Re-examining my priorities

I'm alive and well. I promise.

Due to an incredibly busy schedule, I haven't been able to update my fitness blog for about a month. I'm back though, and here's an update. The half marathon is tomorrow and I'm incredibly nervous about it. I haven't been this anxious about an event since my Bear Lake Crossing more than a year ago. Training was going very well until a little over three weeks ago, when my knee started hurting again after a long run with Jessica. Her and Kelly will be running the race, too.

Time for a run? No thanks. I'll watch Star Trek with my son instead. Maybe, if I'm lucky, he'll fall asleep.

I backed off my running a bit and amped up my workouts during swim class. Although I didn't stop exercising entirely, my dryland training came to a screeching halt, and I'm not entirely sure I'm ready for tomorrow morning's race. I never ran more than nine miles at once during my training, and somehow, I'm going to have to muscle through 13. Knowing that I never quite reached my training goal for Bear Lake, and still somehow managed to pull off that event does give me some hope that tomorrow will be OK, though. Even if it's just false confidence.

Work has been incredibly busy and my free time isn't really "free" as I am trying my best to spend that time with my family. Every new father thinks they know what is coming, and no matter how much you read in advance, you are never fully prepared. Despite all the diaper changing, play time, crying and simply trying to give Jen a bit of a break from the duties of motherhood whenever possible, it really has been an enjoyable experience thus far. But it has forced me to re-examine my priorities.

Fitness is very important, and I need to make sure I don't stray from it. However, I don't think intense training -- often sucking up multiple hours per day -- is a great thing for me or for my family right now. Now that Cooper is here, I find it very selfish to spend too much of my free time training for monster fitness events. He and Jen need me far more than I need these selfish "accomplishments." There is always more to every story, and every person has different circumstances in their lives, but I just don't see how people with multiple children can train for and participate in all of these marathon events (for any sport) and still give their families the attention they need and deserve. Somehow, I need to find a balance between staying fit and healthy, but not getting caught up in too many races, which are more of a hobby. Needs vs. wants, if you will.

Anyway, enough of my personal anecdotes. In a perfect world, I will finish tomorrow's half marathon in under 2 hours and 25 minutes with little or no knee pain. That probably won't happen, but who knows. ... maybe I'll get lucky.

Week 11 report

Only one more week to go!

After a shameful Week 10, I made up some ground this week, but it wasn't quite enough to overcome the nearly two-pound weight gain from that dismal seven days. I weighed in at 168.5 , a loss of 1.4 pounds from last Wednesday, but it's still not my best (167.8), which came in Week 9.

Hey look, another narcissistic "selfie" of me on the bike last week.

Now, it's time to really pour it on. I was reading an interesting article in Time magazine while sitting in the doctor's office with Jen yesterday. It was about UFC fighters, who undergo insane transformations in the 36 hours before they weigh in for fights. They call the process "molting," which involves eating nothing but raw vegetables, little-to-no fluid intake and living in a sweatsuit. They will run on treadmills all day long and then spend the evening hours in the sauna. Doing so, they drop 10-15 pounds in almost no time, and then, after they weigh in, they pack it all back on before their fight, gorging themselves on pasta and steak. To me, this is incredible, although insane and probably very dangerous.

Although I plan to really hit the gym hard and try my best to make Week 12 my "healthiest" one yet, expecting to drop tons of weight in a short period of time simply isn't good for you. If I can drop 1.6 pounds and fall below 167 by next week, I'll be stoked. It will be the ultimate test of will, too. Jen is due ANY day now, and if the baby arrives, it will certainly throw off any workout plans I had. That being said, our doctor is going to be out of town until next Friday, so we are hoping Jen can hold out until then before having her labor induced that weekend. Fingers are crossed.

I need to schedule an appointment with the Wellness Pays staff for next Wednesday, too. I want to find out what progress I've made. Even if I don't do the full battery of tests again, I at least want to sit down in the BodPod and find out if I've made significant progress with my body fat percentage.

Week 9 report

I know these weekly updates must be getting mundane, but I feel obligated to report my progress regularly. Just like the entire purpose of this blog, it helps keep me in check, guilt-tripping me into staying focused throughout the week. But once again, I had a good week. Well, kind of.

