Setting Goals and my training

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

Training

Today I ran the farthest distance I have ever run: 5.4 miles.  And my push up numbers continue to increase, along with the sit ups.  When I started out this morning I sure didn't feel I could really do the run, felt kind of weak legged, probably due to the change in my training schedule.  But I just kept moving and things fell into place.

Well today I ran into this post from a blog I read occasionally:

Achieving, without goals

Here is the part that really stuck out for me:

Goals are the same: we give them a lot of credit for our accomplishments, but they didn’t do the work. They might have given us a direction, but in the end, the work is done on a daily basis.

A lot of people that I run into who haven't seen me since I dropped all this weight ask me how I did it.  And to be honest, there was a lot of hard work, but very little of it was done through some sort of incremental goal setting.  I had some weight numbers in my mind, but there was never a sense of 'this week my goal is to lose 2 pounds, then next week 1 etc.'  Instead I approached it as a lifestyle change.  I changed what and how much I ate, and I changed how active I was.  And that become the proverbial snowball rolling downhill at some point. 

As I approach the end of my current training program on my Adidas MiCoach app for my phone I am wondering a little how I am going to maintain where I am at, and keep increasing my distance.  Because the 1 'goal' I do have is to run 10K's next year instead of 5K's (and maybe even run some longer races).  So I do have a goal in mind, but it is a pretty vague one. 

Given all this how do I keep myself going?  How do I get myself up and running at 5 AM 4 days a week?  How do I keep myself from eating huge meals every day?  It isn't goals at this point.  Nope, it is the result of all those lifestyle changes, and the link I posted earlier has a great breakdown of the sequence:

But remove goals from the picture and look at the gritty details of how work gets done and accomplishments happen:



You get excited about something. Sometimes that’s through setting goals, but it could be other ways: inspiration from someone else doing something, setting a challenge for yourself, joining a group doing something exciting, or just waking up and wanting to do something great. Or you put on ‘Hey Mama’ by Black Eyed Peas and start shaking your booty and want to get moving.

You take action.

Maybe you report your new thing to others — on your blog or Twitter or Facebook or an online forum, or just telling your friends.

You might make it a part of your life for a little while.

You take more action.

You tell people about how you’re doing.

Pretty soon you’ve done something amazing.

Yup, that about summed up what I did over the last 2 years.  Every once in a while it is nice to see someone capture something like this, which is a big part of your life, in better words than I have been able to use.  So, on this day, I am thankful for everything I have achieved, and the support I have received while doing it, and thankful that I was able to do it now, before I let life just carry me away into serious health threatening problems, because, as my father has said: 'a child should bury their parents, not the other way around' and if I have achieved nothing else in the last couple of years it is insuring that will be the case, barring an unfortunate accident.

Handling the cold runs, and a requiem for the #broncos season

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Training

Today was the first real cold run.  15 degrees when I was getting dressed.  Tomorrow actually promises to be even colder apparently.  Since we agreed to wait until Xmas to purchase anything else for ourselves I am in a waiting mode for purchasing any more cold weather running gear.  So today I came up with a different combo: my normal pants, gloves, hat, plus dry fit style shirt, then a non hooded sweatshirt, then a nylon shell.  And I was comfortable despite the cold, in fact felt a chill a few times, not too much, but enough to keep me moving.  Which is really the ideal.  We'll get a real verdict tomorrow as it is a real long run in what promises to be real cold weather.  But I feel good about the long runs right now.

Football

Well the game last night certainly started right, but that was pretty much the highlight.  I think the bottom line is we are seeing the effect of 2 things: poor luck/poor drafts on the defensive side, and injuries to the one position we could least afford them.  The offense is good to great depending on the opponent and circumstances, that despite starting 2 rookies on the line.  So I have to figure that will only be better next year.  The problem is the defense.  2 of our best/most important defensive players have basically not played this season, and our secondary is a mix of really young and really old players, with nothing in between.  It just hasn't worked, not consistently, you get a mix of good plays and then breakdowns from rookie mistakes or aging veterans unable to keep pace. 

