Resolutions for 2010

Since it’s the beginning of a new year, I thought it would be fun to post a “Resolutions” post. I make a list every year and usually fall short of them. However, this year’s list is different in that it consists of things that I either have to do or really want to do, so I see no reason why I shouldn’t be able to reach them this year. Here they are:

Get Healthy- I will have to say that I made some pretty strong advances in this area. Though I haven’t lived up to my standard at the end of 2009, I made some great attempts to do so and learned a lot. Now, I just need to learn to control my stress eating and divert that habit to something more healthy. I made a complete list of my

fitness goals for 2010 over on my fitness blog. Check it out and let me know if it’s plausible!

Control my laziness- If I have learned one thing this year, its that I’m LAZY! You don’t have to ask me once to put things off. My laziness has caused me some big problems in all areas of my life and it has to stop.

Pass the LSAT and get accepted into Law School- This was a resolution for last year, but since I changed my major and had to stay an extra semester, I decided to hold off on the LSAT for a while. But now it’s time to take it. I’m sure I’ll do fine, but naturally I’m freaking out… both for the test and the application process. I’ve got LSAT for Dummies and The Princeton Review: LSAT study guides and I’m taking a review class for it so hopefully that will relieve some stress. Not sure when I’m taking it yet, but I will for sure let you all know.

Network more- As I mentioned in a previous post, I feel kinda guilty about not keeping up with you guys and the rest of the Disney community as I should. I’m attempting to remedy and have made some pretty good progress over the past week. I’ve almost caught up with podcasts, I’ve begun blogging a great deal more than I have been, I’ve read everyone’s blogs and tried to comment when possible, and I’ve even begun venturing back into the forums some. Now only if I could get DisFriends to cooperate with me, I’ll be set!

Run More- After the 2009 WDW half, I really began slacking off on my running. I want to change that for 2010. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve to achieve this:

One thing is that I’m going to impliment at “Goofy Training Program”. I haven’t decided what that is just yet, but basically it’s going to get me ready just incase I decide to run the Goofy next year. That’s still up in the air, but just incase, I want to be ready. I do know for sure that I’m going to be running the Full Marathon in 2011 so this program will have to get me ready for that.

I’m also giving myself a new challenge. I’m not going to talk about it much here, but it’s definitely ambitious and sounds a lot like something a Goofy person would do! I’ll discuss this in a later post after Marathon Weekend.

Also, I want to complete a half marathon in 2:30. I finished the Disneyland Half in about 2:45 so it’s certainly doable, if I would just train hard enough for it. I’m shooting for it during this race, but I seriously doubt that I make it, but who knows!

Read More- I have SO many books that I want to read. I buy them with ever intention of reading them, but life (and laziness) gets in the way and I wind up shelving the books only to forget about them. Well, I’m going to try and change that this year. I’m going to attempt to read one non school related book every week. This will be hard to do considering all the school reading I have to do, but I’m hoping that with enough practice, this will help with my pursuit of speed reading.

Work More- This basically means to get a job! As soon as school starts back, I’m going to attempt to find a job in a law office. I’ll take anything from runner to clerk, receptionist to janitor… as long as I can add something from a law office onto my resume. Jobs in this field are scarce, but I’m going to try. After a few weeks, if I haven’t had any luck, I’ll start looking elsewhere until the “right job” comes along.

I think that is all. It should be based on the size of this post! I will be sure to add and cross things off as they happen. I’m also going to add a link to this post in the side bar, so you can keep up with these resolutions and help hold me accountable!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all have a healthy 2010!

Some Aumusing Disney Marathon Videos

Though I'm having my doubts about my readiness for this race, I'm still just pumped! Probably because I'll be in Walt Disney World in just 6 days!!! Well, just to get in the spirit, I've been browsing YouTube for video from past Disney races and video from the parks in general. Through my browsing, I've found two videos I'd like to share with you.

This video is from 1994, back when the WDW Marathon was just starting. For some reason, I found it funny. I guess the nostalgic value of seeing the parks in the way they were back then among other things and the announcer's "I'm not reading this!" style humored me.

This video is a "time lapse" video of the half marathon last year. It's just really cool to me. The fact that the guy ran the race with a camera strapped to his head and finished in 1:25 is just astounding to me. Also, I remember seeing "Snow White" leave the Magic Kingdom as I was coming in.

WARNING- This video's audio is VERY loud, so be sure to turn down the volume on your speakers before hitting play. It's loud, but very catchy... I added it to my running playlist today as a matter of fact!

Possible Future Races

Since the 2010 WDW Half is almost upon us, it’s gotten me thinking about what’s next. Just like me to plan the next trip before this one is even here yet…I’ve had several ideas bouncing around in my head, so I thought I’d lay them out for you.

I know of several local and not so local races that I would really like to do, the only problem is time and money. I know that I won’t be able to do all of them (if any), but I’m really going to try.

These are all of the races that I’m seriously considering:

Rock ‘n’ Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon

New Orleans, LA - 2/28: This race seems like it would really be cool. The race starts by at the NOLA Convention Center then winds through the French Quarter, Audubon Park, down St. Charles Ave. and ending in City Park. I would really like to do this race, but as it is, I would have to go by myself and I REALLY don’t want to be in New Orleans at Mardi Gras by myself. Besides, it’s kinda close to the WDW half and to next possible race. But if I can find someone to at least go with me to NOLA, I will consider it. And if I do it and the next race, I’ll get an extra medal!

Rock ‘n’ Roll Dallas Half Marathon

Dallas, TX - 3/14: I don’t know much about this race as nothing about the course has been announced yet and since this is the first time Rock ‘n’ Roll has come to Dallas, I have nothing to go by. Me doing this race is more plausible than the New Orleans race is for two reasons: It’s during Spring Break and I have family that live in Dallas. So, this one would be more cost effective and I certainly have time to do it. Jonathan (and anyone else), since you have competed in this series before, what can you tell me about it? How did you like it?

Renaissance at Colony Park Half Marathon

Ridgeland, MS - 6/?/09: I ran this race last year. Assuming that they have it again (nothing has been posted about it) I will run this race again. Yeah there were some issues that I had with this one:

• The course was 2/10 of a mile longer than it should have been
• Most of the race is down country roads, in subdivisons (saw a man getting his paper in his robe which was amusing) or next to an interstate
• Since a good portion of the race took place on roads that pass by cow pastures and fields, there was a “smell” and the bugs were terrible

But all in all, it was a good race. It’s cheap an it’s local and I had a good time, so that’s all that matters!

Disney’s Wine and Dine Half Marathon

Lake Buena Vista, FL: This race is just awesome! I am going to try my hardest to make it to this race. The fact that it’s at night and there is a special Food and Wine event just for the race sold me on it! I kinda wish I could do the Disneyland Half again, since it’s the 5^th one, but I just can’t swing it again.

2011 Walt Disney World FULL Marathon OR Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge

Lake Buena Vista, FL - I know that 2011 is the year for my first Full Marathon. And since Walt Disney World was the site of my first Half Marathon, I think that it’s only natural for my first Full Marathon to be here as well. However, I know that eventually I will want to do the Goofy Challenge and I’m kinda thinking that I want to go ahead and get it over with. I haven’t decided it yet and I’m still weighing my options. What do you guys think? Should I just do the Full first or should I take the plunge and do the Goofy?

I've Been a Bad Citizen of the Community

I have just sucked as a member of the Disney Community as of late. I haven't visited a forum in probably a year or so, I totally forgot that I had a DisFriends account, and most of all I'm a terrible listener... As I may have mentioned before, I’m like 6 to 8 months behind on listening to my podcasts.

What's bad about that, I'm only subscribed to four Disney podcasts (All About the Mouse, Those Darn Cats, WDW Today, and WDW Radio) and three non-Disney ones (Wait Wait Don't Tell Me, Meet the Press, and Fox News Sunday - Which I'm even farther behind. Thankfully I don't have to catch up on them since they're all news based). But I'm slowly getting caught up.

I am caught up with Those Darn Cats as of today and have begun WDW Today, which I’m almost halfway finished with. Next will be All About the Mouse and WDW Radio. They're always last just because of their length. With my "certain way of doing things", I have to be able to listen to a show all the way through in one sitting. If I know I can't get the whole thing it, I won't listen to it. Hence the reason why I'm so far behind with these too. AATM should be easy since it's divided into sections more so than WDWR. I'm almost tempted to just start fresh, but I will get as far as I can.

