Long time without an update....

Yes, it has been awhile since I updated my blog. Life can be like that. It is always a busy period with Christmas coming up and all. I also have had some travel to do so that keeps things hectic. So here is the summary of what has been going on.

I still hate the push up program I am on. It is soooo hard. That being said, I have noticed a big difference in my abilities since beginning the program. It has me up to 225 push ups in one training session now. Yes, I didn't mistype that number, it is 225. Can you believe that? That is a crazy amount of push ups in my opinion. The even crazier thing is that I can do it!!!!! Yay for me!!!!

Ok, so here is the big news, the huge news, the gigantic news. Are you ready? Are you on the edge of your seat? I stepped on the scale today and it read 169.4. I backed away, kicked it, and stepped up again. It still read 169.4. Hmmmmm, could it be that I finally got over my hurdle of being in the 170s? YES!!!!!!!!! So now I have to keep myself there. I have 4.4 lbs remaining to hit my final goal. It will not be easy, especially with the holiday season looming.

So you want to hear an acceptance speech do you? I would like to thank McDonalds, for making me sick of them, never going back there. I would like to thank my family, for putting up with a new healthy living lifestyle. I would like to thank all of my Lose IT friends, you have contributed to my success in numerous ways. You know who you are, take a bow now!!!

Oh wait, I am getting carried away. The real acceptance speech comes when I hit the goal. Be prepared everyone!!!

That's all for now, time for some exercise........

Still Struggling with Injury....

Injuries suck! After about 6 weeks since I first injured my knee it feels about as bad as it ever has. I thought at one point that it was getting better, but clearly it is not. I have been going to physiotherapy for about a month but I don’t think it is helping much. I am beginning to think that I might be headed towards a surgery, but hesitant to actually get that diagnosis. I can bike with no issues at all but the running just kills me. I had come so far with my running and I feel like I am going to slip big time with this injury.

I have been maintaining my weight for the most part. I have had lots of travel recently which has made eating more difficult. So in reality maintaining where I am is a victory. I am currently at 172.2 lbs, with a goal to get to 165. These last 8-10 lbs will be very difficult to achieve.

On to the pushup program, I am into week #4 of the program. The other day it had me do 160 push-ups, crazy, crazy, crazy. But guess what, I did it! Still not sure I will get to the 100 straight push-ups, which is the purpose of this program. I will just keep plugging along.

So Christmas is coming up quickly. With two teenage kids there is a good chance that I will be broke at the end of the remaining 4 weeks. Everything is so expensive, especially the electronics that all teens apparently require to survive. I guess I can’t complain as I am a gadget guy myself. Does everyone have a plan for how to avoid the food temptations over Christmas? It will be a difficult time.

Stay healthy everyone….

Injuries.....

Well I thought I was over the hump with my knee issue, I was wrong. I ran a little to hard last week and I definitely felt it. It seems like this nagging injury will just not go away. I know deep down that I should just stop running for a couple weeks, let it really heal, but I can't bring myself to do that. I could of course just substitute extra bike workouts to make up for the lack of running but I like the variety. I will take it day to day I guess.

This weekend is another University visit for Brittany. She seems to have her mind set on going to Waterloo, but is still visiting some of the open houses at the others. I think the applications are due by the end of November so time is running out to make a final decision.

Brandon is currently in a video game induced trance. You see, he got a copy of Call of Duty - Black Ops on Tuesday night. It is the new rage in terms of video games, I may have to try it myself this weekend if time permits.

The weight loss continues, which is a good thing. I am trying to add more protein and less carbs to my diet. I want to see what effect that will have on the rate of loss. The 100 push up program continues to kill me each time I do it. Last night the sets were 25-20-15-15-25. Yes, that is 100 of them! The final set of 25 was pure torture. This is only week #3!!!! I still can't imagine doing 100 in a row, but time will tell. I never thought I would lose 70 lbs either!!!!

Be healthy everyone!

Another Goal Weight Reached

So I reached yet another goal weight last Monday. I am now 0.6 lbs below that goal. I elected to reset my goal for the last time. I now have 9.4 lbs to go. It will take me some time to lose those final pounds, but good things come to those who keep at it right?

