cburky911

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Well...slight change in plans...I will not be doing the Lake Placid Marathon in June...however, I have registered for the Myrtle Beach Marathon in February.  As much as I was looking forward to doing the marathon on my anniversary date....Lake Placid was going to be a bit pricey to make the trip and stay.  Plus, the course there is open only 6 hours while the course in Myrtle Beach is open 8.  I'm hoping to run the marathon in about 5:15-5:30, but that was cutting it too close to the 6 hour time limit for Lake Placid...espcially for my first marathon.

So....my first "official" day of training for the marathon will be Sept. 28, which happens to be the day I'm running the tunnel to towers 5K run in New York City...so that actually kind of works out well for me.  The difficult part for me will be running without my iPod in my ears....I really rely on that iPod to keep my mind occupied and not thinking about the running.

Tonight I'm running in the Dream Green 5K at the Columbus Airport, then I run in the Grab the Bull by the Horns 5K in downtown Columbus tomorrow morning.   2 more t-shirts!!!  YIPPPEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Well, I've added a few more 5K runs to the list.  The t-shirt collection keeps growing and I've been doing a lot more training on my own too.  I got John Bigham's book "Marathoning for Mortals" the other day and read it within a couple of days.  For any of you who run out there (more for fun than for competition) it is a great book and I would highly recommend it.

After reading the book I went to google and looked for any marathons taking place on my next anniversary of my surgery.  Turns out that the Lake Placid Marathon is scheduled for June 14, 2009, so I've decided that I'm going to follow one of the training programs that John has listed in the book to train for and run in the Lake Placid Marathon. 

I never thought running a marathon would be anything I'd even be remotely interested in doing, but after all the 5K's I've been running and the fun I've had doing it...and after reading and being inspired by John's book...I think it's something I have to do at least once.  Who knows...I may end up enjoying it.

Another lucky break came my way too.  I was looking through Runners World Magazine and saw that the Myrtle Beach Marathon is on February 14th.  They have a 5K and a Fun Run on February 13th....so myself and some of the other Fresh Start Bariatrics patients who have taken up running are heading down to Myrtle Beach for a week in February to run.  I'm doing the 5K on the 13th, which actually fits well in to my training program for the marathon...but one of the Fresh Start "Posse", as we've come to call ourselves, is thinking about doing the 1/2 Marathon.  I was able to get a really good deal on a 3 bedroom condo for a week, and with at least 3 of us sharing the expense, it's going to work out pretty good.  There are three of us that are definitely committed to going, a fourth that is 99% sure she can get the time off work, and a 5th who we're trying to talk in to going along with us.

I think I've said this before, but it really amazes me that I've found such a joy in running.  The actual run is still pretty tough, but the relaxation I feel after running a few miles is great!  They say that people who have undergone WLS can become addicted to other things to substitute for the food addiction that they've left behind....I think I've found my cross addiction...I'm not burning up any tracks, breaking any records, and I'm frequently envious of the 10 year olds that I watch run out ahead of me on these 5K courses, but I'm enjoying myself, getting some great exercise and doing some travelling along with the running...Being 2 years out of surgery, I can't stress enough how important it is to be active and exercise....that is part of what makes this wonderful tool work the way it does.  I'm not saying go out and run a 5K or two...or three...each week...but be active and make sure you're exercising.

Two more free t-shirts to add to the collection.

On July 6 I'll be running in the Pancake 5K run in Hilliard...this will be the first time I run 2 5K's in the same weekend.  I don't expect it to be much of a problem though.  I usually go out and run 2.5-3 miles in the mornings anyway, and like I said in my earlier posts...I'm not breaking any records with my running.

Then on July 26, I'll be running in the Beer-athlon 5K in Columbus.  That will be interesting, because that will be the first time I actually run two 5K runs in the same day.

On another note...last week I put in 40 hours of OT at work.  With us being short people right now, plus having one new person in training and having another gone on military leave and another out injured, that left us needing a lot of time covered.  It worked out pretty good for me right now, as I'm trying to make sure I have some money set aside to make the trip to New York for the Tunnel to Towers 5K run in Sept.  I'm looking forward to the trip, but as I'm sure you know, hotels in New York are not exactly inexpensive...and I'm still debating on whether I should drive or fly.  I'd prefer to drive if I can, but I've been told that trying to drive in lower Manhattan can be a b**ch and that parking my car may cause it to disappear or become seriously remodeled during the time I'm there...but flying will not be cheap...so I'm up in the air on that.  I do have my hotel reservations made, and the prices, while expensive, aren't really too bad considering it IS lower Manhattan in the heart of the financial district.

