Family in Town

My cousin, Stephanie, and my Aunt Char are in town the next few days, and I took Friday off and spent time with them.  No worries, I did go workout.  I ran a mile and walked another mile and a half.  It was a lot of fun with Steph.  We had a good talk.  Then we did some boot camp workouts to finish the hour. 

Today Jenn, Stephanie, and I woke up at 5am and went to the Frisco Rail Road 50 mile, 50k, Marathon, and 10 Mile and helped at one of the water stations.  We got to the Willard Middle School and picked up the table, water, and food.  We filled up the cups and got set up at the 7.5 mile marker.  I brought my nice camera and took about 100 pictures, and I will post some of them later.  There were some great runners there.  It was very cool to see them out and working hard.  I am going to try to help out with more!

They also gave us volunteers a nice tech shirt.  They even put my name on the back because I volunteered!

I have my weigh-in this Sunday.  I am not too excited about it, because I have been eating a little more than normal because of family being in town.  Oh well.  I am still losing the weight and living healthy! 

100th Post!

This is my 100th post!  I am just as happy to know that I have kept up with this blog as I am for working out everyday.   Life has been great!  I have seen many changes in myself and my family.  Jenn works out 6 days a week and has discovered some new talents in running and fitness.  She is my hero!  My son, Micah, is in a youth running class and will be training for the Cox Medical Mile! He loves running and loves doing it with Mom and Dad.  I hope my daughters will be interested in it as well.  Our food choices have been great, and we know that will help our kids in life.

Life is good!  Do Life! 

Boot camp was KILLER today.  I love knowing that I can handle the workouts Steve throws at us every week.  I love knowing that I am getting better and doing more every week in his class.  Strength training has really helped me take it to the next level. 

I know this weight loss is a slow and steady thing.  I should not try to lose it too fast but at a healthy rate.  It's a marathon, not a sprint!  I am excited to post my new workout schedule for everyone starting in May!  I want to hear your feedback!

THANKS AGAIN!

Bass Pro Marathon and American Cancer Society

Last night, I signed up for the Jeff Galloway Run/Walk/Run program.  I am very excited, and I feel this is exactly what I needed.  I need a program that gives me structure and direction, and I will love having a group of people at my level I can run with.  From what I was told, these groups become very close, and I am very excited to make new friends.

I will be running the Bass Pro Marathon this November.  I think that with the next 6 months of training, I will be ready for it.  Jenn is going to do the half!  It is also a run/walk/run program, so this is very doable for me. I am also running the marathon for a charity, American Cancer Society!  My Mom worked for them for many years, and I have seen all the good she has done in the organization. I figured I wanted to help as well.  Most importantly, I am running this for my Grandpa Crosby.  He has been battling cancer for a few years now, and I wanted to do this in his name.  More information on this as I find out more.

Lots of cool, exciting things are happening.  I am excited and motivated again, and that is what I needed.  I am also running the Nixa Relay for Life 5K this Memorial Day, Monday, May 30th.  This will be a great run for a great cause.  If you want info for the race, let me know.

Thanks again for all your help and support.

Jeff Galloway Run/Walk/Run

Tonight at the fitness center, Jeff Galloway is coming and speaking to us about his run/walk/run program.  I am going to go and see if this is something I want to do.  I have also looked into the running groups in Nixa.  I have a lot of options, and I want to make sure I do this right.  I know I need a support group that I can run with, and I need structure.  I am not sure if I can do that myself right now.  I need a coach, I guess.

I am just trying to get past this funk I have been in and refocus.

Time To Refocus

I ran my 5K on Saturday, and we forgot our camera so we don't have any pictures.  Sorry. 

There was a large number of people there, even with the bad weather.  It was different running in the rain.  Jenn said she enjoyed it.  I am frustrated with myself.  I did it again and started way too fast.  I tried to run with my friend, Bill, and that was nowhere near the pace I train at, and I started getting winded way too early.  Then, my knee started bothering me, and I had to walk.  I finished in 42:57, which was not as good as last time.

