In Local News…

My mood has been surprisingly good despite no recent changes. I haven’t gone out of my way to do anything different. So… here’s hoping that keeps up? Right now I’m partaking in one of my favourite pastimes and that’s just blasting music and singing along as badly as I can. Who says I can’t be the lead singer of Radiohead? That’s just crazy.

I’ve also decided I’m going to ramp up my blogging. I’m going to update a few times a week and keep you up to date on what’s going on with this whole workout stuff because…

WooT!

As I mentioned the other day, all of my running, working, and a large portion of my casual day to day stuff had been in a pair of Nike Reax.  I didn’t buy them with the intention of working out at the time, I bought them because they looked cool, but they worked for me.  I was used to running in them, and I didn’t have in pain in them or anything, but the tread on the soles was almost completely worn away, so I knew their days were numbered.

So I went shoe shopping.  Instead of just going to Kohls and picking up whatever looked nice, I went to Fleet Feet Baltimore in the quest to find the right shoe for me.

 I walked into the store holding my Reax (their website recommends bringing in your old shoes), told the nice lady at the counter that I wanted to be fit for running shoes, then she looked down at what I was holding and said “You’ve been running in THOSE?!”

Crap.

Anywho, she had me sit down and take off my shoes and socks, and could pretty much tell from the getgo that I overpronate (like crazy, apparently).  This was because she saw the huge callouses on the side of my big toes (which she even had her co-worker come over to look at, ugh).  She then had me run back and forth a bit in the main aisle of the store, then I ran on a treadmill for 30 seconds while she videotaped my foot movement.  After reading Sue’s post on the subject the other day, I kind of had a hint of what to expect, but it still blew my mind that there was so much involved.

After all of that, I given 2 pairs of New Balances (don’t know what kind though), and a pair of Brooks Beasts.  The first pair of New Balances and the Brooks Beast fit beautifully (the second NB’s were very tight, even the wider ones), but in the end I with the Brooks, in a size “12 2E”.

The shoes, and a pair of Balega Hidden Comfort Socks, set me back $148.  It was a little more than I was hoping to spend, admittedly, and I probably could have gotten them cheaper online, but I was excited, and I wanted them NOW! so I bought them anyway.

I also found out the Fleet Feet hosts free outdoor runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm and 6:30pm.  I might be looking into that as a way to increase my outdoor running experience.  They also have marathon and half-marathon training classes starting soon that peaked my interest.

My “running supply purchasing” high then took me to Target, where I bought a couple of Champion C9 T-shirts and Champion C9 Boxer Briefs (which I couldn’t find a link for, probably because there were on clearance).

AND THEN…

I got home to find two more bits of awesome: Terminator Salvation had come in from Netflix, AND, my Baltimore Marathon Training Shirt had finally come in!

The picture quality sucks, so I apologize, but its basically an Under Armour shirt that says “Baltimore Running Festival” and “IN TRAINING.”

Speaking of the Baltimore Marathon, when I told the lady at that store that I had signed up for it, she said I signed up for one of the tougher marathons (very hilly, apparently) and that I probably should have signed up for the Marine Corps. Marathon.

Crap #2.  Still though, I’m up for the challenge.

So I didn’t do any running in the new shoes last night, but before work this morning I armed myself w/ my shoes, a C9 shirt and my fancy new boxer briefs, and I ran two miles on the treadmill.  The shoes felt very nice, but it was definitely different. I was also feeling the run a bit in my calves, earlier than I usually do anyway, but I’m supposing it due to not being used to the shoes or the support they provide.  It was also nice to not have my shirt feeling all soggy and gross post workout. 

And the fact that my boxer briefs weren’t riding up all over the place and causing chafing? BEAUTIFUL!

Sorry if that last part was TMI

Have a great day, everyone!

reposted from http://www.265andfalling.com.  Go there to catch up and to follow my journey from the beginning!  Thanks!!

Easier said than done.

The Christmas holiday break was a bit stressful. I loved seeing my family — but I realized that 24 days was not only a long time for me to be away from home, but it was also a really long time to be away from my life. I managed to have some great workouts while I was in BC — I found a rickety old spinning bike at the Rec Centre, and cranked out some of my own routines. I broke through my 5km limit on my runs, and ran a few 10km routes, which felt amazing. I spent an amazing afternoon with my Dad, niece and nephew, tubing down some runs at Mount Washington ski resort — feeling a level of joy, elation, and speed that I haven’t felt before. It was pretty spectacular, and liberating, all at the same time. But I missed my gym. I missed my spin bike. I missed my peeps. However, since I’ve been home for the past few weeks, I’ve been spending some time re-calibrating my workouts and figuring out my action plan for the year ahead. Sebastien and I have hammered out some solid goals, and 2010 is going to be a big year…

Read the rest at: http://tinyurl.com/ye8gywp

As is our weekly ritual, Amy and I got on the Wii Fit and weighed ourselves. In a drastic turn of events, I gained 6.4 pounds in one week. I honestly know that it was a combination of many bad food/drink choices (hello? I had two glasses of White Sangria on Friday night, then a large glass of Sangria and a Margarita on Saturday night; just as examples of the drink choices). I am truly glad I had not experienced a gout attack. I spent all day today making mostly healthy choices (onion rings and ice cream excepted) and drinking only water or unsweet tea.