So this weekend I get to see in person my 2 favorite sports teams.  And I get to see one team that is up and coming, but being built from scratch.  And another team that has tried to stay relevant by mixing in a bunch of pieces that are not guaranteed to work. It should be fun, I'll make sure to take pictures and update Twitter/FB when I can.  And thanks again to Bill & Nancy for the tickets. 

#Warzone, #HarryPotter, painting, and Xmas shopping, a very full weekend.

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

Had a good weekend.  Started off well with a family movie night, the Saturday AM run, fun times with kids.  Sunday was mostly devoted to Xmas shopping for the kids.  Then home for some Warzone with James, and then plenty of painting.  The training change went well for the first weekend.  Minimal football, which combined with the big TV still being out of order forced me to really focus some time on painting and reading, which was a nice diversion.

Family

We had Brandon over for the night Friday night, which Daniel enjoyed.  Had a relaxing night of movies with the kids and after they went to bed.  Saturday morning I ran, then fed the kids and did some picking up before taking them down to the library.  We got a bunch of books (and more CD's for me).  Then had some quiet time before Kim got home and it was off to Harry Potter.

We all enjoyed the movie (although Daniel was his usual fidgety self).  Sunday was focused on Xmas shopping for the kids, both with them, and then after handing them off to Grandma.  After that was complete we came home and James and I finally tackled our Warzone game.  That was followed by some painting time, including giving James a chance to paint for the first time.  All in all it was a good weekend.

Training

The first weekend of the new training schedule went well.  The Saturday morning run went well, and my run this morning showed no ill effects from only having 1 day of rest.  I started the 200 sit up program Friday night, and started the second week of 100 push ups.  It is all going very well.  I am really looking forward to how this is all going to end up, because to be honest I don't really have a specific goal in mind, this is all just general fitness for me.  And the runs are the closest thing I have to a meditative time. 

Miniatures

I got in lots of painting time this weekend.  Finished 1 squad, and got 95% done on another one.  I am really getting back into the groove.  And yesterday James asked to paint, so I gave him an Empire archer to do.  Then gave him some basic pointers.  He really enjoyed it, and in fact this morning he was ready to paint some more.  I told him that maybe after school he could, or he could wait until I get home and paint after dinner.  I wanted him to ask to do it, rather than force him. 

We finished the game we started a couple of weeks ago, although James got frustrated and bored, and we did end before we could have.  I think he would have liked a simpler force to work with than what I put together, especially while he is still getting familiar with the rules.  So for the next game I will design a more conservative force for him, and then set some scenario objectives to make the game interesting.  It's  all a question of learning and development, and sometimes I have to force myself to remember he is only 9.

My evolving training plan(s), #Warzone, #HarryPotter (and that's just Saturday)

Dear James, Daniel and Emily
Training

In my continuing evolution of fitness I have made a change this week, along with adding 2 new fitness programs, and a plan for family fitness as well.

• New training programs: 100 Pushups and 200 Situps.  At one time I was doing the Ab lounger before my morning runs, but time cut that out.  But I have determined that I want to be able to do both, but know that I can't do both in the same day for now.  So I have a plan to work these programs until I reach the point where I can actually do 100 pushups and 200 situps, then make those an every other day routine.
• Changed my running plan, moving my Friday runs to Saturday mornings.  Espeically with the colder waether setting in it is harder for me to do anything active on the weekends.  So this is one way to get me to do something every day of the week, be it running or the above routines.  In addition Fridays are always hard to get motivated anyway, but by getting myself up on Saturdays and running I can greatly improve my attitude that day, which is never a problem with Fridays because it is the last day of the work week.
• Starting after Thanksgiving we are going to set aside Thursday nights as a family Y night (at least until the weather improves to the point where we can go to parks instead).  This is the other reason for moving the Friday runs, I want to be able to really push myself when swimming and having fun with the kids, without worrying about wiping out my energy for the morning run. 

So that's the new plan, with a goal of being able to consistently clock 15-20 miles a week alternating with situps and pushups.  And I think that is eminently doable.

Family

Hope to resume the Warzone game with James tomorrow.  Then we are taking the boys to see Harry Potter in the afternoon on Saturday.  Sunday? no plans, and likely no big TV, and no Broncos game, so who knows? Maybe some other kind of fun and games.

