Saturday's workout: 2 mi. run
Bank of America River Run, Wichita, KS
21:33, about 10:45 pace
Wednesday's workout: 1.5 mi. run
We've almost arrived. The River Run is only days away, and I've completed my final workouts leading up to the race. It's been awesome to see my running redevelop in my life, and I'm hoping that it's here to stay.
I've enjoyed sharing this journey with you guys who have been faithfully reading, and with those of you guys just "popping in" for a visit.
The blog will be complete with a River Run post this weekend. Thanks for hanging around, and I'll see you again if new inspiration arrives...
Feel free to keep in touch! Click here to email me.
Jason
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Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:24
"I do believe; Help me overcome my unbelief!"
Luke 9:24b
Monday weigh-in: 187 lbs. (-2)Sunday's workout: 2 mi. run
Biggest Loser Scoreboard:
Jason: 4
Lindsay: 5
(9 weeks completed)
I know. Life's not fair when Jason does one run all week, eats an entire Idaho Nacho (pictured) and Jason's Deli baked potato over the weekend...and still loses two pounds. It's good to be a guy.
In this photograph, you are looking at the past, the present, and the future.The past: The Asics Kayano 11, the first top-of-the-line running shoes I ever purchased. I bought these in the spring of 2005, during training for my first marathon, and they carried me through all three marathons that I ran in the 11-month span from May 2005 to April 2006.
The present: The Asics Kayano 12, the successor to the previous shoes. I bought these to replace the old ones, as I was far past due. However, this also occurred just as I moved to Wichita, and saw my whole running life turn upside down. I gave up the sport for nearly three years, until I began running again in December 2008.
The future: The Asics Cumulus 10. During my most recent running, I started to develop serious shin pain, even after the initial start-up pains. This got so intense that I have been on about two weeks of (forced) rest to heal my shins. During this time, I reevaluated my choice of footwear, and through an intense analysis of my stride by some running experts, and careful examination of all choices available for my foot, I chose this new model to better suit my stride.
(For anyone interested, here's the breakdown: 1. My old shoes were too small, causing my feet to tense up and put extra pressure on my shins. 2. My old shoes provided massive arch support...which I do not need, due to my pronation tendencies and high arches. The extra arch support exacerbated my leg problems. 3. My shoes had aged for 3 years, causing the foam in the soles to harden up. 4. There were too stinkin' many miles on the old shoes!)
So, if you're a GR junkie (and I know you're out there!), this is the best explanation for my nearly-two-week hiatus from posting to this blog. I'll be back at it this weekend and next week, looking to make a mighty push toward the Bank of America River Run, where I will have my dad and many of my friends running 2 miles with me.
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No workouts this week.
Monday weigh-in: 189 lbs. (+1)
No Biggest Loser results available this week.
23 '"If you can"?' said Jesus. 'Everything is possible for him who believes.'
24 Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, 'I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'"
Luke 9:21-24 (NIV, parenthesis added by me)
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There is a new 9:24 in my life these days. You're looking at it right here. The father of a possessed boy seeks healing from Jesus, and realizes that it's not that he doesn't believe in Jesus, it's that he suffers from the same fallen nature that the rest of humanity does. He acknowledges his unbelief, and asks for help to overcome this unbelief.
Doubt and unbelief are real emotions that take hold of us from time to time. But are they really signs that our faith is weak? I'd say this passage tells us that the opposite can be true if we simply realize that we, as humans, are prone to disbelief! We need help to continue believing what we know to be true, and that's that Jesus is capable of everything he says he can do.
In this passage, Jesus orders the demon from the boy's body immediately after the boy's father asks for help with his unbelief. 1 John 3:21-22 says, "Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him."
It is Jesus' desire to give me what I ask for. I need only approach him with confidence, and not with the debilitating self-doubt that the enemy continuously whispers into my heart.
It feels pretty freeing to rediscover this stuff today.
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Saturday's workout: 3.11 mi. run
Link4Life 5K, Wichita, KS
26:17, 8:27 pace
Monday weigh-in: 188 lbs. (+2)
Biggest Loser Scoreboard:
Jason: 2
Lindsay: 7
Shaun: 28
(7 weeks completed)
Look at 'em go! 9 combined pounds lost for Shaun and Lindsay this week. As for me? I'm in neutral, and fighting off a slight leg injury that's had me on the shelf for about five days, minus the race--another vast improvement over my previous best time this year (over 2 minutes faster than my Shamrock Shuffle 5K performance). I'm not giving up. It's a long time until September!