And yet, here we are (or is that Wii are?). I stood on the Wii Fit board and it told me I had gained 6.4 pounds to weigh around 283 pounds. My old starting point was 319, which means I’m down 37 pounds… I have on my keyring a small token that proves that at one point while on WeightWatchers, I was down 50 pounds.

That means I’ve gained back 13 pounds. So I’ve drawn the line. That line is sitting on 284, and I’m NOT crossing it. I refuse.

My first decision immediately after that was to go to the kitchen and prepare 4 sandwiches for my lunches for the week. I’ve been eating out WAAAAY too much. It has to stop. My breakfasts will consist of either cold cereal at home or oatmeal at work; no more stopping at Chick-Fil-A or McDonald’s or Braum’s for “wreckfast”. I’m taking sandwiches and pickled okra (found I love the stuff and, other than high-sodium, is a good snacking choice). I will drink only water, unsweet tea, and 1% milk.

I need to stop working so much overtime (though I may see that drop some anyways unless another “high-crisis” project comes up this week). That’s been forcing me to pick up dinner and eat much too late. Either it’s dinner by 7pm or not at all.

Hello, sand? Yeah, I know… I messed up your surface a little bit, but I won’t be making any footprints on the other side of that line… I’m walking the other way.

(cross posted on webcudgel.com)

With my social life crumbling and my unemployment continuing, I often feel as if I’m stuck in an invisible prison. With no money, I can’t afford to go to the gym and as a result, I can see that I’m gaining weight. I’m a little afraid to step on the scale to see how much damage I’ve done to the weight I’ve lost in the last couple of years. There has to be a way to lose some weight on the cheap, right?

Enter the prison workout.

Read the entire entry and discuss at www.RonBarker.ca

I’ve since handed over the keys to John, who has done an outstanding job turning what this blog into what it has become today.

Congratulations to all of the Fatbloggers, past and present, who have been able to use this site to accomplish some of their personal goals over the last three years. 

My legs are STILL sore…

…but it’s an soreness brought on by accomplishment…

…

…yeah, that was lame, deal with it.

I ran my first ever race yesterday, the Mighty Medford Freeway 5k, located in Westminster, MD.  This was my first race, and my first real attempt at outdoor running, and it.was.AWESOME.

The course was mostly flat w/ some very small sloping areas, until you hit the halfway mark, which involves climbing up a very large (ie. a bitch of a) hill.  I was doing good with running/jogging up until that point, but I had to start walking once I was halfway up.  I had to walk one other time during the second half, but that was only for about a hundred feet.

Overall, I SURPRISED THE HELL OUT OF MYSELF and finished in 30 minutes and 59 seconds.  Wow.  I had been running 5k on the treadmill and finishing it about this time, but I thought the roadrace was going to instill a nice dose of reality and I was going to finish much slower.  Once I saw a ton of people passing me, I resigned myself to a) trying not to be last, and b) trying to finish in at least 40 minutes.

I finished well below 40 minutes , and I wasn’t last, either!  I don’t know my official standing yet, but I will update this post once the results are posted.  WooT!

So yeah, my legs are VERY SORE, but its all good.  I need to get some biking in today ensure making my “60 miles for the week” goal, so my calves will get a bit of a break.

The next race is on Febuary 7th, and is the “Bear Run Four Miler”, also in Westminster.  I’d definitely like to try to give this a go, and if anyone noticed on my twitter over the weekend, I am officially registered for The Under Armour Baltimore Marathon on October 16th.  It’s not just idle talk anymore…WooT!

I better get my ass in gear, huh?

How was everyone elses weekend?

reposted from http://www.265andfalling.com.  Go there to catch up and to follow my journey from the beginning!  Thanks!!

Two years ago, I was a 435-pound man.
And for the last time, I resolved to get healthy.

And while I had tried almost every diet, gimmick and trick out there, I was not thoroughly convinced that surgically wrapping an elastic band around my stomach was going to be the solution to my problems. Why? Well, it wasn’t modern medicine’s fault that I was a morbidly obese. Over the twenty previous years prior, I made a series of bad choices in terms of my eating habits and my inability to manage my emotions. So while I didn’t resolve to go on a diet, or read yet another self-help book in search of the secret to happiness and weight-loss success, I did resolve to do one thing very differently. I made a resolution to hold myself accountable to my own choices.

Finally.

I chose to live my life differently. Quite simply, I chose to live.

