Windy 2 Mile. Awesome Fitness GIVEAWAY Winner!!

Windy 2 Mile.

Today was a very windy day. I didn't run on Tuesday (which through me off schedule) and didn't get to run yesterday due to that unexpected trip. I got to run today and it was a rough and tough run. Thursday is the three mile run for the week, but it became the Thursday 2 mile today. I actually felt way over pace in the wind but was actually in the 8'50"s the first mile. Second mile was a little slower with about a 9'30" mile. It wasn't a bad run mentally, this one was just fighting the element of wind.

My 5k is just over a week away (Yes!) and I am still shooting for that sub30. I know that I can run it as I have before -- I just want to make sure I don't over process it while I'm running. If you are mentally drained while running - It doesn't take long for the physical draining to catch up. Overall, it was a good run -- windy with a side of windy -- , but good nonetheless!

Thanks for all of the compliments with the head shot comparison pics. I didn't expect the "good lookin" bits and pieces, but hey - I'll take 'em where I can get them!

I know this is why you all are reading this Post. It's because I am about to announce the winner of the Awesome Fitness Giveaway...but you'll have to wait.

If you are on Twitter - go check me out.

www.twitter.com/MistrTyler

You can check up with the latest things that I am doing -- some of my newest run times -- and some nonsense as well.

AWESOME FITNESS GIVEAWAY


There were 82 entries into the giveaway. I used a random number generator and comment number.......


#34 --- Katie J wins.

Katie J -- You just won an Awesome Fitness Giveaway Package....You need to hit me up so that I can get your info! styler [at] cccb [dot] edu


How Do You Take Your Compliments?!
I NEED TO LEARN FROM YOU!

Noticeably Different. Skinny Man. Comparisons.

My wife and I took the day off and went to our old college to visit some friends and to take care of some things. It was an expected trip -- but earlier than we had thought. It was nice to have the day off and go see some friends. We walked around campus and I saw a few people that I knew and each time received something different related to my appearance. . It was really cool - but can also get really weird. From my close friends saying "skinny man" - it was pretty expected that they would notice, but when it's from an old acquaintance that says...you look "noticeably different"; I wasn't sure quite what to say to that. I said thanks!

It's been a very long day with over 5 hours of driving, a meal with Carol's brother at a mexican restaurant, and another late night workout (to be done following post).

I thought I'd leave you with what 56 pounds off of me looks like from a head shot.

What is the Greatest Compliment that you have Received?!

Yoga-X Pictures. Chicken Kabobs. Tues-Day of Rest.

Tues-Day of Rest

Yesterday was a really good day. I dropped below 200 pounds for the first time since high school! I experienced yoga in a way that I never have – (it was only the second time ever). Another thing that yesterday did, was allow me a peace of mind to take a bit of a break today. Today was 5k Tuesday, but it ended up into Tues-day of Rest on the running front. I will be back at it tomorrow. I took a nap when I got home from school and slept a bit longer than I had wanted too – it was very nice. Saturday is normally my rest day but I will do a run on Saturday to make sure I keep up with my 1,010 in 2010 pace. Rest is so nice sometimes. I still have p90x though tonight. Day five!

Chicken Kabobs.

I tried to make chicken kabobs for the first time as well tonight. It wasn’t quite as successful as I thought that it would be. I use a charcoal grill and grill chicken quite often – but for some reason – when you put chicken, onions, tomatoes, green pepper, and zucchini on a skewer…I just can’t grill properly. It seemed like what should have taken very little time…a looong time – and we were starving. We ended up taking everything off of the charcoal grill and throwing it on the George Forman grill. We cheated. We also had corn on the cob. It was a good meal!

Yoga-X

As I said ealier, I have only tried Yoga once and that was when I was in my ankle boot. I really couldn’t experience it to the fullest, but that changed last night. I experienced Yoga – p90x style...to the fullest. It was a 1 ½ hour long experience! It was quite the workout too! I don’t think I have sweated that much during a p90x workout. My wife joined me in the workout -- she is becoming quite the stud -- in the most feminine way of course!

I have decided that I would give you a bit of a look at what I look like while doing Yoga.

Enjoy!

Yes - that is my wife's Pink Yoga/Pilates mat!!

