Kids remain a puzzle, just when I think I have a handle...

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

What should have been considered a good morning by all the kids leading to a better Monday did not turn out that way. Not to make the weekend sound bad, it was good, just the kids are a continuing puzzle.

Family

Friday night we took the kids to a Colorado College hockey game. It was a new experience and a fun one, the kids enjoyed themselves, although they did run out of gas what with the game starting at their normal bed times. The game itself was a good one. Of course staying up later than usual on Friday night does take it's toll the rest of the weekend.

Saturday was a very good day, after my workout at the Y I took the kids to the park to enjoy the unseasonable nice weather. After doing that we drove around a little before heading home and relaxing. Eventually watching a movie that I would recommend for any parent of pre-teen kids: Ramona and Beezus
It was a nice little movie and the main character really gave some insight into Daniel.

Sunday we took the kids to the Mall, as a place to walk around, let them play indoors, and get out of the house. Which on the surface was a good idea. But then we decided that it would be as good a time as any to get Emily's ears pierced. Which went very well. But then Daniel wanted his pierced too (because that's just how he rolls). And we had to basically buy him off with another toy, which Emily wanted too, resulting in mass hysteria for a time. But eventually that worked itself out.

The Monday morning hit. First, Emily, who had been fighting a cold, had it develop into a bad cough, which meant she ended up not going to school. Well Daniel has been fighting a real case of Monday blues for a couple of weeks now, he just does not want to go to school. Seeing that Emily got to stay home just made that worse this morning, resulting in a major fit from him. Sigh... Of course if the weather does what the weather reports say tomorrow could end up being a delay or even school closure, which might mean Daniel gets his wish.

Training

First run with new shoes both days went well. Treadmill run at the Y on Saturday, I am slowly acclimating myself to that, and the kids seem to enjoy that time out of the house. And my feet were no worse for wear using the new shoes. Sunday's run went well with the other pair of shoes. For once I did a decent job of not subconsciously deciding that since I had a morning run I could eat more, and kept tighter control of the eating habits. And today I forced myself back into the push up, sit up routine I had been neglecting.

Sports

Had a chance to watch sports, specifically the NBA this weekend, and willingly passed it up. It's a combination of not being appealing and the fact that it's like that first drink for an alcoholic. I know that I could easily get sucked back in, but that's bad for me, have to avoid it. And fortunately it has been pretty easy to do just that since the games have just lost their appeal to me on some level.

Projects

Kim took the swing set down Friday afternoon, so that project was accomplished. It's kind of odd to see that big empty space in the back yard now. But we are not in any hurry to fill it, or at least I'm not. I know James wants to build a fort, but I kind of like the empty space, and think it would be nicer to have the space come summer for playing the lawn sports like bocce ball and ladder ball. That is a discussion we will have to have. For now I will just know that the kids are no longer climbing and swinging on a potentially unsafe swing set.

Plans for weekend plus a #Freerangekid moment

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Tonight will be fun and a different experience for the family as we are taking the kids to a CC hockey game. Tomorrow I plan to resume my training with my new shoes in hand. But, after that, I plan to do as many outdoor activities as I and the kids can handle. As always the first weekend with no football to watch is a shock. And another bridge crossed for a child today.

Family

Kim wanted to do something new and different, so we decided to take them to the hockey game. We are under no illusions about being able to really focus on the game itself, but that's okay, the games are actually just fun events, and pretty family friendly entertainment, lots of dancing, cheering etc.

Saturday after my trip to the Y for a workout I plan to open things up for the kids choice to some extent. Although the goal is to take advantage of the nice weather and do as much as possible outside. So if the kids just want to go home after the Y we will do that but if that's the case my plan is to tackle the swing set. Sunday is still open, but I imagine Kim will have some ideas about what she wants to do, after my run of course.