Monday weigh-in: 186 lbs. (+1)
Biggest Loser Scoreboard:
Jason: 4
Lindsay: 1
Shaun: 25
(6 weeks completed)
Greetings everyone, and I hope Easter has been a weekend of relaxation and reflection on the love of a Savior that gave all He had for us, even when we were still (and are still) sinners.-----
Saturday's workout: 6.22 mi. run
Easter Sun Run, Wichita, KS
52:39, 8:22 pace
Pictured above is our crew that ran the races, left to right, back to front: Kevin, Brandon, Shane, Jennifer, Janel, myself, and Allen. Kevin, Brandon, and I ran the 10-K (I took 3rd amongst us!), and Shane, Allen, Jennifer, and Janel ran the 2-mile race. Jennifer and Janel both set personal records. Not pictured is Nathan Newby, who WON the 25-29 age group in the 10-K race. (His time was down in the low 30s.) I'm convinced he snuck away when it was time for the picture!
Great day for a run, and it was a blast hanging with all of the competitors.
I don't want to live one more day
Without your all-consuming passion inside of me.
I don't want to spend my whole life asking,
'What if I had given everything,
instead of going through the motions?'"
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Tuesday's workout: 3 mi. run
Wednesday's workout: 35 min. tempo run
Thursday's workout: 3 mi. run
Song: Matthew West, The Motions
From his album, Something to Say, © 2008 Sparrow Records
What is love when the emotion is gone?
The answer: it's a decision. This verse does not talk about a feeling. This verse talks about the things you do to demonstrate how you feel. It talks about obedience.
You see, the last few weeks have (privately) brought me such frustration that the last thing I have felt like doing is obeying. It's taken me places I didn't want to go, and made me ask questions that I did not want to ask. This verse even convicts me about how much I actually love the Lord.
I think of a scene from A Beautiful Mind, the brilliant film based on the life of Nobel Prize winner John Forbes Nash, played by Russell Crowe. His wife, Alicia, is played by Jennifer Connelly in the film. She goes for a walk with a friend and work associate of Dr. Nash, Richard Sol. John suffers from severe schizophrenia, and Sol checks up on how they're doing. The scene plays out like this:
---
Sol: So, Alicia, how are you holding up?
Alicia: Well, the delusions have passed. They're saying with medication, and low-stress environment...
Sol: No...I mean, how are you?
(pause)
Alicia: I think often what I feel...is obligation. Or guilt, over wanting to leave. Rage...against John, against God. But...then I look at him, and I force myself to see the man that I married. And he becomes that man. He's transformed into someone that I love. And I'm transformed into someone that loves him. It's not all the time, but...it's enough.
Sol: I think John is a very lucky man, Alicia.
---
I love this movie. It speaks of love more faithfully than most Hollywood films ever could. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you rent it, and watch the things Alicia sacrifices, and the things Alicia does for her love for her husband, Dr. Nash. Alicia shows us in this scene, that love is about more than feeling like it. Love is a decision, and sometimes, a transformation.
These days, I end up forcing myself to see Jesus as I once did, and honor Him with my actions. Then I'm transformed into someone that loves Him. It's not all the time, but...it's enough.
Bringing back the Bible verse: I decide to love Jesus, even when I don't feel like it, and so I will obey His commands. Period.
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Thursday's workout: 3.16 mi. run
Saturday's workout: 6.01 mi. run
Monday weigh-in: 185 lbs. (-1)
Lowest weight: 181 lbs.
Biggest Loser Scoreboard:
Jason: 5 (+1)
Lindsay: 6 (-1)
Shaun: 25 (+2)
(5 weeks completed...positive numbers are pounds lost)
It was a bit of an odd week for all of us. But it's a long contest!
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(Some content taken from A Beautiful Mind, © 2002 Universal Studios.)
5:54 a.m. - "Man...it's too early! And I'm cold!" (zzz)
6:03 a.m. - "Is it really still dark outside?" It was. (zzz)
6:12 a.m. - (zzz)
6:21 a.m. - "It's getting kind of late..." (zzz)
6:30 a.m. - "There is no WAY I'm getting up and running today!"
Then, I got up and went.
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Wednesday's workout: 3.09 mi. run in Ashland, KS
I'm a very competitive person. I hate to lose. Even if it's a friendly game of cards with people I love, I can still get bent out of shape if I'm not playing competitively.
Which is why I'm confused about my current happiness.
As you will see later in the Biggest Loser scores, I'm getting blown away right now. But, as I said, I'm happy about this. I think I'm going to try to explain. I think my happiness is less of an emotion now than it is a decision. You see, if I'm losing the race...that means that someone that I'm competing against is winning. And in this case, I'm competing against people I love. So, like playing against a sibling at tennis, you can't really be all that upset that you're losing, because it means that someone you care about is getting their due! In fact, I've seen several people connected to this blog (and not connected to this blog) do better than me in things...and it energizes me! Some examples:
- My dad: he picked up his running habits while I was still marathoning. But he then continued his running while I had quit for 3 years and gained my weight. He's the instigator of my current running habits.
