First ride since I tuned the derailer

I tuned the derailer yesterday evening and thought I messed it up pretty bad, but after a bit of tweaking the screws I got it so that it will shift on me when appropriate. I didn't have any "slips" like I did last time I road so I'm happy.

This morning I swam 3200 yards and then road in to work. Had a pretty good headwind for most of the ride in.

I plan on riding home late this evening just before the sun goes down. Riding home is longer since I ride from Layton Surf N Swim in the morning and then ride home in the evening. It's 5 miles longer going home. Here's the stats, and also the plan for tonight, which I will update with actual stats once I get back to the computer tomorrow:

To SLC: 25.2 miles, 1:28 Elapsed, 17.1 mph avg
To Syracuse: 30.6 miles, 1:41 Elapsed, 18.2 mph avg

The ride home felt fast. The slowest point is going up the frontage road in NSL where the construction trucks are, and then going up the bike trail in NSL leading up to Hwy 89. Other than that, worked hard in high gears.

Fast paced racquetball

This morning I got up early and played racquetball at Layton Surf N' Swim. I started out playing Shawn Bell and won the first game. Then Lemar came and we played cutthroat. Lemar is a hustler and was able to chase down alot of the short shorts. But I won the first game. The second game everyone was 14 and Lemar got the win. Then Shawn and I played three more games. He won one and I won two.

Had a great lower body workout today.

2 hours total.

Riding to Farmington Station

Biked with Cathi down to the middle of Angel Street from our house. We slept in this morning and didn't get to the pool, but she went without me while I diverged to go to work. I was so late, I ended up catching FrontRunner in Farmington rather than ride in the whole way.

Total Distance 13.5
Time Spent: 55 minutes
Average Speed: 14.9 mph

Biking to Lagoon

Today I drove in to work today and left this afternoon to meet Cathi and the kids at Lagoon.

Total Distance 17.5 miles
Time: 1:04
Average Speed: 16.4 mph

Had a headwind to deal with, but wasn't dead by the time I got there. Lagoon throughout the day took alot of energy. I tried the Xango energy sample I got at the triathlon and it was OK. Then I tried the Raspberry flavored energy gel and that was gross!

Did Hi-Striker at the end of the day. I did 6 hits and the best was 98 and the lowest 87.

Buzz Bites

In the past when I have an event that requires some quick energy that enhances my performance in a swim or long distance bike ride I took a 200 mg tablet of caffeine. The problem with that was that it would sometimes lift me up too much.

I found a better solution. Buzz Bites is a chocolate energy chew that contains only half of a caffeine pill. It contains 100 mg of caffeine. It tastes like a dark chocolate tootsie roll. It was delicious and gave me the proper amount of lift I needed. The caffeine pill is too expensive and doesn't contain any vitamins which Buzz Bites offers. Buzz Bites is now on my inventory checklist for important races, or long distance rides.

Just don't think of them as candy as I think they could become addictive, just like any caffeinated product. It's definitely for special performance enhancement scenarios. Check out their website for more information and for ordering!

Soothe Those Aching Joints

There’s more than a grain of truth in the saying that we realize the value of something only when we no longer have it, a truth that hits home hard when the flexibility and agility of youth slowly but steadily gives way to the creaks and groans associated with the onset of age and the passing of years. Arthritis and other related joint pains are a scourge for people who have reached a certain age or who are unlucky enough to be beset by geriatric problems even in the throes of youth.

The knees, shoulders, wrists, fingers, and elbows are the most susceptible to attacks of rheumatism and arthritis, both diseases which make movement intensely painful and also cause stiffness. Some people are plagued by osteoporosis, a disease which weakens the bones and causes cartilage damage as we grow older. Joint injuries also take longer to heal under such conditions.

While a healthy diet filled with nutrition and regular exercise help keep joint pains at bay, sometimes even the best of prevention methods fails, and nature takes its course. Under such circumstances, there are ways to help alleviate the pain, both with and without medication.

• Exercise helps relieve joint pains and prevents them from reoccurring. Consult your physician to see if strengthening or stretching exercises will help your situation best. Start slowly and get into your routine gradually. While you may feel pain initially, if you stay the course, you will realize the benefits in the form of painless joints. Warming up before and down after your exercise routine is extremely important to avoid injuries and strain to your joints. Take care not to overdo any activity.


• Drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen do help in short term pain relief, but consult your doctor before taking any medication to avoid side effects.


• Baths and soaks in warm water help soothe aching joints as do warm compresses.


• Avoid alcohol, foods with additives and preservatives like monosodium glutamate, dairy products, vegetables like potatoes and tomatoes, red meat like beef, pork and lamb, foods high in sugar content and vegetable oils.


• Acupuncture or other alternative treatments do help for some people.


• Swimming in warm water is an effective exercise to keep away the pains.


• Herbal teas, concoctions and brews have a soothing effect and act as pain relievers.


• Take care not to keep your joints in one position for long periods of time. If you’re taking a long road trip, stop often and get out and walk. Do not sit for prolonged periods of time in front of the television. Walk from time to time to the kitchen to get a drink of water.


• Do not work continuously; give yourself adequate rest periods in between bouts of activity.

Always consult your doctor before you undertake any exercise routine or take any medication.

By-line:

This post was contributed by Heather Johnson, who writes on the subject of online nursing degree. She invites your feedback at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com

Evening ride

After helping Cathi prepare for her singing time tomorrow I needed a break so I went on a ride just as the sun was going down:

Moving Time: 43:35
Distance: 13.5 miles
Avg Speed: 18.3 mph

I ran into a couple of dirt road sections. I also came to one gravel trail at the top of an incline and didn't see it coming so I had to break real quick. I tried shifting down quickly, but ended up getting my chain all wrapped up and had to turn my bike upside down to untangle it.

Temperature was nice and was able to get in a decent ride in less than an hour.

Xango Echo Triathlon

Distance/Times: Swim 750 M, Bike 20K (12.4 miles), Run 5K (3.1 miles)
Cathi - Total: 1:42:10.95, Swim: 15:41, Bike: 54:26, Run: 26:09
Gords - Just the swim (Relay): 11:28

Details:
Roceil watched the kids for us so Cathi and I could check in the Best Western in Coalville, UT. We went over and got Cathi's packet and did the triathlon walk through. The guide told us of the transition and paths to take which made our experience more comfortable. It was very well organized and laid out. There were lots of signs to make the participants morons if they messed up. And if they still couldn't see the big signs there were lots of volunteers to point the proper direction.

In the morning we got up at 4:45 am and got ready to ride over. We biked over from the hotel which was probably only 2 miles. It was very cold and when we got there the rest of Team Tomax arrived within 30 minutes and we got our packet, timing chip and visited until our start time at 7:50 (for Cathi) and 8:00 (for me).

When I got in the water I noticed that it was hardly muddy and that the water wasn't that cold. They started us and I swam quite easily to the first marker which was easy to see. I rotated my head out of the water every 6 strokes or so and I was usually right on course, so no major lopsidedness going on. When I rounded the first corner I was what I felt like first place for my wave. I was now hitting women who were from the wave before mine. I even ran right into a very slow moving woman and instead of climbing over here, I stopped cold and went around her. I said "Sorry" and started my forward movement back up.

When I rounded the second marker I headed for the get out point. It was right in line with the sun so I couldn't see the marker or the beach at all, just a huge sun. I was noticing the direction of the other swimmers when breathing to the side and saw that they were going parallel to me so I just went with that hoping that it was the right way and that the whole other group was going the right way. That was a good strategy even though I was paranoid that everyone else was doing the same thing and going the wrong way.

