One Fine Saturday...

Day 52

Cardio
65 Min Elliptical
5 Miles
20 second break
35 Min Bike
10 Miles

Grip Training - Captains of Crush - Trainer
Right
8,6,4,2
Left
8,6,4,2

I was having a hard time staying motivated at the gym today. About 5 minutes in I almost got off but I pressed on and had a great workout. I'm still not on my schedule that I originally setup but I will get back to it starting this week. Cardio five days a week fasted, strength three days a week, and grip training four days a week.

Tonight is Daddy and Gracie night. I'm making my pizza and Gracie and I are going to watch a movie of her choice. Should be lots of fun. Maybe even some popcorn will be consumed by me! Gracie is going to have some ice cream with cherries and whip cream...I need to pass on that but the popcorn is sounding good.

Rosie our lab puppy is doing well, I need to post some recent pics. We took her down to one of our local pet stores to pick up some treats and they have a scale you can use to weigh your pets. Yeah, 6 months old and 50.5 pounds is what the scale said! We love her and she fits us perfectly. She did great at my sisters all last weekend and even better in the car.

Well, off to make some pizza and watch a movie with daddy's girl, Gracie!

"If I could wish for my life to be perfect, it would be tempting, but I would have to decline, for life would no longer teach me anything." Allyson Jones

Celebrate Life...

This morning Dr. Randy Pausch, 47, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.

My thoughts and prayers go to his family and friends tonight. If you've never watched his "Last Lecture", please click on the link above and watch. Here is a man that received news that he had less then a year to live and what an impact he had during his short time left.

Don't just shuffle through this life, live every moment!

Yes I Can...

Day 50

Cardio
65 Min Elliptical
5.4 Miles

Grip Training
Right
8,6,4,2
Left
8,6,4,2

Had a great long weekend at my sister's in VA. It was good to get away from Greenville for a few days and enjoy time with family.

I've gotten my resume out to several place over the last week and I have a few opportunities to check in to. I will say this, when you have a challenge in life you really get to see who your true friends are! I've gotten alot of support from some of my old coworkers or should I say, friends. Some I didn't expect to get calls from but did and that was awesome. I appreciate all the support. Life throws those curve balls are way sometimes and support from family and friends are a great way to get through them.

Since I got laid off I've been off my workout schedule but I plan to get back to my orginal plan tomorrow with early morning fasted cardio and lifting at lunch time. Not working has been difficult over the last few weeks, it has been a long time since I've been without a job. I'm hoping that will change, no, I'm praying that will change over the next few weeks.

I have some pretty lofty fitness goals and I've had a few people tell me, basically, you can't do that! Well, can't is not in my dictionary and I WILL achieve those goals. Running in the Richmond marathon is looking like November of 2009 and that will be the focus over the next year as well as overall health and wellness. I remember several people saying to me you can't lose weight and train for a half marathon at the same time....WHAT, well, I proved that wrong by losing 65 pounds and finishing the half marathon and then I followed that up with an international level duathlon, don't ever tell me I can't and don't let anyone tell you, YOU CAN'T!

Some people have said why not run another marathon. No, Richmond is were I grew up and will be the place I complete 26.2 miles. Running a marathon or completing an Ironman has been a goal of mine for a very long time. It may take a few years but I will complete those goals.

All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose. Brian Tracy

Fun Weekend...

Day 44

Training Day Off

We are heading to my sister's in VA in a couple of hours for a fun weekend. She turned 40 a couple of weeks ago so we are going to celebrate! Should be a fun time with my whole family.

Day 43 (Thursday)

Cardio
38 Minute Stationary Bike
10 Miles

Strength
Hammer Curls 4x10
DB Front Raise 4x10
DB Incline Press 3x8
LatPulldown 3x10
Shoulder Press 3x8
Bench Press 3x8

It's only about a 3.5 to 4 hour drive but we are taking Rosie with us so there may be a few more stops then normal. Should be an interesting trip but I'm hoping Rosie will spend a good portion sleeping and chewing on the new bone toy we got her!:) She does pretty well in the car and has been in the car at least once a week since she was 6 weeks old. She gets very excited when we put her harness on her cause she knows its car ride time.

Have a great Friday!

"Sometimes in life there are challenges but we must stay positive and never ever give up!" Jason Chantelau

Better Day...

Day 42

Cardio
65 Minute Elliptical
5.1 Miles

Grip Training - CoC Trainer
3x10 Right
3x10 Left
BREAK
3X8 Right
3x8 Left

Ashli and Gracie went down to the gym with me today and Gracie played with her cousin Morgan in the kids area. Ashli did 1.5 miles on the treadmill and 2 miles on the recumbent bike. I then should Pam and Ashli most of the strength equipment and how to do each movement. They did really well and I hope they continue with the strength training.

