My week(s) in review

Wow I realized I haven't made a post in quite some time, not that anyone reads this blog anyway, a lot has happened in the last 3 weeks.

First off we went to Orlando for vacation, which was really nice. My mother and father in law went with us, which went a lot better than expected, they were able to help out with the boys and driving to/from, even allowed me and Deanna a chance to go out to dinner by our selves...at a nice restaurant, one without a kids meal...yeah I know that hasn't happened in like 6+ years.

While in Orlando we went to Sea World, which is amazing, probably one of my favorite vacation destination spots. Makes me remember when I was a kid and going there with my family, and now as an adult being able to share that with my kids really means a lot to me. We also went for an air boat ride, saw alligators and even got to hold a baby alligator. Spent an afternoon at Cocoa Beach playing in the water and sand, the boys really enjoyed going to the beach. We also spent time hanging out by the pool and playing mini golf at the resort. Vacation was great and I wish I could take another one really soon.

The week we got back, I had a bunch of special events planned at 4 of my stores, which was very stressful and quickly took some of the shine off of our vacation, I unpacked one bag packed another spent one night and 12 hours at home before hitting the road again for 4 days. All in all the store events went pretty well, didn't see the business results we wanted but this was really our first go round with planning and doing this type of event, so it really turned out to be a good learning experience. The end of the week brought the Bix 7 road race and let me tell you I was more than ready for the weekend after a crazy week driving all over Iowa.

Bix 7

I went into the race feeling very confident that I would do well and achieve my goal of going under 1 hour, I was able to get some good runs in the previous 2 weeks even though I was on vacation and traveling a lot. I finished last year in 64:08 and recently ran the Firecracker Run 10K in 49:23 so as long as I could get up Brady in under 10 minutes (last year took me almost 12 with all the congestion and people walking) I felt confident I could easily go under an hour. I hit the turn on to Kirkwood at about 9:45, which is right before the 1 mile mark, so I was sitting good to make my goal. I felt good and the long down hill of Kirkwood Blvd. allowed me to stretch my legs and let it open up a bit, at one point I looked at my Garmin and realized I was going at a 7:15 pace which is stupid fast for me and realized I was going to blow up if I didn't reign it in a bit. I eased it back a little but continued to cruise all the way to the turn and hills of McClellan blvd. Everyone thinks that Brady is the hardest part of the Bix and some even say is McClellan with the hill turn around and hill again, but no its the long slow uphill battle of Kirkwood blvd. All that wonderful speed and enthusiasm I had going down was getting sucked right out of me going back up. Fortunately for me, and for some sick reason, I like running up hill, I also like passing people up hill, knowing that I am able to dig a little deeper than they are and push just a little harder gives me an extra boost. I did pass one kid probably 12-14 yrs old and I told him good job as I went by him, he looked like he was struggling and I hope my simple words of encouragement helped him push on. Once I finally made the turn on to Brady again I knew the end was near, just a mile left to go and it is mostly down hill. Going down Brady for me is simply a controlled fall, I let gravity take over and fling my legs out in front of me to keep from face planting. Brady hill couldn't have come at a better time, I was running head long into "The Wall" and the relief of going down hill and knowing it was almost over is what helped me make it to the finish and under and hour. I made the turn on to 3rd St, saw the finish line, looked at my watch and realized I was going to make it but it was going to be close, I picked up my pace and passed a couple of people on the way to crossing the finish line in 59:02 officially. Afterwards I felt completely spent, that was the hardest I have raced and my body felt it. The one truly bad thing about the Bix is the post race, I realize that Hostess and Schnucks are sponsors and provide the food, but could there be any worse food for a post race party than cupcakes, Twinkies, chips and soda. What no Gatorade, bananas, bagels, fruit of any kind to be found? Honestly its really sad that an event as large as the Bix is truly missing out on that one aspect, well that and actually verifying peoples estimated finishing times, I should not be passing people from the corral ahead of me (the sub elite runners) walking up Brady St. hill. But seriously I have been to a number of races in the last 3 years and there is usually a wide variety of food, from bagels and fruit to cookies and chips, sports drinks and soda. Not everyone who participates in the Bix is a 135 lbs. toothpick that burns 5000 calories a day just standing around, some of us work extremely hard to lose and/or maintain weight lose with both diet and exercise and cant afford to mow down thousands of empty calories. Anyway I'll get off my soap box about the post race party and refreshments, besides I was able to find nutri grain bars oddly enough tucked way in the back and had a couple Diet Soda's to go along with my Popsicle (a must for a hot weather race). All in all it was a good race, I felt horrible towards the end but was able to push through and achieve my goal. Was pretty wrecked the rest of the day and day after but felt better by Monday and was able to get back after it.

