Fly Like An Eagle

I know, I haven't blogged in a week. Hell, I haven't seen a newspaper, watched tv and barely had time to sleep. Total sleep time this week not counting last night was less than 10 hours. 10 HOURS! Throw in poor eating and hydration and no exercise and my body and mind are completely beat up.

So what happened? I was invited to attend participate in The Krystal Eagle Course in Chattanooga. Since 1999, Krystal has invited selected individuals with advancement potential to participate in this small leadership training class. We started Monday morning and ended Friday afternoon. The Class day ran about 11 hours and then we had a homework which consisted of reading, writing and creating group and individual projects that had to be presented the next morning. Our homework only took about 8-9 hours per night!

I thought the Marines were the only ones to mentally break you down to make you stronger.

The class was well structured, topics were appropriate and insightful and the instructors exceptional. Part of our homework task each night was to complete a topic feedback form as well as a Leader Feedback form for our Team Leaders. The Team Leader and Groups switched up every day.

We finished yesterday. Our group presentation was well received and finished up at 50 minutes. Speaking in front of a group every day certainly made me a better public speaker. After all the groups were done, we had one more class, a self evaluation and then an individual evaluation of our weekly performance, done by the three instructors. I was pleased that my evaluation was very strong, and even better that I received it from my bosses boss.

We started to get things wrapped up around 1:30 with Graduation. We were called up individually, received a plaque, diploma, shirt and watch and then had our pictures taken with the instructors. After everyone received their diplomas, they announce the TOP EAGLE award winner. The class voted on who they thought performed the best, the TOP EAGLE award. The class vote, plus the instructor vote, plus the results from your leader feedback form were the deciding factors. I was very thrilled to have been selected. Being recognized by your peers after a long, hard week was a great way to cap things off.

It was a long, difficult week and one that I would happily do all over again. Just give me plenty of time to rest and recover!

10 Miler & A HUGE Bama Win

Gerri and I slept in a little this morning. It was a late night, and the temps were going to be low with cloud cover and a strong breeze/wind. No reason to wake up early and ruin a good snooze. We eventually got up, geared up and went out. This would be our longest run since the marathon. We planned on three loops, mostly staying between 10th Ave and 25th Ave in North Myrtle, and avoiding the main drag, Ocean. Three loops meant we wouldn't have to carry or stash supplies.

The 1st loop was about 3.25 miles and was covered around a 10:45 pace. A bit faster than we intended, so we promised to slow down some for the next two loops. After a brief water and bathroom break, we headed back out, in reverse. Instead of staying on the same route, I varied it each time. Pace was slowed to around 11:00 or just slightly above. We finished the second loop at about 6.9 miles. Water, Accel Gel and off we went. Maintained the same pace, and after an emergency pit stop for Gerri, we finished off a nice run with a total pace of 10:54 for the 10 miles. I kicked in the last few tenths feeling good.

After showering, we settled down to each some pancakes and watch Bama CRUSH Arkansas 49-14. A nice win for our 1st SEC and road game. Aches and pains, nothing major but my left Achilles is a bit tender, knees a little balky and my right butt cheek is really sore. I think I need to blame that one on riding the roller coaster at Hard Rock Park yesterday.

Pretty well hydrated, so I decided it was time to crack open a Bud Light Lime as I watch Florida manhandle the TN Vols. Now if LSU can beat auburn tonight, the trifecta will be complete.

4 Miles @ Folly Beach

Last night we drove down to Folly Beach, a small island community just below Charleston, SC. We stopped at Carrabba's in Columbia for dinner on the way. We're here because Gerri is speaking at the SC EMS Leadership Conference today. The conference comped her room, which make the decision pretty easy.

We stayed on the 6th floor, Oceanside, at the Holiday Inn. It was nice to sleep with the door opened and the sounds of the surf crashing against the beach. The cooler temps were also a nice change. I set my alarm for 7:15, but woke just prior to sunrise. I laid in bed listening to the surf as the sun brought everything to life. What a terrific way to start the day.

Gerri and I eventually got out of bed and headed out for a nice 4 miler. She must have been feeling pretty good because she set a steady 10 minute pace. After my poor 4 miler on Tuesday, the increased pace appeared to help me find my stride. I finished the last mile strong and was happy with a 9:53 average pace.

We grabbed some coffee and sat by the pool for a few minutes, then walked over to the Folly Beach Pier. Something about being at the beach just helps to ease the tension of everyday life. We got back to the room to shower and then got a phone call from my very upset daughter, Chelsea. She was calling from school (she's a senior at Boiling Springs) to let me know that her purse was stolen at the end of 1st block. Money, drivers licence, car keys, you name it. She was even more upset because she was supposed to be driving down to meet us in Myrtle Beach after school. Luckily I got a call an hour or so later saying that the purse had been recovered and nothing was missing. My heart that was aching for her, could get back to the relaxation phase.