- My buddy Brandon: You'll remember me talking about this guy at the Shamrock Shuffle, his first ever 5-K race. He beat me by 4 minutes. On his first try. On almost no training.
- My new buddy Nathan: He's a lifelong cross-country runner, who holds the current 10-K record at Friends University. He ran his first marathon recently...in 3:05. Qualified for the invitation-only Boston Marathon. On his first try. He's trying to break 3 hours.
- My friend Lindsay: Do I talk about her a lot? Yeah, I guess so. Here I think I've got an interesting and fascinating blog...and along comes Goodbye, Martha!
- My friend Shaun: You'll be introduced to this guy's feats later in the scoreboard. This guy is a missionary who doesn't need to be told to go: he just does. He works at Koch on the side. And he's on a quest to cut pounds that puts mine to shame! And he's really doing it! (You'll see.)
These people are all amazing, and I love being able to brag about how much better they are doing than me. To me, that's what this blog is all about: encouragement.
On to the scores...
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Sunday's workout: 5 mi. run (cold...snow...puddles...mud...and no chicks.)
Monday weigh-in: 186 lbs. (+0.5)
Biggest Loser Scoreboard:
Jason: 4
Lindsay: 7
Shaun: 23
(4 weeks completed)
What? 23 pounds? Where did this guy come from? That's Shaun, and let me bring you up to speed. He started the same time we did (March 2), and lost the following amounts in the subsequent weeks: 9, 6, 4, and 4 this week. This guy is awesome, and we have only seen the beginning.
Together, we have lost a total of 34 pounds. That's as much an average-sized turkey! Bon appetit!
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You may be thinking: I want in on this!
If so, you're invited. No weights are posted (except for mine), only pounds lost. Just let me know in the comments, or send me an email at jhamlin121@gmail.com.
Maybe we can lose enough combined weight to equal a cornish game hen! Or maybe a gorilla? What about a small automobile?
Settle in. This one's a little long.
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On Wednesday, I went for a jog to introduce myself to Coldwater, KS.
As an auditor, you stay busy pretty much from the crack of dawn until you hit the pillow during busy season. So, if I was going to run, it needed to be first thing, so that it didn't get pushed out of the way. So, it was 5:30 a.m. What was it you called that, Amanda? Freakishly early?
Anyway, Coldwater isn't very big. And so after giving myself the on-foot guided tour of the main drags in town under the street lamps, I had only made it about a mile and a quarter. And 3 miles were on the schedule. So...I needed to trot into a neighborhood. Out from under the lamps. I didn't want to. It was so dark that you literally could not see what was ahead of you. I've never been afraid of the dark, but on this morning: I felt fear!
Why did I feel fear? Was it the dark? Really? I'm not thinking so. I think it was not knowing what was coming. I couldn't see far enough ahead of me, so I didn't want to go somewhere I couldn't see. However, I gritted my teeth and headed into the neighborhood.
I'll never forget the feeling that came over me once I was in the dark, under that dark country sky. An intense sense of...awe. Like fear and wonder mixed.
(Let's pause. City kids: you may not know about this. Country kids: you already know about this very well. Hybrids: (like me) We have the wonder of having both experiences. Let's continue.)
A sky that black...It's something you simply cannot see with light around. So immense...so massive...it makes you feel like it's drawing you in, like it could reach down and swallow you up. That's awe: you're afraid, but you're drawn in at the same time. I turned Jon Bon Jovi off in my ears and just tried to take it all in...trying to catch what I thought God was speaking to me through His creation. I think it went a little something like this (JIV):
"You weren't going to see this under the street lights. You needed to be away from what you knew. You needed to not be able to see where you were going to get here. You needed darkness. Look at these stars. Look at this sky. I did this. I made darkness, and it is good. When you follow me, there will be darkness. But you will see things you'd never have seen if you simply followed what you knew, in the light."
It's not as easy as that when you have to actually live it. But it's great to have a God who speaks to you, even when you're doing your best not to listen.
(And that was the Jason International Version, by the way.)
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Wednesday's workout: 3.32 mi. run
Friday's workout: 3.11 mi. run
Saturday's workout: 3.11 mi. run
Good evening from sunny Coldwater, Kansas!
And so begins my 3-week tenure in small-town Kansas.
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Sunday's workout: 3 mi. runMonday weigh-in: 185.5 lbs. (-6.5)
Say wha?!? Over six pounds gone in only one week? That's right! Except that it wasn't me working harder. It was me working smarter: putting my scale on a hard floor for the first time. It made an 8-pound difference. In fact, it makes my "loss" a little misleading. If you're keeping score at home, that actually qualifies me for my first gain in a while: (+1.5).
