The Move. The 5k. The Possible. B4 and Afters.

Is it just me or is the Summer time the hardest time to blog? It seems that I just don't have the time to blog during the Summer. Either way - if you haven't seen any comments from me on your blog recently, just know that I do visit them.

The Move.

It's public news now so I can share with you too that I have accepted another position at a different church. Carol and I are pretty excited about this decision and its something that had been prayed about for a loong time. It's cool to see things come to fruition. This news means that we are moving...again. We don't really like the whole moving process at all. Some people enjoy it and like the thrill of the move -- we like the idea of the move, but the actual move = headache.

Headaches are no fun. Hopefully though we will have a very smooth move. We've started going through things and have a pile of 'keep', 'garage sale/giveaway', and 'trash'. I think Carol is getting better at throwing things away :).

So that is the big news!

The 5k.

I have another 5k. It's tomorrow morning. I'm going to try and beat my past 5k times. If you look at the Goals/Achievements page you'll see that my PR is 26'24" in the 5k in Clinton, MO. I'm hoping to be in the 25' range tomorrow. We'll see how that turns out tomorrow! I'm pretty excited about it. There is also a couple people from the weight loss challenge I host, Seth Tyler's Weight Loss Challenge, that are running it as well. I'm pretty stoked for us all to finish!

The habit.

I'm trying to start a new habit. Cooking. I don't do a lot of it, but have in the past. Carol doesn't like to cook, but likes to bake (her pumpkin muffins are delish!). One way I figured that I can make sure we eat healthy stuff on a very regular basis is to simply suck it up and cook. It's really easy to look at the kitchen and say, "Subway tonight!". I need to cook. I think I'll get the cooking thing down, but need to make sure I look at how long the recipe says I need to prepare. I went to cook something two nights ago and realized that I was suppose to marinate the chicken overnight!

Put that in bold letters cookbookmakers!

I don't have much else for you today, but an old comparison picture to close with...

I love looking at the comparison pictures because it shows me that I can accomplish what I never thought I could.

still questioning your capabilities?

Question no more.

Doubt Kills the Runner...

If you think about it - the one thing that kills the run, the runner, and the runner's time....is doubt. Metaphorically that is for all of you strictly literal people :)

Let's give this theory a little thought.

I grew up fairly athletic. I played each sport that was offered. There were times when I would get injured though. One time I was playing in a baseball game and the outfielder slid under me while I was catching the ball and tore all the ligaments in my ankle. I played Superman and acted like it was nothing and tried to get back in the game. The injury didn't stop my mindset of finishing what I had started.

Living in the MidWest, there tends to be several stormy days. Sometimes, those stormy days amount to several consecutive days of rain in a row. I remember though earlier this year when it was raining that I completed a PR to that date on the one mile run. The elements didn't stop my mindset of finishing what I had started.

I started running as a way to aid in weight loss. I was a heavy man that hadn't really run long distance before. You could have found me slogging (slow jogging - thanks Louis) around Clinton knowing that I'll hit my goal. Those goals were a lot less than what I have now, but my weight didn't stop my mindset of finishing what I had started.

but doubt...

doubt will stop me in my tracks everytime if I let it's ugly face show...

doubt is to a runner as kryptonite is to Superman -- it's detrimental.

I think I had doubted my running ability up until last night. I knew I could run, but could I run the longer distances. Could I do the Half Marathon? I questioned myself and my ability to do so, until last night.

I hit what I consider a milestone for my running. I ran 10 miles straight with no stopping. It was at a slow pace -- but for me to go that long, it'll be a slow pace :)
10 miles is a big number for me. I ran for nearly 2 hours. Up hills, down hills, 2 miles of gravel, and rickety bridges. It was a 11'13" pace that I am proud of.

No more doubt, just belief.

I am success.

What has been your Kryptonite?

Weight Loss Challenge #3 Winner Before and Afters!

The fourth installment into my Weight Loss Challenges has begun. There are 18 participants this time around and it is the largest and heaviest per person that we've had. I am really excited for this challenge for a couple different reasons. The first is because I am helping people get healthy. I'm excited for that. The second is because more people breeds competition. It's easy to tell who the winner would be if it only had 5 or 6 people taking part, but with 18...the competition will be pretty tight. I'm excited for this and the challengers are excited for it.