We wandered up the street, found the Lost Dog Cafe and settled in for lunch. WOW! This small little local restaurant did not disappoint. I had a Black Bean Burger with Mango Chutney which was to die for. Gerri had a turkey wrap with pesto that was equally as good.

We wandered back to the hotel, and killed some time. Gerri is now doing her presentation and I'm waiting for her to get done. We'll be leaving here to drive to North Myrtle Beach for the next three days with family. Unfortunately, Heather will not be joining us because she found out yesterday that she has mono.

Heading to Hard Rock Park Friday and then a 10 mile run on Saturday morning followed by watching the Alabama vs. Arkansas game. Should be an interesting weekend.

Catching Up and Stuff

Where does the time go?

I'm leaving for Folly Beach about 5:00pm. Gerri has been asked to speak at a conference tomorrow. We'll get a 4 or 5 mile run done in the morning. After the conference we'll be driving to North Myrtle Beach to meet up with the family for the weekend. Chelsea and Heather will be driving down after school tomorrow. Planning on going to the Hard Rock Park on Friday, then getting in a nice 10 mile run on Saturday morning. Will head home on Sunday, then out to Chattanooga on Sunday night. Invited to participate in an intensive Advanced Management Class next week.

This past weekend we traveled to Alabama with the girls. Gerri and I got in a humid 9 miler on Saturday morning. Some Starbucks, shower, then Panera Bread for breakfast. The rest of the day was enjoying tailgating with friends and an Alabama victory over Western Kentucky. We drove home on Sunday, stopping in Anderson for the 4:15pm NewSpring Church Service.

My 30th High School class reunion was this past weekend in CT. I'm hoping to see some pics and get some updates from those that attended. Thirty years, where does the time go?

4 Mile TM Run

Just a quick post so that I can grab a late dinner. Just done with a 4 mile TM run at my hotel in Atlanta. Only planned on 3 miles, so as TM runs go it was a success. I also added a little over a mile walking to cooldown and watch Big Brother on the nice flat screen in the exercise room.

Time to find some food.

Weekend Run & Ramblings

Another great weekend with Gerri. We headed to Alabama on Friday afternoon, somehow even managing to miss the Atlanta rush hour traffic. We arrived in Birmingham around 6:00pm and headed to Johnny Carrino's for dinner. As usual it was delicious and the extra large piece of tiarimisu topped it off perfectly.

We relaxed at the hotel, watching some football and flipping the channels. We found a run on mapmyrun.com, in an area we had not visited known as Mountain Brook. Turns out it was only a few miles from our hotel.

We set the alarm for 6:00am, got up and headed to Mountain Brook. After missing the exit the 1st time, we found our location. LOTS of runner and bikers. We drove up to the 3 mile mark and dropped some water. We recently immediately that the morning air was humid. The run was a combination of trails, roads and sidewalks and turned out to be very pleasant. Running somewhere new is always fun, and the hills were not killer, although this area is known for their hills. Gerri led most of the way, and pushed the pace as the run wore on. We ended up with a very nice 6.7 mile run.

Following the run we had our usual pre-game breakfast at Panera's, went back to the hotel, showered and headed to T-town. Like usual, we got their well ahead of time, and the rest of our tailgating crew had not yet arrived. We walked to the Quad, over to the building that Gerri will be taking the LSAT's in October, to the bookstore and of course the strip. One of my old co-workers dropped by for a while and then our group started arriving. We enjoyed a nice leisurely tailgate for several hours before it was time to head in to the stadium.

The first game of the year at home is always special, and Saturday was no exception. While Bama did not play to our expectations following the dominating victory over Clemson the previous week, we did manage to hold down Tulane and come away with victory number two on the season. We made it back to Birmingham without incident, grabbing a very late night dinner to go at McDonald's.

We slept in Sunday, had breakfast (slow, slow and cold) at Cracker Barrel and then drove home. We arrived in Anderson in time for the 4:15pm NewSpring Church Service. After church we went to Carrabba's for dinner and then home to relax, well with the few hours left in the weekend. Next weekend we'll repeat except that we will have Chelsea and Heather with us. Hopefully Hurricane Ike will stay away!

My Tanita Scale Doesn't Lie

This morning, I stepped on the scale for the 1st time in several weeks. Maybe a month. I knew it would not be pleasant and it wasn't. 210.6 210.6 210.6 I was hoping for the anti-Beetlejuice (Candyman) effect. Instead of saying it three times and Beetlejuice appearing, I was hoping that by saying my weight three times fast the weight would disappear. It didn't and it won't unless I make changes.