Jenn got third again!  She is amazing.  There was a large group of people, and she was able to get a new PR as well.  We really think she has a hidden talent she never knew she had. 

I think it's time to refocus and start getting serious again.  I am going to start swimming and biking for the next two weeks.  This way I will be able to do some rehab on my knees, and I will still be able to really increase my aerobic capacity and lose weight.  I will also be training for a triathlon sprint distance.  Kill two birds with one stone!

I also need write down my goals and make a weekly plan.  I slept in this morning and only got a 20 minute workout.  It was easier to be on time or early when my brother was coming.  Now, I need to write out goals and work towards them.

I also need to refocus on my food choices.  I have had a really bad 2-3 weeks when it comes to food.  I have gained weight, and it is frustrating.  I have just wanted to quit, but I know that isn't an option, and I need to refocus and keep working hard.

Do Life T-Shirts

There is a picture of ME on Ben Davis's blog!  Woot Woot

Check out the link here. 

Everyone should buy a shirt!

P90X with Jenn

Having only one car can be stressful, especially with kids.  Jenn has an appointment at 10:30 for Micah to be screened for kindergarten, and Jenn needed the van today.  So Jenn and I did some P90X together this morning.  She does it everyday, and I thought it would be a good idea to do it with her.  It was a fun workout, and it reminded me a lot of the boot camp classes I take.  I tweeked my knee a little, so I will be taking it easy and icing.

5K Saturday morning.  It starts at 8am at the South Campbell Panera Bread.  I think it would be great if you all came and supported.  We have a good group running and a few new faces.  Katie is a champ and is going to still run after a bad bike wreck on Wednesday.

Self-Esteem

I was made fun of a lot growing up.  I was a chubby kid and was teased.  I also wear my emotions on my sleeve.  So when people made fun of me, I reacted.  I learned to make it into a joke and laugh about it.  If I didn't, they would keep teasing me.

I do not know what it would be like to not be fat.  It has been such a part of my identity.  As I am losing weight, I am realizing how free it feels.  Now, I am more confident in myself.  I do have my moments where I do not feel like I am good enough, but I have come a long way physically and emotionally these last 4 months.

I don't know what it will be like to be a fit and slim person. I am excited to find out.

Swimming

So these last two weeks have been about getting my knee healthy.  Today, I decided to swim.  You can ask my family, from age 12-15, I lived at the neighborhood pool.  I was there most of the day every day.  I loved to swim, but I never did any kind of swimming for sport.  I didn't know what it was like to swim nonstop for a long period of time.

Swimming is hard! I swam about 20 laps and feel exhausted. One lap is 50 yards. I was going slow and had to stop a lot. There were people cranking out laps like it was nothing.  One guy had Ironman goggles.  When I was leaving, I saw him out on the bike all decked out in Ironman gear.  You can guess what he was training for!

Boot camp on Thursday.  Cross train on Friday.  5K on Saturday.  I also found a video of what I am going to do the day I hit my goal weight.  ENJOY!

I FEEL GREAT

I saw this video and just knew that I had to share it with the world.  This is me after a workout... or eating a Nutrigrain bar I guess..

Enjoy.

Side Planks

I felt a whole lot better this morning and decided to head to the gym.  Boot camp was killer, but I needed it.  Let's just say this weekend was not the best for me food-wise, and I paid for it on the scale.  I will have to work extra hard this week and be extra strict on my food choices. 

Today in boot camp, we did planks and side planks.  Side planks are not easy for me, and I am normally not able to do them or hold them very long.  Today, I was able to do all the sets the whole time.  One of the guys in my class noticed as well and told me "good job" afterwards.  It is those small things that make this great.  We will not mention that I ran into the bathroom not long after and puked...  but I came back and finished boot camp!

Side Plank

Let's finish this week out strong!  I have a 5K this weekend!  It's going to be great!

Home Sick

I am home sick today.  I didn't get a workout in.  I am feeling pretty crappy about it.  I hope I am going to feel better in time for boot camp on Tuesday.  I am needing a good workout.

