Day 140 - Rebounding From Wedding

The afternoon is almost gone and I am just sitting down for some blogging. It will be a short sit as I need to get ready to go see my son play soccer soon. But at least wanted to get a post up and checkout a few blogs before I go. I'll be back this evening to read more blogs and see how everyone is doing.

Hope all of you are doing well as we start this weekend. A long holiday weekend it is too. Myself, woke up feeling sluggish. Between the wedding rehearsal on Thursday evening and then the wedding Friday I am wiped out. And I was not even in the wedding party, so you can imaging how wiped out my wife is. So much so she is upstairs taking a nap before the soccer game.

While I didn't go binge crazy over board at these two events I did eat a good 300-400 calories more that I intend on a given day, where a given day day for me is 1700-2000 calories. Lets just say I likely took in 2500 calories on each of the last two days. Not terrible, the old me would have taken in 3-times that. Not good either as I did eat more than I should have. Thus why I felt sluggish this morning too.

But I did not let that feeling get to me, I did the opposite actually. Instead of wallowing in some pity I used that feeling for motivation and declared this a Two-A-Day day. In part to get moving to relieve myself of the sluggish feeling and in part to undo any damage I may have done the past two days. Weigh in day tomorrow, and I am weighing in and announcing the milestone achieved tomorrow as I set out to do at the beginning of the week.

First up on the Two-A-Day: Stanton Hill. My son was with me and as well the JV high school football team was there using the hill. Luckily the section I use was available and off we went. A brisk 60F day out made it pleasant, though the high winds were a bit of a nuisance. Last time out here I missed a new PR on this hill by a few seconds. It had been over a month since I hit the 20 laps up & down mark. We set our sights in on 21 this time and gave it all we had. And have it we would, we nailed 21 with about a minute to go,not enough time to get in a 22nd lap, that'll have to wait for another visit and be happy with this PR, Oh Yeah!

Second up on the Two-A-Day: the 3.6 Mile Neighboorhood II loop. AI had a light lunch after the hill and a brief rest and then off I went by myself for this walk. My goal was an hour, my best so far was just over 61 minutes. This is a loop through our sub-division, into the next and around two large park and back. All concrete and asphalt, some small inclines and declines; friendly walking terrain you could say. Along the way I listened to the latest podcast from MizFit & Shauna, which was both motivating and at the same time there were parts where I just wanted to sit on a park bench and listen because my own breathing was getting in the way of listening. But know I had the luxury of listening to it again later on, I kept going. And going I went to a 60:43 finish. Aother PR for this day, Oh Yeah!

Ok, I am off to the shower and to soccer. Have a great day everyone!

Catch your blogs later this evening and catch you back here tomorrow for my weigh in.

Oh, have you checked out MizFit & Shauna's podcast? If not use that link up there and give it a listen; good stuff!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 137 - A Happy 101

Eating was excellent on Tuesday and exercise was minimal. Soccer practice in the early morning and a soccer game in the evening stunted my available time, well, I let it stunt it. After work when we got the game the previous game was 25 minutes behind schedule so I went next door and got some cardio in on Stanton Hill. Not my usual event where I do as many laps up & down in 30 minutes, didn't have time for that. But I did have time for about 1/2 of it before our game started. Planning more cardio this evening and more excellent eating today as well. Are you?

Karla was so kind as to honor me with a thank you by giving me a Happy 101 award. Thank you Karla! Nice looking award, look at them cup cakes. I like cup cakes, and they have sprinkles too! Zero calories if you just look, or if you try & lick them off of the monitor screen. Not that I tried, serious, I didn't.

OK, awards are fun, and awards have rules. Rules by definition are not always fun, but remember, these rules came with a picture of cup cakes, so I dig in to them with pleasure; the rules that is..

First, I need to state 10 things I like...

1. Greek Yogurt (recently discovered awesomness)
2. Alternative History author Harry Turtledove 
3. Hunting (just deer hunting now, next year going to turkeys too)
4. NASCAR & Roush Fenway Racing (greatest sport on the planet)
5. Real BBQ'ing (especially ribs & shoulder, if I didn't need money I'd do it at a competitive level)
6. Hockey & the Chicago Blackhawks (2nd greatest sport on the planet)
7. Exercise (Yep, never thought I'd say that, but I have come to like it)
8. Darts (my father played for money, I play with the kids to be a more connected father)
9. Collecting Hot Sauce (collection is almost at 300 bottles now, I'll get some pics of it soon)
10. Franks for the Memories (Best wings on the planet)

Second, I need to pass this award on to 10 other bloggers I wish to share some cup cake happiness with...