What is the One thing that has put you out of your Comfort Zone the Most?

The Weigh-In. Happy. Picture.

199.2

I had a good smile this morning, but chose to suppress my manly roar of satisfaction in fear of waking the neighbors. I have officially entered into Onederland! I had been flirting with this level this past week and they finally let me in. I’m speaking as if someone literally opened the gates to this awesome amusement park and let me roam free. I did dip below 200 lbs earlier in the week, but didn’t want to say anything just in case - if on challenge weigh-in day, I was at or above that number. As of today, I have lost 55 pounds (!!) from my first decision to do something about my weight. You can see the day and picture that started it all here.

It really is something special for me. I’m enjoying today – at least until my p90x Yoga workout later. I do not know what will happen with that. We will see though. My wife and I also will be going to the park for a 1 mile walk and for me, an additional 1 mile run. I think this will set a good pace for me for the rest of the week.

I really thought that I would have a really cool post to write when I entered into Onederland – but I don’t. It’s simply awesome without having to add the witty fluff.

I’m simply happy.

Don't Forget about my Fitness GIVEAWAY. It is quite the prize pack for anyone! Go check it out and ENTER. It is Easy to Enter!

Flirting with Onederland. 5k time. P90X.

Flirting with OnederLand.

Last week (Monday) I weighed in at 202.4 lbs. It is by far the lowest weight I have been since high school. I think I left high school around 200 lbs. I’m 5’8” and my weight is pretty proportionate throughout my body…but even at 200 lbs – I’m considered obese (BMI of 30.4). It is not until 196 lbs that I get to experience what overweight is. I can’t wait.

I have put in a lot of hard work since 202.4 lbs on Monday. I am hosting a six week weight loss challenge (come join the progress of 13 participants) and have been working hard to take the weight off while utilizing the wealth of health knowledge through books, magazines, and all of the tips that the weight loss/fitness blogosphere has to offer. It is paying off. I have been flirting with Onederland all week. I will not know until tomorrow’s weigh-in whether I will officially enter into Onederland or if I will be denied another week. It’s exciting. If I enter Onederland tomorrow - that will mean that I have lost over 55 pounds since I started losing weight. Results are fun and fun to look at. Some day I would like to use my experience and knowledge to impact other people whose shoes I have filled…or have even overflowed.

I’m ready.

5k Time.

I am a little more nervous about posting this 5k time because it means that when my upcoming race comes…my time should be close to it. I have purposely been not posting my running times because I felt like it was coming across as bragging and I try not to do that. My times have been getting consistently better. It’s easy to be big-headed and I’m trying to get smaller overall…not bigger. My times aren’t worth bragging about anyways. They are just personal bests and I compete with myself only to make myself better and not to intimidate others. I sincerely hope that I don’t come across as bragging or anything close to that fashion because that is not my intention.

The time that I ran my 3.1 miles in today is my personal best. I have been keeping a low 9 min pace lately and I ran my 5k today in 27’33”. That is definitely the sub30 that I have been shooting for. My goal for my first 5k is to do it in sub30 fashion. I’m nervous about posting times because they don’t seem real to me. That 27’33” 5k time does not seem real. It happened though – I know that.

P90X.

I am on my third day of p90x. I really enjoy the workouts because they push you and allow you to push yourself. They are a bit time consuming though and when you don’t have a lot of time to put into them…I can see how it could get hard to do it. So far, I have been able to find the time. I think I’ll be able to find the time too. I have noticed that since I have been working out so much since January, that I have not watched TV, played Wii, or games on the computer as much as I used to. It’s actually quite nice. P90X is a beast.

A Shout-Out.

As I do every once in a while – I wanted to shoot you the way of another blogger. I actually went to college with this blogger, but hung out more with her husband. It wasn’t until about a month ago that I found her blog and realized that she worked out. I hope that she doesn’t mind that I am sending you her way but she just accomplished something I find pretty cool in my book. I’m not even going to tell you what she accomplished – just suggest you go there and give her some love! Go check her out!

Don't Forget about my Fitness GIVEAWAY. It is quite the prize pack for anyone! Go check it out and ENTER. It is Easy to Enter!

What was your Last Non-Scale Victory?!
Let us enjoy it with you!

