Losing your identity? Injuries!

So after my super long training weekend a week and a few days ago, I found my knee hurting in a way that was not normal.  This is how it goes with doing these long runs and that is why listening to your body and being observant is so important while training and racing.  This week I have tried to run a few times only to find that my knee still hurt within the first 100 yards or so and this COULD be very discouraging.  In fact, this close to a race it could be down right devastating to some.  For me though, not so much.  Why you ask???????? Here is why:

RUNNING IS NOT MY IDENTITY!  I love running, I love what running does for my body and mind, I love what I learn about life from running…………………but running is not the only thing.  I have been where running and what it does for me was my identity but not anymore.  There is a lot to life and it is pretty normal to feel that without that “one thing” that you love that you would not be who you are.  For some it is that significant other, or a job, or drugs, or whatever……and the thought of losing any of those “one things” brings up fear in most to the point that they will cling to the thing to their own detriment.

Running is a vehicle for many things.  It adds enjoyment and vigor to my life.  If I couldn’t run anymore I don’t want to be in a spot where I can’t enjoy life or live with vigor.  I mean do you wan to lose your vigor or enjoyment of life because only one aspect is not working out in it?????  I doubt it, but this may have not ever crossed your mind.  It’s great to have focus but you also have to have the ability to adjust to life to keep it invigorating and lively.

So despite this set back, I know that I am ok and that my body will be ok and that I can accomplish all that I want in life even if I can’t run.  I am not at the place where I can’t run anymore and hope I never get there, but for now I need to back off a bit to heal up and I am happy as ever!

Try not to see your life as a prison just because you can’t do a particular thing!

Better than the runners HIGH!

Today was a fantastic run.  I am currently in this totally awesome course called MKMMA and this is part of why this run was so awesome today.  If you have never put your voice to music so you can listen to your vision in life while you run I highly recommend it.  So I was out there on the normal beaten path of the sidewalk I hit most days of the week, when all of a sudden my ipod just came to life.  I even shed a tear about this.

It was a super cold brisk sunny day and I was intently listening to myself with some awesome background music tell myself how awesome my life was and how much I am and am going to accomplish.  The exertion of running, the cold air going into my lungs, the sound of my voice and the sun all came together and everything seemed so certain, so ok, so RIGHT! Now that is an awesome feeling that beats any runners high hands down.  My body felt great, my mind felt great, my heart felt great, and my emotions felt great.  Wish all of my runs felt this way but I have a hunch that more of them will be like this in the future.

The basics of todays run was 4 miles slower and easy with the last two miles headed home at a hard pushing pace.  Nothing was stopping me today.  So while I am on top of the mountain for now, I wanted to share with you that so much is possible for you, so much is in you, SO MUCH.  Even if you can’t see it or feel it, it is there.  Ask yourself the simple question: What do I really want my life to be? Then just sit there and think about it……when it comes to you……WRITE IT DOWN.  Then put it to some music if you can. Ask me how in the comments if your curious.  Peace out!

Time For Recess, Glee in Life

I had a most wonderful experience while running today.  That’s not so normal for a speed work day hahaha.  At the five mile or so mark I was round a corner, I was listening to Les Brown on my IPOD at the time when all of a sudden I heard GLEE!!!!!  I head chitter chatter, laughing, joy, contentment, and LIFE.  Keep in mine I heard this over my IPOD.  That is amazing in and of itself.  I looked to my right and there it was, a school playground full of kids kicking balls, swinging, running, talking, and all manner of lively things we all used to do.  It brought so much joy to my run today.  I even stopped to walk slowly so I could take the sound in and even took a pic for the blog.

DO YOU REMEMBER YOU, WHEN YOU HAD THAT GLEE AND VIBRANCY?

DO YOU REMEMBER YOU, WHEN YOU HAD FANTASTICAL DREAMS AND SMILED A LOT?

I do, but I normally don’t, so my best advice is to be observant…….even during a speed work out LOL.  Because something this simple can turn the page in your life if you take it seriously and ask yourself some good questions!  Peace out!