James took another step in his growth and independence today. Rode his bike to school for the first time. Something he has been wanting to do, but first he needed to get a new helmet, then the bike lock he got for Xmas, then wait for the ice pack to melt off etc. Today everything fell into place for him to go, so off he went.

Training

Resumption of my running tomorrow, with 2 new pairs of shoes to alternate with. I am happy, actually only missed one session. I am not exactly where I wanted to be at the end of this month fitness and weight wise, but I have to be happy with what I have done, winter is just not an easy time to remain fit, and hard to make time for exercise. I know I'll get there, just keep it up, be conscious of my behavior and remain motivated.

Football and Televised sports in general

Glad to see the end of the season. Even happier to realize that I know there are other things I can do on the weekends than sit and watch sports. I love football, but to a great extent as I grow older I get happier every year when the season is over and I can turn my mind to other pursuits.

Ouch! My foot hurts why does it hurt? Dealing with my first running related injury

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

I find it ironic that just after I had conversation with my Dad about my dealing with an injury setback to my exercise that I have to do just that, he jinxed me! Today I am taking my lunch hour to the sporting goods store to get at least 1, possibly 2 new pairs of running shoes. After consulting with my many running buddies and doing some research it turns out that the injury is 99% likely due to my shoes wearing out. Apparently a pair of running shoes, or at least the padding inside, is only good for between 300-500 miles. As a rough estimate I have put about 350+ miles on my current pair of shoes (but since a lot of those miles are on pavement, and I am still not what you would call skinny the wear is a little harder).


The description of my injury is basically the metatarsals on 1 foot have become overworked and inflamed, that is the ball of my foot. Some rest, combined with ice and heat should get that under control. But in order to prevent it from happening again I will have to pay a little more attention to my shoes. Which is actually pretty easy since my little tracking app (Adidas MiCoach) I use to track my runs: distance, time, routes etc. also allows me to say what shoes I am wearing, so I can track how many miles I am putting in with those shoes.

This is all still pretty new to me, and kind of mystifying. In order to be more than just a casual runner (once or twice a week if that) there are so many things you really have to pay attention to. Shoes, socks, wear the right gear, track your miles, pace, routes, it's all things I would never have imagined having to care about, much less pay attention to. But as I gradually get more serious, and train for longer distances, these are the things I need to keep in mind.

Never trust a millionaire who wants to tell you why the government must control it's spending

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Missed the first part of the State of the Union last night, but caught most of it. And then endured the idiocy of the 'Official' Republican response. Here's my take on both, for what it's worth.

Most of what Obama said had to be taken with a grain of political salt of course. It just doesn't make sense to talk about investment and spending, while at the same time talking about cutting back on waste and controlling the deficit. Politically most of what he asked for was pretty much just bully pulpit talk, which I don't expect much results from.

I was mildly excited by his talk of ending subsidies for Oil companies in order to pay for clean technology research. That's a real good idea, and I saw a chart a week or 2 ago that demonstrated just how big of an impact that could have. The most interesting thing that I heard he proposed was to really reorganize the government structure. This sounded cool, and made sense, and could actually result in real cost saving. All of which means that it is an effort that is pretty much doomed from the start.

Listening to the GOP response had me alternating between yelling "you lie!" at the TV and checking to make sure I still had my wallet. The best description of GOP policies is this, put in the terms that politicians always like to use:

Take your family, the parents are both working, and one or both of them are working 2 or maybe even 3 jobs. They work so hard because they had to take a pay cut from their primary job as a result of the recession. They took on the extra jobs because they still want to be able to pay for their kids school supplies, medical insurance, and be able to pay for maintenance on their home and cars. Taking on extra jobs until your primary job income rises is like being willing to pay higher taxes so that the government can pay for infrastructure improvements, education improvements, and health care.