Biggest Loser Scoreboard:
Jason: 4.5
Lindsay: 6
(3 weeks completed)We're getting smaller!
Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to BodyGlide! This is a substance that is applied much like a deodorant, but is intended to prevent chafing on certain parts of your body due to friction and drying of sweat on your skin. This substance saves long-distance runners many a painful shower after a long run.
As you can see, I own two sticks of BodyGlide. This is because (as any veteran distance runner will tell you) there are two primary areas of your body where the most painful chafing occurs. To keep a PG rating on my blog, I'll simply refer to these areas as: upstairs...and downstairs.
Why the two sticks? I think you can figure that one out on your own.
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Saturday's workout: 5.01 mi. run, 46:29, 9:17 pace
Longest run in three years. Feeling like a million bucks. Also had a revelation on the scale today, which shall be revealed in full on Monday.
Hint: don't put your scale on carpet.
The motto is easy:
Going the distance to keep you smelling fresh!
Working hard to fight your odor for the long haul!
(Insert cool, athletic catch phrase here)
It got me thinking...what if my body wash were named after something else? Say, my occupation?
Zest Auditor
Tracking that odor to within an immaterial difference!
Or, how about one of my other pastimes?
Zest Ping-Pong
Smashing that odor over behind the endtable, under the piano, over where no one can find it and you gotta move everything...okay, you get the point.
Or how about this one?
Zest Facebook
Wasting an inordinate amount of time chatting and catching up with your odor before bidding it TTYL!!!
Dude, this is almost too much fun. If you've got any other doozies for funny body washes, feel free to regale us all in the comments. For now, I'll stick with my cool-kid body wash.
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Monday's workout: 45 min. doubles tennis, 15 min. singles
Tuesday's workout: 15 min. doubles tennis, 45 min. singles
That's right, tennis. Two nights straight. Hasn't been the highest heart-rate exercise, but have you SEEN these last two nights? Perfect!
That's right, tennis. Two nights straight. Hasn't been the highest heart-rate exercise, but have you SEEN these last two nights? Perfect!
Ladies: Take a quick glimpse into the heart of a man.
My Sunday run is usually an easy-does-it "around the block" run. I was on this run yesterday, heading south down Rock Road to 21st Street, west to Woodlawn, back up north to 29th St., and home to 29th and Rock. All of a sudden, as I was running: there they were...
Three young, pretty ladies were walking in the opposite direction when I was heading south on Rock in the first mile of my run. I stopped my iPod long enough to run by, say hello, and head on my way (without breaking stride, of course).
Gentlemen, since we were all about 12 years old, we know this is true: there is something about the opposite sex that just drives us batty. Captivates us, if you will. It's a different manifestation for every man, but a very similar feeling. For those of us who have found "the one" (and gotten her to marry us), it manifests itself with one beautiful woman...the one who owns our earthly heart. For those of us single men, we're still enthralled with the ladies as a whole, admiring from afar what a wonderful job God's done with creating them.
Fast forward to mile 3.5 of my run. I'm heading down the home stretch, from Woodlawn back east to Rock Road when I hit "the wall." For one reason or the other, 3.5 miles is about as far as my body wanted to go on this particular day. My legs hurt, I was wheezing for air, and even considering slowing it down to a walk to finish my workout. I was done! And then...
...there they were. Again.
The same young, pretty ladies I'd seen before had been going in the opposite direction, but had followed the same path, walking around the block. Since I'd also gone around the block, I met them a second time.
The pain? The tiredness? The slowed pace? Gone. Suddenly, I was ready to remove my neatly pressed white dress shirt to reveal the bright red "S" emblem on my chest! Ready to leap tall buildings in a single bound! Ready to take off the horn-rim glasses and turn from Clark into Superman! (Can I get an amen, gentlemen?) I picked up my stride, put a smile on my face, and said, "Hello again, ladies!" as I passed them for a second time. This time, they were smiling too.
Lest this all sound inappropriate: understand what I'm trying to say here. There is something in the heart of a man that stirs when a woman is around. On this day, it was nothing more than three random ladies on my running path, but it really spoke to my heart, and made me say a quick thank you to the Lord for how WELL He has done with the ladies, and what a gift they are to us men.
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Sunday's workout: 4 mi. run
Monday weigh-in: 192 lbs. (-2)
Lowest weight: 190 lbs.
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Biggest Loser Scoreboard:
Jason: 6
Lindsay: 0
(2 weeks completed)
Lindsay and Mr. Elliptical just gotta get on the same page, that's all. Then she'll be making a game outta this!