What podcasts do you guys listen too and how do you go about catching up when ever you get behind?

In Case You Missed It..

Every year for the past 26 years, Americans have watched the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade on ABC. I know it has become a tradition in my family. We all watch the parade, then talk about it with other family members at my Grandmother's Christmas dinner, later in the day.

My absolute favorite parade was in 2005. Of course this was back during the Happiest Celebration on Earth and was the first time that I can remember where not only Walt Disney World was involved, but also Disneyland and all of the other Disney parks around the world. They all joined together in the finale and pulled off a fantastic show. Every year since, Disneyland has always been featured.

However, after 2005, the parade became less and less of a parade and more and more of a "Disney Channel Invades the Parks" with endless concerts and whatever with the latest goons from the "UnDisney Channel". Then on top of that, it was like watching 2 hours of an endless Disney Commercial. Don't get me wrong... I understand that essentially that is the reason why the Parade is broadcast, but come on, they don't have to do it in such an obvious way. By last year's parade, I had pretty much given up on this tradition, as I was more irritated than anything by the time it was over.

Things changed this year. The Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade, though still maintaining a slight commercial feel, managed to keep my interest. Yes, the damn Jonas Brothers still graced us with an appearance, and Regis was missing due to his surgery just prior to tapping (which is a disappointment because he is needed to counter Kelly's personality) but all in all Disney did a great job with it. They actually showed the parade this year, had some pretty decent talent, and remained focused on the Theme Parks, rather than pushing the Disney Channel or upcoming Disney movies.

I believe that this year's parade was a success. So Kudos to Disney for turning this Christmas tradition around and on a job well done!

Happy Festivus!

For you Seinfeld fans, I want to offer my sincerest and heart felt wishes of a Happy Festivus! I'll for go the Airing of Grievances this year, but we'll definitely do the ritual Feats of Strength during Marathon Weekend! So, in order to make your "Festivus for the Rest of Us" next to your high weight-to-strength aluminum Festivus pole more enjoyable, I thought I'd post this video describing the origins of this great holiday (and to explain what the heck I'm talking about to you non-Seinfeld fans!). The fact that I found this video, regardless of quality is "Another Festivus Miracle!"

Enjoy!

In other news: Kind of a big announcement coming tomorrow. See you all then!

Time for a Rant

Ok... This particular rant has been building up inside of me for a couple of years now. It's concerning Disney's Vacation Planning DVD. I got 2010's edition today and just finished watching it. As you probably have guessed by now, I wasn't happy!

Ordering and watching the DVD has been a tradition of mine ever since the early 90s. I remember having a fake name and age just so I could order it (I was a real rebel...). It was a way for me to have a dose of the Disney Magic whenever I wanted (this was long before I even knew a "Disney Community" even existed). I'd just pop in the cassette or DVD and I'd get "that feeling".

For the most part they were different from year to year, changing with that year's particular promotion or celebration. The best version was for the Happiest Celebration on Earth back in 2005. It was sort of like a better, less annoying, souped up version of "The Top Seven Must Sees" on Resort TV. It was just really cool and very entertaining. I still watch this version as often as I can and really enjoy it.

But that all changed in 2006 with the "Year of a Million Dreams". The 2006 edition wasn't bad. It was alot like previous editions, showing the same old stock footage of different attractions, "interviews" with guests and cast members. But it was a big let down after the 2005 edition.

The real issue comes in 2008, when the Year of a Million Dreams was extended. This edition was identical to the 2006 edition. Nothing was changed what so ever. Not even a mention of the "last year" or anything. Then in 2009, "What Will You Celebrate" comes along. They did add some things, mostly Mickey balloons and a section on the promotion, along with updating the attractions, but it was still basically the same as the 2006 edition.

So, a few weeks ago, I see that the 2010 edition is out. I was really excited. I was thinking that since the whole "Free on your Birthday" thing was being phased out and this new volunteering thing was coming in that SURELY the DVD would be different. So I ordered it thinking that it would be really fun to sit down with the family and watch it just before we go on our trip. It arrived today. I was SO excited! I put in my computer and watched it. IT WAS THE SAME DAMN THING!!!!!!! Yeah, they changed the intro to incorporate the volunteer promotion and mentioned the new Hall of Presidents, BUT THAT WAS IT! Same stupid Castle in the sky, same stupid annoying people dancing at the end, same stupid annoying kids and stupid annoying people in the beginning, same stupid annoying graphics, SAME STUPID ANNOYING EVERYTHING!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!

I feel like I have 4 of the same movies lying around collecting dust... I feel cheated... Does anyone else feel this way? Am I making too much of a big deal out of this? I'm sure I am, I'm easily worked up over stupid annoying things all the time, but this one REALLY got to me. Let me know your feelings on this. Maybe we could get a mini, virtual Rantfest going on here!

Oh, and FYI, I did finish my 6 miles and feel fine now. Going to attempt another 6 tomorrow morning.

On the Rebound

Mongello! Even though nothing much has happened around here late, I just thought I'd post since it's been a while since I last updated you guys.

I did the 6 miles on Tuesday. It damn near killed me, but I did it. If 6 miles is going to hurt that much, I don't even want to think about 13.1! Maybe I just pushed too hard or something, I don't know. None the less, I took Wednesday off, but since Thursday I've walked 3 to 5 miles everyday, starting from a slow stroll working up to speedwalking. After todays walk, I feel like I've adjusted enough to start jogging again, so in the morning I'm attempting another 6 mile walk/run. I'm hoping that the walking has helped, if not just to get me in the race mindset.

I know I'll be fine. I've done this 3 times before, and I've gotten faster each time. As a matter of fact... Before Disneyland, I hadn't trained at all and I cut 15 minutes off my time. So I'm just freaking out, I know.

That being said, I am PUMPED for this trip! I NEED this trip! I cannot wait to see you guys again! Only 20 days left!!! I'm still trying to nail down all of my ADRs and other family commitments (they've already been made, but during family vacations, I'm the last to know anything) during the trip. As soon as I know this info, I'll let you guys know which meets I'll be able to attend. So far, I know that I will not be able to make it to any meets after Saturday night, since I'll be leaving Sunday morning. That means that I won't make it to the Lapu Lapu meet, which was the one I really wanted to go to. Oh well, there are other chances. Be sure to get my number off of the "master list" and shoot me a text. Maybe we can have some unofficial meets some... Let me know!

I's be Tard!

Things have been SO hectic around here for the past week. That's what happens during finals week. You lock yourself in a room and study and study and study and study......

And that's pretty much all that I've done the past week. I just realized that I didn't even leave my room all day yesterday!

Although I'm running on about two hours of sleep, I managed to crank out a 3 mile run this morning. Nothing spectacular, but I did manage to run most of a mile (minus any major hills). Assuming that I can work in some sleep between now and tomorrow morning, I'm going to attempt 6 miles then. Stay tuned for that.

On the weight training front, I'm planning on doing a heavy chest workout today. For me, a "heavy" lifting workout involves me working each part of that days target 3 times. (Normal is 2 times and "Light" is 1 time, FYI). Also, today is the first day of my sit/pushup program. I haven't had time to do them just yet today, but I will probably when I get in from the gym tonight. I'll talk about that workout in more detail in tomorrow's post.

There be Squalls Ahead!

Ye come seekin' adventure and salty ol' pirates, aye? Sure ye come to the proper place. But keep a weather eye open, mates, and hold on tight, with both hands if you please... there be squalls ahead, and Davey Jones waiting for them what don't obey..."

And where the hell was this guy earlier?!

___________________________________________________

Ok, I finally get the motivation to get up and out and get a morning run in this morning. I wake up at 5:30 am, refreshed and somewhat rejuvenated. I put on my warm running clothes, grease up my feet, put my shoes on, tune my iPod to my running playlist and walk out the door.

I notice that it's unusually breezy out for a fall morning, but I dismiss it and count it as a blessing as I will need a good cold breeze around mile 4 or so...

Well as you may have already guessed, I didn't make it anywhere near mile 4. As I reached the half mile mark, it started to rain. And I don't mean a drizzle either, I mean like the bottom fell out. Literally, it was a squall line. But, I pressed on and got a mile in, but only because I had to keep going that way to get back to my dorm! I was drenched by the time I got back here!