The GOP thinks you shouldn't have to take on those extra jobs, because that extra work is cutting into your freedom. Instead they want you to only work 1 job, and in fact maybe even take lower wages, because that free time is your freedom. Of course you can't do that and pay your bills, so you take out more loans and max out your credit cards to keep up. Now the GOP says that instead of taking on the extra work and jobs you just need to suck it up and forgo buying those new clothes for your kids, educational supplies, health insurance, or maintenance on your house and car. See, just cutting that spending allows you to keep up with your bills, of course if something horrible happens, or if you care at all about the future and want to plan for it that's simply not possible. But you have all that 'freedom'!

My response is that all that 'freedom' from taxation is worthless when my kids have to go to schools that can't afford basic supplies and be taught by teachers who have effectively taken an oath of poverty. It's worthless when the roads I drive on rarely get repaved, much less upgraded. It's worthless when there are not streetlights on my street, and the local parks are overgrown with weeds and covered in graffiti. It's worthless when it takes the police 30 minutes to respond to a 911 call because half the force was cut to save money. It's worthless when a woman fells she has to risk prison and her future career to send her kids to a better school.

And that is the world that these millionaires talk about when they talk about our freedom from taxation. I don't see them stepping up to the plate to save us from the deficit. I don't see them giving up their government paid health care, even though they want to repeal the same for the rest of us. I don't see them giving up their perks, and half or more of their income to save us from the deficit.

My biggest feeling is that when it comes to money our political culture has lost the sense of community, that we are all in this together. That when sacrifice is called for, it is those who have the most who should be willing to makethe largest sacrifice. Instead the prevailing wisdom seems to be that sacrifice should somehow affect us all equally, so that millionaire only has to give up a couple of gold trips, while the rest of us forego things like new clothes, car repair, hoem maintenance etc. People like to talk aout the 'Geat Generation' that fought in WWII, well let's not forget that generation also gave up a lot of personal wealth so we could have a country with the largest middle class in world history, the most equal distribution of wealth in a modern democratic society. Too bad that sacrifice is not talked about any more.

Training: am I overtraining, running into a wall and what is my goal?

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

I'll start with the first answer: my goal is continued health and fitness, that more than anything is why I run. Yes, I want to enter more races, and do well in them. And yes, I have an inner competition to see just how far I can run and overall how much I can push myself. But in the end running has become something I enjoy doing for it's own sake, not necessarily needing a goal to keep doing it. I would like to think it has become a part of my life that I won't stop.

Here's the problem. I am starting to get more aches and pains as a result of the running. Not when I run, usually any problem I encounter while I run is temporary or goes away pretty much when I slow down. But, even with daily stretching I am starting to encounter some pains that just don't ever really go away. I have spoken to at least 1 long time runner and gotten some advice. And I am going to break down and set up an appointment with my doctor about one of the pains that is most troublesome.

The thing is that I am afraid to stop running for any length of time at this point. And given my current life and schedule running is really the most convenient form of exercise I have available. And who is to say that switching to a different pursuit might not hit a similar wall? These are all rhetorical questions, I don't expect answers, but feel free to respond if you have any bright ideas or comments.

Football, cleaning, movies, computer games, working out & role playing: full weekend

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Read that title again, those are all activities I participated in this weekend (watching football not playing), that's a pretty full and well rounded weekend. And in the end that is what I strive for, and why I use the handle FreeRangeGeek, free to range over all the many activities, and finding fun in all of them.

Role Playing

It was definitely good to be back and enjoy the group, the friends and the game. I am using Tumblr to go over details of the games. But it was a good time, lots of fun, joking, laughter and stories. I am still not sure if I can manage twice a month, we'll see how that goes.

Football

Watched most of both games, although not with 100% focus. They were mirror images: the favored team jumping out to a lead, and seemingly dominating the game, only to allow the other team to claw back, and threaten to steal the game. In the end I think the best teams won, and it should be a very interesting Super Bowl. We could see a real 'purists Super Bowl' at least from the perspective of low scoring, great defense.