Read the rest at: http://tinyurl.com/yj2q9p8

Progress Report: Week 12
Weight: 245 lbs
BMI: 35.7
Weight loss so far: 3.4 lbs gained since last week, 20 lbs lost total

Hell to the NO!  But this is still okay I guess.  I’ve been in the 240’s for WWWAAAYYY too long, but the weekend after Christmas had my scale reading as high as being back in the 250’s, so I’m glad I was able to knock that number down some.  In hindsight I shouldn’t have waited (and cheated, basically) and moved my weigh in to Friday this week, but all future weigh ins will continue to be on Tuesdays.  No more funny business.

 I also took a few quick measurements this morning, all as part of giving myself a base for 2010.

 Waist (at navel-level): 49 inches
Chest (at nipple-level): 45.5inches
Neck: 16.5 inches

 UGH.  I’d like to keep up with doing measurements, maybe bi-weekly or monthly (what do you think?), and maybe add more once I figure out what I am doing.

New Year Challenges: I want 2010 to be the year that I own it, basically, and I am starting things off by participating in three challenges.

The first two are of my own creation, and they are sure to kick my ass:

• New Year 100 Mile Running Challenge.  You have the entire month of January to run/walk/jog 100 miles.  This can be done on a treadmill, outside, however you’d like.
• New Year 500 Mile Biking Challenge. Same concept, except you have to bike 500 miles in January.  Actual bike, exercise bike, indoors, outdoors, it don’t matter.

It’s only the first day of the month, so there is still PLENTY OF TIME for you to sign up, just click on the links above and you’ll be taken to the dailyburn page.  You can sign up for one or the other, or both, it’s all up to you.

The third challenge is the Perfect 10 Challenge by Steve over at logmyloss.  I joined this challenge as a way to create short term goals for myself, and of course, to see what I am capable of.  It lasts 10 weeks, and what you do is create a set of goals for yourself and update your progress towards reaching those goals weekly.  Here are mine:

• Lose at least 15 pounds (starting weight 245 pounds)
• Run/walk/jog 200 miles
• Strength train at least twice a week
• Run a 5k road race
• Finish at least one of this semesters college courses
• Beat Super Mario Brothers Wii

The first four goals, as they should be, are health and fitness related.  I think 200 miles in 10 weeks is attainable since half of that should be knocked out in the first month alone with my challenge, and running an actual road race will help me down the path to the Ocean City Half Marathon I want to run in April and the Baltimore Marathon in October. I also put the Strength Training goal in there because that is still something I’ll sideline b/c I think cardio will give me results faster (spoiler alert, it doesn’t work that way). 

The college related goal is important, because I really need to try to focus this semester and now wait until the last minute to try to get everything done.  It almost got me in trouble last semester, so I’d like to avoid that this time around. 

The Mario Brothers goal? HAHA. If you’ve read the comments for the my few posts, you will know that I think that game is one of the hardest games I have ever played, and is evil.  But if I’m not going to let my weight and other factors keep me down, there is no way in hell I’m going to give some asshole plumber the satisfaction of doing so. 

 F*ck you, douchebag!

Besides, all work and no play makes Steve a dull boy (and kind of a prick to those around me), so I gotta have some fun too.

Hope everyone had fun last night.  It’s a new year, what are you going to make of it? 

reposted from http://www.265andfalling.com.  Go there to catch up and to follow my journey from the beginning!  Thanks!!

Anywaaaaaay…here are the Dailyburn New Year Challenges.  Click on the links below to enter the challenge page on Dailyburn and sign up.

[265andfalling]’s New Year 100 mile Running Challenge

Similar to Marathon Week, except this time you have the entire month of January, and your goal is to run/jog/walk 100 miles.  This can be done however (treadmill, road, etc..)and whenever.  You can run 4 marathons, walk 3.23 miles a day, etc…etc…etc…

[265andfallings]’s New Year 500 mile Biking Challenge

Don’t think running is your thing, try this challenge.  Once again, you have the entire month, and your goal is to bike 500 miles.  This can be done on an exercise bike, or on an actual bike (what a concept, right?)

Most of us here have gotten off to a pretty good start in 2009, but for me, I want to kick some major ass in 2010.  I want to pull everything together and complete my journey to become the new healthier, stronger, happier Steve.  With these challenges, we can go into the new year with guns blazing.

As you can see, there are two challenges.  You can pick your poison, or if you REALLY want to kick ass, do both.  I’m not claiming that any of this is going to be easy, and there are plenty of easily challenges across the internet, I’m sure…but if you want to show yourself what you are truly capable of, and if you are really serious about wanting to make a change for yourself, I suggest you accept the challenge.  Even if you don’t succeed per se, you will probably push yourself harder than you thought possible, and that is a success right there.

Just in case, refer to dailyburn’s Terms and Conditions before you enter into either of these challenges, and make sure it is safe for you to participate.  Other than that, GOOD LUCK!

reposted from http://www.265andfalling.com.  Go there to catch up and to follow my journey from the beginning!  Thanks!!