When it rained & poured, I got a refreshing reminder of what was important

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

On Monday we finally broke down and took one of the vans in for brake work.  That was not exactly a cheap expense, but had to be done, the light kept coming on, and the rattle we got braking at high speeds was getting worse.  So we sucked it up and took it in.

Last night Kim was watching TV and it just went dark, and would not come back on.  After trying a couple of different things we figured out that the lamp was shot.  And will have to either fix it, take it in for service, or replace it.  So that led to a stressful couple of hours while we contemplated what we were going to do.

While sitting in silence, contemplating all of this, I was browsing Twitter and came across this link:

A mother's Journey

And looking at the photos and captions really brought me back down to earth.  Reminding me of what was important.  And if we have to sit in silence and read books or paint or do puzzles for a couple of days that just isn't that big of a hardship in the long run.  In fact it was kind of nice to just sit and read with Kim for a couple of hours.

I was able to find out what was really wrong with the TV today and should have it up and running within a week.  So not a huge deal.  Again, perspective is really important sometimes. 

Fully Integrated now

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Lookout Facebook folks, I have finally figured out how to complete total integration of this blog, Twitter and Tumblr posts.  So when I create a post here, or in Tumblr the feed seamlessly goes to Twitter.  Then the integration of Twitter and Facebook places what I say in Facebook. 

In theory I could then skip the Tumblr all together now since my original setup there was for the combined link of Facebook and Twitter feeds, to save time on my phone.  But since I have unilaterally placed all of my political posts to Tumblr it has become a subscribed feed.  So I will keep that going on it's own. 

But I do get to save the time now, instead of writing a post here, then publishing, then going to bit.ly and coming up with another clever lead in, I can skip all of that.  Instead whatever I post here, will go directly to Twitter with the post as the tweet, and a link. 

Then all of my tweets go directly to Facebook as a status message.  With links back here if it is a link to this site, or a link back to Tumblr if it comes from there, etc. 

What does all this mean to you, the reader?  Basically nothing, although I might have to get more clever with the titles.  The biggest change is I might get more traffic from Facebook.  But that won't affect what I write here. 

(Sorry Dave & Dan for all of the testing messages, if you want to I can remove the direct messages to you if you want to just use the feeds, send me a direct message if that's the case.)

Lasst bit of tinkering today

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

I swear, I promise, well that's assuming this works...

(sorry to Dave & Dan, for the multiple e-mails)

Testing Feedburner

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,'

Theoretically this should now appear as a Twitter link.

Just a few notes

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

Training

Good week.  Hit a personal high 5 mile run yesterday. Still figuring out the cold weather gear, but waiting to buy the extra clothing for now.  Had an interesting experience today.  I was running along, and tripped, tried to stay up for a few steps, then eventually crashed, and it hurt.  But I got right back up and kept right on running.  Finished my 3 miles without any problems.  My hip is tightening up now, but otherwise it feels fine.  Which is another turning point for me, to have something like that happen and to just get right back up and keep running is a big deal.

Working on a new training deal.  100 Pushups, using a phone app to work my way up to being able to do 100 pushups at one shot.  Pushups have never been my best exercise, but since I have lost all this weight they are a little easier.  And I feel that the pushups are a worthwhile additional exercise to undertake.

Blog addition

So if you look to the right on the blog you will now see options to add my blog posts to Google Reader, and also my Tumblr feed to Google Reader as well.  I intend to add regular RSS feeds for both as well this week.  All of this is just an easier way to get the content of the blog, and in the case of Google reader limit the number of web sites you need to visit to get the content.  So, just an FYI for those interested in that option.


Family

In the continuing effort to increase the kids literacy and love of books I am trying to figure out some books for the kids for Christmas.  The problem with books is that I have grown so used to the library that my first instinct is to get a book for them from the library, not buy it.  So I am having to kind of carpet bomb then somewhat with different libary ones until we come across something that would be worth actually owning.  I don't mind buying them books, I just don't want to have a massive library of books that are either unread or only read once and forgotten. 

Monday morning recovery

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Had a good weekend, lots of fun family time.  James and I got a new game of Warzone started, but did not finish.  Had a good time at Dillon's birthday party.  Did some Sunday shopping (always a trial), but then had some fun with the kids at Lazerquest.Came home to relax, watch the Broncos, and got caught up on TV shows.