Training

Had a good weekend exercise wise. After gorging myself on Friday (ate way too much junk). Got in time on the exercise bike at the Y (went too late in the day for treadmill). Had a good run Sunday, took Spotty along again, she's an excellent pacer, doesn't let me take it easy, I can either walk, or hold to a good jogging pace. Resumed my push ups and sit ups today. The only thing missing is resuming my practice of focusing on eating instead of reading/watching TV.

Projects

Kim & I really tackled the house cleaning yesterday. Some times it's actually kind of fun to do something as distasteful as cleaning if you can work with someone, and talk while working. Which is how we handled it this weekend. We really got the house under control. and reclaimed control of the basement, including the Lego area.

Family

Left the kids at school today wondering just how long the younger two would last. Daniel is having some problem this weekend, not really sure what it is, but he was real touchy, especially this morning. Not sick, or at least now symptoms to speak of, just real touchy and whiny. Not sure what is going on, but I did promise him that Saturday we would make sure to do something fun that he wanted to do, not just what the other kids want to do. Emily is fighting the recent cold that Kim had, was convinced that in the morning she would be stying home, but she woke up energized enough to go ahead and go, hopefully it lasts.

This was sent to me and I had to share

Dear James, Daniel and Emily

Read this

Taking full advantage of my Friday 'cheat day' combined with night out

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Today I chose to give myself a full fledged cheat day: no exercise, no calorie counting. I deserve it, I have been good about my workouts, and semi-good about my calories intake for a couple of weeks now. And what better day than the same day that I also have a night out planned, with dinner to myself, and role playing with friends. I am a little surprised how excited I am about this, but it has been quite a while since I had a night out.

I don't know if it was due to my feeling good about the day and therefore letting my good mood rub off, or finally getting into the swing of things, but the kids were all good for me this morning for a change. No last minute rushes to get things together from James, no breakdowns from Emily & Daniel. It was kind of nice to even wrestle a little with the little ones once we got to school. It's kind of amazing how being in a good mood can be contagious.

No real plans for the weekend. If the weather holds we might take down the swing set, if not we might just focus on getting the house back under control, particularly the basement. I'll try to watch as much of the football games Sunday as I can of course.

Finding the freedom to have fun, and take breaks when I need them

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

One of the hardest things in my life is choosing to have fun. And taking breaks from the many tasks and chores of every day life.

That is why this week when first circumstance, then choice led to my taking a day off from all exercise, I had to convince myself that it was okay. Which is odd, considering that it wasn't that long ago that I had full weeks of gaming, painting and role playing. Part of that is the price of having kids of course. But I have friends with kids the same age as mine who still find the time to get out 1-2 nights a week. Which just isn't me, not any more.

So given that dedication to family, and being home with them, that I shouldn't be surprised when I have a hard time taking a break from my new habits of exercise. Because if I have a hard time convincing myself to take time out to get out of the house to have fun, it stands to reason that I might have a hard time convincing myself that it is okay to not take a walk on a given day.

With all of that as background I am pretty excited to have a night out this week. And it really made a difference to take the day off from exercise yesterday. Just have to remind myself of 2 things. First, 1 day off or 1 night away from the family will not kill me or make life unbearable for Kim & the kids. Second, just don't make a habit of either one to the point where I stop exercising, or spend too much time away from the family.

A side note

Emily is sorely testing her limits recently. Almost every morning includes at least 1 tantrum, and threatened time out or actual time out. I know this will pass, and I just have to stand firm as far as ignoring as much as I can, and not letting her tantrum turn into my tantrum. I just have to maintain an even keel when she loses it, and not let her get the best of me.

Interesting phenomena: my best runs seem to happen when it is hardest to start

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

This morning I was definitely feeling the effects of the long runs over the weekend, sandwiched by a couple of vigorous lunch time walks. In other words my legs were sore, and had not had a day off for a while. Yet I not only managed my run, I kind of crushed what is normally an easy run by averaging a consistent 10 minute mile.