Taking a Knee

I have had 5 different people who run and exercise regularly each tell me to take a few days off and rest my knee.  So I am doing that now.  I really don't want to, but I figure it will be best in the long run.  One thing I am learning is to listen to my body.  I really want to make fitness something I will take with me the rest of my life, but I have to be smart about it and prevent injury. 

I have a fun weekend planned for Jenn and me.  We are celebrating her birthday as a couple this weekend, because we are visiting her family on her actual birthday.  We are going to a Springfield Cardinals game on Saturday and then going to a friend's house after.  It will be a lot of fun.

Heavy Weight

When I was in high school, to wrestle heavy weight, you had to be between 216 and 275.  I wrestled 215 when I was in school, and I was trying to drop to 189.  I remember seeing the kids that were up to 275 and thinking about how big they were.  I had to wrestle a few of them, just so someone on the other team had a chance to wrestle. 

I never thought I would be excited to be at the weight of a heavy weight.  I am at 275!  I know it's not an official weigh-in day, but I cheated and checked my weight and was thrilled to see that I am a heavy weight again!  My ultimate goal is to be back around the 215 weight class, but I will take the 275 proudly right now.

Boot camp was the hardest to date.  If that was the first class I ever went to, I would not have come back.  As I was thinking that, it was cool to realize that I survived and did well in such an intense workout.  Steve threw at us all sorts of crazy things, and I did it.  It's those victories that make this life change worth it!

My Knee Hurts

For the last two months, I have had a little pain in my left knee but nothing serious.  I would just start my run, and it would go away.  On Saturday, at my 5K, it didn't go away.  I think it was from all the extra hills, and I am not used to running on hills.

On Monday, I didn't run on it; I did the elliptical.  Tuesday, I had boot camp, and the only time it hurt a little was when we did jumping jacks.  Today, I tried running on it again. Steven and I did a slow mile, and it hurt for a good half of the time.  So, I am going to really focus on cross training the rest of this week and next Monday.  I will do other things besides running, and I hope that will help my knee heal.

On an exciting note, I joined the Ozark Mountain Ridge Runners (OMRR) this month and told one of the officers about my weight loss.  He asked me to write an article about what I have done for their monthly newsletter.  I will post what I wrote when they put it in the newsletter.  If you have been following my blog, it will not be anything new.  I was very humbled and excited for the opportunity.

I have also been talking to Ben Davis, and we are trying to get him out here to Springfield.  I am typing up a proposal to him tonight, and I hope some exciting things will come of it.  Stay tuned!

Random Thoughts

Today's random thoughts:

• I really did not want to get out of bed this morning.  As I laid there, I thought to myself, "Self, you could just sleep in today.  No big deal."  I know myself way too well and punched that voice in the "froat" (fat throat) and got out of bed.  I know that if I start justifying a day here or there, it will turn into a lot more days of not getting up.
• Starting to get a little worried about this job.  I have not heard anything from them in over a week now.  I need patience.
• Ben Davis has been a great motivator for me to start running.  I have been talking to him, and we are trying to get him out to Springfield to speak to us.  I just need to raise the money.  If you are interested in helping, let me know.
• My left knee has been bothering me since my 5K on Saturday.  I didn't run on Monday; I just did the elliptical.  I am a little nervous about my run on Wednesday.
• Nixa has a running group that runs every Tuesday and Thursday morning.  I am thinking about joining them, but those are my boot camp days, and I really don't want to miss out on them.  Maybe I will start my own running group....
• I am still losing weight and wearing clothes I haven't worn in a very long time.  It is exciting.  I think Jenn and I are going to go through my closet this weekend and pack up all my very fat clothes and find more stuff I can wear.  Losing weight is fun.
• I am feeling very good today.  Boot camp kicked my trash.  

Anyway...  Sorry for the random thoughts!  Just felt like a random thought day! 

I Want To Follow You

Cannot post much today.  My power steering went out in my van yesterday, and I had to drop it off this morning.  Got a good 30-minute workout in this morning.  Very easy going and got to chat with my mom and brother.