Miniatures

Didn't paint this weekend, but James and I did play.  His focus left a little something to be desired, just need to point that out to him before we start the game again.  Plus he has an annoying tendency to not move units, even when they are doing nothing.  But we were having fun when we had to stop for timing.  Hopefully we can start up where we left off on another night. Or this weekend. Now I just have to get my paints out again this week. 

Family

It was a nice weekend for the family, pretty relaxing overall.  We had a good time at the birthday party, I got to sit and watch lots of college football, then we played some games.  The kids had a good time with their cousins.  Sunday we took the kids out for a trip to LaserQuest, for a couple of games of Lasertag.  which the boys enjoyed. 

I struck a little more while the Iron was hot with James and watched the 300.  Which was a little gory, and some scary parts for Daniel, but James really liked it.  Then on Saturday we had a long talk about the Spartans and general military history.  He is at the right age where I can enjoy teaching him all these things that I have soaked up through the years. 

Football

Watched far more football than I planned to over the weekend, but it was fun, and I took it in stride.  I was glad to see the Buffs rebound in the post-Hawkins era.  And it was good to see the Broncos return to winning.  In both cases I am not getting my hopes up for this to be a portent of things to come. 

Training

So my new gloves worked quite well this weekend in general, and much better for my run this morning.  My hands and the gloves were not soaking wet from sweat after my run.  So the next step will be some long sleeve shirts, and then a new shell jacket.  I don't know where this is all coming from, but as the saying goes 'no one ever regrets their workout, be it a morning run or whatever, they only regret not doing it' and that is a feeling I have become familiar with as I find it easier and easier to get up and run, and miss the workout the mornings I don't run.

Another week down, and is it really only 1.5 week until Thanksgiving?

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

Another full week down, except for the kids, who had yesterday off.  Good running this week, high for time and distance since I started this program, but not so much for eating.  Committing myself to a game of Warzone this weekend with James as there are no major projects or events to plan for that will take up my attention.  Not real focused on football though, kind of enjoyed that last weekend.  Also trying to keep the politics to Tumblr, so don't be afraid to click on those links on this page.

Family

Only major plan is a family birthday party, but that is at someone elses' house, and no major planning for us so should be restful for us.  The kids did well this week, including handling a day with Grandpa Pete (thanks again Dad, and should I say Grandpa survived the kids?).  No real problems with James pacing his homework for once, or doing their chores.  So the planning ahead and setting up that routine is paying off, even if staggering the bedtimes is a little intensive I think it works better. 

Training

Ran over 14 miles combined this week!  That's a high for me.  And also ran for over 2 hours combined, another high.  And by adding the stretching routine at night before I go to bed I think I have fought through and solved the problem of the knot in my calf that was refusing to go away a couple of weeks ago.  It's little stuff like that that make all the difference, especially at my age.  I am planning on adding a new routine next week, but won't go into details until I really get started with it and commit.

The changing diet is going well overall.  My dairy and meat intake has been cut dramatically.  And I actually did well after the first week of avoiding the Halloween candy.  My big problem has been getting the appetite back under control, I realize that even though I am eating healthier, I still don't have a license to pig out.

Miniatures

Didn't crack the paints at all this week, gotta get back to that.  First, because it is a fun diversion.  Second, it is a good thing to do in the evenings that focuses my attention.  I think part of that will come from getting an actual game in with James this weekend.  Life has just gotten away from me for the past month, but no excuses this weekend. 

Routine

First week went well, stuck to the menu pretty well.  Kids did their daily routines of homework and chores.  And we didn't even have to resort to the board for reinforcement.  But the initial stages of developing a routine are always like that.  The key is combating the elements of chaos that trickle in after that first stage that is hard.  So we have to take the time on Sunday to map out the next week, and then stick to it again.

Football

Even though the Broncos are playing again this week I am going to make a concerted effort to not plan my day around the games.  If we are home, and nothing is on tap, I will watch, but ideally it may only be a backdrop while we do other stuff.  Of course the weather being what it is it is much harder to achieve that, it's hard to get away from the TV when you are stuck at home while it is snowing and cold outside. 

They finally did it, the long era of pain is over.