According to my stopwatch, this morning's walk was done in 13:34:35. I am almost positive this is the fastest mile I have ever walked in my life! So maybe today wasn't a total loss.

Well that's it for today. I will just get up in the morning and try again I guess. Hope everyone is well!

Cool Computer Doohickey

My aunt emailed me this link:

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/pacing/javascriptCalcs3-v2.asp

Y'all know that us backwoods Mississippians aren't very technically savvy, so I don't really know what to call this thing other than a "doohickey".

This "doohickey" is pretty cool. It allows you to make a pace band for your goal time for either a 5k, 10k, Half Marathon or Full Marathon. You fill out the form with your desired parameters and it makes your pace band. I used one of these at Disneyland and it seemed to really help me out. If I felt like I wouldn't make the mile in the desired time it forced me to run faster and if I didn't make it I would just run for even longer. I don't know, I guess it kept me going mentally. I was amazed at how well that little piece of paper worked for me.

Anyway, I'm rambling on. I just thought that those of you with a time goal could use this.

That's it for me. See you soon!

Snowy Tundra Here?

Yep, The Tundra has found it's way to Mississippi. We were all pretty surprised because IF it snows here, it is usually late January before it happens and even then it rarely sticks (with the exception of last years "big" snow where my hometown got 7 inches - bear in mind that Brookhaven probably hasn't gotten 7 inches in a century much less in one night). It was nice and with it being so early, hopefully we'll get some more. Maybe even in time for Christmas!

Ok, now on to the non-existent training update. Since next week is finals week and my big 25 page "thesis" paper (the one that I have just barely started on) I have spent every waking moment either in class, the library or at my desk reading and writing. I have done some situps and pushups but no running or going to the gym at all. Diet has been ok... mostly because I tend to forget to eat when I'm freaking out over school work.

I'm going to attempt to work a run in tomorrow morning and start back full force Monday morning for sure. Maybe if I get up early (which means I have to go to bed early which hasn't been happening) and get a run in, it will help me calm down and focus. If not, at least I'll be getting training in.

I NEED this vacation... only 31 days to go!

Awesome Video

I don't know if any of you have seen this video but I thought it was really cool, so I decided to post it to the blog.



Sorry that part of the video is cut off... do any of you guys know how to fix that?

This is perfect for bringing a little Disney magic to your day. Hope you all enjoy... I sure did!

215?!

Hey guys... Again, long time no see. Unfortuneatly, I come back to you with some disappointing news. I got on the scale this morning (which was probably a mistake seeing that it's the week after Thanksgiving) and it said 215! Oh well, I knew I had let my eating get out of control, and I've continued to slack off on cardio. It's just time to get back on the horse.

I jump started my race training last Wednesday (and with just 40 days to go, not a moment too soon!) with a 5 mile wog. I finished it in 1:08:05 with an average pace of 11:20. I also did a few other short distance wogs over the weekend, but nothing spectacular.

This morning, I had every intention on running. I put on my running clothes and headed out the door, only to be greeted with a monsoon. Yes, Winter has finally hit the South! So, with my morning wog canceled, I'm going to work in some cardio at the gym and hopefully some sprints as well. Today was going to be a light day anyway so I should be fine, but I sure hope that the weather is cleared up by tomorrow morning. I'm hoping to get 6 miles in!

As far as my dieting goes, I'm attempting to start doing better today. I'm on Prision Rations, ha ha! I'm cutting out all extra snacking, all natural and artificial sweetners, all extra sodium, all of my supplements (for muscle building), and all soft drinks. Hopefully by cutting out the supplements I'll save some calories and everything else will cut any water weight I may have put on. I haven't figured out what my meals will be yet, but I'll figure something out.

How is everyone? Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

A Quick Post and a Quick Question

Hey guys! Well, this morning I finally got my lazy ass out of the bed and walked 3 miles this morning. Granted, it was just speedwalking, but it was something. I'm GOING to do the same thing tomorrow and hopefully get some running Friday morning. So far diet and lifting has gone very well this week. I love any diet that I can eat as much steak, hamburger and globs of butter and mayonaise as I want and still cut through the fat like a tornado in a trailer park.

Now on to my question:

I've been contemplating a cardio stategy where I gently walk and/or jog a few miles in the morning as soon as I wake up and then at night do about a half mile to a full mile of sprints at the gyms "track" before I swim a few laps 3 to 4 days a week. Of course I would still have a long run on Saturday where I do both.

Do you guys think that focusing on distance in the morning and speed in the evening would work? Do you think it's safe? I'm considering this because of where I run. MC's Campus is extremely hilly and there is really no way that I can manage anything other than a light jog around here. However, the campus gym has an indoor track that is totally flat. I hate running on it because it takes ten laps to make a mile, but since I wouldn't be concerned with distance, just speed, I think I can manage it.

What do y'all think?

My Ripped Off Report Card for Last Week

Diet - Needs Improvement C

Weight Lifting - Excellent A+

Cardio - FAILED F-

Ok... I know that I totally just ripped off Amanda's post from the other day. But it was a good post, so I thought I'd flater her the best way I know how and steal her work, haha!

I don't know what my deal is. I just cannot get back into running, or any cardio for that matter. But with weight lifting, I'm doing pretty damned good I would say. If only I could find a way to find a happy medium between the two...

Also, diet last week was just ok. I let late night snacking get in my way alot.

With that said... this is a new week. I won't be able to get a run or a swim in today, but I'm hoping to get to the gym early enough to get at least some elliptical work in. Also, I've started doing the low carb diet again. That diet seems to work for me when I want to lose weight and I have about 20 lbs I want to lose by Christmas. It's really not an easy diet to stick to, but it's only about a month so I think I can bear with it for that long.

Time to get Serious

Hey guys! I know, I know.... It's been forever since I've updated this thing. I've just been bogged down with school and such. I think that now that I actually care about my major and know what the devil I'm doing, I actually want to do my best and that takes up alot more time that last year, ha ha.

Things have been doing pretty well on all fronts (with the exception of Dieting and Cardio). Life hasn't thrown me many curve balls as of late (knock on wood) and everything seems to be going all right. By the way, I FINALLY got my car back this weekend. I missed her SOO much!

With all of that, I have GOT to get back into the swing of things. I have done virtutually no running since Disneyland and very little cardio at all. On top of that, dieting has gone to hell in a hand basket. Fortunealy, I've been in the gym lifting weights almost every day, so that has held off any significant weight gains (and I'm starting to get some muscle too!)

With about two months before the WDW Half Marathon to go. I have GOT to get with things. So, as of tomorrow, the diet is being jumpstarted, I'm getting back into running, and I'm getting back into the "cardio section" of the gym and maybe even the pool.

I'm also going to get back to the blogging. I feel that you guys have been a vital part of my success in this whole thing and since I've been away from the "Blogasphere" I feel like I've been slipping. Well NO MORE! I'M BACK! I'm going to, at least twice a week, start posting progress reports so you all can either encourage me or adminsiter a good ass kickin' whenever you seem fit.

Well that's it from me today. BTW, I have my Disneyland pictures on my computer so look for some trip reports this week too!

One HELL of a Day

Hey guys. Yesterday started out great and was really a good day for my training and diet. I got up at 6 am and did my first morning walk in ages. I went 3 miles in 43:21. Not to shabby considering that I only walked and the fact that my route around campus seems to be on big hill. It will be a few sessions before I'm able to wog on this course. I'm feeling pretty stiff and sore from yesterday (could be from the gym or the wreck though) so I'm just going to take it easy.

Now to the hellish part of the day. For those who don't already know, I had a pretty bad accident yesterday. I'm fine, but my car (my baby) is hurt pretty bad. I think she'll be ok in the end, she just doesn't look pretty.

Here's what happened: I was on my way to the bookstore in Flowood (East of Jackson) in the rain, which was my first mistake I'm sure. It's all interstate and highway the whole way, so I thought nothing of it. Well along that route, there is a point where I-20 East and I-55 North merge. As I was coming along to that intersection there was a lady in a van in front of me who was freaked out by an 18-Wheeler merging onto the road. The Old Bat swerved into my lane causing me to freak out and hit the breaks. Since it had been raining, my breaks locked up and I hydroplaned. I lost control of the car, doing several skids (including one near 360) before bashing into the barrier wall. Thank God no one else was involved and that the only casualties was my car and my pride. I was pretty shaken up (seeing that this incident was my first near death experience, ha ha) but I'm fine.

