Ben_Jammin

I chose not to assign grades. I learned more about my stumbling blocks than anything. I see what my problem is every time I look in the mirror; it's ME. My life has been limited by self-imposed limitations, even though I have tried to convince myself otherwise. This really gives me something to work on. 1) Target weight 180 on Sept 8 (Starting around 193): I got as low as 187 but the past 2 weeks has been sloppy both in exercise and in diet. I finished today at 190...progress, but not what it could have been. The biggest problem is discipline since the fast (Goal 2). I've had bread and cakes, french fries and soda. I know it's bad and against everything I am trying to accomplish. I once heard wisdom described as connecting the dots between what you know you should do and what you actually do. Maybe this is the root of all my problems and I am too eager to return to my folly as opposed to pursuing wisdom. I didn't accomplish this goal by being a fool. 2) Complete 21 day Daniel fast (Aug4-25): This is an annual church thing (and I go to a really cool church) and not really a weight loss thing. I'm hoping to refocus on somethings during this time. I broke the fast on day 20 after staying the course through special events where lavish meals of meat and pastries were the norm. This however is telling in that I can stay disciplined to achieve a goal, but more often than not, self-sabotage creeps in before I final success is realized. I'm not trying to be legalistic, but once I decided to have that first cup of coffee on the morning of the 20th day, the ice cream and Steak N Shake that followed were completely unnecessary and could have been avoided if I would have returned to the discipline that sustained me for almost 3 weeks. On the spiritual side, which was the purpose of the fast to begin with, the refocusing brought several issues to light and provided a sense of direction (or at least hope for a new direction) and a bit of rejuvenation. Post-fast, early on at least, the energy I was feeling and the hope is starting to become muddled again. This may just be my imagination, but its similar to the clouds opening up on a cloudy day- just for a moment, where you can see the sun clearly but then as quickly as it opens, it's once again closed. There were times creativity and passion grew with the excitement, but now the old routine is starting to fall back into the rank and file. Physically, I felt good and I continued on my marathon training plan, but my desire for activity was lessened. The overall experience was beneficial and gives me a hopeful attitude that I hope doesn't fall prey to the routine. As for a grade, I give my self an incomplete because that is exactly what it is- incomplete. I didn't accomplish the goal, but I came so close. I lacked the character and the discipline to continue for another 24 hours which may be a goal that is always incomplete. It makes me question if I am really committed to excellence or merely content to be better than average. 3) Generate $2000 extra income for debt reduction: I was debt free once before, and I'm going back. I did manage to secure about $2000 outside my normal budget, however only about $700 extra went toward existing debt and only about $700 was earned outside my regular job. The moral of this story is that I am again undisciplined and out of control which is how I wound up in debt to begin with. I have thought long and hard about this and am refocusing my efforts. This is a roadblock to many things I want to accomplish before I die and if I don't fix it today, when will I fix it. I heard a quote yesterday that pretty much sums up my mindset of the past 6 weeks: "Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it! I say. Whatever you want to do, DO IT NOW! There are only so many tomorrows." Pope Paul VI I think this puts things in perspective. 4) Learn 2 songs on the Ukulele... cool songs too, no Row, Row, Row Your Boat Crap: I can play the basic chord progressions for "Hey, Soul Sister" and "Ho Hey" on my ukulele however, my finger placement on G major is incorrect and I am now re-learning and breaking the habit. I am much better on "Ho Hey" because the strumming pattern is for some reason simpler, possibly because it's slower in general. I like it better too. Singing along is atrocious and I have enough difficulty moving my hands and fingers without remembering lyrics. (Again, "Ho Hey" is better than "Hey, Soul Sister".) Did I mention I am hopelessly uncoordinated? The fact I haven't broken it is a testimony to something... just not sure what. I just started learning "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Goyte. It's a simple song, but introduces new chords and some finger picking and I'm learning the transition. Sometime when I'm feeling down, my ukulele is the best medicine. Unfortunately, I find myself playing when I should be doing other things. "Get a uke and you will never be bored again." Tom Hodgkinson in How to be Idle

I ran my first in 2010 at Disney. I've been a Disney fanatic since birth so this just had to be my first. In 2011, I did the Goofy and most recently did the 2013. I've never ran a marathon outside of Disney. They definitely know how to put on a race. I was planning on the 2014 Goofy, but when they launched the Dopey, I was all over it. 6 Medals total!!! I hope it becomes an annual pilgrimage. Hey, Gabbard. My name is actually Ben, but I can see where the confusion would lie. Thanks for the encouragement. I absolutely LOVE Florida and wonder why I don't live there. I grew up with a few aunts and uncles that lived in various towns so I've seen most of the state. My first job interview was in Florida, but moving there hasn't happened...yet. My wife grew up in Orlando but all of her family is here (SE Kentucky). Don't hesitate to do a full. Get it on the calendar. The key is training and getting over the mental block. I'm only at half distance now, but I think I could run a full today and survive, but that's only because I've been there. You're capable of about anything you set your mind to.

