Hi everyone!  I'm back.  Okay, I know some of you are wondering what happened to me and where I've been.  So I'm going to be brutally honest about it.

I burnt out...badly.

I've been doing the online weight loss scene for a while now and it was getting to be so much work.  Answering questions, reading posts, writing the blog, postings, countless hours of research....and so on.  I'd spend far more time doing that than I did working out. 

So one day I just said I was going to take a week off...and a week turned in to a month...and months.  Its my own fault really.  I have a tenancy to obsess on things I like doing until I squeeze all the joy out of them.  Then I keep doing them out of habit until I resent the time lost to the once enjoyed activity. 

Anyway, I'm back and I'm working toward a new goal....the Chicago Marathon.  Last year my daughter, my step father, and I agreed that we would try to run it together this year. 

While on hiatus, I let my distance runs shorten up.  So my first order of business is to increase my distance up to 8 miles.  Right now I'm just doing around 3 miles.  Which brings me to this past weekend's activity.  I ran another 5k.  This was a first for me because I've never raced in the rain before.  It doesn't sound like it would be that different but it was.  I was freezing by the time we started.  I should have worn a long sleeve shirt.

Speaking of shirts, I did wear on my my TFG shirts.  Which lead to a funny story.  One of the younger runners was there with his dad.  I could hear them behind me.  The boy was having trouble keeping a good pace.  So his dad told him, "just keep up with that fat guy".  RUDE!

Every time he got rested, he'd start running again, catch up with me, then slow back down to a walk for a while.  Then closer to the finish line he started running past me, slowing to a walk, then running ahead again when I caught up.  Meanwhile, I'm keeping a steady pace the whole race, keeping my reserves ready for the finish line. 

Once the line was in sight, I said out loud the thing I always say, "The breaks are off!"  And I started to burn my reserves in a sprint for the finish....blowing by the young runner.  His father speed up too, trying to keep up but I could hear his footfalls getting farther behind me.  I pushed harder, passing as many runners as I could.

Never underestimate the fat guy!

Here's another fat guy that you shouldn't underestimate...

NOTE:  Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix.  And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.

Got sick

This month has been weird.  I was on week 4 of the P90x program and I got sick pretty bad.  It took me a couple weeks to get back to normal.  Then I got hit with having to tear up our living room so we could get our furniture reupholstered, and playing way too much World of Warcraft...my workout schedule was seriously compromised. 

So I had to make the decision to either pick up where I left off or to just call it a false start and start over again.  If it had just been a week, I probably would have just picked up where I left off.  But this was really too long a break in training for me to get the full impact that I was after.  So I started over again.

Last week was week 1.  And I'm getting better at these push-ups.  There are some different kinds that you will do in a single workout...

• Standard pushups
• Military pushups 
• Wide grip pushups 
• Diamond pushups 

...just to name a few.

I can't do as many as the people in the video but I do try to do more every time I try.  Last week I wondered how many I was doing total, so I added them up.  In a one hour workout routine, I'm able to do 103 pushups. 

I was amazed.

I'm still hating the plyometric workouts.  They are great for the legs and buttocks but I'm still nervous about all the jumping around.  Although I have to admit that my knees are getting stronger having to deal with it.

The fabric

When we got our furniture redone, we special ordered our fabric.  At the store they asked if we needed a cart to take this bolt of fabric out to the car.  After looking at it for a moment, I said, "I think I can lift it."  So with one fluid movement I hoisted it up onto my shoulder.  After a moment or two to adjust to it...I was fine.  So I'm carrying this huge thing down the aisle while other customers are watching.  It was pretty cool.

Halloween

I know Halloween has come and gone.  But I haven't posted any pictures yet.  And since I spent most of my time in Wow (World of Warcraft), here's some pictures of me in game wearing the various costumes we got during the events. 

This is me riding a bat and wearing a pumpkin head mask.

Close-up shot...

And on a flying broom....

And as an undead pirate....