This isn't the first time this has happened. Mornings when I have a hard time getting moving, and the legs are sore, etc. I end up having a really good run. I don't exactly know why, probably because my mind is more focused on maintaining the pace when it has to focus more on just keeping moving. I don't know exactly what it is, but I'll take it.

After this week I get to move on to a new running plan. This one will be focused on getting me to a consistent 10K pace. After that, I may start considering a move to half marathons, but that's more of an If, not a sure thing. For now I want to be ready for 10K's when the first races for the grand prix start.

Life may not be what you expect, be ready to roll with the changes

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Plans called for another restful weekend, just sitting around the house mainly. But things changed, from my personal carting the kids around Saturday to a full day of errands/shopping on Sunday. Had my fill of football, especially Saturday. Good news and timing for me as I learned I get to jump in on another role playing game. Changed up & took Spotty with me on a run, made for different experience.

Family

Knowing that I planned to spend Saturday afternoon and evening watching football I got an early start on Saturday with the kids. Took them to the Y while I worked out. Then over to the library for some story time, while I found some books for James & I. Then it was off to the game store so I could touch base with my friends that I have neglected for too many months. I had thought of trying for 1 more store but they talked me out of that. The rest of the day went pretty much like I planned: Kim went out, and I watched football while the kids played.

Sunday I had only 2 things planned: take a long run, and go to the AT&T store to pick my new phone. Kim decided she wanted to just check out the Goodwill so we made that a family journey. Next thing we knew we finally got back to house with all of the kids around 4, complete with some new clothes for the kids and a bargain table for the kids to use as a Lego/game table. But you know, that happens sometimes, and the important thing is to roll with it, enjoy the time, and make the best of it.

Now Kim gets to try and spend the day recovering from an oncoming cold, while the kids get the day off from school, and hopefully let her rest.

Football

The games I watched were good, well at least the first one was. But I think my appetite for football is mostly sated. I will watch next Sunday, and the Super Bowl. But it's much easier as there are no teams left in the playoffs that I dislike, I would be pretty much happy with any of the remaining 4 winning the Super Bowl at this point.

Training

Changed things up on purpose with my training. Saturday I tried out going to the Y and doing my interval run on the treadmill. Not as successfully as I could have done, but got in a good run anyway. Sunday I took Spotty along on my long run. That was definitely a different experience, more of a full body experience as I had to deal with constantly pulling on the leash. So that in combination with me being out of practice of running back to back days had me slowing down and walking at the end. But I still did 6 miles in a little over an hour. The other big difference both days was not taking as much time tow warm up as I usually do. So if I try the same thing next week that will have to be a priority.

Role Playing

In keeping with my goal of getting a little more fun in my life I had contacted my friends about resuming role playing. Well the timing was perfect as it turned out. Because I found out on Saturday that they were just starting a new campaign of Deadlands. So I will get to resume that, at least once a month. This will be real good for me I think.

Week 2 over, time for a review

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Week 2 of the renewed emphasis on weight loss is over. And I can say it has met with success so far. And this despite not exactly adhering to the best habits and practices. In fact my eating habits are still in need of work, but just paying attention and improving the eating habits a little, combined with more consistent exercise schedule has done well for me so far. a

Getting ready for a football weekend. It won't be my sole raison d'etre for the weekend, but I expect that I will watch a lot. There just are some good games this weekend, games that I actually want to watch, some intriguing match ups etc. One thing about this year is that every team really has some flaws. Some may be easier than others to exploit, but the bottom line is I think any of these teams can be beat with the right game plan and focus. And that really makes for some interesting theater.

Also going to try and make sure to take time out both days for some time with my focus on the kids. That could be just taking them to library for story time, or it could be sitting down for a family movie. Or it could be sitting down and playing a game with them, it really doesn't matter, so long as it is time with me & the kids, not just me letting them run wild.

