Darned Cold

Been an interesting week.  I did run on Monday and on Wednesday.  On Wednesday, I completed W6D2 which was run for 10 minutes, walk for 3 minutes and then run for 10 minutes.  Friday's run was to be the 25 minute nonstop run, but unfortunately I came down with a sore throat and head cold, so I have postponed it until tomorrow (Sunday).  My original plan was to run Friday the 25 minute run and Sunday go to the former state park near here and explore some of the trails.  I'm still trying to decide which I will do.  I'm leaning towards the C25K formal training program run, but I have been known to be spontaneous.  Hopefully the cold and sore throat will be healed enough that I won't be able to use it as an excuse!

I had a good week at HEB.  I only had to use the grocery cart tractor thingie twice this week. ..Of course that may be because I lost the walkie talkie the first time, and the second time , the key to the tractor fell out at some point, but it didn't stop until, I accidentally bumped the emergency shut off ....right in the main traffic lane in front of the store!  Of course that happened right around 6 pm...our busiest hour and as it was turning dark....I tried to move the tractor out of the traffic lane, since the flashing light shut off when the emergency shut off was activated.  Unfortunately, the tractor weighs a ton with all the batteries, and it extremely maneuverable thus I was unable to move it over much.   I ran through the parking lot, looking the key...but alas no luck.  I went in to confess, but luckily someone else had already turned in the key and I was able to move it out of the way before one of our customers wiped out the tractor (and their car!).

In spite of all this, I won a 'Thank you for a job well done" scratch off ticket from HEB  (they hand them out to show their appreciation for job well done).  No it wasn't for my clearing the parking lot of grocery carts, but because I helped put up new signs in the parking lot.  I scratched off the ticket and I won a pint of ice cream, as well as being entered into a drawing for $2,000 this quarter!  Maybe my luck is changing....

Leta and I went out to Mo Ranch and walked the Labyrinth.  Then we went to the Kerrville Wildlife Sanctuary and did some birding.  Saw just a few birds but still had a great day.  Notable birds for us were blue birds and an American Kestrel and we heard a King Fisher and saw some kind of wood pecker.  Also, my most common birding experience occurred repeatedly "I can hear it, but I can't see it".

Leta praying at center of Labyrinth at Mo Ranch

I had a tough time coming to the decision to share this next item.  An accident happened back in my old home town of Jackson Mi, which claimed the life of wife and her unborn child.  Her husband, had started a blog, the day they discovered they were to pregnant, abd has continued to blog.  I feel like such a voyeur reading about his about first his joy and feeling about becoming a father, and then about the unimaginable loss he has suffered, but at the same time, I haven't been able to stop reading and find great inspiration in his faith, and the comments posted there..  It seems the blog was originally entitled Our little secret, but after the accident was changed to 'Sad and Chara" (for Chad and Sara, the parents).  Here is the link if you would like to read it http://sadandchara.blogspot.com/

Vital Stats
Beginning Weight - 212.2
BMI - 31.3
Miles Walked/Ran - 6.38
Y-T-D Miles Walked/Ran - 73.01
Ending Weight -210.2
BMI - 31.0
Weight Lost <Gain>- 2.0
YTD Weight Lost - 9.8

A better week overall

Another good and bad week.  GAINED 1.4 lbs mainly because of terrible eating choices.  Fast food, too many sugary foods, too many "seconds" and even "thirds".  On the good side. I completed the 20 minute run, on my second attempt.  Later in the week, I also set a person record for my 5k workout route.   (Just over 40 minutes).  I'm pumped!  So pumped, I'm ready to sign up this coming week for a 5k race!  I'll let you'll know in next week's posting which one we have decided on.).

I also had a good week at HEB (meaning I got my first check!).  Seriously, I did have a good week, enjoy working for HEB and with my coworkers.  So far they seem as nice as those I left back in Jackson.  This coming week, I'm scheduled to learn the "quickcart"  method of retrieving carts from the lot.  They are going to let me run the little remote control 'cart pusher, tractor thingie' (yes, I'm pretty sure that is the technical name for it).

Finally, as part of my cross training, today we were at Mark and Stefanie's and I was challenged by Abby to a round of Just Dance II for the Wii.  I WON!  (Yes, this was the first dance contest I have ever won)  I'm pretty sure I would have won, even if her Aunt OHNO (Lindsay) wasn't holding 6 year-old Abby down and tickling the bejesus out of her!  I'm pretty sure, I'm not going to be able to move tomorrow, due to some of the moves I busted today...BTW,  if I had Abby's energy, I'm not sure how fast I could run my route., she had dances with Lindsay, her mom, and still wanted to walk Dixie!

Vital Stats
Beginning Weight - 210.8
BMI - 31.1
Miles Walked/Ran - 9.57
Y-T-D Miles Walked/Ran - 66.63
Ending Weight -212.2
BMI - 31.3
Weight Lost <Gain>- <1.4>
YTD Weight Lost - 7.8

Good Week even though...

Well this was a good week, even though, I didn't run the full 20 minutes on the c25k Program.  My mind was playing games with me...and I'm pretty sure it cheats!  I was able to run for more than 15 minutes (which is about twice as long as my previous longest run!), so I'm not being too hard on myself for not completing it.  In addition I set a PR for my training run course, with a time of 43:08, besting my previous time by1:31, not too bad an improvement for an old man!

