What a Difference a Year Makes

Here I am at the finish of the race.

So, it’s been awhile once again. Life continues to get in the way of the blog, but certainly not in the way of striving for my fitness goals. I recently went to Tampa, Fla., to visit my teenage son Will who lives there with his mom and step-dad, and I was shocked I only gained a half a pound while I was gone. I will write that I am stuck on another long, drawn-out plateau that is driving me crazy.

I’ll take a 16-minute+ improvement in my time from last year.I was wondering if I could eat real food ever again. I have been on this protein shake for dinner regime for quite some time. In Florida, we dined out just about every meal for several days – three squares a day. For the most part I will admit I made better choices than usual, however, I did indulge on some fantastic New York-style pizza at a local pizzeria that is becoming a favorite of mine.

I suppose since I am seeing body shape changes and other signs of progress, the plateau isn’t that big of a deal. I did get to 187-ish and once again, I couldn’t stay there. I’m tipping the scales at about 190 as I write this.

One year ago I was about 223 pounds and I WALKED the Oakland Running Festival 5K in 49:43. Shin splints and chronic fat ass kept me from actually, you know, running. Almost one year to the day, I participated in the Oakland Running Festival 5K for the second time and I RAN the distance in 33 minutes flat.

I haven’t gone for a run for a few weeks and I actually felt pretty good for most of the race. However, I have been paying for it most of the day. Some driveway basketball with the 7-year-old was a struggle. Then again, I don’t know how a 44-year-old body is supposed to feel after doing what I did today. The photos tell a tale that’s for sure.

What I do know is that I need to switch up the work out routine again. I did some reading today about mixing cardio and weight lifting so I will make some changes this week. I wonder if I’ll ever catch the running bug. So many people I know really enjoy it and enter every race they can from 5 and 10Ks to Half and Full Marathons. I think I could manage a 10K. I have no desire to ever run a full Marathon. This is on no bucket list that has ever crossed my mind. The first guy that ran from Marathon to Athens dropped dead. That’s enough of a cautionary tale for me.

My FitBit Force was recalled. Despite all of the fantastic reviews folks were having issues with a possible nickel allergy and some units were apparently overheating. The only problem I had with it was that it stopped downloading data to the mobile app. Kind of a big deal. I am not sure if I am going to get another FitBit, go back to the Nike Fuel Band or just not use such a thing. We shall see when the Fitbit refund comes through.

I’ll check in soon and let you folks know how the work out adjustments affect my weight and whatnot. As always, thanks for reading. Game of Thrones starts soon, I will once again be happy to be your lead-in to fantastic HBO television.