1. Dee
2. Amelia
3. Aliana
4. Misunderstood and Admired
5. MandaPanda
6. Deb
7. Jo
8. Tish
9. Clyde
10. Alan (Pounds Off Playoff)

 Thanks again Karla!

Everyone, whatever it is you choose to do today; enjoy!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 129 - Stretch Me Please

When I woke up I guessed it was Tuesday, I checked, and I'm right. So I am 1 for 1 so far today.

Those of you that guessed a tile floor got yesterday's riddle correct. Some guessed it was tile early & before I announced that it was tile, and, well some of you guessed correctly after that. As I am from Chicagoland in Illinois all of your votes count regardless of when the polls closed. Oh, some of you guessed what room it came from, it was from a bathroom.  

Sunday I took the day off from exercise. Needed rest after Saturday's NSV of being able to do Sit-Ups once again; my core felt good & thrashed Sunday. Monday came & I got busy with a 5 a.m. dumbbell routine session and 5 sets of push ups. No sit ups, still sore in the gut and sides. But I will get after more of them this week for sure.

After work I had about an hour before the varsity soccer game so I got in my workout duds and headed off to Stanton Hill. The plan was to best my previous PR of 20 laps up & down that hill in 30 minutes. That was the plan, but this time out was a buffet of struggles.

Each lap had it's own story, and most not pleasant. Buffets are supposed to be pleasant, bountiful and satisfying. Trust me, I know from experience.

Lap one & I took off like a rocket, felt ballistic, and was ready to explode up in that PR's mug.
Lap three, eased up on the macho as my breathing lost it's ease.
Lap six or seven, pain; left lower leg just was starting to whine. I don't like wine so I refused to have any.
Lap ten & I was tapping reserves as fast as kegs at a frat party.
Lap fourteen or fifteen & my sides start splitting and I wonder how much shame there is in pulling the abort lever?
Lap seventeen & I swear that lost tortoise pass me up and flipped me off, @#%$ Tortuga!
Lap eighteen and I have company all of the sudden....

The Grant Sophomore football team saw me thrashing the hill & decided to get in on the action.

Lap nineteen and pride swells throughout igniting a surge to the finish. Or was it a save-face reflex?
Lap twenty, finally! Pride or not my attitude was clear, it is time for this to be over. Regardless of how impressed the football players are, I must soon go.
Huh, lap twenty finished and the 30 minutes, while close, had not ticked off yet?
Lap twenty-one, Stomping the dirt like a child; I was supposed to be done!
Argh, so close, missed completing twenty-one laps in 30 minutes by thirteen seconds.

Next time, there will be a next time, Stanton Hill.

OK, serious moment; this post is titled "Stretch Me Please". Need some help folks, I feel I do a terrible job of stretching and that may be why I had a rough go at the hill yesterday. I do try & stretch, but I feel the stretching I do is as useful as a back pocket on jock strap. So, I need those of you in the know to suggest stretching for both when I weight train and when I walk, hill climb, jog or sprint. Please, it would be rude to not say please. Don't make me beg; please.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 105 - Book It: 20 in 30 !

Anyone here listen to Yes? Back in the 70's & 80's I sure did. They had great album art when such art was appreciated. Relayer was my favorite album, Fragile was great too. I had a healthy album collection until an unfortunate fire wiped out my collection when I was a sophomore. The album you see here, Open Your Eyes, I never owned but I borrowed & wore out a friends cassette in the late 90's. I thought of it today while exercising.

Yes, this is an exercise post; not a music tribute. My son & I went to Stanton Hill yesterday looking to it to make amends for the few food slips on vacation. Last time I did 19 laps up and down in 30 minutes, missing the 20 laps mark by 3 seconds...THREE SECONDS!

Whoa, the first ten laps were rough, my head was down, eyes wandering and the path I was cutting was as crooked as a government budget. Concentration which I have touted as key to performance, it was absent, I may as well have been walking with my eyes closed.

No reason for me to believe 20 would happen. My son was about 1/4 lap ahead of me, then 3/8's at the 15 minute mark. At that rate, by the end, he'd finish a full 1/2 lap or more ahead of me. But still, I was exercising, that alone is enough to feel good about, right?

The Hungry-Demon (remember him) popped in briefly with a quick affirmation, "Nope, no need big boy in needlessly pushing for anything more than gett'n this done & go'n home," he swiftly muttered. That said, he vanished; probably figuring my mind was set to do just that.

"Um, you going to take that?", sqwauked the Healthy-Alien from inside me. Not sure if he was referring to the Demon's words or my son's growing lead, but my thought was 'No' either way.

