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I’m not dead. Heaven forbid I should become one of those teeny-bopper rumors we all heard in high school (I think the big one that really impacted me was that Mark-Paul Gosselaar had died…if you know me at all, you probably know that I’m a huge Saved by the Bell fan. Go ahead and make fun of me, but there’s no way you’ll EVER beat me at SBTB trivia).
So, it’s been a while. A LONG while. And, frankly, I don’t have much to account for my absence other than the semester from hell. I’d tell you about it, but it would only throw me into a foaming-at-the-mouth rage witnessed by few, and only comparable in nature to the time Sarah Palin mocked community organizers at the Republic National Convention. Well, either that, or the time FOX cancelled Arrested Development.
I have, no doubt, lost readers, but I want to thank those of you who’ve kept up with me from time to time. Your support has not gone unnoticed!
However, I am back to regain my journey. I made a significant dent by losing 30 pounds. I haven’t stepped on a scale lately, but the fact that I don’t want to should tell you something. The time has come to re-engage my goals and get serious about them.
When I started this, I realized that I might fall a couple of times. In fact, of the stories I had read of really successful weightloss, many had to lose and regain several time before the true success took place. If this is one of those times, so be it. I’m ready to get back to it, and I’m ready to share my endeavors with you again.
I went for a run last week and it felt really great. I need to remember the fact that I can do it. That the despite the fact I weigh…what I do…I AM A RUNNER. I need to be grateful that I can use my legs to carry my corpulent body a few miles in under an hour…and I need to use that to get me back on track.
Who’s with me?
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!
Help.
So, I knew that having a child and starting a killer semester would more than likely negatively impact my training and exercise, but throwing me into a slight paranoia wasn’t quite expected.
Friday was a busy and chaotic day. Our little guy was beyond fussy and it was apparent that my wife needed my help, so I gave up the run to help her out. Saturday, I woke up with incredible pain in my ankles. I wanted to run, but I knew the pain was probably a bad sign. Sunday is always my day off, so no running anyway. Yesterday chaos resumed…the boy was needing his parents, I had my econometrics class, a meeting with my advisor and a slew of work to be finished. I at least managed to get about 40 minutes on the stationary bike in. Then today wasn’t much different…no run.
I NEED TO RUN! What is my deal? My first 5k is coming up on Saturday morning, and I’ve yet to run this week. I suppose it doesn’t hurt to give my body a bit of a rest if I’m going to go full force on Saturday, but I feel like I’m slipping a bit. Am I afraid? What’s with me?
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…
Geez, before I start, I almost feel like I should change shoes and put on a cardigan (ala Mr. Rogers)…
Perhaps one of the more redeeming things I have gained from this brief weight loss experience along with the desire to become a runner is the fact that I have found so many amazing and supportive people along the way. I know I’ve said things akin to this before, but it astounds me how I can make personal goals, open up to the world about it, and have a blogger friend or two cheer me on. I love it. There is much kinship and camaraderie to be shared, and I have been the benefactor of much of it…and to all those who’ve given me ‘virtual’ pats on the back, I sincerely thank you.
Some time ago, John wrote an open letter to his wife in which he revealed his fantastic weight loss blog. It was earnest, honest, and touching. I am a big fan of John’s and try to read his blog every day. I’ve never met John, but I look forward to reading all that he does. I have high hopes for his goals and am thrilled when he succeeds. The same goes for numerous others like Andrew, Annette, Matt, Courtney, Will, Elisa, Sharon…basically my entire blogroll. We’re all very different people…some of us have similar motives, while others differ, yet we have one thing in common: GOALS. We all have goals–more or less–to become better people.
I often think, then, why do we have a hard time applying the well-wishes we so freely give through cyberspace to real life, face-to-face interactions? Maybe I should back up…you all might already do that…you probably do…but I will be honest…sometimes things like envy, jealousy and even depression get in my way. And, unlike John, I haven’t exposed my goals to most of my family or friends. I haven’t tested the waters to see if I’ll get encouragement that I believe I so desperately need. The family and friends who do know about this blog have been extremely supportive…so why can’t I man up and tell everyone else?
Honestly? It’s because I love you all too much. My readers who give me what I need to keep going. The simple compliments, the amens, the mad props…whatever it is…keeps me going. Friendly strangers, blogging friends who have come through in the support area…I’ve tested the waters here, and it feels safe and secure (believe me when I say this isn’t an invitation for current readers to turn on me ).
It addition to readers here, I’ve joined other online communities that I really love (some of which I’m going to profile in the near future). My online communities have been fantastic…but I need to springboard a little more into reality. I need to open up the desires of my heart to be a healthier me to my family and friends. The time has come to reveal some big plans to them. I may get doubt from some…but in November or December of 2009, or maybe January of 2010 when I cross the finish line of whatever marathon I run with my friend Aaron and I lose the remaining 5/6 of my weight goal…hopefully I will give the doubters a reason to believe in me again.
At my most recent weigh-in, I discovered that I have now lost just over 22 pounds. I now weigh just over 347 lbs. I will never (and don’t think I’m going to recant or think about slip ups here), never weigh 350 lbs. again. I have spent more time running in the past three months than I probably ever have at any one point in time.
As I watched the Women’s Olympic Marathon with my wife, we learned that one of the Chinese runners favored to medal supposedly ran over 700 miles a month. To me that’s amazing…nothing short of a miracle.
But then again, so is someone who used to weigh 370 lbs. who finally got off his ginormous butt to do something about it.
I might only run 30 miles a month right now, but I can honestly say that for the first time in my life, I have finally impressed…myself.
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!
My wife is the champion of this household. I can say that with confidence after she brought our little boy into the world. We went into the hospital at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, and on Thursday afternoon at 1:12 p.m. little boy finally arrived weighing in at 6 lbs. 9 oz. and measuring 19.75 in. I love this little boy…
Needless to say, my running suffered this week, but really, I didn’t care…I had the best excuse in the world. My sister-in-law, along with a great quilt she made, sent these “Little Runner” socks that look like running shoes for him. I thought to myself, if there are just a handful of things I hope to pass on to him…running is definitely one of them. My dad was a long distance runner when he was young…this is something I didn’t know until I was much older and overweight. My son is my motivation for all of this! I hope he’ll learn to love it as much as I have when he gets older.
Couch to 5k continues…I had a great run yesterday and am looking to get some serious training done as the first 5k is in three weeks…I’ll be sure to keep you updated!
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