But not before long I could see the shadow of trees which meant I was nearing the finish. I was too far to the right as I started running into reeds so I veered left and swam another 25 yards or so before hitting the bottom and running out. I heard the beep as I crossed the sensor pad with my left ankle's timing chip. As I ran up the slope on the green turf I saw Cathi and said "Good Job Cathi!" I found my shoes and hurried to slip them on and run to the transition area which was about 200 yards. I think I was the first team relay swimmer out of the water. Jason was pleased and hurried to get the timing chip on and took off. My time in the swim was 11:28. I was aiming for 11:30 so I met my goal. I was disappointed that I did the relay. I had plenty of energy left and wished I could have done the bike and run.

I saw Cathi start her bike portion and waited for Jason to arrive so Heather could go. I didn't use my stop watch at all so I didn't know how we were doing during the race.

I saw Heather start off and then as she finished. I then saw Cathi finish.
Team Tomax came in first place in the coed sprint relay division. We did it. Great job team. And great job Cathi!


Here are the results of the Coed Division:


Here is the overall results page.

70 Mile Ride from Cabin to Home

I planned on riding home from the cabin so I woke this morning and ate some breakfast and left at 6:30 or so. The first 9 miles down the canyon was fun and easy. I rode down through Logan easily and made it several miles South of Logan on Highway 89. I started up the hill at around mile 20 and it was a slow incline up. I climbed over 1000 ft, but once I got to the top the ride down was awesome! I maxed out east of Mantua going 47.9 mph.


I turned on the old road taking me past Maddox in Perry and headed south from there. Stopped for a bathroom break in Slaterville and further on my GPS complained of running out of batteries so I stopped again for replacements. At this point it was about 10:30 and it was starting to get hot. The rest of the trip was fairly flat, but it was getting tiring as the heat was getting intense. I went through 4 x 16 oz gaterades and about 20 oz of water.

When I got home I washed my bike down real good and waited for Cathi to bring the kids from the cabin in the van. This was a great ride and only about a mile of road where the shoulder was less than desirable.

Ride from Murdock Chevrolet in Woods Cross

Played 1:15 of racquetball at Layton Surf N' Swim with Lavar, Wendell, Shawn and Keith. I played well even though I lost a couple matches. I could have done better, but I played hard.

Then took the van to the Murdock Chevrolet dealership in Woods Cross, then rode to work.

16.5 mile round trip.

Ride to Mt. Harrison in Albion

I read about this ride from mapmyride.com

We went up to Albion park to campout at the Anderson reunion. I went to bed and planned on going up to Mt. Harrison early on Saturday morning. It took me 3 hours to get up there, and 40 minutes to get back. It was a 34 miles exactly for the round trip. Here is video of the trip:


This was the most fun bike ride I've ever had! It was so fun. I am looking forward to doing it again next year. This was a challenge that has given a sense of ownership. It's difficult to explain. But I feel like I have a connection with that place now that I've conquered it. Yesterday I was feeling a little depressed because I missed the place and wished I could do it again.

Robby Boyd said he would go with me next year. I'm planning on it for sure.

Good ride in to work and back again

This morning after my swim with Cathi, I rode in to work. It was a good ride. Not stuck at every light which seems to be the case alot. Was able to maintain a 18.3 mph average which includes a few lights and stopping at Vosen's bakery for some bread. Here are the stats:

Distance: 25.0 miles
Max Speed: 32.1 mph
Moving Time: 1:21
Moving Avg: 18.3 mph

Things were slow at work so I decided to leave just a little early and head home on the bike. Here are the stats:

Distance: 30.5 (Its longer since I'm going all the way home rather than to Layton Surf N Swim)
Max Speed: 30.8
Moving Time: 1:45
Moving Avg: 17.4

Great racquetball day

Started out playing singles with Shawn and was up 14 to 9, but he came back to win! Then played cutthroat with Shawn and Lori and won twice. Then played cutthroat with Shawn and Wendell and I won both again. I'm getting better at those "girly shots" that Eric loves. Real soft touch you know?

2 hours of hard running racquetball. Great!

Table Tennis Results

Austin took the gold medal in the 14 and under Division as well as the 17 and Under Division. Not bad considering he just turned 12. He had to play against several older players and was able to go the day undefeated.

Then we played Doubles. We beat Bryce Parkinson/Matt Pugmire team. That was tough. They had us 2-0 and we came back to win three in a row. Then we played Bruce and Dale Majors and lost all three, but they were all 2 point loss games.

Then we played Unsicker brothers who are also from Syracuse. We won 3-1. Then we played Doug Hansen and Jeff St. Clair and lost 0-3. Not bad.

Didn't have a camera, so I'm waiting to get pics from Dale on Austin on the stand with his gold medals.

On Saturday Austin and I played our Singles matches. I played Bryce Parkinson in the ladder for determining whether I would play in the A division or the Open (The highest division). I beat Matt 3-2 to make into the Open Division. This took alot of stress of of me, because in the Open, there is nothing to lose. Every player in that division is ranked higher than I am. I am the underdog so I went out playing very well. I took one game off of every single player in that division. No shut outs, except from George Majors who also took the Gold for the Open division. I lost to Carol Davis which was a disappointment. I usually beat her, but I was impatient with her chops and made risks that just didn't deliver. I did beat Doug Hansen 3-1 which was a shock. He's rated over 100 points above me.

Austin lost his ladder match to Eric Holje which put him in the B Division. He was a little disappointed with that. Personally I was relieved, because it meant that he would be in a division where he would be able to really do well. He also was in the same division as Matt Pugmire, which is the closest player to Austin ranking wise. In the Utah Open, Austin lost to Matt which was his goal. He cried that day. So I helped him get a little more motivation to beat Matt and offered him $10 if he could beat him. He was able to do it. He went undefeated in his division and beat out 8 other people to take Gold.

Here is the medal breakdown:

Gordon - 2 Gold
Cathi - 3 Silver
Austin - 3 Gold
Jacob - 1 Gold, 1 Silver

Here is the whole family after picking up the two that were left in Salt Lake with Grandma Gridley.

Jonas, Lucy and Jacob's Track results

Lucy, Jonas and Jacob all had to compete in the 10 and Under division which made it tough for Lucy and Jonas who are 7 and 6. Jacob took Silver in the 400, Gold in the 800 and tomorrow has the 1500.

Here is a fantastic video of their day.


Cathi ran one event - the 5K. She took the Silver medal. She did it in 24:14.42. That is a fantastic time!

Got bike back early

Called yesterday to see if my bike was done getting serviced and it was done one day early so I had Cathi pick it up for me and I rode in to work today after a short swim.

Here are the stats:
Distance: 25.1 Miles
Total Moving time: 1:28
Average Speed: 17.1 mph

My stupid water bottle stopper thingy that covers the humongous hole fell out several time while going over train tracks. After the third time I just left it. I'll have to figure out a new way to cover the hole without the cover falling off. I also looked down and my handlebars and aerobars were very loosely connected to the front fork and I adjusted it, but I need to borrow an allen rench today to tighten that up. It freaked me out how loose they were. Needless to say, 17.1 mph sucks. I definitely didn't really push it today. My knee is sensitive from yesterday's run and while it didn't really give me grief during the ride, I didn't want to push it. I really should be tapering, not expending alot of energy, but I haven't been on the bike in over a week thanks to it being in the shop, so I was eager.