I have also continued to work on the 100 pushup program. It has been really tough as I don't like doing pushups. It is a three times a week program designed at getting me up to100 pushups straight in 6 weeks. I am at 83 at this point, but trust me, it hurts big time.

Recent pic of me....

Brittany and Jackie spent dome time this weekend at the University of Waterloo open house. It was time well spent in that she really narrowed down her program choices. She is looking at a pure math degree now, with a B. Ed after that possibly. She also settled on a residence. She fell in love with the St. Jerome residence, and smaller class sizes. Of course, this seems to be the most expensive option.

Did I mention that working for a living sucks??

Be healthy everyone.

Spooky Day!!!

It's Halloween! This used to be a fun day when the kids were younger. They used to be so excited to get dressed up and go out for candies. I was always the one that stayed back at home and handed out the candies at our house. One for the kids, one for me, one for the kids, one for me......

So how will the strategy work this year? I figure if I can go to bed before the kids start showing up I can avoid the temptation!! Well that's not going to happen, so willpower must kick in. The problem with those darn little chocolate bars is that you can't eat just one. I mean they are only 60 cals each right? Multiply that by 10 and you have a ton of trouble.

My sore knee is getting much better. I have had a few trips to the physio-therapist and it has really helped. Last week I ran a couple of 5k runs, at a slow pace, just building back up, testing my knee. There is certainly positive progress. Of course, I want it fixed right now!!! I am not big on the patience thing.

I mentioned previously that I am very close to my goal weight. I only had 0.4 lbs to go. I decided last night that I would add 10 more pounds to my FINAL goal. It will be very very hard to find another 10 lbs but who said goals are suppose to be easy right? In reality, the first 68 lbs will seem easy compared to the last 10 lbs.

I watched a very inspiring documentary last night. It is called "Spirit of the Marathon". It follows a number of people training for the 2005 Chicago Marathon. People just like you and me. It was a very good movie, even if you have no Marathon aspirations. It can inspire you to reach whatever goal you set for yourself. I would highly recommend it!

Have a spooky day everyone!!!

Almost at another goal weight....

So this Monday could be huge! I am 1.2 lbs away from one of my major weight goals, 175 lbs. I know if it doesn't happen for me this Monday, it is not far off. I am secretly hoping it is Monday though. I will likely set my final goal at 165lbs, not sure if that is too low for me, we will see how it goes.

I had lots of travel again recently. But I am getting much better at making good choices while eating out. I guess that comes with experience.

I am playing single parent this weekend. Jackie is away with a friend for the weekend, something about a "Wicked" play. I got to spend some good time with Brittany today as we went to the gymnastics club, and had it all to ourselves. She still really enjoys competing, I can see it in her eyes. She also has a date coming up! Growing up I guess. I haven't seen much of Brandon today, the social butterfly is at yet another girls house. I have to pick him up soon.

That's all for now, stay healthy!

Long time, no Blog

It has been awhile since my last blog posting. Things have just been super busy, as usual. So whats going on in my life right now? Well, my daughter has one day before her driving test to get her license. Can you believe that, one day! This can't be true, she is too young to drive right? Today will be spent doing the final touch-ups on her training. The dreaded parallel parking routine. Who does this in real life anyways? Doesn't everyone just circle around the block like me and wait for the easy spot to get into?

On the fitness front I have hit a roadblock. Injury! Maybe just overuse, not sure. My left knee definitely has a problem though. I felt it during a recent run, stopped and walked. Have tried it a few times since then, with each time requiring me to stop from the pain. Big downer...... I can bike fine with no discomfort, it seems to just be the running that affects it. I am going to give it another shot today after about 4 days of no running, we will see how it goes. I have an appointment booked with a physiotherapist a week from today.

On the weight loss front still plugging along. Down 1.8 lbs this week. Really 1.8 lbs over the last three weeks as I have had a slow loss over the previous 2 weeks. In total now I am down 64.6 lbs!!!!!

Livestrong everyone.....