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

Hawkins relieved of his duties as CU head coach

I was a staunch defender of Coach Hawk, I really thought he was the perfect match to Boulder and CU.  But after 5 years it has become clear that while his personality may have meshed well with Boulder, his talents and skills as a head coach were not up to snuff.  It's sad and troubling that it had to end this way.  I would have liked to have seen him succeed or if not succed at least go out with some style.  But that last loss was really the final straw.

Here's a couple of names I would like to see replace him:

Mike Leach, bring the Pirate to Boulder!  He may not be a typical head coach, but he took an also ran school in the highly competitive state of Texas and made it into a conference and even possible national champion contender. 

Gus Malzhan: His offensive wizardry might be the trick we will need to keep up in the new conference. 

Eric Bienemy: Bring Scooter back to Boulder!  I'm not 100% sure he is ready to be a head coach, but this would have real appeal to the alumni.

Bill McCartney: I would only want this as a bridge, like in combination with Bienemy or long shot Dave Logan as a coach in waiting. 

Positive weekend, settling into new routine

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Kim had a good birthday party, it was a definite success.  We got some good things done around the house as far as setting up the new routine.  Emily got to go to her first friends birthday party solo, and had a good time.  And I only barely watched any football, a real change for me.  And I had a great start to the weeks training today.

Family

Kim had a good birthday all around.  We had a nice quiet night on Friday, pizza and a movie at home.  Saturday I got lots of things done with pictures, as part of Kim's present, but also got a little caught up in that, so maybe didn't get the house as ready, but it was fine. 

Kim's party was nice, thanks to all who helped out, and a special thanks to Phyllis & Alan for bringing the fine salad and spaghetti sauce.  There was lots of nice visiting time, followed by some fun playing Wii, and then several rounds of Stinkpot. 

So Emily was scheduled to go to the party on Saturday, but the party was postponed until Sunday.  So I took the time to get her hair cut and got some tips for dealing with her tangles (a daily fight due to morning grooming before school).  But on Sunday she was able to go, and after overcoming her initial clinging she relaxed and let us leave.  And when we picked her up it appeared that she had a great time.  So that was a nice new experience for her. 

Training

The weekend eating continues to be a fight, but that's not a surprise, until we get past all of the events that will be par for the course.  Had some good runs Friday, and especially today, today I topped my longest distance, as I cracked 4.5 miles, running at a running pace instead of just a slow jog.  So I think that if I had to I could do a 10K at a slow jog, provided the course wasn't too hilly.  Which is real progress, and has me feeling confident of reaching my eventual goal of running a 10K in a reasonable time by next spring.

Routine

So now that we are past all of the holidays and leave time we sat down to implement a regular schedule of homework, and chores for the kids.  And get back into the habit of regular weekly menu planning.  And part of this is a commitment on our part to return to bedtime reading to the kids.  As a creature of habit I am of course looking forward to this. 

Happy Birthday to the love of my life

Happy Birthday Kim!

Wishing my goofygirl, the best thing I ever did in my life, the most wonderful and joyous of birthdays.



Catching up after a week of politics

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Some points and observations that are unrelated to politics, since the election is over and I can reduce my interest there.

• James has become very interested in tales of Spartans, particularly the story of the 300 Spartans.  So I am striking while the iron is hot.  Getting him some books on the subject, plus watching the 300 with him (I know it's not super accurate but it's a fun retelling, suitable for a 9 year old).  Plus, after watching the first Percy Jackson movie I am getting those books from the library, and showed him a copy of my old Edith Hamilton Mythology book, in keeping with the general theme of Ancient Greece and their myth stories.

• My running went very well this week.  My eating, not so much.  My meals have been good, but the availability and lure of Halloween candy has been my downfall.  I have really noticed more though how the candy has the effect of wanting more and never satisfying.  So after the week is over I will have to get back to better discipline on that score.

• Emily's first week at BV has gone well so far.  She has apparently done very well in class, and no accidents, which were my biggest concerns.  The morning drop offs have taken some adjustment, I can't just sign her in and run like with Daniel, she wants/needs me to stick around for a little longer.  But that will change with time I am sure.

