wait for Mike to cross the finish line. All in all it was a good two days. I enjoyed every minute of it and though I cramped up. Next year I will go farther. Since, I pretty much have all year to train, I should conquer this beast.

Thank you to everyone who donated to this great cause and the cheers from friends on Facebook. 

Bike to Jack and Back training notes

Training for the "Jack and Back" has been pretty tough. There's been moments where everything seems to be going great and then you take two weeks off and the whole thing goes to s%&t. I know I should have not taken the two weeks off. I have no excuse for it. It was bad form and I am trying to not let it happen again. I somehow just lost focus of my goal. Which, seems to happen a lot. The two week lay-off really hurt my progress. I am still able to ride relatively far, but I just don't have that comfort that I had earlier when I was training. Last week I rode pretty much everyday in preparation for Team Walgreens 30 mile training ride. I freaked out all week about the ride, but I did pretty well. I did not make it the whole 30, due to a user malfunction on a hill. You really never want to slam your gear into the lowest gear, you want a little resistance to actually be able to push your pedals up hills. Once, I stopped on the middle of the hill, I figured I should turn back and head back to the cars. I was pretty tired on the return trip, but I pushed through and hit 26 miles. 4 miles short of the goal, but I will take it. One big positive was that I conquered the hill in front of Ravenwood High School. One the 1st training ride I resorted to walking up the hill on the trip out and back. On this ride I decided I can make it up and over. So, I dug deep and just kept my feet moving until I made it up that sucker on both trips. It was pretty freaking awesome. Now, I know I have to keep pushing everyday to get better.

Mike and I are heading out on an unofficial training ride this Saturday. We plan on riding from Thompson Station/Spring Hill to Nolensville and maybe/possibly we might ride back .The route is mapped out, I am nervous, and my biking shorts were delivered to the house. So, I have to break these things in tomorrow. Well, it should be a "fun" ride. Wish me luck, because I am going to need it..      

"Bike to Jack and Back" benefiting The National MS Society

On October 1 and 2 I will be participating in the Bike to Jack and Back supporting the National MS Society. It is a bike ride from Franklin to Lynchburg and back. My goal is to raise $1,000. I need to raise $300 to participate. Follow the links below to donate on my behalf. If you have any questions you can message me through facebook or leave a comment on the blog. Thanks in advance for your support.

Best regards,

William

Click here to visit my personal page.

If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=10005359&pg=personal&fr_id=16659&s_tafId=188855

Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with MS. That's why I registered for the MS Bike Ride, and why I'm asking you to support my fund raising efforts with a tax-deductible donation.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society is a community of individuals who are committed to achieving a world free of MS. It's faster and easier than ever to support this cause that's so important to me. Simply click on the link at the bottom of this message. If you prefer, you can send your contribution to the address listed below. Please be sure to include my name with your donation.

National MS Society

214 Overlook Cir Ste. 153

Brentwood, TN 37027

Any amount, great or small, helps to make a difference in the lives of people with MS. I appreciate your support and look forward to letting you know how I do.

P.S. If you would like more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, how proceeds from the MS Bike Ride are used, or the other ways you can get involved in the fight against MS, please visit nationalmssociety.org

Click here to visit my personal page.

If the text above does not appear as a clickable link, you can visit the web address:

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=10005359&pg=personal&fr_id=16659&s_tafId=188855

Running might be done!!!

I think I have put running on the back burner. At 329 pounds running was killing my knees, back, and ankles. Well let’s just say my entire lower half. So, I wanted to switch over to road biking. I figured it would be easier on my knees and more enjoyable. So, I went to Mike and asked to borrow his dad’s road bike, since we are both larger men his road bike would be a good option to see if I even like this new activity. I thought I would get a road bike, ride some, train for the next years “Bike to Jack and Back” event and everything would be good. Well, plans were slightly changed and there was this little saying that” there is no time like the present”. It’s not my quote, I don’t even like the quote, but some crazy person thought it was a good think to say it. So, I decided to register for the “Back to Jack and Back”. It took a lot of coaxing from Mike, but I decided that “there was no time like the present”.  I really was apprehensive about the whole biking 155/175 miles in 3 months. As I write this I am still apprehensive, but I am a little more optimistic after a training ride or two. I don’t know how the heck I am going to do this, but I am going to try my best to complete the ride.

The first day I got on the bike the not even a 20 feet down the road the back tire blow out. As I walked the bike back to Mike’s house I was totally freaking out. I am thinking crap I am to heavy for a road bike. Well there goes that idea. Once, I get back to Mike he tells me not to get discouraged, and he figured it would happen due to the tire having a bulge in the wall already. I pick of some tubes from DSG and a tire from Wal-Mart. The tubes were fine, but the tire from Wal-Mart would not go on the rim correctly. After several attempts to put the tire on the rim we decided to take the defect tire back to Wal-Mart and hit Cumberland Transit since I had a gift card. Once we picked up a proper tire and got it on the bike. We started training. The 1st ride was not too bad. I think it was 10 miles, 2^nd ride was 9. Then turning the week I put in 2 days of 7 miles and 1 day of 5 miles. Then Saturday August 6 we did 18.5 miles. Not a bad start for two weeks into training. During the ride Saturday I had issues with shifting the gears and then at mile ten I bent my rim. After bending the rim it was all downhill from there, it just felt like I could not do anything right. Shift, brake, pedal, everything just felt difficult. I was just pissed off the last 8 miles of this ride, but we pushed though and made it back to the house. Even though it was not a great ride, I was still glad I was able to do it.