Saturday's workout: 5K raceShamrock Shuffle, Haysville, KS
28:20 (-4:02 from last race)
It's been a while since I've posted a picture up here! It's me and dad again, and I must say that it's been such a blessing to be able to race with my dad. I'd been doing this for years when I lived in Missouri, but had never been able to do it so close to family. This has been a rare treat.
I need to give a shout out to my friend Brandon, who also ran this race. He smoked us (he was around 23-24 minutes) on his first try at a 5K! I knew he had it in him.
Dad knocked 2 full minutes off of his prior time, finishing in 30:02. Well done!
And to April: we ran by your mom's house on the route. :)
So, I turned off my iPod, and decided to take advantage of the rare opportunity for silence on the treadmill. It's amazing what God will tell you/show you when you turn off everything around you and just listen. In no particular order:
- Stay with me. Today. Not ahead of me, not behind me. Get out of yesterday, and get out of tomorrow. Stay here, today. Step for step.
- You know how you feel when you prepare a surprise for someone, and then they ask about it? You just smile, and shake your head. You delight in the fact that they ask, because that means that they're anticipating something good! But you're not going to tell them a thing. Not until it's time. It's sweeter that way, because they'll really appreciate what they get, even if it's not quite what they expected. My plan for you is good. Don't worry. *smile*
- One more thing: you don't need to worry about impressing people down here. Just do your best, like you're working for me.
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Wednesday's workout: 3.11 mi. run
Thursday's workout: 3.11 mi. run (radio still off!)
Thursday's workout: 3.11 mi. run (radio still off!)
Slow...sluggish...early...yep, that about sums it up. I need new shoes. Good thing I was distracted.
(Updated on Thursday, March 12.)
…design and maintain fascinating blogs
…plan and execute unique and wonderful social events
…lead us consistently and wonderfully in worship
…teach the Word and lead discussions in small groups and large ones
...defend our country every day by serving in our Armed Forces
...encourage me when I'm down in the dumps
…write songs that speak to my heart
...and there is more...much more that I'm blessed to watch people do that I'm proud to call my friends.
But it’s that last one on the list that’s bouncing around my head this week. The words “Lord Jesus, you are all I want” have been rolling through my mind, and have been so appropriate for where I am. The best part? It's a new song I heard, and it's so beautiful and well-written that it’s been no effort at all to remember the words, and make them a part of my life in recent days.
If you are otherwise uncommitted for any part of this Sunday morning (March 15), I want to encourage you to drop in at Central Christian for either the 8:45 or 10:30 services and hear the first-ever public singing of “You Are All I Want” by Brooke Skinner. It's a unique opportunity to hear the debut performance of a true worship song that I hope will bless many hearts, as it has already blessed mine.
…write songs that speak to my heart
...and there is more...much more that I'm blessed to watch people do that I'm proud to call my friends.
But it’s that last one on the list that’s bouncing around my head this week. The words “Lord Jesus, you are all I want” have been rolling through my mind, and have been so appropriate for where I am. The best part? It's a new song I heard, and it's so beautiful and well-written that it’s been no effort at all to remember the words, and make them a part of my life in recent days.
If you are otherwise uncommitted for any part of this Sunday morning (March 15), I want to encourage you to drop in at Central Christian for either the 8:45 or 10:30 services and hear the first-ever public singing of “You Are All I Want” by Brooke Skinner. It's a unique opportunity to hear the debut performance of a true worship song that I hope will bless many hearts, as it has already blessed mine.
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Saturday's workout: 3.01 mi. run
Sunday's workout: 3 mi. run
Monday weigh-in: 194 lbs. (-4)
Lowest weight: 191 lbs.
Lowest weight is a new category I've thrown in, inspired by my discovery of the encouragement that can come by making my scale say things it hasn't said in a while! If I weigh myself right after a run (when I'm 2-3 lbs. lighter due to water loss), it can be a boost to my mental state. My regular weight will still come back, but I figure any way I can get some encouragement in this process, I'll take it!
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Biggest Loser Scoreboard:
Jason 4
Lindsay 0
(1 week completed)
Yep, I'm ahead to stay!
"Hehehe...I wanna see it again!" -me, yesterday
I can't remember the last time I said that in relation to stepping on a scale. I did a little informal mid-week weigh-in to check progress, and actually started giggling! To be sure, I'm still a good 50 pounds overweight. But...the poundage is coming off fast in the past 3 or 4 weeks, and so I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing!
It's all about perspective. Am I:
- 50 pounds overweight?
or...
- 22 pounds lighter than I was at Thanksgiving?
I know which one I'm going with!
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What the heck is an oboosso?Whatever it is, I had to type it to make a sly smack-talk comment on my friend Lindsay's new blog. You know, she really thinks she's gonna win our little "Loser" wager!
