Good, Better, Best

I am not unlike many people when the new year rolls around.
I, too, want to get my act together.
I, too, want to achieve the things that I have long desired.
I, too, am inspired by the seemingly fresh start that the calendar rollover to a new year provides.
Granted January 1st is not all that different than December 31st was. Well, except for maybe that hangover from a little too much partying on New Year's Eve! The dawn of new year is symbolic, but it seems like most of us jump on that symbolism and make it more by believing that it is. Our belief in it, really do make it a fresh start. Diet programs, workout regimens, work pursuits, and even social goals all reset and every new day is a step closer to what you are driven to achieve.

Of course, we all know the status quo. We jump head over heals into our New Year's resolutions and make real progress... for a few weeks. After that, the flame of burning desire to better ourselves begins to fade. Fast food starts creeping back in the diet, the gyms get a little emptier, and the same ruts at work that you fell into in the later part of the previous year start tripping you up yet again. Hey, that's life, right? We get excited about something, we devote ourselves to it, and then we lose the drive. Before long it is nothing more than something we laugh off, "yeah, look at me now. Better luck next year! hahah". Why must it be this way?

2010 doesn't have to be like every other year. It doesn't have to follow the same script. For me 2010 is a new beginning in many ways and I started on 2010's journeys long before 2009 was ever over. I started laying the groundwork for the future well before the new year and because of that, I feel better about my direction, about my drive, and I guess you could about my New Year's resolutions. Although I do not actually set New Year's resolutions, having something to strive for when January first rolls around basically defaults into that being a resolution, doesn't it?

I am so excited about this year and I'll tell you why. Yes, this is the part where I talk about myself, but who doesn't like to talk about himself? haha. Okay, I'll keep this part short. Just two topics:
(1) I've mentioned before that I'm learning so much professionally and coming into my own. Before long I will no longer feel new to this position. For now I still feel like a newbie and that's ok, because... well, I am, but I know what I'm working toward.
(2) In addition, the groundwork that I began to lay down at the end of last year physically is beginning to come to fruition. I am arguably in the best shape of my adult life and have my sights on achieving so much more.

Those are just two aspects of my life that I'm working on. As I approached the new year I told myself that there comes a time when you have to decide whether you want to be good and many things or dedicate yourself to becoming great at one or more of them. I chose the later.

2010 offers that symbolic fresh start. What that means for me is a directed pursuit of something more. Pursuits/goals that deserve my devotion will receive it, and receive it completely. Put concisely, concerning things that are important mediocrity is not an option.

As I was writing this, I had a thought. It was a totally random thought that came out of left field. What struck me was a memory from high school; actually from my high school graduation from Ninetysix High School in 1995. One of the graduates read a short poem as part of what they had to say during the ceremony. That poem, which I could not find the author of, is quite appropriate for this topic and provides another very generic way to restate my goals for 2010:

Good, Better, Best
Never let it rest
Until the Good is Better
And the Better is the Best.

To all my friends, don't forget that you get what you truly work for and may 2010 bring you all that you want and deserve!

Since I've had a few friends inquiring about my running schedule, I decided to post it here.  As I looked around I noticed that plans varied a good bit depending on whether you considered yourself a novice, intermediate, or expert.  I ventured into the intermediate territory and found that within that group there were still many options.

Some schedules focused on really pounding out pavement, ensuring you get many miles under your belt during preparation.  On those plans, the weekly long runs tend to be much farther than your target race distance.  That is not the type of plan I was looking for.  Rather, I wanted a plan that varied routine day to day.

In the end, the one I chose gave me the variance I wanted.  It may include running nearly every day of the week, but it also changes up the expectations by varying between interval, distance, and tempo runs, not to mention the cross training day.  Anyway, here is the one that I decided to go with.  It was an eight week plan that I found on running.com.  I only made minor alterations to stretch it to 11 weeks.

* I apologize for the pain, but to make it fit on the page I had to shrink it to this size.  Just click on it to open up a full size picture.

Political Shout Out

If you know me well, you realize that I do not claim a party affiliation. I support candidates, not parties and I always vote a split ticket.

The latest politician to storm onto the scene deserves a shout out for sure. Scott Brown just seized the 41st Republican seat in the Senate. That was quite a task considering who recently vacated that spot. The seat in question was not only held but basically owned for 47 years by the late Ted Kennedy. If you don't know who that was, you may stop reading...

Brown's victory marks a huge shift in the power struggle in Washington. The "super seat majority" held by the Democrats is no more. When that majority was originally established, I was happy about it due to the fact that I assumed that some items may actually get passed. The gridlock that typically exists in Washington, although very necessary, is quite annoying because it seems that nothing ever gets accomplished. I thought that the super seat majority would be beneficial to help alleviate some of the gridlock and push some items through, but after seeing the way things have progressed I'm happy to see that majority dissolved.