Sunday and Monday I was suppose to ride, but I did not. I just did not feel like doing anything, during the week I try to ride in the morning before work, but I just can’t force myself to wake up in the morning. Then, if I don’t go in the morning, I don’t feel like doing it at lunch. It’s been difficult to train during the week. I did get out Tuesday during lunch and get in 5 miles. I need to ride some hills Wednesday to check the gears to see if they are shifting correctly. If not another trip to Mike’s to see what the problem could be. It might just be human error.            

Music City 5K/ 10K Recap

Let’s see the last 5K I participated in was the Music City July 4^th 5K/10K. Not a bad race at all. The race was downtown and as most of you might know it’s not the flattest part of town. If I am not mistaken we started off on 4^th Avenue and headed to the Shelby Street Bridge. It was weird but the 1^st mile was the hardest. After the 1^st mile I was into a good groove of walking and running. I was never really sure of my pace, but I figured I was doing well. Mile 2 went over the Woodland Street Bridge which I had to walk up and over. I tried to jog over it, but my legs were not having it. There was a nice bit of walking and running from the bridge to Broadway. Once I hit Broadway I jogged the rest of the way to the finish line. I figured since it was downhill, I might as well let gravity take help me the rest of the way. As I rounded the corner onto 4^th Avenue and saw the finish line I cranked it up a notch, well half a notch. I pushed through the finish line. I probably ran more in this race then the other 5Ks combined and I think my legs felt the same way.

Time: 52:55

Pace: 17:05

I think this might have been one of my best race times.     

Updates and Mountain Bikes

Weight loss
Nov 12 = 345
Nov 26 = 342.8 (-2.2)
November Total = 2.2

Dec 10 = 340.2 (-2.6)

Jan 03 = 344.2 (+4.0)
Jan 10 = 337.8 (-6.4)
Jan 17 = 340.4  (+2.6)
Jan 24 = 340.4  (0.0)
January Total = -0.02

Feb 07 = 342.2 (+1.8) Feb 14 = 344.6 (+2.4)
Feb 21 = 339,2 (-5.4)
Feb 28 = 339.6 (+0.4)  337.4 (-1.8)
February Total = -3.0

Mar 07 – Did Not weigh-in

Mar 14 – Did not weigh-in

Mar 21 = 335.2 (-2.2)

March Total = -2.2

Apr 04 – N/A

Apr 11 – 335.6 (+0.4)

Apr 18 – 336.6 (+1.0)

Apr 25 – 336.6

April Total = +1.4

May 02 – N/A

May 09 – 336.2 (-0.4)

May 23 – 336.4 (+0.2)

May Total = -0.2

June 01 – 333.2 (-3.2)

June 13 – 334.0 (+0.8)

June 20 –

July 11 – 329.0 (-5.0)

Total loss so far = 16.0

Not sure were to start this Blog. My sister pointed out that I have not blogged since June 15^th, so I decided it was time to update this thing on my happenings. Since, it has been so a few weeks since I last posted this might be a fairly lengthy one.

Let’s see, I guess we can start with the mountain bike expedition to Chickasaw Trace. I was very excited and VERY (Extremely) nervous about this outing. If you know my track record of mountain biking, you can guess why I was a bit nervous. For those of you that don’t know, here is a quick run down.

1^st outing: Road around 5-6 miles of Chickasaw trails. Somewhere in there I started cramping in both my arms and then proceeded to cramp in both my legs. As you might have guessed it is extremely difficult to ride a bike when your lower half of your body is stiffing up. Well, I was able to walk out on my own accord.

2^nd Outing: Not to crazy, I believe I walked out of the trail after 2 miles. I just could not keep going.

3^rd Outing: We went camping in Fall Creek Falls, while there we decided to do a little mountain biking on an old jeep trail. It was not to bad except for the fact it was pretty much all up hill and there were trees down on the path. On top of carrying the bikes over trees we had to walk/ride up hill. I do not remember how many miles we got in, but we decided to turn around and head back to the car. We got past the downed trees and started riding down the hill. I decided to man up, have no fear and ride this sucker out. I was behind my buddy Chris as he took his lines down the hill. I decided to follow his line to the best of my ability. That did not go so well. I hit a rock, tapped the wrong break, or something, but I end up flying over the handle bars, hitting the ground, and the bike landing on top of me. I was fine except for the bruised ego and sprained ankle. I wish I had pics of that wreck. We walked the bikes out and loaded them up on the rack. As we loaded my bike we noticed the tire was turning funny. After looking at it for a minute we realized that I had bent the heck out of the front rim. Little banged up and bruised. I suspect the fear of hills and falling kicked in at this moment.

Now back to the present. Saturday July 2, Chickasaw trace. We loaded up the car and headed to the park. Once, there we unloaded the car and I realized I left my helmet back at Mike’s house. I thought he grabbed it, since it was beside his. After asking Mike if he grabbed my helmet and getting the answer “I’m not your wife!” I realized my helmet was not near his and was left by the water heater in the garage. Well, not the best start to a ride, but we decided to hit the trail. As we ride we get to the first obstacle, a small descent into a dip. It takes a few words of encouragement to get me to ride it, but I do and I make it. We ride on; somewhere in there the seat breaks. Mike slaps it back on and we hope that it holds. Obstacle number two comes up and I have a moment of freak out. I don’t want to ride it, I barely want walk down it. Now, looking back on it I feel like I freak out over nothing, but at the time I could not help myself. I saw myself breaking something. It takes Mike 20-30 min. to talk me into conquering my fear and just go. After talking the camel back and providing me his helmet. I decide its time to man up and just go for it. It did not end quite as well as I hoped but I did make it down and I did not get hurt. I can’t say that much for the bike. As I lay on the ground from the fall, I check my extremities to make sure they all work. Mike asked "if I was o.k.?' and holding up my bike. I say “Yes!” and get up, dust myself off and figured we can keep going. After checking that I was not hurt, Mike moved from in front of my bike to reveal the bent handle bars. So, needless to say we were walking out, but lucky for us the cut out was only a few steps away. We walked the bikes out and then headed back to the car. Once we got back up to the rode, I hopped back on the bike to ride it to the car with a slight lean and no seat (Mike had the seat in his hand). We got back to the car, put the bikes on the rack, and watched the video of the crash. Yes, we got video. I will load it below. All in all it was a good day. I did not get hurt. I can’t say the same for my bike, but I will do it again. Well, once I get new handle bars. 


