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OK, so when I post my September stats tomorrow or the day after, you note that overall this month just sucked. There’s really no more eloquent term to use (although since readership is growing, I should probably try).
However, October is my re-commitment month. It’s a busy one, still, but I think it’s time to bite the bullet and do it. You’ll note from an earlier post that I still haven’t gained anything back, which is fine, but I need to keep losing if I want to reach my goal.
The rest of this semester is going to be a killer. Trips to Phoenix and Philadelphia (and one to Orlando just completed), plus deadlines for conferences, journal articles, and research advisors are on the horizon. But, I still have to reassess my goals and get in gear.
Tonight I went out for a run (3.15 mi.) and ran it in 43:38…my best to date. I was scared at first because I haven’t run for two weeks (I know, I know), but was encouraged to keep going when I found it was my best recorded time for that distance. But it’s getting cooler, and I’m used to my schedule now, so things should only get better (at least I hope).
I am alive and well, I’m happy to report. Please forgive me for the lack of posts. Truth of the matter is I’ve been ridiculously busy with school and family. I kind of knew that this would happen, but I assure you that I will get back in the swing of things shortly.
Fatherhood has been great. Don’t get me wrong…it’s been tiring, as well, but the benefits are all greater than the defecits. The larger downside is the fact that my workouts have more or less stopped…and this is not good. I’m happy to report that I have not gained any weight…but conversely, that means I haven’t lost any either. This will change.
I have an upcoming 5k in October, so it would really behove me to get out and working on my time. It is so much cooler now, I really should take advantage of it (though I’m fighting a nasty little sinus infection which could make it worse).
In any event, I am here and will be working my way back into the blogosphere and getting back on track with my goals.
The month of August was eventful to say the least. My little boy arrived on the 7th and that has changed my life all for the better. In terms of personal goals, I ran my first 5k and had a great time. I also finally moved beyond my plateau weight, and am down to 346 lbs. I still don’t really feel it or see it, but my wife say she does…so I’ll trust her on that one. I ran less and burned fewer calories in August than in July, yet I lost a little more weight. Guess I have no complaints there…6 pounds for the month is great to me.
So, for the month of August…
MILES RUN: 24.6
TIME SPENT RUNNING: 6:05:07
DAYS I RAN: 9 (what?!)
SHORTEST DIST.: 2.0mi (3.2k)
LONGEST DIST.: 3.11mi (5.0k)
CALORIES BURNED*: 15,244
WEIGHT LOST: 6.1lbs.
See you in September!
*=includes cross training workouts
Well, I did it, and I had a great time! My wife and son came out to cheer me on and it was an overall great morning. I finished in 45:29…definitely not my best, but considering the number of hills, I think it was really good for my progress. The standard 5k route I normally run has no hills really, and my best time on that route so far has been 44:33. In my own opinion, I think those hills could have slowed me down a lot more than that minute, but either way it was my first and I was in it to finish, not to win it. My real goal was to not finish last…and that, I can proudly report, did not happen.
We weren’t going to stick around for the awards initially, but it was a relatively small field and a friendly group of folks, so we decided to stay and cheer for those who won something. Surely, you would imagine there would be plenty of people in my age group, but it was relatively thin…so, I took 3rd in my age group! Crazy. I definitely don’t expect that to happen from here on out.
Here I am with my handcrafted, butterfly award. Pretty cool, eh? 
Next race is at the beginning of October…and I might add another at the end of October too. We’ll see how crazy life is with school and our little guy at that point!
Must keep moving forward!
I did it.
Classes have started and I already feel a bit swamped despite having a good start to the week. Life with the bambino is an adjustment, but one I’m happy to make. With all this stress Piled high and Deep, I’m amazed I had the time to run at all yesterday. Here’s what I did:
- I ran twenty minutes straight without any walking breaks (when I first started, I could make it make it maybe 90 seconds before needing a walk break)
- I ran my fastest 3.1 miles ever at 44:33 (when I first tried this distance, it was almost 53 minutes–lots of walking!)
