I'm having difficulty sustaining a training routine. I don't have any real excuses (until now - will get to that in a bit). I started running a few weeks ago, but stopped after a few runs. So I've been biking and going to spin class - it keeps me fit, but not the right kind of fit for running. I need to be running. Have I mentioned before how much I hate running? I just really hate it. I've never gotten that runner's high and pretty much think it's a myth. I have, however, gotten that runner's cramp. I've been biking well. I'm scouring ebay for a road bike.
I went biking yesterday at Double Lake in Coldspring, Texas. It's about an hour drive from Houston. Not too far. The trail is pretty easy - it's downhill for the better part of 8 miles. Lots of roots, some good quick turns, a little gravel, a little sand. Did I mention the roots? Less than a mile into it, I hit a root going fast down a slight decline and ended up crashing into the bushes. It was a pretty easy fall. Didn't feel any pain, slight scratch on my right arm. So I got up, got back on the bike and kept going. It was a really good ride. I needed a little more time on the bike after finishing up, so I rode the road throughout the park. And I crashed again. I was concentrating hard on working my backside muscles in a low gear instead of paying attention to the road, and I slid off the side of the road. Also not a bad crash - didn't feel any pain. So I got up and finished up the ride. The pain started when I got home and got worse by the minute. I worked half of the day today on my knees at my desk (no jokes, please). I can't sit. It hurts to walk. I want to slap old people it hurts so bad. I'm hoping it's just a bruise that'll heal quickly. I think it's just a bruise. I think I would have felt a break right away.
Anyway, that's what's been going on. I'm on my back for a few days (again, no jokes). I need to get serious about training. I don't know what's keeping me from doing it, ass pain notwithstanding. If I start running again by the beginning of September, I still feel like I will be in good shape for January. Will keep you posted.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
2010 Tentative Race Schedule
So, here's a tentative race schedule for 2010. There are some blanks that I'll fill in when I figure out what I'm going to do during those months.
2010 RACE SCHEDULE
1/17 Houston Half Marathon (Houston)
2/14 Austin Half Marathon (Austin)
3/? Prickly Pear 10-Mile Trail Run (San Antonio)
3/? Bayou City Classic 10K (Houston)
4/? MS 150 (Houston to Austin)
5/? Lone Star Stampede (Houston)
6/? TBD
7/? TBD
8/? TBD
9/6 The Austin Triathlon (Austin)
9/? Chicago Half Marathon (Chicago)
10/? TBD
11/? San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Marathon (San Antonio)
12/? TBD
2010 RACE SCHEDULE
1/17 Houston Half Marathon (Houston)
2/14 Austin Half Marathon (Austin)
3/? Prickly Pear 10-Mile Trail Run (San Antonio)
3/? Bayou City Classic 10K (Houston)
4/? MS 150 (Houston to Austin)
5/? Lone Star Stampede (Houston)
6/? TBD
7/? TBD
8/? TBD
9/6 The Austin Triathlon (Austin)
9/? Chicago Half Marathon (Chicago)
10/? TBD
11/? San Antonio Rock-n-Roll Marathon (San Antonio)
12/? TBD
New Direction
I've been trying to figure out what this blog is about for the past month. I'm still not sure, but I have decided the purpose of the blog is accountability (and a little bit of shame). If you've ever been to Weight Watchers, you'll know what I'm talking about.
About four years ago, I was pushing 200 pounds. I'm 5'11" and have a medium build. A good weight for me is 175. 200 was not a good weight. I tried dieting on my own and stalled out at 192, so I made the decision to go to Weight Watchers. The first thing that happens when you enter the meeting room is the weigh-in. Yikes. And although it was March and 50 degrees that Saturday morning (which is friggin' cold in Houston), all 40 people in the room (including me) were wearing shorts, tee-shirts and flip flops. I got into line and waited my turn for the weigh-in. The lady who took my weight wrote it on a piece of paper and slid it across the desk to me. She'd also written down my goal weight - 172 pounds, which would have been a 10% reduction. 172 seemed doable and a good weight.