This last week was single handily the best week of training of my life, in total I ran 47 miles and biked 92 miles. I had an amazing 10 mile tempo run on Wednesday that left me feeling very confident about my upcoming 20 mile long run on Saturday. Before Saturdays run I had been seriously questioning if I had what it takes to get through another marathon, I hadn't been able to do anything over 16 miles previously and that was a rough day, lots of walk breaks and stops. I think more than anything I wasn't confident in my mental commitment to 26.2 again. The first time around last year, I was committed to proving something to myself, that I could do it. This time I'm lacking that motivation or at least I thought I was. Saturday I was able to put in 21 miles in just over 3.5 hrs, which is the longest training run I have ever done, also considerably faster than my longest run last year, which I only did one 20 miler, this year I'll hopefully have 2 or 3 under my belt by the time the marathon comes around. After that run I not only feel confident I can make 26.2, but maybe even go under 4 hours, although that is not a primary goal this year, I have something bigger in mind, I want to complete my first Ultra Marathon in November a 50k (31 miles) run just outside Muscatine and Wildcat State Park. I'm going to use the QC Marathon as a training run this year for the 50k. I had planned on doing last year but was so physically and emotionally drained after the marathon that I hardly ran in the weeks to follow, so this year that is my "A" list race and my goal to shoot for. Can't wait, looking forward to the challenge both physically and mentally.

Sunday I was able to put in a nice easy 3.5 mile recovery run before church and then after lunch I hit the road for a 43 mile bike ride. I was really surprised at how well my legs felt after the long run on Saturday, was able to get some quality miles in, even hit 21+ mph for a couple miles on some flat spots in the bike trail. All in all I'm becoming quite impressed with my bodies ability to recover and adapt to the physical stress I'm subjecting it too, especially since I have been told so many times how running is bad for me, and even biking is bad for my knees. I have been able to do things recently that I never thought were possible out of my body and I love pushing it even further. The best part is everyday in my life has become an adventure, how far, how long can I push this? I don't know but I love testing my limits and surprising myself in the process. I really hope I can inspire others to do the same, my journey started with me weighing over 300 lbs and barely able to walk a mile, it just takes commitment to a goal and dream to live for.

100 Pound Milestone

Yup that's right 100 lbs is finally in the books, this is the first time I've seen a 1 at the beginning of my weight since I wrestled 189 back in Freshman Year, I was 14 yrs old, before I made the jump to heavyweight.

This has been such a long journey, over 2 years, since I committed myself to a healthier and more active lifestyle, but this milestone doesn't mark the end of the road but merely the beginning. I have gone through my share of ups and downs over the last 2 years, I'd like to think that I have learned some things about myself during this process. I've learned about sacrifice and commitment, goal setting and doing everything in your power to achieve those goals. I've learned that sometimes failure and setbacks are the greatest teaching tools we encounter in life.

As I've shrunk over the last 2 years I hope I have also grown, and grown up a little as well, one of my main motivations is to be an example to my boys and although they will probably never remember their "Big" Daddy when they get older I'm hopeful that I am setting the example and showing them the way to not only live a healthy lifestyle but to live a "good" life, that making a lot of money and owning a bunch of fancy things doesn't define you but rather being a good person, helping others and taking time each day to try and grow as a person is what is really important. That when you leave this world you don't get to take any of those fancy things with you, but you will leave an impression on the people closest to you, what do you want them to remember about you?

One aspect of my life that I really feel I have neglected is doing volunteer work, this is something that has tugged on my heart strings a lot lately, so as one chapter of my life comes to a close a new one begins, this book is still being written and its up to me to determine the outcome. Live Uncommon is something I'm looking into getting involved with, but I'm really open to anything, the perfect scenario would be something I could do that was also centered around my athletic interests, I know that God will guide me in the right direction and whatever comes next I will attack with the same passion and desire that try to put into everything I do.