Week in Vancouver

This past week I had to travel on business to Vancouver, Canada. Traveling and trying to get my workouts in is always a struggle, not to mention all the food temptations. I was there for a course. I was thinking it might be a little downtime from the usual work stuff, but I was wrong. It ended up being really stressful. There were quizzes everyday and an exam at the end of the course. I spent the majority of the evenings studying. And the time zone issues!!! Being from the East Coast I had a really hard time with the time zone changes. I found myself wide awake at 3:30am each day I was there. After working out and eating breakfast I still had hours before my course started.


The good news is that Vancouver was a beautiful city. I was in a hotel right on the waterfront so I had easy access to the seawalk, a walking/running path along the waterfront. I had a few good runs there, very scenic. A few pictures from the waterfront are below.

I also got a little time on Saturday morning to visit Gastown. This is an area of the city that is mostly quaint little shops.  It also has a steam driven clock in the middle of the district.

On the weight loss front I had another great week. I lost 2.2 lbs this week, a great result considering the week of travel that I had. I was able to buy some new jeans, super cool. Here are a couple of new pictures of the new me.

Have a great week everyone!!!

Long week capped off by Long Duathon

Well it was a long week for me. Lots going on at work, keeping me super busy. Also continuing to work on the Lose it! convention, which has been a lot of fun. But the big news, I completed my third Duathon of the year. I went to Ottawa (about an hour from my house) and did a 3k run - 26k bike - 5k run. As an added bonus my daughter competed at the same event and did her first triathlon!!! Here is our before picture.....

I was very nervous about this particular race as it was the longest I had participated in to date. But, I DID IT. It felt amazing! I didn't walk at all during this race which was a first for me. As well, I actually passed people during the final 5k run, yippeeee! Here are a couple more pictures, one run and one bike.



And the final picture of me and my daughter after the race with our medals. I was so proud of her as she came in third place in her first triathlon!!! Isn't that awesome!!!!

Oh I almost forgot, my time was 1:39:01, not bad at all. I want to thank all my Lose It! buddies, your support is awesome!

Well, time to start another long work week. I am travelling to Vancouver this week so here I come jet lag.

That's all for now, be safe!

Football Season

Today is the beginning of the NFL season once again. I have always been a big football fan but the team I follow usually disappoints. Actually, they always disappoint. You see, I am a Cleveland Browns fan. They likely have support groups for Browns fans, I haven't bothered to look. I am watching them play right now and they are winning in the fourth quarter. This is usually the time when at all comes falling down. Hopefully I am wrong today.

I made a conscious decision to not work out at all today. I think I might be over training a touch. I can't believe I only have one week remaining until my next Duathon on Sunday the 19th. My plan is to pick up my training on Monday but then stop on Wednesday or Thursday and rest up for the race. I don't have any lofty expectations for this upcoming race, just finishing will be an accomplishment. If you would have told me I would compete in THREE Duathons in 2010 I would have thought you were off your rocker. It is surprising how far I have come in a reasonably short period of time.

I began to do some thinking about what my next goal will be, likely a 2011 goal as the cold weather is arriving. How do I surpass the year I have had? Any suggestions are welcome!!!!

Oh, I can't forget to mention to mention that I had a new personal best on my 5k this week. I ran a 27:40.

The End of Summer

When Labor Day rolls around it always feels like the end of summer. The kids go back to school and the hectic schedule begins. Cheerleading, football, piano, guitar lessons, are just a few of the activities that kick into high gear. As well, the fall is a very busy time at work with the annual planning process in full bloom. Yet another long year awaits.

I kept up with my exercise this past week. In fact, I ran a personal best 5k of 28:41 in the heat earlier in the week. That was a good day! I stetched my bike rides out to 25k each this week as well. The upcoming Duathon on September 19th requires a 24k bike segment so I wanted to get a little better prepared for that.

Yesterday was my wedding anniversary as well! We went out for a dinner which was nice as we often don't find the time to do things together. It has been 18 years! In fact, right now, 18 years ago we were on our honeymoon on a cruise ship in the Caribbean!