All of this could change of course on Sunday, if the weather is decent enough and we are motivated enough, because there is an outside project that really needs doing. The swing set we bought and put together when James was about 2 has reached end of it's functional life. And before it becomes a serious hazard it will have to come down. So, if the weather cooperates, and we are motivated enough, that is a task we might perform.

Committing myself to change, and new focus

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

here on this Earth, we place our hands over our hearts, and we commit ourselves as Americans to forging a country that is forever worthy of her gentle, happy spirit.

I watched the President's speech last night, occasionally through tear filled eyes, and was reminded why I voted for this man. And also reminded that one of the reasons I voted for change and hope was to rise to a better level in this country.

My son James is roughly a month younger that the little girl who was shot and killed Saturday. And I ended that speech thinking: have I acquitted myself in a manner over the last 2 years that would make him proud? Have I conducted my arguments in a manner that I would want him to copy? I have argued very strongly and vehemently for things I believed, in part because so much of what I believe is because I want a better country for my children. But have I done so in a way that would make them proud (assuming they understood everything that was going on)? To be brutally honest, no, not 100% of the time. I have resorted to some rather mean spirited name calling over the past 2 years.

Starting today I am going to take up that challenge voiced above, I will strive to focus on making things better. And rise above the mean spirited name calling and unnecessary quibbling over meaningless points, just trying to win an argument for the sake of winning.

Also, I had this thought yesterday afternoon, before the speech, I need to try and get more humor in my life. I have been so focused on making things better, which meant taking a lot of what I do seriously. But when you spend so much time focusing on little things, and trying to perfect them, it is easy to lose a bigger picture appreciation of life. It's an easy trap to fall in when you focus on self improvement, to lose sight of the good things. So I am going to try to get a little more fun and humor back in my life, and cut back on the diet of hard news and satire.

Training obesrvations on track, treadmill and road

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Yesterday I chose to not get up early and run. I did so for 2 reasons: I stayed up later than usual Monday night watching the BCS championship game, and it was ridiculously cold and snowy (again). But I didn't want to get off track, so I went to the Y on my lunch hour and ran on the treadmill. I had walked on the treadmill before, and used an elliptical trainer and bike, but trying to actually run on the treadmill was new to me. Having done so I can now rank the options I have available to me right now for running. Bear in mind I would like to at some point do some trail running, but it's not an option in my schedule since most of my runs are early in the morning with the goal of getting back before the kids wake up, or on my lunch hour.

Track

I have a good track a couple of hours from my house, which is where I started running. Running on a track is nice as far as wear and tear on the body, plus no traffic. But running in circles is inherently boring after a while. And if it is wet the track can become a quagmire in spots (although this track is actually pretty well drained). So it is good for short runs, but if I want to run for more than about 30 minutes it is not much fun.

Roads

Once I got used to running in the neighborhood it became my favored method. I actually run on the sidewalks, only on roads where there is no sidewalk or the sidewalk is impassable. The only drawback to this so far has been there is a real lack of consistency in who shovels their sidewalks and who doesn't. But this isn't a huge issue so long as I pay attention when I run, and slow down when I hit a real bad patch. I do think it is about time to invest in a head lamp or similar light, just for safety sake.

Treadmill

Doing this yesterday was a mixed experience. While considerably more boring than even the track, it did have some advantages. In retrospect, you can really train yourself on pacing on a treadmill. There are no obstacles or weather related problems to slow you down. And once you set the pace on the treadmill you have to maintain it. So, as long as you can train your mind to just focus on the running and not on what is going on around you the treadmill can serve a purpose.

Given all of the above I have to say that I prefer the neighborhood runs. I have to do a little more research on what I can do as far as programming the treadmill, because if I can do my interval training on that I might change to that option for those runs. Because I can then just make a routine out of Saturday morning trips to the Y, and ditch the track for good.