Kicking it in gear was more easily thought of than achieved, but slowly I opened my eyes and got kick'n. One at a time I dropped nickles into the hat at the end of each lap. With 5 nickles left it was back to 1/4 lap deficit... then with 2 left it was 1/8... then he noticed I was catching up and got jetted forward from his own boost of pride. That 1/8 lap was as close as I'd get to him, but that didn't matter even though it would have been cool to beat him. What did matter is we did 20 laps in 29:43... We did 20 in 30 - can I get an Oh Yeah!

Twenty has been the goal for this exercise. Each visit to the hill, I chipped away. Now Twenty is in the books, it is history, my history!

That done; time to look for a new challenge.

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 91 - Nickle Dropping

This weekend I am up in Vernon County, WI looking at hunting land so my post here will be brief and I likely won't get to read/reply to your blogs until later on Sunday. But I will get to them, promise!

As I promised Jody yesterday I did my workout on Stanton Hill. How many times can go up & down in 30 minutes. Last time I did 18. Yesterday I did 19, excellent. Actually, I did 20 times in 30:03 minutes. Missed getting 20 trips in by THREE seconds. Ok, I'm good with that. Nineteen is still a new PR for me and next time I just have to be 3 seconds better for another new PR. Until next time Stanton, until next time.

Nickles, why did I give you a picture of a hat with nickles in it? Well, them are my counting nickles for when I go up & down Stanton Hill. The first time I did this hill I realized I was going to lose count of the number of trips. Around the third or forth trip up I was gasping, clawing for air, and counting I had no energy for. So that time I used my blackberry phone, I keep it with me when I workout in case I vapor lock and drop so hopefully someone can call for help; each time I got back down I updated a note in the blackberry. It worked for that time, but fumbling with the keys while also navigating the walking on rippled terrain was not fun. Plus it broke my concentration; not good.

Enter the nickles. Each time since I have taken 20 nickles with me, they fit nicely in one hand. Every time I get back down from a trip up I drop one in the hat. When i have dropped all 20, I am done. Works like a champ. Well, almost. Yesterday I missed with the hat with one of the nickles and kicked
it with my foot. It landed some 10 yards away on the soccer field. Finding it was 'fun' when I was all done, but find it I did.

Enjoy your weekend everyone!
 
Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 85 - 33% Progress

Stanton Hill was calling me yesterday. So, I listened and chose it for my morning cardio. I believe what I like about the hill is that I attack it with a time limit; 30 minutes in which I try to achieve a number of laps (trips up & down). Versus my walks which all have a distance I try to achieve in a time. It's that little bit of variety that helps make exercise desired vs. dreaded. That hill gets my breathing pounding like nothing else. Not even the 1 block jog I've taken up gets me sucking in wind like that hill. Last time I went to the hill I did 17 trips up and down in 30 minutes; yesterday I did 18!...

What exercise is it that you do that gets your heart & lungs working their hardest?

In the evening after dinner I didn't feel much like sitting around so I went for a walk. I didn't plan to make this walk for time, just some distance; the Neighborhood-II Loop of 3.6 miles. Just something casual to end the day with. But on the way back as I neared one mile to go I figured why not try and get a PR for the one mile best time. My body was warm and my stride was string so the challenge was on. Shazam! 16:29, shaved 7 seconds of the previous best set the day before.

So a couple of Oh Yeah!'s for those PR's. Now onto the scale...

My goal for this weeks weigh-in was 282.5... I had doubts at the beginning of the week whether I'd have a loss for this weigh-in. I was exercising and eating fairly well, but I just felt heavy coming off of the holiday weekend. It wasn't until Thursday that the heaviness started to fade and the fire rise.

As of today I have dropped 33% of the weight I want to drop. That comes out to 40 pounds dropped in the past TWELVE weeks; 4 of them this past week. Today I weighed in at 280 pounds.

Nothing else to say about making it to 40 pounds lost other than Oh Yeah!

Body Measurements, Kyle  recommended early on in my mission to measure and track those as part of my progress. I then promptly measured them back in April when I started and told myself I would check them at 33%, 66% & 100% progress. Ok, 33% is here (WHooHoo) so I will get out the tape measure later today & share them tomorrow...

Hey, Go Gett'em Today!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 77 - Getting Some

Weekend time everyone! A holiday weekend for us here in the USA...

What plans do you have?

This past week I picked up an NSV I've been meaning to share. Actually I did list it on the left hand side bar of my blog but didn't fit into a post until now. This past Tuesday morning I was walking through the hallways at work and came up on a colleague who said, "Hi Patrick, Hey, have you lost weight?" Being asked if you have lost weight, that is an NSV if I have ever heard one.

This past Thursday I got serious with this post, day-75-concentrate-on-this, where I suggested we can get greater performance via greater concentration.