My first 100 mile week

I officially logged my first 100 mile week last week for running and biking, the week was capped off with a 16 mile run on Saturday morning and 30 mile bike ride that afternoon. I was really suprised at how well my legs responded that afternoon and how fresh they felt, but even more suprising was the lack of sorness the following day. I really expected my legs to be trashed, but they weren't and that was great. I did a fairly hard tempo run on Monday morning plus lifted weights, including squats, stiff legged dead lifts, calf raises and lunges, legs were a little tired last night before I headed out for my bike ride but seemed to work out after a few miles. This is all very encouraging for me and my aspiration to do a Triathlon, my biggest concern is the training and how my body will handle the work load training for 3 separate events, especially my knees, since I have had issues with them for years.

I came across a blog for a local professional triathlete, Jeff Paul, Dream Big JP and have been reading about his struggles to balance family, work and training and it has really inspired me to give it my all, and not only in my athletic pursuits. I really want to take my training to the next level, and will need to if I want to do a triathlon, but not at the sacrifice of my family, I've already been down that road training MMA. Being able to read his blog and how he handles training, work and family hopefully will keep me inspired and on the right path. If you get a chance I recommend checking it out.

Firecracker Run - 2011 - 10K results

Click the link below for the official results

Race Results

I felt like I did really well, I set a new PR for the 10k with 49:23 which is great considering I wasn't running this race as a high priority, I was basically using it as my speed work for the week. I started off slow, I intentionally kept myself in the back of the starting area with the walkers and people with strollers so I would have to go slow. The first mile is flat and after weaving through the crowd I was moving pretty well and I felt great. The second mile brings the first real hill and I was able to pass some people as I have grown to love running up hill, I'm fairly confident in my ability to go up hill these days, I run enough of them during runs and I have grown stronger at it. At the top of the hill was a lady spraying a garden hose for passing runners and as I ran through the spray I yelled "I LOVE YOU!" she laughed and I sped off. Miles 3 and 4 were mostly flat and I started to reel some people in, my basic strategy in any race is to find people ahead of me and use them as a target to catch and pass, this keeps the race from getting boring, and helps fuel my competitive drive. After a down hill section mile 5 brought on the next and last hill, which was a bit brutal, as I approached the uphill I passed some people who looked like they were struggling just a bit and called out "Here is where the fun begins" not sure if they heard me and if they did if they took it as intended, before the race began the race director had made a special comment about this hill and the elderly lady that lived on it who plays an organ for the enjoyment of passing racers.

After the hill came a nice down hill section which was a welcome change for my aching legs. Once I reached the final stretch I spotted a guy I have seen at the last couple of races I've done and I made it my mission to pass him...yet again. As I reeled him in I reached the 6 mile mark as I passed him and I was moving at a pretty good clip, then suddenly he shot passed me! It was on, my competitive fire ignited I shot off in a sprint and blew past him crossing the finish line in 49:23 setting a new PR much to my surprise. I quickly found the guy I passed and apologized (some people may consider blowing by someone at the tape bad form), no hard feelings, and we shared a laugh about it.

Overall I was really happy with my performance I finished 16th in my age division and 5th in the Clydesdale division (210+ lbs). I was really hoping to place in the Clydesdale division seeing as how it was probably my only opportunity to compete in that division, hoping to be down in the low 190's for the QC Marathon in September.

Runners blog #13

Today was one of the first times in a long time that I just didn't want to run, it was a combination of being tired, sore and just not mentally in to it. I forced my self out of bed at 5:45 after hitting the snooze button more times than I should of, got ready and was out the door at 6. My run started off slow and sluggish, my legs felt heavy and tired and my feet were sore. I haven't been feeling good lately, mostly just run down and tired, but last night after work I had a bad headache that just wouldn't go away, not sure if that was the culprit and caused me not to sleep well or not, I intentionally went to bed at 10 so I could get some rest. Either way after a couple of miles I was hitting my target pace even though my legs felt like I was running through mud. By the end of my run I was feeling much better and my legs were loosened up and feeling much better, after cooling down I lifted weights and did some core work, which I have neglected a lot lately and I could tell going through my workout.

On the upside, I weighed in today at 205 lbs which is only 5 pounds away from the century mark for total weight lose, really hoping I can make that goal before our vacation in couple weeks. I would love to be at or around 190 lbs when I run the QC Marathon at the end of September, which seems like a much more realistic goal these days. I think weighing nearly 35 lbs lighter than last year will greatly help me reach my goal of going under 4 hrs in the marathon.