Oh, one other thing of note this week, we are trying to setup a Conference for all of the LoseIt participants. I spoke of that tool earlier as a weight loss assistant. It will be really neat if we can pull it off as it would be fun to meet all of these inspiring people that post frequently. I will keep you posted on the progress of the conference.

Podcasts, what's on my list.

I admit it, I am a podcast junkie. There are a number of podcasts that I subscribe to that listening to are a part of my weekly routine. So what are they? Here is my list of fitness related podcasts....

Marathon Training Academy - This is a recent addition to my play list. They offer up some good advice and Angie has real experience running marathons. At the same time, they are regular people and easy to relate to.

Two Gomers Run a Marathon - Funny stuff here. It started with Two Gomers Run a Half Marathon. This is about two regular guys who decide to start running. Lots of funny stories and they really don't know much about running. This is just entertaining stuff that is easy to relate to.

The Fredcast - This is a biking podcast (a Fred is a guy with all the high tech biking equipment). Very informative, follows the major bike races and has introduced me to new products over the years.

Everyday Cyclist - This podcast is very performance focused. Lots of training tips and also DVDs that you can buy with biking specific exercises and plans. This was one of my original podcasts and I am also a member of Graeme's Cycle-Core website. Lots of good info, likely too much.

Biggest Loser Cast - Ha Ha, this one is mine so of course I LOVE it. My wife Jackie and I host this weekly podcast about the NBC show The Biggest Loser. Lots of fun to make and we have a substantial listener base that must like it as well!

Well those are the top ones. As an aside I did a little running this morning. Yeah thats right, 10K. I was initially only going to run 5K but I felt good so I did another couple loops (2.5k loops). I finished the 10k in 1:05:53 for a PB. The interesting thing about it is that it was all road running rather than track where I had done my only other 10k. At the end of each loop is a substantial hill so I beat my PB and did so on a tougher course. Woooo Hoooo.

Thats all for now.

Goal Reached - Another Set

I mentioned previously that I have been using an iPhone application called Lose It. It helps me track my calories eaten and exercise, working on the theory that if I keep my net calories below a certin level I will continue to lose weight. When I began many months ago I had to set a goal. I picked 190 lbs. At the time I really never thought I would get there. It seemed to be a stretch goal for me as I have not been below 200 lbs since high school. Well, things went well and after alot of hard work I did make it to 190 lbs. I can certainly lose some more weight so I decided to reset my goal in the program. I added another 15 lbs which makes my goal 175lbs. I think it will be much harder to lose the final 15 lbs but I like a good challenge!

I also signed up for my next Duathon! I may be addicted, time will tell. The next one is in Ottawa on September 19th. A couple of differences with this one 1) it is longer (3k run, 24k bike, 5k run) and 2) my daughter was inspired by my last race so she has signed up for the sprint triathlon!! It will be fun to be at the same event as her and we have gotten to do some training together as well.

I spent some time looking at some new bikes this past week as well. My current bike is kind of an entry level one, but good quality. I would like to upgrade to a carbon fiber bike (much lighter and higher quality) but they were more expensive than I would have thought. It is parked on the wish list for now.

Post Race Report - I did it!!!!

Well I did it, the race is complete! They day started very cloudy and wet so it was a nervous start. I got to the event a couple hours early and found a spot for my bike in the transition zone. It was about that time that it really began to rain hard. Other participants were talking about the event being cancelled which would have been a real bummer. About 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the race the rain stopped, although it stayed cloudy. The cloud cover was a good thing as it kept the day a little cooler. The following two pictures are of me in the transistion zone and just prior to the start of the race.

The race began with a 2.5km run. I felt good after the run as I headed to the transistion zone to get on the bike. The bike was testy as the roads were still wet and slippery. I managed to pass a number of other competitors!! The bike is my strongest event in the Duathon. I dreaded the thought of the final 5km run at the end of the bike.

Exiting to Transition Zone

 

There were alot of supportive people cheering alongside the road, it was really motivating. I had lots of family there as well cheering me on! My daughter ran the last 200m with me which was really nice. They also made some signs for me to cheer me on! I finished the race in 1 hour 27 minutes and 13 seconds. My goal was to be under 1.5 hours so I was very pleased. I just finished a Duathon, can you beleive it?