The Mental Aspects of Running

The Mental Running Game

I was reading Half of Jess' blog and it got me thinking. She said - "I also love running because it brews discipline".

Now, I've spoken on the connection between running and discipline here before, but wanted to dig a little bit deeper into it. All of what I write as a runner is from my own experience and may not be everyone's experience. As a non-runner, I didn't understand the people that ran everywhere. I had a friend in high school that would run 15 miles to school and sometimes back home after school. He was a running machine. I didn't understand it. I'm getting a better idea now that I am running more - Running creates discipline.

As I was replying to Jess' post, it made me think more about the mental aspect of running and not just the physical doing or the "how to". I believe that my body can do it and the more I do it - the more I confirm that my body can and will produce.

We exercise our bodies with the best form of workouts available. It may be P90X (got it tonight), 30 Day Shred (wife does this), Yoga, Pilates, Bootcamps, Crossfit, Insanity, Dance, Wii Fit, and you know all of the others. We use these forms of exercise to achieve the level of fitness that we approve acceptable for our body. They are mostly for our body only though. Doing the physical workouts is something that I love. I simply enjoy it. It's a developed form of mind though. It's rare that one loves a hard workout without ever having worked out before. What does this have to do with running?

With the gym workouts and dvd's - you have planned routines and you know what to expect. Running, however, is not always as reliable on what to expect. There are obstacles almost every time that I go running that I have to work through.

I like to think of running as the ability to exercise discipline. We do all of these exercises to get our bodies fit, but when we think of running - it's just putting your feet in front of each other right? The physical aspect of running sounds simple and can be simply explained, but running is definitely a mental thing. Many times we fail to be disciplined during the exercises and activities that are dependent on us to utilize follow through.

When you are running, you typically don't have a trainer telling you to pick up the pace. You don't typically have someone standing there making sure that you don't take the short cut. It is you, your mind, and the run. In my opinion - our bodies will do most of what our mind tells it to. You only have yourself to rely on when you are running. You are your best motivator, trainer, and #1 fan.

I know that my legs will get me there, but the question is if my mind will allow it to happen.

We stop ourselves so short of our potential because of the fear of pain, failure, and/or fear of further expectations. Many times we fail to even start because of those things. We are capable of succeeding when we push past the wall of mental restraints that we have built and held up for so long.

As I focus on running, because that is something I enjoy doing - my success is not determined by my time, the race, or personal bests. Success is however determined by whether I pushed past the shallow limits of what other people, society, or my mind tells me that I can't do, be, or overcome.

Running, in my opinion, is far more mental than physical. The running will help make you fit, but how I benefit most from it is that running exercises discipline.

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Don't Forget about my Fitness GIVEAWAY. It is quite the prize pack for anyone! Go check it out and ENTER. It is Easy to Enter!

Lightning Run. Fitness GIVEAWAY!

What's faster than lightning?

So, it’s been raining all day and I didn’t get to run for very long. I waited for the rain to steady out a little bit – hoping that the lightning would subside (which it did for about 20 minutes). As soon as I got to the park to run the Thursday Three Mile, it started lightning again. I waited – gave it a ten minute rule of no lightning – and decided I had enough time for a mile run. There is nothing like a mile run when you are unsure of lightning. I ran a mile in 8’20”. What?! Yes! I knew I didn’t have much time for more than a mile so I gave it a solid effort. My breathing was much heavier than it normally is, but I decided that I should give it a go to see what kind of time I could make. It rocked my socks off (or was that the lightning that showed up not 1 minute after I was done?). No, it was the run. It felt good.

F.W.A.P. FITNESS GIVEAWAY

(fit with a purpose)

As you can see, I’m coming up on 300 miles for the year. I have a tracker there on the right side of the page at all times. For those of you that have not been here long – my original goal for this year was to walk/jog/run 1,010 miles in 2010. My goals have kind of shifted to a new focus since the start of this blog, but I have kept that goal. I’ve hit a few rough patches, read here, but have been blessed with a quick recovery. To celebrate my 300 miles (which will be coming up in just a few short days) – I’m doing a GIVEAWAY!

