Back on the wagon - Day 3

Didn't do myself any favors yesterday.

Back on the wagon - Day 2

Obviously weight fluctuates a bit so it'll be interesting to see where I'm at tomorrow.

Back on the wagon - Day 1

Not happy with myself. I've put 20 pounds back on since reaching my lowest weight. I've been eating more like the old me and it shows. I need to get back on track. I did go for a run finally on Saturday with some group runners in Lincoln. Super nice people and very welcoming. Ran over 6 miles. Pretty good for my first run since my half marathon on October 2nd.

Airline seats aren't that bad

I am on a flight to Minneapolis as I type this thanks to in-flight wifi. I was actually looking forward to sitting in my seat to see how much more room I had compared to 100 pounds ago. It's reasonably comfortable and I don't feel like I'm invading the space of the stranger in the seat next to me.

Other news...

I ran my half marathon 2 weeks ago today and did really well. Finished it in 2:23:08. I haven't run since then but I plan on it this week, i.e., probably next. A couple of my toenails have turned purple and I cut one of the big ones off last Sunday. That was really, really stupid and I recommend letting those types of things occur on their own. Much less pain that way.

I haven't been logging into MFP as much to see if I can manage on my own. I've done alright. My weight is still around 230 last I checked. Another big negative is that I've been having Mocha Frappes from McD's a few times a week. That has got to stop. It's reminding me of sneaking chocolate ice cream cones when I was 335 pounds. Those sugary drinks don't taste anywhere near as good as I feel after losing all of that weight.

Well the flight is coming close to its descent so I'll end it here.

1 year ago today

1 year ago today I started this blog and made the decision to do something about my weight and lifestyle.

Since then I've lost over 100 pounds and run 8 different races. A few days before starting the blog I ran my very first 5k. I finished with a time of 40:33 and had to walk some of it. This past Saturday, I ran that same race on the same route and finished the strongest I ever had before with a time of 23:58. It was such an amazing feeling to really feel what a difference a year has made.

Raider Run tomorrow

I'm pretty pumped about my 5k race tomorrow. It was one year ago that I ran my first 5k ever at last year's Raider Run. My time then was 40:33. I hadn't quite started my journey yet although I had been running and was about 6 weeks or into the 9 week Couch to 5k workout program. I'm planning on finishing at least 15 minutes faster.

 I should be in bed but I'm contemplating about what music I want to listen to during the race. I'm pretty sure it's going to be the Inception soundtrack.

 I'll have another post after I've run it. Wish me luck.

Losing "weight"

I've been having an internal struggle with something for quite a while about something pretty important to me. But before I say what that is, I'm going to talk about why I am.

For several years now, I've been wanting to do the BAK. And now that I've lost all the weight (and so far kept it off), it's something that I know I can do and really want to do. Well, you can't do the BAK without a bicycle. I have a bicycle but not exactly one for riding the sometimes flat, often times hilly highways of Kansas. I like my bike but it's classified as a hybrid and is great for commuting and riding around town. The farthest I've ridden it is 27 miles. My dream bike is the Surly Long Haul Trucker. It's made for touring and riding long distances. The bike is not cheap so I have to save up for it and that includes selling a bunch of stuff.

And that brings me to the struggle I've been having for a while. I've decided to sell my comic books. I love reading comics. I have since I was 9 years old when the 1989 Batman movie hit theaters and I've been collecting them off and on ever since. None of them have huge monetary value, just sentimental more than anything. I'm going to sell some next weekend at the city-wide garage sale. I'm going to try and get rid of a bunch of stuff and lose some "weight."

Just because I'm going to sell my comics doesn't mean I'm giving them up. I still buy trade paperbacks or multiple issues bound in one volume to get my comic book fix. I'm sure I'll bring some along when I do the BAK to help pass the time in the evenings.

It's going to be much harder mentally and emotionally to lose this "weight" than it was the 110 pounds I lost.

