26.2 - A Beginner's Tale

I've done it. I've registered for a full marathon. Frankly, I have no idea why I let myself be convinced this would be a good idea. I have a ridiculous amount of work ahead of me. And honestly, it makes me quite fearful.

26.2 miles is TWICE as far as I've ever run at one time in my entire life. I remember finishing my half marathons in the past and thinking, "so I'd have to turn around and do this again? Oh, heck no." Now here I am, already paid for the race, and unable to take it back.  **GULP**

The realization of this possible mistake has rattled me so much that I've restarted this blog post four times. For someone who sure seems to have a lot to say on lots of topics, I'm really at a loss when it comes to this. The fact that I've registered for and will be participating in a full marathon in November evokes all sorts of emotions within me - most of which I still haven't completely worked through (as you can see below).

I feel very intimidated. I am doubtful. I am pessimistic about my ability to complete it and therefore am procrastinating when it comes to training.

Yet I am excited. I see my potential. I see this as a mountain to be climbed. I know it will be a life-changing experience both mentally and physically.

I don't understand how so many negative feelings can exist in my mind about this, yet I am still so excited to tackle this challenge. You'd think it would be one or the other. Either way, I better stop typing and lace up my Mizunos.

In the coming weeks and months, I will be documenting my journey and progress as I train for my first full marathon. I hope that you'll read along with me. Any tips and tricks for training are much appreciated!

Improving My Blogging - and Yours!

Since I've been kind of M.I.A. on the blogging front lines lately, I've decided to do some research on how to up my online game. Of course there's the obvious things like, I don't know... ACTUALLY BLOG, but I found out some other interesting things as well. Naturally, I first had to do the obligatory Google search for "How to be a good blogger."

Ah, good laugh. It's reassuring to know that if I ever want to drop my prime gig as a blogger that I could easily find out how to be a good bartender. Definitely would make more money! I also think babysitting is in my near future, but that will be a mandatory vocation - since the kid will be my own! (And no, mother, this is not me announcing that we have a baby on the way!)

Anyway, one of the things that I read was that your blog should be aesthetically pleasing. This made me wonder if I should try a different layout/design of the blog. Thoughts? I like this layout because it allows me to have all these nifty things on the right side here, but I definitely like the layout of some of the more dynamic layouts. I can't decide...

Another key to good blogging is writing about a topic that you know, and that your readers will enjoy or find useful. I think this is where I need to improve. I've been doing a lot of running over these last few years, and I can tell you how I did or how I felt, but when it comes to giving tips and recommendations, I really don't think I could confidently give you credible words.

In that same vein, I also feel that once I am more successful with my weight loss and can actually post some respectable times in my races (and my YouTube viewers start reading), that people may see me as more of a credible source as well, rather than a guy who can make you laugh here and there. The goal is both!

So while I take an introverted look at my own blogging highs and lows, feel free to do the same with yours too! But I must say, the blogs I've been reading lately seem to be doing pretty well for themselves! For now, I just hope you stick with me on this journey - things will get much better soon!

15 Down, 65 to Go!

Let's say you're on a cross-country road trip. It's a long drive, right? So naturally you find little things along the way to make the trip feel shorter. For me, I would celebrate whenever I crossed a state line. A few summers ago I took a three-month road trip for my alma mater and covered 18 states and one Canadian province. And along the way we took pictures of each, new state sign we encountered. It broke up the trip, made it more fun and made it MUCH more manageable.

And there's something to be said about this for weight loss as well. When you're staring down the barrell of a huge number of pounds that you want to lose, it's quite easy to feel intimidated, hesitant and scared. But when you set checkpoints along the way where you can celebrate, it makes the journey (as I said in the last paragraph) more manageable.

Which is why I'm writing this post! I hit the 15 pounds lost mark this morning, and it makes me feel really, really good. Sure, I've been lighter than this before during my weight loss efforts, but it's very affirming to see that my hard work is paying off once again. Now I just can't wait to see 20! Hopefully I'll have a good update for you on that number again next week.

Every five pounds lost is definitely something to celebrate, and I hope you're able to do that as well if you're on a weight loss journey. Heck, every pound is a success! What are some of your checkpoints and 'state signs' along your way? How do you celebrate these smaller accomplishments on your way to your final goal? Or if you've already reached your goal, what tools and rewards did you use to keep yourself motivated and moving in the right direction?

Setting Up My Summer Plan

Well now that my 'big race weekend' is behind me, it's time to focus on what REALLY needs the appropriate attention - losing the weight.

I've actually set sort of an 'unofficial goal' of September 1st as the date that I'd like to really make strides in my weight loss efforts. I don't want to assign a specific goal weight to this date, but since that is me and my wife's anniversary weekend, I'd love to be able to look back on our first year of marriage and see the healthy changes that I was able to make - for the better. And I want to be able to share a 'before and after' comparison with you using my wedding photo!
So what kind of plan am I going to put into place to make 'skinny Jordan' a possibility? That's a good question...

