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  1. Thanks, Guy!

    Mar 14, 2009

    I don't know your name or occupation. I don't know your hair or eye color either thanks to your helmet and sunglasses. I know I was just happy to see you today, guy on recumbent bike who passed me a few times on my six mile run.

    The first time you passed me it was just general pleasantries.
    You : "How's it goin'?"
    Me : "Good, thanks. You?"
    You : "Great."
    And you were right. It was great out today. We couldn't have picked a better day to get out and enjoy our respective healthful outdoor pursuits. It finally feels like spring around here and everyone is taking advantage, us included.

    You must have stopped somewhere along the way because a few minutes later I was surprised to see you pass me again. I didn't have time to gauge a response.
    You : "Wow, you're really flyin'."
    Me : *huff puff grunt inaudible*
    But that comment is probably what powered me through today. It's almost impossible to get someone to even crack a smile out there, let alone interact with you. Here you come with a glowing complement like that for someone like me who, at best, is at the rear end of the middle of the pack. You and your bright yellow jersey just made my day. But it wasn't the last time I would see you.

    It was about 100 meters from the end of my run so I was kicking into strides when you pull up alongside again. How did I keep getting past you?
    You : "Wow. Look at you. You've run a long way today."
    Me : "Yeah, and I think I'm finally petering out."
    It was a front. I petered out about a mile ago. I was just running sprinting at the end because I had to. It just happened to be a convenient time for you too spot me for the fourth time today.

    So thanks complete stranger on funny looking bike. You completely made my day. You couldn't have possibly known that I was having a crummy couple of weeks regarding my fitness but your words of encouragement couldn't have come at a better time. Keep ridin'!

    Posted by Unknown at 1:37 PM | Labels: | 0 comments |

  2. Week 41

    Mar 8, 2009


    Oh, the cost of hubris. I felt like my weight loss goal for April was in the bag just because, as of last week's weigh-in, I was only 3 pounds away. My celebration comes after the touchdown though, not at the 5 yard line. I already described in depth the sins I committed earlier this week so I'll skip it here. Those actions had unfortunate consequences. I'm up 2 pounds this week.

    Thankfully though talking those issues out earlier this week has provided some different perspective. Thanks to Charles and Drusy for their encouraging posts. They meant a lot. My wife also deserves a big thanks for helping too. She dug up a list pros and cons I wrote out during my last slump. At that point I was depressed because I had only lost 42 pounds! That really made me take a step back and assess the situation, realizing that this is not the end of the world. I'm stronger than I give myself credit for often.

    So I took a closer look at the positives that came out of this week. This morning my body fat % read at 22% even. This is amazing. I started at more than 34% body fat! I also think this may be what's leading to my stalled loss. I'm still losing the fat but gaining stronger leg muscles. This leads me to the other positive I experienced this week. I thought I needed to catch up during the second half of the week so I vowed to take my frustrations out on the road. I ended up logging just shy of 20 miles in three days. That's one long run for some I know, but it's a big deal for me. This week I logged the most miles I've done in one week since starting running, and I enjoyed every step of them.

    Starting weight : 315 lbs. Last week : 218.2 lbs. This week : 220 lbs. Since previous weigh in : +1.8 lbs. Total weight loss : 95 lbs

    Posted by Unknown at 10:20 AM | Labels: | 1 comments |

  3. Emotional Recovery

    Mar 5, 2009

    I've found myself a little in the dumps this week. I was really happy with my three pound loss during the last weigh in. You may even say I got a little overconfident. I've only got three pounds left to go in six weeks, so it's in the bag right? That was my thought when I went out to lunch Sunday afternoon. So I ordered myself a big beer or three, and even though I opted for a veggie wrap at lunch, those veggies were tempura fried and served w/ Thai peanut sauce and fries. After that I proceeded to the my favorite local craft beer store and picked up a 4 pack of Dogfish Head's Palo Santo Marron of which I had 3 when I got home. Dark, delicious, decadent, calorie laden Palo Santo. I was really living.

    That seems to have opened the floodgates. I started emotionally eating at the beginning of this week, and by Wednesday found myself up 11 pounds from Sunday's weight. Shame spiral ensued. I've spent the better part of this week beating myself up. It took me a long time to realize that this likely wasn't the end of the world. I'm incredibly lucky to have such a supportive spouse who knows me well enough to know just what to say to put these things in perspective and get me back on course.

    With that in mind I headed into the gym today, understanding that it was time to knuckle down. If I'm to lose weight this week, maybe even just break even, I can't continue to lay down. I wallowed enough earlier this week and this was my first workout since Saturday. I need to make them count. I've decided that it's possible for me to get over 15 miles in before the end of the week. It starts now. 6 miles done on the treadmill today plus some time on the elliptical. No more excuses. I've not got much farther to go. It's crunch time.


    Posted by Unknown at 3:48 PM | Labels: | 2 comments |

  4. Week 40

    Mar 1, 2009


    I was absolutely elated this morning. Seriously, tears of joy. I'm about to absolutely murder the goal I set for April. I've only got three pounds and six weeks left to accomplish it. This week brought me three pounds closer.

    I've been putting in a lot more miles running. That coupled with an extremely ill advised trip out into the woods coupled for a remarkable weight loss this week. I'm still kind of surprised that I can put down three pounds at a time this late in the game. Evidently I'm still doing something right.

    So if I reach the 100 pound mark 5 weeks early what do I do in the meantime? Chill and eat bon bons until April 12th comes around? I'm looking into more long term goals like improving body fat % and preparing for my half marathon in the fall. I was thinking even a hike through the 100 Mile Wilderness of Maine, so called because it's the longest stretch of the Appalachian Trail without intersection with real civilization.

    Where do I go from here? Time can only tell. I'll see you when I get there.


    Starting weight : 315 lbs. Last week : 221.2 lbs. This week : 218.2 lbs. Since previous weigh in : -3 lbs. Total weight loss : 96.8 lbs

    Posted by Unknown at 11:22 AM | Labels: | 1 comments |