Training for a half marathon

So I started training for a half marathon last week. A friend has convinced me to run in his yearly group run that's right at 13.1 miles. Since that is considerably farther than a 5k or 10k, I can't just show up the day of and run like I have my last 2 or 3 races. And besides, the regular running is good for me.
I started last week and ran a 5k on 3 different days. This week so far I've run 3.5 miles on Monday and early this morning. I plan on running 4 miles this Saturday. My plan is to run 3 or 4 miles for 2 days and then increase my longer run on the 3rd day. So this week is 4 miles. Next week will be 5, the week after 6 and so forth. The half marathon is on October 2nd.
I hope to be up to 9 or 10 miles and the thought is what's another 3 or 4 miles. We'll see how that works out.
Also of note, on September 17th is the Raider Run. It was last year's Raider Run that was my first race ever. I'm excited to do that one again and see how different it will be this time. I'll be able to run the whole race this time around as well as improve my time by at least 10 minutes.
I'm still maintaining my weight. I'm in that 225 to 230 pound range.
I keep thinking that I'm in over my head on this half marathon deal but then I remember a few things. Up until last year, I never thought I'd run a 5k. Up until a few weeks ago, I never thought I'd run a 10k. So why can't I run a half marathon. I'm the only person standing in the way.

My first 10k in the books

I did it. I completed my first 10k on Saturday and had a great time doing it. That's not to say it wasn't tough or that I didn't hurt along way or afterwards because I definitely did but I managed to run the majority of it and finished strong at the end. I have to also say that the 3rd Annual Brew 2 Shoe 10k was a well run event. 418 people finished the 10k race whereas they had over 200 last year.
As far as my placing goes, I finished with a time of 1:10:30.2 and averaged just under 11:21 per mile. I finished 361st out of 418 finishers and 34th out of 36 in my age group. I ran the first 2 miles and walked for a bit after that water stop. Water stops were at miles 2 through 5. I walked after each water stop and probably walked for the longest length of time between miles 4 and 5.
I really surprised myself with how well I did. Especially since I just decided I was going to participate the week before last and didn't train one bit for it. I don't think that's something to really brag about but it's just a statement of fact.
The after race festivities were awesome. The pizza and beer really hit the spot but I made sure I drank plenty of water before, during and after the pizza and beer as well as eat a couple of bananas after the race. I'm already looking forward to next year's race. The folks at Manhattan Running Co. really know how to put on a race, especially with well over 400 people participating and all of the other sponsors, local businesses and volunteers (especially those in uniform - THANK YOU!) helping out make it an event Manhattan can be extremely proud of year after year.
Congratulations to Manhattan Running Co. and Tallgrass Brewing Co. on 3+ years in business. We all make choices with the dollars that we spend and both of these businesses really put forth the extra effort to show why it matters to shop local.

My race playlist:
Barbastella - Batman Begins soundtrack
The Birth and Death of the Day - Explosions in the Sky
Kids - MGMT
Shake It - Metro Station
I Like It - Enrique Iglesias
Hey Little World - The Hives
A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
Born This Way - Lady Gaga
List of Demands - Saul Williams
Last Known Surroundings - Explosions in the Sky
Human Qualities - Explosions in the Sky
Glosoli - Sigur Ros
Hoppipolla - Sigur Ros
Sunshine (Adagio in D Minor) - John Murphy

My first 10k this weekend

So I've decided to participate in my first 10k this weekend. I say participate because I don't plan on running the whole thing. I've registered for the 3rd Annual Brew 2 Shoe 10k in Manhattan. It's a point to point race starting at Tallgrass Brewing Company and finishing at Manhattan Running Company. There will be Tallgrass beer and pizza from AJ's NY Pizzeria at the finish. I'm looking forward to that even if the race starts at 7:30 am. It should be around 9 am by the time I am done.
Luckily it shouldn't be as hot on Saturday as it has been over the last couple of weeks. It's been sad seeing my bike in the garage and not seeing any daylight. I've been making plenty of excuses not to ride or not waking up early enough before the kids are up for the day.
So as a way to make up for all of that I'm doing my first 10k. Not sure what logic there is in that, probably not a whole lot.
I'm still keeping my weight between 225 and 230. I know that if I overdo it a day or two to not get overly upset with myself but to just get back to where I was and I'm just fine.
Something else I've noticed is that I still see what I think is the old me in the mirror. I still have a spare tire but I just have to look at the picture of when I started this journey and all of the ones before to remind me that I've come a really long way in what will be one whole year next month.
So I hope to live to tell about my first 10k. If you're in the Manhattan area on Saturday morning after 7:30 along Highway 24 west of Rambler's, McCall Rd and Anderson, be sure to honk and make sure I'm ok.

