Wedding Anniversary, Weight Watchers Anniversary, Big Boy Speed Work, and All That Jazz

Yesterday was Lori and myself's 3 year anniversary.  We were just talking about how it felt so long ago when we got married.  But we were two totally different people.  We are older, wiser, healthier.  We also have a busy life with a teenager and 16 month old.  We told ourselves that we need to take time out for each other so we decided to go to Ocracoke.  We both love the island, specifically, Ocracoke Coffee.  Anyways, we only went for one night but we had a blast.  We had amazing food, drinks, explored the island, coffee, bike rides, and no baby monitor.  We still seemed to wake up at 6:30.  But we really enjoyed bringing our bikes.  The island is a really bikeable place.  It is funny to think three years ago I was two fat to want to bike around the island.  This time, I wanted to even after running 18 miles.  But ocracoke was great.  We enjoyed every second of it and it was much needed us time.

September 21 is my Weight Watchers anniversary.  I weighed in for the first time truly committed to losing weight two years ago.  I weighed in at 330 pounds.  I remember when I used to lie to myself and pretend I wasn't over 300.  I would tell people I was 290.  But I stuck to the system, integrated exercise and here I am.  I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, I have been under 200 pounds for several months and I enjoy life much more.  It feels great to know I have accomplished it.  The hardest part is knowing I have to maintain and I don't have to lose anymore.  it is a much harder mental game.  But I am proud of where I am.

Let me tell you this, I just started doing speed work this summer for my full marathon training.  Since the beginning until now it all has been tough.  But it is a good tough.  Since long distance running is such a singular movement it is good to me moving differently with speed work.  Some people don't like but I do.  It reminds me of two-a-days in high school football.  I like the feeling of maxing out your cardio system and the feeling of extreme exhaustion.  But it has got a bit easier as each week has gone by even as we added more distance to it each week.  This week was the big boy.  For elite runners, they do crazy things like 3x5ks.  But for normal runners like myself, the big boy run is 3x 2 milers.  6 miles of fast pace speed work.  For some, their max speed isn't that much faster but for me, mine is pretty quick (sub 7 minute miles).  Man was it tough.  The winds were howling too with 20 mph winds on the back mile (you can see it in my pace).  No excuses though.  I did really well and I only missed the last one by a second so I was pretty happy.  I am also happy that it is done.

Monday I had off and it was nice.  I got to enjoy the day with Avery.  She is growing so fast.  I am very fortunate I get one day off every two weeks to enjoy with her.  I am really fortunate for everything I have actually.

So, on to the next one.  PS- I also went to yoga.

August and End of Summer Recap

I couldn't type up a post while on vacation.  Actually, I just didn't want to.  I enjoyed my vacation.  It was much needed since we haven't really had a true vacation since last July.  But August came and went fast and so did vacation.  Anyways, here it is.

Training:

Running has never been better.  Even though I have had a few bumps and bruises here and there from training, my body has held up nicely.  Better than expected.  Following a training plan and doing what is says has helped.  Since being part of two J&A training teams, I have learned a few things along the way.  The first thing I learned is follow the plan (Am I right Chuck?).  Don't over do it even though you know you can.  Follow the plan, follow the pace and follow the schedule.  The other thing is you don't need to make up a run.  It also helps running with great people too.  Having a great crew of friends to run your long run with is amazing.  The other thing I have learned is speed work helps.  So do it.  I proved this yesterday when after running 11 miles I was able to run two miles under 7:30 average but I will talk more about that later.  August I hit the most mileage I have ever hit, 177 miles.  I also did my first 20 miler with support from the wife on vacation.  I killed it with a 8:45 pace.

The Fall J&A Training Team also started 5 weeks ago and it has been awesome as usual.  I have a great group of people to train as their pacer.  It is very enjoyable to just relax and help other people pace.  When you are concentrating so much on your own training you sometimes forget to just enjoy the moments.  It's exciting to be able to watch other people have an amazing run.  My wife signed up this fall and she is enjoying the camaraderie and team atmosphere.  I have a huge group of probably over 25 people.