This Friday we are headed to my sister's house in VA for a long weekend. She turned 40 at the beginning of this month and my entire family is meeting at her house to celebrate the big event. I remember when my Dad turned 40 because he was a minister of music at a church in Richmond, VA and the choir members and some of the church staff and friends put a huge sign in our front yard that said...Honk Dave turned 40 today! We lived on a semi busy street and all morning long the horns blew! Very funny. I promise Connie we won't do anything like that!:)

Have a great Thursday morning!

"The only real valuable thing is intuition." Albert Einstein

Frustration...

Day 41

Workouts
Training Day Off

Today was going to be about cardio and strength but was more like frustration over car issues. My wife's car needs a lot of work after taking it in today to get the oil changed. With the stress of not having a job and the added expense eventually coming our way I'm officially frustrated tonight.

I'm trying to stay positive but it hasn't been easy today. It looks like I'm a go to do some Oracle training for my old company next week and one session in August so that makes things a little better but still a long way to go before I can feel more comfortable, if ever. I did apply for about 7 different jobs in the last two days and I will be hitting it even harder over the next week. Maybe, hopefully, something will come from that. Just need to keep hitting it hard and stay focused.

Something my old company needs to think about...

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein

Pizza, Cookies, & Late night Clean Up...

Day 38

Training Day Off

Had a good Saturday. Ashli had a baby shower to attend so it was Gracie and I last night. We decided to make some pizza and I found a really good whole wheat crust to make it a bit healthier. We prentended to be in Italy at a pizza shop and we had fun. Then after the pizza we put in a movie, Barbie Mariposa, and I enjoyed every minute!:) We even made some cookies and she was a great helper.

Gracie wanted to sleep with us last night and at 3am she started to projectile vomit and unfortuantly she was facing me! Of course nothing wakes you faster out of a dead sleep then that sound...you parents know the one! I was running around the room still half asleep trying to find the trash can while Ashli was trying to catch with a towel, neither one of us were successful at this. Once Gracie had completed doing the technicolor yawn Ashli pulled the sheets off the bed and they took a shower. I did my best to clean but I also needed to jump in the shower as my entire left arm was, well, nevermind, you get the picture. We were all back in bed and asleep by 4am. What a night! Ahh...the memories, err....nightmares!

Day 39

Cardio
65 Minute Elliptical
5.2 Miles

Gracie was still feeling a little icky this morning but by the time I got back from the gym she was bounding around like her normal self and actually has held down some food. The cardio went very well and I'm feeling more and more conditioned as the days go by. This week will bring three lifting sessions including three grip workouts and five days of cardio.

I will leave you with this...

"Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character." Albert Einstein

Finally Weeks End...

Day 37

Cardio
65 Minute Elliptical
4.5 Miles
20 Second Break
30 Minute Bike
9.1 Miles

Grip Training
3x6 Right
3x6 Left

Had a great time today reconnecting with a very good friend of mine, Val! Thanks for the great conversation this afternoon, you rock sister! Hopefully we can get over to your neck of the woods soon or at least meet up halfway!

Gracie had a very busy day today with art camp until noon and then a birthday party from 3 to 6pm. She had a great time playing with her friends at this house that was converted into a huge playland for kids, cool stuff. Needless to say Ashli is pretty tired about now!

I actually had a decent day just hanging out at the house this morning. I took the dog for a good walk and just goofed around with her while the girls were out. I took off to the gym around 3pm and had a great workout. I'm getting ever so close to getting back out on the road for some running, can't wait. Tomorrow I'm going to do a round of lifting and save the cardio for Sunday afternoon. Things are progrssing very well on the fitness front.

Well, I think I'm going to watch a movie...is today Friday?:) I will leave you with this tonight....

He who has faith has... an inward reservoir of courage, hope, confidence, calmness, and assuring trust that all will come out well - even though to the world it may appear to come out most badly.

B. C. Forbes

Moving Forward...

Day 35

Yesterday's Workouts
Cardio
50 Min Ellitpical
3.5 Miles

Strength
LatPull Down 3x10 2x8 1x6
Hammer Curls 4x10 (Upped the weight)
Leg Extensions 3x10

I was going to just lift yesterday but the gym was slammed so I stopped and just jumped on the elliptical. Overall the day went well I was able to go up to work and get my stuff and copy all my data off. It was 10pm by the time I pulled out of the parking lot. I just have a few more things to get at the other building and it will be done.

Day 36

Workouts
Bench Press 3x10 2x8 1x6 1x4 1x2
Lat Pulldown 4x10
Hammer Curls 4x10
DB Front Raise 4x10
DB Incline Press 3x10
Shoulder Press 3x10
Leg Extensions 3x10
Weighted Crunches 3x10

Grip Strength
3x10 Right
3x10 Left
BREAK
3X10 Right
3x10 Left
BREAK
Full Close Right
Full Close Left - I was able to fully close the trainer. It looks like I will be getting the #1 sooner rather then later.