Do Life 5k in Omaha

Yesterday morning I hit the road at 6 am for Omaha and arrived just before 9. Upon my arrival, I had the pleasure of meeting Ben Davis, the inspiration for this blog and my journey. Ben is such a cool guy in person. He's just like the guy we see and read everyday on his website, only a bit more tired from this cross country tour he and his dad are making along with the Ironman training they are both doing at the same time. But you can tell that he feeds off of all of the positive energy from everyone that attends (well over 60 people in Omaha) as much as we are inspired and energized by him and what he's doing.

It was also a pleasure meeting his dad, John. He's a really cool guy and someone you could listen to for hours.

John Davis aka "Pa", me and Ben Davis.

It was a rather warm morning by the time 10:15 rolled around when we started the 5k. I didn't run the whole thing but at least ran 2 miles of it. I met some really cool people from Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri, each one with their own story and in various stages of their own journey.

I was even interviewed by NTV out of Kearney.



Afterwards we went to Panera, Ben's favorite place to eat. Everyone that was able to make it had a great time. I know I did. And I can't wait for the next time we can meet. Thank you, Ben and John.

Link:
Do Life: Omaha Facebook Album
Do Life Tour
Help them out if you can

A chance to meet Ben Davis

It's a been a while since my last post. There's hasn't been a lot of news in my world. The heat has put the kibosh on riding my bicycle to work so I've been pretty bummed about that.

I have been maintaining my weight between 225 and 230 pounds. I'm pretty pleased with that.

A few nights ago I decided to start a strength program. I downloaded an app called 100 Pushups. I'm really weak in my upper body and I have some loose skin around my midsection. I figured doing this would be a great as well as inexpensive way to build muscle and tighten things a bit.

This coming Saturday, I'm driving to Omaha to take part in the Do Life Official Unofficial 5k Tour. Ben Davis of BenDoesLife.com, his dad and his brother are traveling cross country and they along with anyone who shows up are running/walking/jogging - you name it - a 5k. This Wednesday, they will be in Kansas City. There is absolutely no cost or any sort of registration with this 5k. You just show up, get inspired, inspire others and have fun.

My family is one of the major reasons why I started this journey but it was Ben and his 120-pound journey YouTube video that lit the fire in me. I saw a lot of myself in him. Seeing his before photos I thought that was me. Maybe it was the facial hair, I don't know, but seeing his transformation, I told myself, I can do that. And I did it - minus the 10k, half marathon, marathon and Iron Man races.

Hopefully I can meet Ben and tell him thanks for both his inspiration (and giving me the ok to call this site ShawnDoesLife.com).  If I can manage to get a picture with him, I'll be sure to post it.

Today's lunch

Here's part of what I had for lunch today:

It's The World's Best Veggie Burger from Local Burger in Lawrence, Kansas. I've known about these for quite a long time but it was only last week that I finally had one. I'm kicking myself for not having one sooner. If you toast it or cook it in a skillet with a little oil, their veggie burger gets a really nice crust and has a great crunch when you bite into it. Of the 3 I've eaten so far, I've eaten them plain. I like them on their own.
I'm not compensated for my opinions on things like this. I just thought it's worth writing about so people can read about the types of things I eat that has helped me lose over 100 pounds.

How I roll

So for the past 2 or 3 weeks off and on and everyday this week, I've been riding my bike to work. Since Memorial Day when a friend asked me to go for a ride, I've become hooked on riding as much as I can. The only thing that has stopped me from riding so far has been the weather. A few times it's been raining and a few times, it's been just too hot that I'd be sweating too much at work. And it's not the heat in the mornings as much as it is when I ride back to work after lunch.

Here's how I roll:

I've got my XL-sized helmet, sunglasses with a rearview mirror attached on the left side, my cinch sport bag containing all of the stuff I'd normally carry in my pockets, red bicycle gloves so that it's easier for drivers to see when I'm signaling and then a couple head or hair bands that belong to my wife that keep my pants from getting dirty from the chain and the bike itself. It's really quite a sight.

I love, love, love riding and now I have a new goal of doing the BAK. My dad had tried to get me to take part in it for years but I never felt like doing it. But now it's something I really want to do. Unfortunately my current ride won't work very well on long rides so my dream bicycle is the Surly Long Haul Trucker.