Vacation

What a wonderful week.  We stayed at our timeshare in Myrtle Beach at the Sheraton Broadway Plantation and had both our moms, my niece and a friend of Tim's with us.  We enjoyed every second of it.  We just stayed at the resort and enjoyed the lazy river, pools, and everything else it has to offer.  It is amazing to enjoy a vacation with the people you love.  I love watching Avery grow each and everyday.  It is also amazing watching her try new things.  Overall, another amazing vacation.

That's all for now.  40 days until the Detroit Free Press Marathon.

July Recap: Weight Watchers Lifetime Goal, Longest Run Ever, and J&A Training Team

I am going to break this post down by topic.  I will just put it this way: Marathon training, kids, family, life, blah, blah, blah.

FAMILY
July was a crazy month for the family.  Tim is always busy between baseball, being a teenager and stuff.  Then there is the little chunky butt, Avery.  She keeps us busy 24-7.   I love every second of it but she is definitely my child.  As I learned from my Uncle Dan a couple weekends ago, my brother and I made him never want to have kids.  LOL.  We had a great July.  We got to go down to South Carolina and visit my grandparents, aunt and uncle.  My grandpa has had some major health problems in the past few years but he looked great.  I am pretty fortunate to have my kids be able to visit their great-grandparents.  It was great catching up with my family.  My Aunt Nancy and Uncle Dan are actually the family who came up and ran the Crawlin Crab with me for my first half marathon.  My Aunt Nancy also ran my first long run with me last summer.  It was that day that I knew I could actually run a half marathon.  So lucky to have such a great family to visit.

 Lori and I have been enjoying the summer.  The garden is in full effect, the CSA is giving us amazing foods and we are just enjoying the busy life of a 15 month old.  We don't get to do a lot of stuff we usually do in the summer but it's okay.  In a few years, it will be easier to take Avery to the beach, water park, and pool.  She is a ball of fun and we enjoy it.

J&A TRAINING TEAM AND RUNNING
If I hadn't decided to take a day off last week I would of broke my record for most mileage in a month.  I decided not to because I was on an antibiotic and wasn't feeling well.  I am glad I didn't because I felt great for my longest run ever on Saturday when I had 18 miles.  Running has been going great.  Except a few bumps and bruises and little tweeks here and there, I have been truckin'.  Being sore and hurting is part of the deal when you are training.  I will admit, full marathon training is a lot of work when you are a full time parent and work.  But I am pretty fortunate I have an amazing wife.

#deezrunninghoez, my mini group of running friends who I have been training with have been keeping me on top of my game.  It is great to have running friends to enjoy the tough and fun days of running.

The J&A Fall Training Team kicked off this past Sunday.  It was an amazing event with amazing people.  J&A did an amazing job of hosting us.  This will be my second team to pace for.  I can't even describe how awesome it is to be a team leader and watch people accomplish their goals.  This fall we have over 100 people including Lori.  The staff at J&A and the team do an amazing job keeping the energy of races going during training.  I am lucky to be part of it.

WEIGHT WATCHERS

I officially became a lifetime member on Saturday at Weight Watchers.  What this means is that I have hit my goal weight and have maintained it for six weeks.  I had to start my 18 mile run at 5:45 in the morning to make the meeting.  But it was worth it.  Without Elyse and the Weight Watchers team at the Red Mill Commons store, I would not be where I am today.  I can't believe in September 2013 I started this journey and have lost 130 lbs.  I am healthier, skinnier, and stronger than I have ever been.  Weight Watchers does work.  But you have to do it to make it work.  I have combined a healthier eating lifestyle and exercise daily.  I have spent two years getting to this point and now I am scared of having to maintain.  I don't know how I will but I will keep working on it.  I am glad I have lost all this weight and I am able to be active with my kids and wife.  We enjoy our new life so much better.  It all starts with your first goal.  Mine was five pounds.  If I can do it, you can too.  Our instructor at Weight Watchers, Elyse, pulled me upfront at the meeting.  People asked me all kinds of questions and I was a little nervous.  It's funny because in the past year, I have been interviewed in Runner's World, will be in a new book by Runner's World next year, and I still get nervous giving other people advice.  But sometimes I still think I am that fat kid and I think people can relate to that.  

