April Recap

Well another month down on this Journey, that’s a total of 5 months now. First I’ll do some reflecting on this past month then some since the beginning. I weighed this morning and I was at 207 so that’s a pound back from Tuesday’s weigh in. That is a total of 13 for the month and a grand total of 86 since the first of December and only 7 to go to my goal of 200. I’ve also gone 112 days in a row without missing a day walking or running. I have to admit as I’m sitting here I can’t believe where I’m at in just 5 short months. Man why didn’t I do this sooner. Well let me stop with where this is going now and I’ll save this for the 5 month recap not the April one. This is the least I’ve lost in a month since I started, but that is given, as you get closer to the goal it’ll come off slower. April was a good month I had some challenges and reached some goals. Some the challenges were I had some of the strongest food cravings since I started this, but I didn’t give in. I didn’t look at the weather close enough one day and wasn’t aggressive enough and almost didn’t get to walk one day, but me and Summer got one in by walking in a pouring rain, we got soaked, but we got the work out in. I did my first 5K since I decided I was going to do this. I got in 150 miles of walking and running this past month, that was a goal I had set. I had a nice walk with my mom. I’ve set the goal to do the marathon in San Antonio in November (man that’s a big goal). Not only have I seen a change in me physically, but also spiritually and mentally over these past five months. Spiritually me and God have had some good talks while I’m out walking and running. Mentally, things don’t seem to bother me as much as they use to, I guess its true exercise is a great stress reliever. I’ve learned this is me doing this I can’t give anyone else the credit and if I stop I can’t give anyone else the blame….I’m making the calls in this game and I’m doing it today not tomorrow!

29 Apr 09

It’s hard to believe, but today is kind of a slow day at work. I probably just jinxed myself, but that is not what this is about. Since it was slow I was doing some soul searching if you will about this marathon thing. You know is it something I really want to do, is it something I can do. I know in my heart it is something I want to do and I know I have it in me to do it. I was so close 9 years ago. It just gets discouraging sometimes. I feel tired, sometimes the shorter runs are hard and I think how in the world can I do 26.2 when I’m hurting so bad at 3. The eating right is hard, some days more than others. It takes away time from my family. Like yesterday me and Casey went fishing then I had my run and walking to do so that added another hour and half onto my day. I called Jenny to tell her what was going on and where I would be at and she said so I won’t be seeing you tonight. That made me feel bad I know she didn’t intend for it to, but the whole rest of the night I keep telling myself I should just cut the night short and go home. I didn’t though, I stuck with it because I just need 11 more miles over the next two days to have in 150 this month and I really want to reach this goal, so I knew If I cut it short I’d have to do it today and tomorrow to get it in. Then when I got home last night Jenny was still up, but she was ill and as I lay in the bed trying to go to sleep I kept asking myself should I have just came on home. This bothers me because I really do want this weight loss thing to stick this time and I want that marathon, but I want my family to be happy. How do you get a balance? I’ve started working on a breakdown of my time to just see how much I’m putting in this. I guess we’ll see later what it shows I’ll post it here as soon as I get it done. Lord help me with this give me the strength, courage and peace to reach this goal Amen. To have come so far with this why do I feel so bad emotional y about it this. Maybe tomorrow will be better. I do hope to start writing more about the emotions involved with this, because like it or not they are a big part of it and yes a lot of this is mental. Doing this today not tomorrow.

Week 21

Well the last few days have been interesting. I have been craving food like crazy. My Mom brought my daughter some donuts to the hospital and man I wanted one bad, not just for a little while for days! Then when we got home from the hospital on Saturday the neighbor brought over some tea cake cookies and they were still hot, oh they are my favorite. I didn’t give in though. The kids had a pineapple and ham pizza and man did I want some of it bad, that’s my favorite kind of pizza, I didn’t give in though. Then Saturday night I went to the wild game cookout at the church, I ate my sandwiches before I went but man that food looked good especially those deer wraps (see the pic above). I held my ground though I didn’t give in. over all it has been a good week exercising I still haven’t missed a day in 109 days. I’ve ate good see the food log. I weighed today and I have gained a 1.5 pounds. It kind of dishearting because I’m so close to that 200 mark. I haven’t change anything still doing like I have been all the way through this. I mean it would have been different if I had given in and ate some of the stuff I talked about above. I’ve just got to hang in there and maybe more will come off this week. I ready to hit the 200 mark so I can just do th4e marathon training my legs are real tired with the running and walking. I’ve decided to lift weights (work my upper body) on the off running days for the marathon training. I’m not going to stop this I’m going to do it…and I’m going to do it today and not tomorrow.

