Sweetwater Creek 5K Results

Thanks to everyone that showed up today for the Sweetwater Creek 5K and Family Fun Run! The weather was perfect and the leaves were beautiful.

In regards to the course confusion, the only thing I have to offer are my sincerest apologies. After the race, many of you let me know that in spite of the mix up, you still had a good time and enjoyed the race. I really appreciate that.

Here's a link to the complete race results.

Thanks to Big Peach Running Co, Road ID, Kudo Sports, Chris Hartman and State Farm, and the USA Track & Field Association.

Special thanks to the volunteers that came out early and gave of their time and energy to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Photos will be coming soon, and I'll send an email to all the participants when they are.

Aaron

He's One Tough Mudder - Podcast Episode #19

So...Joshua Perkins and I participated in the Virginia Tough Mudder on October 22nd. It was quite the adventure. You can hear all the details, including an obstacle-by-obstacle breakdown of the course, on this week's podcast. Hear about the hills, walls, hills, water, and hills that we faced...in front of a LIVE STUDIO AUDIENCE! Just click HERE to start listening!

If you're interested, you can watch the Tough Mudder Virginia 2011 Official Video!! If you pause it at :26 seconds, you can see Joshua and I in the background. Joshua's the tall one...and I'm the one with gray hair!



In the news:
Washington Post: 3 years after deadline, FDA still hasn’t defined ‘gluten-free’

(This week's tips courtesy of Joshua Perkins!)
Eat Less: Skim Milk

• Skim Milk is less calories and less saturated fats.
• Great with protein shakes or mixing with sugar free pudding for a light snack. Baking too!
• It is best to gradually move down the scale from Whole to 2% to 1% to get used to the taste and texture.
• It is higher in lactose for people that are slightly lactose intolerant and they should switch to lactose free as an alternative.

Exercise More: Change up the routine (AKA muscle confusion)

• Switch up the routine every 9 weeks.
• If you are running on the treadmill then switch to elliptical.
• Running on roads switch to trails.
• Same weight lifting routines switch the exercises and days.
• Yoga on Monday and Zumba on Thursday then switch up the days if possible.

Obstacles:

1. Braveheart Charge
   
2. 10’ Berlin Walls
   
3. Bales of hay AKA “Gauntlet” (single stacked with barbed wire in between, and a little spray thrown in)
   
4. Devil’s Beard (crawling under cargo net)
   
5. Hold Your Wood (pick up a log and carry up and down a ski slope)
   
6. Funky Munkey (monkey bars)
   
7. “Log Bog Jog” thru the woods
   
8. Twinkle Toes (balance beam)
   
9. Chernobyl Jacuzzi (dumpsters with colored ice water)
   
10. Spider’s Web (vertical cargo net)
    
11. Greased Lightning (slip-n-slide)
    
12. Boa Constrictor (tunnels into and out of water)
    
13. Underwater Tunnels
14. Death March/Cliff Hanger (long hike uphill)
    
15. Kiss of Mud (crawl in mud under barbed wire)
    
16. Tires (tires)
    
17. Logjammin’ (over and under horizontal logs)
    
18. Bale Bonds (stacked double-high)
    
19. 12’ Berlin Walls
    
20. Mystery Obstacle (tall drop slide)
    
21. Kinky Tunnels (crawl through tunnels with a couple of turns)
    
22. Shake and Bake (get hosed down then crawl through sand under barbed wire)
    
23. Turd’s Nest (horizontal cargo net with firehose)
    
24. Everest (half-pipe)
    
25. Fire Walker (burning square bales)
    
26. Electroshock Therapy
    

Maybe You Should Just Be a Reasonable Guy (or Gal)

We stopped on the way home from the Tough Mudder today to grab some lunch (more on that later), and Joshua and I started talking about lunch choices at Arby's and whether or not mine would meet the 1 Meal - 1 Workout standard. I told him that I had gotten the small sandwich and the small fries with a diet drink.

Pretty reasonable, right?

That started a discussion about what's "reasonable". I told Joshua that I figured if I was reasonably active and ate reasonable meals, then it would make sense that I would be in "reasonably good" shape.

It's my guess that people that do one (eat reasonably or are reasonably active) but maybe fail on the other (eat poorly or are fairly sedentary), would be somewhat out of shape. People like me, that used to fail on BOTH almost all of the time, would be VERY out of shape. I think for most of us, we don't have to strive to be paragons of fitness with a 50 point workout plan, scales to weigh our food and an organic garden behind our house. We just need to work at being reasonable.

In the News(paper)!

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the main Atlanta newspaper, believes in promoting good health. To that end, they run a weekly "success story" about someone that has managed to lose weight and get healthier. Can you guess who last week's person was?