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Wednesday's workout: 3.11 mi. run
Thursday's workout: 4 mi. run outdoors (around the block on a pretty day...the body said push the pace and the distance, and I obeyed!)
Our scoreboard is always updated on Mondays. However, since the titles of the posts don't usually have anything to do with our game, the old scoreboards can be a little difficult to find. This page is designed to track our scoreboards. This will be updated periodically, so you can have the latest on the contest.
Plus...it's not a bad way to introduce yourself to the blog, and see the types of things we talk about around here.
The posts: (scoreboards will appear at the bottom of each post)
March 2: Momentum!
March 9: A new song!
March 16: For the guys.
March 23: On the road...
March 30: Blown away!
April 6: Forcing myself...
April 13: Yum.
April 20: "Help me overcome..."
Monday weigh-in: 198 lbs. (-4)
Goal #1 is now accomplished. I have arrived at a Monday wherein I no longer weigh 200 pounds. I have actually been under the 200 mark for several days now, and have been a little nervous about making a sudden jump in weight on the weekend to humble me in front of all of you! If it seems like a small goal to be under 200, then I agree with you. But that's the way this is done. One step at a time.
And...I remember when I weighed 216 pounds back around Thanksgiving. So, if we're looking at it that way: 18 pounds off in about 3 months. Not bad.
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"Jason, your face looks a little thinner!" -a friend this weekend
I'm telling you, it only takes one of these to make me feel like I'm getting somewhere with my appearance! I'll take it!
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And the competition begins...
I have a friend, Lindsay (who is also following this blog), who is on a mission to cut some weight, just like me. Her reasons are different, but we're in the same boat. Not terrible, but needing to shed as many pounds as we can so we can get back to where we were. We will be doing a little wager between now and when we attend the wedding of our common friend, Becky (also a follower!), in September. In chatting, we decided we're doing our own little version of...BIGGEST LOSER! So, along with my weekly weigh-ins, I'll now also post the scoreboard, where we score points based on pounds lost. (i.e. 1 pound lost = 1 point scored) This makes it simple: whoever loses the most...(which will, of course, be me)...wins! We'll use our own personal weigh-ins today as our official starting point, and we'll score our first points this week. Without further ado:
Jason: 0
Lindsay: 0
(0 weeks completed)
Joel: "I can't stand buying clothes and then losing weight! Then all my clothes are baggy, and I have to go buy new ones. Then I gain weight again, and my clothes get tight, and I have to go buy clothes all over again!"
Dad: "So, what's the answer?"
Joel: "...Don't wear clothes!"
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Wednesday's workout: 3.11 mi. run
Friday's workout: 3.11 mi. run (195 lbs. afterward...stay tuned on Monday!)
Farewell, oh well, goodbye, don't cry..."
I, for one, am glad to have seen something of a musical resurgence from a band called MercyMe. They have broken their own mold a little bit and gotten into some musical styles that they've not explored before. It's made them a richer, more interesting listen, and the lyrics above are from a song that spoke to me in a new way this weekend.
It's got all of those famous break-up cliches in it, but spun in a whole new way: breaking up with yourself. It occurs to me that my struggles are made less heavy when I don't spend all the time in the world focusing on myself in all of my pain and strife. Rather, I figure out how to reach out to someone, make someone else's day. That takes the focus off of my own heart, and puts it on someone else's heart.
Granted, it doesn't make pain in our lives simply go away, but we can take comfort in being pleasantly "distracted" from ourselves so that we can tend to the others the Lord has put in our path today.
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Monday weigh-in: 202 lbs. (+1)
It was a really rough week, but without a big weight gain. I'll count myself fortunate on that circumstance. I normally try not to weigh myself on off-days, but I do like to step on the scale sometimes after a long run, to see what I weigh right after I've sweated off some water weight. Gives me a little mental boost. In that vein: after my 4-miler yesterday, I stepped onto a scale that read 198 lbs. It was my first dip below 200 in this whole wild ride. So, even though my regular weight is still a little ways up there above 200, I am confident that I'll eventually see sub-200 numbers at times other than after a long run.
-----Thursday's workout: 3.11 mi. run
Saturday's workout: 3.11 mi. run
Sunday's workout: 4.05 mi. run outdoors, 38:10, 9:26 pace
And yet...
Thursday's workout: 3.11 mi. run
...it still got done.
Sunday's workout: 3.14 mi. run
Tuesday's workout: 3.11 mi. run
Times on these runs ranged from 28:35 (Props to my boy Brandon for pushing the pace on Saturday...) to 32:00. Tuesday was tempo, at 10-8:30-10-12 pace. The mileage is going up. It's time. Monday weigh-in was disappointing (207, +4), and I'm starting to get frustrated. I'm doing at least 3 miles and 30 minutes at each run from here forward all the way to May. My endurance is fine, and this will mean 12 miles per week on average. I'll be changing up my food intake and increasing my water consumption (as always) in the next couple of weeks as well, to try to offset the fluctuating weight. I've gotta turn this boat around! I'm tired of carrying this weight!