Sometimes……rest and reflection

There are times, especially when you have been striving to reach a goal, that a good restful reflection is in order. This weekend I didn’t run. Rather I chose to reflect on the past 6 months efforts that I put forth to achieve some big time goals. I achieved some goals and now have to set new ones, but before I completely got out the pen and paper to set my sail towards a new direction I rested. I took time to be with my loved ones, think about the past and the future, and set apart some time to have fun. This is a big win for me to take time out to have fun and not be so driven. I highly recommend it.

Still running.

I did 5 miles today.  My legs are having a hard time recovering from my last two long runs.  One was 63 that you all know about and the other was 25 last weekend.  My legs felt pretty good in the 25 miler but the runs this week were damn hard.  My legs felt like lead and they felt like that were straight all the time stiff like.  But I am still out there.  I am still going for it.  I am still in great shape.  It was a beautiful day this morning during my run.  The sun was in full effect, motorcycles were out enjoying the warmth, people were dressed in slightly warm weather clothes.   I saw each of them as I tromped on by them as I took one smooth step after the other.  The air was refreshing and crisp.  I listened to Mariachi music for the whole run which put a romantic touch to the time outside.  So although my legs are mourning the abuse for a bit, it was an extrememly great experience to have on this wonderful day

Out of hermitville…………New life Check Up

Hello everyone.  I have decided, for the benefit of my own health to come out from being a blog hermit.  I have experienced a lot since the last time I wrote to you all.  My life has changed drastically, my heart is soft again, I have opened up myself to other around me, and I HAVE EATEN A VAST AMOUNT OF FOOD. HAHAHAHA.  I am not complaining though.  For today I show myself mercy and I don’t do that too often.  At this time it is needed however, so I will give myself a break.

• I am current 8 lbs over my WW lifetime goal.  Yup, that is right, I actually had to pay the last time I went and that was the first time in around 2 years. 
• I am having a hard time with recovery in my running lately.
• I have stood up for myself and been authentic more in the last three months than I ever was in my previous 33 years of life.
• My heart has changed drastically and I am excited to move on in my life to experience even more love and growth than ever before.
• I am back to WW and starting out on a new path.  I will do well for sure.

I have received so many emails from all of you who care.  I appreciate it more than you would ever dream.  I did not return any of them for the most part but I did take each and every word that you spoke into my life and used it for good.  I have slowly (some would tell me VERY quickly) but surely emerged from a lot of crappy darkness.  I will never be the same but I will be better instead of worse. 

I will tell you all, that I have learned so much about myself and about people.  I have experienced and learned so much mercy and understanding.  When I think of it all I kind of melt into a lump of thankfulness.  I get filled with emotion at the realization that people (yeah, all of us) have the capacity to endure and grow more than even I ever imagined.  And I saw that Love and Compassion for others is a major factor in my ability to endure such things that I have.  I saw that my running is more of a picture of my life than I thought, and that it has taught me good lessons that will stick with me for a lifetime

A LITTLE MESSAGE TO YOU ALL

You know what guys, sometimes things just get hard don’t they.  Sometimes they add up over time, and other times they rush in to overwhelm.  I wanted to tell you that no matter what happens or has happened, just about anything is possible for you.  Now is not the time to give up on what you want in life.  Now is not the time to think of yourself as a throw away.  Now is not the time to let others talk you out of your dreams.  I know you can do what it is you want to do.  Just take one step, just one.  And in time, you will one day be where you want to be.  And during those many steps you will fall down.  This is ok.  This is nothing to panic over.  This is the normal human experience and it is highly desirable albeit not enjoyable.  Because when we do fall, we learn how to stand once again.

Ultra-marathon and southern food!!

Well here I am a little more than 20 miles into the Strolling Jim 40 miler.  Relaxed, happy, and full of energy. HAHAHA  My wife took this picture as she drove away from giving me some of my Hammer Nutrition Perpetuem.  At this point in the race I was of course actually feeling a bit tired.  Five miles more though and I hit a serious second wind and took right off.  This is a good example of the scenery that I ran in too.