I love the support I am getting through all my followers.  I would love to follow you.  Please leave a comment with your blog.  It doesn't have to be a fitness blog; it can be any blog.  I will follow you!

Thanks again everyone!

STAND Fit for 5K

So I just ran my second 5K today!  It was the Stand Fit for 5K, and it was a lot of fun and really hard.

I am not used to hills, and this race had many hills.  I really think I need to start finding a route to run with more hills.  The only way to get better at hills is to run hills.  I did it in 40:53; that is 3 minutes faster than last time!  Jenn finished third overall for the females and third in her division.  Two young pups decided to run a little faster than she did.  Jenn feels like she is developing a talent she didn't know she had.

We had most of the same group as last time: Katie, Jenn, Steven, Paul and me.

Waiting at the starting line, my favorite part about this picture is the girl to the left of me picking at a wedgie.  Good picture, Dad!

Jenn finished really strong with 26:42 and was third overall for the ladies.  She is a super hero.

 Steven was not far behind Jenn.  He said, "I don't think I would of went as fast if it wasn't for Jenn."  I think he didn't want her to leave him in the dust.  I will miss running with you, Bro, but you better not stop when you go out to Idaho...  I will kick you.

Paul and I finishing.  He can do these races a whole lot faster, and he stuck back with me.  I am really appreciative of his support!  I also look like I am dying. Well, it's because I was.  That was freaking hard! 

All my girls.  They are so cute.

Thanks again, Coach!

I might be slow, but I am out doing it.  I am changing my life and working hard.  I will get faster, and I will be able to go further.  Right now, I am still changing and still living.  I know if I can do it, so can you!  It doesn't have to be running, just get up and make yourself better.

I Cannot Wait

Today, Steven and I decided to take it easy before our 5K on Saturday.  We walked on the track and saw some people playing basketball.  I asked Steven, "You wanna play some basketball?"  So we went down and shot for teams. Because we were the new guys, we had that pressure to perform.  Of course, we both missed badly when we took our first shots, but then we fell into a good rhythm and had some fun.  They play every Friday.

Towards the end of our game, in rolls Mom to say good-bye.  Steven and I were on the other end of the court and she yells to us, "Chris! Steven! Have a great day. I love you!"  Oh man, if I was still back in high school, I would've died!  It's a good thing I don't care about that anymore.  I smiled and waved, "See you Saturday, Mom!"

Then I hear from one of the guys, "Thanks for letting them play with us!" That was funny.  All of this reminded me of conversations with my wife.  I cannot wait to embarrass the crap out of my kids in the same way.  I know my wife is going to be the best at it and not even try.  I have already seen her in action when I was a softball coach, and they were not even my kids. 

Just goes to show, it doesn't matter how old you are.  Moms and dads are going to love to embarrass their kids, and I am sooo excited to do that to mine!

5K on Saturday! Time to kill it!

Panera Bread = Love

Okay... Lots of stuff to cover today.

As you all know, I killed a bird yesterday. I should've known that was a sign of how the rest of my day would be.  I got to work, and it was credit application insanity.  I processed almost 40 applications yesterday.  That is a lot.  I normally do about 15-20.  I also had a supervisor freaking out, because she wanted me to set up a new user for her right then! 

I was so stressed with work and assisting the death of a bird, I decided to go eat at Panera Bread.  Let me tell you why that place is amazing.  It has the calories next to each of the items on the menu.  HOW FREAKING COOL IS THAT!  So Katie (one of my friends from work who has been running 5K's with me) and I ordered the "You Pick Two." I got the Garden Vegetable w/ Pesto soup and Greek Salad.  The total calories were 300!  Let me tell you.  It was amazing, and it felt like I ate way too much when I was done.

I used to hate places like Panera. It is pricey, and I never felt like I got enough food.  I felt like for the price I should have been able to pick 5 not 2.  Now the meal fills me up.  So that is how healthy people eat.  I get it now!  I understand why my mom loves eating there so much.