***I've returned from the black! I didn't like it that much, did you?***
Monday weigh-in (2/2): 203 lbs. (-1)
Stuck!
Saturday's workout: 2.25 mi. run
Sunday's workout: Wii Fit and "battle of the sexes" touch football (who ever said you can't get exercise on Super Bowl Sunday?)
Wednesday's workout: 2.5 mi. tempo run, 12-10-8:30-10-12
When I was doing this tempo run, I did something I don't often do: I held back. I was originally going to go a mile at 8:30 pace, but it was already hurting at the 1-mile mark to be going at 10:00 pace, since I hadn't been as consistent with my workouts in the prior week and a half. So I stayed at 10:00 for an extra 1/2 mile, and made myself do 1/2 mile of 8:30 pace anyway later in the run. Boy, did it hurt!
It occurs to me that I'm going to have to make it hurt a little more often to get back the conditioning and body shape that I so desperately desire. It's like that with all of life, though, isn't it? Our bodies are just a brilliant illustration: if we want to get stronger, we have to make it hurt for a while. Our muscles get sore after a hard workout because they're broken down. But they are extraordinary in that when they rebuild, they become stronger than they were before they were broken.
So it is with our lives as well. Sometimes we need to be broken to be built up stronger. Sometimes the things that are the most important for us to learn can only be taught to us in the context of struggle. Romans 5:3-4 reads: "...we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." I'll claim that promise for my running, and for my life.
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I'm afraid I'm going to have to just aim at a weekly post here on the blog for a while. It's a busier season than ever in my life, but I'll continue to post workouts, and I'll keep working my way forward!
The rules for eating while training are not difficult. They go a little something like this: if it's gonna make you feel bad when you run, don't eat it!
Okay, so they can be little more complicated than that. But really, how complicated do we need to get with our eating? For example, if burritos make me feel awful when I run, how about I find something else that I like to eat? Or, if we have, say...oh, I don't know...maybe a free hot wings night for work? How about I don't eat 30 of them just because I can?
(And for anyone ready to say "I told you so!" about the pizza last Tuesday, go ahead. All together now...)
My eating is still out of whack. I think I'm not going to really break through until I fix this.
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In other news, I had a terribly "out of whack" day yesterday. I just felt out of sorts...out of place...etc. I woke up this morning with the OOPH. (out-of-place hangover) I got my run in, just as planned, and I got to thinking: am I really supposed to feel at home all the time here in this world of sin? Is it not natural to have days of feeling like I don't fit in? Isn't this part of the plan? Is there not a better place I'm supposed to be striving for, partly by remembering that when I'm down here, I'm going to have days like yesterday? Reality check!
Better, but my weight is still fluctuating at this stage. The good news is that my cardiovascular system is getting stronger, and that is allowing me to work harder when I run. The pounds will start coming off more consistently as my mileage goes up.
Tuesday's workout: 2.25 mi. tempo run
I'm making Tuesday tempo day. For the non-running crowd, to do a "tempo run" means to start at a slow pace and push it up to race pace (about 1-2 minutes faster than comfortable jogging, typically) toward the middle of the run, slowing back down to finish. It worked well last week at 12-10-12 pace, so I pushed it to 12-10-8:30-10-12 today. 8:30 was my marathon race pace back in 2005-2006, and I touched it for about 4 1/2 minutes today. Feeling stronger, and feeling encouraged.
Time for some pizza!
Yep, if you look closely at Wu's hair, it's two pieces of gum. Don't ask.Thursday's workout: 1.5 mi. run
10:00 pace, and worked into a very busy day. It feels truly good to pull that off when you don't seem to have time.
Saturday's workout: 1.5 hours ice skating
This is becoming one of my favorite "easy" workouts! I'm even thinking of buying my own skates.
Sunday's workout: 2 mi. run, 9:08 PACE
This workout is technically flipped from Saturday. I used Saturday for my "easy" day. This was outdoors, and my pace was up as fast as it has been at any point in my training. This is astounding to me for several reasons:
- I was running on about 2 hours of sleep.
- My feet and legs were sore from skating the night before.
- I had inexplicably given my right arm a deep bruise during my day yesterday, which didn't seem like it was going to go away! (It was almost completely recovered today.)
- I had to be up early for church, and hadn't eaten but a simple donut and piece of candy for breakfast...