23 Apr 09

Well they keep Summer in the Hospital. She is doing OK they just want to give her medicine through the IV to help stop the infection. I did day two of the Marathon training today I ran at Hamilton and did some hills three miles my time was 31:50. The hills were tough but I felt so good when it was over, I actually had that Runners high when it was over. Almost caught a cramp about ¾ of a mile in. After I ran I went by and stayed with Summer a while in the hospital then I went and walked three miles before I went home, so I got a total of six in today. So now it’s 105 days without missing one. I’m doing this today and not tomorrow.

22 Apr 09

Another long day today, I started home and called to tell Jenny I was going to get my walk in and she told me that Summer was sick and that she thought she had either been bitten by a spider or might have staff. She said she had a place on her leg and that she was running fever and felt real bad. They were thinking about waiting to go to the doctor the next morning. Jenny was easy to convince that she needed to go then, but Summer wasn’t I talked to her and she agreed to go, if I went ahead and did my walking before I came to the Hospital. That meant so much to me, Summer knows how much this means to me and she didn’t want me to miss a day. She is my angel……I go in three miles so that is 104 days without missing one. Today not Tomorrow.

Week 20

Well here is the update for last week. I weighed today and it was 206.5 so that is 86.5 lost to date. Only 6.5 left to get to the 200 I wanted to get to. I’m still hanging in there with the eating right (see the food log). I started the marathon training program today I ran three miles for r it and then based on my own goal I set of keep walking and doing something each day till I reach 200 I walked 3 more miles and my buddy Pat walked with me we had a real good talk. It has now been 103 days since I missed a day walking /running. It was tough to get it last night we had another long day in court and I was real tired, but I know it’s going to be tough but I’ve got to stick with the program and I know there are going to be days where it will be tough, but if I want it I’ll have to stick through the thick and the thin. I’m going to do this today and not tomorrow.

20 Apr 09

Today was a tough day to get my walking in. We are having plea days at court and I went in at 7 this morning to get ahead on my paper and then didn’t get finished till 830 tonight. I was so tempted to not walk tonight, but I did then once I started I was so tempted to just do three instead of the five, but I hung in there and did it and man it felt good to have accomplished my goal. I’m going to do this the marathon part is going to be tough, but the weight loss part has been tough but I’ve hung in there with it and I’m going to hang in there with this part of it also…….today not tomorrow.

New Goals

Well I spent most of last night and today trying to figure out what is next as far as my goals. I've set short range goals and some long range ones. Running the 5K was a long range one and as I close in on 93 pounds lost and being at 200 that's almost another long range one down. Of course the Marathon is a long range one. I was trying to decide when I stop this walking/running every day. Yesterday was 100 days and I did get in two tonight (more about that later) so it's been 101 without missing a day. Well I've rearranged a few goals and set a new big long range one. Here's the story how they came about. Like I said before it's been on my mind and I was surfing the net today and pulled up a marathon training plan and was looking if I started it today when I would be slotted to do one. The way I first had it figured was 29 Nov 09. I then was looking at the San Antonio Marathon and it’s on the 15th of November 09. I thought man I missed it by two weeks. Remember San Antonio is where this dream of me doing a Marathon started back 12 years ago. I was thinking how neat it would be to do it there. I went back and looked at the plan and doing the Marathon is at week 30 not 32 so that puts me right on the date for San Antonio……so you are hearing it here right now that’s my new long range goal is to do the San Antonio Marathon on November the 15th 2009. Along with this I have adjusted and made some new short range goals. I’m going to start the marathon plan tomorrow however I’m going to keep on walking each day until I reach 200 lbs as that was my original goal. The once I reach that I’ll stick to the marathon workout plan. Of course I’m going to stick to the eating right and I may have to may some adjustments to that to ensure I get the correct amount of fuel I need. Doing this today not tomorrow.