 

After the race I ate the traditional barbecued chicken lunch with coke, but a couple hours after that we went to the historic bell buckle cafe.  Bell Buckle is the birth place of the Moon Pie and RC Cola.  It is also home to a fantastic cafe with real southern cooking.  Southern is short hand for deep fried and tasty fatty yumminess. HAHAHA  I had pulled pork, fried corn bread, blue berry salad that was actually a cobbler thing, fries,  and something else that I can’t remember.  The picture is of my wife’s food.  It was great.

Real research to help you lose weight: Eating with others is good for you

Here is a little gem of information that is founded in real research on people and the way they eat.  We all know that we live in a fast and crazy paced life.  It seems that we don’t have time to do anything.  We scrape by and try and get done what we can each day.  At least for me, I feel like I don’t have enough time as I go through most of my days.  I found another good reason that we should take the time to eat with our loved ones.  Doing this actually helps eat healthier foods according to an ADA Scientific Journal publication called: Making time for meals: Meal structure and associations with dietary intakes of young adults.

I like scientific research because much of my education dealt with performing research regarding family and relationships.  Anyway, this journal article found that people actually tend to eat healthier when the eat with others.  The also found that when we eat on the run and are alone we tend to eat higher fat, more “POP”, more fast food, as well as leaving out other healthy options.  The research shows us that when we get together with others we are more likely to eat more fruits and vegetables.  This was surprising news to me.

I guess it could depend on who you like to eat with, but it really does make sense that when you eat with other people you do tend to eat a full meal that includes a variety of foods.  When I eat alone and on the run I most certainly do go for the fast food with lots of fat.  Here are some of the benifits that the research says you can get by eating with others more:

Benefits of eating with others

• More intake of fruit
• Higher intake of vegetables in general
• Higer intake of dark green and orange vegetables
• More social interaction and quality of life (my opinion)
• When you talk you eat less (my opinion)
• More enjoyment of food (my opinion)

What do you guys think about this research finding?  Does it match up with how your life is?  Do you eat worse on the run and by yourself?  Do you eat better when you are with others?

Weight watchers. Opinionated ramblings about getting real with health and weight loss.

How is it that we are to lose weight and keep it off.  I am going to randomly vent some theory out today about various aspects of the weight loss journey.  It is a little long winded but it feels good to let it out.  It’s all hyped up into something spectacular when in reality it is just normal, this journey.  It is the same as every other journey we partake in.   Only the results are life changing.  This is why we make it into the impossible when it really is not impossible at all.

Is food bad?               

Food.  Why is food such a problem?  It is crazy that a relationship with food can be so distorted and unhealthy.  Weight Watchers has really helped me with my relationship with food.  Blogging has helped with this also. I am learning and becoming comfortable with not using food in an unhealthy way.  I mean what is food anyway.  Food is energy.  Food is survival.  But also food is emotional.  Food is relational.  Food is attached to memories.  I am  rambling here but food is not the center of the universe even though I think it is sometimes. 