Leta will probably take credit, because this was the first time I ran in my new asics shoes.  Or maybe they will want to us me in a commercial!

Other good news, is we had a great time at the zoo on Monday, with the granddaughter and with Stefanie and Mark .  For me the highlight was Abby fed the birds nectar!  Here is another favorite picture.  Ok cut me some slack, I'm the grandpa so I'm entitled!

I lost 2 more pounds this week and I start my first shift at HEB this afternoon.

So all and all a good week even though.... :-)

Vital Stats
Beginning Weight - 212.8
BMI - 31.4
Miles Walked/Ran - 9.48
Y-T-D Miles Walked/Ran - 57.06
Ending Weight -210.8
BMI - 31.1
Weight Lost - 2.0
YTD Weight Lost - 9.2

Not So Fun Run - Race Report

Race Report for the Llano Not So Fun Race!

Got up at 6:30 and rousted my daughter and her boy friend at 6:45 so we could head up to Llano for their second annual Not so Fun Race.  We drove up from Kerrville and got there about 8:45 and picked up our race packects.  It was chilly and windy, but the sky was blue and the sun was out, so it was bearable.  Soon we were called to the starting line and the horn sounded and we began our 1 mile adventure.

We had all signed up for the 1 mile race (run/walk were combined for all events),  there was also a 5K and a 10K.  We signed up for the mile for a couple reasons, my wife was going to try her first race and she hadn't had much time to train, also somewhere we read that they call it the Not So Fun Run, because of all the hills make it "not so fun", so the "kids" decided to just run the shorter distance too.  Since she couldn't make due to health reasons, I decided to try to run the race!

Daughter's new "shoes"

I started near the back of the pack, and soon lost sight of the "kids" as we left Badu Park and headed up the first hill.  I jogged for the first 7:40 and then walked for about a 90 seconds and then ran the rest of the way.  My time was 11:49.  Imagine my surprise when my kids met me at the finish line told me I finished 3rd, "right behind" them  (ok 2 + minutes behind them).  But it was awesome that we finished 1-2-3  (out of 14 participants) and we each took first place in our age divisions.  Yeah Team "Michigan"

After we finished we walked back to the car and the kids put on long pants over their running shorts and we decided to finish walking the 5K.  We did just that and I stopped and took several pictures(see below)  and we finished the 5K around 58:04  

We finished and waited for the 10K'ers to finish and the rewards to be handed out.  We all proudly accepted our medals, posed for the group picture and then headed home to look for some Texas Bar B Q!

In summary we found the small, informal "Not So Fun Run" to very much be a lot of fun!

My daughter and Tom

THE landmark of the race

A fund raising buck!

We were #1-2-3!

Tom's turn

Me getting my reward

Erica getting her 1st Place medal!

 

"Not to Die"

Good News on the job front this week.  I got an offer from H-E-B (the "local" grocery store with over 300 stores), and I had a second interview with K'Star the local children's shelter and advocacy agency, and finally I got a call for an interview with the Park Superintendent at Enchant Rock State Park.  Wow three GREAT opportunities!  I would love working at any of the places, I think it would be wonderful to know you might have positively affected one or more kids' lives.  I have always dreamed of being a Park Ranger, since I was little and had such positive experiences with them, when we camped as a family.

H-E-B & the Park job offer great benefits and as good as job security as you can find these days.  K'Star, I can picture myself becoming very involved and maybe even becoming the director when the current director retires. (5 years ?), K'Star is very only a couple blocks away (I walked to both interviews), H-E-B is up in Fredericksburg (25 miles away) and Enchanted Rock is about 40 miles away.  Nice  to  have to worry about the possibility of having to decide!

Exercise went pretty well this week.  I still am struggling with eating way too many calories, mainly in the evenings, and eating way too many "sweet snacks".  Milkyways have been the main downfall this week!  I've been onlike alot this week updating profiles, and pictures on the http://www.active.com/ and on the http://www.mapmyrun.com  websites.

Talking about mapmyrun, I complete the "30 miles in 30 Days Challenge" where you are to "run" 30 miles 30 days.  I think this is the first time I have ever completed any kind of physical challenge like that, other than completing the 4 5-K walks I did last year with my daughter.

I ran last night (W5D1) of the couch to 5K program, and for the first time, I wasn't dying to quit running!  When I heard Chris (the announcer on my "podcast" say something like "You sure must be tired, because your last 5 minute run ends now", I thought to myself, "No I'm not, I could keep going!"  That was an awesome moment.  However after the 5 minute 'cool down' walk, I tried to run again and was back to my old self, and could hardly wait for the run to end!  Next session has 8 minute runs...and then session 3 of this week has a nonstop 20 minute run!  I find that awfully intimidating, to say the least.

Well gotta go, lots to do today, as we are having overnight company and then off to the "Not so Fun Run" in Llano tomorrow. I've signed up for the 1 mile walk, to support Leta.  Leta has a great goal for here first race, "Not to Die".  Sounds like a good goal to me!

Vital Stats
Beginning Weight - 214.4
BMI - 31.7
Miles Walked/Ran - 9.58
Y-T-D Miles Walked/Ran - 47.58
Ending Weight -212.8
BMI - 31.4
Weight Lost - 1.6
YTD Weight Lost - 7.2