- I ran my fastest pace of 14:20 (I believe my first calculated pace was something like 16:05)
Needless to say, I am very happy. I had my doubts, but they are no longer present.
On to victory…
Some days are just What About Bob? days. What can I say? Today was one such day.
However, repeating the phrase above didn’t help me as much as my run, which, for the most part was fabulous. Today was my last day of intervals for Couch to 5k. I can’t believe it. It called for a 10/3/10 run/walk sequence. I did the first ten minutes with ease and I felt great! I’ll admit, I walked a little longer than the three minutes, but not much. The second 10 minutes was a bit broken. I ran about 5 before I needed a walking break…just about a minute, and then ran three more. So, in total, 18 minutes of running…I really should have tried to get those other two in…I probably could have done it. However, I had a pace of 14:44 (second best) for one of my longer distances. I’m still quite happy about it.
However, I am a bit nervous about my remaining three weeks. I’m supposed to run 25, then 28, and finally 30 minutes without any walking breaks. Not gonna lie. I’m bit scared. But I know I can do it. I know I can do it. I know I will do it. It may not be perfect, but it will get done.
Here’s to a great week!
Here’s to you, Gladys Knight…I really gotta use my imagination…for a better blog post title!
Friends, I ran today, and though I felt completely sluggish the entire time, I did a good distance with a decent pace. I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t get 20 minutes down yet. It’s going to be a while. So, instead of trying to run until I get the 20 minutes down, I’m going to finish out the days of Couch to 5k that are interval runs…and then try to run 20…then 25…then 28…the finally 30 minutes straight. I know I can do it…I just need to do it in a manner that my body will let me.
SO, I found out that I’m going to be a dad TOMORROW. Like, yes, we’re going to the hospital and Ms. Fat Guy (who is, not-so-ironically, neither fat, nor a guy) will be induced and hopefully our little boy (whom we sometimes lovingly refer to as Chico) will arrive quickly and without too much discomfort. Wish us luck!
Since we’re not going to have our last date like we had hoped for, we’re going to choose one of our favorite teenage girl, soccer movies…either Bend It Like Beckham or She’s The Man…to watch tonight (JohnT if you’re reading this, remember I told you my man card was taken from me a long time ago…slowly, but surely, I’ll get it back).
I know everyone who reads this might not be religious (or a Christian for that matter), but I hope you’ll indulge me in sharing something with you that has kept me going all these weeks…
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. –Isaiah 40:31
Here’s to running and not being weary!!
OK, guys…this post was replete with my ADD, so I’ll stop here. Hope your weeks are off to great starts and I’ll be back as soon as the little guy is here!
So, I was on vacation a large part of July and was scared that my weight loss might be less than stellar. Needless to say, I’m perfectly complacent with the 4.4 lbs. I lost. That’s about a pound a week, and right on par with the least I hoped to achieve. I’m really looking forward to the 349 milestone on the scale though…that will be the lowest I’ve been in a while, and will put my overall weight loss goal at a double-digit…sure, it’ll be 99 lbs., but still…a double-digit.
So, for the month of July…
MILES RUN: 29.7
TIME SPENT RUNNING: 7:38:02
DAYS I RAN: 13
SHORTEST DIST.: 1.5mi (2.4k)
LONGEST DIST.: 3.35mi (5.4k)
CALORIES BURNED*: 22,216
WEIGHT LOST: 4.4lbs.
On to the crazy month of August!