This is long enough, so I will post a separate blog for the July 4th 5K/10K.

The Hill

Clipped Wing

Wednesday June15th - - Yearly Physical and more randomness

Tuesday and Wednesday, I did nothing, I know I set out to do two workouts a day and I did not do them for two days. Usually this would send me into a downward spiral. I would usually say “F*** this, I guess since I messed up I will start back next Monday”, I would then slowly become a garbage compactor and stat shoveling bad stuff into my body. Not this time, I am actually looking for to tomorrow and getting back on the horse. There is no need for me to wait until Monday or whatever arbitrary day I make up. I’ve come to a conclusion that there will be bad days. It’s what you do after those bad days that help develop who you are as a person. There will be days I don’t work out or eat the right foods, but it’s the next day, meal, or workout that needs to be better. So, I am going to stop looking at my small failures as a much larger failure. It’s a little strange for me to actually look forward to my C25K runs, but I am actually excited about my run tomorrow. Well, I guess it does not hurt when you get a little motivation from an outside force. I had my yearly physical today and I was dreading the weigh-in. Why? Well last year at my physical my doctor suggested I go see specialist about sleep apnea and to see if I needed a sleep study, due to my weight. Well, I went home that night and looked to see if my insurance covered the sleep study and how much was the out of pocket cost. To have a sleep study done it was going to cost me a few hundred bucks. I can not remember the exact cost, but it was more then I was willing to pay. So, I mad a deal with my PCP, that if I did not lose weight before my next physical, then I would go see the specialist. Well, the day of reckoning has come and I stood before the scale and passed the test. I have lost 20lbs since my last physical a year ago. I went from 256lbs to 336lbs. I was completely and utterly speechless. I totally was in shock and happy that there was no need for that sleep study, that I still did not want to spend money to have done. This is why I am looking forward to my run tomorrow. This is why I want to keep pushing. This is a small victory that has put some things in to perspective for little ol’ me. I want to have more victories (small or large). It felt great to put one in the win column. Heck, yeah!

On another note, Doc says I need to cut my caloric intake back to about 1800 calories from 2700 calories, so there might be some anger posts or just random rants about lack of food. So that means I will have to keep a better eye on the foods I eat, so I am going to give this food journal another shot. Wish me luck!

Monday June 13th, 2011 - First day of 2-a-days!!

Weight loss
Nov 12 = 345
Nov 26 = 342.8 (-2.2)
November Total = 2.2

Dec 10 = 340.2 (-2.6)

Jan 03 = 344.2 (+4.0)
Jan 10 = 337.8 (-6.4)
Jan 17 = 340.4  (+2.6)
Jan 24 = 340.4  (0.0)
January Total = -0.02

Feb 07 = 342.2 (+1.8) Feb 14 = 344.6 (+2.4)
Feb 21 = 339,2 (-5.4)
Feb 28 = 339.6 (+0.4)  337.4 (-1.8)
February Total = -3.0

Mar 07 – Did Not weigh-in

Mar 14 – Did not weigh-in

Mar 21 = 335.2 (-2.2)

March Total = -2.2

Apr 04 – N/A

Apr 11 – 335.6 (+0.4)

Apr 18 – 336.6 (+1.0)

Apr 25 – 336.6

April Total = +1.4

May 02 – N/A

May 09 – 336.2 (-0.4)

May 23 – 336.4 (+0.2)

May Total = -0.2

June 01 – 333.2 (-3.2)

June 13 – 334.0 (+0.8)

June 20 –

Total loss so far = 8.8

This morning I woke up at 6, sorted the laundry, started a load, emptied/loaded the dishwasher, and then watched some news. I probably did everything I possibly could to delay this mornings workout. Oh how I did not want to go for this run. Since, my knees were not hurting I told myself I had to go do my C25K. I REALLY did not want to do anything but sit on the couch and watch the news for the rest of the morning until I had to go to work. I tried, but TW was not going to win this round. I gathered my workout stuff and hit the road. It started out rather well, but I think it is time to update the workout mix on my iPod. I think I might do that this afternoon. This was week 3 day 1 of the C25K, which means I had to do a 5 minute warm-up(walk), then do intervals of jogging 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds, jog 3 minutes, walk 3 minutes. The 90 second intervals were not bad, but those 3 minute jogs were pretty hard. I had to stop a few times and walk, but I did not let myself walk longer then 10 seconds. Once the couch to 5K app ended I was towards the end of my street, so I jogged another 2 minutes and then walked the rest of the way home. I am surprised that my knees do not hurt that bad. I am still going to ice them, but I am just glad I can still walk.

Through out the rest of day I will do some push-ups. That reminds me I need to start using my 100 push-ups app again. Well, I think I am going to start that app today as well. Also, I will cut the grass this afternoon, not sure if I am going to count this as my 2^nd 30 minutes, but we will see. (More then likely not, depends on how I feel after I am done.)