I could keep going, but here's the point. I had almost no earthly sustenance, and yet the sustenance was there. I believe that the Lord put me in position to minister to people today at church, and by making myself available to Him, He poured out His blessings to me in the form of energy, sustenance, words to speak, positive attitude, etc.
HE is my strength, HE is my sustenance, HE is my reason for getting up in the morning, HE is the one making amazing things happen in my life!
Does this running stuff cross paths with my faith? You bet it does!
Monday weigh-in: 203 lbs. (+2)
Frustrating. But, I'll just keep up the good workouts, and keep pressing forward. You readers are sharing in my victories, and my defeats as well!
Tuesday's workout: 2 mi. run
Okay, so technically this took place at 6:30 Wednesday morning. It actually worked better that way for two reasons. 1. It gave my legs an extra 12 hours to heal up. 2. It extended my Skype time on Tuesday evening.
-----
Who am I? (round 3)
- I am a young female, and I'm not the tallest on my block.
- I am currently maintaining a good long-distance relationship. (Yes, it's possible.)
- I think I am rather good at Dutch Blitz. That is, until I play Jason. I am then reminded that I am rubbish.
Who am I?
Answer: Click here.
Makes a man healthy, wealthy, and...TIRED!
- Unknown author
Today's workout: 1.5 mi. run
10:00 pace straight through with an 85% kick at the end. Getting stronger. Hoping to break 200 pounds this week. We'll find out on Monday.
It wasn't until I was ready to work out the next time and found that I almost didn't work out because of the stupid treadmill distance gauge (there is NO button or combination of buttons that works to change this feature, apparently) that I finally broke down and came up with a plan. An attitude check, if you will.
I decided that instead of being upset, and instead of quitting using the perfectly good (and free) treadmill becaus
e of the kilometer gauge, I'd make a decision about how I was going to get past my problem. After all, it was my problem: not a problem with the treadmill. So I simply sat down and made a little computer table with my miles-to-kilometers conversion numbers for up to 13 miles, printed it up, and started taking it with me to the treadmill. Before I knew it, I was stress-free again, and having good workouts.
Today's workout: 2 mi. run
So long, adrenaline! Hello, reality! I felt slow and sluggish today, but still managed a good 12-10-12 tempo run today over the distance. The good news is that I'm feeling no further significant pain from my right leg, and it appears to have healed nicely on the rest day.
e of the kilometer gauge, I'd make a decision about how I was going to get past my problem. After all, it was my problem: not a problem with the treadmill. So I simply sat down and made a little computer table with my miles-to-kilometers conversion numbers for up to 13 miles, printed it up, and started taking it with me to the treadmill. Before I knew it, I was stress-free again, and having good workouts.Today's workout: 2 mi. run
So long, adrenaline! Hello, reality! I felt slow and sluggish today, but still managed a good 12-10-12 tempo run today over the distance. The good news is that I'm feeling no further significant pain from my right leg, and it appears to have healed nicely on the rest day.
Top 10 on my iPod this week:
1. "I Am Free" -Newsboys
2. "Get Ready" -Annointed
3. "Happy" -Ayeisha Woods
4. "Beautiful One" -By The Tree
5. "Your Grace Is Enough" -Matt Maher
6. "Marvelous Light" -Charlie Hall
7. "Only The World" -Mandisa
8. "Steady On" -Point of Grace
9. "Song of Hope (Heaven Come Down)" -Robbie Seay Band
10. "Friend of God" -Phillips, Craig & Dean
Sunday's workout: 40 min. walk
My right leg is sore. It feels like it might just be a shin splint. Hopefully today's rest will let it heal. I hope it's not an injury.
Monday weigh-in: 201 lbs. (-6)
Now THAT'S a little more like it!!!
Thursday's workout:3.1 mi. run
Frosty 5K, Wichita, KS
Finish time: 32:22
It was a fine day for a race, and a great way to bring in 2009! Dad and I (pictured) had decided beforehand to do a run-walk approach to the Frosty 5K, to see how we'd fare at that distance. Even at just 3.1 miles, it was the longest distance that he and I had ever attempted together. We started strong, and were prepared to walk after mile 1. But when we reached the mile marker, we communicated and decided that we didn't need to stop running just yet. Next thing we knew, 2.1 miles later, there we were at the finish line, having done the whole distance without walking at all! I think you can call it a combination of race-day adrenaline and being in better shape than we'd imagined we were in. Regardless, it was a fantastic day, and I'm more excited than ever for my training!
Saturday's workout: 2 mi. run
I think I'm still pretty high from my race on New Year's Day, as I pushed the pace to about 9:30 today. Still slower than the "old me", but I'm getting stronger every day.
It's time.
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I'm Jason, and I welcome any feedback you have on this blog, and invite you to make comments at your leisure about the content you see here.
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