But my friends came through for me. They saw how upset I was over my car (first decent looking car I get and this happens) so they pitched in and fixed it for me.

My friend Anna fixed her up really nice don't you think?

I think it looks just like new, don't you think?

Terrible Two's...

Hey guys. I'm slightly irritated with myself right now. I went to the gym yesterday and stepped on the scale and it said that I had gained ANOTHER 2 lbs! I was SO mad at myself! That means that I am now at 212lbs. I can only blame myself. Last week was a very stressful week and I gave into my old habits of stress eating and I was doing absolutely no exercise to help matters.

I will do better this week. Mostly because I've put myself in Time-Out right now (I think I deserve a good, old fashioned, country ass whoopin', but that's kinda hard to do to yourself) and I WILL fix this by next week.

At any rate, that's all in the past... now I have to fix it. I did pretty well yesterday, though I did not do any cardio. I was afraid that I would over do it and my cough would start acting up. I also think I did pretty well in the food department, though you guys may disagree. Today, I'm not planning on doing any lifting (I definitley over did weights yesterday!) but I am planning on running on the indoor track at the gym and doing some other cardio.

I hope everyone is doing well... I'm trying to get caught up on blogs today, so I guess I'll find out!

Fall is FINALLY Here!

Mongello! It is an absolutely GORGEOUS day here in Central Mississippi! Of course, I was not able to enjoy it this morning because of this dumb cold (the seasonal crap I always go through during a season change - on meds to fix it now). Doc told me to stay away from cardio for a few days so my body will heal. No worries though, I'm just glad fall is here!

Despite the doctors orders, I do intend on lifting and going swimming today, just so I can do something. It seems that all I do lately is sit in my dorm room reading about Law and Early American History. Don't get me wrong... I find it interesting and LOVE my new major, but even I can have enough of the history stuff! So, in order to save my sanity a little and to jump start the week, I'm going to go to the gym. I may not do much and don't want to over do it, but I want to go.

Chris- I thought a lot about your comment. I really couldn't think of a new plan other than what I already do. I think that as long as I DO what I'm supposed to do, I will be fine for January. I just want to increase my speed for that race, so maybe I'll just concentrate on jogging a lot more during my wogs. Maybe by January, I'll actually be jogging rather than wogging.

Disneyland reports should be up later this week. I'm supposed to be getting my Aunt's pictures (I broke my camera while at the World earlier this year) so I'll be working on that for you guys when I get them.

Also, I'm going to start back with posting semi "Daily Reports" (you know, that technical stuff that no one cares about) of my training. I'm mostly doing this for my benefit, just so I can have a "record". It's mostly for me, so y'all don't have to read it.

Well, that's it for me today. Hope everyone is doing well!

Vacation Over... Back to Work

Hi guys. Things have been a little chaotic down here (as usual it would seem) with school. That's not a bad thing. I actually enjoy what I'm doing and it keeps me busy, so I'm not complaining. However, since I haven't had my health goals at the top of my priority list, I've begun to slip. I have had no training since I've come back from Disneyland and my diet as been as bad, if not worse, as if I were on vacation. I stepped on the scale today it said that I now weigh 210 pounds. That means that I've gained over 10 pounds.

I'm not upset over that. I actually knew that this would happen. It happens every time I finish a race. I get this "I just busted my ass for 6 months so I can take a break" mentality.

Well... the vacation is over.

I am back in the gym today!

Today I did my first chest workout in nearly 3 weeks. I KNOW I'll be sore in the morning! After my morning lifting, I went and swam 5 laps in the lap pool. That was one heck of a workout! I'm hoping to get another 5 in after my cardio workout tonight. I won't get any running in today though. I still don't have my iPod (I left it at my aunt's house the night before we left for DL... so no iPod for the race. That was fun!) but it should be here early this week.

I hope everybody is doing well. I'll check in with everyones blogs at some point today and see for myself. Until then, seeeeeee ya!

2:46:13

Hey guys! I've made it back from Disneyland. I had a BLAST! I finished the race in 2:46:13! That's 16 minutes faster than my Renaissance Half time! I was only a minute off of my time, so I'm very pleased!

This race was pretty much like any other Disney race, and since most of you have run Disney races before, I'll skip the little details. Overall, I enjoyed this race. There was enough entertainment along the route to keep me occupied throughout. Good thing too, seeing that I left my iPod at home!

There were only a few things that I didn't like about this race (you know me... I have to bitch about something). The only "dangerous" problem I had was with it was the fact that we had to run on a bike trail along the Santa Ana "Ditch". That wouldn't be a problem usually, but in a race of this size, I found that to be a little dangerous, especially for people like me who aren't used to running on a tight, gravel surface next to a rather large ditch with jagged rocks and bolders at the bottom and along the edges.

Also, what was with all of the random "poop" smells? It seemed like every mile or so, I was getting a wiff of "poo". And finally... Why in the hell did we not get to run up Main Street? Is that not the ENTIRE point of running a Disney Race?!

Ok... just wanted to do a quick post letting you all know how I did. I'll post race pics when ever I get them and Trip reports after that.

Also, I wanted to apologize to all the TVer's that were at the race. Due to my lazy self (not listening to the podcasts, checking mail, or reading blogs) I didn't know about any of the meets except for Justin's Breakfast Meet. I keep looking for Team Voice shirts, but all I could find were WISH people. Oh well... Hopefully I'll do better in January and will get to see you all then.

It's Time!!!

Mongello! I know it's been forever and a day since I've updated you guys. I do (again and again and again) apologize for these hiatuses. To update you all on my life.... I started back school about a week ago. I'm in a new major (Political Science with Pre-Legal emphasis) and I LOVE IT! I actually feel like I know what the hell the professor is talking about and I can actually add something intelligent to discussions. I should have been here from the beginning.

Anyway, with the move, adjusting back to school life, working out, preparing for Disneyland and all, I've neglected my duties as a citizen in the Disney Community. Well, again I'll have to skip those for a bit longer (I am going to Disneyland after all!) but when I return, I'm getting back involved with you guys. I've only recently started listening to podcasts again (only during workouts) but have yet to get to any of your blogs or even my own. I do apologize for that. But I'll fix that when I return.

But anyway, back to the real reason for this post: I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!! My aunt and I leave early Thursday morning and will return early Monday morning. So, we get 3 1/2 days at the Happiest Place on Earth. I joke with some of my friends (I have very nerdy friends...) that I finally get to make the Hajj to Disney Mecca. I am SO freakin' excited! I can't wait!!!

Here's an "outline" of what our plan is:

Thursday: At around 5:30 am, arrive at Jackson "International" Airport (only international because Jackson gets one cargo shipment from Mexico once a month... it's barely an airport by your guys standards...) and fly to Atlanta (yes... fly east to get west... that's Jackson). After we arrive we have just enough time to get breakfast then we fly across country, which is a first for me to Santa Ana...Yada Yada Yada... We Check in at the Ho Jo, then we immediately walk to Disneyland to enjoy our vacation.

Friday: This day is somewhat in dispute. We think that we're going to California Adventure on Friday, but we're not sure. If this is the case, we're planning We'll sleep in this morning then head over to DCA at rope drop. We're giving ourselves until about 3:00 to see everything here. From what I read and have heard, we won't be here that long, but we just want to give ourselves enough time to see everything. After we're done with DCA, we're going to head over to the Disneyland Hotel and pick up our packets and then look around the Hotel and Walk over to the Paradise Pier Hotel and look around there. I think that after that we'll probably go back to Disneyland.

Saturday: This will probably be our "All Day at Disneyland" Day. Here, we're planning on getting there about an hour before the Park opens. That way we can be first into the park and have the chance to run down Main Street. This is something that I've always wanted to do, ever since I was a little kid. But since WDW doesn't allow that (DL may not either, but I think the do, or at least did) I've never been able to. But now's my chance! We will then run directly to Nemo and see what that is all about. After that, everything is sketchy until 1:00, when we have Blue Bayou reservations. Monte Cristo here I come!!!