Totally, missed doing push-ups today and I counted cutting the grass as my 2^nd workout. After, cutting the grass in the middle of the afternoon I was pretty beat.

Sunday, June 12th New Day, New Plan

So, Today started a new workout plan. I’ve started two-a-days. I am going to work out for a minimum of 30 minutes 2x a day. This plan has started off rather well. We got up this morning around 5:30 or 6 and put in a 30 minute run before church and then I tried my hand at yoga this evening. I keep forgetting that yoga kind of sucks. The stomach gets in the way of some of the poses, but I did my best. That’s all you can ask for, correct?

Tomorrow, I am going to try and do another run in the morning, depending on how my knees feel. Then, in the afternoon I have to cut the grass and hopefully in the evening I can get in another 30 minutes before I get to bed. So, this should be an interesting experience. I’ve got all these exercises in my head, so I hope I can get through everyday with two workouts.

Grapefruit, Beets and Carrots

Oh, on another note the wife and I started juicing fruits and veggies this week.   It has been pretty fun and not so fun. I think we only juiced 3 or 4 times and I think 1 out of the 4 tasted good. The rest were not bad, but they were not great. I’ve had a lot more veggies in my diet then ever before. We’ve juiced beets, wheat grass, cucumbers, apples, lemons, strawberries, carrots, oranges, and grapefruits. Still to come is radishes and kale. It has been an experience that we will more then likely continue.

Wheat-grass, strawberries, oranges, and carrots

Wednesday May 26,2011 - "To Push or Not to Push"

Monday and Tuesday I took off, due to residual soreness.

I ran this morning as soon as I woke up. I really did not think about it, I just got up and got outside. It was good to start my day off with a workout, but my left ankle/lower calf was sore from the race Saturday. It was not a bad workout, just not a far one. I know i should push through some pain, but i am afraid to hurt/injure myself and then be down for longer. So, how do you know when to push trough pain/discomfort or back off so you want injure yourself?

On a side note, as I read my new Men's Health today, I came across an article about rules you should follow when it come to the foods you eat. I am posting the rules below, because I am going to do my best to follow the rules. I am going to make it a kinda of food contract with myself. I will follow the rules as closely as possible. I know I am not perfect, but I will do my best to follow the below rules to the best of my ability. I will actually start cooking more and eating out less. When I do dine out I will make a conscious effort to make healthy choices. Who would like to join me in following these rules?


Rule 1
"I Will Eat Protein with Every Meal and Every Snack"

Your Plan: Eat protein at all three meals, which can include meats and eggs or other options such as cheese and milk. You need to boost your protein intake to between 0.8 and 1.0 gram per pound of body weight in order to preserve your calorie-burning muscle mass. (That's a total of between 83 and 126 grams daily for a 185-pound guy.) That means aiming for approximately 30 grams of protein at your main meals, and two snacks of at least 10 to 15 grams of protein.

Rule 2
"I Will Never Eat the World's Worst Breakfast"

Your Plan: Eat a considerable portion of your daily calories—30 to 35 percent of your total intake—in the morning. The very best breakfast will match proteins and whole grains with produce and healthy fats. For example: fried eggs on whole-grain toast and a protein and fruit smoothie. If you have neither the time nor the stomach for a big breakfast, eat two small ones—have cereal with your coffee, then grab a yogurt and fruit to eat at your desk. But the bottom line is this: Get some protein for breakfast, and the rest of the day will take care of itself.

Rule 3
"I Will Eat Before and After Exercise"

Your Plan: Eat a snack composed of carbohydrates and protein 30 minutes or so before your workout, and eat one of your protein-rich meals immediately after exercise. One of the mantras we use The Men's Health Diet is "Lost time is lost muscle." Your body breaks down muscle during and after exercise to use as fuel and rebuilds muscle using calories that you've consumed. The longer you wait after exercising to eat, the more time your body will spend breaking down its own muscle and the less time you'll have to build new muscle.

Rule 4
"I Will Eat It If It Grows on a Tree"

Your Plan: Eat at least one serving of fruits or vegetables at every meal. You can and should eat as much of them as you want to help satisfy cravings.

Rule 5
"I Will Eat the Salad Even If It Makes Me Feel Girly"

Your Plan: At every meal, try to include a folate-rich food. The best way to up your folate intake is to eat leafy greens with as many meals as you can, and eat them first.

Rule 6
"I Will Not Drink Sugar Water"

Your Plan: Replace sodas, iced teas, and "performance beverages" with water, seltzer, or other low-calorie or calorie-free beverages. If you don't like the taste of your water, buy a home filter (like Brita), which will help take out any chemical tastes, and keep a container of it cold in your fridge. Researchers from the University of Utah found that the people who drink the most water have the highest metabolisms. In a study, subjects drank 4, 8, or 12 cups of water each day. Those who drank at least 8 cups reported better concentration and higher energy levels, and tests showed that they were burning calories at much higher rates than the 4-cups-a-day group.

Rule 7
"I Will Follow the Rules of the Ripped 80 Percent of the Time"

Your Plan: Don't let that be you. Don't try to be perfect. Be 80 percent. That'll still put you well ahead of most of the adult male population. And more important, it will send you on your way to the body you've always wanted. In The Men's Health Diet, you'll find a list of the 250 Best Foods for Men. If you want a chocolate bar, go ahead—but make sure it's the best one. (That would be Dagoba's Beaucoup

Saturday May 21 - - Muddy Buddy Recap

Oh what a race! Have you ever tried something, then looked back and ask yourself. “Why did I let my friend talk me into this?” Well this is one of those times. Don’t get me wrong I was very glad I was able to finish. Just not so thrilled about the “during” section.  