After the weigh-in, I took a seat in the back of the room for the meeting. I remember three things about the meeting. First, I was the youngest person there by about 20 years, and I was the only man. The second thing was that the instructor walked in wearing a black, Hefty garbage bag. That was funny enough, but what made it really funny is that the woman looked and talked like Cheri Oteri playing the porn star Robin Byrd on SNL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Byrd). The instructor told us she was wearing the bag because you are what you eat. You eat trash, you are trash. Or something like that. The third thing I remember is that the instructor told us her niece was overweight and dieting, and the one thing her niece had learned during the dieting process is that she "likes cantaloupe because it makes her poop." Well, that was surprising and useful news. But four years later, I still think to myself, "Should I eat that piece of cantaloupe now? I'm about to enter a meeting and it may be two or three hours before I have access to a comfortable, private bathroom, and you know, cantaloupe makes you poop. Can I make it? Should I have the watermelon instead? Will watermelon make you poop, too?"
Accountability. I went back to WW the following Saturday morning and weighed-in, but I skipped the meeting (I have my limits). I was down to 189 and couldn't have been happier. Had I not had the weigh-in ahead of me, I'm not sure I would have lost those three pounds. The following week, I'd lost another 2-3 pounds, and every week thereafter I lost weight. What made the weight loss happen was the weigh-in. I was scared to death of not losing weight and although no one would know but me and the lady taking the weight, I just couldn't bear the shame I would feel if she knew that I hadn't lost weight. I got down to 175 and quit going to WW for the weigh-ins.
I'm not sure if I ever hit 172. In retrospect, I wish I'd continued going to the WW weigh-ins until I hit 172. I had a goal, and like many other times in my life, I didn't follow through until the end. I got close, and I thought close was good enough. But it's not, you know? So I've decided that the purpose of keeping this blog is accountability. I've set some goals for myself for 2010, and I figure that by putting my goals out there for anyone and everyone to see, I'll actually follow through with them.
I've signed up for the Houston Half-Marathon or Houston Marathon every year since moving here in 2004, and I still haven't run in either event. So I registered for the Half-Marathon once again for 2010, and this time I'm going to do it. One thing I've done differently this time, is that I'm running for a charity. I'm running for the AIDS Foundation - Houston. I figure that if I can't get my ass in gear to run for a good cause, then how will I ever follow through on one of my goals if I'm only accountable to myself?
But that's not it. My goal for 2010 is to compete in at least one race per month - running, bicycling, swimming, duathlon or triathlon. I'm still working out a schedule and will post it at a later date. So far, I've registered for the Half-Marathons in Houston (January) and Austin (February). In March, I hope to run in the Prickly Pear 10-mile Trail Race in San Antonio. I've run (run is such a strong word) that race before and look forward to doing it again. April is the MS-150 (bike ride from Houston to Austin). And November is the San Antonio Marathon. The rest of the months are up in the air. Ultimately, I want to finish an IronMan, but I think that's a goal for 2011.
So, that's it. That's why I'm keeping this blog. As you can see from my first post, I'm gay, so this blog may be about that, too. And about my dogs. And about my search for a house. And my niece who was born on July 22 and is the MOST beautiful baby EVER. And living in Houston. And whatever else. Also, if you're interested in donating to the AIDS Foundation - Houston, you can do so at the link below.
http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com/Donate/PersonalPage.cfm?MID=4508&CRID=27&CID=191
About four years ago, I was pushing 200 pounds. I'm 5'11" and have a medium build. A good weight for me is 175. 200 was not a good weight. I tried dieting on my own and stalled out at 192, so I made the decision to go to Weight Watchers. The first thing that happens when you enter the meeting room is the weigh-in. Yikes. And although it was March and 50 degrees that Saturday morning (which is friggin' cold in Houston), all 40 people in the room (including me) were wearing shorts, tee-shirts and flip flops. I got into line and waited my turn for the weigh-in. The lady who took my weight wrote it on a piece of paper and slid it across the desk to me. She'd also written down my goal weight - 172 pounds, which would have been a 10% reduction. 172 seemed doable and a good weight.