• Last family birthday this week, celebrating Kim's birthday Saturday night.  That will finally be the end of it, 4/5 of the family have birthdays within a months time, making October just really hectic, with every weekend another event.  But that comes to an end after this weekend, thank goodness. 

• No Rams or Broncos this weekend, so Sunday should be a very relaxing day, with no real reason to be glued to the TV.  May catch up on some household projects, may also play some games with James.  Then again Kim may decide on doing something more active, in which case we'll do that. 

Now the same pundits who claimed 2008 wasn't a mandate will say 2010 is.

And they won't be right this time either. This election was the result of political ADD and 9 - 10 % unemployment. The 24 hour news cycle makes people expect overnight change. But the reality is no matter what branch of economics you espouse the invisible hand moves at it's own pace.

The Republicans need to remember these points.  They were elected by an incredibly impatient electorate that expects instant results, even when those results aren't possible.  So, if a split Congress and Democratic President are incapable of making unemployment disappear or at least go down appreciably in the next 2 years that same electorate is going to be angry again.  And with a popular President having someone to point the finger at I wouldn't want to be a Republican who was elected this year with promises to change things.

Having said all that, I am done with this election.  I hope things get better, I really do, but I doubt that the above scenario will having any more success at getting the invisible hand to hurry up.


"Society is like a stew, if you don't stir it up all the scum rises to the top." Edward Abbey
Mike Ruch

It's on November! We are ready for you!

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Finished October on a high note.  The kids got to have a good Halloween weekend.  My training continues to develop, in spite of weather changes, and fought off a tough eating weekend.  Handled another disappointing football weekend, still striving to get my head around these bad games.  Ready for a new routine to kick in.

Family

The boys had a 4 day weekend, and I had a 3 day one, and of course poor Kim had to work every day, no justice in this world sometimes.  The boys got to enjoy a day with Grandpa, and then days with Dad, including a trip to soccer.  It was a good change and break for them.  Emily wound up her time at Old Town, thanks to all the wonderful folks there, it was an excellent transition for her. 

The kids got lots of trick or treating chances: Manitou on Friday, Old Colorado City and then a neighborhood trip on Sunday.  Much fun was had, lots of fun costumes to see.  And now we have 3 big bags of candy sitting around the house to tempt us (must resist). 

Training

I am enjoying the change up with the neighborhood runs, there is a straightforward roughly 2 mile loop I can run, and then break it up into small chunks.  Plus that gives me the enhancement of running up and down some hills, not a rough trail run, but some hills, which is important long term for any races I want to run next year.  I can't get too used to the flat track.  My plan is to use the track on the interval days, and then run the neighborhood on long stretch run days.

Eating wise I was okay over the 3 day weekend, although still over indulged in the evenings.  As always that's the toughest time for me.  But the transition to a new diet continues.

My next added routine is stretching, I stretch before and after my runs, but I think I need to add a routine before bed as well.  Because as I ramp up the runs I am starting to feel like one of my calves just never relaxes.  So hopefully a little more stretching will help, and in general help get the blood flowing before bed. 

Football

I would never have thought that at this point that the 1 bright point amongst my teams would be the Rams.  I had more hopes and expectations for the Buffs, Rebels and Broncos than the Rams.  That is one of the reasons why I like football, it's still the best reality TV out there, with a lot of unscripted surprises every week and season.  I just need to get my head straight when watching the Broncos and acclimate myself to the idea that they are just not a good team now.

Routine

With Emily starting school today, and the coming end of the month of birthdays life should start to settle into more of a routine.  And I am already making plans for just that with the kids.  Setting up a daily routine of expected chores and home work.  Little things, like taking the dog for a walk, feeding the dog, doing home work, picking up dirty clothes etc.  And add a section for exercise routines for me and Kim.  I am a big fan of routine, and I think it helps the kids to have some of that as a a basis for their lives. We have been looking at a big magnetic white board to use as a tracker for such things.  Just so there is some level of expectations. 

Because as James gets older and starts testing his limits it is important that we have something we can point to and say 'Have you done X today? If not you cannot have a friend over, play this game etc.'  I know that yesterday when it was time it was very easy to tell James: 'You need to do your math home work, walk the dog, and pick up your room, you have 2 hours'.  He basically knows how to manage himself, you just have to lay out his responsibilities.