Cardio
Will be heading to the gym after Gracie goes to bed for some ellipticizing!

So far I've dropped 13 pounds in 36 days, can't complain about that. As you can see I did receive my gripper this afternoon. It is awesome and I can't wait to get the #1 once I give this trainer a good workout. Having a strong grip is so important for alot of things but especially in the weight room.

I'm doing great and have put this job situation behind me for good. Time to take a little time off and relax and spend some good quality time with Ashli and Gracie, is today Thursday?lol:) I hope everyone has a great rest of the week, I know I'm going to enjoy every minute!

A quote for you...

At home I am a nice guy: but I don't want the world to know. Humble people, I've found, don't get very far. Muhammad Ali

Life Changes Quickly...

Day 34

Workouts
45 Min Elliptical
3.2 Miles

Today was a rough day. At 9am this morning I was laid off from my job do to downsizing. I can't say that I'm surprised but I thought I might have at least another couple of months. To be honest I'm taking a very positive approach about it. Life truely does change quickly no matter what the circumstance may be! In my case I will pick myself up, dust myself off, and live to fight another day.

It would be very easy to sit and sulk and cry about my situation but that solves nothing! I am actually very pleased with the package they gave me and it did ease some of the concern. I do have some built in cushion and that I am very thankful for. I will miss alot of my coworkers most have been my friends for the past 5 years and I was a little ticked that I did not have the opportunity to say goodbye but I do understand and will respect the policies that are in place, it just was a little frustrating.

I've moved on, its in the past, and time for a new start....

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Maria Robinson

Laptop Drama...

Day 33

Workouts
45 Min Elliptical Fasted
3 Miles

Strength
LatPulldown 2x10,2x8,2x6,1x4
Seated Cable Row 3x10,2x8,2x6
Tricep Pushdown 3x10
Hammer Curls 4x10
DB Front Raise 4x10
DB Incline Press 4x10
Bench Press 3x10,2x8,2x6,1x4
Weighted Crunches 4x10

Got home tonight and Ashli's laptop took a crap, well the hard drive dumped. Looks like a corrupt boot config, nice! Of course she has pictures on the drive that need to be restored. I'm going to pick up a 2.5 inch SATA to USB enclosure and connect her drive to my PC to see if the data is still out there, hopefully it is. I'm also going to purchase a backup drive for her so we can avoid this nonsense if it happens again. I also have another laptop at home that needs a new motherboard so I may spend some time looking for a MB this week and get that back up and running. We do have a good warranty on her machine but all they would do is a full restore to factory based on the error. I'm on the list of available technicians for Dell in this area and it would be great if they sent me the ticket! Get paid to work on my own machine....I like that! I will do the work though, its really not that bad and a waste of time trying to deal with Dell for a re-image.

I'm getting the itch to get out on the road for some running. I say it won't be until August, September time frame but it may come sooner. I'm just going to go with the flow and if I feel like running I just may jump out on the road for a couple of miles!:) I may enter a race or two yet this year we shall see, you never know what I may do!

Stay Tuned.

"Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence."

Vince Lombardi

Working Hard & On Track...

Day 32

Workouts
65 Minute Elliptical
5.1 Miles
20 second break
Stationary Bike
45 Minutes
11.7 Miles

It felt really good to work hard in the gym today. This week will be back to my normal strength training schedule. Despite being sick I'm glad I still got some good workouts in but I need to get back to the lifting.

The house is back to a nice cool 72 degrees today. Actually this morning I let it get down to about 68, just a tad on the chilly side!:) Just happy that's behind us and it wasn't worse then it was. Gracie starts her art classes this week with her cousin and she is excited about it. They should have a lot of fun for the next week and half. I know Ashli will enjoy the break during the day. Ashli won't start back up with her work until the fall so she can be with Gracie over the summer. I think it's very important that we spend as much time as we can with Gracie now because it will soon change as she gets older. These are such important times for Gracie as she continues to grow and learn so much, I know I don't want to miss a second of it if I can help it. Workouts and fitness will always take a back seat to Gracie and Ashli when needed. My cardio is done before she is up in the morning and my lifting done after she goes to bed. This weekend I wanted to workout more but I'm glad I didn't and I'm glad that time was spent with Ashli and Gracie. It's all about Balance and moderation and realizing what's really important!

This week will bring 5 days of fasted early morning cardio, mainly elliptical and 3 nights of lifting, Mon/Wed/Fr. The nutrition will be spot on all week and I hope to see a couple of pounds come off! Well, the holiday weekend is about to come to a close and despite a few issues I think it turned out pretty good! Have a great Sunday afternoon!