Jen took a photo of me Hulking out after a run and a haircut yesterday.

As far as calories are concerned, I completely fell off the wagon. I did great most of the week, but completely binged twice, which resulted in an average daily intake of over 1,800 calories. I'm supposed to be averaging 1,520 per day. That being said, I really stepped up my exercise, finally adding swimming into the mix (two classes so far). That must have been the difference-maker, as I still dropped a full pound, just like the last two weeks. I weighed in at 167.8 and was so excited, I almost Hulked out.

There are only three more weeks left in this little "experiment" and I'm starting to think more about what I'm going to do once it's over. I really like where I'm at physically and mentally, but I certainly don't want to count calories for the rest of my life. However, I think this will go a long way, as I am starting to make better food decisions without even really thinking about it. I never blacklisted any types of foods, but when you are monitoring your caloric intake, you kind of eliminate the junk by default, forcing you to make healthier choices. I hope that carries over and helps me be more aware of what I am putting in my mouth every day.

I've been saying it for a few weeks, but starting this week, it's definitely time to add more weight training. When I get my body fat checked again at the end of Week 12, I want to make sure I've done everything I can to help lower that God-awful 27 percent of body fat I had before starting my diet.

Week 7 report

It's been a long week and I'm pretty tired, so I'm going to keep it short in this update. Last week wasn't ideal, but overall, I managed to keep myself under control regarding what I put in my mouth. I had a couple of bad days, but they weren't so overboard that I couldn't recover with exercise.

I haven't seen this territory in about eight years. Holy crap!

That being said, I still finished the week in the red with my remaining calories, which is a first since I started this. I only managed to work out four times, rather than five, but I think it's OK to miss every once in a while. I still managed to lose a little bit more weight, dropping 0.8 pounds this week. When I stepped on the scale on Wednesday, I couldn't help myself as I instantly grabbed my iPad and took a photo. I weighed in at 169.8 pounds, which puts me very close to a 10-pound weight loss since March 13. I haven't seen the 160's since I was 19 years old (almost eight years ago), so I was pretty damn excited.

However, the bloody push-up challenge fell through after less than four days. It was simply too much, too fast, and my shoulder told me so. It was in terrible pain for several days after and it's still twinging a little bit. All I can do is ice the crap out of it before starting my swim class next Tuesday. Oh well. I still managed to get in almost 350 push-ups that I wouldn't have otherwise done.

Till next week. Less than five pounds to go!

Week 6 report

Huzzah! I'm officially halfway there. Only six more weeks to go and I'm back on track after a rough Week 5.

I hit the ground running to start the week, going to the gym for four straight days. During the first few weeks, I was averaging about 2.5 to 3 hours of cardio per week. This week, I did well over four hours in addition to the normal weight training. On top of that, I started a new mini challenge to work into my over-arching 12-week challenge. I'm trying to do 100 push-ups every day. I'm going to do it for a full two weeks, hopefully knocking out a total of 1,400 push-ups before starting my swim class. We'll see if my shoulder agrees.

My 100 push-ups per day challenge is in full swing (Day 3 actually)

In the nutrition department, I had a very good week. I did slip up once (as I seem to do every week), but I had big enough calorie deficiencies on a daily basis to more than make up for it. Oh, and I only consumed 33 percent calories from fat this week, too, which is the lowest I've managed so far. Another huzzah!

Stepping on the scale this morning was odd. I was incredibly nervous, which is never the case. Maybe it was because this is the halfway point and because last week's weigh-in was a little bit disappointing. Regardless, I felt like one of those Biggest Loser contestants and I was legitimately scared. A huge sigh of relief came over me, though, when I saw 170.6 flash across the scale. That's a loss of 1.7 pounds this week, way more than I needed. That's a total loss of 8.6 pounds in six weeks, an average of 1.43 per week. I'm definitely way ahead of pace, which is good, because the fat is only going to get harder to shed in the final weeks.

I only have 5.6 pounds to go before I reach my 12-week goal, but hitting that mark will be tough, considering in the coming weeks, my weight training is going to intensify, which may counter the weight loss, although I'll certainly be chipping away at my body fat percentage.

Till next time ...

Week 5 report

This is starting to get tough.