Got antsy to ride again so I rode home rather than taking the FrontRunner. Stats:
Distance: 30.4 miles
Time: 1:47
Average speed: 17.07 mph

Carried laptop home. Made for a sore back.

Don't forget the knee brace!

Today I needed to run at lunchtime so here is the run I did:


Although I ran/walked 50% going to the turnaround point. On the way down I planned on doing 80% or so of running, but then my right knee on the outside started feeling a sharp pain. Went away when walking, but running was very painful so I walked the rest of the way back. 5.15 miles in 1:10. Not good. Next time I need to wear a brace. It was a good workout, especially going up the hill in Memory Grove.

My Goals for Ogden Valley 2008 Sprint Triathlon

Swim: 11:30 (1:32/100 yds)
Bike: 41:25 (18mph average)
Run: 30:00 (9:39 mph average)

Transition 1: Under 3:00
Transition 2: Under 1:30

Total time: 1:27:25

Getting better at Racquetball

This morning I got there at 5:45 and nobody was there yet. Shawn Bell showed up and we played a singles match. I won. Then Wendell and Lori showed up. I played Wendell and lost 15-8. Then played singles with Lori and won. Wendell had to leave so Lori, Shawn and I played cutthroat and I was ahead most of the time, and made alot of great shots and hustle moves, but Shawn came from behind and won. Lori and I were 13.

Good workout. Recorded my heart rate once at 150. Not bad.

Yesterday for Father's Day we met at Low's. I ate good but then didn't stop, so I ended up overeating quite a bit. If I had stopped after the second plate of fruit I would have felt great about it. But there was just so much stuff!

Finally a win!

Today I arrived at SDRC and the only person there was my Dad! I played him a couple games spotting him 10 points, then 11 and won both. Then Shawn showed up and we played some cutthroat. Shawn won both of them. Dad told me he order the new Ektelon Copper which is the same racquet that Shawn has. So Shawn let him play with it today.

After the two cutthroat games, Dad had to leave so I played two singles matches with Shawn the first one he won, and the second I won! First time I've beaten Shawn. I played much better today. I played shorter shots when up front rather than pounding the crud out of the ball. I also had alot of energy and was able to run and get around on the court very fast.

2 hours of racquetball. Good stuff.

First Week Weigh In

Here are the results for this week:

Great job everybody! Don't feel overwhelmed if you didn't get the results you were hoping for this week. It's a new week and you get to start fresh. I hope we can carry on last week's challenges of water, not eating after 8pm and an hour of exercise a day.

This week's challenges are:
1. Do some weight training each day, or pushups/situps
2. No sugared sweets

Let's have a great week. Remember exercise and diet both will get you where you want!
Click the graph to see detailed view.

Early morning bike ride

After swimming 2 miles early this morning I got on the bike and rode from Layton Surf N' Swim to work. I was tired and didn't really push it. There were several hilly places so my average was low:

18 mph average
25.1 miles total
1:28 elapsed time

Racquetball and ride

This morning I had a hard time getting all my stuff together. I also couldn't find my GPS. I found it in the van. I was able to ride over to racquetball at Layton Surf N' Swim and start play at around 6:00. I played with Keith and was doing well, but then Wendell came in so we cut that came short. Played cutthroat with Wendell and Keith where Keith played much better and Wendell won.

Then played doubles with Wendell against Keith and Shawn. Shawn's knee was in a brace, but he didn't appear held back from last Thursday's injury and Wendell and I lost.

Keith went off to work and I played cutthroat with Wendell and Shawn. I played much better and was leading for a while, but Wendell came back and won.

Played singles with Shawn and I didn't play good. I really need to focus on short corner shots!

Biked to the train and then biked to work. Total miles: 7

Hours playing racquetball: 1.75

Long ride

After the party we threw for the guys visiting Tomax from India, I left to ride to Mom and Dad's party at 6pm. I modified the route nicely to avoid the goofy angled railroad tracks in Woods Cross. I left at 5:09pm and got there a little at 6:40pm. It was 31.7 miles and my average speed was 19.7 mph. I really want to hit 20 mph average on a long ride. Its the slowing down part for intersections that really gets my average down.

Felt good about that ride. However near 2300 N and 2100 W I wasn't concentrating. I put my head down and swerved off the road into a small ditch on the side of the road. I was going 20 mph when I went in. I couldn't swerve back into the road, it was about 6 inches higher than the ditch so I just road threw it for about 25 feet and then was able to then swerve back in when the road and the ditch were the same height.

My heartbeat went up probably 20 bpm. I thought I was gonna wreck but I was able to stay on. Scared the crud out of me.

Racquetball cut short

Got to SDRC a little late (6:30am) and played two cutthroat matches with Eric and Shawn. Eric and I were up in the teens with Shawn at 1. He came back and won!

The second game Eric won. Then Eric had to leave for work and I played singles with Shawn. I had him 10 - 5 when I did a high ball which bounced over Shawn and reached a high arch over him. He jumped for it missed and came down. Didn't look like he landed weird and he even walked back into position to receive my serve when he looked like he was in pain standing there.

His knee was giving him trouble when it was straight. We stopped and let him stretch it out. It appeared to get a little better but we stopped for the day since we are playing tomorrow and also didn't want to make it any worse. So I only got one hour of racquetball in today.

Did 60 minutes of Elliptical at lunch (636 calories) which was pretty tough again.

Tough Elliptical for an hour

Did one full hour of Elliptical work. Tough stuff. Sweat a ton, and my toes get tingly I think cause their not getting enough blood for some reason.

Great workout.

Elliptical and calisthenics

55 Minutes Elliptical training (Burned 611 calories)

10 minutes abs
1 minute timed push-ups (93)

Sweat like crazy. Hoping to be down to 200 by next Wednesday. Weighed in yesterday at 207.

Start of Cathi's June Challenge

This morning I got up as Cathi was walking out the door to run. I biked to Layton Surf N' Swim and played Racquetball with Shawn, Keith and Wendell. I played better than usual, but still didn't win any cut-throat matches, but Wendell and I won both our Doubles matches. Then I biked to the train station at 7:50. If I do this on Monday and Friday and then on Tuesday and Wednesday and Saturday (when possible) come and swim, I should be doing good!

I'll bike to work on Thursdays (and back) with a stop at SDRC for Racquetball.

2nd annual Gridley Family Bike Race

I've mapped the route and plan on doing this in 21 minutes (20 mph average)



I did the 7 mile race in 19:53 with an average of 21.1 mph. Dad ran over some glass only about a mile into the race and was walking home with his bike when I was near the finish line. I passed Eric about 200 yards into it and Mom and Cathi (who had a 200 yard head start) about 300 yards into it. I went about at about 90%

Next year I'm sure the competition will be a little more intense. Eric bought some new pedals and some shoes which he will be well used to by the next race. I suggested to Dad that we do three races per year. Next one should be 14 miles and then a 50 mile challenge (Ride from Dad's house up to Syracuse over to Antelope Island and back to my house. Then I could drive everyone back to Salt Lake with their bikes. That would be fun!

Early morning racquetball again

Since yesterday's eating blowout, I decided to get up early again and meet Shawn at SDRC for some racquetball. I played doubles with him and was winning 14 to something and he came from behind and won.

Then Lamar came and I played singles against him and won. Then we played two cutthroats. Shawn won both. I almost won the second, but couldnt' finish. Then Shawn and I played two more and he won both of them. I had him on many points and should have won both of them, but wasn't able to finish out the last point for 15. I wasn't frustrated too badly though cause I was playing good and was making Shawn sweat.

Went swimming for a bit. Total time playing - 2 hours, 40 minutes swimming.