Me and my daughter Brittany!

Pre Race Jitters

Well the time has flown by and now I only have two days remaining until my Duathon on Sunday. I guess there is nothing I can do at this point to improve my chances of a good result. All of the experts say that I should be tapering my training this week to be "fresh" for the race. I ran some intervals on Wednesday (2 minutes at 7.5mph and 1 minute at 3.7) for 30 minutes. On Thursday I did a 20k ride on the bike at a quick pace. Now it is Friday and it is taking everything I have not to work out in some way!!

The weather for Sunday is suppose to be hot and wet. It is currently forecasted for 60% rain. YUCK. When it is raining outside I train inside so running and riding in the rain will be a first for me. Note to self - I need to prepare for things prior to 2 days before the race.

I lost some more weight this week as well. I tend to have a couple weeks of no movement and then bang, a 3 lbs loss. That is what happened this week. I can probably expect a flatline for a couple weeks now. I am 1 lbs away from my original goal. I never thought I would get to this point so when I set the goal it was somewhat of an arbitrary dream. When I lose the last pound I will reset my goal for another 10-15 lbs. That will be the FINAL SUSTAINABLE WEIGHT!!!!

Oh well, thats all for now. Think good things on Sunday morning for me. I will post results!!!

Vacation Work Outs

So I am on vacation this week in Orlando with my family. Each child also brought a friend along with us so in total we travelled with 6 in all. The plan was to spend most of the vacation at Universal Studios. We had been in Orlando previously but the kids were younger so we had spent most of our time at Disney, this time would be different.

The struggle for me was how I was going to get my workouts in while on the road. I knew that biking would be out but I had hoped to get some running in. Remember that I have less than a week remaining before my Duathalon. We were up early every day so far but I did manage to run around the resort on one morning and I also did a 5k at the fitness center another morning. It was so humid outside, even early in the morning when I ran.

I did get a chance to get some new running gear at the outlets. I picked up some new running shoes (Asics) and also a pair of running shorts and a moisture wicking t-shirt from the Nike store. I am looking forward to using the new shoes but I will use the old ones for my race this upcoming weekend as I don't want to break-in a new pair of shoes on race day.

As far as weight loss goes, well, it is VACATION. I will get back on the scale when we get home on Wednesday morning, but it won't be pretty!

The 20 Minute Run

Back when I was in high school we had this fitness test that we were forced to do in phys ed class. One component of the test was a 20 minute run. I hated this event. We would do this at the school track and the idea was that we would run in circles for 20 minutes as the teacher counted our laps as we crossed the finish line. At the end of the 20 minutes our number of laps completed (to the nearest quarter lap) would be used and then a subsequent grade would be assigned.

I was not out of shape but I was also not an athlete in high school. When we began the athletes would take off and make the rest of us feel inadequate. A lap or two in they would lap me, making me feel even more inadequate. I would usually hear the teacher calling me a sissy as I crossed the line with each lap. In the end, 6.5 laps was a good run for me, but only got me a 65% grade, go figure.

Looking back I think this was one of those moments in life where I decided I was not a runner, and furthermore not an athlete. That paradigm has been carried with me for many years. Whenever I saw others running I would say, "I am not a runner, that's not for me".

So now it is 20 some years later and I decided to start a healthy lifestyle again. I have been running and cycling every other day and losing some weight as well. I went to the track this morning to jog a 5k loop, my furthest continuous run to date. After a few laps I said to myself, I wonder if I can do 10k non-stop? The humidity was low, I was feeling good, why not? In my mind I knew why not, years of me telling myself that "I am not a runner"!

Lap after lap passed and I continued to tell myself that I could do it. An hour and seven minutes later I had completed my first 10k run.

I am a runner. I always have been and just didn't know it. The mind is a powerful thing.

The good and the bad

Well, I can't say that I have been behaving with my food consumption the last few days. Today for lunch I went to an all you can eat lunch special at Pizza Hut. Can you say MISTAKE? I have no calories left for the rest of the day but of course I need to continue eating. Another poor day. Monday's appointment with the scale will not be pretty.

