Pain=Worthwhile

I have thought about this topic for a while, and I now know it is true. I often hear from people when they talk about eating good, or when I tell them how much I exercise, they say things like,

"I could never get up that early", "I could never ride my bike that far", I couldn't go a whole week without eating ________ (fill in the blank)."

Some people just don't get it, or if they do, then they just don't care. . . I am like that at times, I will admit it. . that is why I put on 23 lbs since June 24th of 2007. Because I didn't like the pain of working out as hard or eating as good. . . so now I have to deal with the choices I made.

Anything that is easy to do, is not worth doing. Seriously, think about that for a second. If something is easy to do, then it is not worth doing.

Some examples:

Lunch: Going to McDonald's and ordering a double cheeseburger, fries and large Dr.Pepper is very easy. All I have to do is get in my car, drive, pay and then eat.

Free Time: Laying on the couch and watching TV (I struggle with this myself), is very easy and it brings about nothing good.

I am not saying to never watch TV or to never eat at McDonald's (that is what splurge day is for), I am just saying that nothing good comes from those things.

Now, here is what I believe. In order for something to be worthwhile and to bring about true happiness, there has to be struggle and pain involved. Don't believe me. . .? Think about it some.

Examples:

A new baby takes pain and anguish during labor on the part of the mother. . . but in the end, is there anything more worthwhile?

Training for a marathon or Ironman or 5K road race, or bike race takes time and pain when you train for it. Believe me, I find very little pleasure in getting up in the morning and going for a 2-3 hour bike ride in 20 degree weather. Or swimming at 6:00 AM in the morning when I would rather be sleeping.

It is not easy to eat right all the time (except splurge day), it takes work and at times, yes it is painful. . there are times, when it would just be easier to get some tacos at Taco Bell, or a Pizza from Papa Johns. BUT. .the time and pain involved in eating right pays off in the end.

So those are my thoughts on that subject. PAIN=GOOD EASY=BAD

New Look

Big thanks to my wife Amy for making this blog look way better than it was. I am laking in the aesthetic region.

Well, I am not sure how often I am going to post, but just wanted to share some quick thoughts on weighing yourself (myself). I have heard two different schools of thought.

1) Weigh yourself once a week, no more because weight can vary from day to day, due to a number of reasons.

2) Weigh yourself every day, so that way you stay on track and see any fluctuations.

Well, I kindof do in between. I try to follow these rules.

1) Always weigh in the AM. (I haven't eaten so I am bound to weigh less, right? :)
2) Always weigh before eating anything.
3) Don't eat anything until I workout.
4) I only weigh myself on 1 scale that is at the gym where Amy and I go to workout. We have a scale at home, but scales can vary . . . so to keep it consistent, I only use one scale.

I think that is it. I just try and tell myself, that even though I may see a fluctuation in weight from one day to the next either up or down. . it is a slow and steady race. Just keep eating right and exercising and it will all come off. . . just takes work and time. Like anything worth doing. . . work and time.

Pic of my bike before Ironman CDA 2007

Weight Gain and Loss

As a point of reference, I wanted to share what my weight was last year in training for Ironman and after.

January 2007, I was right at 220 lbs. I was training for a marathon throughout Oct, Nov, Dec, or 2006 which took place on January 14th in Phoenix, AZ. I would have expected the weight to come off during those months before and leading up to the marathon, since I was running around 15-20 miles for my long runs on the weekend. But the reality is my nutrition didn't really change at all. So while I was able to "run" (I actually walked a lot) the marathon, my body was in pain and my knees hurt from the extra weight. I believe that I actually hurt more after my marathon than my Ironman. . .

Anyway, the point here is, I started my serious training for my 2007 Ironman on Feb 5th, 2007 I followed a workout schedule and sortof watched what I ate. The end result was that I weighed 197 lbs for my Ironman. I had lost 23 lbs since January 2007 till June 24th 2007.

Losing this weight made it a lot easier to do and finish the Ironman, but I still feel (and felt at the time), that if I had lost another 17 lbs. . I would have been lean and mean for the race.

So that is my goal this year. .. to weigh 180 lbs for Ironman CDA on June 22, 2008.

Currently I weight 213.8 (give or take a 1/2 lb). So that means I have 33.8 lbs to lose.

I WILL DO IT!!!!!!!!! I may have to stop eating at some point (just kidding), I don't recommend to ever stop eating. . . But cutting back a lot can and will help.

From Fat to Fit

I am a little late in getting this started. . (hmm, that seems to be a theme of mine) but I wanted to provide a snapshot into my training and nutrition in preparing for Ironman Coeur d'Alene Triathlon on June 22, 2008. I am tracking what I eat and how I train on two different websites and I will provide the links to each.

Another reason, is I want to hold myself accountable for getting into shape and sharing a little more about me. Which is part of my resolutions for 2008. Also, not to do anything half way. I have decided, if I am going to do something, then I am going all the way. . no more half effort for me. If a workout calls for 1 hour 50 minute bike ride, then I will do that or more. . . nothing less.

I took photos of my disgusting fat body on Jan 1st and will post those (not that anyone wants to see them), but I want a point of reference for when I get leaner and "fit".

That is all for now. . I will post the pics later. . oh and I will attempt to post pics of races/training and such during my journey to Ironman CDA 2008.

Oh here are some pics from my 2007 Ironman CDA.