Goal number one...check.

In running a marathon I knew that things would go much easier for me physically if I would loose a couple of pounds. When I started this process I was 182.5. I have since dropped my first 10 pounds. I weighed in at 172.5 this morning which should make the strain on my knees a bit easier to handle. Pick up a 10 pound bag of sugar next time you're in the grocery store and see if you'd like to carry it for 26 miles. My drivers license lists me at 180, but in January of '07 I weighed 190. I didn't feel great and I didn't look great either.

As a testament to what improved fitness can do for you I offer the following: Near the end of my first run of 1.5 miles the outside of my right knee began to hurt. After the run the pain got progressively worse and wasn't completely gone for 2 days and after a lot of ice. After my first 3 mile run a week later, I had the same strong pain but not until about 2 miles into the run. When I ran six miles last weekend I felt the pain during the last half mile and it was gone by morning. This week I've done two 3 mile runs so far and didn't feel any pain during or after either run. In running 7 miles tomorrow, I feel that there is the possibility of minor pain after the run, but with my fitness level increasing, and my weight decreasing, it wouldn't surprise me to have no pain when I'm done.

Secondly, just prior to starting my exercising a month ago, my pulse was around 65 bpm. I just took my pulse and it was 52. That will keep the ticker working much longer.

I'm in the 2nd week of my 18 week training program (although I had to do some pre-training just to get ready for the actual training). Last Saturday I did my first long run of 6 miles. It took me 1:04:12. Not lightning, but I ran for over an hour without stopping and although I felt tired, it was very satisfying. I'm hoping to do my 7 miler in about 1:10, but won't be on as good of a road as I ran on last week so we'll see.

Some vacation...

I spent the week over New Year's Day in Utah at my brother's house. I had decided before I went that I would try and work out at least twice. When we got there, the ground was a foot deep in snow and running would have been impossible. On Wed we went to my brother's athletic club and played some very light basketball, but I followed it up with 1.5 miles on the treadmill. On Thursday I used his eliptical and went for 45 minutes. I was tired but on Friday did the same thing. I got my 3 workouts in, but none of them were actually running on the street.

Most of my family was together which included 4 of us 6 kids, my parents and about 15 of the grandkids. I ate like a cow all week, but was measurably better than I would have been a year ago. I think my stomach is a bit smaller than it was a few months ago, so I get filled up quicker, and I'm making better choices about what I put on my plate.

I assumed when I got home that I would be back up to 182 lbs, but I was 180.5, and by morning was 178.5 again. It's nice to have gone that week and not to have gained any weight. I can focus on dropping some more now that I'm back in control of my own fridge again.

My 18 week training schedule actually begins in one week, so I've got 7 days to drop a couple more pounds and get my knees a bit more accustomed to running. I'm not going to make any predictions on finishing times or even completion at this point. I want to move through this as sensibly as possible and not get ahead of myself in my training; although, how a person can talk of doing a Marathon, and do one sensibly is a bit of an oxymoron.

Marathon...Are you kidding me??

About a month ago I started doing push-ups and sit-ups in an attempt to get in a little bit better shape. The guy looking back at me in the mirror was becoming less and less familiar. About 2 weeks ago I got an email from Joe Heywood who has been one of my best friends for about 12 years, mentioning that he was doing a marathon. In a moment of disgust with himself last year he made the decision to run one about 3 months before the race. This year he's started much earlier so he doesn't hear anything snap in his foot during the last few miles. He made a brief comment in his email that I should join him this year. Jennifer has been screening my emails apparently and tried to erase it. What she doesn't know is that all of my email from that account is forwarded to my work email so I got it anyway. :-)

Well, I'm going to do it. It's the Ogden Marathon and it takes place on May 17th, 2008. I've made two purchases that will help me in my training. The first item is a pair of running shoes. (They looked nice in the picture so I thought they'd do just fine.) The second item is an ice pack for my knees. I don't have any bad knee problems to begin with, but I want to avoid having to limit my training due to an injury. I noticed that Joe mentioned Vaseline in one of our email strings and I'm still nervous to ask him what that's all about.

I'm about 182 lbs right now and I'd like to get down to about 170 in about 8 weeks. This will put less strain on my joints while I'm running increasing amounts of miles over the next 20 weeks. I started running about 9 days ago. Due to my current fitness level I could only run about 1.5 miles. I've done that twice, ran/walked on the treadmill in the garage for 3 miles twice, and biked for 7 miles last Saturday.

I have a schedule that I found online from Hal Higdon who is a marathon expert. http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/Mar00index.htm I'm doing the Novice I training program which is still ridiculous. The schedule is below although I will be tweaking it a bit to fit my schedule. Sunday's will be an off day for instance.