Yesterday I put that to the test again when I went out for an early morning walk around the 2-mile loop in our neighborhood. Like the walk Wednesday, I concentrated today as I explained then. I hit the turn-around which is exactly 1 mile out from the house at 17:01, which was better than my previous best of 17:09, but I didn't know the time at the turn. I hit the button on my iPod which saved the first lap time and didn't take a moment to see the time itself. Why, I was concentrating on the walk. I had to break concentration to hit the button so I did, but that's it. Chug a lug I went on through the second lap back home. My previous best for this loop was 35:12, I finished in 33:51 today;smashing that PR. Also do the math, the 2nd mile was in 16:49...personal records for walking a mile and for that loop.

In the afternoon yesterday my son asked for a ride to a friends house. Sure, and off we went. I didn't know where we were going but we got there and dropped him off soon enough. Hmm, what do you know, it is right next to Stanton School which is where Stanton Hill is. I worked out on this hill once last weekend when Kyle challenged us and I spoke of that work out here; day-72-whos-got-two-thumbs. That was a tough workout, my heart rate really gets going on that hill. I hadn't expected to go back there so soon for another 30 minute go at how many times I could go up and down it. However after dropping of my son I realized had nothing better to, the hill was right there, and I was dressed in clothes suitable for a workout; I decided why not. Away I went; up - down and so on for 30 minutes. Concentrating on stride, walking straight and looking forward vs. down at the ground. Thirty minutes later I did 17 trips up and down, bettering the previous effort by one, personal record!

Oh Yeah, I was getting some yesterday! For dinner I celebrated with what you see there in the picture; Almond Crusted Trout, Green Beans & Wild Rice. Nope, I didn't cook it, It was from the Friday specials menu at Moretti's where I took the family for dinner.

Have a Great weekend everyone!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!

Day 72 - Who's got two thumbs...

Yesterday, Sunday morning I went to breakfast with my Cousins, Aunts & Uncles. A casual affair at my Aunt's house, a good time. For lunch the kids had a hankering for Chinese buffet. They really know how to corner a fat man trying to get better. But I had no reason to say No other than to avoid my own temptations so I took them. Not allot of good choices at these two events but I did Ok. All in all between the two meals I may have exceeded my caloric intake by 100-200 calories. Not great, but could have been so much worse.

In the afternoon, back at home, digesting comfortably, blogging casually, I am in a word; relaxing. And then I come across Kyle's post. I read all of Kyle's posts as they are always a good read. I read and read and get to the end. Huh, Who's got two thumbs? That is what Kyle laid down as a challenge in his post Sunday. Read it if you didn't.

Great, just great. There I sat relaxed, I mean I was really relaxed. But No; Kyle couldn't just let me sit and relax. Oh no, he has to challenge me to do something with my thumbs of all things. Fine!

I've had this alternate exercise in mind for a few days, so why not give it a go today since Kyle can't just let me relax. There is it, the view looking up at Stanton Hill. Not a huge hill, just 100 yards from base to summit, about a 25 degree incline; it is big enough. The idea is to walk up & down it as many times as I can in 30 minutes...

Hmm, is this a good idea? I mean come on Kyle, it's 85F, it's humid from the morning storm, the sun is bright in a near-cloudless sky, and I am dressed in black shorts and a black t-shirt. Need to think about this...

Well, Kyle needs some thumbs, so up I go. What goes up needs to come down, the view from the top; I started the climb at that soccer net you see below the summits horizon...

Up and down and again and again. Sixteen times up, sixteen times down. Sixteen is what I managed to get done in 30 minutes. Some where around trip up number seven I was sweating enough to water the grass I was trampling below. Trip nine, I was cussing the steam rising from the grass. Trip thirteen, I was cussing out Kyle; Dude I was relaxing - what am I doing here?! Oh yeah, so Kyle can have this shot...

Ok Kyle, so it is not two thumbs but rather one thumb and a little finger, my other hand is working the cell camera. So this hang-loose thumb upgesture is what I've got for my man Kyle. The soccer net was perfect to lean against while I wiped my face, caught my breath and got Kyle his shot. 

Oh, I have another shot for Kyle, a smile...

Ugh, that wasn't a smile. That was supposed to be a wink and a smile. Note to self - don't wink, never wink, you look like a constipated walrus when you wink.

Here is your smile Kyle, it isn't much better, actually it may be worse, but it is all yours...

So there you have it Kyle, my victory thumbs up for keeping myself accountable to getting it done yesterday.

Kyle, You Da man, thanks...

My challenge to all of you, get Kyle the thumbs he deserves!

Responsibility 199 - Gotta Do It!!