Racquetball with Dad

Spent the night at Dad's since I worked late last night. Got up at 5:15 and carpooled with Dad to SDRC. We were there at 6:00 am sharp and none of the other guys showed up yet so we played a couple games. I won both.

Then Eric showed up and we played cutthroat. Eric won. Then played cutthroat with Shawn. Shawn won. Then played a couple games of cutthroat and Eric won again. I was getting ticked cause I was making mistakes and so was Dad. I like singles better. Eric took off so I played Dad three games.

Beat him bad the first one and so he wanted a handicap of 10 points. I conceded and still won. Then he took 11 the next game and won 15-14. Poor Dad's ankles are giving him trouble and it's been several years since he last played.

Elliptical and lift

Elliptical Training: 20 minutes

Jeff Ivie came in and he usually always does Elliptical so I stopped at 20 minutes to let him on. I did 10 minutes of ab work and went lifting:

Legs up Bench Press:

20 @ 135, 3 x 15 @ 155, 20 @ 135, 25 @ 115, 30 @ 95, 35 @ 75, 40 @ 65, 45 @ 55

Pretty good burn and time was up. 1 hour total. Back to work!

Birthday Bike Ride

Today it rained all day except for a couple of hours where the wind blew probably 15 mph with gusts over 20. All coming from the south. When it quit raining I played BB with Austin and Jacob for a game to 11. I barely won 7-11. They are both pretty good shooters.

At 4:00 pm I got on my bike and headed South to Woods Cross to Eric's house for my birthday party. It was an 18 mile ride and I did it in about 1:15. It was tough cause of the headwind. Had a fun party and ate too much. But it's my birthday and I'll eat what I want to. The annual Gridley bike race is this coming Saturday morning. Should do much better than last year. Here's the picture from last year.

Energetic Racquetball

Today I played much better than normal. I made better shots and when I did hit the ball I hit it hard. Played doubles with Tom against Eric and Dan. We won. Then played with Eric against Tom and Dan, we won. Then played cutthroat with Eric and Shawn. Shawn does well in a cutthroat/doubles game. He won both.

I then played Dan two singles matches. Killed him on the first one and the second won was a well fought match until I gained some momentum and won the second one. I had a ton of energy today and felt great! Went swimming.

No running shoes = lift for an hour instead

Took the FrontRunner this morning to work and didn't bring anything in with me, so I didn't have my running shoes. Just my goofy Dr. Scholls shoes that I can lift in. So I did:

Deadlifts: 10 x 8 @ 185
superset with
Abs (Rotating between 50 crunches, 50 shoulders up flutter kicks, 10 straight leg Captains Chair)

Good workout. The deadlifts were tough. Might be sore tomorrow.

Elliptical Training

Worked straight through the day except for a 10 minute salad break.

At 4:15 I went down and did the Elliptical for an hour. Good work.

Chest

Legs up Bench Press: 15 @ 135, 15 @ 155, 2 x 15 @ 185, 15 @ 135
Decline Bench: 15 @ 135, 15 @ 145, 15 @ 165, 10 @ 155, 15 @ 135

100 Crunches
50 Pushups

Need to step it up on the exercise and diet. Stuck at 200 (or a couple pounds more).

Ogden Marathon - 3:50:25

No, I didn't run this. Wish I had the stamina. Cathi did this marathon early this morning. I stayed up late last night and made Cathi this poster. I finished it around 2:00 in the morning and then went to bed. Cathi got up two hours later (0400) and left for her Marathon while I slept for a few more hours.

At 7:30 I got up, got the kids all ready and hustled them into the car while we drove up to the Pineview Dam to meet Cathi at the 17.5 mile mark of the marathon. We were there about 30 minutes early. I setup the chairs for the kids and gave them each a donut and some juice. Then we saw Cathi running across the Dam. I ran back and got Oliver and Sam out of their portacrib and we all gave her a high five as she passed by. She was there earlier than we thought. This was a good time for her.

I told Bill and Roceil that they should hurry down the canyon to the finish to try and catch Cathi without waiting for me. They took Lucy, Jonas and Isaac. I hurried with the other kids to the van and we rushed back over through Mountain Green to get back to the the Ogden Memorial Garden's where the finish line was. When we got there it was 3:30 so we made it!
I put Jacob up in a tree to look ahead and look for Cathi. I didn't see Bill and the kids, or any other relatives for that matter.

Then I saw Cathi about 50 yards from me running towards me. It was only 3:49! She was going to slaughter her old personal record! We were about 200 yards from the finish. When she crossed she stopped her personal watch which she started when she crossed the start line. It read 3:50:25. Great new record!

We met Cathi back at the park where all the runners were waiting to meet up with their loved ones. We looked all over for Bill and Roceil and the kids but nothing. We had the guy at the stage page them. Waited. No show. Then paged "Lucy Gridley". Nothing. Figured I must have misled Bill with directions in how to get here and that he was pretty frosted at me for telling him 2550 S and 2 blocks "west" of Wall, rather than "East" which is where the finish line was. We waited for probably 45 minutes after she met us in the park. We went home and were worried when they weren't at our house, and no message on the machine.

Found out later they were in the bleachers and didn't see Cathi at all and figured she must have hit a brick wall on the way down the canyon. Aunt Kathy and Diane were there too. They were in the bleachers under the HOT sun. I felt bad that it turned out the way it did. They totally missed the finish. She just flew right by.

I'm so proud of Cathi! She finished strong and killed her old time of 4:05 which she set just 2 months ago in the Salt Lake Marathon. We checked the Boston Marathon qualifying time and to qualify for W 35-39 she needs to get 3:45. So she would only need to improve her time by 5 minutes. She cut her time this marathon by 14. So 5 more shouldn't be too much of a stretch, especially considering she didn't take my advice of taking a caffeine pill at the starting line.

I had a great experience with the 5K yesterday and attribute a certain degree of that success to the caffeine supplement I took. She planned on taking it, but left it home accidentally she claims.

Great job Cathi! When Cathi qualifies for the Boston Marathon, we will definitely plan on doing it.

Bluff Ridge 5K race - new PR (23:58)

Today is the 5K race. I haven't done a 5K since May of 1996. My time was 33 minutes or so. My goal for this afternoon's race is under 30 minutes. My 5K personal record was set in the seventh grade where I did it in 25:25. Easy number to remember. I don't think I'll come close to that, but would like to be able to run the whole thing without walking.

I wasn't able to sleep very good last night. Last time I looked at the clock it was 12:15pm. This morning I was feeling very groggy so I took a caffeine pill. I also read recently that Caffeine has a positive effect (barring any side effects) on distance races. The pill was taken at around 10:00 am, so I plan to take one more pill around 2:30 in order to get an even more enhanced affect for the race. They're 200 mg pills, so it should pump me up pretty well. Similar to about 80 fl oz of Mtn Dew without the calories. The key thing though is to not turn into a regular user. After today, no caffeine until a triathlon or something.

Will update this blog with the results tonight....

OK I just got back from the race. I am totally excited. I got a new PR! I did the 5K in 23:58 which shatters my old 25:25 time in 7th grade. That is a 7:48 min/mile pace. Which for me is awesome. I kept the goal of not walking except for the two times when I took water at station 2 & 3. I only walked as long as it took to drink 4 fl oz and splash 4 oz on me. Total walking time was only around 15 seconds.

I was breathing like an old man at the end, but I had enough energy to go back about a mile and get Jonas and run with him to finish and fireman carry him about 1/2 of that last mile.

