Kona - Harriett Anderson - Weekly Checkin

Back on track this week.  I lost 1 lb but that is after a gain of 5 lbs the week and a half before.  Walking, Swimming and catching a lot of softball pitching has helped immensely.  I feel soooo much better mentally and physically.

I also got a real boost also tonight.  I just watched the NBC coverage of the Kona Ironman.  I love watching the last 2 hours of the finish line coverage.  This year I teared up at several of them.  The dad who lost a daughter at Sandy Hook and his positive attitude on life along with watching Harriett Anderson (77 years old) finish 21st Ironman. Yes you read that correctly 21!

I am spurred on to push myself on to the next phase of my training.  I will be doing the St. Paddy's Day Run in Bartlesville with a goal of sub 45 min.  I will also complete the Woolaroc Run this year and the Tulsa Tri Clubs Sprint Triathlon.  I can't wait for these events.
Thank you Harriett for the extra Motivation!!!!!!

The Wagon Threw Me - Weekly Check In November 9, 2013

I know, I know I did not post last week.  The last two weeks have kicked my butt.  Between illness (Family and Myself), school meetings and kids.  I have not just fallen off the wagon, I jumped with both feet.  Stress induced comfort food along with poor time management causing some missed workouts have combined to trigger a minor set back in my journey.  Good news thought my enthusiasm is back, never waned really.  I finished this week up strong with a good swim and some racquetball with friends and actually felt very strong so the break from working out may have done me some good and allowed my body to recover some.  I will, however, recommit to better food choices this week. I cannot gain four pounds in two weeks very often or knowing myself, the enthusiasm will begin to wane.

The good news this week is that my older daughter is well on her way to raising the necessary funds for her trip to Washington DC.  She is a cookie dough and candy selling fool!!! Which helped contribute to my poor choices.  Those fundraiser candy bars are just sooooo good.  The Younger Daughter just had a tryout with Oklahoma Bedlam Softball 10U team last Saturday and has been invited to play with them this spring.  We met her new coach yesterday so she could watch her pitch and practices will begin soon.  I am hoping this will turn into built in workout time for dad.  If not the time management thing will have to get mucho better.

I will update my chart next week.  I have been swimming some and walking a little, but I will hopefully get back into the 4 to 5 workouts a week.  I need that to feel good these day.

Stay strong my friends and maintain your ENTHUSIASM!!!!

Milestone #1 Met!!!!!!!

"The person who starts the race is not the same person who finishes the race"

On June 4th of this year I set a major goal of completing an Ironman distance triathlon before I am 50 years old in my bid to become a healthier husband and dad.  I also developed a plan with lots of intermediate goals to get there.  Yesterday I met my first Goal on the list!!! I completed the Tulsa Run 5K.

Crossing the finish line with my little sis!  Thanks for pushing me!

My plan going into the race was to jog the first 15 minutes then walk 2 mins and run 5 mins to the last kilometer then jog the rest of the way in, finishing in less than 50 minutes.  

I ran the first 16 minutes then maintained the 2/5 pattern, but the long hill at the end got me and we followed a  2/3 pattern from 3.5 kilometers to 4.5 kilometers.  We did pick it up the last 3 blocks finishing with and official time of 49:56.  My Runkeeper app had us finishing in 49:38 and we stopped for 20 or 30 seconds to take a rock out of my shoe.  When I finished I could stop smiling!  I was changed.  I am ready to train harder for the next 5k and see how much I can improve.  This race was the first time I finished in a sub 16 min/mi pace.  I will attempt to break 15 minute/mi pace in my next race.  

This weekend was a great ending to a great busy week.  I got a lot of swimming in as well despite the busy schedule.  I failed to weigh in this week, but I feel great.  

I will be adding the quote above and the following to my truck window this week!

Here is my week:

Perks & Weekly Check In October 20

I teach! Therefore, I don't make a lot of money, but there are a lot of perk that come along with the job.  This was brought home by the events of last night. This journey I'm now on has a few perks as well!!!!!!!

Teaching Perk #1 - I get to hang out with 12 year olds everyday.  This truly keeps me young at heart!

FFFM Perk # 1 - A truly healthier Heart!

Teaching Perk # 2 - I get to influence the lives of said 12 year olds  (this may scare some of you that truly know me) and seeing them develop into mature, productive members of our society! Truth be told many times I learn as much from them as they learn from me!

FFFM Perk #2 - I get to motivate people with my successes and gain their support when I falter.  I also have more energy to keep up with said 12 year olds.

Teaching Perk # 3 - Getting to experience the monumental life moments of those students you have come to call your own: graduations, weddings, new jobs, Kids of their own.  The joy that comes from seeing their joy is endless.

FFFM Perk # 3 -  Knowing that I will have a better chance of being around to see these events in my very own children's live and their children's lives makes the hard work worth it!