The pre-race activities were the same, you check-in; get your bib number and all that good stuff. Then your swag bag, but the swag bag is kind of crappy. I think the only good thing was the $1000 off the purchase of a land rover. Not to sure how many people from the race will be going out and purchasing a land rover in the coming weeks. I was not as nervous as I usually am before races, so I felt that was a plus. Oops guess I spoke to soon! Once we started to line up in our wave, the butterflies started in the stomach region. It took all I could not to start shaken. Usually with a 5K you know what you are getting into, but with this race you had no clue. Yeah, I am going to be biking and running, but you don’t know what types of elevations you will encounter or the obstacles you will face at the exchanges. So, I was pretty damn nervous. The first three waves are off and its time for my wave to hit the trail. Mike decided that it would be best if I rode the bike first, due to the nasty hill after the 2^nd exchange. The starter pistol/horn went off, can’t remember which, because my brain did not let me hear. I saw the person in front of me go, so I started peddling, the first leg of the race was awesome. I did not try to go all out, because there were a few more miles to run. Arrived at the first exchange, but the bike up and jogged over to the first obstacle. It was a 7” climbing wall. I pretty much realized I don’t have the upper/lower body strength to help hoist myself over a wall. As the volunteer who was manning this station looked away, I casually walked around this obstacle.      

Starting the run portion was not too bad. I just kept it to a jog/walk. In my head I had to tell myself “slow and steady; slow and steady”. Since, Mike was in the 5^th wave it was inevitable that he would catch up to me. He stopped running and chatted for a minute (words of encouragement). Then he was off, I kept with my slow and steady pace thinking Shannon and Courtney were going to pass me on the bike. I came up on the 2^nd exchange and Mike was standing with the rest of the runners waiting on the bikes. I hit the exchange, crawl through the maze obstacle and then stand with Mike and wait for the girls. I was pretty freakin excited that the girls did not pass me on my run. Hell, Mike was pretty excited.

The third leg of the race was pretty hilly. I jumped on the bike and started to head down the hill determined to make it down with out getting a flat or bending the rim of the tire. As I start my descent I am cutting a good line down, missing rocks and runners. Then, the hill starts getting steeper. I notice people with bikes walking, but I keep going until I see the reason people are getting off and walking. The hill grade gets a little crazy, so I jump off and walk my back down with the rest of the inexperienced people. The wives catch up to me towards the bottom of the hill, but as soon as I get to the bottom I am back on the bike. We cross a field and I peddle over a creek as past I could, then we start going up hill. I figure “what goes down, must come up!”, but I was not expecting the up part to be so horrible. We pretty much descended into a valley, now we have to climb back out. I jumped off the bike, because my legs would not push my 300 pound body up any further. So, the hill is pretty steep, but I figured it would not take that long to ascend this beasts. Well, I was extremely wrong!!! I just want this thing to end, because quieting was not an option. The wives caught up to me and my wife stayed with me while Mike’s wife blow past us and kept pushing. I had to stop at the flat spots to take a breather. This hill had many flat spots and every time you look ahead you thing “I am almost done!” it would trick you and turn a corner to go up some more. I thought this part would never end. I could not fathom what kind of shape you need to be into ride your bike up this whole thing. Finally we get to the top of the hill and I just want to stop, but I tell myself “If I stop there is no way out of here. I will have to be injured or passed out!”. I pass the Cargo net/Inflatable slide obstacle. I believe the volunteer told me to keep going, but after the race Mike and his wife told me that I was suppose to do that obstacle. I think I will stick to my think that I was told to bypass the obstacle.

I walk the bike over to the aid station to grab some water. I keep taking and the volunteer kept giving. So, I drank my water bottle of water and then had 3 more cups. I hop back on the bike for the last leg and I push myself hard, because this is the last leg of this monster of a race. As, I power up the hills, I feel a strange feeling in my stomach. I slam on my brakes as the water in my stomach decides it does not want to be there anymore. I should have known drinking that much water was not going to be a good thing. I figured I needed the water because of the cramping in my calves and my left hamstring, but my body/stomach had other plans. After I finish with the departing of the water, I start riding again. I notice another competitor hanging over there bike up-chucking, so I stop and ask if she was o.k. She said yeah, I hope of my bike and walk with her for a few and then I spot someone else in the grass off to the side of the trail. I stopped walking to make sure they were o.k, she says she was just taking a break. I walk some more, then I decided to ride the rest of the race. I hope bike on the bike and I spot people walking back up the trail and ask “how much further to the mud pit?”; The say ”Not mush further, you are almost there”. After this exchange, I see Mike walking back up the rode. He starts shouting words of encouragement as I ride towards him, then he jogs beside me pushing me (literally, he actually pushed me a few times). I finally get to the last bike drop before I meet up with my wife to climb the rope wall and run trough the mud pit. I skipped climbing the rope wall, but my wife did and I was pretty dame impressed.  

The mud pit was pretty interesting. There was a little hump with a cargo net over the hump. You pretty much had to crawl under the net into the pit. Which, I decided to slide down into the mud. My shorts decided to stay at the top of the hill, but I thought I was smart and did a roll on to my back to pull up my shorts. Well, I am now covered from head to toe in mud. I figured since I was already muddy, I might as well military crawl the rest of the way. I get to the end and stand up and try to walk out of the pit. I slip and face plant into the mud. I’ve almost lost my shorts and now I have mud in my eyes. I think next time I will wear goggles. My wife sis already out of the pit, she gives me her hand and pulls me out of the pit as I do a penguin slide down the final hump. I felt I should try to get even muddier. As we cross the finish line my both legs start cramping. I am extremely glad I was able to finish this race. Also, I am glad I did as well as I did the first two legs of the race. Going up the monstrous hill took all my energy, but I was able to push myself and finish. I felt it was a good day.