The funny part is, that with all the OT I worked last week, I really got more sleep and slept better that week than I do when I only work a 40 hour week.  I really think that part of it was because of the number of hours I was working, but another part is that I've started doing some upper body workouts at work and was then coming home and running my 2.5-3 miles before going to bed.  I may have slept a little less, but the sleep I was getting was good quality sleep, and I was sleeping straight through instead of waking up every couple of hours like I usually do.

I took Thursday night off this week, but with the holiday on Friday I will end up working through my weekend.  Of course, once again, it's a good chance to put away some money for that trip this Sept.  I'm working at least 8 hours of holiday overtime on Friday and then coming in for four hours on Saturday, which will be double time also since it's the 7th day of my workweek. 

Well, I can add 5 more t-shirts to my collection!!

On 7/19 I'll be running/walking in the Columbus International 5K at Antrim Park in Columbus.

8/2 - The Heinzerling Foundation 5K at Homestead Park in Hilliard

8/9 - The For Your Health 5K at the Dawes Arboretum in Newark

8/16 - The Grab the Bull by the Horns 5K at the Arena District in Columbus

8/31 - The Marc Levison 5K in Bexley.

That will bring my total miles to 60.4 miles in road races by the end of 2008.  (I use the term "races" loosely, as I'm not really "racing" anyone, but simply running for the fun, exercise, and t-shirts).

Things are still going pretty well.  I've been much more active over the past few months.  I had been doing quite a bit of running on the treadmill, and in April ran outside for the first time in 20 years.

Since then I've been running quite a bit, and am scheduled to run quite a bit more over the summer.

On April 20 I ran in the Dam Fool 4 Miler at Alum Creek Dam, fully expecting that to be my only run, just to say I could do it.

Then on April 26 I ran in the Rotary Polio Plus Partners 5K run in Columbus.
On May 8 I ran in the St. Timothy's School 5K run in Raleigh, NC while I was in the area visiting friends.
On May 17 I ran in the Operation Outreach 5K in Harrison, OH.
On May 31 I ran in the Powell Spring 5K run in Powell, OH.

I'm scheduled to run in the following runs throughout the rest of this year:

June 15 - The Fantastic Fathers Day 5K in Columbus, OH
June 28 - The Firecracker 5K run in Columbus, IN
July 12 - The Dublin 1 Mile Dash in Dublin, OH
July 13 - The Columbus Mini 5K in Hilliard, OH
July 26 - The Violet Festival 5K run in Pickerington, OH
July 31 - The DubCrawl 4 Mile run in Dublin, OH
Sept 28 - The Steven Sillers Tunnel to Towers 5K run in New York, NY
Nov 27 - The Flying Feathers 4 Mile Run in Dublin, OH
Dec 14 - The Holiday Run 4 Mile Run in Columbus, OH

As I told someone in my support group .... "I'm addicted to the free t-shirts"

By the end of the year I will have logged at least 44.9 miles in road races...and I suspect that I will add some more to those races as time goes on.  

It's kind of funny, because I grew to purely despise running as a kid, but I'm enjoying it more now.  Probably because I'm doing it more for my own pleasure and sense of accomplishment rather than doing it because someone else thinks I should, or as a punishment for something.

I'm definitely not breaking any records with my times, averaging right around 10 min/mile on each run.  But I'm enjoying it and getting some excercise at the same time.