Jacob took second place in his group, and Cathi took second in her division (18-39 yr old). Cathi's time was 25:40 and Jacob's time 24:10. I took first in the family. Granted Cathi was pushing the double stroller with Sam and Oliver and it wasn't going straight so she had to keep lifting the front wheel to correct. She would have probably cut a full minute without the stroller.

I took fourth place. Had I known I would have sprinted harder at the end. I caught up to the guy in front of me and at the end he sprinted when he saw that I was. I wasn't in the race to compete against anyone really, just to get the time I wanted so I let him stay just in front of me. Had I known there would have been a medal to win I would have definitely beat him. Oh well, I'm still very happy about the time.

In fact I'm going to look for a couple other 5K's this summer and try to beat that time. That means I'll have to train more. I didn't have any knee or back issues at all. Cathi rubbed out the huge knot in my back before the race which was a huge help, and the caffeine pills I took really got my wired.

Now I'm off to WFTTC with Austin. Cathi is running her Ogden Marathon early tomorrow morning too.

Racquetball

Hit snooze a couple times this morning without really realizing it. Rushed off to the SDRC and got there at 7:00 and played cutthroat with Dan and Shawn. Shawn kicked butt of course. His shot is to hit the side wall about a foot after hitting the front wall and that takes all the forward motion out of the ball and it just drops to hit twice real fast. I hate that shot, but its a good one for the guy who makes it.

Need to practice that one.

Then played Steve. Met him for the first time. He lives in Orem and commutes up here to play. Now that's dedication. Anyhow I beat him 15-0 the first game. Then we switched out Shawn's red ball for my purple one which was totally charged up. It was about twice as bouncy as Shawn's. We played another game and I won 15 - 4. Then I was gonna go swim, but that would've left Steve alone so I played another. This time I didn't play with nearly as much energy or drive and Steve won 15-14. Then I went and swam.

Long bike ride this morning

Left the house at 6:40 am to bike to work. Still need to figure out how to work the computer. Only can clearly understand the current speed and cadence. Need to know how to reset the tripometer and read average speed, etc..

Realized halfway there that I left my lock and cable at home. So I stopped at Mom's in Rose Park to see if she had one. She didn't so I borrowed her car (so I wouldn't have to leave my bike in front of the store) and went to Smiths real quick to get one. Then I rode the rest of the way to work. Its about 33 miles and I did it in 2 hours not counting the stop at Mom's.

That's about 17 mph average which is not good. I didn't have much wind or hills to deal with. Would like to get my average over 20 mph sometime soon. I plan on taking the Frontrunner back home tonight.

Going for the Tom Cruise look

Ever see someone who has a relatively normal upper body, but biceps that are disproportionately large? I call that the Tom Cruise affect. Tom Cruise has massive biceps for his tiny frame. No other muscle group on him is very impressive, except for his Biceps. Even his forearms are tiny.

Well some guy in my ward has a Tom Cruise look and while I accept it for what it is, it still make me self conscious about my own arms which lack any real "peak". So I worked on arms today:

Preacher Curls: 18 @ 70, 15 @ 75, 4 x 15 @ 80
Alternating DB Curls: 6 x 15 @ 30
Concentration Curls: 3 x 15 @ 25
Armblaster Preacher Curls: 3 x 15 @ 75

10 minutes of crunches (good burn)
1 minute pushups (88)

First Antelope Island Ride

Yesterday evening I had my Scout patrol camping out on Antelope and we invited the patrol to bike home (14 mile ride). I took my new bike and rode slowly for most of the boys but when it was down to just one boy and his Dad (The rest put their bike in the trailer when they got tired), I took off at a normal speed and just went home at my own pace. I had a fun time and wanted to go more, so in the afternoon I hooked up the trailer and the train to my Mountain Bike and took the whole family on a 4 mile easy ride.

Total miles = @ 18 miles

No other stats sorry.

Suffering and cussing

Had troubles keeping my mouth clean when playing Eric. We played four games and I only won the first one. He made several errors on the first game which I benefited from, but the next games he got several good bounces and also did well on the short game. Basically Eric has a better shot selection that I do. My strategy is to just pound the hell out of the ball most of the time and try and get the opponent out of position. Eric is a great hustler though and is able to get many shots that fat people wouldn't be able to. He has a deadly forehand off the back wall so I have to avoid that spot.

I then played Shawn and had a better game, but still lost. Then went and swam 1 mile. I think I pulled something in my lower back. It's giving me hell.

New Personal Record - 100 push ups in a minute

During the last two weeks while on vacation I have been working on fast pushups. Try to do as many as possible in a minute. I did 80 - 90 while on vacation. While today while listening to this song I decided to break a record and go for 100. I did it! 100 exactly in one minute. That's pretty much going fast the whole time and not stopping at all.

Here's the whole workout:

45 minutes Elliptical - 520 calories burned
10 minutes ab work
Pushups in one minute: 100

Tough Run

Today at lunch I ran on the treadmill downstairs and it felt good to get a good hard sweat:

3.00 miles - 4 x (.6625m Run, .125m walk @ 3.5mph) 6.5 mph Sets 1&2, 7.0 mph Sets 3&4 all at 2.5% grade

1.00 miles - 4 x (.125m Run @ 8.0 mph, .125m Walk @ 3.5 mph) 1st set 3.0% grade, 2nd - 3.5, 3rd - 4.0, 4th - 4.5% grade

4 miles total

10 minutes of crunches

Got my bike and first ride (and flat)

Yesterday late afternoon I went by Bikers Edge in Kaysville and picked up my bike. Shannon was the person who helped me. I also bought:

• A good helmet


• A waterbottle and cage which rests between the aerobars


• New peddles and Tri shoes - The shoes allow for better draining of water since coming from water. Thy are also well padded so they can be worn without socks. They also can be left right on the peddles and have a real easy way to tighten while attached to the pedal.


• A stationary trainer stand - for those days when its rainy or cold or need to stay home, but need to still train.


• Cat eye computer - They guy who installed it for me had the cadence and speed sensors switched so I had to reinstall it properly.


• A decent lock for when I need to lock the bike up


• A stowaway case for going under my seat (which is tiny by the way).


• Biker shorts - so nice to have the padding in the crotch. The seat is tiny and relatively hard.

Shannon told me to practice on grass and getting in and out of the pedals. I didn't really do that as I felt comfortable with it after a few tries.

I put the water bottle cage on and set it up with my GPS on top of it and mp3 off to the side. The water bottle can stay in place and there is an extendable straw so I don't have to move it. I can just keep my hands on the aero bars.

They fit me to the bike and made some adjustments to maximize the best power and comfort. I went home and went on a quick 13 mile ride. Felt great.

Then this morning I rode in to work. I biked through West Layton - Farmington. When I got to Shepherd Lane and Shepherd Creek Parkway there is a 4 way stop there. I obeyed Shannon's advice to make sure to twist my left foot out of the clip before I get to stop sign. But I rested my foot on the pedal thinking I was clear, but it had clicked back in without me realizing it and here I was stuck with both feet in the clips at a complete stop. I wasn't expecting it or I would've tried the balancing trick that I used to do fairly well back in the day.

There was a school bus, several other cars in the intersection and they must have laughed watching me struggle to get my left foot out real quick, but ended up just falling on my left side. In embarrassment I hurried to get to my feet, but my foot was still locked in and I fell again! I felt so dumb. Kind of wish I had a video of it so I could youtube it. There was a little scuffing on the left of my handlebars, but no other visible damage to the bike. I was bleeding just a little on my left knee, but seriously not bad. Could've been alot worse. Took a minute for the gawkers to move on while I moved to the sidewalk, adjusted my mp3, GPS and water bottle which had spilled 1/2 way all over the road.