My new goal is to maintain my healthy lifestyle and stay at my goal weight.  I know I can lose more weight if it happens but I am happy where I am at.

Overall, life is amazing.  I am so lucky to have all the things I have today.  Take a deep breathe and look around.  Life is pretty grand.

I remember around 2006-2007 when I was getting annoyed that some of my friends were leaving Michigan for cities like Chicago.  It really annoyed me.  I was a huge "pro" Detroit person then and I still am today.  I used to get annoyed even when I had friends going to Chicago for the weekend.  I would be like, "Detroit is better than Chicago".  Then, in 2009 I moved out of Michigan and became on of those people.  It broke my heart.  I went to grad school in Detroit, bartended in Detroit, and absolutely loved the grittiness, beauty and age of the city.  I was born in Detroit and almost killed in Detroit.  It's my hometown and my favorite city in the world.  I miss my hometown and home
state every day.  I miss driving down Woodward Avenue.  I miss Royal Oak.  I miss running into friends all the time all over the place.  I hate missing out on things like being there for the Lions making the playoffs, Tigers going to the World Series, Eminem and Jay-Z at Comerica Park.

Nobody understands what it's like to never be able to move back to your hometown.  Here in Hampton Roads, people don't understand what it is truly like to have a hometown.  Most the population here is transient.  I used to hate thinking about how I would never make it back to Detroit.  Some days I still do.  I miss having a beer with my best friend.  I miss Yates Cider Mill.

But the one thing I learned a few years back is if you have the right person in your life, those things disappear and new things take their place.  That person is Lori.  Anybody that knew me probably was blown away that I married Lori.  But she is the one.  She completes me.  She makes me want to be better everyday.  I wouldn't have two amazing kids without her.  I wouldn't have lost over 130 pounds if it wasn't for her.  I wouldn't be where I am today.  But I think about moments like this weekend when we biked to see the fireworks at the oceanfront or we binge watched the first season of True Detective and I remind myself how happy I am.  We don't always like the same things.  But we love all the same things at the same time.

Nobody ever tells you how hard having a kid really is.  I mean, we are constantly on the move.  I think we need to train parents on what it is like to have kids.  Because for me it was a shock and awe campaign.  But I love it.  I love the few minutes I get with Lori where we can breathe, even if it is just for a few seconds.

As life is speeding past us faster than we think, I am glad I got her beside me.  Because I wouldn't be able to admire moments like this weekend.

How To Lose 130 Pounds

Last week I finally hit my goal weight.  This morning as I was driving to work I was thinking about how much I wanted to take a bike ride last night with my wife and it reminded me of a business trip to Ocracoke Island I had a few years back.  I was hosting peers for a two day trip and I hade to guide people on a bike tour.  Even though I owned a really nice bike, I decided to rent a scooter to give the tour because, well, I was really fat.  I played it off like, "oh, this is awesome".  But realistically it was because I was so fat I didn't want to be embarrassed of being out of breathe riding a bike.  So, as I was thinking, I really needed to jot down my thoughts about losing weight.  Here is my disclaimer: these are my thoughts, I haven't even had to start maintaining my weight and yes, I am just me (my body is different than yours).

So here is my key points of losing weight.

1.  IT IS NOT A DIET.

It really isn't.  It is a lifestyle change.  It takes work, it takes time, and it will is for the rest of your life.  You can't just lose weight and decide I can eat like I used to. Now some people do try some new fad or gimmick or stuff that even works.  I did not.  I used Weight Watchers and it worked for me.  it might not for you (So don't sweat it, try something else).  I use Weight Watchers because it simplifies your habits by making a useful app for your phone to add what you eat and it calculates what you should eat based off your age, height, weight, and gender.  Obesity is an addiction just like alcohol, caffeine, or any other type of drugs.  Just because it is legal doesn't mean it is healthy.