Well I did something today that if you had told me back on 30 Nov 08 that I would have been doing I would have said there is now way! I ran a 5K and check this out on my watch I had a time of 29 minutes and 1 second! The race was at Amory MS at the railroad festival. I was real nervous this morning not sure why, I felt confident I could finish. I don’t know my stomach was in knots and I was real ill and I had ran in races before even though that was several years ago. The run was good it was funny of course at the start it was piled up and trying to get settled in to a pace was awkward. Then I was having trouble getting my breathing right and I was afraid that I had started out to fast, but around five minutes into it my breathing leveled out and I felt good. I ran a good pace and felt good one time my legs felt tired but I told myself I’ve been through this before with the walking and felt tired and keep going so I can now with this and I got through it. Man I’m actually doing this since 1 Dec 08 I’ve lost 83 pounds and ran a 5K in less than 30 minutes……I’m doing this today and not tomorrow. Its kind scary I’ve just about got the weight loss beat now I’ve got to get after this running thing…..remember a marathon was part of this also….I just did the math and today was 100 days with out missing a walk/run what a way to celebrate hunh!............today not tomorrow!

Week 19

14 Apr 09 – Wow I weighed in this morning and it was 210. I couldn’t have ever imagined that 19 weeks ago when I started that I would be here today. I feel so much better and it’s so funny that a few weeks ago folks were starting to notice I had lost a good bit of weight, now folks are not recognizing me. Why in the world did I wait this long to lose this weight. I was always waiting on tomorrow and not today. I’m so glad I decided to do this today and not tomorrow. I have been walking or running now for 96 days without missing one. I have really found that discipline is the key to this. I’ll admit it’s hard sometimes, but you have to just do it and I can speak form my own experience with this that is you can do it. You just have to make yourself, you have to hang in there with it and as that saying goes from Bear Bryant that I love “the cost of victory is high, but so are the rewards!. See the food log for how I’ve been eating pretty much the same since January and you can see the weight loss chart for the loss pattern. I’m doing this Today and Not Tomorrow.

Easter Sunday

Today was Easter Sunday and I almost made a costly mistake with my planning not on the eating I did good with that. Let me tell you about that first then I will tell you about the almost rut row. We got invited to my mom’s this morning and some friends for lunch. My mom always cooks so good so I was afraid I might give in, but she had a turkey sandwich on wheat waiting for me for breakfast, I know not you traditional breakfast but hey it worked. Then at our friends she is a wonderful cook so I knew I would be challenged so I brought my banana and wheat bread with me and just enjoyed the fellowship with good friends verses the good food. Then for supper tonight I had two turkey sandwiches on wheat. Now for the almost rut row as of today I haven’t missed a day walking or running in 94 days. I checked the weather last night and saw rain was moving in this afternoon so I had planned that right after lunch I would get it in. Well we stayed at our friends longer than I needed to and I was real tired and I wanted to watch some of the master’s golf tournament so I went over to mom and dads after we left our friends. I sat down on the couch and started to watch the masters and fell asleep I woke up and went out to walk and it was thundering and lighting so I couldn’t go then. I got home around 63oish and the rain had set in. It wasn’t thundering or lighting just raining so me and Summer went and walked in the rain for two miles we were soaked (see our pic above)! It wasn’t my normal 5 but hey I did get some in. Summer was a trooper for hanging in there with me. Lesson learned this “today not tomorrow” is priority it has to be, it’s the only way it can be., today not tomorrow.

Week 18 - 7 Apr 09

Well here is my first update for April, not a lot to put down or I guess I should say not a lot of time to put everything down. I weighed in at 214 this morning that is 6 pounds lost from last week and a total of 79 so far. I can not tell you how much better I feel it’s crazy. The eating is still going good check out the food log and I’ m at 89 days without missing one walking/running…..doing this today not tomorrow.