I have also been preparing myself for the work down there by volunteering my Saturday mornings to work construction.  The house we are working on was purchased by my church and Bridge and is being remodeled completely for a family to live in for fee.  The last month or so we have been working on framing the upstairs bedrooms/closets/bathroom.  There are a great group of guys giving their time on this project and the work is very rewarding.  Not only do I feel good about the work I’m doing for God, but I’m also learning some new skills along the way.

The other major part of my preparation is weight loss.  To comfortably go on this trip I want to be below 300lbs.  I’m getting closer to that mark everyday.  Weigh-in last night was 331.6 down  27.6lbs this year.  I really feel like I will be on track to reach my goal by the time I leave for this trip.

The last part of prep that I need to take care of is fund raising.  I’m way behind on raising money for this trip.  I still need $2,200 to make this trip and if you are reading this post, then I could really use your support.  Please check out my Zambia page for full details on what we are doing and how you can support me and thank you for any support you give prayer and funds!

This was definitely the smallest race I’ve been in with only about 150 or so registered runners.  I was a little intimidated by this since I thought it would mean a greater chance of ending up towards the back of the pack.  But I have been serious about training and diet and felt extremely prepared for this race.  I ran more in March than any other month by about 20 miles!  Also my weight has been dropping and my times progressively getting faster!

The route wasn’t very challenging.  It went from Rick’s Boatyard Cafe across the pedestrian bridge to Iowa and up the trail on the other side a ways and then back.  Out and back routes are awesome since you get to see all of the faster people in front of you and get to see just how fast they really are.  Also you get to see all of those who are behind you once you make the turn.

The first half mile was pretty much all up hill as we made our way to the top of the pedestrian bridge, I did my best not to get caught up in starting out too hard, but I was definitely sucking air by the time I got to the top of the bridge.  The short downhill on the other side was a nice relief though, then the next 1.5 miles or so were as flat as could be along the levee.  I knew by the time I made the turn and made it back to the bridge that I was holding a really good pace.  I continued to push as hard as I could back to the top of the pedestrian bridge knowing it was all down hill to the finish.  I pushed pretty hard and was pretty worn out though by the time I got to the bottom of the hill.  But as I rounded the corner and came under the bridge, I saw Jessie there cheering me on.  Then as I got closer she started to run the final 2/10ths or so with me.  This gave me the boost I needed to finish strong.  I ran with her to the finish pushing way harder than I was comfortable with, but it was worth it.  I had my best 5k time ever and that final sprint really lowered my total pace time.

5k – 31:41
Pace – 10:02
Mile 1 – 10:00
Mile 2 – 10:05
Mile 3 – 10:19

I beat my goal of a 10:10 pace and was so amazed and happy to see how close I was to a sub 10 min pace!

Huge congrats to Jessie Shulo who also had a PR with a sub 8 min pace at 7:59 min/mile!!!! Wow!!!

Once all of the results are posted I will add everyone’s times.  Once again another race with some great friends (Jessie, Erin, Andy, and Rachel)  We definitely missed Zac and Julie and Lisa though!  You guys better make the next race!

The race format was awesome though, the girls got a 4 1/2 minute head start and the guys chased them down.  In the three years this race has been held, this format has led to 2 women’s victories, and finally this year one men’s victory.  We started and finished the race from inside the hangar at the Sac Museum.  This was yet another amazing venue for a race.  Racers were encouraged to dress up in St Patrick’s Day costumes for running and for a post race costume contest.

I knew winning the race wasn’t an option for me, but the costume contest I thought I might have a chance at.  The week of the race I got the idea to make a kilt to run in, so I scrambled around Walmart searching for fabric and things to make a sporran out of.  I also picked up a St Patty’s day t-shirt and hat and other accessories from Nobbies.  My costume was completed and tested for running the day before the race, a kilt is surprisingly comfortable to run in!

The race itself was tough, it was hillier than I thought it would be and the heat and 20-25mph winds were brutal.  The wind completely dried me out, my mouth and throat were painfully dry and the one water stop on the route didn’t cut it at all.  I felt really good on the hills though and seemed to pass the most people on those sections.  I can definitely tell my training was paying off, there were people I was passing that definitely looked like they would have been in better shape than me.  The long draining gradual uphill finish didn’t leave me with much left for a sprint finish, which made for probably my slowest last 1/10th in a race ever.  But my overall time was better than I could have expected.  I finished with a 11:10 pace  and a time of 1:08:56.  But my best finish came about 30 minutes later when I placed 2nd in the costume contest!  I did beat my last 10k time by almost 6 full minutes too!!

I think this was my favorite race so far.

346.0 This morning!!!

The crazy warm weather we’ve been having lately has snapped me from the winter time funk and I feel like I’m back on track to lose some serious weight this year.  It was nice to see a lot of friends at the lake running and biking last night.  I hope to see more of you out there as the year progresses!

Obstacle: noun – something that obstructs or hinders progress.

It’s easy to look at this situation and begin to think of all of the obstacles in my way that could easily keep me from running.  First off, it was below freezing and sweating in the cold is just asking for frost bite.  Second, the sidewalks were covered in snow and the streets are icy in areas.  Third, I’m just plain tired and stressed and relaxing sounds better.  These were the obstacles I was facing last night.  The things that were hindering my progress towards weight loss and physical fitness.