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
1	rest	3 m run	3 m run	3 m run	rest	6	cross
2	rest	3 m run	3 m run	3 m run	rest	7	cross
3	rest	3 m run	4 m run	3 m run	rest	5	cross
4	rest	3 m run	4 m run	3 m run	rest	9	cross
5	rest	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	rest	10	cross
6	rest	3 m run	5 m run	3 m run	rest	7	cross
7	rest	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	rest	12	cross
8	rest	3 m run	6 m run	3 m run	rest	13	cross
9	rest	3 m run	7 m run	4 m run	rest	10	cross
10	rest	3 m run	7 m run	4 m run	rest	15	cross
11	rest	4 m run	8 m run	4 m run	rest	16	cross
12	rest	4 m run	8 m run	5 m run	rest	12	cross
13	rest	4 m run	9 m run	5 m run	rest	18	cross
14	rest	5 m run	9 m run	5 m run	rest	14	cross
15	rest	5 m run	10 m run	5 m run	rest	20	cross
16	rest	5 m run	8 m run	4 m run	rest	12	cross
17	rest	4 m run	6 m run	3 m run	rest	8	cross
18	rest	3 m run	4 m run	2 m run	rest	rest	race

During my first two runs, I was coughing up all kinds of things. I must have been exploring previously unused portions of my lungs. We'll see if I can actually finish. Joe's goal last year was 4 hours and he got 4:03. My goal: I just want to cross the finish line with someone still behind me. That's motivating. :-)

Ho Ho Ho and stuff...

Well, it worked. I got a Garmin nuvi 650 and was able to find my way to work this morning. Thanks to all those who followed up with my wife and let her know of my Christmas wish. I now have a British man telling me when to turn. :)

We got our two oldest kids electric scooters and they are now the terrors of the neighborhood. On Christmas day we sat around watching movies and eating junk. After working 70 hours a week for 2 months, it was a well needed break.

Speaking of breaks we're headed back to Utah for a week over New-Year's day. We'll get to see a fair chunk of my family and about 15 of the cousins will be in the same place at the same time.

Happy Holidays!

Little Jimmy in Nebraska...

It's nearing Christmas and things are getting crazy around here. I wish people would pace themselves and buy gifts a bit earlier. It's a wild time of year when you're on the fulfillment end of things. I've been working on the floor to help out over the last few weeks. 1-2 hours a day is all, but it's good to feel that I'm doing my part. I've got wounds on my forearms from working in box SLAM. It's the area where we stuff the boxes with bubbles and run them through a taping machine. It's the final step before they're jammed onto a truck and sent to little Jimmy in Nebraska who's parents ordered him the Harry Potter box set.

We got about 1 inch of snow in Fernley today so our Scout hike of 2 miles was called off. People were calling at 7am because the weather looked "treacherous". We've also had problems with people not coming into work on time, or at all due to the weather. It's not like Provo Canyon in January by any stretch, but there are no snow plows to speak of so any type of snow removal is unreliable.

I want a navigation system for my car for Christmas. Nothing fancy, and Amazon's got one for about $150. That may seem like a random comment, but I'm hoping that someone out there will read this and let Jennifer know. I don't want to ask her or anyone else directly. It would still feel like a surprise this way. :) Her cell # is (801)-318-3462. She doesn't read my blog, so I have to rely on someone else to give her the info. This is like my "Letter to Santa" that is addressed to the North Pole. http://www.northpole.com/

Ebbsfleet United!

I am now the proud owner of an English professional football club. Well, me and 20,000 of my closest friends. I joined a group who decided to pool our money and buy a controlling share of a professional football club.

We get to vote on the lineups for games and whether the coach stays or goes. Since we have a controlling share, they are required to do what we say. It's the ultimate in fantasy sports, but it costs a bit more. This is what Jennifer allowed me to buy for my birthday last year, a stake in a professional football club! What a gal!!

They are currently in 8th place out of 24 teams in the English Conference Standings and at 9 wins, 6 losses and 5 draws, they are doing pretty well. You can visit MY club's homepage at http://ebbsfleetunited.co.uk/eufc/. Enjoy!

Peak at Amazon

Jennifer has been a single parent for the last couple of weeks and will continue in that role until Christmas Eve. I am currently working between 60-70 hours/week so I don't get to see the kids awake very much. My parents will be coming to visit this weekend for a few days. I have the lucky fortune of baptizing my daughter Katie who will turn 8 on Saturday December, 1.

I'm looking forward to Christmas as much as the kids are with the prospect of being home more regularly. My friend in Iraq will get to come home for a 2 week stint over Christmas and then back for another six months to go along with the year he has already spent there. He has 4 kids as well. That should be a very happy time for them.