Did you guess me? Wrong! It was Alex Respess...he was on the show Extreme Makeover: Weightloss Edition.

Now guess who THIS week's person is!

You got it right! It was me.

If you're interested, you can run down to you your corner newsstand (assuming you live in the Atlanta area) and buy a copy...or you can just click HERE to read all about it!

Fun stuff!

Have You Seen My Motivation? - Podcast Episode #15

This week the guys discuss staying motivated: how to do it, what to do when something's stolen your "mojo", and more! Need a little pick me up? This might just be the prescription. Click HERE to get going!

In the news:
You're Only as Old as You Run

Eat less:
Meatless Monday
Spicy Foods

Exercise more:
Take a break...but be intentional with it.

Too Busy to be Active? - Podcast Episode #14

Feel like you meet yourself coming and going? Are you one of the few people that really is too busy to schedule a workout? This week the guys discuss some practical ways to add a little activity to your life.  Just click HERE to get it!

In the news:
MSNBC Article: 'White' fruits, veggies take a bite out of stroke risk

Eat less tip:
Don't wait until the winter to try soups!  They can be filling AND good for you.

Exercise more tip:
"Run tomorrow." - Norman Sandridge
It doesn't mean procrastinate, it means that when you first start exercising, don't do so much you don't want to do it again.

Dealing with Injury

So, one month out from the Tough Mudder, and not only am I NOT at the half way point for my weight loss, I'm actually dealing with an injury. I'm having right hip and knee pain, apparently associated with my ITB.

Not. Fun. At. All.

It's hard to describe the type of pain that I experience when it kicks in, but let's just say I cannot run on it. After about 3/4s of a mile, the pain starts, and it gradually worsens until I have to stop running. I can keep walking, but it is painful.

So I've come up with a simple, two-step for dealing with injury.

1) Come up with a plan to fix it.
2) Do that plan.

Unfortunately, neither step is really that simple. We'll see how it goes.

So I Just Tell Myself...

I'll be honest. Sometimes I'm not motivated to exercise. I just don't want to do it. In the past 15 months or so that I've been exercising, it happens more than often than I'd like. When it does, I just go back to the basic tenet of 1 Meal - 1 Workout:

Anybody can eat healthy for one meal. Anyone can workout one time.

So I just tell myself, "I can do one workout. In an hour, this will be behind me. I'll be done."

Then...I go do it.

Next time you don't feel motivated to get active, try it. You might surprise yourself.

If it doesn't work, call me...and I'll yet at you like a drill sergeant. Hey! Different things work for different people.

Back to Basics!

 "1 Meal - 1 Workout"...you may have seen that name/phrase bandied about lately by me on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, or any of another number of places on the world-wide-interweb. But what does it really mean? Maybe it's time to revisit the basics.

Last June when I made the decision that I needed to lose 100+ pounds, I really didn't have much of a plan, but I did know one thing. As a 42-year-old fat guy, I had tried and failed to lose the weight multiple times over the course of my life. The way I had approached getting fit in the past hadn't worked, so I need to make a fundamental change. As I thought about it, I kept thinking back about my past failures. It usually went something like this:

1. Sit up late at night for no reason.
2. See Tony Horton selling P90X (or some variation thereof).
3. Get disgusted with my current condition and decide "it's time to do something about it".
4. Day 1 of my new lifestyle: Make drastic changes to my eating habits and activity level. 
5. Day 2 of my new lifestyle: Discard all changes and continue life as before.

(The reality is that half the time I never got past step 3.)

So what's different this time? What's sustained me for the past 14 months? It's really a simple, fundamental shift of thinking. I started to think that I didn't need to try to lose 150 lbs. I needed to lose just one...one pound...and then do it over and over.

From that, I decided to break it down even further...all the way down to a single meal and a single workout. All I needed to worry about was eating as healthy as I could, making the best choice I could, at my next meal. I didn't have to train for a marathon or try to get six-pack abs, but just concern myself with getting to my next workout.

Sounds too easy, right? Not necessarily EASY, but very SIMPLE. That simple change did a few things:

• It made the task do-able. It was something I could wrap my mind around. Anybody can eat good one day, right? Anyone can put in one good workout.
• If When I failed, it eliminated the guilt and condemnation.  I hadn't "blown it".  There was no diet I had failed.  Instead, I just needed to do better at the next meal, or put more effect into the next workout.
• Procrastination was taken off the table. No more "I'll start over after the holidays", or "on Monday", "or next month", or "next week". Start now!