After the weigh-in, I took a seat in the back of the room for the meeting. I remember three things about the meeting. First, I was the youngest person there by about 20 years, and I was the only man. The second thing was that the instructor walked in wearing a black, Hefty garbage bag. That was funny enough, but what made it really funny is that the woman looked and talked like Cheri Oteri playing the porn star Robin Byrd on SNL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Byrd). The instructor told us she was wearing the bag because you are what you eat. You eat trash, you are trash. Or something like that. The third thing I remember is that the instructor told us her niece was overweight and dieting, and the one thing her niece had learned during the dieting process is that she "likes cantaloupe because it makes her poop." Well, that was surprising and useful news. But four years later, I still think to myself, "Should I eat that piece of cantaloupe now? I'm about to enter a meeting and it may be two or three hours before I have access to a comfortable, private bathroom, and you know, cantaloupe makes you poop. Can I make it? Should I have the watermelon instead? Will watermelon make you poop, too?"
Accountability. I went back to WW the following Saturday morning and weighed-in, but I skipped the meeting (I have my limits). I was down to 189 and couldn't have been happier. Had I not had the weigh-in ahead of me, I'm not sure I would have lost those three pounds. The following week, I'd lost another 2-3 pounds, and every week thereafter I lost weight. What made the weight loss happen was the weigh-in. I was scared to death of not losing weight and although no one would know but me and the lady taking the weight, I just couldn't bear the shame I would feel if she knew that I hadn't lost weight. I got down to 175 and quit going to WW for the weigh-ins.
I'm not sure if I ever hit 172. In retrospect, I wish I'd continued going to the WW weigh-ins until I hit 172. I had a goal, and like many other times in my life, I didn't follow through until the end. I got close, and I thought close was good enough. But it's not, you know? So I've decided that the purpose of keeping this blog is accountability. I've set some goals for myself for 2010, and I figure that by putting my goals out there for anyone and everyone to see, I'll actually follow through with them.
I've signed up for the Houston Half-Marathon or Houston Marathon every year since moving here in 2004, and I still haven't run in either event. So I registered for the Half-Marathon once again for 2010, and this time I'm going to do it. One thing I've done differently this time, is that I'm running for a charity. I'm running for the AIDS Foundation - Houston. I figure that if I can't get my ass in gear to run for a good cause, then how will I ever follow through on one of my goals if I'm only accountable to myself?
But that's not it. My goal for 2010 is to compete in at least one race per month - running, bicycling, swimming, duathlon or triathlon. I'm still working out a schedule and will post it at a later date. So far, I've registered for the Half-Marathons in Houston (January) and Austin (February). In March, I hope to run in the Prickly Pear 10-mile Trail Race in San Antonio. I've run (run is such a strong word) that race before and look forward to doing it again. April is the MS-150 (bike ride from Houston to Austin). And November is the San Antonio Marathon. The rest of the months are up in the air. Ultimately, I want to finish an IronMan, but I think that's a goal for 2011.
So, that's it. That's why I'm keeping this blog. As you can see from my first post, I'm gay, so this blog may be about that, too. And about my dogs. And about my search for a house. And my niece who was born on July 22 and is the MOST beautiful baby EVER. And living in Houston. And whatever else. Also, if you're interested in donating to the AIDS Foundation - Houston, you can do so at the link below.
http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com/Donate/PersonalPage.cfm?MID=4508&CRID=27&CID=191
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Houston Pride
Last night was Houston Pride. I marched in the parade with my church: Covenant Church (an Ecumenical Liberal Baptist Congregation). See link at end of the post. I've been to the parade every year since moving to Houston in 2004, but last night was the first time I was a part of the parade. I was surprised by the crowd's enthusiastic reception as we marched along with our modest float. Maybe it's because we were throwing out coozies and beads. I made a point of handing a coozie to the people who were drinking beer with no coozie. Seemed like the practical thing to do, right? Next year, I'm going to hand out cards with my name, picture and phone number to some of the guys standing along the route. Before the parade, my ex and I were discussing my recent dissatisfaction with my love life, and he said I need to release it to the universe. I'm not really sure what the hell that means. The way I see it, if you ain't playing the lottery, you ain't gonna win the jackpot. Pardon the digression.