I continued on down Shepherd Lane and went through the heart of Farmington down to the Frontage road in Centerville (which doesn't have a good shoulder for bikes by the way!) Crossed over I-15 on Parrish Lane overpass then went through West Bountiful - Woods Cross - 3300 W in SLC down to 700 N and then cut through my old Morton Meadows neighborhood and got to 400 N and Redwood and turned that corner to connect with the Constitution Park trail when I noticed I had a flat on my back tire. I turned around and headed north on Redwood to go up to my parents house (625 N Redwood) and noticed that within 1/2 block it went from flat to completely dead. I jumped off before it was dead and switched into my work shoes and walked the rest of the way to my parents house.

When I started walking the odometer read 33 miles. With a 17.5 mph average. I will have to repair the flat when I get back from our Hungary trip. Cathi and I are going to Hungary and I'm gonna miss my new toy! I was really nervous this morning when I left thinking the weight of the 20 lb duffel bag on my back, and the slimness of the seat would leave me suffering all afternoon. I don't even think I'm sore! That was seriously one of the funnest rides I've ever done. I just wish I hadn't got that flat! I will definitely do this again. Just think! I can workout, save gas and get to work without dealing with traffic all at the same time!

So fun!

Back to it

Today I did Elliptical for 45 minutes followed by 15 minutes of lifting:

Alternating Overhead Military Press: 3 x 15 @ 95
Crunches: 3 x 50

Fairly good workout. Need to step it up. Getting slack lately.

Cathi's SLC Marathon for Andrea - 4:04:19

While Austin and I were at the Utah Valley Open Tournament Cathi was downtown SLC running a marathon. I am going to copy what she wrote in her journal:

Today was an excellent run! I got in the "grove" right away and could tell that it wasn't going to be tedious. It was going to be a "gazelle" day. I had a picture of Andrea on my shirt. Just a few people asked me about here. I gave the opening prayer at her funeral She had been at the U of U hospital from injuries she got in a fall. It got infected so they had to reoperate and during that surgery she didn't get enough oxygen to her brain. It was very sad.

Here are the things I will miss most about Andrea:

• How she squeeled with delight and said "Oh, Cathi Gridley!" That always made me feel so good!


• How she'd cover her mouth and laugh so cute.


• How she'd pat my hand when she sat next to me


• How she'd write me little notes and put them in a baggie with a purple zipper and put a mini candy bar with them.


• She'd bring the kids all a mini candy bar when she came to visit.


• She' come on a Friday night and bring a movie. We'd get pizza and spend the evening watching Jungle Book and sang and danced.


• She love our dates Sat at 2:00 and we'd go to the Centerville Dairy Queen and get a Blizzard. Then she couldn't wait to write on the calendar our next date.


• She was forgiving if I'd forget a date, which I did a few times even though she was very disappointed.


• She gave out birthday invitations MONTHS in advance because she loved her parties.


• She'd look at you with big intent eye and push her lips together.


• She'd sayd "YES" when she was excited about something.

I will miss Andrea Phillips! I was one of her favorites and she was one of mine. So I ran the race in her honor.

I felt great the whole race. It started at the University of Utah and went down to 6400 S. Then from 2300 E to 500 E then to 1700 S then to 400 S to 400 W to the Gateway. My new MP3 music walkman would not work so I was out of luck then. I only really talked to 2 people.

Gordon and Austin were at a Table Tennis Tournament so my cheerleaders were Marcia, Elayna, Stacey and Kaylee at Miles 16 and 22. It was so refreshing to see them and it meant so much to me that they would come to cheer.

Then at the finish line was Steven, Meg (Steve's Girlfriend) and Michele, Madison and Taylor. Steve found me right at the end and hugged me. We found the others and chatted for a bit. I was so grateful for my cheerleaders today!

My finishing time was 4:04:19. That is my best time by over 3 minutes. San Diego, June 6th, 2004 I got 4:07:24. I looked at my watch at the 1/2 marathon mark and it said 2:02. That means that I was on track for my best time ever. Especially on the last 6 miles or so I could tell my pace was rockin! I picked it up for the last mile. I had a little bit left.

What an awesome race! I liked the course. A lot of down and just a little bit up. There was wind against us on our way south on the first half. Then the wind pushed us to the finish. A gust would come every once in a while and I would think this is a gift from Heavenly Father.

I cried at the end. It was so emotional to finish and finish so hard. No walking today! Great Great Race!

2008 Utah Valley Open Table Tennis Tournament

Austin and I got to the Pleasant Grove Community center at 8:10 and helped John Pratt set up the tables.

At 9:00 the age group events started and Austin played five other boys. He lost one game, but after the event three boys had all lost one match to each other for a three way tie. So it went down to how had won the most/lost the least. Austin had lost only 3 matches so he took the first place medal. Jason Jung took second and the boy who took third was they guy that Austin lost his 3 matches to. It's weird how some styles can do better against other specific styles. Austin played a friendly rematch afterwards and won so he felt better.

In the afternoon Austin and I played doubles but lost all of our matches. We didn't play so hot together.

In the late afternoon Austin played in the B division Singles and I played in the A division singles.

In determining which division each player would be in there was a ladder competition. I beat Nanda 3-0 and then lost to Meg 0-3. But the matches with Meg were tight and had several really good rallies.

I had to play Bryce Parkinson first. He won the first match and then I won the next three matches for the win. Bryce is a fantastic looper, but he landed maybe only one loop during all the matches. Just wasn't his day.

I then played Lonnie. He is from Pleasant Grove and a more tactical player that likes to serve fast, and also hits quickly off the bounces. He had beaten me 2 to 0, but I came back and won three in a row for the win.

I then played Paul. Paul is David To's old coach from Rock Springs. I've beaten Paul before, but it isn't easy. Paul won the first game, but I won the next three for the win.


I then played Kelvin who is also a Utah County local, I beat him three in a row. This put me undefeated in the division and I won first place! I was rated 1354 before this tournament and am very eager to find out what my new rating will be. Both Bryce and Lonnie are rated higher than that so I'm hoping to be in the 1400's finally. We'll see.

So Austin and I both won individual 1st place medals. Austin - 14 and Under. Gordon - Class A division.

There were about 18 people in this tournament. Much less than the 32 maximum. Not sure of the reasons why. Last year's tournament wasn't as organized and the rapid ranker system ruffled alot of feathers last year with people. This year though was a round robin and tables were constantly being utilized. The tournament this year was a night and day improvement in its organization and flow. Dr. John Pratt held a great tournament this year. For those who are higher ranked in the state that did not play. If the reasons were to protect points. Shame on you!

Score!

Today I went early to the Bountiful Rec Center and played Racquetball with Dan, Dave and Shawn. Shawn mentioned last time we played that he would be getting a new racket and that he would give me the one he got from Blair. I played a little with it last time. It is fast! So he gave it to me this time. It is so cool.

I played Dave and was up 8 to 2, but for some reason played like crap and he came back and won. Then I got kicked around by Shawn. He's gotten so much better. His backhand is so low and his "pinch" shot is a killer. He's noticeably stepped up his game.