Great sendoff to the #BCS season, and for Dad before he does his snowbird thing

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Dad came over to watch the BCS national championship game last night, as a last visit before he goes to AZ for the snow bird thing. And couldn't have picked a better game to watch, a fitting send off for the end of the college football season and for Dad.

I got my love of football from my father, and to some extent I got my fanaticism and addiction to it as well. I doubt I would have taken the sport as seriously or had nearly as many emotional ups & downs without that influence in my life. And it is also in line with that that I am trying to reduce my sport watching and fanaticism as a way of following in his foot steps. So of course we watched the game together.

That was a really good game. I am sure that a really good team won the game, and as a result was crowned 'National Champions'. But I am not 100% certain that the best team won the game. I think it was truly fitting that 2 so closely matched teams played a game that was won on the last play of the game. Auburn certainly played their hearts out, and deserved to win. But they got their share of breaks, while Oregon really could not buy a break, strictly making their luck most of the game. It was one of those games that if they played again a week from now there is no guarantee that the team that won the first time would win a second time, and that a third match up would not flip flop again. But in the end we had a fitting end, a close game, which either team could have won, or deserved to win. And if you don't have a horse in the race like we did last night, you couldn't have asked for a better out come.

Which unfortunately makes a game last night a classic Godfather III moment for me. Every time I want to swear off the game, stop watching it etc. I watch a game like last night, and get sucked back in. Because last night had virtually all of the elements that make watching football fun for me, and none of the negatives (beyond some cynical comments at the end about how Auburn will enjoy this title until it gets vacated, or how Cam Newton's first person he wanted to thank was his accountant who found a great way to hide that money he got). So it goes again, the NFL playoffs beckon, and coaching hiring questions swirl for my favorite teams. So I will keep watching when I can, and follow the news with every second online. And hope that maybe next year is the year I can make that break (or not...).

Striving for balance: too much exercise or too little, speaking out or preaching hate

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Had a mixed weekend, although it was good overall. Had a great run on Saturday morning, then took Sunday off. Watched enough football to be ready to stop watching it (after the playoffs of course). Got some little projects done around the house, changing things up for the kids. Started what should be good phase of family exercise time.

Training

My schedule said to do a short, but tough interval run on Saturday. Instead I took a long run, 5.7 miles in an hour, running on a new route. That felt real good, and even thought about doing the same on Sunday morning. Instead I did not run at all Sunday, mainly because we took the kids swimming Saturday afternoon, and an hour or so of jumping around, and wrestling with the boys wore me out, so Sunday I had an excuse to take a break.

Had to remind myself that this is all about habits, changing things up, and missing 1 workout as a result is not the end of the world. And with good exercise habits, and eventually better eating habits, weight loss and overall fitness will come.

Football

I watched basically none on Saturday, and then one full game on Sunday. Just enough to realize that while I will watch the games as they get more important, my interest is definitely waning. I'm ready for the season ending break, and making progress in my goal of making the games less a part of my life.

Of course all of this won't stop me from watching the game tonight. I am very intrigued by this game, and kind of excited to watch a game with zero rooting interests. As always, just to make thing interesting, I will follow my grandmothers philosophy of rooting from the farthest team west, but that's just to give myself an interest an angle.

Politics

Still in shock from Saturday's events. Had to really check myself, keep myself from jumping into the very active fray on Twitter. Because I definitely had my ideas, and opinions. But I held myself in check for 2 very different reasons. First, it is easy to jump in when something happens like this, and politicize it, but doing so accomplishes little, and until we know the full story we won't really know what happened so much of what could be said could be totally wring. Second, and  more importantly, in my quest to focus on the positives, not the negatives, there was really nothing positive to say. So, in keeping with those 2 points, for those who were surprised by my silence, that is why I was, and will remain so.