I had an appointment with the trainer I met with back in January to do a follow-up visit.  I have only talked to this guy once, and he measured my fat and showed me 8 machines that could help me with running.  It was a basic visit, and I was grateful for what he showed me, because I wasn't sure what to do on my non-running days.  I now go to boot camp and strength training, so I don't follow the program he set up for me. 

I got to the appointment, and he was Captain Negative from the start.  I am sorry, but if I was a trainer and someone I worked with lost over 50 pounds, I would be ecstatic.  He measured my weight and my fat and really didn't have anything good to say.  He said that I shouldn't just run, because I will lose weight but not fat.  I did not understand that. What would I be losing?  I am lifting weights and doing other things in my classes. 

Needless to say, I left that meeting feeling really dejected and frustrated.  I felt like I wasn't doing good enough.  If you are moving in the right direction, you should never feel that way.  I understand I still have a long way to go.  I was really fat, but come on!  I will not be going back to you, Mr. Trainer. I hope you have a good life, but you will not be talking to me about mine ever again.

SO I TOOK ALL MY FRUSTRATION AND KILLED IT IN BOOT CAMP THIS MORNING!  Best workout in a long time. I loved it!

I Killed A Bird

I killed a bird. Not on purpose, though.  I was about a mile into my run this morning, and I saw a bird in the grass by the sidewalk.  I was surprised it didn't fly off when I got closer.  I think it didn't realize I was there until I was about 2 feet from it.  He flew off in a panic when he saw me.  He flew into the street and was t-boned by a big, old truck.

I felt horrible.  Here I was, out running, enjoying the morning, and I saw a bird commit suicide scared to death by me!  I think I have a complex now, and if you see a person out running and yelling at birds, do not judge them.  They are just giving a warning so the bird does not fly off in a panic and get smashed by a truck.

I Faced My Crossroad

This weekend was one of those make or break moments in my life change.  I stood at a crossroad and could either quit or keep going.  I have already faced moments like it this year and have kept going.  This one snuck up on me, and I was having a hard time and a lot of self doubt, but I still got up and ran.  I still went to the gym this morning and kick my butt at boot camp. 

One of the main differences this time is that I have been able to face these crossroads and take the harder route and keep going.  Before, I had always quit when I was discouraged or when it got too hard.  I know I did it right this time.  I surrounded myself with a great support system and started this blog.  Thank you to everyone who reads this!  It really does help me get out of bed in the morning.  Another difference is how I approached my eating.  I knew what to do, so I did it.  I didn't call it a diet, because diets end.  I just started eating healthier and eating less, and I stopped eating late at night.  It's amazing how that works.  Eat right and eat smart. 

Thanks again for everyone's support!  Keep working hard and pushing through those hard times.  Do not give up on your goals whatever they are.

What In The World Am I Doing

I had one of those moments this morning.  As I was sitting out in my car getting ready to go out in the wind and cold to run, I thought, "What the heck am I doing!"  I really love what running is doing for my health, and I love the feeling I get when I finish a run, but do I really love running? 

I think I would enjoy it more if I had someone to run with.  My brother is a lot faster than I am, and I do not want to hold him back.  I would love to have someone who runs just a little bit faster than me, and we could get better together.  I have some friends at the fitness center who said they would run with me on Wednesdays, but they normally run faster than my brother. The whole time I would be worried about slowing them down.

I guess it was just a frustrating day.  I didn't get my full run in.  I had to stop and find a bathroom (I guess this happens a lot for runners), and I tweeked my knee a little.  So I just walked the last half mile back to the fitness center.  I know I have to stay positive, and I know running will get easier as the weight comes off and my aerobic capacity increases. I am allowed to have bad days, and today is one of them.

90 Day Weigh-In

It's been 90 days!! I weighed myself this morning, and I now weigh 278.7!  That is 54.3 pounds total!  It feels great!  I am losing about 2-3 pounds a week, and that is a healthy weight loss.  I am glad I am doing it the healthy way. 

Even though I am still big, I will reach my goal and take this weight off! 

Thanks again for everyone's support. I would not be as successful if it wasn't for you all!  Keep reading and subscribe if you have not already!

Job interview today at 4pm.  I will keep you posted!