Then I played Dan. He beat me one and then I won the next game. During our play I was ahead of him and didn't look back to see he was right next to me and he hit me with his racket right in the back of the head a little on the right side. It immediately went numb and I was surprised how much it didn't hurt considering the amount of force that went into it. I have a decent welt on the back of my neck. I wish I could have seen it from a different perspective to see how much swing went into it, cause I think the swing might have only been about about Dan's 50%. 100% probably would have knocked me out. It really was my fault for not being more aware of my surroundings and giving him more room. I'm glad I didn't turn around and get it in the teeth.

After we played I went down and swam for a bit.

At lunchtime today I played table tennis with Gyan. He won several games so he did good. My entire body is sore from all the exercise this week. Will skip swimming tonight so I can recover enough to be fairly energetic at this Saturday's Utah Open Tournament.

In the evening I took Jacob hiking up to "the rock" which is about 1.75 miles up from the mouth of City Creek Canyon. We ran down which was easy since it was downhill, but still considered jogging. Didn't swim tonight cause my body is feeling real achy and I have a tournament on Saturday and don't want to be hobbling like an old man.

Extremely tasty, nutritious, low cal meals that don't cost alot

Breakfast


I have several options for breakfast (which truly is the most important meal of the day):

1. Old Fashioned Oatmeal
- Not the instant crap that comes in individual packets. I get this stuff. Sure it takes a little effort to prepare, but its so good and healthy. Just put about 1 quart of water in a pot and get it started to boil. Once the water is boiling good, I'll turn the heat to low and put in enough oatmeal to make it relatively thick. Stir for about 20 seconds, keep on low for another minute then remove from heat. Let sit for another minute and add some brown sugar and/or honey to taste and if you're getting bored with it try adding granola, grape-nuts, or a small amount of coconut. So good!

2. Bagels - I recently went to Einstein Bagels and oh my gosh it was so good. But that doesn't make my list cause Einstein Bagels are expensive. You can get bagels at the grocery store at a fraction of the cost, but beware, the cheaper they are the least good taste I think. I bought some fairly good bagels at a good price and got some low calorie whipped strawberry cream cheese to top it off and oh boy its so good. Problem is you don't really want to do this every day, cause it isn't really low calorie. I'll go with this option to reward myself for something or when I simply don't have time.


3. Grapenuts - Rarely do I go with anything other than oatmeal, but once I went with grapenuts and that was good and less than 300 calories for a good sized bowl with milk.

Breakfasts to avoid

1. What got me in trouble to begin with was getting sucked into that damn monopoly promotion and trying to get a monopoly to win something, which I never did!. I'd get two Sausage Egg McMuffins, two hashbrowns and a large OJ. I'd take one bite out of the hashbrown and then stack it in my McMuffin. (My mouth is watering right now really bad) I did that some weeks two or three times. Now that is expensive! And will give you a big bum, like I did.

Lunch and snacks:

1. Green salad with lots of goodies - I just buy the "Dole Greener Selection" salad at the grocery store. I'll take one string cheese and break it up all over the salad. Earlier in the week I'll grill 3 boneless chicken breasts and marinate them in Fat Free Italian Dressing. Then take 1/2 a breast (3 should last all week) and break all over the salad, then put 3 TB of low cal ranch on the salad. Oh man, so good, filling, cheap and good for you!


2. Chocolate Quakes - WARNING: This low-cal snack is so good you might eat the whole dang bag, and then it wouldn't exactly be low cal! But if you are able to leave the bag at home and just put a handful in a baggie for later, you're better off. I think I got these at Walmart for $2.50 a bag and if you're smart, you'll make it last a couple days at least. I'm amazed that one serving is only 60 calories. Even if you do eat the whole bag it's 700 calories. But beware they're addicting, better than eating a whole bag of potato chips I guess.


3. Hardboiled eggs - While you're putting water on for the oatmeal, get another smaller pot and put about 3 inches of water in it to allow for an egg to be nearly submersed. Don't wait to get a boil. Put the eggs in at first to allow them to heat up gradually along with the water. Once you get a hard boil, let them hard boil for at least 5 minutes or so. Then remove from heat, drain and replace with cold water. Let the eggs sit in the cold water for a few minutes. Then you can take them for a snack throughout the day.
   I typically remove the yolk which takes the calories down from 70 to 17. The yolk isn't bad, just if you want to really watch the calories, you can remove it and still enjoy the whites. Sprinkle a little salt on it if you can't stand a plain hardboiled egg white.



4. Beef Jerky - when I'm feeling real low on protein (you know if you're Non-vegan and feel like a steak) I'll go with Beef Jerky. For me though it's alot like the Quakes and I have to use great willpower to not eat the whole bag, but its lots of protein with a very small amount of fat (depending on the brand you get). Jerky is expensive though so its at the very bottom of my list. I only get it once a month or so.

Dinner

To be honest, if you really want to lose weight, dinner should be some veggies, or some fruit. Don't feel guilty if you get most of you're calories in breakfast and lunch with snack, and you end up skipping dinner (or having another green salad). If you get most of your calories throughout the day that's better than loading up at night for when you're just gonna sleep. Nothing's better than eating a real hearty breakfast when you're hungry knowing you didn't load up the night before.

Run which kicked me out of the 200's

Before the weigh in this morning I got up with Cathi and went running:

3.0 m - 3 x (.80m run, .20m walk)
1.0 m - 4 x (.125 sprint, .125 walk)

4.0 miles total

Then went and weighed in.

At lunchtime I lifted chest:

Legs up Flat Bench: 6 x 15 @ 135
Incline Press: 15 @ 115, 15 @ 95, 3 x 15 @ 80
Decline DB Press: 4 x 15 @ 50
DB Flys: 3 x 15 @ 40
Dips: 2 x 15 @ bw (200)
Pushups: 1 x 40

I know it's light, I'm not that strong. Need to do more strength training instead of so much cardio.

Finally under 200!

Ever since January I had a timetable of weight loss and I have actually kept with the time table and met the goal of getting under 200 this week. I did it! I weighed in at 199.0 this morning and boy was I glad to hit that milestone! I am not done though. I want to get down to 185. But this is the main goal I had at the beginning of the year.

Before:
After:


Thanks to Cathi for motivating me. I remember we were driving somewhere and she asked if I would join her. This isn't the first time she's asked me to be "good" with her. But this time I kept my eye on the prize and didn't lose focus the entire time. I had a few "bad" days, but not days where I lost control. I remember when I first hit 200 pounds. I was at Ricks College with Cathi and had been married for 5 months. It was January of 1995 and I just hit 200. Cathi and I went down to Arizona to see Joey Emig. I was so depressed during that trip. Hitting 200 was a milestone I wasn't proud of. Now I'm feeling like I'm going back in time and getting my body back. I really want to get that 185 so stay posted for even more amazing results!

This season's biggest loser was also a huge motivator for me. That's a great show when it can inspire people and cause action rather than just be a one hour form of entertainment.

The Top Five fitness tips I've used to help lose weight/get fit:

1. Avoid the elevator, take the stairs


2. Count your calories - If you don't count em, you don't care and anything can go in


3. Exercise at least 2 hours per day


4. Drink water! Its zero calories for crying out loud. It will fill you up and helps you pee.


5. Log your efforts so you feel accountable

Committed to Felt S32

Yesterday on the way home I stopped at Bikers Edge in Kaysville. I found a serious biker here in SLC who is an avid blogger named Brandi Gorden who suggested two bike shops and Bikers Edge was one of them. I went to their website and found the Felt S32. I read reviews about the bike and it seems like it is a very good bike. They didn't have one in stock, so I had to special order it which meant a 20% down payment which also meant I'm committed now as that money isn't refundable.

I ordered a 56 and it should be here next week. I will have a bike very soon to train on!