After initially getting into the groove with a regular diet and exercise regimen, I'm starting to show signs that I'm faltering. I had two days last week where I went way over on my daily calorie limit, forcing myself to workout extra hard in the following days in order to break even for the week and I didn't quite make it. I went over about 150 calories for the week, which still isn't all that bad, considering I'm allotted 1,500 per day. That means I averaged a surplus of about 21 calories each day.

However, I did slip a few times and I'm afraid I'm about to hit a big wall and completely fall off the wagon. This week will be critical. I need to make sure that I stay strong and make good decisions every day, especially late at night, which is when I get the most powerful cravings for sweets. That being said, I haven't slipped up at all in the exercise department, logging well over 3.5 full hours of cardio, in addition to some weight training and my rotator cuff exercises. My goal heading into this experiment was to do at least 2.5 hours of cardio per week, so I'm tearing it up right now.

I weighed in at 172.3 pounds this morning, which shocked me, considering my undisciplined diet during the week. It's only a loss of 0.3 pounds, but honestly, I was expecting to gain weight this time. That makes a total loss of 7 pounds so far, which is about 1.4 per week. So, I'm still right on track.

Next Wednesday marks the half way point, so I'll check back in then.

P.S.: Jen and I can't wait for the baby to get here. I caved the other day and bought this infant-sized Weber State jersey for him. Sweet!

Week 4 report

I'm officially one third of the way there.

I struggled mightily with my calories this week, but still managed to stay a hair under my weekly allotment. That being said, I maintained my hold on about 37% calories from fat, which didn't climb along with my increased intake. The only way I managed to stay ahead was with an extra session at the gym on Sunday, which earned me a bunch of extra calories.

Wearing down the final hole in my belt. It's time to cut out a new one.

My shoulder is still in a state of despair. I've been in considerable pain since last week's cortisone injection, which is what I feared would happen. I began my rotator cuff exercises, but they haven't been pleasant. I know I am not icing it nearly enough, as I keep forgetting to bring my shoulder pack to work with me. I signed up for a swimming class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Weber State for the summer (tuition is free because I'm staff now), and I'm nervous I won't be ready for it in time. It begins in May and I want my shoulder to be somewhat stable before I begin. I hope the class works out, because I need to be very careful not to log too many yards in it, but I think the instructor will cater to it just fine as there will be swimmers of all levels in the course.

Other than all that, there isn't a ton of new information to report. My weight was 172.6 pounds this morning, marking a 6.6-pound total weight loss since starting this regimen four weeks ago. That's 1.65 pounds per week, which is definitely above what I was aiming for. I'm still nervous about how my body fat percentage has been affected, but I'm confident it is on the decline. Six pounds isn't a ton of weight, but I can actually start to see some small changes in my physique in the mirror, now. Also, I'm out of holes on my belt again. Another good sign...

Week 3 report

There really isn't a whole ton to add to this week's update. I'm still going strong and I'm still on pace for my weight goal. I weighed in at 174 even this morning (a 1.4 lb loss), which still puts me ahead of the curve for my 12-week goal.

This is almost identical to what I had done yesterday. Rather than getting the injection into my bursa sac again (like in this image), the doctor shot the cortisone down into my shoulder joint, which was much deeper and much more painful.

The nutrition has been going well, albeit not stellar. I maintained 36 percent of my calories from fat and 17 percent from protein, which is about the same as last week. No significant improvement there, but I stayed under my calorie intake goal for the week and it's obviously paying off on the scale.

In the fitness department, I basically rotated between cycling and running/hiking. One day, I'd knock out 30 vigorous minutes on the stationary bike, and the next I'd go for 40 minutes (one day I even did a full hour) on the treadmill, alternating 10 minutes of brisk walking on a heavy incline and 10 minutes of running at 5.5 miles per hour.

I haven't been able to do as much weight training as I wanted, due to ongoing shoulder issues, but I did do some, including a difficult ab workout session after the bike on Friday. I had an MRI done a few weeks back to see if there is an actual tear in my rotator cuff and thankfully, there isn't. However, there was some significant "fraying" throughout my tendons, and the doctor was unable to give me a straightforward solution as to what's next. Surgery to clean up the fraying is an option, but an expensive one that I cannot afford with the baby coming, and it's not even guaranteed to fix the problem.