As I said though, the 4th challenge has started and it is time to do a post about the previous winner. I'm pretty familiar with this last winner as he is my brother. He had joined the 2nd challenge, but it didn't really sink in. Something clicked though and the 3rd challenge was his from the beginning. There were some people that stuck with him, but week after week he added to his lead. Matt lost a total of 20.4 lbs in the six weeks which put his percentage lost at a crazy 9.98%!

I think he was a little upset that he would not be able to participate in the next challenge, but he definitely rocked that one. Below is a before and after picture of him.

He will be directed to this page so be sure to give him some awesome love on here. He has worked hard and sometimes it just feels good to be appreciated for the hard work right?




Be sure to show your support.

WeightLoss Challenge starts 2day! Still taking Challengers

The Fourth Installment to Seth Tyler's Weight Loss CHallenge starts today! This is the heaviest challenge to date and is promising to be the most successful one as well! I am really excited about this challenge! We are still taking challengers for this challenge. There is a grand prize after six weeks and a weekly prize for the week's most percentage lost. This really is set up to be the best challenge yet. There are 12 challengers this time around so far....will you make 13? It is only $10 (which is used only for the prizes). There have been 2 female winners and one male winner! I will be doing a blog post shortly about the last winner with before and afters! He lost 20.4 lbs! Check out a previous winners blog salute here!

You still have time to enter the challenge and will need to do so by 10:00pm tonight!

Are you in a rut and want something real to come and keep you accountable?!

Here is that something real!

If you are still unsure if you want to enter -- go check out the challenge page for yourself and see just how encouraging and helpful that it can be! We'd love to have you --- be sure to check out the rules as well!

Superman! Vacation! Weight Loss challenge!

Hey everyone! I'm posting from Manchester, TN this morning getting ready to hit the road for Tybee Island, GA. I don't know much about Tybee Island - we just picked a spot and said, we'll drive there. We still have about 6 hours to drive, but will have a few days to spend there. I'm pretty excited about the beach. If there are a lack in posts -- you'll know why at least.

The Weight loss challenge that I host is over. It was the 3rd challenge and it went really well. The winner, and I'll do a post about him like I did with the last champ, was actually my brother who lost 20.8 lbs. This is a six week challenge. He rocked it like crazy! I lost 1/4 of that weight, but am happy for that.

I'm just trying not to gain that 6 lbs back on vacation. If I gain a 2-3...I'm okay with that b/c this is vacation and I will enjoy more than normal. Yay!

On our way driving yesterday -- we saw a sign for "Giant Superman Statue" -- of course we turned off the hwy and went to see it. This is what I want my healthy body to look like :)


I hope you all have a great day! Stay focused and keep moving.

The Question: Do you think I can be a runner?

the question.

My wife asked me today a question right out of the blue, "do you think I can be a runner".

my answer.

I wasn't expecting it and I was like, "Yeah!"

I wanted to ask her a lot of questions, but she cut me off and said that we'd talk about it over dinner.

the results.

Dinner came and I couldn't wait to talk about it so I asked her if she wanted to start running. (You have to understand me here - I love running and she has never shown any interest really in it...so this is exciting to me). I told her why I thought she could be a runner and then I said that I'd run with her tonight. We let our food settle for a while and then got into some running clothes and we stretched. One of the ways that she tried to convince me to run with her was that running with her would be a good warmup for my run. She was right - it was. But before I get too far - we ran a mile tonight. We both know that running can be pretty difficult in the beginning, but with discipline - it will get easier. We stopped a few times, but that's okay because we were out there MOVING! I'm super proud of her. I'd say she ran about .6 of a mile. We finished that mile up in 13'17". She did great. So, Carol, can you be a runner? Yes. you. can.

and more.

After Carol and I finished our run I went for a run of my own. I got a PR today. I chose to run a 2 mile course and wanted to kill it - and I did. I ran 2 miles in 17'12". That is a 8'35" pace. This is by far the fastest 2 mile run I have done and it felt great! I think that warmup did help me out. If I was in a 5k race tonight and only had 1 mile left and only 17'12" had gone by --- I'd be booking it to finish big!

What is ONE thing that you just want to ROCK like nothing else?!!

Addicted too... Wedding. Weigh-In Picture!

Addicted to...