*=includes cross training workouts
Friends, it’s been a few days. It’s the end of my summer term and I’ve been scrambling to finish some assignments. But never fear…I am here…with a LOT of stuff to write, so bear with me. Let’s see if I can succeed at not making this entry too obnoxiously long…
- Goal Reassessment. Most of you have probably noticed that I was supposed to have completed the 100 push up challenge by now. I have not. I have decided that I need to reformat how I am going to accomplish this, rather than kill myself trying to do it. I am a big guy, but my upper body strength is not sufficient to heft my 352 pound body off the ground that many times yet (hence the entire reason I’m doing the challenge). So, I’m going to start on my knees and work my way up to 100, and then try the legit push ups. My new date is September 30.
- Couch-to-5k update. I am euphoric, people. I am on week 7 of running (week 5 of the program). Monday called for a 5/3/5/3/5 run/walk interval sequence, and I’m happy to say I ran every 5 minute interval. I kid you not, in the very same spot where I passed the snide firefighters, I saw a group of kids running with a couple of older guys…I assumed they were a youth track club, or something of the sort. As I passed them, the two older guys’ faces lit up as they waved when we passed each other. Then the kids started cheering! I couldn’t believe it…they just kept clapping and yelling for me to keep up the good work. Their coaches and parents should be proud…that was sportsmanship. I loved it. And to top it off, today’s run was an 8/5/8 run/walk…and I did it!
- Last, but definitely not least, MY COACH. I am blessed with a great “team” of supporters. My family, friends, and definitely you all who read and support me definitely inspire me to keep going. I have, however, a good friend of mine who is one amazing, inspiring athlete who has been with me on my journey, who, for all purposes intended, is my coach. Aaron Shamy is nothing short of amazing. He is an X-Games gold medalist in speed climbing (rock climbing), a former Cirque du Soleil performer, has completed at least one ultramarathon that I know of, and runs “regular” marathons on the side…just for fun. He is energetic, inspiring, and he’s helping me a great deal. Aaron is also working on furthering his education, and if there’s anything I can do to help him with that, it’s this: He has entered a scholarship contest that is based on votes through YouTube, so please, help me help a great buddy of mine and watch his quick four-minute video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTohVkO2dew or http://www.wgu.edu/landing/video_repeat.asp. You be able to catch a glimpse into his unique life, and help him and his family for the better by helping him with one of his biggest goals. I’ll definitely be writing more on Aaron later, but let the video be your first introduction to my amazing friend.
Well, that’s it for now…see you on the flipside!
Wednesday morning I woke up feeling (and probably looking) like a chubby Keith Richards.
It was the first time in the six weeks I’ve been doing this that I deliberately decided I wasn’t going to run in the morning. Maybe I was adjusting to the time change from our trip, but I just wasn’t having it. After a somewhat crappy day, I decided I wasn’t going to miss a day of my program so long as I was healthy and able to run, so I went out in the evening.
I didn’t have any plans in mind other than to do what Couch-to-5k asked for that week. I tried my first five minute interval, and it wasn’t quite successful. I managed four minutes, walked for 45 seconds, and then ran another minute. After the other intervals, I walked for a while and then on the way back home, I felt a new kick of energy and decided it was time to try again. I didn’t look at my watch, and my music was too loud to hear the time go off, but the time was all zero’s when I checked it.
I’ll be darned. I ran for five minutes straight.
On top of that, I was able to do 3 miles in exactly 45 minutes. Needless to say, I was highly satisfied!
Initially, I wasn’t going to push it, but as I was approaching mile one, I saw two firefighters from the nearby station running toward me. Anytime I run past someone, I usually greet them and pause my music so I can hear. I did so, and they both kind of nodded and smirked. “Dude looks like he’s gonna die,” one of them said as they passed, “maybe we should run him in…ha ha ha.” Great, I thought…these ripped Mario Lopez and John Cena lookalikes just mocked me…and that’s all the motivation I needed to turn it up a notch. I went out again this evening and did it again. Believe me when I say, I am on cloud nine…
Furthermore, I happy enough knowing that I don’t have to compete with Slater and a pseudo-wrestler…my wife is more than content picking this sweaty guy over anyone any day…
Am I blessed, or what?
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