So ... he filled up my joint with cortisone yesterday (different from the injection I got in my bursa sac well over a year ago) and told me to start doing the weight-bearing exercises on my rotator cuff religiously once the initial soreness of the shot wears off. That should limit any exercise-related pain while I strengthen the tendons as much as possible.

It may work ... it may not. I suppose only time will tell.

Week 2 report

So far, so good. After knocking out the first week, my second week of dieting was much easier to get through. It's so strange how quickly habits can form, and in this case, it's a good thing. I maintained my calorie goal all week, despite slipping up on a few bad nutrition choices. Fortunately, MyFitnessPal has a feature that calculates calories earned through exercise, and that helped me stay in the positive on my net calories consumed.

Dripping sweat off the tip of my nose during last night's stationary bike session. It was a doozy.

There is still a ton of room for improvement, though. My percentage of calories from fat was 37 percent, which is still way too high, but I did manage to improve my percentage of protein from 13 to 18 percent this week. Breakfast is where I've been the weakest, getting the bulk of my fat calories in those meals. I simply haven't been giving myself enough time to get ready, eat and get to work on time in the mornings, so I've been eating quick junk for breakfast. Lunches and snacks have been fairly solid and Jen and I have been vigilant about cooking healthy dinners in the evening.

Here's another product I've been snacking on lately. It has a shit-ton of fiber, is low in fat and only has 130 calories in it. They've been good to eat an hour or so before the gym.

I weighed in this morning at 175.4, which is only a slight loss from last week's weigh-in, but I anticipated that. I dropped much more than I wanted to in the first week, so I'm still on pace for my 12-week goal.

I also locked in a five trips to the gym last week, although I kind of slacked off on one of them, following a piss-poor calorie decision. I really challenged myself in the other workouts, though, mixing it up with cycling, running, treadmill incline walking, and circuit training. And that's just the cardio. I also threw in some weight lifting and ab work and have still been going on walks during my lunch hours on most days. It definitely was a good week in the exercise department, and I hope to crank it up even more this week.

On a side note, I finally surpassed 1,000 miles on the stationary bike since I started logging my distance almost a year and a half ago. Huzzah!

Week 1 report:

Huzzah! Whatever I've been doing this past week seems to be working. My initial goal was to lose anywhere from 1 to 1.5 pounds per week. I figured that was reasonable, considering I'm not trying to drop a drastic amount of weight; just about 15-20 pounds. When I stepped on the scale last Wednesday I weighed in at 179.2 pounds. This morning I tipped the scale at 175.6. Losing 3.6 pounds in one week is quite a bit more than I anticipated. That being said, I did have a light dinner last night, so the one-week result may be skewed a little bit.

These are so good, and there are about four more styles I can try out.

I am on a run of five straight days at Planet Fitness and I haven't been going crazy, either. Usually, I just do anywhere from 30-45 minutes of cardio. I did get in one weightlifting session and one hour-long session on the stationary bike on a day that I went over on my calories. I've also been supplementing my after-work workouts with long walks during my lunch break. The weather has been so nice, so I figured it is a perfect opportunity to burn a few extra calories, giving me a little more leeway on my dinners.

Speaking of dinners, the first few days of my diet were VERY hard. I went over on my calories twice in the first three days, but gradually found a rhythm with healthier choices as the week went on. I've grown fond of the microwave bags of veggie steamers. They are filling, low in calories, low in fat and do a great job of energizing me before I go to the gym after work. My percentages still need improvement, though. I consumed 36 percent of my calories from fat this week, which is still much higher than I want. I want to get that to less than 20 percent. Also, only 13 percent of my calories came from protein, so I plan on eating a few lean turkey choices for dinner this week. That should beef up my protein and keep my fat content down.

So far, so good. I'm still updating my distances on my tracker, but memorizing them for weekly totals is more than I want to do for every blog right now.

The results are in

OK, I know it's been about two weeks since I last posted, but I wanted to wait until I got my full Wellness results back. I finally did, and now I can move forward. Here's what I took from it.