Perhaps Brown's victory is more of a testament to people wanting to stop the Health Care Bill than it is to his own merits, but either way the seat is his. Congratulations to him for that. In addition to the actual victory, I have to say that the one item that deserves a little attention is his statement concerning who that seat belongs to. It was one of the best comments I've heard from a politician in a while and deserves repeating. When asked if he would be the one to sit in Teddy Kennedy's seat (to block the Health Care bill), he responded:

" with all due respond, it's not Kennedy's seat and it's not the Democrats' seat. It's the people's seat.."

Awesome! That is why Scott Brown deserves today's political shout out!

It Does the Body Good

For years while I participated in athletics I stayed banged up but really never had to sit out of competition or practice. Why you may ask. Well, the truth is that I frequented the Chiropractor. It's amazing not only how much better your body feel, but also how much better it operates when:
(a) you feed it healthy foods
(b) you exercise
(c) you ensure that your body is properly aligned

Many times I read in magazine articles or on websites about the importance of nutrition and exercise, but seldom to you see emphasis on body alignment. I will tell you the truth, if not for chiropractic appointments I would have sat out many a practice in pain. Many people don't give chiropractic work the credit it is due and give more focus on "fixing something" that may not be the root cause... which often ends up leading to pain killers and/or surgery. Luckily I have a family that has always believed in the body possessing much of what it needs to heal itself... but this only works when you take care of your body. I am digressing but I think you get the point. If you have proper alignment, your body works better, feels better, and heals itself better.

After I ended my collegiate sports career I no longer had the strong dependence on chiropractic. Basically I had aches and pains but nothing like when I was banged up from football. That being the case, I quit going. I always wanted to go back, especially when I'd have nagging pains come back, but I was... for lack of a better term, lazy. I didn't make it a priority. If you've been following my blog long, you've heard me mention my hip pains that flare up when I run a lot. Well, those pains, as well as some back and neck stiffness, finally prompted me to return to chiropractic. I went on Wednesday for my first time in years and man did it do the trick. I left feeling so much better and I fully intend to stay committed to going. I owe it to myself to take care of myself. Nutrition and exercise only do so much.

The visit was not just a quick crack or two. It consisted of x-rays, stem therapy on my neck, stretching and cracking all up and down my spine and a discussion of what is needed. Two big items came up. First, my pelvis is rotated. Bang! That is what is causing my hip pain when I run. That issue is what we're going to work on in the coming weeks, attempting to get it rotated back and get full movement rotating both ways. This alone will be worth getting in there.

Also, the doctor noted on my x-rays that I have an old football injury. Many with neck pain from car accidents are familiar with problems with their C5 vertebrae. This is the most common neck injury from vehicular accidents. It just so happens that it is also one of the common injuries to football players due to the repeated head collisions. Anyway, my x-ray showed that this vertebrae was misshapen and causing disc issues. It was not so far gone that it is a huge concern, but it was way too far deteriorated for a 32 year old man. Scary. I had never been aware of this and although there is nothing I can do to revert the injury, I can avoid too much deterioration now that I know about it. I am so happy that I made the leap to get back in there and look forward to a happier, healthier future due to it.

If you've never ventured into chiropractic, it could be very well worth your time to check it out.

That's Heavy!

Doc Brown from Back to the future:
"There's that word again...'heavy' - why is everything heavy in the future? Is there something wrong with the Earth's gravitational pull?"

If I were to step back 15 years and see today as the future, would today be heavy? hmmm. I don't know about everything, but "I" am heavy. Why?
Blame fatty foods.
Blame super-sizing.
Blame the boob tube and my hours of lethargic reverence and over-all worship of it. Find any excuse for being overweight.
Pathetic.

10 years ago I finished up my football career. At my top playing weight, I was 265 lbs. On the football field that may be fine, but in the "real world" that is a bit much to haul around on a regular basis. I told myself that I'd lose the excess, and I did. The next year I was 225. I was proud of my loss... then let myself go. Not 18 months later I was back up to 250 and stayed around about there for the next 8-9 years, with random exceptions when I lost a few pounds before putting them right back on.

Last year told myself that enough is enough. I was set to lose the weight... again...
and I did...
again.

Strangely enough, 225 now is not what 225 was then. Meaning, I'm still to heavy. That was never more evident than at the Race Against Hunger. I was too heavy to run the way I wanted to, so I devoted myself to losing some more weight. My new baseline is 225.

After a week I can tell I've lost a little weight already. How much, I don't know. It really doesn't matter because I'm not going for a quick fix. I want to make a permanent change. I arbitrarily picked out a race weight of 205. I'd like to get down to that weight, but I'll have to wait and see if that works out. I really just want to look and feel healthy.

Follow-up to come later, but I'd really like to see noticeable difference by the Bridge Run. Wish me luck and hopefully my future wont be "heavy".