Family

Sunday we had a very quiet family day at home. We reorganized the kids rooms, shifting the boys beds back to bunks with Daniel now on the top bunk. This was so they could have a little more room in their room to actually move around and play, and room for their stuff, which means more room for clutter, but there will be clutter, it's better to have open space for it, than having ti fill up beds. We made some changes to Emily's room as well, along the same lines, just getting some of the clutter out, and removing some furniture that just attracted clutter rather than helped.

Happy Birthday Dad

Wishing my Father a Super Birthday today.

The iron mountain man, walker, hiker, basketball player, soccer player I always wanted to be when I grew up (assuming I ever get around to doing that).

Thanks Dad for all you have done, still do, and continue to do for me, the rest of the family, and my kids.

Patience, and remembering Rome was not built in a day are keys to exercise regimen

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Training

So far week 1 of returning to the habits of the Fall is going well. I could be doing better on the eating front, really need to find a different focus in the evenings. But the exercise part has gone well, the new clothes are doing the trick of handling the cold. And I always used to think it was odd when my Dad had special socks he wore for basketball etc, but getting some specialized running socks has actually made a difference in the foot cramps. As before though, I need to remember to maintain patience with the weight loss, it will come, so long as I stay on track.

But I have a date to focus on for my running. I plan on running the Grand Prix of running series this year. The first race is March 12, the St. Patricks Day 5K, which should be pretty easy, but things pick up after that so come February the training will be picking up pace.

Family

Day 2 of school was not easy. Emily at least was better, since she did sleep better. But Daniel was very whiny and touchy instead, sigh, can't catch a break. On the flip side James is very excited about having a working bike lock so he can ride his bike to school now, which we might try tomorrow.

Politics

It is oh so very hard to not comment and focus on politics, and even harder to find something positive to comment on. And the urge to make a series of truly sarcastic, snide remarks is almost overwhelming. But I must be strong, and remain focused on positive things, at least in writing.

New year reset, other quick thoughts

Dear James, Daniel and Emily,

Sorry for the silence of the past week, just not into writing from home, which is where I've been tha last week or so. Resetting training and eating habits as of today. Had a good Christmas, week off with the kids and feel mostly energized. Sad and optimistic for my football teams.

Training

Relaxed on the training the last week, no push ups or sit ups at all, skipped 2 days of running. Plus really let my eating habits go downhill over the holidays. But got a good reminder on Saturday, when I was letting all of the above let me down. A year ago I was still well above 200 pounds, so gaining a couple of pounds over the holidays, while skipping some workout, may not make me feel good, is no reason to just throw all that I've accomplished out the window.

So today I resumed the early morning workouts, resetting my sit ups and push ups phone apps to week 1, Day 1.  The idea is to get back into the habits, but not by jumping right back into the tough workouts, recognize that the last thing I need is to hurt myself by trying too hard. And tomorrow it's back to the early morning runs.

One thing I also need is to resume some mid day workouts, walks or something. And, if the snow and ice make the runs too hard, get myself to the Y to use the treadmill, even if I don't do the complete workout. That's my plan, plus resetting the LoseIt app so I can resume tracking my meals, really start to get myself into shape.

Football

First I watched Tebow try to win the game himself, and win some fans, but also learn some valuable lessons. And the Broncos still managed to lose, cementing that 2nd pick in the draft, which they can use to get that top Defensive player they so desperately need. I don't think the Broncos are that far off, add some top defensive talent, change up the offensive game plan to reflect what they have, and they could be right back in the thick of things next year.

Then I watched the worst team in the NFL in 2009 play a road game in one of the toughest venues in the NFL, with the knowledge that a win meant a playoff game. Doing so with a receiving corps that some BCS teams would sneer at talent wise. So they lost, and failed to make the playoffs. But they were that close, playing with some serious smoke & mirrors at a few positions. Give that team some defensive depth & talent, especially at linebacker, and an NFL caliber receiving corps and I think there are few limits to what they could do.

Family

I'll do a full holiday report tomorrow, so I'll just say for now: lots of new pictures on Picasa, an excellent vacation, and feeling very recharged emotionally.