The good

• My blood lipid profile was excellent. My triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, glucose and lipoprotein levels were all in optimal ranges.
• My "risk" factors are low, including not smoking, rare drinking, no diabetes, no signs of osteoporosis and somewhat regular physical activity.
• Upper body strength. I scored well on every category. The aide even said my grip strength score was "through the roof," which shocked me. I never thought I had a very strong grip.

The bad

• Nutrition. This comes as no surprise to me. I sorely need to eat more veggies, less red meat and less high-fat foods. The only area I scored particularly well in was my intake of whole-grain and wheat carbs that are low in high-fructose corn syrup and gluten.
• Flexibility. Although I've vastly improved since I lost weight, I still have a long way to go, scoring a little low on my sit-and-reach test.
• Body fat percentage. This is the big one. I scored a whopping 26.8 percent, which stunned me, even though I knew my percentage was going to be high. The charts map me in the "obese" category here, even though my weight (179 pounds) and waist (34 inches) measurements were only slightly high.

With this information, I have formulated a lofty goal with a tentative plan, aided by Gordon Gridley, a friend and fellow swimmer who has undergone an incredible transformation himself. I'll fill you in on that a little more later.

The goal

• To drastically improve my overall health by the time our baby is born. This gives me about 12 weeks, as he is due in early June. I need to set an example for my family, one that will stick and hopefully encourage a healthy lifestyle for both Jen and my son. I would like to drop my weight down to 165 pounds and my body fat percentage to less than 15 percent (eventually to less than 10 percent).

The plan

• Diet right. I've never actually "dieted" before, but I'm going for it. I started last Wednesday and have been using a very helpful tool on my iPad called MyFitnessPal. It's an incredible app that logs my diet and exercise, keeping track of my calories and nutrition with an exhaustive database of millions of foods. I don't have to drop calories drastically, only a little bit. I mostly need to focus on what calories I consume. I should consume less than 20 percent of my calories from fat (less than 10 percent in a perfect world), with a rough balance of 50 percent carbs (the right kind with less bad sugar) and 30 percent protein. The best part is, I don't have to do any friggin math. MyFitnessPal charts those percentages automatically for me as I enter my food after every meal.
• Exercise more often, but not necessarily for longer. I don't need to log hours upon hours of cardio like the people on The Biggest Loser do, but I need to get cardio sessions in more often and every day if possible. I've pretty much slacked off since last November, rarely working out more than 2-3 times per week. I've been at it for four straight days now (including five of the past six days) and I'm gaining steam. Depending on how fast I shed the fat/pounds, I will eventually start doing more weight-bearing and strengthening workouts to add muscle. I set a reasonable goal of about 1-1.5 pounds of weight loss per week for now. Another fun social media app called FourSquare helps keep me motivated. You "check in" on your iPad or iPhone wherever you are at and can try to become the "Mayor" of certain locations by having the most check ins at that spot. My goal is to be the Mayor of Planet Fitness in Roy by the time my son is born, which will be tough, because there are some regulars there that have logged a lot of check-ins.

So, that's the tentative plan. I will fill in more details as I report back every Wednesday for weekly follow-ups, starting tomorrow.

Still waiting ...

It's been a week and I'm still waiting on the results of my fitness test. I really would like to get that back as soon as possible so I can map out some goals.

That being said, I went to the gym twice last week and then just got home from the gym today. I still need to improve on the amount of times I go, but I have improved a bit on my eating habits as of late. Still limiting the amount of carbonation and number of times I eat fast food in a week.

Baby steps... Anyway, today was the first time at Planet Fitness that I've had to wait on a machine. It wasn't too long, though and I was able to get some good stretching in before sitting down on the stationary bike for 30 minutes.

Total distance: 9.5 miles cycling

Weber State Wellness Program

As part of my new job at Weber State, I get to take part in their employee wellness program. It's useful, because the university pays its employees money to take part in activities that promote "wellness." This includes, annual checkups, visits to the dentist, maintaining a fitness log, reading health-related books and participating in events such as 5ks, marathons, triathlons, etc. It's pretty awesome.

Weber State's Swenson Gym

That being said, they also offer an annual fitness screening through their Health and Human Performance department. I underwent that yesterday to get a thorough analysis of where I stand healthwise. It included blood work, body fat measurements in a high-tech pressurized "Bod Pod" and various strength and conditioning tests using performance gadgets like the stuff you see in Under Armour commercials and Olympic training laboratories.