Weight loss efforts BETTER HELP ME eat in a real world

This means no avoidant behavior.  Sure in the beginning of the journey it is good to avoid lots of things, but in the long run I have to learn to ease back into life in a healthy way.  On weight watchers, you can eat whatever you want as long as you count the points and follow the good health guidelines set up by the government.  You know, the food pyramid people.  They devised good health guidelines that people should follow.  It is a baseline of healthy living basically.  It is odd because for me just to read even in my own blog that the government (USDA) is telling me what healthy eating is almost makes me not want to eat that way.  I won’t go into that though.  I say all this because it is so important to take advantage of the variety that weight watchers offers.  Even if you don’t do weight watchers it is important to get variety.  It is essential to eat the things that you like, even the things that are special to you because of some memory and such.  To deprive yourself and become super strict with your eating seems to be one of the main behaviors that bring people to failure in life long health.  Look at skinny people, they monitor what they eat for the most part but they don’t refuse to eat a donut for years on end either.  They eat donuts but they don’t eat 4 or 8 or 12.  They just eat one and move on in life.  To them a donut is a donut.  It is a tasty treat that is ok to eat.  This is what I want for myself.  I want to learn and become more effective at eating many foods.  I want to learn how to eat 1 donut and move on.  I want to learn how not to be afraid of going out to eat or walking into a See’s Candy and losing control.  I have to learn how to do this.  It is just not realistic to think I am never going to eat a particular food again or be in a particular food situation again.  I am tired of hiding from the situations that scare me.  I am going to avoid any diet/eating program that is too strict as if it were a life threatening disease.

Glad I was fat. Learning to live healthy

It may shock you that I am glad that I was over weight and obese.  Where would I be today if I never had been fat.  I would be a skinny sick person who was living an unhealthy lifestyle.  Not to say that all naturally thin people live like this, but I know that I would have.  If I just had the natural metabolism to keep me looking thin I would be eating much less healthy food and other stuff like that. 

I think that being in the position that I would die if I didn’t lose the weight really turned my life around health wise.  My cholesterol went from 305 or so to 151 in just one year.  I never would have changed that if I didn’t have to lose weight.  I never would have finished a marathon if I didn’t first start running to burn some calories.  Who knows, if I was thin I wouldn’t have even thought it necessary to burn a few extra calories.

So maybe all the horror and sadness that went with being obese helped me out in a way.  Now I am on my way to living so much healthier in all aspects of life.  I am in great shape now.  I am looking lean.  The doctor says everything is A-OK.  The chewing thing is becoming a thing of the past.  I don’t drink anymore.  I exercise regularly and make it a part of my life that I partake with my wife.

So for today at least, I am looking at my past as a blessing in disguise.

Scared to be thin! Are you? Part one of the “fear” series.

Good morning to all and to all a good morning.  I have received a couple of emails describing a fear that is not talked about often.  It is a fear of reaching goal, of looking thin and sexy and lean and happy.  Why would this be a fear you ask?  Well, that is what I am leaping into today.    Why would a person be scared to reach goal and finally be thin.

Good body day. Feelin’ skinny

Do you ever have a good hair day? HAHAHA  What about a good body day?  Do you ever have those tiny moments where you see yourself and say, “Wow, I look pretty good today!!”  Today is one of those days for me.  I got out of bed this morning and walked to the bathroom to brush my teeth, low and behold the mirror was in full effect.

Usually I am like, “UGH”.  But today was a good body day.  A day were my body image probably matched up to reality.  I looked OK to myself.  I was really excited actually.  With the three pounds lost and 7 more to go, I am seeing a bit more abs in my mirror image.  My chest seemed to look less boobyish.  My arms looked just that little bit more defined.  Mostly though it was my stomach that made me feel good.  It just looked better and felt smaller.

I have the suspicion that this is how I usually look in the mirror and that the change was in my mind.  I am not saying that only in my mind did I look OK, what I am saying is that I only look BAD in my mind rather than in reality.  Weird body image issues which I am sure many of you can relate to. 

So I am feeling good mentally and physically today.  How are you?  Do you ever have those ‘Good body” days?

Non-blogger contest entry. Why I felt amazing here.

As you all know, not everyone who reads blogs has their own blog.  So I have allowed non-bloggers to participate in the contest as well.  Just as a reminder, international people can partake in this too.  I know I have received several comments regarding this and I have left the contest open for non-US people too.   So here you go, the first non-blogger submission.