My 5'11" frame once busted out about 250 pounds. Earlier this year, I had crossed the mendoza line (mythical .200 batting average in baseball). It felt great to see my weight below 200. I settled in for a period between 197-199. Some days, I would bounce up to 201, then back down depending upon my sodium intake and miles run. As I trained for the marathon, I made the mistake of thinking I could just eat. Hey I was training for a marathon so I must be burning lots of calories, right? WRONG! By the marathon, I was about 204-205.

The marathon was May 25th. My mileage has not yet returned to at least 20 miles per week, but my eating habits returned to pre-running days. The net result is gaining an additional 5+ pounds in just over 3 months. I could see it coming (mirror), I could feel it coming (sluggishness/pants), my wife could hear it coming (increased snoring).

Besides the possible long term health implications of being overweight, I don't like the way I look or feel. I certainly don't like the way it impacts my running. Besides the additional impact on the knees, legs, etc and having to work harder, studies suggest that each pound has about a 2 second per mile impact. Hey I need every bit of speed that I can find.

So I have made a commitment to myself to get back on track. My short term goal is to get back down to 205, my mid term goal is to get back below the mendoza line, and my long term goal is to get to 195 or lower. In an attempt to go big or stay home, I'm going to try for 12 in 12, weeks not days!

Things I will do to reach my goal.

1) Make a commitment to myself

2) Seek the help and support of my wife

3) Make better food choices and cook more often

4) Get back to eating more smaller meals

5) Oatmeal on the road

6) Track my intake on Spark People

7) Exercise at least 4 times per week

8) Drink 80 ounces of water daily

9) Weigh at least once per week

10) Post my weekly results on my blog

The picture above represents 1 pound of fat or 3,500 calories. In order to lose 12 in 12, I need to create a calorie deficit of 3,500 calories per week or 500 calories per day. This will come from increasing calories burned (physical activity) and reducing calorie intake (smart food choices).

It's in writing now, for all to see. A weight loss contract between me, myself and I.

Home Home Home

An abbreviated week on the road. Here's a quick recap of my week.

1) Donated blood platelets on Tuesday. Something I try to do every two weeks, because I can and it helps others. I watched The Invisible while donating this week

2) Dropped $1,000+ at the Saturn dealer having my power steering fixed, oil changed, oil filter changed and nitrogen in my tires. Since when did power steering become computerized? I want to just add fluid instead of spending $1,000 replacing the complete steering unit. I got about 1 to 2 miles per gallon more on this trip, so maybe the new oil filter and nitrogen helped a little.

3) Worked in Thomson, GA and Aiken, SC. Completed my stores for the quarter, but with 3 weeks left, I'll be adding additional to help cut the number in the 4th quarter since my team is a man down. Another teammate in Memphis has been called up on National Guard duty to help out in Louisiana.

4) Got in a run! Yeah for me. Actually had a good three mile run in the dark, dark last night. Ran about a 1 mile loop in a neighborhood behind my hotel in Aiken. I ate a decent size dinner at Outback about 3 hours earlier, so didn't have high expectations. Started out fast, probably because I was "scared" in the dark and there were lots of dogs that I couldn't see barking. I looked at my Garmin, saw that I was moving along pretty good and decided to run hard for three miles. I ended up with 3 miles @ 9:15 pace, which is much faster than I have run in months. Unfortunately in the last 30 seconds I slightly tweaked my left ankle when I had to dodge a car that wasn't giving me any space and I stepped into a hole.

5) Dinner tonight with my beautiful wife. I know it's predictable, but it's nice to come home on Thursday night and start my weekend by having spaghetti with Gerri.

6) Looking forward to football. We'll leave for Birmingham Friday afternoon, have dinner at Johnny Carrino's and relax watching some Friday night football. Saturday morning we'll get up, drive to Tuscaloosa, walk around campus, tailgate with our friends and watch our beloved Crimson Tide kick Tulane in the ass just like they did Clemson last week. Oh yeah, we'll get up early in the morning to run a nice easy 10K too!

Bama 34-10

As Jackie Gleason would say, "How sweet it is!"

Living in the upstate, we are surrounded by Clemson fans. Many are good friends. Because Bama and Clemson rarely play against each other, one fan base was going to have bragging rights for a long time. I'm thrilled that those bragging rights belong to the Bama side.

Gerri and I had a great time in Atlanta watching the game on Saturday night and are looking forward to the rest of the season even more. I'm attempting to not rub in the butt kicking too bad, so this will likely be more first and last post.