2. ENJOY THE FOODS YOU LOVE

This follows the first rule.  You don't have to eat all vegetables, shakes, microwavable foods or whatever myth people tell you.  It is about portion control and being honest.  I still eat pizza, ice cream, and cookies.  I just limit how much of all that stuff I do.  I tend to have one bad day every week.  With Weight Watchers, you have extra weekly points that you can use if you go over board.  You need to enjoy yourself.  I tell the story about last summer when I was on vacation with my family and I not only used all my weekly points but I also used my activity points.  Almost every night we went out for ice cream.  I didn't care because I was healthy about my other choices and well, I did rule #3 (see below).  Starving yourself or eating incorrectly will do two things.  It will make you miserable and also stop your body from functioning correctly.  If you eat the right things, your body will work correctly.  If you enjoy it, you will keep it up.

3. EXERCISE AND BE ACTIVE

Here is the one people forget.  Humans were not designed to be sitters.  We were designed to be nomads, hunters and gatherers.  Our bodies have a large amount of muscle and it needs to be used.  The more muscle, the less fat, and the more your body burns food.  Think of your body as a car.  take care of it, use it.  I only started running because the Elliptical was not enough for me at the gym.  But not only do you need to work out, you need to be more active.  I walk twice a day during work.  I spend 15 minutes each time.

Eat better and work out and your body will like you.  I also recommend buying an activity tracker like a fitbit, gps or whatever.  I actually use the Activity Link through Weight Watchers because it gives me points I can eat for being active.

I exercise so I can eat.  lately, my wife and I bought bikes and have been biking.  Last weekend we biked 7 miles to go get ice cream.  It was worth it.  Make it fun.  Do it with people.  But start slowly.  Even if you can barely move, just start with little things.

4. DO IT FOR YOURSELF

This is a big one.  Don't do this for the kids or your wife.  Do it for yourself.  yes, they can be your motivation.  But you have to want to be healthier.  You are the one who has to do it.

5. HAVE POSITIVE PEOPLE AROUND YOU

Very simple.  Keep positive people around you.  People will complain, bitch and do whatever else they want when they see your habits change.  Who cares.  If you are healthy and happy than be that way.  Don't let anyone let you down.  I can't tell you how many people have asked me, "how much more are you going to lose?".  I don't know.  It also helps having positive people around because it makes it easier to transition to healthier lifestyles and eating habits.  My wife and I have altered our meals but it was all gradual.  But we love it.  She has supported me the whole time and it has helped us both.

6. DON'T COMPARE

You can not compare with anyone else.  Everybody has a different body make up, age, gender, etc.  You are only working with yourself.

I am probably going to add things to the list but I think these are the most important.  A lot of this stuff is things people do tell you.  I don't have the perfect answer or tips for this but these are my thoughts.  And as I move forward, I am going to keep writing this stuff down because it is a reminder.  Good luck out there people.

Goal Weight Achieved

I don't even know what to say really.  When you first start Weight Watchers, you pick small battles like 1st 5 lbs, or 10%, or your 1st 25 lbs.  I remember my first goal was under 300.  It had been so long since I had been under 300 pounds that I was just excited to get there before New Years Eve 2014.  Then I hit 50 pounds (I was pretty excited).  Then I lost 75 pounds.  Then the biggest number I hit was 230 pounds which was a 100 pound weight loss.  That is a lot of weight to lose.  It wasn't easy.  My doctor even wrote me a note so I could get Goal Weight at 230 but when i literally weighed in I was 4 pounds too low.  So I had to reboot.