Here is a contest submission by Cecile

I have lost 47 lbs.  It has really made a difference too.  I can walk better and enjoy life that little bit more now.  But for the contest I wanted to show a picture of my family.  They are my true joy in life.  I’m fortunate enough to have an amazing family that loves me very much and shows me that they do.  I have lots of good moments I could enter but I really liked this one for the contest.
My daughter invited me to their  new cabin for a little vacation. I took the train and she picked me up at the station.  We went to her cabin.  It was such a wonderful time.  We did some walking (she jog’s  and I walk), toured a few wineries, and visited the town of Leavenworth; but the best part was I got to see my two awesome grandsons.  One came from college and the other from Louisiana.  They brought a couple of friends with them.  They were so good to their grandma and it was great seeing them.  So this picture is me with my two grandsons (center) and their buddies. Now don’t you think that’s an amazing moment when a gray haired grandma is surrounded by 4 STUDS. I sure enjoyed their youthful energy and humor.

And the winner is! Contest #1 Results

The votes are in and the first contest is over.  Ideas came from everywhere and they were fun and enjoyable to read.  I am so appreciative of all your participation in the contest.  I will be announcing the winner in this post.  This contest idea will be used for contest #2.  I will talk about contest #2 in another post.  The winner of this contest is an awesome, fun, and smart woman.  She makes me laugh and I really enjoy reading her blog.  Her name is Vani and she’s a beautiful person who wants to get fit for free. HAHAH 🙂  

Here are the top 4 ideas:

I can see the future, but only through a fog!

I can see into my future.  I can see my wife and I, driving up to the mountain with wild kids; all with our ski equipment in tow.  Oh what fun it will be.  In the picture above, you can see that I couldn’t see very far in front of myself during our last ski outing.  It was a blast, but the low visibility got me a little stressed out.

I can see what I want in my family’s future, but at the same time I have low visibility of it all.  I have hopes and I have fears associated with raising healthy children. This post is just about my anticipation of raising kids in an active family.  My wife and I will be starting that journey very soon.  Right now I am just enjoying the practice with this new body of mine.  HAHAHA  But in all seriousness, I want to have a healthy family who does active things together.  Be it riding bikes, running with my baby in stroller, hikes, talk-walks.  Oh I would love to have talk-walks with my daughter.  I don’t want my kids to have to be obese and feel bad about being fat.  I will love them nonetheless, but I don’t want that for them.  I am scared that I will fail in this area.  I worry that I will not set a good example of health for them.  I want to be at ease knowing that my children will experience life with a healthy, active, and participatory dad.  The good thing is that I am on the right track.  I have my goals and desires laid out before me.  I hope that this will lead the way to a healthy future.

Sex is for Losers! Weight loss can help!

image credit: living.health.com

Sex is sometimes a taboo subject, but it is a normal part of life.  One of the possible benefits of being on our weight loss journey is more sexual enjoyment.  Now I know that I am a guy and all, but being 307 lbs even made me not want to do it sometimes 🙂  I also know that this can be a sensitive subject and I post about it with the utmost respect for my wife, myself, and all of you. We all know that sex has much more than meets the eye.  My good friend who was my teacher as I got my Masters degree in Marriage and Family Studies always used to say, “Parts is Parts.”  Meaning, our parts are the same.  We have the parts, we all have the goods to “do it”.  The point was, our brains are the most powerful sexual organ.  And this powerful organ is used to communicate.  That is simple fact!

So how can weight loss increase sexual enjoyment you ask?  Well, I am going to tell you some of my ideas and then point you to a couple of article on the subject.  Research has found that being obese has a negative impact on our sexual performance as well as desire.  Here are a couple of ways that my weight loss has affected that part of life.  Don’t worry, no perversion here.

• More access.  This is totally embarrassing but it is just so simple.  Less stomach more access.  This is the least important improvement however.
• Self-image.  When I was 307 lbs, I NEVER felt good about how I looked.  My wife was really nice and loved me at that size, but I did not love me.  After losing weight this improved and it helped my sex life because I felt better about who I was and how I looked.
• Energy.  This may seem like no big deal, but 300 pounds is a lot of weight.  Losing those pounds made everything in my life easier physically, including “doing it”.  I mean hey, if I could hardly tie my shoes!
• Improved communication across the board.  Communication is the most important aspect of the sex life since the brain is the most important organ in the sex life.  Once I started feeling better about how I looked, had more energy, and began to think more positive; I was able to communicate better with my wife in every aspect of our marriage.