That's how I did it. That's what worked for me. I put a string of healthier meals and more active days together.  Fourteen months later, I've lost just over 140 lbs. One meal at a time, one workout at a time.

Let me know if you have any questions or if I can help!

Home Fitness - Podcast Episode #9

On this week's show, the guys talk with trainer (and author) Sam Brown. The discussion covers: working out in the home, exercises that require little or no equipment, Chuck Norris, and more! On top of all that, Sam was nice enough to record an exclusive 1 Meal - 1 Workout video demonstrating some of the exercises he recommends.  Click HERE for the podcast!

See Sam's video HERE!

In the news:
New York Times - Are Crunches Worth the Effort?

Eat Less Tip:
If you're a habitual "snacker", don’t take the bag of snacks with you when you eat. Put your chips/crackers/trailmix on a plate and LEAVE the bag.

Exercise More Tip:
Modified exercises work! If you can't do a push-up, do your push-ups against the wall.

Two Months until the Tough Mudder

In just about two months, my friend Joshua and I will be heading north to participate in the Virginia Tough Mudder. If you don't know what the Tough Mudder is, go HERE, to Joshua's blog and read about A) the Tough Mudder, and B) his prep for it.

Now that I've been on my weight-loss journey for about 14 months or so, after 135+ lbs of weight loss, I'm approaching my predicted plateau. If you want to hear my thoughts about all things plateau related, you can LISTEN to our podcast on that topic. For those of you that have already heard that podcast, I won't rehash it here.

That being said, I'm setting an ambitious goal for myself. My goal is to lose 20 lbs more in the next two months.  In addition to ramping up my strength training, I think losing that last 20 lbs will put me where I need to be in order to be successful at the Tough Mudder.

So, there it is...I've put it out there for the world to read, should they choose to do so. Cheer me on...or better yet...join me!

Road ID - You NEED One!

Are you familiar with Road ID?  If your activity of choice includes running, walking, biking, rock climbing, or hiking, you should be.  Basically, if you ever go outside to be active, you need a Road ID.

A Road ID is one of several types of bracelets, shoe pouches, etc. that contain your emergency contact information.  I could go into more detail, but their website does it much better.

I usually run in the evening around 8:00 PM. In the winter months, it's pitch black even when I start.  I realized one day that if anything were to happen to me, by the time my wife was worried enough to get our 5 year-old son out of bed and come looking for me, there's a good chance I might already be on the way to the emergency room.  Without an identification.  I don't carry my wallet or write my name in my underwear.  I do have my phone, but there's no telling where it might end up in the event of an accident.

So I wear a Road ID.  I have the basic wrist band. It has my name, age, emergency contact info, and basic medical history.  The little white stitching around the edges is also highly reflective.

If you are one of those outdoor active types, then you ABSOLUTELY need one.  But think about it for a minute.  What if you go to the gym?  Do you have any ID on you when you work out?  What if something crazy happens and you fly off the treadmill and whack your head?  Will anyone know who to call? To be honest, I've thought about wearing mine ALL the time.

Lastly, I'm a "Road ID Affiliate"!  If you click on the icon below to access their site and order something, I get a small commission.  How cool is that? You can also click on the Road ID logo on the website to access my affiliate link.



Be safe out there!

It's Just Like Riding a Bicycle

Actually, it's not just LIKE riding a bicycle. It IS riding a bicycle.

Today I went for my first real bike ride since I loaned my 10 speed to my college roommate and he didn't chain it up when he got back to the dorm and someone stole it. (Yes, that was a run-on sentence.) That would have been 1991 or so. Just 20 years.

First of all, I, of course, still remembered how to ride. However, my 10 speed from college didn't really shift gears that well, so I never shifted gears. It was more of a 1.0 speed.  My new bike has 24 gears! An 8 speed shifter on the the rear wheel and a 3 speed shifter on the pedal sprocket. It only took me 5 minutes to throw the chain the first time by changing gears and not pedaling.

Second of all, you might think that since running and biking both use your legs, that strength and conditioning in one would translate to the other. Nope. I went a short (6+ mile) ride around the neighborhood. I could feel it in my thighs in the first mile.

I'm really looking forward to doing some cross-training. There's a couple of duathlons that I've got my eye on for next year.

And, getting a bike gets me one step closer to my first triathlon. Wahoo!

2011 Peachtree Road Race!

Today was the 2011 Peachtree Road Race. If you're not into running and/or you're not from Atlanta, you may not be familiar with the Peachtree. It's one of the largest races in the world. Today, 60,000 people hit the streets of Atlanta. My wife and I were two of those 60K.

I decided to do a mini-documentary...a docu-mini-tary if you will...about the event.

Enjoy!

