Responsibility 199, what is it?

Responsibility 199 is a belief; I believe that to be healthy and to increase my longevity I need to weigh 199 pounds or less...
Responsibility 199 is a need; I need to reduce my weight, reduce my percentage of body fat, and the elevated threat of disease my present condition presents...
Responsibility 199 is a mission; I recognize that achieving 199 will be a challenge, perhaps the hardest I have ever undertaken...
Responsibility 199 is a commitment; I acknowledge that I must commit to action, commit to change, commit to myself and those I love to achieve this mission, to increase my longevity...
Responsibility 199 is ME.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Day 84 - Looking Up Dan

How many of you know & follow Dan of "At Darwin's Table"? Dan & I crossed blogs a few weeks back and I've enjoyed his writing on food and recipes, on diet and the science behind it, and on off the cuff stuff too (Go Netherlands!). Check him out if you have not yet met each other, I think you'll like Dan.

Here is what Dan did for me yesterday, he posted his post I link above titled "The Aquatic Ape".  I knew I was going to exercise later when I got home before I read that post. The neighborhood loop walk awaited me, I was looking forward to it but I was not on the edge of my seat waiting for the clock to tick off to the time I could get exercising. But after I read that post, I was ready to push away from my desk and get after it.

What put a tiger in my tank about Dan's post was that he found something there that we all desire, enjoyment & excitement from the exercise we do. For Dan it was a new experience with swimming that has him hungry for more. Enjoyment, Excitement, Hunger for exercise?

Hmmm, I already knew I enjoyed walking that loop and challenging myself to perform better on it. Opportunity to do just that was just hours away. Opportunity to not just get after it but also finish it with the same enjoyment & excitement that had Dan saying, "I loved, and I mean LOVED, every minute of it. It didn’t feel like exercise at all...". I wanted to have that feeling!

The time came and off I went, the 2 mile neighborhood loop. As I was walking I was stoked, looking up and determined to enjoy the success that awaited me. Above there you see a picture of me looking up; see I really was looking up, from start to finish. Previous best was 33:51 minutes with a best 1 mile time of 16:49... last night with Dan by my side, helping me concentrate all the way; I walked it in 33:46 minutes with a best 1 mile time of 16:36... Oh Yeah!

As good as that felt I wanted more. And more I would have. The one block jog, not easy for me and not what I've considered enjoyable the two times I've attempted it previously. Perhaps that's an attitude issue for me to address in time. Away I went and jogged with all I had. It felt good, I felt strong, I could tell I was performing and I was loving the challenge. Imagine my excitement when I replaced my previous best time of 4:15 minutes with a new PR of 3:53... how about another Oh Yeah!

Thanks Dan!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

9 comments:

  1. Congrats on your PR. I too am a fan of Dr. Dan. He has a great informative website, and he is kind, approachable, funny, and interesting. What more could readers want? I love how your phrased "tiger in my tank". I haven't heard that expression in over 35 years! I laughed out loud. Keep up the good work Patrick. You are doing great.

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  2. OH YEAH!! Great Job Patrick! I'm going to check out his blog right now :-)

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  3. awesome post! Congratulations on pushing past your previous best times!!!

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  4. High fives for your PRs! Getting to excitement and enjoyment for exercise has been a long term challenge for me. I enjoyed the training regimen that came with C25K and I'm still enjoying going for longer distances. Ironically, it is the shorter and "routine" distances that I get less up for...I guess I need to work on some PR every time I go out...just like you...congrats!

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  5. Patrick, this is so cool! I wish we were neighbors and could do this together. You do a great job of documenting your times. etc. I need to learn from you and do that better.

    Congrats!

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  6. Hey Patrick, thanks for visiting my blog! I started my journey just before I turned 45 (read your bio, how funny about the age thing)...and it's been totally worth it - I'm glad you are on your way, too - congrats not only on the weight lost already, but your new PR - great job (or should I say "great JOG!"?)!

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  7. Dan is a treasure. This is where you can get the tee shirt on my blog: http://www.offworlddesigns.com/p-73-eye-chart-t-shirt.aspx
    I did have the link on my blog but maybe you missed it?

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  8. Judith - Thanks for sharing the link!
    Sheeley - Great to meet a new friend!
    Clyde - Agreed, lets do this together!
    Kyle - PRs or not, have fun & go long!
    Vickie - Thanks, achieving them feels good!
    Marie - Hope you enjoyed Dan's blog!
    Michael - I laughed too when the tiger in my tank reference opped to mind, yeah, 30+ years ago that was!

    Thanks for the thoughts everyone!

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  9. AAHHH. Man did I drop the ball on this one. I just have not been up to date with my blogs over the weekend because the heat was killing me. Sitting still for too long on the couch was too much as I got too hot. Lets just say I could go for another swim if I sit on the couch for too long. I sweat THAT much.

    Anyway THANKS for the link love buddy!!!! You know how inspirational you have been for me too. I wouldn't have even done that exercise if it wasn't for reading your blog. So cheers.

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