On the positive side I did get some exercise in over the past two days. Yesterday I ran a 29:35 5k and today I biked a 40:25 20k. Both are good times for me but as I mentioned previously the race date is quickly approaching.

Today is also my last day at work for a week and a half. That is usually a bad sign for the healthy living trend as I need structure to stay on track. Too much free time equates to far too much eating. Have a good weekend everyone!

Down to the wire

So here it is July 27th and I feel very unprepared for my upcoming Duathon on August 14th. I registered for this event months ago and I have been training but it never feels like enough. Maybe I am not cut out for this stuff. This past weekend I mapped out a full distance course by my house (2.5 k run, 20k bike, 5k run). I used my driveway as a transition zone, put on my heart monitor, and clicked start! The first 2.5k run I felt good coming in around 14 minutes. I fumbled around in the transition zone putting on a helmet, changing shoes, etc and then I was on my way on the bike. It was a relatively windy day so the first half of the bike course was brutal. Once I hit the turnaround point things felt better. I have been testing some nutritional products so as I was riding the second half of the bike route I had a Hammer Gel single pack thingy, Apple Cinnamon and it was actually good. It was hot out so unfortunately the gel was more like a fluid and it got messy. The good news is that it did not cause me any abdominal discomfort! So I completed the bike in 44 minutes. For those who are challenged at math this meant I had a 5k run left to do and I was at the 58 minute mark. This is where the fun began. The first 2k I thought I was doing ok but then came the brick wall. I have noticed that when I take a walk break it is all downhill from that point. It is just hard to get a good pace going again and it ultimately results in more walking. In the end my time was 1:29:54 which beat my goal of being under 1:30 but it was close. I wanted a cushion so that I "KNOW" I can break the 1:30 barrier in the real race. Mind games at work here.

A little over two weeks left to train, one of those weeks I am in Orlando on vacation, maybe I should skip this one.

Oh, a additional note, I am over the 50lb weight loss point now!

A Quick Toronto Vacation

Well it was a fast three days but we got alot done! It was up early and off to bed late for the entire trip. Our goals were to visit four Universities for my daughter as she is deciding where to apply in the fall, to see Bon Jovi at the Rogers Center, and to see the musical "Rock of Ages".

All three goals were met! We had a great time as we visited the universities. Brittany is considering Pharmacy as a graduate degree so we focused on places with strong life sciences programs for her undergrad degree. We went to University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, Guelph University, and Ryerson (just because we were close to it). I think she was impressed by Waterloo the most but she also liked U of T. I thought it was interesting that they sold t-shirts for fathers with "Bank of Dad" on them, not a good first impression of these places!!!

We also got a chance to see a Bon Jovi concert and a theatre show. The concert was good as they played for a long time. The entertainment highlight was definitely the "Rock of Ages" theatre show we saw. It was really funny and I would recommend it to anyone who likes 80s rock music. We were even lucky enough to have a conversation with David Bryan, Bon Jovi's keyboard player, who was at the show as well. This was alot of fun for Brandon!!!

The bad news..... I did not get any training in and I only have a few weeks before my Duathlon!!!!

Why Does Everyone Get Older But Me?

If you have children isn't it amazing how quickly they grow up? We cleaned out a room in the house today that was predominately filled with old toys and stuffed animals from days gone by. It really wasn't that long ago but then again, maybe it was.

I am on vacation this week and we have some family activities planned. A couple of concerts in Toronto and also, can you believe it, university visits. My little girl has arranged visits at four of the universities around the Toronto area to get a feel for the "vibe" of the campuses. I mean, is this the same little girl that once played with the "stuffies" I just through out while cleaning out the room? Nah, must be someone else's kid.

At the same time my youngest son is heading into his first year of high school. He will likely really enjoy the experience but his mother and I may not live through it. The clothes need to be a little cooler now and we certainly can't be seen anywhere in his vicinity. Oh, and I forgot, I have somehow lost all intelligence over night. I figure I will get most of it back once he is looking for someone to pay for his university.