Here are a couple of articles that talk about the positive things weight lose can do for our sex life and some of the negative things that being over weight can do.  Enjoy.  All clean articles.

Packed on the pounds.  This is a testimonial type article of a couple who lost weight together.

Common sexual problems amoung the obese.  This is an information article by WebMD

Weight loss improves sex.  This article is geared toward the male side of sexual dysfunction due to obesity.

Hope you enjoyed this fun topic.  See you next time

A new balanced schedule, coming right up!

Alright, I am pretty excited right now about my new balanced schedule for fitness.  I think it is realistic and it will help me both get more fit and balanced at the same time.  I will have an exercise schedule that is livable that will carry me to my two goal races.

I hope to beat the times that I got in the Strolling Jim 40 miler and the Portalnd Marathon.  So rather than go for number of races, I am going to try and make the two races that I will be doing count as quality.  It is a great change of pace yet still challenging and motivating.

 

 

 

Here it is in a generic nut shell.

Mon: Walk or Row

Tues:  WW meeting and X train

Wed: Run

Thur: Run

Fri: Run

Sat: Skiing/Hiking

Sun: Long run but not super duper long every week.

So there you have it.  I like it.

I’m giving up, again!

I am giving up you guys.  I cannot take it anymore.  I will never do this again.  I hope.  There is one small,  really unhealthy habit that I keep going back to and I want to stop.  I was never going to talk about it because it is not about weight loss but it is about health and it is part of my journey.  I hate it and I want it to go away.  I am quitting my use of smokeless tobacco.  I have done it before and not been real successful.  Maybe that is because it was kept in the dark.  So today I bring it into the light.  Healing happens when we walk in the light of truth.  I am choosing to walk in that light today.  Sorry if it grosses some of you out, but I felt it important to get out.  I had just recently quit for a while but I just kept listening to the lies of why I should buy more.  Here is a pic of the evil stuff.  My plan is to stop using it forever.  It so does not coincide with the rest of my life and health goals.  And plus, I have lost this weight and am looking pretty decent.  The last thing I need to do is mess my jaw and face all  up let alone dying young and leaving my wife early.  So there it is!

We all want to be HOT :) Weight Loss Blog Comment Fun!

 

Original comment:

All I can say is “DAMN your HOT!” lol…

You definately show that with dedication and commitment what can be achieved. I am so impressed and I know it was not easy, but SOOOO worth it!!

 

Keep it up Hottie!!! 

My reply:

 

Warning! Extremely Important Reality Statement Ahead!!!!!!!! Ok, we all walk, run, exercise, eat healthy, control portions, make good food choices, and stick to our program solely for health purposes that our DR. told us we needed to take care. We don’t care about anything else, especially looking better.

 NOT. WE WANT TO LOOK “HOT” AND FIT INTO THOSE DANG CLOTHES THAT MAKE US LOOK AND FEEL GREAT. SKINNY JEANS YOU LADIES CALL IT. Lets face it. We do honorable things for our health and bodies by changing our lives. But we all wouldn’t mind to be called “HOT”. 

Thanks you very much Colette, a very encouraging compliment. Much appreciated. Thanks for the comment. 

BELIEVE IT OR NOT! Will run4change resist the pie in the sky?

You won’t believe what just happened to me.  Was it an answer to prayer or was it a dark dark scheme of the evil one 🙂  One of my wonderful employees just presented me with this absolutely beautiful temptation.  She baked a special pie for me.  Pumpkin caramel with a mother load of heavy whipped cream on top.  Estimated at a minimum of 16 points per meager slice.  I love pumpkin pie.  I love the thoughtfulness of this employee too.  Will I be able to handle it? TAKE THE POLL, IT WILL BE FUN!  Check this out for a healthy alternative to my pie.