I’d love to say that someone contacted me and offered their products to give away – but that didn’t happen and this stuff is directly from my hard work to your winning hands. I think I picked out some cool things for it! Who would’ve known that I would have already crossed the state of Missouri by foot?! Crazy cool.

In the Giveaway are some cool items. Gold’s gym 65cm Exercise/Body Ball, Jump Rope, and Resistance Tubes, Starter Water Bottle w/watch inside, pedometer, and the newest issue of KC Fitness Magazine (for the local flavor).

I’m biased, but I think this is a good Giveaway!

Enter now to win the F.W.A.P. FITNESS GIVEAWAY

Please leave a SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY!!!

1 - Become a follower of my blog if you are not already and leave a COMMENT.

2 - Tell my why you want these prizes and leave a COMMENT.

3 - Tell me which post on Fit With a Purpose is your favorite and leave a COMMENT.

4 - Post about this giveaway on your blog, Twitter, OR Facebook account and leave a COMMENT FOR EACH W/Link.

6 - Tell me what your favorite simple exercise is (push-up, sit-up, squat, etc.) and leave a COMMENT

The F.W.A.P. Fitness GiVEAWAY will end on Wednesday April 28th, 2010. Winner will be announced the following day!

Wellness Run. Skinny Cow. Few Weird Tidbits.

Wellness Run.

Today was Wellness Run Wednesday and it was a good run. It turned out to be 3.72 miles (according to mapmyrun). I mapped it out and then went to run it - I guess I was already in the zone because I turned one road to quickly and messed up the distance. I had thought I mapped the right road (ran the right road in my mind) but couldn't figure out why the original mapmyrun mile reading (4.23) and my car mileage reading(3.7) didn't match up. Human error. Oops.

It was a smooth run with little trouble. Every once in a while I would feel a little soreness pain, but it quickly went away. I was happy for that. The weather was gorgeous again today and I'm developing quite the arm, face, and neck tan. I really enjoyed running the new route. I finished the 3.7 miles in 39'34". It's also the furthest distance that I have ran at one time.

If you would have asked me last year if I was able to run 40 minutes...I might have said yes as long as their was a mountain dew, Taco Bell, large stuffed crust bbq pizza, and a Huge cake waiting for me. I couldn't have made it ten minutes.

I felt good today though. I try to watch my breathing and when I was at 3.5 miles I focused on my breathing to see how heavy I was breathing and I was happy with it. I'm happy to be breathing. :)

Skinny Cow

I have been hearing the hype on the Skinny Cow products. I decided that I would give it a go. It was pretty good. This is no official/requested review either - just so we are clear. I just wanted to get something sweet that might be good for me at the same time. You hyped it up - I tried it out today. I got the strawberry shortcake sandwiches - they were good. My wife and I got raspberry sherbert about a week ago and have been eating a small portion of that when we want something sweet. It's a different type of sweetness the ice cream and sherbet. Ice cream made me want more and the sherbet usually just satisfies. We will probably get the Skinny Cow again sometime, but remember...I'm a cheapskate - so we will see how often.

Few Weird Tidbits

I am a teacher and last summer when I was on break I decided to tutor some students. One of these students was from the public school. They really wanted to get into the private school that I teach at. She was a little behind, but worked really hard. She progressed pretty well but for whatever the reason, they didn't enroll her. I run past her house on most of my runs because it is on my route. I am known around town as Mr. Tyler. She saw me and yelled out - "Hey Seth!". I was confused. It didn't bother me, but it was weird to hear a student call me by my first name. I said hi and kept running.

I had been thinking that I had yet to have a dog encounter while running. A couple days ago I had my first dog encounter. It was a large Boxer. It was a pretty dog, little fierce looking, and a big softy. It ran along with me for a few yards and then went back to it's owner. Nice encounter. I had another encounter with a dog yesterday. It was fierce, stood its ground, and stood barely a foot off of the ground. It was a little Terrier. I laughed and kept running. Funny.

TMI coming up? Probably Not. Runner's problem though. So, this weird tidbit is not really that weird due to the fact that it is fairly common, but friction from the shirt while running had created some pain. Apparently, sweat and friction from the shirt will cause pain. I don't think it's much of a woman problem though. I looked up remedies and decided to get athletic soft tape. Worked. Felt good.

If you were to go back one year from today, what would you tell yourself?