I'm still awaiting the results of my fitness evaluation, but my blood tests came back immediately. The results were encouraging. Measurements of my triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, glucose, lipoproteins were all taken. I fell in the "optimal" range for every category, which shocked me. When I went to the doctor two years ago (almost to the day), I weighed in at 215 pounds and was told I had dangerously high cholesterol for a man in his mid 20s. I now weigh about 175 pounds (a loss of 40 pounds so far), but I still have more to lose and my eating habits are still fairly unhealthy, which is why I was a bit stunned to see I don't have any issues as far as cholesterol and blood sugar go.

When I get the fitness and body fat results, I'll be able to better gauge particular areas I need to work on. In the meantime, I'll continue working on increased cardio with light weight training. I went to the gym only twice last week, both at WSU's on-campus Swenson Gym because it is free to faculty and students. The jury is still out on whether I will go there more often or stick with Planet Fitness.

Tonight, though, Planet Fitness it is...

Long week of guilt

Something is seriously wrong with me. More than I've experienced in a long time, my motivation to get up and work out just isn't there. I had several opportunities to work out this week and didn't. Plain and simple. I've pigged out all week, stayed up way too late a few nights and haven't been able to drag my self out of bed early enough to get to the gym. I went six consecutive days with zero exercise and whether or not it's all mental, I feel like crap for it. I haven't felt this guilty about my health in some time.

So, today I broke the streak and went for a run. I didn't last very long before my knee started hurting, so I turned back early. It wasn't much, but it was something and I suppose that's better than what I've done these past several days. I actually made the quick drive over to the gym first, but it was closed for the holiday weekend. I need to find a new motivator and fast. I am terrified of falling out of the exercise habit, because I know it can happen before you know it and just like that all my lost weight is back. Ugghhhh....

Total distance: 1.54 miles running

Already falling behind

So far, my goals for the New Year aren't faring so well. My January goal for running was 33 miles, which would have been a new monthly high, but I fell short at 28. Twice, including today, I had to cut runs short due to various issues. It sucks because, I feel like I'm making a ton of excuses lately and sometimes, upon further reflection, I kind of am. I really need to work on not giving up during workouts and pushing through the pain when it isn't unbearable. The motivation isn't coming as much as it once was.

Also, I gained weight this month for the first time in nearly a year. It was only a two-pound gain, but that's a very bad sign that I'm either still not improving my eating habits, I've cut back on my overall exercise, or both. That's making it much harder for me to stay out of the pool, knowing I'm gaining weight when I'm not swimming. The shoulder still hurts, but I'm tempted to say 'screw it' and start swimming again as of next Monday. That would be exactly four weeks since I got my cortisone shot, which was the minimum return time my doctor gave me.

On a more positive note, I did at least reach my cycling goal of 80 miles in January, going 83.65. That's a new monthly high for me. I'm also considering taking up yoga. Call me girly, but the more I hear about it, the more I want to try it. It seems like the benefits of yoga are practically limitless and perhaps that will give me that extra edge I'm looking for as far as improving my overall fitness goes.

Anyway, did a three-mile run today near my house. It was my first time doing an outdoor run in Utah since the Turkey Tri in November. It was cold, but once I got going, my body warmed up significantly. I think I'm going to try doing them more often, now that spring gets closer. I'm getting tired of running on that crappy indoor track...

Total distance: 3 miles running (meh)

Recapping my big 2011

It's crazy to think 2011 is almost over. I know everyone says that about every year, but this year was of particular significance to me. For those of you who don't know, I went and got my yearly check-up with the doctor in February. I knew I had gained a lot of weight since graduating from high school and even more so after I got married. But the doctor told me I was at a dangerous juncture in my life where I could really start to let myself go if I don't makes some changes my lifestyle now. I weighed in at 215, which was technically in the obese category and my blood work showed I had slightly elevated cholesterol, which shouldn't ever be a problem for a 24-year-old.