I can't wait to get back on and ride. Riding is so liberating and makes me feel young while I'm smiling along the way.

Get Fit Wamego - Final Screening

Check out these numbers from my final screening this morning.

Almost everything is in the healthy range. Still need to work on HDL and BMI but at least those numbers changed in the directions they needed to. Look at my trigylcerides from this morning compared to April 2010. That's a huge difference. And I've lost 23 pounds in just over 2 1/2 months.

I'm pretty excited an proud of this. There's still quite a bit I can do to be even healthier but what I'm doing now is working.

I hope to see more of you take part in Get Fit Wamego next year. It's a great program.

Thank you everyone for all of your support on my journey. Not only have I changed physically but it's been huge boost mentally as well with all of your well wishes and motivation.

I can wear white

And I don't look terrible. My wife went on a little shopping spree on my behalf. Thanks, babe.

Check this one out too.

I'm also down to wearing size 38 pants. Crazy!

Swimming in my jeans

Take a look at me in my old pair of jeans. I used to wear them all of the time because they were comfortable and loose fitting. I didn't realize how big they were until I put them on a few days ago. The jeans themselves are really heavy.

I've been able to get rid of so much stuff in my closet and drawers. Part of me is worried about getting rid of it because what if I gain the weight back but I'm only looking forward and I know what I need to do to keep having success on this journey. And these pictures are a good reminder of that.

Thinned out the closet some more

Got rid of more shirts, some jeans, dress pants and cargo shorts. Found one pair that was size 48. Today, size 40 is a little loose. I also found a shirt that I wore only once for a wedding almost 2 years ago. It was a light cream color and I hated wearing it because white is not the most flattering color for a large person. 

Here's the before picture:

And the after:

I'll have another post of my old pair of jeans that I used to wear all of the time.

Today's 5k in Marysville

Ran in the Marysville Rib Run this morning. Felt a whole heck of a lot better today than I did running my last 5k. I didn't have any cramping or tightening up this time around. I wasn't sure how I would do today because again, I didn't run at all since then either. I have started riding my bike to work in the last week. I'll write more about that in another post soon.

My time today was 29:00, unofficially. 9 seconds slower than my fastest time. The route was a challenging one but I still enjoyed it a lot. It was the first year for this particular race and going on at the same time was a BBQ competition. Didn't stick around long enough for that though.

I did medal and placed 3rd in my age group. I was pretty surprised by that. I'm pretty sure there were more than 3 guys in my age group. For as much as I enjoy running in races, I should run a whole lot more in between them so that I can do even better.

Race playlist:

Barbastella - Batman Begins soundtrack
The Birth and Death of the Day - Explosions in the Sky
A-Punk - Vampire Weekend
Shake It - Metro Station
Kids - MGMT
Hey Little World - The Hives
Born This Way - Lady Gaga
Glosoli - Sigur Ros

Diet vs Diet

People have been asking me if I'm still dieting or on a diet. The definition of diet that I've been using is different than what everyone is asking me.

The most well-known definition of diet is eating food to lose or control weight as well as nutrient intake.

My definition of diet is the sum of the food consumed or the food I eat on a daily basis.

The way I see it and what I strive to do can be found on the cover of Michael Pollan's book, In Defense of Food:



Look at the ribbon on that head of lettuce: "Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants." It's that simple. Now I don't always succeed at that but I'm at least aware of it at all times. Having fruits and vegetables be the focal point on my plate and the meat (especially red meat) be the side item has helped a lot. It's very "un-American." I've run into people on my journey who aren't willing to make that type of change and it's easy to see where it's getting them.

It's not like you have to give up all of the bad stuff. When it comes to red meat, I still eat it but not as often and I enjoy it more. I'm a huge fan of hamburgers, both homemade and at restaurants. Whereas I would have 2 homemade burgers with cheese, mayo, ketchup, etc., now I have 2 burgers in the course of a month, probably more like 2 or 3 and it would consist of mustard and maybe pickle.

If it's steak, I would limit myself to 4 or 5 oz. and not a typical dinner-sized portion.

I've made drastic changes in what I eat and how much. I'm not perfect but I'm more aware of what I'm doing and not just mindlessly eating.

Also, check out that book referenced above as well as his more well-known book The Omnivore's Dilemma. After that, pick up Food Rules.