I leave you with this...

"I cannot have survival as my only goal. That would be too boring. My goal is to come back in my best running form. It is good for me to have that goal; it will help me."Ludmila Engquist (Olympic champion hurdler facing cancer and chemotherapy)

HOT, HOT, HOT...

Day 31

Training Day Off

Well, this day has been fun. Yesterday afternoon the AC decided to stop working. I called our AC guy and he said he had two service calls before us but we would be the first call in the morning. At 9am I had not heard from anyone so I gave them a call. The guy said that the tech had a long night last night and was running a little later then normal but he should be giving us a call. By 1pm still no call, no show. The house was now at a hot 88 degrees and my frustration was growing. I called the main office again and the dispatch guy realized that he messed up and sent the tech to a call before us.

To make a long story short the guy finally showed up at 4 this afternoon and had us fixed in about 30 minutes. We had a bad capacitor and low freon. So, after I sold my right kidney we have a cool house again. In fact I'm going to let the house get down to about 65 tonight!! I hate sleeping when its hot in the house.:)

I guess all things considered its not a big deal and I should be thankful that it wasn't worse and the fact that I have AC to begin with.

I will leave you with this tonight....

"In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia." - Charles Lindbergh

Happy 4th of July!

Day 30

Training Day Off

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th!

Extended Weekend...

Day 29

Workout
65 Min Elliptical Fasted
5.2 Miles

Cardio workout felt great but I really can't wait to start hitting the weights more consistently. I really pushed hard during my cardio and did my first mile in 11:50 which is pretty decent on the elliptical.

We have no major plans for this fine Independence Day weekend but I'm sure it will involve watching some fireworks at some point, Gracie will make sure of that! Ashli signed her up for her art day camp today which actually starts next week. Her cousin Morgan is also going to be in the classes with her and they're looking forward to it. They're going to do some really neat stuff and I can't wait to see what she creates!

For the past several weeks I've been looking into increasing my grip strength. Last night I decided to pick up my first set of grippers. I purchased the Captain of Crush - Trainer. They have several levels of grippers but the advice for beginners is to start with the trainer and work your way up the different levels. Probably in another month I will purchase the number one gripper but we'll see how I do with the trainer. Captain of Crush is the gold standard when it comes to quality grippers. I'm looking forward to receiving them in a few days and will post my grip workouts as well.

Well, on to my extended weekend of fireworks and fun! I hope everyone has a fabulous 4th of July weekend!

I will leave you with this...

“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.”
Lance Armstrong

Feeling Better...

Day 28

Workout
45 Min Elliptical
3.4 Miles

Calories
1891

Feeling much better today, finally this cold is on its way out. My calories are still a little on the low side but I will be closer to the 2100 mark tomorrow. The plan is fasted early morning cardio, elliptical, and lifting tomorrow night. I am anxious to get back out on the road to run but I must hold back, the running will come with time. I should be ready to go in another month or so but we'll see how I progress.

I can't believe Gracie starts full time school this August...where has the time gone. She did really well in k4 and loved it, once we got through that first day! We're trying to keep her busy this summer with swimming lessons at the "Y" and a fun art class that her and her cousin will be doing in a few weeks. Gracie did really well with the swimming and had no problems at all, she loved it. She completed just two sessions so far but we may put her in a third, we shall see.

Time for bed....Don't let the bed bugs bite!

I leave you with this....

I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to work hard at it. Whether you're a musician, a writer, an athlete or a businessman, there is no getting around it. If you do, you'll win. If you don't you won't. Bruce Jenner

A look at June...

Day 27

June Totals
Elliptical Miles: 51
Stationary Bike Miles: 17.5
Lifting Sessions: 5
Weight Loss: 10 pounds

July Goals
Weight Loss: 10 pounds
Lifting: Average 3 per week
Cardio: Average at least 5 days a week

I didn't start until June 9th so I'm very happy with these numbers. July will be more of the same. The last two days I've been fighting a nasty head cold that Gracie decided to pass on to me and now Ashli has it. I'm actually feeling much better tonight then I did this morning. I was mess with a terrible sore throat, runny nose, and sneezing.

I've consumed 1897 calories today which I am happy with considering I'm not feeling that well. Usually I don't eat much past the 1500 range when I'm sick so not too bad. I will be running again but right now the focus is lowering my body fat. I'm thinking probably August/September time frame. In the mean time for cardio it will be all low impact!

I still have a date with the Richmond marathon but it will not be this year. I am looking at November 10th 2009 as the date. Really school set me back; I should have waited on the school and just kept on going with my training! Oh well, can't look back, just have to look ahead and take the right steps to get me to that finish line. Oh what a day that will be!

I will leave you with this...

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more. Brother David Steindl-Rast