Sunday: Race Day! I'm not sure I'm ready for this race at all. Remember how unprepared I was for the Renaissance Half back in June? Well, I'm even less prepared for this one. No worries though, I'll have fun regardless, just as long as I finish. After this I'm not entirely sure what we'll do. I'm sure we'll go back to the room and rest a bit and probably go to Downtown Disney some. After that, we're back at Disneyland until close.

Monday: Come home...

I'm sure this will change as we go along. This is just a rough plan for us that we rarely follow. If you want to see exactly what we're doing and you're not already following me on Facebook or Twitter... follow me! Look me up at mattj4226 on Twitter, then you can see!

Ok... I've got to start packing. See you all when I get back!

It Burns!

This is what it feels like when I walk...

During today's walk, my feet started to burn almost immediately. I tried slowing down, I tried readjusting my shoes... I tried everything that I could think of, but nothing worked. I managed to get past the fire and get in a 3 mile walk (no jogging) in 44:04 today. Still not what I want or need to be doing this close to a race, but what can I do? I have two HUGE blisters on my heels now and they still burn.

I'm going to buy some Dr. Scholl's pads for my shoes tomorrow and give that a try. I bought some for my Shox and they seemed to help with blistering some. Maybe they will help again.

I'm also going to try my old socks again. The ones I bought with the shoes are different than the old ones and seem to be thicker and made of a different material. But for $10 at Fleet Feet, you would think that they would work. I don't know...

But this could be exactly what Chris said... my feet could just be rebelling after not running steadily for a few months. If that's what it is, then it's solely my fault and hopefully my feet will get their act together soon.

With all of my whining in today's post (any one have any Brie?!), I am proud of my walk today. I was able to remain under the 15 minute mark with just walking. And other than the blisters and friction, my shoes are working great. I have zero pain in my feet, legs and back. I haven't experienced that in some time. Now... Only if I can stop them from burining my feet, they'll be perfect!
___________________________________________________

Jeff- Maybe if I soak my feet in Orange Juice and listen to Katrina stories, my feet will cool down... what do you think?

Justin- The new shoes are (and I'm reading from the box, so it may not mean anything) Saucony Progrid Hurricane 11's. As I said earlier, I love them so far... just wish my feet did.

Justin and Chris- I like your idea Justin and yes, if I had a permit, I could "pack some heat". The incident I discribed yesterday was not an isolated incident. I have seen the same kids (different groups that sometimes "play" together) do this to other people and have had it done to me a few time. They apparently get a thrill out of scaring people the way they do and I guess they know no one is going to say anything. I guess I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill, but it really does get annoying after a while. Besides, I get a little happiness whenever I can utter the phrase "Little Bike Bastards". It makes me feel good!

A Question and a Rant

Hey guys! It appears that I'm finally back on the horse today, and not a moment too soon! I had intended for my rebound to happen last week, but due to weather and illness (every time I say I'm going to start back running, I get sick... have you noticed that trend?), I had to wait until this week.

My run today went well, though it was cut short. I was only able to complete 2 1/2 miles in 42:16, which I don't think is bad all things considered. I couldn't go farther because my heel felt like it was on fire! That leads me to my question. What could be causing the burning? I bought new "Drymax" socks, I bought a new pair of shoes (which feel great normally), I'm putting Vaseline on my feet. What's doing it? The only thing that I can think of is that my shoes need to be broken in or my heel just needs to adjust. What do you guys think? Can you think of anything else I can do to address this?

Ok, now for my rant... Do you guys have problems with bikers in the areas that you run/walk in? I'm not talking about the decent human beings that are biking for legit reasons (i.e. Rae). I'm talking about those little hell on wheels biker gangs of 3 or 4 12 year olds. Those "little biker bastards" as I call them, are a menace to society! It's almost like the scope out people with iPods, sneak up on them then zoom past the victim, scaring the bejesus out of them! Then, right when you think it's over, another one zooms past you on the other side, scaring you all over again. That's when the remaining ones come zooming past you. It's really quite annoying. If you're lucky they won't run you over. I've seen that happen to other runners and have a few near misses before.

They're not even supposed to be on the running trail. It would be like me taking my car out for a joyride on the trail and knocking a few of them over! I wouldn't have a problem with them if they would just be considerate of other people and weren't so rude. Where the hell are the parents?! UGH! Ok... I'm going to stop now. See you all soon!

Just Another Restart

Hey Guys... I'm not going to say a word about these constant "restarts". I'm just moving on, haha.

Today went pretty well. I was able to put in a 3 miler with 14:54 as my slowest mile and 11:48 as my fastest. I think I'm beginning to increase my stanima as it doesn't take me nearly as much to push myself to running. I'm actually starting to enjoy it again.

Even though my running is going well, my gym visits are not. It seems that when I excell at one thing, I totally fail at another. I haven't been to the gym in over a week and a half. There aren't any excuses for that, I just haven't been motivated to workout. Hopefully that will change in the coming days and I'll get back to doing both running and working out.

It's time for a new pair of shoes. My Shox have had it. Actually they have had it for quite some time now. So, my Aunt and I are headed up to the Fleet Feet in Jackson to see what we can find. We're going to let "the experts" find me the right shoe since I never thought my old pair were right for me. We also want to get them now so I can break them in before Disneyland. Hopefully with a new pair, they'll help me increase my time.

Well that's it for me. How's everyone else?

Ok... New Game Plan

Hi guys. By now, I'm sure all of you have heard about the tragic accident at Disney this week, so I won't get into that other than to say that my thoughts and prayers are with Austin's family and friends.


Ok, now on to my "see see what happen was..." moment....

As you probably remember, I said that I was going to start publishing trip reports today. Well as usual, I've decided to put it off for a little while. I don't have any pictures right now to add to the reports because my camera is on the fritz. My aunt has a lot of good pictures that I can use, but I have to get them. I should have them in a few days. So, when I get them, I'll start posting a day by day report along with my training updates. That way it will give you guys something to read other than my pointless babel on what I did at the gym and the park that day.

So be patient. The trip reports are coming! Tomorrow will be the race report, I hope....

For the most part, everything is well on the weight training front. I hit the gym pretty hard everyday last week and today, but I'm doing hardly any cardio and absolutely no running. That all changes tomorrow.

I've set up a new "Get Your Rear in Gear" marathon training plan. On this plan I go to the gym twice a day (once for cardio and once for weights... makes it easier on me) and to the park once in the morning. Here's a Sample of my plan:

Monday- Run 5 miles, 30 min on the Elliptical, 10 min on Stairmaster and Arms
Tuesday- Run 3 miles, 30 min on the Bike, 10 on Arm Bike and Chest
Wednesday- Run 6 miles, 30 on Elliptical, 10 on Stairmaster and Back and Shoulders
Thursday- Run 5 miles, 30 on Bike, 10 on Arm Bike and Arms
Friday- Run 2 miles, 30 on Elliptical, 10 on Stairmaster and Chest
Saturday- "Long Run" (depends on weekly goal) and Back and Shoulders

I take a break on Sunday, and do a different ab/oblique exercise everyday. Of course this plan will very from week to week. Like this week, I didn't do it other than the weights, but I'll pick it up tomorrow.

I have GOT to get my ass out there and running. I've only got 62 days before the Disneyland Half and I REFUSE to go on my first trip to Southern California as a fatassed Mississippian (again, WE'RE NUMBER ONE! WOOHOO!!! Oh wait....). I hate to fit into stereotypes. I really do.

Happy Independence Day!!!

Mongello everyone! I hope you all have a great 4th of July. Whether you're an American or not, Have a great day!

Ok... I'm Back...

... At least I hope I'm back. Again, I apologize for being such a bad Disney person lately. But I as of now, I am trying my very best to get back into the swing of things. I've been reading blogs, catching up on podcasts, and even visting the forums. Let's see if I can keep it up.

My plan for the blog is goes like this (we all know how I am with plans... fingers crossed):

Tomorrow, I want to put up my very late review of my last race. I had alot to say about it, but I've forgotten alot of it. Maybe I can recover some of my memories. I can at least post pictures if all else fails.

Then on the next day, I'm going to put up some reviews from my last Disney trip. Be forwarned... I really did not enjoy this trip as much as I normally do. Don't get me wrong, I had fun, but... well I'll get into that later.

Then starting on Monday, I'm hitting the training hard again, so I'll start posting my regular updates again.