Well...I"ve heard about things like this happening to other people, but never really thought it would happen to me....guess it shouldn't come as a surprise though. 
Apparently there are people around me who just can't wait to see me fail.  The couple of comments I've gotten from family members telling me that I look like I'm gaining weight (despite the fact that I weigh about the same as I did at my one year appointment) and now the comments being made about me behind my back by people have gotten me frustrated.  
How can anyone who rarely sees me go around telling others that they think I'm "binge eating" or "over eating"?  That just amazes me.  
But, I'll keep my head up and keep focussed on myself...try not to let the negativity of others affect me.
As you can see...it's been quite a while since I posted anything on here.  As I said, my weight is hanging around the same area as it was at my one year appointment...which is acceptable to me.
The one thing I haven't been doing as much of as I should have been doing has been the workouts on a consistent basis.  To remedy that situation I've enlisted my brother's help.  He has set me up with a workout and will workout with me twice a week for the next eight weeks or so.  I'm a little sore from the first workout and got a little sick the second day (no, not from overeating) but it's just a matter of getting used to being back in the gym on a regular basis.  
My hope is to drop some more weight, maybe get down to 220 or lower, but more specifically to tone up those areas that I have the ability to tone up.
My next big move will be the plastic surgery.  That will be an expensive proposition, as I'm not expecting my insurance to cover it.  However, I still have the incisional hernia that needs repaired...so I'm hoping that I can get some of the expenses covered by getting the hernia repair and the plastic surgery done at the same time.

Well...I've been holding steady between 234 and 236 for the past two months..which I was ok with.  I was really kind of surprised to step on the scale today and see that I had dropped below the 230 mark and am now at 229.  I didn't think I wanted to lose any more weight, but to be honest, the drop made me feel pretty good and motivated me to see if I can get down to the 220 mark.  If I don't,...I'm ok with that...I was happy hovering around 234, but it felt reallly good to see the 220's again after over 20 years.
So I'm down a total of 211 lbs. since my highest weight in April 2006 and my BMI is down over 26 points.  
I went to a Bengals game last week and felt great.  I remember going to the game last year and feeling so good about my progress and how much more comfortable I felt at the stadium, but I felt even better this year.  I'm comfortable sitting in the seats, even with people on both sides of me, and don't need that extra empty seat for a "cushion" between me and the next closest fan.  And....not only did I walk from Covington across the river and around the stadium to get to the game, but then I walked back after the game instead of taking the shuttle.  ..I think the games this year will be a lot more fun! 

Well, it's hard to believe that it's been a year since my surgery.  One year ago at this time I was unconscious on an operating room table and my life was about to change for the better.  I weighed in that day at 395 lbs, having dropped 45 lbs in the two and a half months prior to surgery.  This morning, as I stepped on the scale, I was down to 236!!!
This evening some friends, family and I are going out to "celebrate" a little bit.  Nothing big, just going to the Funny Bone Comedy Club to catch the show....Last time I was there I was weighing in at 440.  It will be nice to be there, be comfortable and be able to enjoy the show.  
The funny thing about today is, that when I first had the surgery it seemed like time was just dragging by.  I couldn't wait for 3 months, then 6 months to pass.  Now, here I am, 1 year later and it seems like the year has just flown by!!

Well, back on my normal weigh-in schedule of every Saturday, and I've dropped another pound...down to 239.  Taking a look at the BMI calculator, I have now moved out of the "Obese" range and in to the "Overweight" range.  I have pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I will never drop to the "Normal" range, because that would mean dropping to below 200 lbs.  I haven't been below 200 lbs. since I was a Sophomore in High School, and I was not a heavy kid at that age.  Even during my time in the Army in Basic Training and MP school, my lowest weight was 210 and I was pretty thin at that point...so I'm not even going to attempt to get down to that weight again.
It's funny that people are starting to say that I'm getting "too thin".  Even at this weight.  I think part of it is that fact that they've known me to be so heavy for so long, that I really do look "too thin".  The other part, and something I'll start working on more now, is that I've been concentrating mostly on aerobic workouts for the past few months, and haven't done much weight training.  Now I want to start concentrating on integrating some weight training in to my program so that I can start to build more muscle and "fill out" (in a good way).
In the mean time, today will be another one of those good tests for me.  I'm heading out in a little bit to our annual family cookout.  It's always been a time to spend time with family and there's ALWAYS good food there.  But, I made it through Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter without too much of a problem, and I'll get through this too....
At the start of this I was considered "Super Obese" at 440 lbs and a BMI of 54.9.  Today I am at 239 lbs. with a BMI of 29.9!!! 

That's right....You're reading correctly...as of today I have hit the 240 lb. mark, which was my goal weight.  I'm really happy to be where I'm at, but know that I can continue to lose more and will do that.  It's hard to believe though, that in such a relatively short amount of time I have lost a total of 200 lbs!!!!