Dancing ninja with trick or treat bucket...

Pirate goblin...

Leper gnome with a pumpkin head mask.... (I'm the one on the left)

I think that's all for this week.  I'll try to post again soon.  Now get out there and do some jumping jacks!

Week Two (P90x)

Well, I survived the second week of the P90x program.  With the first week, I'd sum up the experience with just one word...sore.  But the second week, I'd have to use the word...drained.  Seemed like I was tired all the time.

The big news about the Ab Ripper X session, I was able to complete one of the exercises that I couldn't previously do.  The wide leg sit up....

Before, I just couldn't do it.  But this week I got it in my head that I was going to push it...and surprise!  I actually did four of them.  So there's progress!

Another thing that I was able to do was one of the poses in Yoga X called 'Warrior 3'

I was only able to hold it for a second...and my form was awful.

Week Three

It's hard to believe it has been three weeks already.  I've had a couple of challenges this week that I didn't have on the previous two. 

First, my extended vacation was over and I had to go back to work.  Keeping up with my workouts was easy when I didn't have anything else important going on. However, it was more challenging having to divide my time with work.  The good news is that I didn't miss a workout.

Second, I resumed running.  Since experience is quite draining, I put my running on hold for a bit.  But I started running again this week.  This led to a really rough Thursday.  It was Legs and Back day....and it was running day.  So I ended up doing THREE workouts.  Strength training for legs and back, the Ab Ripper, and my running.  When I got up Friday morning, it felt like I'd gone three rounds with The Mighty Thor.  But by Saturday, I felt fine.

One big thing I noticed this week was the difference in how I felt after doing the kenpo workout.  The first two weeks left my lats feeling really sore.  This week I didn't much notice it.  In fact that over all soreness feeling is pretty much gone.

Another yoga pose that I tried was 'crane'....

I wasn't able to hold it but for a moment...points for trying though.  Also, points for not falling on my face.

Speaking of yoga, I picked up some yoga blocks and they make some of the poses easier when you have to reach for the floor and can't quite make it.  People that CAN reach the floor can steady themselves with that hand...but people that can't are putting extra strain on their backs and then there is all the wobbling and wiggling.  With a block I can reach the floor without having to bend quite so far.

Weird thing I'm starting to learn about yoga is that I'm not getting good at it so much as I'm getting more to a point that I can try more...and push farther.  I know I've been anti-yoga for years.  But I can't explain how great it makes me feel.

Plus, there is something else I've noticed.  As some of you will remember I wear a Body Bugg calorie counter that tells me how many calories I'm burning at all times.  Anyway, here are some things I've noted about different types of workouts....

1. Strength training - Doesn't burn tons of calories DURING the workout.  But my rate of burn stays up for about a couple hours.

2.  Cardio training - Burns tons of calories during the workout and then drops off fast about 30 minutes afterwards.

3. Yoga - Burns lots of calories...and keeps my burn elevated all day.  My body tends to burn at anywhere between 1.4 - 1.7 calories per minute while I'm at rest.  On yoga days I'm burning 2.0 - 2.3 calories per minute.  That might not seem like much but when you add it up for the whole day it makes serious difference.

Those 'wide leg sit ups' that I could just barely do in week 2, this week I did 14.  And the 'warrior 3' pose...I was able to hold it for a few seconds on each side before collapsing. 

In the kenpo class, I actually finished the class.  Before I'd flaked on the last 10 minutes because I was just thrashed...but I made it to the end this time.

I'm beginning to notice some changes in the mirror.  Also, some of my newer running shirts that were snug on me when I got them are getting more loose in the midsection.  I'm going to try to get some pictures posted next week.  In fact I'm running behind on my annual Halloween shot.

Chinese Crested Pirate says...."ARRRRG!  Now go get ye some exercise, ye scurvy dogs!"

NOTE:  Friends visiting from Spark People be sure to check out the home page to get your humor fix.  And those of you that are hitting the site from elsewhere, check out my page on Spark People.