Chip Time: 2:15:42.9

Pictures will be posted later.

Mother's Day: May 08, 2011

It's Mothers Day, so there was no workout or tracking of any kind today. I had a sonic burger for lunch. Then we went to The Farmhouse Restaurant at Fontanel. They have amazing food. Everything is locally grown and raised. I believe I had another hamburger with fried egg on top. I really do not remember my side, but I can guess it was fries. I did not eat all the fries because I was saving a little room for the desert. Which was a peanut butter pie. I really wish I had pics to post on here of this thing. It was pretty darn delicious. Oh well, It was good food and good company. Anytime I get to spend with the family/families is a good time. Wishing every mom a happy mothers day, especially my wonderful Mom.

Recap: Cinco In the Gulch 10K/5K May 07, 2011

This was one of the funniest 5ks I've had the pleasure to participate. Well, the after party was fun, but that could have been because of the great people who came out to run and cheer for us/me at the finish line. The atmosphere from start to finish was awesome. Then after the race you didn't just get in the car and leave. You actually wanted to stay and enjoy the festivities. The beer was a little watered down and the two tacos you got for free were pretty tasty (wish there was more food), but it was just a fun atmosphere for a post race. Well, enough about the party on the the good part. The "RACE":

Well, I would never really call it a race, unless you count trying to beat your old times. Which, I totally did not. I don't know if I have blogged much about my pesky knee issues, but it's been going on for about a week now. I really did not do much for it except stretch and try to work through the pain. On this day there was no running through the pain. The back of my knee started hurting as we walked to the street where the race started. So, I decided to walk with my preggo co-worker Leigh Anne and her husband. Thank the running gods that they were there, because if they were not I would have been walking this lovely race by my lonesome. We started off at a good pace, until we realized we are pretty much dead last. Not last, but pretty close. There are volunteers on bikes and a cop to kinda signal the end of the race group. Those guys were pretty much right behind us, but we kept moving. The race was not to bad except for the massive hill going up Charlotte Avenue by the Avon Williams Campus and the Capitol. It was awful, I wish I had a picture of what we saw as we came around the corner on to Charlotte. From the elevation chart it did not look to bad, but from the bottom of the hill it was not a pleasant view. We kept on chugging along inch by inch. One foot in front of the other was my mantra for the day. As we get half way up my left hamstring starts to cramp, but I figure we are almost to the top and it will stop once we crest this hill. I figured we might have stopped for preggers, but she kept moving. I was pretty darn impressed! It was pretty uneventful until we got around to the NES building and Mike comes up behind us during his second lap (10K). Mike harasses me about walking, but I know he's just joking. It still makes me want to trip him, but it's all in fun. LOL!! More uneventful walking and talking. Then we see the finish line in the distance. At this moment I really wish I was able to jog the rest of this race out, but the faster I walk the more my knee hurts. As we get closer to the finish line I can taste that ice cold beer, then there is this guy pointing everyone away from the finish line and my hopes are dashed. Carp, there is more of this course. Oh well, keep pushing. Good thing about this little detour is that I had no clue there was a barbecue joint ( Rooster's Texas Style BBQ I believe) back here. I am going to have to check this place out. Who's coming with me? Oh back to the race, after the detour we head down to the finish line and I finally cross it 1hr 4mins. I was just glad this one was in the books. I really need to have this knee checked out.

Just want to send a thanks to Leigh Anne and her husband, Mike, Court, Desiree, Sara and my awesome wife for running this race with me. Also, thanks to My brother, his wife, my sister, Desiree's Mike, and Molly for coming out and supporting all of us.

Awesome Race - There will be pictures coming soon I hope.

Unofficial Time: 1:23:28
Pace: 25'46''/mi (i think i started crawling before I shut N+ off)
Distance: 3.24 miles (Turned Nike+ off a little late)

Offical Time: 1:04:22
Pace: 20'46''/mi
Distance 3.1 miles

Good Start to the Week!!!

Saturday or Sunday, Mike gave me a challenge. It was not a how far or how many times I can run or bike. I just had to show up and I've shown up. Monday, I went over to Mike's house and we did a garage workout. It was pretty damn rough. It was a cardio/strength training session. We did some bench press, jumping jacks, curls, boxing, push ups, and other stuff that I can not remember. It was awesome and I sweated like crazy.

Monday down, then comes Tuesday. I woke up sore in the shoulders, chest and abs. Did not want to get out of bed, but I had to go to work. After my work day was done, I headed to Mike's house with the wife. We were suppose to run, but I decided to bike, while my wife and Mike ran around his neighborhood. It was pretty easy, until they informed me that I had to do 2 more miles then they ran. So, I picked it up and started pushing myself pretty hard to get those extra miles. At the end of the ride I was exhausted and my legs were burning like crazy. Day 2 is done and over. Day 3 will be stretching/yoga and I might possibly go for a run during lunch.

Since I did not get to post this yesterday, I will continue today's blog below.

Wednesday I did 30 minutes of stretching, but no run during lunch. I felt somewhat bad about it, but it was not actually part of the plan yesterday. It was going to be extra work for day 3, but I let a few things at work get in the way. Day 4's run is part of the plan, so I can not make excuses for that run. Since, Mike is not feeling well. I am going to attempt to go on my lunch break. I am bound and determined to hit the road today.