Last chance workout

With tomorrow's weigh in I wanted to get a good lunchtime workout today. I did:

3.0 m - 3 x (.80m run, .20m walk) 1st - 6.0/3.5mph @2.5%grade, 2nd - 6.2/3.5mph @ 3.0%, 3rd - 6.5/3.5 @ 3.5%
0.5 m - 2 x (.125m run, .125m walk) 1st - 8.0/3.5mph @ 4.0%, 2nd 8.5/3.5mph @ 4.5%

3.5m total

Stretched out for 4 minutes before and after the run then lifted one set (ran out of time):

Deadlift: 3 x 15 @ 135

Good workout. Run was intense. I used a brace on my right knee so I wouldn't have the next day knee pain.

In the evening before leaving I watched The Biggest Loser Couples for an hour while I did one hour of elliptical training. Good for another 640 calories gone. Only had a String Cheese for dinner.

Balanced Man Triathlon 2008

This was the first Triathlon for Cathi and myself. This Balanced Man Triathlon was held by Utah State University's Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. I was worried at registration that it wouldn't be very well organized. They were an hour late in getting the registration booth setup and they didn't have maps to give out, but you have to refer to a copy and then leave it.
But the race itself was well organized and laid out. Cathi and I were in the first heat which consisted of swimmers who signed up as being "fast" or participating in a team. Cathi and I shared a lane. We swam side by side and had to swim 400 yards. At the beginning there was a guy to my left who was jumping up and down like at a swim meet getting all psyched up.

They claimed that it was a 25 Meter pool and not 25 yards, but they don't know what they are talking about. I could clearly see that it was marked out on the side of the pool as 75 feet, which is 25 yards, not meters. I did 400 yards in 5:19 earlier this week. So I was hoping for a 5:15 or so. I dove in when they started everyone and I had a good start and was ahead for the first pull, but three guys were ahead of me at the other end.

The jumping blue capped guy at first was ahead by about 5 yards or so, and two others just by one or two yards. Within 100 yards I was in second place behind "jumpy". But at the flip turn at 150 I had him beat. I kept the same pace and kept getting more and more of a lead on everyone.

By the time I finished the 400 I was ahead by about 20 seconds. I jumped out and looked at the clock. It was 4:52!

That was after I had gotten out too. I probably touched the wall at 4:48 or so. That's a little over 1:12 per 100. That is fantastic! I was very happy with that time. I was the first one to the bikes and it felt great to have such a lead. But by the time I got my socks and shoes on and my shorts and shirt I was the second to start on the bike. My transition wasn't very fast.

The bike was fairly flat for the first 1/4 of the race. Then really good downhill for the next 1/2. But the last 1/4 was some serious up hills. I had to put it in
first for quite a while and pump up on my feet for a while. Cathi told me after the race that she had to get off and walk with the bike it was so bad. There were about 4 or 5 bikers that passed me who all had fast road bikes and had all the gear. Serious bikers. I didn't get my split on the bike portion, but it was 10K and I'm thinking I did it in about 20 minutes, but not sure.


When I started the run my quads were feeling it. The start of the run was very poorly identified and many other people started the run in the wrong way. I was lucky and followed somebody until I could see the blue chalk arrows showing the running path. The first 1/4 was flat and then then next 1/4 was serious downhill which was good cause I just lifted my legs and let gravity take me. But the next 1/4 was serious uphill. I made it about 3/4 the way up the main hill when I started to walk. I figured I would start back up once I got to the top, which I did. I was passed by three runners on the running leg, and I passed one of the bikers who passed me during the run! The last 1/4 of the run was flat so it was nice to be able to get that second wind after the hill to have a strong finish.

When I crossed the finish line I didn't know what my time was. They didn't have the clock setup. After I took a breather I went over to the timer and looked at my number (10) and saw they had me down with a total time of 51:01. My goal was under 1 hour. So I was pleased with that. They setup the clock which was in the pool area and I was able to walk down from the finish to cheer for Cathi. Cathi came around the corner and Jonas and I yelled for her to sprint the last 100 yards and she came in at 57:28.

Eric left in the fourth heat so he was 35 minutes behind me. We cheered for him as he came with his bike and started his run. I'm sure glad I was done. Eric finished with a time of 56 minutes.

With this being our first we were pleased with the swim. With the swim you don't have to deal with hills so every race will be about the same intensity. No surprises. This experience made me even more determined to get a better bike and to really train (especially on hills) on the bike. And to maintain my running 2-3 times a week. My knees didn't give me any trouble at all during the race (which isn't surprising considering the run was only 2.5K). Very excited to train extra hard this summer and get ready for the next one in July where I will only be doing the swimming leg for one of the Tomax teams. I hope I get first in the swim in that race too.

Almost there....wait for it!

This morning I woke up and my knee was much better, but still not enough to run on so I did 45 minutes of cycling downstairs.

Went up and weighed in at 202.4 pounds. I wanted to get under 200 this week, but it looks like it will have to be next week. Only lost 1 pound this week. Wasn't very good on my diet on Saturday and Sunday.

Will be tapering for this weekend's Balanced man triathlon in Logan.

Knee problems

Yesterday's run did a real number on my knee. I'm wearing the knee brace today and will put a heat pad on it tonight. Not good.

Today at lunch I did:

30 minutes Elliptical,
10 minutes Ab work
25 minutes lifting:
Cross Face Tricep DB Extensions: 15 @ 30, 15 @ 25, 2 x 15 @ 20
Dips: 4 x 15 @ bw (@ 205)

Good work.

New Personal Record

Today at lunch I played Table Tennis with Gyan for the hour. After work I ran the following with Cathi -

4.5m - 3 x (1.4m run, .1m walk)
1.5m - 1.0m run, .5m walk

6.0 miles total

Felt really good about this run. I planned on running the last set just like the first set, but my knees started hurting more than normal. With the triathlon this Saturday didn't want to risk an injury so I just walked after that. Still though, a personal best.

Went home and took care of the kids and put them to bed and met Cathi at the pool to swim.

Racquetball this morning

Again I only got 5 hours sleep and got up early for Racquetball. I talked Cathi into getting up early as well so she could go run.

When I got there Eric was already playing with Shawn and Dan. I played with Blair and Scott. Scott was very skilled in his shots. He likes taking them off the back wall and the hits low and fast into the front wall to get two bounces before going 6 feet or so. Scott won the first cut throat and Blair the second. I then played Scott singles and only got to 7. Then played Dan and Scott cut-throat and Scott won again. I played Dan singles and he had me 10 - 2 and I came back and won. I didn't play that well today. Need to make better decisions with my shots rather than just powering through them. Then I went swimming.

Rainy Run and good weigh in

This morning Cathi and I went on our "loop":

4.5 miles - 6 x (.65m run, .10m walk)
.5 miles - .25m run, .25m walk

5.0 miles total

Then I went home and weighed in at 203.4

I'm very happy with that considering I did terrible on Friday and Saturday on my calories. Didn't work out at all on Saturday or Sunday. Only 3.4 pounds to my major milestone, but that isn't the ultimate goal.

At lunch I did:
30 minutes Elliptical followed by 10 minutes ab work
then lifted:

Seated Preacher Curls: 6 x 15 @ 95
Standing Alternating DB Curls: 5 x 15 @ 30
Standing Cable Curls: 4 x 10 @ 50
Concentration Curls: 3 x 15 @ 30
Wrist Curls: 2 x 12 @ 30
Palms in Pullups: 5

Fantastic workout. Went and got a salad for lunch. 199 here we come!