Teaching Perk # 4 - Time- having the experience I have and the schedule I have allows me time to be a Future Former Fat Man. 

FFFM Perk # 4 - Time - Spending time becoming a Future Former Fat Man allows my students and my own girls to see me set and achieve goals, becoming an example they can hopefully follow.

This list could go on and on and on and on - especially if I included being married to a well known blogger/author, but I will stop here. But I do pose a question to you.  What are your perks?  Let me know. I would love to hear!

Here's my week:  6 days till the Tulsa Run!

 

Randomness and Weekly Checkin

I am not feeling inspired with any truly mindblowning wisdom this week.  I am full of random thoughts however.

First, Malala Yousafzai:  I have fallen in love with this young lady.  I even showed her interview with Jon Stewart this week to my students.  Probably the one and only time Jon kept it clean enough to use in a 7th grade class. Which is a shame because so many of his guest are so thought provoking.  In her interview she speaks passionately and eloquently on education for girls worldwide and passive resistance against the Taliban.  Hopefully, at least a few of my students are inspired as much as I am to speak up for what they believe in and are passionate about. I am very disappointed Malala did not win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Second, Diet Dr. Pepper: Over the passed several months I have read several articles on how Diet Soda is soooooo bad for you in sooooo many ways.  Well I love Diet Dr. Pepper, but finally gave it up last week.  I am 8 day Diet Dr. Pepper free as of this writing.  The first three day were very, very, very, very rough.  It is still not easy, but I am hoping if I hold out until race day (it takes 20 days to form a new habit, right) the new no DDP habit will be ingrained.

Third, Fall Softball:  I love fall softball.  Cooler temps, laid back attitude of "let's just learn the game" and every coach working with every kid.  It's what youth sports should be.

Fourth, My Week:  I had a great week.  Tied my swim week record and swam more than 1 and 1/2 miles on Saturday.  Need to kick up my running a little on the elliptical, but am feeling so great.  With a renewed focus on the food this week I lost 4 pounds.  I gotta keep going strong.  Thanks for all of you with your words of encouragement!  I really helps keep me going.

20 Days to Race Day

It's 20 days to race day, my 1st goal on The List!  I will be participating in the Tulsa Run 5K.  I would like to say running the Tulsa Run 5K, but I refuse to say running until I am doing sub 13 minute miles.  My goal is a sub 50 minute time for the race.  This will be pushing it for me, especially since, like I said last week, the last mile is mostly up hill.  I am excited and nervous.

It's Official. I'm registered!

To help make it easier to get up that hill I am going to really clean up my diet for the next 20 days.  So if you have stock in Sonic Drive In or QT you might want to sell now.  I will be developing a menu of 5 to 10 meals for Breakfast and Lunch making sure they are 300 to 500 calories each and snacks that are between 200 and 300 calories.  Along with whatever the Davis dinner will be.  I will also give up all soda.  Below is a pic of my last one.  This is one aspect of the cleaner diet that I hope I can continue after the 20 days.  If I follow this plan I should drop between 10 and 20 pounds if I keep up my activity level as well.

The Last DDP for a while!

This week illness, softball and poor planning keep me out of the gym and some poor food choices late in the week had the scale going the wrong directions this week, but I will turn this around.  The focus on the Tulsa Run is just what I needed.

I would like to thank everyone for the kind words and support I received this week on Facebook, The blog and in person. Your words of encouragement mean a great deal to me and motivate me to continue this journey to a healthier me and to the Ironman.

Here's my week:

New Mantra - Weekly Check In Sept. 28 - Before and After

Five Months of Progress 

Every step toward a goal requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; along with the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.
                                                                                                                                  Martin Luther King, Jr. 


Good Day all.  It was another great week for the Future Former Fat Man on my path to become an Ironman.  I lost another 2.5 pounds (now down 70+ pounds) and set new personal best for Swimming Distance in a week and a month and swimming pace in a week.  I even had a teen in the lane next to me tell me I was fast.  I told him he was just slow (just kidding - but I thought it.) I also picked up the Couch to 5k where I left off (because it was hurting my knees) at week three and the workout was easy.  Aerobically I feel I could have gone a lot longer.  I will continue the C25K doing two days a week on the Elliptical and one day on the road until the Tulsa Run at the end of October.  I also had my best Wednesday night bike ride. I improved my pace on the bike this week by a lot!

The quote above reminds me of the quote, "You have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable." which has been my mantra as I push myself each day a little harder or a little further.  This quote will become a fresh mantra;  "tireless exertion and passionate concern", "sacrifice and struggle" it is a part of this process. I really needed that reminder this week.  I will work for the next four weeks on sacrificing some of my food wants to hopefully come closer to my race weight goal, because I just saw the elevation change in the last mile of the race.  The last part of the race is all uphill, not steep but uphill none the less. So let the struggle begin!