Here is a picture of the "baby".

 As far as the fitness regime is going, I have had a bad few days. With the travel I have done recently it has been difficult to stick with my regular routine. I did manage to get a 5k run in this morning in 29:40, so all hope is not lost. I just hope the remainder of the week will allow me some more exercise opportunities.

Hopefully all is going well with my blog followers!

That's all for this post!

How Many Calories Burned?

As I mentioned previously I have been using a program called LoseIt to track my caloric intake and also to record my calories burned via exercise. I have always been suspicious of the exercise calories the program gave me credit for. In particular to golf numbers.

I did a little research and figured out that the most accurate way to track my calories was a heart rate monitor. This device consists of a watch and a strap that you put on your chest. The strap transmits your heart rate to the watch for real time feedback. I looked at many models and went with the Polar FT7 product. I have been very pleased with the investment to date.

What have I found to date? The walking calories burned were very close to the LoseIt programs. The stationary bike numbers were off significantly. With the heart rate monitor my calories burned were 15% less than the program. I had similar results with running, the heart rate monitor recorded less calories burned.

This has been valuable information as I had been overstating my exercise calories burned for many months now. Bottom line, invest in a heart rate monitor if you are an analytical sort (like me).

Today's biking was really really hard! I did 20k in the pounding heat and humidity in 40:42. When I was done I was close to puking, I needed to cool down in an air conditioned room instantly. Be careful out there in the heat!!!

Here is a picture of my daughter and I after a training session!

2010 - Year of Healthy Living?

So as I entered 2010 most of the aspects of my life were under control. I have a loving wife who is a fabulous mother to our two children. The two teens are growing up into highly functional individuals in society. Our daughter is very driven and strives for perfection, takes after my wife, and my son is a free spirit with no worries except how much he can play guitar, sounds like me!

The only thing that had nagged at me for years was my health. I was overweight and feeling lathargic. It was not a body weight issue but a quality of life issue. I don't want to get old and not be able to enjoy retirement due to my health. I had been at this point before so what makes this year any different. That is a difficult question to answer. I would guess it is that I am ready to make a change this time rather than feeling like I should do something. So what has happened since January?

I began a personal fitness and eating program. This was something I researched and acomplished solo, as opposed to a personal trainer situation. Since January I have either walk/jogged, or road my bike every day (I think I missed a couple days when I had a cold). At first it was a drag but now I am at the point where is I don't do some intentional physical activity I feel like I have let myself down. I set myself a goal by signing up for a Duathon early in May. This involved training to prepare for the 2.5k run - 20k bike - 2.5k run. This provided me with the motivation I needed to keep going. I made it to May and completeds the race in 1:13. Not a blistering speed but good considering where I had come from. I am now scheduled for another race in mid August. This one is longer so will be more of a challenge (2.5k run - 20k bike - 5k run).

I see the corresponding weight loss as a nice by-product of all my training. I am down 49lbs from my highest weight a few years back, most of it since January. I have been using an iPhone app called LoseIt to assist with my daily planning of calories in vs. calories out, and have met some wonderfully inspiring people on that website.

What can I do top my progress during the first half of 2010? Only time will tell........

Welcome!

Welcome to Mike's Ramblings! My intention for this blog is to share details about my passions in life. I am new to the blogging world so we will learn as we grow. I am 42 years old, married, with two teenage children. Clearly with teens I already have lots of topics to rant and rave about.

I have many hobbies to share my experiences about. I love many kinds of music and play guitar. If I wasn't locked up in the corporate world I would pursue being a sound engineer. I tinker with a home studio to keep the creative juices alive. I also enjoy playing golf. I took up the game later in life and I am certainly not a natural but I do enjoy the challenge. It is something that I will never conquer and therefore I continue to enjoy it. I am currently pursuing the top 100 courses in the US. This gets me out into various areas of the US. I also love to travel so be prepared to get updates on our vacations! We have one coming up in a few weeks in Orlando, it should be fun!

Weight loss has also been a recent passion, more on that in future posts.

Well I will keep the first post short and sweet.

That's all for now!!!