Well that's it for tonight. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still here. Hope you guys haven't bailed on me, haha! See you soon.

See You Guys Later!

Mongello! I'm off to Disney this morning! When I get back, I promise to start spending more time updating you guys. I hope you all don't think I've abandoned the team, things just have been really busy. But I really hope to get back updating at least twice a week when I return.

Of course, while I'm gone, I'll be posting updates on twitter and facebook as much as possible, so if you want to know what I'm up to, go take a look!

See you guys in a week! Until then, here's some music I found appropriate for the long road trip ahead.

Happy Juneathon!

Hey guys! Happy June! Again, I'm sorry I haven't been around. No excuses, just being my usual, lazy self. I promise that I'll try to do better.

Although I've been on hiatus, I do have good news. The other day while at the mall shopping for clothes, I was able to fit into a 36 pair of pants! That is the first time in nearly 5 years I've been able to squeeze my butt into a 36! It was an awesome feeling and I think that I can get even lower than that. I may actually make it to a 34! I can't wait.


But wait there's more... I stepped on the scale today. Yeah, I know I said that I wasn't going to, but the suspense was killing me. So what did it say? 200 lbs. That's right, TWO HUNDRED POUNDS!!!! HOLY S***!!!!! I am SO excited! I wanted to be below the 200 lbs mark by my Disney trip, but it looks like I'll be way below it!

Well anyway, Today was the first day of the Juneathon. I got a pretty good start, though I admit, I could have done better. Me and training have been iffy lately, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. Today I did a 4 mile wog. I wasn't as sore as I thought I would be, so I guess I still have it.

How's everyone else?

The Feud!

In honor of All About the Mouse's "Disney Feud", I thought I would post a scene from one of my favorite shows.

Just Catching Up!

Mongello! Things have been a little hectic around here, with Disney planning, training, and lots and lots of yard work (my garden is really starting to look nice!), that I've neglected updating you all.

First of all, the only thing that is set in stone for Disney is the dates, which are June 22-27 (sorry Justin... looks like we're going to miss each other this trip. We've still got Disneyland!). Everything else is up in the air. We're not even sure on who all is going. As soon as I get more of the details laid out, I'll do a pre-trip report.

Now to the training front: This weekend I put in 8 miles, which is the longest distance I've put in since the half. Here's a break down:

Mile 1- 15:08 Mile 5- 14:08

Mile 2- 12:26 Mile 6- 09:12

Mile 3- 12:17 Mile 7- 14:22

Mile 4- 12:00 Mile 8- 15:28

But there's more! I was also able to slowly run (more than jog) an entire mile! That's the first time that I've ever been able to do that! I've tried on many occasions, but never made it all the way! Yay me! However, that mile took alot out of me, so the remaining miles were slower, but I still managed to stay above sweeping speed. I have a while to work out the kinks, so I'm happy none the less.

Today, I got in 6 mile wog, albeit mostly walking. Legs were still a little tight from the weekend, but again, I've got a few weeks to work on it. Here's Today's Breakdown:

Mile 1- 15:24 Mile 4- 13:02

Mile 2- 12:18 Mile 5- 13:10

Mile 3- 12:44 Mile 6- 15:30

Fortuneatly, the Renissance Half next month has no pace requirement, so if I have to slow down I can. Not that I'm expecting to, it's just nice to have that luxury if I need it.

I finally got back to the gym today, though I didn't get to do what I wanted to do. I had originally wanted to do my arm workout today, but the gym was SO crowded today! It must have been "Redneck Day" or something. The gym is crowded enough with all of the machines in that tiny space. Add to that 20 something loud, obnoxious rednecks. I quickly decided to opt out of my original plan and just did my "Super Cardio" workout instead. Although I was kind of upset that I had to vary from my plan, I was pleased that this was the first time in a long while that I have been able to complete an entire Cardio workout. So, I was pleased!

Well, I think that's it from me today. How's everyone else?
___________________________________________________
Exercises:
Cardio
Wog 6 miles
30 minutes on Bike
30 minutes on Elliptical
10 minutes on Stairmaster
5 minutes on Arm Bike

Calisthenics
Crunches (4 sets of 20, Both Sides)
Reverse Crunches (4 sets of 20)
Pushups

Food Journal:
Breakfast- Protien Shake and OJ
Snack #1- Cup of Raisins
Lunch- Banana and Apple Sauce
Dinner- Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Snack #2-

An Unfortunate Course of Events

Upon further review of our proposed vacation destinations, we have decided that it is just not cost effective to vacation in those areas. The desired hotels that we researched are just not within our budget. We just couldn't justify paying $160 to $275 a night for just to stare at water all day. So after careful consideration, we have decided to cancel our Beach Vacation.

However, Disney Value Resorts for the same time period are only $115 a night, and since we already have tickets for most people in our party, we have decided that yet another Disney Vacation is in order. The whole family was SO looking forward to seeing the beach, but I guess we'll just have to settle for Disney again...

I hope you all will sympathise with me! Ha ha!!!

Is This You?

I found this on youtube the other day. I do or know of 28 of the things mentioned. What about you?

Planning a Last Minute Vacation

Mongello! I'm in the process of helping my grandmother plan a last minute summer vacation to "somewhere". We've been throwing ideas back and forth for a while now (Washington, DC, Pigeon Forge, TN, Charleston, SC, and Corpus Christi, TX were all on the list) and we've finally narrowed down the list to somewhere in Florida.

The plan for now is for us to go to the Beach (location still undetermined) for a few days, then go "somewhere else" afterward. Options as of now include Destin, Pensacola, Tampa, St. Augustine and Coco Beach with side trip options to the Kennedy Space Center, Busch Gardens, and St. Augustine itself. Sadly, I doubt Disney will make it on this list since we did go a long 4 1/2 months ago.

I'm REALLY trying to keep the trip within the panhandle or north of I-10. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if we got that close to Disney and didn't go see it.

Writer's Block

I really don't have anything to say today, ha ha. I slept in this morning, so I wasn't able to go for my wog or go swimming when I would have liked to. I'm planning on going for the wog later this evening and skipping the swim all together.
___________________________________________________
Exercises:
Weight Training
Various Arm Exercises using Free Weights and Cables

Cardio
Wog 4 miles
20 minutes on Bike
20 minutes on Elliptical

Calisthenics
Crunches (4 sets of 20)
Pushups

Food Journal:
Breakfast- Nothing
Snack #1- Banana and OJ
Snack #2- Protien Shake
Lunch- Soup
Dinner- Salad
Snack #3- Apple Sauce

A Good Long Wog

Hey guys! Yeah, I know it's been over a week since I've last posted. No excuses (other than the tornado that struck earlier in the week that knocked out power for a few days, ha ha!), just been being lazy.

But I have not been lazy in the training department. I've been working my butt off all week! I've been wogging everyday and started using the free weights at the gym. I am SO sore! I'm hoping that I've lost some inches this week.

Well anyway, Today I put in 6 miles for my long wog. It's not really long, but it's progress I think. I also started my "race training plan" today. This is where I speedwalk the first mile or lap, then jog/run for 5 minutes then speedwalk the next 5. This is what I did in January (at least until I caught up with Rae and Eric). It seemed to have worked today. I wasn't overly exausted after my run and I have had virually no pain since.

Well that's it for me tonight... I'll get back to my regular posts on Monday. Until then, See ya!!!

One Last Look at the Scale

Hey guys, sorry I haven't posted in a few days. Things have just been very busy and chaotic here, with finals and all. I haven't been slacking in my diet or exercise, believe me. Just too busy to actually sit down and blog.

You may be wondering what I mean by today's title. Well, I got to thinking the other day that once school is out, I will no longer have access to the "medical scale" and only my inaccurate bathroom scale. I don't want to go back to that thing, only to be disappointed when I come back, So instead of weighing in every week, I've decided that I'm only going to weigh twice during the entire summer, once on the last day of this semester and once on the first day of next semester. I think this will be kinda fun to see just how much weight I can lose in a summer and let it be a total surprise. I will continue to track my progress through measurements, but it's going to be awesome to see just how low that number can go in 16 weeks. I'm pretty excited about it!