In Case You Missed It! - Podcast Episode #1

In case you missed the big news, our first 1M1W podcast came out on Friday, July 1st.  Very exciting times for us here at "1M1W Central". 


In episode #1 you'll meet me (if you haven't already) and my show's producer, Mark Cockrell.  You'll get a chance to hear a little more in-depth about where I've been, where I am, and where I'm heading in regards to foot, fitness, and living a healthy, active life!


If you are interested in downloading, streaming, or subscribing, all of those options are available to you! Click on the Element Opie Productions logo below. That's where you'll find all the podcast related 1M1W stuff.

I'd love to have you as a subscriber from the very beginning!  Pass the word!

Vacationing's a Bit Different

If you're like me, there's been a lot of things in my life that I've wanted to do, but have yet to do them.Many of those things, for me at least, required a certain amount of physical activity, and before I just wasn't able to do it.It wasn't a matter of want, but more a matter of can't. Now that I've lost 130 lbs or so, my options are a little different.


We currently have some of our great friends from Texas here on vacation for a few days, and we ventured into North Georgia for a few days.In the course of 3 days, I:

Canoed at Unicoi State Park

Paddleboated at Unicoi State Park

Swam (in a pool, not the lake)

Played putt-putt golf (I know, not that physically taxing, but a year ago, I would have made an excuse NOT to do it)

Tubed down the Chattahoochee

Went to a water park

Shot some hoops

Hiked up and down 1,099 stairs and then around 2 different rim trails at Tallulah Gorge State Park

Went rock climbing

Whew!We were busy!But I had a blast doing all of these things.The next thing on my list is white water rafting.


You may be thinking to yourself, "I'm happy for you.Glad you had so much fun."


One short year ago, I could NOT have done this.Okay, I probably could have played putt-putt, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it.


Maybe you're someone that wants to do these kind of things, but right now, you are physically incapable of doing them. Don't give up!Even some small changes can make new activities become accessible to you.


You may not be ready to go rock climbing next week, but maybe you could go canoeing next month!

Saturday...One of the Seven Best Days of the Week

Saturdays are wonderful for many reasons.  Let me enumerate some of them.

1. Saturdays are officially part of the standard weekend package.
2. Lots of fun things happen on Saturdays.
3. Saturday inspired one of the greatest songs of all times.
4. Saturday did not inspire a song by Rebecca Black.
5. Saturday is a great day to get active!

Get active?  What do you mean?  Let me give you some ideas.

• Take a walk
• Take a stroll
• Take a jog
• Take a...you get the idea
• Go for a swim
• Go rock climbing (Google it...I bet there's somewhere near you to do that)
• Clean the house
• Clean the yard
• Play basketball
• Play tennis
• Play...again, you get the idea
• Lift some weights
• Work in your garden (garden required)
• Go hiking

Of course, there are a million things you can do to be active.  Unfortunately, there are a million excuses not to be.  I won't list them here.  You're welcome.

Let me know what your favorite way to be active on a Saturday is.  Time to get moving!

Running 4 My Life Spotlighted

Hey everyone!  Piedmont Healthcare continues to support me in my goals to be healthy, and encouraging others to do the same.  One of the Piedmont entities, Piedmont Medical Care Corporation, featured the Running 4 My Life 5K from April in their June newsletter.  Check it out below!  Thanks Piedmont!

Quick Question

Are you 50 lbs or more overweight? Ready to make a change? 

I'm looking for a couple of people that are willing to be my "test group". I want to take some of the things I've learned over the last year that have helped me lose weight, and see if they are applicable in other's lives. 

There's a bit more to it than that, but if you are interested in finding out more, send me an email and I'll get you the details.


1meal1workout@gmail.com


Thanks!

Getting Ready for the Next Event

Today I met with Mark Vescio, race director for the Locomotive Race Series, to discuss racing, race promotion, and to generally pick his brain about how to host a good race.  He was a super nice guy, and had a lot of good info for me.


On November 5th, I'm planning my next event.  It's going to be a 5K trail run at Sweetwater Creek State Park.  We're also going to have a short Kid's Fun Run, and finish up with a cookout.  It should be a lot of fun in one of the most beautiful areas around metro Atlanta. Here's a link to some pictures we took last fall..  I purposely scheduled it for the first weekend of November because that's during the height of the foliage change.


Right now I'm in the midst of finalizing all the details, locking down the registration fees, and looking for sponsors.


Another important point: this race will benefit the American Cancer Society.


If you aren't interested in running, but you ARE interested in volunteering, shoot me an email, Facebook message me, leave a comment on this post, send me a letter, or just let me know the next time you see me.


Hope to see you out there!