So, on Valentine's Day, I made a promise to Jen that I'd lose some weight and stop eating take-out so much. The fast food is a problem we've both had since getting hitched. I probably hadn't been to the gym in over a year, so I went and bought one of those "Biggest Loser" living-room workout videos. I was embarrassed to buy it, at first and I was even more embarrassed when I first started doing the 30-minute workouts. I was in such terrible shape and the first day almost killed me (I'm not exaggerating. I almost called in sick to work.). But after a while, doing the video six days a week, it started to get easier. I did those for about six weeks, and immediately dropped 10 pounds.

In April, I started mixing in a little bit of running. I started doing 1-mile runs around the neighborhood once a week, and by the first day of May, I pulled off my first 5k run at the Roy High track on a Sunday afternoon. I honestly almost broke down in tears, I was so excited, but I held them back, because Jen was with me and probably would think I was being over dramatic. Haha.

Also, during May, I wanted to see how I'd fare in a swimming pool. I probably hadn't swam laps in almost two years. It was hard at first, doing only a few hundred yards at a time, but I quickly realized how much I had forgotten about its benefits. I wrote about my exercise exploits on my work blog for the Standard-Examiner and about my renewed love for swimming and a local swimmer named Gordon Gridley (or Gords for those who know him) commented on it, recommending I try swimming in the 1st-annual Great Salt Lake open water marathon, which he was organizing in June. I was on the fence at first, but my friend Kelly wanted to start swimming again, as well, so we decided that would be a fun thing to try out.

Kelly and I registered as U.S. Masters Swimming members, so we could track our exercise progress and get ready for the big 1-mile race. By race day, I was down to 198 pounds and it was pretty fun, so we signed up for August's Deer Creek open water marathon. I met Josh Green, another local swimmer, who organized the 1-mile portion at the GSL race and I got a lot of good swim advice from him and Gordon over the next few months. Open water swimming was entirely new to me, given I swam in the safe confines of a lap pool in high school and the two of them have been a great source of inspiration to me this year.

Kelly and I trained pretty hard for our 5k swim at Deer Creek and that's when my shoulder pain first arrived. It was pretty bad at first, but I got some medication which helped me keep up my training regimen until the race. The race was awesome and my weight was down to 188 by then. I set my sights on the 5-mile race at Lake Mead's Slam the Dam, which was slated for October and I kept pushing through the pain. Unfortunately, a scheduling issue at work wouldn't allow me to take my vacation time and compete in the race. I was so disappointed, I decided to stage a 5-mile swim of my own, since I trained for the damn thing after all. So on Sept. 26, I went to the Roy Recreation Center bright and early, set out some Gatorade and Gel packs on the pool deck and went for it. And to my surprise, it was cake. I did it in just over 2 1/2 hours, but my joy didn't last long, for my shoulder was hurting worse than ever in the weeks that followed.

In late August, I had started supplementing my running and swimming with some work on the stationary bike. I hoped if I took it easy on the swimming and did more biking instead, my shoulder would heal. Unfortunately, it didn't and my doctor told me I needed an MRI to see if it requires surgery. I ignored him, because I couldn't afford it on my health insurance until the new year started (reset my deductible) and I kept swimming until mid November. I participated in the South Davis Masters swim meet, and a week later I did my first sprint triathlon at Weber State with Kelly and Jessica. Both events were a blast, but I finally had to throw in the towel, because it became too painful to swim more than a few hundred yards.

In the past six weeks, I've amped up my running and cycling and I'm training for my first 10k run, which is next week. Unfortunately, I'm now battling foot and knee pain, but that's life, I guess. I did a few light swims this month, but nothing major. My weight loss has slowed significantly, but I'm still losing, not gaining. I now weigh about 180 (35-pound loss so far) and I can see major changes in my body from the weight training I added to my routine about two months ago. I want to start swimming seriously again as soon as possible, but January still may be out of the question. I have an appointment with the doctor on Jan. 5, so I can finally fork out the money and start the process of rehabbing my shoulder. I'm still in the process of setting goals for 2012, so I'll have those ready to post by Saturday.

Thanks again to Gordon, Josh, Kelly, Jessica and most-of-all, Jen for all your support through this long process. It's been a helluva year, and outside of my injuries, which come with the territory, I'm now healthier than I've been in almost seven years. I still have a long way to go, but I'm looking forward to it.