OK, so on to today's update: I got up this morning and did 2 miles. No swimming and just a little jogging, but it was better than nothing like I had planned on doing, ha ha. Later on in the day I went to the gym and did another 2 mile wog on the track then 30 minutes on the bike 6 on the arm bike and 15 on the elliptical (that sucker kills me!). No weights or calisthenics like I wanted to do, but my show was coming on and I didn't want to miss it. I'll just make it up tomorrow.

Food went ok today. The good news is that I didn't over eat or anything, but the bad is that in my busy schedule today, I actually forgot to eat for most of the day. I just wasn't hungry and I just wasn't thinking about it. I did eat dinner and a protein shake, so I think I'll be ok.

I think that's it for me today. How's everyone else doing?
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Exercises:
Weight Training
Upper Body Weight Machines

Cardio
Wog 2 Miles in the am
Wog 2 Miles on Track
30 Minutes on Bike
15 minutes on Elliptical
6 minutes on Arm Bike

The End is Near!

I'm SO glad the summer is here! I have finals this week, but my last exam is at 8 am on Saturday (which is just pure evil if you ask me...). After that, I'm loading up my car and headed home for the summer! Yippee!!!

That's all I have for today. I've been blogging so much lately that I have writer's block. Oh well, I'm sure something will come up for me to talk about tomorrow. Until then, see ya!

Update: I kind of had a lapse in judgement today after my first class. I was very thirsty so I went to the drink machine to buy a bottle of water. I got there and there was no water! The only alternative was Coke or Diet Coke. I chose the Coke.... No excuse, but I wanted to be honest. I just despise Diet Coke and will typically chose to go thirsty over drinking it and in my weakend state, I gave into the call of the coke.
___________________________________________________
Exercises:
Weight Training
Lower Body Weight Machines

Cardio
Wog 2 Miles
30 Minutes on Bike
30 minutes on Elliptical (only did 10 minutes)
5 minutes on Arm Bike
5 Laps in Pool
30 Minute swim

Calisthenics
Crunches (4 sets of 20)
Reverse Crunches (4 set of 20)
Pushups (3 sets of 10)
"Back Raises" (4 sets of 20)
Ab Machine (4 sets of 20; increasing weight)

Food Journal:
Breakfast- OJ
Snack #1- Coke (I fell off the wagon)
Lunch- Cliff Bar, Banana, Plum Juice
Snack #2- Protien Shake
Dinner- Salad
Snack #3-

Weekend Update

Hey guys. I've decided to begin consolidating Saturday and Sunday's updates into a single Weekend Update" for now on. For the most part, the weekend is my rest and recovery time. Usually, the only workouts I do on weekends are my long runs on Saturday and maybe some ab work (unless you count yard work). In these updates, I won't stick to my "Daily Update" format, where I list everything I eat and all of the workouts I do. I just don't think that that is functional for what I'm trying to do, but rest assured that I am keeping up with what I'm taking in. OK, with the explanation out of the way, here's this week's Weekend Update:

First of all, let me talk a little about Friday night. I didn't do too too bad, but I didn't do exceptionally well either. I ended up ordering a steak and shrimp chimichanga. I figured that that wouldn't be too terrible, since it has lots of veggies in it. I asked for them to put the queso dip on the side and, as usual, they put it on anyway. I stayed away from all of the sides that were included with the dish, though I did go a little over board on the chips and salsa. Also, since the friends that I went with forgot about my birthday the week before, they had ordered me a margarita. I tried to refuse it, but they had already ordered it so I drank it anyway. I got right back on the diet the next day, so I think I'll be fine.

Saturday- Today went pretty good. I kept snacking to a bare minimum and ate small meals through the day. I was hungry at the end of the day, but I was trying do some damage control. I also went on a 3 mile wog. With all of the cardio I did this week, my legs were exhausted.

Sunday- Sunday has gone well too! I felt guilty about not going for a long run yesterday like I had planned, so this morning I went for a 4 mile wog. I'm very pleased because I'm now actually able to jog a little over 1/2 mile without slowing down. And today I was able to slow jog over half of my wog. I'm taking it slow, but it looks like that if I keep this up, I may be able to jog most of the Renaissance half in June. Then if I can do that, hopefully I'll be able to jog all and maybe run a good portion of the Disneyland half! Maybe I'll reach my WDW half goal after all!

Well that's it for me. Hope you guys have a great week! Happy Training!

Another Reason to Hate Social Gatherings

Don't get me wrong, I love being and doing things with my friends and family, but why is it that every time any of them want to do something food has to be involved? And it's never anything healthy! It always involves going to fast food joints, ice cream parlors, or restaurants that serve things that are just WAY too tempting for me to resist. It's kind of like taking a drunk to a bar!

What is this rant about? Well I'm going to be facing one of these situations tonight. A group of friends and I are going to see a show tonight, but before hand we're going to meet up at a Mexican restaurant. I could order something "healthy", but in mexican restaurants (at least around here) the "healthy" choices are always greasy and they always drown it in queso dip, hamburger meat, sauce, or something equally as fattening. I ALWAYS ask for them to leave it off or put it on the side, but they ALWAYS do it anyway. Why! Why can't they just listen to what people say?! WHY!!! I know that in some cases, the waiter and kitchen staff don't speak English well, but doesn't "NO" mean "NO" in Spanish too?! Come on people! What's the point of being in a customer "service" business if you flat refuse to listen to your customers! STUPID!!!
........

Whew! Sorry about that, I let my temper take over there for a second. But I've cooled down now. I've considered skipping out on the dinner portion of our get together, but if I do, I'll never hear the end of it. So, I guess I'll just go and try not to do to much damage. Hopefully I'll stay away from the Margaritas too. Maybe a glass of wine instead?

A Few Changes

First of all, I just wanted to thank all of you for posting yesterday. I'm attempting to make a few small changes in my intake plan. I've eliminated the "before bed" protien shake. As I start to put on more muscle I may reinstate them, but as of now, I don't think I need it.

Also, I'm eliminating having Cliff Bars as snacks. Now if I have one, I'm only going to eat them for a meal. 240 calories is alot for a snack. I may eventually get some mini Cliff bars, but those things are expensive.

The last thing I'm changing is the size of my salads. I think I'm making them WAY too big. Last night's salad was so big that I didn't even take it out of the mixing bowl! That was mostly because I was too lazy to get another bowl and wash both of them, but still, that was a big salad.

I think I've been doing fine regardless, but maybe if I cut a few corners here and there, I'll do even better. I still feel like I've been losing weight though, so that's good.

I'm so proud of you guys! Your all breathing new life into Team Voice and it's really keeping me motivated!
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Exercises:
Cardio
2 Mile Wog
30 Minutes on Bike
30 minutes on Elliptical
10 minutes on Stairmaster
5 minutes on Arm Bike
30 minutes of swimming

Calisthenics
Crunches (4 sets of 20)
Pushups (3 sets of 10)
Ab Machine (4 sets of 25; increasing weight)

Food Journal:
Breakfast- Cliff Bar, Milk, Coffee
Snack #1- Nothing
Lunch- Banana and Plum Juice
Snack #2- Protien Shake
Dinner- Salad
Snack #3- Banana

Too much of a Good Thing?

Hey guys! First of all, I did my first real swimming "adventure" last night and boy did it kick my butt! I was only able to go about 3 laps before my heart felt like it was going to explode! It is definitely not as easy as it looks! But I do want to keep doing it because I felt great after the swim. I'm considering doing it after my am runs and then after my pm workouts.

OK, now on to the question posed in the title. Do you guys think I'm eating too much? I haven't done a caloric intake calculation, but seeing the list of things that I eat seems like I eat WAY too much. My mom says that I am (as if she's the dietary know-it-all!) but I'm not sure. Am I eating to much? If I am, what should I eliminate? Also, Am I eating the right kinds of things? If not, how can I fix that?

As I've said before, my workouts and diet are all on my own and are played by ear. I hear different things and try them and see what works. So far what I've been doing is working, I'm just worried about the diet right now. Tell me what you think!