The last Sunday in July, our pastor sort of does a state of the union, if you will, highlighting the victories of the previous 12 months and redefining the vision for the church. The fast (completely voluntary) is a refocusing of priorities and a prayer for God to partner with us in pursuing what we think is divinely outlined. Simply put, the focus of our church is to Love God and love people and make them fully devoted followers of Jesus (great commandment, great commission). The fast seems to have really added fuel to the fire in the past. To answer your question, we have been provided the information for what is allowed/not allowed during the fast, Biblical references to purpose outlined in Daniel, and from the first Sunday in August for 21 days, I will give up coffee, meat and sugar and pray for personal, communal and global concerns. Hope that wasn't preachy. I will share my beliefs, but I certainly won't push my beliefs. Disney is Jan 9-12. I'm running all 4 races (Dopey Challenge). Training with Galloway method just to stay healthy. I have the Little Miami Half (Cincinnati), Iron Horse Half, and Monumental Full (Indianapolis) on the calendar. Thanks.

By looking around, I've determined I'm a nerd, but not a cool nerd.

1) Target weight 180 on Sept 8 (Starting around 193): I want to run Disney in the mid-170s but I'm tired of being stuck in the 90s. 2) Complete 21 day Daniel fast (Aug4-25): This is an annual church thing (and I go to a really cool church) and not really a weight loss thing. I'm hoping to refocus on somethings during this time. 3) Generate $2000 extra income for debt reduction: I was debt free once before, and I'm going back. 4) Learn 2 songs on the Ukulele... cool songs too, no Row, Row, Row Your Boat Crap: I just bought my ukulele last Tuesday on a whim and so far I've gotten my money's worth of enjoyment from it. Going to try to learn, Hey, Soul Sister, Hey, Jude or Our Great God. I don't get along with stringed instruments, so this will be a challenge. (will define target competency when I figure it out) I've had some minor setbacks with a muscle pull. I have some minor discomfort at the beginning of a run that goes away after the first mile, but comes screaming back if I cut sideways or move too fast. It also is uncomfortable when I do a pull up (which I can still do) I've all but eliminated lifting for the last two weeks. I'm really considering going to a body weight routine until the pain goes away. Slated to run 15 on Saturday (8/3) but may move it to Friday so I can take a ukulele lesson Saturday AM.

This is my first report, so my grading may be out of kilter. 1: Weight training 3 days per week. Pretty happy overall. My body responds to weights more than cardio when it comes to weight loss. I lifted heavy but struggled sometimes with form, so I pulled back which was ultimately a good thing. I started out squatting 155 and now I'm around 195. Dead lift is at 225. Out of 18 workouts, I missed 2. 89% B 2: Diet-Soda free. I love Diet Mt Dew... so this was hard. I've not had one in about a week, but I did enjoy 5 of them in 6 weeks. My water consumption is 3/4+ gallon/day. I'm not sure I want to fully give up pop even though it is bad for me, but I can do without 90% (actually 88%) of the time. Given that's 37 days out of 42 opportunities> 88% B 3: Be able to do at least 1 freakin pull-up. Started out using Bodylastics as negative resistance until BOOM! I can do 1 freaking pull up (and almost 2) 100%. A Still not satisfied. I want to be able to do 2 soon. Then 5....then the world is mine. Life goal: Have client, but things are progressing slower than I would like. COMPLETE (this was in the works as I was beginning the challenge, I just had to finalize the deal. No grade given) I'm working with a friend with 15 years ad experience to produce online marketing for a newly opened local butcher shop. It's a learning experience and the rate knowledge acquisition is frustrating. I also have a full-time day job and a t-shirt business that keeps me hopping. I didn't enter into this lightly, but I am tired. I will definitely be doing something to improve the situation in the next 6 weeks. Looks like the makings of a high B, low A for the effort which means I probably could have picked more challenging goals (UNLESS you look at the fact I failed two of the challenges and only passed one... It's all in the framing). Thank goodness for partial credit. Winning is better than finishing, but finishing is better than not starting, so I'll be happy with sticking to it as well as I did for as long as I did. So, who's ready to do it again?