My day could have easily ended with sitting on the couch watching TV under a blanket with a warm drink and feet kick up in a relaxing recline and no one would have ever judged me on that choice.  But that is not how my night ended.  I didn’t see these things as obstacles, but took them head on as challenges.  Obstacles are things that hinder progress, but challenges can improve us.  When we are called to rise up to a challenge, we are forced to go beyond our comfort level and push harder than we normally would.  We bring our best to a challenge.

Challenge: noun – something that by its nature or character serves as a call to battle, contest, special effort, etc.

So when I looked at the challenges ahead of me last night, I actually got excited about my run.  How fun would it be to be out there running when most won’t, on streets and sidewalks that people are scared to drive and walk on, in temperatures where heavy parkas, boots, gloves, and scarfs are the norm.  But I am not normal, I’m a runner, and nothing is going to hinder my progress.  I had an extremely enjoyable run last night, it was more entertaining and enjoyable than my run last Wed when it was 60 degrees and sunny.  So next time you see an obstacle, take another look at the challenge it presents.

“The Difference Between a Stumbling Block and a Stepping Stone is How You Use Them.” — Unknown

The best part about this race is that every year you know exactly what the weather will be like.  The worst part about the race this year, it was probably just as nice outside.  The weather has been extremely nice in the Midwest lately.  The course itself was extremely flat, probably no more than 50ft of total elevation change.  The roadways were nice and smooth and level.  The air in caves was at times very dense and hot.  That and the lack of any hills seemed to really affect my run.  Also no gps signal to gauge my running.  You really have to rely on internal pacing or a watch, and I didn’t do a good job of that.  I don’t think I was very well hydrated before the race either.  I was unsure of expectations for this race, since 10k is a distance I’ve only done 5 times prior.  That and some pre-race activities that probably weren’t the best decision made for a very tough and challenging run.  I was a bit dehydrated at the start and that continued for the entire race.  I slowed down my pace considerably and just focused on finishing rather than putting up a great time.  I was a bit disappointed in my preparation and time.  My disappointment has been overshadowed by the weekend as whole, it was just so much fun, it doesn’t always have to be about setting a PR.  I’m learning to just enjoy things for what they are and not worrying so much about what I accomplished.  It’s a big step for me.  I really just went with the flow this weekend and let others decide and plan and organize, I was more or less just along for the ride.  It was a great weekend with some good friends, and I got a good run in with 3500 other people.

But if you must know: 10k – 1:14:52 – 12:11 pace

Congrats to Rachel LeClair who set a PR of 51:54 – Wow!!!
Also congrats to Zac Fowler and Andy Blaszak for always making the rest of us look slow.

Nothing.  It wasn’t a holiday.  It wasn’t anyone’s birthday that I know.  It wasn’t a record setting warm temp day, no, it was just another cold uneventful day in the rest of the world exactly one year ago from today.

What was that day to me?

It was a day I will never forget.  It was a sad day.  It was a solemn day.  It was a day of awakening.  It was the day that changed my life forever.

It was the day I weighed myself for the first time in years.  It was the day I realized I wouldn’t live much longer if I continued down the same path.  It was the day I decided to Start my Journey.  My Journey to lose weight.  My Journey to get in shape.  My Journey to eat healthier.  My Journey to change my life forever.

What is this Journey?

Well, Journeys are not about where you are going, but how you get there.  There is no, “Okay I’m done, what’s next?”.  It’s about setting a path that you can walk the rest of your life.  It is lifelong sustainable changes.  It is empowering.  It is confidence boosting.

I started mine one step at a time, one day at a time.  Never focusing on anything too far ahead.  Never worried about my end goal, because there was no end goal.  Sure I have goals, but none of them signify a finishing point.  I’m not going to preach about crazy Atkinsish diets or crazy P90Xish work outs.  It is so simple that once you figure it out, you will wonder why and how you ever did it wrong.

Be conscience of what you put in your body.  Food is fuel.  The more you work the more you need to eat, the less you work the less you need to eat.  Food is not a rewards program.  You don’t need to eat to celebrate something.  You don’t need a snack because you are stressed.  Those are unneeded bad habits.  Focus on what you eat and why you eat it.  Work on the root causes of why you are eating what you are.  Remember, food is fuel and leave it at that.  If you need a reward or a stress relief, find something else.

For me, my stress relief has been running.  Running does something amazing to your brain and body.  There is no lie about a runner’s high.

Can you run?

I don’t see why not.  I ran my first mile at 435lbs.  It wasn’t fast, nor was it pretty, but it was a mile.  4 weeks later I was up to 3 miles and down to 416lbs.  2 months after that I competed in my first race.

Where am I now?

A year later.  I have competed in 6 races.  My best 5k time was officially 32:32 just before my 32^nd birthday.  I have a long run 10.2 miles.  I run 15 to 25 miles per week.  I have 317 miles of running logged.  I have 519 miles of biking logged.  I have 96 miles of walking logged.  I have 26 miles of hiking logged.  I have a 1000+ miles of exercise logged.  I love life again.  I can’t wait for new days and new challenges.

Oh yeah, the number I’m sure you are all wanting to know by now, weight lost.  As of today I am down 133lbs!!!  I don’t think too much about this number because it isn’t the import part. The important part is how I feel, and that feeling is one I could never write down in words.

So my question for you!  What day does your Journey begin?