I'm glad to see that there is some life coming back into the Team Voice Blogs! Keep it up guys! You are all awesome!
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Exercises:
Weight Training
Lower Body Weight Machines

Cardio
3 miles in the Morning (Fastest Mile: 12:37)
5 laps in the Pool in the AM
30 Minutes on Bike
30 minutes on Elliptical
5 minutes on Arm Bike
5 laps in the Pool in the PM

Calisthenics
Crunches (4 sets of 20)
Reverse Crunches (4 set of 20)
Pushups (3 sets of 10)
"Back Raises" (4 sets of 20)
Ab Machine (4 sets of 20; increasing weight)

Food Journal:
Breakfast- Shreaded Wheat, Milk, OJ, Coffee
Snack #1- Banana, Plum Juice
Lunch- Grilled Chicken, Turkey, Apple, Green Tea
Snack #2- Protien Shake
Dinner- Even Bigger Salad
Snack #3- Grape Juice

Well, What the....!!!

I got a somewhat unpleasent suprise yesterday. I stepped onto the gym's medical scale and it said 216.5. My home scale said 210. I'm sort of disappointed in the difference, but it's ok. The last time I got on that scale, it said 225 so at least I know I've lost some weight. With that "revelation", I'm going to throw out my home scale (since it's never been all that accurate anyway) and stick to the medical scales at the gym. Also, I'm going to adjust the "My Stats" section accordingly. I'm going to add about 6 lbs to my starting weight. I haven't gained weight, I was just heavier than I thought I was. At least I hope that's the case.

Anyway, today is cardio day. That means lots of cardio and maybe some swimming.

How's everyone else?

California Here I Come!!!

That's right!!! I got the Birthday suprise of a lifetime! My aunt entered me into the Disneyland Half Marathon this year! I'm SOOOO EXCITED!!! I'm not entirely sure of all of the details, but I will post them as I get them. But that doesn't matter.... I'M GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!!!!!!
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Exercises:

Weight Training
Upper Body Weight Machines

Cardio

2 miles in the Morning
30 Minutes on Bike
30 minutes on Elliptical
5 minutes on Arm Bike

Calisthenics
Crunches
Situps
Pushups
Gym Calisthenics

Food Journal:

Breakfast- Shreaded Wheat, Milk, OJ, Coffee
Snack #1- Banana, Plum Juice
Lunch- Cliff Bar, Protien Shake
Snack #2- Nothing
Dinner- Big Salad and 2 PB Cookies (Protien? he he)
Snack #3- Protien Shake

Happy Tax Day!

Well at least it is for me sense I don't pay taxes ha ha! Did you know that there are over 60,000 pages in the US Tax Code? Go figure...

Not much going on here. Just wanted to continue posting my progress. That's it from me. See ya soon!

Great Day for Some Cardio!

Hi Guys! Yesterday's training and food regimen went very well, if I do say so myslelf! Ok, I didn't do my in room workouts, but that's because my roommate decided to have a get together last night and they would never leave. None the less, all the cardio and weight training was done just like I intended and I'm not even sore today. Today is Super Cardio Day, so no weight training, but LOTS of Cardio.

Well that's it from me. Hope everyone is doing well!
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Exercises:

Cardio
10 minutes on "Arm Bike"
30 minutes on Elliptical
30 minutes on Bike
60 minutes on Dreadmill
10 minutes on Stairmaster

Food Journal:

Breakfast- Shreaded Wheat, Milk, OJ, Coffee
Snack #1- Cliff Bar
Lunch- Small Salad from Chic-Fli-A
Snack #2- Protien Shake
Dinner- Turkey and Green Beans
Snack #3- Banana and Grape Juice

Just Another Day, Just Another Update

Hi guys! I think the 5K on Saturday has revitalized me. I feel like I've been reborn on the training front. This morning I did a 4 mile wog. I've also done really well with food. Yesterday, I resisted the temptation to take seconds at Easter lunch, and I only had a small helping of each dish. Today seems to be going well too.

Things are quiet. Too quiet.... Where is everyone and how are y'all doing?
___________________________________________________

Exercises:

Weight Training
Upper Body Weight Machines

Cardio
4 mile wog in the morning
30 minutes on Elliptical
30 minutes on Bike

In Room Workouts
Crunches
Situp Program
Pushup Program

Food Journal:

Breakfast- Shreaded Wheat, Milk, OJ, Coffee
Snack #1- Sun Chips
Lunch- Cliff Bar, Sun Chips, Banana
Snack #2- Protien Shake and a Reese's PB Egg (Protien Right?)
Dinner- Small Salad, Corn, Green Tea
Snack #3 - Grape Juice

2009 Run from the Sun 5K

Hi guys! I finished the race! I did it in 48 minutes exactly. Ok, that's not that great, but my aunt and cousin (who ran the race with me) signed us up for the walk, not the run. I thought that I would be able to run some, but they said that walkers could not run. I was kind of bummed, but I had a good time none the less.

Here's a link to the full story behind this race: http://www.runfromthesun.com/runfromsun.html

Basically the Run from the Sun 5K has taken place in Downtown Jackson for 6 years and proceeds from the race benefit the Leonard E. Warren Melanoma Foundation (hence the name of the race, Run FROM the Sun, haha).

The course of the race winds throughout Downtown Jackson, starting in front of the (currently under construction) United States Courthouse, then around the Coliseum and the State Fair Grounds, then various state and local government buildings, the State Captitol, the Governor's Mansion, then ending in front of City Hall. There are some nice, pretty sites to see along the route. I wish I had remembered my camera, but of course I forgot it, so you're just stuck with that plain old graphic above that means nothing to most of you, haha. Oh well, I tried.


All in all, I enjoyed this race very much and I will probably partcipate in it next year. It's a fun race that supports a good cause, so that's all I really need.

Pre-Race Jitters

Hey Guys! Sorry I haven't been around. Things have been really crazy at school lately. I've finally had enough of all of this Business crap, so I changed my major to Politcal Science/Pre-Law. Since politics is something I enjoy, hopefully it will treat me better than Business did. I guess we'll see!

Anyway, with all of that, I've still been diligent in my diet and training. Although I haven't gone to the gym any, I have gone for wog every day this week (3 mi on Monday, 2 mi on Tuesday and Thursday, and 4 mi on Wednesday). So far this week, I've lost another 2 pounds! I was very pleased!

Tomorrow is my first race since the Half in January. It's only a 5k, but I am a little nervous about it. Other than a few walks and gym visits here and there, I really haven't been training the way I should have. I just hope my last-ditch effort of training this week will be enough to get me through the race.

Ok, going out for one last walk before tomorrow. See you soon!

I'm Back Again!

Mongello guys!!! The Doctor has given me the all clear to slowly start back with training. So, this morning I put in a 3 mile walk. Nothing special, but it's something. And it took everything I had. It's true what they say, If you don't use it, you lose it!

Later this afternoon, I'm going to the gym with a friend and we're going to hit the weight machines, then do a little cardio. I may even go swimming afterward, just depends on how I feel then.

Other than recovering from the bug and studying, nothing much has been going with me. How's everyone else?
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Exercises:

Weight Training
Upper Body Weight Machines

Cardio
3 mile walk in the morning
20 minutes on Elliptical
20 minutes on Bike
10 laps in pool ?
10 minute swim ?

In Room Workouts
Crunches
Situp Program
Pushup Program

Food Journal:

Breakfast- Shreaded Wheat, Milk, OJ, Coffee
Snack #1-
Lunch-
Snack #2-
Dinner-
Snack #3

Just Another Setback

This is how I look like now. I look like this because I've been pulling my hair out! I am SO frustrated! You all know that Spring Break was going to be sort of like a mini Renaissance for me. I was going to jump start the wogging, I was going to hit the gym hard. Hell, I was even going to start doing yoga! But, of course, whenever I make plans, something goes wrong. That week, it was sickness.

Well, last week, I thought everything was going well. I felt great! The weather was beautiful. But then... the sickness returned. And this time worse than ever. Not only did I have flu like symptoms again, but I had migraines (worse than before), cold sweats, fever, stomach virus (both ends mind you), strep throat, and dehydration. I don't know what in the world that bug was, but it was one tough bug!

I think that it's over. I still have cough and I'm still recovering my voice and I'm still in the process of rehydrating myself. But I think it's gone. I'm on Avelox (which has some pretty nasty side effects itself... ugh!) right now to ensure that the bug stays away. The Doctor says I should be back to my old self by the end of next week, but until then, NO workouts of ANY kind. I guess I should listen to her so I can get better, but I'm going nuts! I have a race in a couple of weeks that I have to get ready for! Oh well, what can I do?

I hope everyone is doing well and that y'all are all happy and healthy.