I was an early adopter of FiveFingers and they are still my favorite shoe to wear no matter the activity. It caused me to go from heel striking to mid-foot and I had a host of leg pains go away (shin splits, runner's knee, etc). I think my problem began when I visited a podiatrist with plantar fasciitis. He put me in a pair of powerstep insoles in a shoe that already had adequate posting. The result was way, way over pronation (this before the VFFs). Training for my first long races, I chewed up the outside of the sole terribly. I then started doing research into finding "the right shoe". At that point the damage was already done. There was no "right shoe". The VFFs have definitely extended what would have been a short career and now I am running in zero drop or minimal drop shoes and loving it. I tried true barefoot one time on a long, mile and a half driveway. I liked it, but I just don't want to try in on the streets of rural KY. VFFS are good enough for me.

Great job on the barefooting. That's awesome. I like your meal automation. During the work week, I do really well until I come home. The weekends usually turn into a complete bust too. So, I can fully appreciate the clean food struggle. Life is busy, you're tired and it's just easier to eat something that takes less preparation than something else. Don't beat yourself up. I'm right there with you. Besides, I'd rather be 80% clean than 80% processed. You'll get 'em next time. Post Script: Just noticed you're previous challenge thread where you were talking about symptoms of ITBS. I've fought that for the longest time, about 4 years, until I went to a chiropractor. All the regular doctors couldn't find anything and PT only helped a while. The chiropractor found issues with my feet that were causing me to twist my hip in compensation which was causing the ITB problems. After a few visits, I'm experiencing no pain. If you (or anyone) are experiencing issues like that, I would recommend exploring the option. Worked for me.

6 weeks flies by. Here is my final report and my grading. 1: Weight training 3 days per week. Out of 18 workouts, I missed 2. 89% 2: Diet-Soda free. Enjoyed 5 of them in 6 weeks. Given that's 37 days out of 42 opportunities> 88% 3: Be able to do at least 1 freakin pull-up. I can do 1 freaking pull up (and almost 2) 100% Life goal: Have client, but things are progressing slower than I would like. Looks like the makings of a high B, low A for the effort which means I probably could have picked more challenging goals, UNLESS you look at the fact I failed two of the challenges and only passed one... It's all in the framing.

PULL UP!!!!!

LOVE IT!!!!!

I completely fell of the wagon this weekend with a horrible diet. I missed one of my 3 workouts and last night found myself drinking a Kickstart before I realized what I was doing. Quentin- the pull up is coming along. I still can't get above the bar, but every few days I pull as far as I can and hang there for 2-3 seconds. Maybe, just maybe... Thanks for the encouragement. Phoenix- the self-control thing was premature, but hey, I have many flaws. The real key is what I do today.

I was down right emotional yesterday for no discernible reason. Came ever so close to drinking a Diet Mt Dew, but stayed true and carbonation-free. Almost did a pull-up, too!!! Got my forehead above the bar!!!

Still a good week given the stumbling blocks. If it helps, you're diet was WAY better than mine, by far, and I missed a run too for no legitimate excuse. Hope you get to feeling better. Don't let being sick turn in to discouragement.

UPDATE: My diet over the past 5 days has consisted of cooking out or amusement park food. I've made the best choices I could given what was available, but I have had the occasional ice cream cone or cake. To say the least, the scale is not my friend, which is sad because I am in a weight loss contest at work. Even though weight reduction is an end-goal, my 6-week goals went like this: 1: Weight training 3 days per week. I actually got 3 days in although it was Monday, Thursday, Friday. Added 30lbs to my squat on Friday. (A) 2: Diet-Soda free. Nothing carbonated, although I did have diet green tea and lemonade... those aren't soda, right? (B-) 3: Be able to do at least 1 freakin pull-up. No pull up yet, but did do some assisted pull-ups and negatives. I'm starting to lose faith on this one. © I ran a 5K on Saturday and shaved a minute of the previous fast one (still over 24 though). The whole run/walk scheme to stay healthy all summer seemed to go out the window, AGAIN. I decided to call it speed work instead. The schedule calls for a slow 9 on Saturday. Looking forward to the slow but not so much to the 9. I can't seem to make my waist measurement move either. Stuck where I was last week. I'm trying to incorporate different kinds of cardio in with my weights and running. I bought a heavy bag yesterday, but found I am too uncoordinated to do punch and if you aren't careful, you can break a wrist. EDIT: Added grades.