I think I've gotten to the point where I've almost read TOO much material on workout plans. Like dieting, it seems like everyone has their own method that's worked for them, and swears that it'll 'work for everyone!' So understandably, I'm kind of confused as to what might work best for me.

My goals are to not only lose six dozen pounds, but also to slim down my wasitline, flatten my gut, deflate my thighs and get some solid arms and shoulders. I also want to vastly improve as a runner!

But first things first. One day at a time. Sure, I have lots of goals, but they're all going to take time to accomplish. Another goal is to make weekly videos updating you on my progress. I'll videotape my weigh in, talk about my week's accomplishments and failures and give you an insight into my mind and how I'm handling the hard work that lies ahead of me. I'll also take measurements every few videos and post them here as well.

So I would love it if you checked back here on a weekly basis to see the progress that will be happening on this site. I'm excited to share my journey with you and show you what I'm capable of. And if you have any workout program tips, please let me know!

My (Slightly Belated) June Goals

One of my reoccuring downfalls on my weight loss journey has been setting all my final, big picture goals up front and then rarely setting smaller, more bite-sized goals along the way. As a result, every time I stumbled on my diet or gain a few pounds here or there, I saw my progress through the lens of the larger goal and found myself getting discouraged because I had "such a long way to go", and would forget that one, bad day doesn't ruin everything and that I just needed to forget yesterday's failure and focus on winning today. I've never been good at that...

So in an attempt to combat this cycle from rearing its ugly head anymore, I'm going to take some time at the beginning of each month to set some goals for myself for the upcoming 30 days. I think I'll give a few, different kinds of goals: weight, nutrition, activity and maybe something unrelated to weight loss.

Before I get into my June goals, let me backtrack a little and talk about May. My efforts - on a scale of 1 to 10 - probably registered only about a 4.5 last month. I had a couple weeks where I ate well and got to the gym 4-6 times a week, but the other half of the month I avoided the gym, at donuts for breakfast and enjoyed way too much soda. However, I still managed to lose 8-10 pounds last month despite my efforts not to, haha.

For June, I've found a new source of motivation to help me through the summer. Some of the women at work started a Biggest Loser type of contest and asked me to join! The prize is yet to be determined, but I'm still really excited about it. I'll get more into that at a later date. On to the goals!

By July 1st, here are some things I want to say I've accomplished:

- Lose 15-20 pounds so I can get myself back into the 250s
- Avoid all non-diet soda
- Be able to run 5 miles without stopping
- Gain 50 combined Twitter followers/YouTube subscribers/Facebook page 'Likes'
- Blog at least once a week
- Read one Runner's World and one Men's Health

I like the list I've put together here! They encompass a lot of the different areas I want to work on and allow me to make smaller steps forward in all of them! I'll lose weight, develop healthier habits by dropping soda, work towards my goal of 'being a runner,' improve my online presence and gain knowledge my reading! Man, I love these!

So there ya go! Let me know your thoughts on my goals, and I want to know what YOU want to accomplish in June! I'm real pumped about this, can't you tell? :)

Wacky Wednesday Post (on Friday)

NOTE: I began writing this post on Wednesday and didn't finish it until today (Friday). So get off me about it, alright? :) Now on to your regularly-schedule programming...

Don't be alarmed - there will be a minimal amount of wackiness in this post. I just wanted to use my alliterative (?) genius in my post title. And I'm pretty sure I achieved my goal. However, I promise you that no whack will emerge because I am deciding that before I really get into my post.

Now some of you may be thinking (if you're still reading), "So what if there's a little wacky in this post? It's hump day!" Ah, but you're missing the point. The point isn't that this is a wack-less post. The place of emphasis is that I determined that fact ahead of time.

I see some of you still haven't gotten it. It'll come around soon. Promise.

I've found that a giant part of weight loss is having a plan. It's about anticipating a curve in the road, and effectively preparing your vehicle for what may lie ahead. It's about deciding things ahead of time. (Ding! Light bulb!)

Staying with the analogy, sometimes despite all planning you get a flat tire on your journey. Here's where determination and keeping your eye on the final goal is crucial. At this time you have to make a decision - fix your flat tire and keep on moving forward only slightly hindering your momentum and progress OR slash another tire...or two...or three on your own by feeling defeated, sad or angry about your one flat tire. I am very much guilty of doing the latter...it's part of my cycle actually.

So I suppose it all comes down to mindset. When that first tire gives way - be it in the form of sleeping in vs. a morning run, a burger vs a turkey sandwich, or a donut for breakfast vs a granola bar - it's very important not to give in to the setback and create further setbacks (as I've been doing this week). The key is taking a step back and reminding yourself why you're on this road in the first place and remind you of how gorgeous your final destination is going to look once you get there.

So why not fix that one, flat tire and get back up to speed? Maybe I should take some of my own advice sometimes...