Covenant has given more to me than any other church has - it's the first church I've visited where doubt is discussed openly and without judgment. Didn't Jesus say something like if you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, you could move a mountain? My interpretation of that is that no-one has faith the size of a mustard seed because last I checked, the mountains are right where they've always been. The first time I went to Covenant, I was with the aforementioned ex. We'd been dating a little over a week (kind of did the lesbian thing and I moved in with him during that first week), and he took me to church with him on the condition that he would visit the Episcopal church with me. Covenant's building is small and there are no pews - just bulky brown wooden chairs that were arranged in neat rows facing the altar which was placed in a corner at the front of the church. We sat on the outside end of one of the rows. I don't remember the content of the proclamation that day, but I do remember the choir - only the men were singing, and when it was time for the choir to do their big number, the men lined up on the two sides of the church and sang a song a Capella (I'll find the song and post it one of these days). I started crying as the men started singing and didn't stop until the service ended some 30 minutes later. And I'm talking one of those wet, sniffly cries that comes on when there isn't a tissue within ten miles. Although I don't recall the details of the service that day (other than the crying fit), what I do remember about the proclamation and the music and the church and the people and the service was how I felt. It's one of the few times in my life where I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. I felt that way again last night as I walked the parade route with the float and the other members of Covenant who ranged in age from 5 to 85, all of whom were happy and feeling that they were exactly where they were supposed to be, too.
I was surprised how quickly the parade ended. In retrospect, the route was too short. I don't recall the last time I was cheered at - maybe graduation from law school? I kind of liked it. I liked the hooting and the hollering and the clapping and the big smiles and laughing, no doubt from seeing the word "Baptist" plastered in purple on a float in the gay pride parade. Or maybe it was the beads and the coozies and the beer. But you know, if one person decides to visit Covenant after seeing us last night, then the reason for the cheering really doesn't matter.
Well, I didn't intend for this post to be about church - I'm most definitely not a bible thumper - but there you have it. A friend of mine recently played me a song that she wrote, and she said she'd started out writing a happy Christmas tune. But what she played was a very sad song about breaking up with her boyfriend. Go figure.
http://www.covenanthouston.org/
Covenant has given more to me than any other church has - it's the first church I've visited where doubt is discussed openly and without judgment. Didn't Jesus say something like if you have the faith the size of a mustard seed, you could move a mountain? My interpretation of that is that no-one has faith the size of a mustard seed because last I checked, the mountains are right where they've always been. The first time I went to Covenant, I was with the aforementioned ex. We'd been dating a little over a week (kind of did the lesbian thing and I moved in with him during that first week), and he took me to church with him on the condition that he would visit the Episcopal church with me. Covenant's building is small and there are no pews - just bulky brown wooden chairs that were arranged in neat rows facing the altar which was placed in a corner at the front of the church. We sat on the outside end of one of the rows. I don't remember the content of the proclamation that day, but I do remember the choir - only the men were singing, and when it was time for the choir to do their big number, the men lined up on the two sides of the church and sang a song a Capella (I'll find the song and post it one of these days). I started crying as the men started singing and didn't stop until the service ended some 30 minutes later. And I'm talking one of those wet, sniffly cries that comes on when there isn't a tissue within ten miles. Although I don't recall the details of the service that day (other than the crying fit), what I do remember about the proclamation and the music and the church and the people and the service was how I felt. It's one of the few times in my life where I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. I felt that way again last night as I walked the parade route with the float and the other members of Covenant who ranged in age from 5 to 85, all of whom were happy and feeling that they were exactly where they were supposed to be, too.
I was surprised how quickly the parade ended. In retrospect, the route was too short. I don't recall the last time I was cheered at - maybe graduation from law school? I kind of liked it. I liked the hooting and the hollering and the clapping and the big smiles and laughing, no doubt from seeing the word "Baptist" plastered in purple on a float in the gay pride parade. Or maybe it was the beads and the coozies and the beer. But you know, if one person decides to visit Covenant after seeing us last night, then the reason for the cheering really doesn't matter.
Well, I didn't intend for this post to be about church - I'm most definitely not a bible thumper - but there you have it. A friend of mine recently played me a song that she wrote, and she said she'd started out writing a happy Christmas tune. But what she played was a very sad song about breaking up with her boyfriend. Go figure.
http://www.covenanthouston.org/
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