I picked 200 pounds.  I haven't been under that weight since middle school.  Those 30 pounds were the toughest.  I had more weight gains (I haven't had many) then I did the rest of my journey.  I haven't been going to meetings as frequent because they are the same time I run in the morning on Saturdays and their schedules are not really conducive with a working husband (most their meetings are during the weekday and not even early morning or late evening).  I would probably weigh in every 3 weeks.  I would start to stress during the second week when I didn't know where I was.  But.....

Today, I weighed in before work.  I finally hit it.  I weighed in at 198.  I hit my Goal Weight and begin to start the maintaining process.  I am pretty much scared because I have to add points to my daily system so I don't lose too much.  But I am also super excited.  Seeing that "1" on the scale was awesome.  I will hopefully be able to embrace my victory tomorrow morning with my old group.  I haven't made a meeting in a long time but it's only because I am much more active in my life.  I miss going to meetings but I have to pick my battles.

I never thought I would weigh less than 200 pounds.  It wasn't easy.  I had family deaths, family drama, holidays, partial separation, and everything else thrown at me.  But the reality is this:  I am and never was on a "diet"  I changed my lifestyle.  I changed my life.  Lori and I even bought bikes and a baby trailer for Avery.  We biked six miles to get ice cream last week.  Every Sunday we go to the Oceanfront to run and get coffee together.  We love it.

As Ice Cube would say, "Today was a good day".  

I couldn't of done this without great friends and a wonderful wife.  She has had her own weight loss journey and knows what it takes.  

I don't really know what my next plan of action is.  I do know I am going to keep running and keep doing what I am doing.

Here is my weight loss graph.  I have been consistent but I have had some bumps in the road.

CHKD 8k Run for the Kids 2015 Recap

So this is only the second race I have done two years in a row.   Last year, it was my second race and it was truly the race that really motivated me to run more.  In 2014, I ran the Shamrock 8k and I wasn't really addicted to running yet.  But the CHKD did it for me last year.  I didn't even know anyone at the race but I loved it.  Last year, I ran it in 56 minutes.  Which I was so excited because it was a big chunk off my last 8k at Shamrock.

The event is for a great cause.  It is for Children's Hospital for the Kings Daughter.  This year I was excited because this was the first race Lori was running with me (she says she's not a runner).  I helped Lori train pretty good.  She got a four mile run the week before which was more I got before an 8k last year.  She was nervous.  I was too for her.  It was dreadfully hot and humid.  By the time she finished it was 90 degrees out. At the start, I kissed her and wished her luck.  I was going for a PR and she was going to run her own pace.
I will say this, it was the second hottest race I have ever ran.  The #rftd2015 half marathon was as hot but I had to run a half. So that sucked.  Lol.

Anyways.

So, my longest run I have run at full tilt has been a 5k.  I knew I could push myself for this race but it was really hot and I didn't know if I could do it.  I ran the 5k at a 7:30 pace and I knew it was in me.  I kept pouring one cup of water on my head and sipped one at each water stop.  I was pretty stoked with my finish.  I finished in 37:56.  Which is a 7:29 pace.  I destroyed my last PR in the 8k at about 8 or 9 minutes.  Couldn't be anymore happy.

I found Tim and Avery, drank a bottle and took Avery to catch up with Lori.  I ran about a mile back and found Lori around mile 4.  She was overheated but was doing really good.  At that point, she had run farther than she ever has it.  I dumped a bottle of water on her head and she felt better.  Avery and I kept her on pace and she finished.  She was super excited.  She was exhausted but happy.  She really did good.  At one moment, she hugged me and cried and told me she never imagined she could accomplish running an 8k.

She had become a runner.  She loved it.  She felt so good about herself and she was excited to run the next day.  On Saturday, just like it was for Shamrock was the best moment you could have.  Helping and watching some finish a race and feeling the pride of accomplishment.  But this time it was my wife.  Which I couldn't of been prouder.

Running isn't just about yourself.  It's about the community, families, kids and accomplishments.  Running gives you a feeling most can't understand.

So, Lori, what's your next race?