Thursday, I actually got out of my house during lunch and got moving. I started my run and felt horrible, but I kept moving. I got to mile 1.2 and decided to head back to the house, but I asked myself WWMD? (what would Mike do?), so I turned back around and completed another loop. The rest of the run was great, I hit a good stride and a series of songs and felt great. Finished the run and things felt well

Distance: 2.32 miles
Pace: 17'50''/mi
Time: 41:23

The next three days I did absolutely nothing.   

I have not kept up with my food journal the last three days, so I have nothing to report there. I need to keep better track of what goes into my body. I will start back tracking my food Monday May 02.

Monday April 18, 2011 - Hopefully a new Start

Weight loss
Nov 12 = 345
Nov 26 = 342.8 (-2.2)
November Total = 2.2

Dec 10 = 340.2 (-2.6)

Jan 03 = 344.2 (+4.0)
Jan 10 = 337.8 (-6.4)
Jan 17 = 340.4  (+2.6)
Jan 24 = 340.4  (0.0)
January Total = -0.02

Feb 07 = 342.2 (+1.8) Feb 14 = 344.6 (+2.4)
Feb 21 = 339,2 (-5.4)
Feb 28 = 339.6 (+0.4)  337.4 (-1.8)
February Total = -3.0

Mar 07 – Did Not weigh-in

Mar 14 – Did not weigh-in

Mar 21 = 335.2 (-2.2)

March Total = -2.2

Apr 04 – N/A

Apr 11 – 335.6 (+0.4)

Apr 18 – 336.6 (+1.0)

 
Total loss so far = 8.4

No exercise today. I keep letting excuses and work get the best of me. Every time I tell myself I am going to go run or workout during lunch I don’t. Next thing you know its 3 or 4 and I need to start the second job. I need to set an alarm or something to make sure to make time for myself and my health. I am going to work on this and hopefully I can get my schedule working for me and not against me.

Monday Food Log:

Breakfast:  870 calories

2 eggs Scrambled; Turkey Sausage Breakfast links x2; Pumpkin Waffle x1; Plain Non-fat Greek Yogurt 6 oz; 2 tbsp Ground Flax seeds; 1 tbsp Honey; Pomegranate juice 8 oz

Lunch: 621 calories

 12 Fl oz. Ginger Ale; 1 cup Roasted Zucchini; 2 oz ground sausage; ½ cup Red sauces fire-roasted and garlic; 1 serving cavatappi pasta

Dinner:  711 calories

Quick and Easy Turkey Burgers 2 pattys (Bun, White Onion, Tomatos, Romaine Lettuce, Mustard, Cheese); 2/3 cup Oven-Roasted Green Beans; 1 serving From-Scratch Oven Fries (3 tbsp Ketchup)

Snack: 448 calories

2 slices sour dough bread; 1.5 tbsp Jif Natural Creamy PB

1 cookie

Target Calories: 2766

Total Calories consumed: 2650

Monday March 21, 2011

Weight loss
Nov 12 = 345
Nov 26 = 342.8 (-2.2)
November Total = 2.2

Dec 10 = 340.2 (-2.6)

Jan 03 = 344.2 (+4.0)
Jan 10 = 337.8 (-6.4)
Jan 17 = 340.4  (+2.6)
Jan 24 = 340.4  (0.0)
January Total = -0.02

Feb 07 = 342.2 (+1.8) Feb 14 = 344.6 (+2.4)
Feb 21 = 339,2 (-5.4)
Feb 28 = 339.6 (+0.4)  337.4 (-1.8)
February Total = -3.0

Mar 07 – Did Not weigh-in

Mar 14 – Did not weigh-in

Mar 21 = 335.2 (-2.2)
Total loss so far = 9.8

We went for a short run around Mike’s neighborhood. It was hard starting out, for some reason everything just felt weird. (Hips, feet, shin, legs, back, etc…) I just tried to ignore the weirdness and keep moving. It was not a pain, so I was not worried. I think I just felt heavy. Well, heavier then normal. I tried to start walking, but Mike would not let me. I am glad he did not let me stop running; it helped me press on past that weird heavy feeling and hit a good stride. I have to learn that if I don’t push past my predetermined limits, I will never get better at this running thing. So what my lungs hurt and my legs get tired, If I don’t kick in that little extra I want get better or run further. You don’t even have to push yourself to the max every time, it’d just when you get tired; try to push yourself a little bit further. A little can go a long way! There was not much to this run. In all we ran about 0.80 miles in 12’18’’, according to Nike + it was 0.06 miles. I think my Nike plus thinks I am a sloth or something. I know I move slowly, but dang that is slow.

Distance: 0.80 miles

Time 12:18

Pace: 2:58 per mile (I think this is off as well. Hi, my name is Flash)