Some people and I were talking recently about addictions. You know, not once did running come into the discussion. Drugs, alcohol, and gambling all showed their face, but not once did running come into our discussion. I know though what I'll tell someone if they ever ask if I have an addiction - running and LOST. The running must stay, but the Lost - if I had to, I could let it go.

I don't remember where I read it, or maybe I heard it, but the person said they don't work out because they are afraid that they'll get addicted to it because they tend to become obsessed with things. I think that is a cop-out to not do the work, but can maybe see their position. It's still not enough to not do the work though -- it is your life you're neglecting!

Now, there are a few body physiques that gross me out b/c it simply, in my mind, is too much - but it's not my body.

Can you be so addicted to make your body too fit?

I don't know the answer to that and truthfully, I'm just rambling, but what I do know is that I love running. I love what it teaches me. I would just like to go ahead and say it on record.

I, Seth, am addicted to running.

Wedding.

I had the opportunity to be the officiant at my sister's wedding. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work. I got to see family that I hadn't seen in quite some time and when they saw me -- their mouths dropped and they couldn't believe the weight that I had lost. It made me feel good. Below is a picture of me at the wedding.


Also, here is the End of Week 5 Challenge photo. This has been a tough challenge for most people in it, but the number keeps dropping!

What is your favorite Workout Song?

Decide. Discern. Deliver. 3 steps to success.

It's no secret that most runners think a lot. When you are running 20+ miles a week - you have a lot of time to think. It isn't always about one thing, but when I am running I think of big dreams, big goals, and big successes. I am a visionary thinker and while that may have its own problems sometimes - it creates movements. I have a lot of big ideas that I'd like to see come into their own in time, but I do understand that many of them will not. Those ideas that will come to fruition though - will come by me following three different rules. These three things will require motivation, desire, optimism, and self-discipline.

The only reason I bring these things up is because if you followed these rules while getting healthy - you will see success. They are simple. They are accurate.

The first step is to Decide. You have to decide to make the change or not. You don't even have to know how to make that change yet, you just have to make the decision to go about changing. Prior to me making my decision to do this - I was unhappy, unmotivated, and held no self-control when it came to health. I did make that decision though and have made it this far. It takes one simple action to say - "I'm tired of living this way - I want change". It's hard to make change happen, but it can happen. It all starts with a decision. This decision is not the only thing though that you need to do for change to happen. I know there were many times when I was sitting and watching The Biggest Loser and said, "I want that to happen to me", while I continued to eat my Stuffed Crust BBQ & Extra Cheese pizza. I made the decision to change, but I did nothing else. I think many of you have found yourself with that same memory. Making the decision is the first step - but it is not the only step.

The second of my steps is to Discern. You have to be able to tell the right way from the wrong way. You have to discern what is the best route for you to take in order to make that change happen. As I made my decision to change while in front of the TV and eating pizza on the couch - I didn't choose the right direction. This is the step in which you do the homework to your change. Losing weight typically doesn't happen without you taking the initiative. That would be nice though for you to make the mental decision to get healthy and then your body agrees and loses without any change of habit. That'd be great! That's not how it works though. You need to have a plan of attack in order to get your health back. Is your method going to be through running, biking, lifting, swimming, and/or another program (this is all mixed in with the healthy eating of course -- what is it, 85-90% of weight loss is due to proper nutrition?). Making the decision was only a 1/3 of how it happens, making a plan to follow is another 1/3, and that brings us to the actual follow-through.

The third step is Deliver. In basketball, when you are shooting the basketball - if you fail to follow through than your shot is going to be off the rim. In Baseball, if you fail to follow through with your swing, you will miss the ball or have a little blooper. In Golf, if you fail to follow through with your swing, you dig at the grass, slice, and miss the mark. It's the same with fitness, if you fail to follow through - you will not succeed. There are many bloggers out there that claim to be on the weight loss front, but are failing to step up to the plate because they don't follow through. Weight loss can be very difficult. Getting healthy can be very challenging. All you need though is to execute follow through and you've done your part. So, you've planned to run a mile today? Run a mile and count that as a success. Did you say you would only eat 1800 calories today? Eat 1800 calories today and enjoy your self-control!

Think of how much you are gaining while you are losing!

Decide to make a change, Discern the best route in going about that change, and Deliver on that decision.

This is for you to do. You can make change happen. You can succeed. You will succeed.