Saturday March 19, 2011 - Springer Mountain Farms Chicken Healthy 5K re-cap

We are finally going to run the Springer Mountain Farms Chicken Healthy 5K. It was an early morning, since the race starts at 7:30 and we had to be out to Opry Mills by 6/6:30 to register and warm up. I tell you what; I am not the best at mornings. I was not grouchy, but I did not want to run. So, we stand around doing the normal pre-race thing (Talking, restroom breaks, getting race day swag and such). We walk to the starting line a little after 7:30 and get ready, set and we are off to the races. Since, the race was so earlier Mike and Court brought the kids along in the double jogger. So, I opted to push it, while everyone else ran. For some strange reason it keeps me going at a decent pace. I think it’s because my brain thinks it is leaning on something while I run. Don’t know why, but it helped a little bit. Mike was in the front, he was running to try and beat his time last year. Courtney, Shannon, the girls, and I started off together. As we came around the back said of the hotel Courtney and Shannon started pulling away from me and the girls, until the oldest decided she wanted mommy to run with us. So, Courtney dropped back and stayed with me pretty much the whole race, well until the 2 mile marker. (We will get to that further down.) Shannon pulled away and continued on her way leaving us behind. I believe I ran ½ mile with out stopping, but I could not tell you since at the 1 mile marker my Nike plus told me I had only ran .3 miles. I think I calibrated this thing totally wrong. (Now, I have to fix this sometime soon or all my runs/walks will be totally off.) So, Courtney and I had a nice walk/jog/talk session. I kind of felt bad, because I feel like I hold people back due to my slow running pace, but they always tell me not to worry about it, but I do. I know they all can knock these 5Ks out pretty quickly. Well, quicker then I can for that matter, but I am glad someone does walks/runs with me while I do these races. It gives me that little motivation to keep going. Mile 1 seemed longer then mile 2, but I figured I was making good time. So, as we were heading to the Mile 2 marker, I had it in my head if I could speed up that I might be able to get another ½ mile in before Mike finished and catches back up to us, because then I would have to run the rest of the way. Boy was I wrong!!!! As we cross mile marker 2, here comes Mike asking “Why am I walking?” This is a 5K run not a walk!!” I start trotting with the stroller, then he takes that from me and now I have to run. Everything after I started running was one big blur. There was poking and prodding by mike and some encouragement thrown in by his daughter as they jogged backwards in front of me. So, I push some more; I stop and walk some, but Mike is not having any of that stuff. Pretty much he sees it as I only have a mile left, I should be able to run and finish this thing out strong. I see it as I am tired and I want to kick you, but I can’t because I can’t catch you. DANG IT!!!!! I keep jogging as the finish line looks like it is getting closer, but my body is fighting my brain and eyes. It keeps telling me to walk, but when I do Mike is right there to push and encourage. I think this would have worked better with a cattle prod, but I am totally glad that would be illegal. As we are in the home stretch Mike points me out a “carrot” to chase down, but I am thinking I am totally not going to catch up to that person. They were probably 100 yards in front of me. I know I have hawked down my prey before but this was going to be tough. (Well, except that older lady at the Resolution run!!) TW was like F*&* that s*&^, there is no-way I am going to catch them, but once again Mike pushed and TW had to take a seat. I walked some, but I started jogging and picked up the pace. I was getting closer and closer, but then the carrot started jogging and my hope kind slipped away, but there was a new prize as we say the time clock clicking away. If I could keep the pace I was at I could cross the finish line with a new PR. The clock hit 50 minutes and Mike said” he knows I can cross the finish line in under a minute.” I kept pushing and crossed the finish line at 50’35’’. After the race we stayed for the awards ceremony, because Mike came in 6^th overall and 1^st in his age group. He received a trophy.

I figured after the race I would go home take a nap and do some yard work, but who know my day was just getting started. After dropping the wife off at work, and his kids and wife off at their house, Mike and I headed to my house to grab the lawn equipment, edge my yard, and water the garden. We then went to his house where we cut his grass, weed eat, leave removal, tree trimming and other house work type projects. Man, I was exhausted, but I am glad we got a ton of stuff done for a Saturday. Now, I see what goes on in the world of Mike. I am going to try to be more productive on my days off when it comes to household chores and working out. It should be fun.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Trying to get back on track

Weight loss
Nov 12 = 345
Nov 26 = 342.8 (-2.2)
November Total = 2.2

Dec 10 = 340.2 (-2.6)

Jan 03 = 344.2 (+4.0)
Jan 10 = 337.8 (-6.4)
Jan 17 = 340.4  (+2.6)
Jan 24 = 340.4  (0.0)
January Total = -0.02

Feb 07 = 342.2 (+1.8)
Feb 14 = 344.6 (+2.4)
Feb 21 = 339,2 (-5.4)
Feb 28 = 339.6 (+0.4)  337.4 (-1.8)
February Total = -3.0

Total loss so far  = 7.6
 

This might be a little difficult to write due to the fact; I really don't have much to say. Mike posted another challenge to the facebook page, but I have not started working on it. I don't know why I have not started on it; I just haven't been able to get myself moving. I've told myself that Wednesday I have to do something, I don't have a plan, but I have to wake up early to meet with the electrician, so I am going to get up early and hit the road. I know I have not worked out as much as I need to, but I have been trying to change a lot of things. I have tried to keep track of my food intake and keep the house as clean as possible. I am not trying to make excuses, but give you a glimpse of what I am doing. I am slowly trying to change things one day at a time. It has been a difficult process, but I know I will get everything on track and in order. So, wish me luck as I continue on this path to better myself.

Tuesday’s Food Log:

Breakfast:  439 calories

½ cup Quaker oatmeal; 1 tsp Jif Natural PB; 1 tsp Honey; 1/3 cup Crasins

Lunch: 1360 calories

Taco Bell Double Steak Burrito; 3 Tacos supreme; 12 fl oz. Pepsi

(yeah, I know, I know, I do not need to eat taco bell, or if I do go I should have just had the 3 tacos and no soda. It's a process!!!)

Dinner: 492 calories

3 Corn Tortillas with beef strips, tomatoes, radishes, onions, cilantro, and goat cheese

Pinto beans with green onions

Snack: 510 calories

Sandwich Thins with Jif Natural PB and Nutella

2 Sargento Cheese Snacks

Target Calories: 2769

Total Calories: 2801

Let me know if I need to add more information.