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PORGY_58's Recent Blog Entries
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Monday, September 10, 2012
I am one Tough Mudder'1 Yessireebob! Hard to believe, ain't it? Me who used to weigh a $20 spot shy of 300 pounds rose to the challenge and have checked off yet another item on my bucket list! 5K, 8K, 10K, 10 miler, half Marathon, Tough Mudder ...
Team Before Race Shot
Individual Before Race Shot
These were some of the events. Our events consisted of: arctic enema (c-c-c-c-c-c-cold), dirty ballerina, kiss the mud, berlin walls, bale bonds (1st major charley horse), hold your wood, kiss your mud 2 (wetter and muddier than 1st time), trench warfare (dark and spooky), walk the plank (high ... but, not the highest I have ever jumped), log jammin, king of the mountain, electric eel (wet slithering and OUCH that was painful ZAPs), underwater tunnels (wouldn't you believe it a charley horse in both calves!), berlin walls again (when you think you've had enough they want you to hoist yourself over a 2nd set of 12 foot walls), mud mile (a muddy slipper mile with muddy trenches in the middle 10 feet deep (slid down into first trench ... and charley horses spasm'd all around me), boa constrictor (not so hard going down, but that 45 degree angle going back to the top was a killer ... my apologies go out to the guy who I am sure I stepped on his face ... the pictures do not do justice to what we came across), funky monkey (ahhhh that 3rd rung did me in ... but, I really wanted to get some of the mud off ... cooling and refreshing), twinkle toes (intimidated me a bit ... my calves were cramping and everyone just told me to jump in and get it over with ... hah made it across without a dip in the water), everest (3rd times a charm), and finally electroshock therapy (and when they mean real voltage they meant it but it was the only way to get that orange headband) ... and I got it!
toughmudder.com/obstacles/ </link>
But was disappointed that there was no fire, glaciers nor gauntlets!
Team After Race Shot
 <link>
Individual After Race Shot
Over 10 miles, 20 obstacles, and still standing ... and we are still smiling and laughing today!
Battle Scars!
P.S. Bambi's Revenge ... would you believe that Bambi ran over one of the contestants, launching off her head? Really happened!
When you see signs that say "Deer Crossing" ... believe them because two other deer nearly ran us down shortly after Bambi let his presence known!
P.S.S. and next month ... the Marine Corps Marathon!
Thursday, April 26, 2012
I am still waiting on my pictures from BrightRoom.com, but I just wanted to let everyone know that I survived my first-ever half marathon. Oddly enough I chose one that was billed as "the toughest road race in America!"
And, that it was, but this Duck held a steady walking pace throughout and finished in 3 hours 16 minutes (chip time).
The course for the half included climbing Mill Mountain to the Roanoke star in the first 4 miles from the gun. But, to add to the pain ... Roanoke, VA is a part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and after coming down off that mountain, we were met by numerous steep hills and bridges.
I can only imagine what the full was like, because it included not only Mill Mountain, but also both Roanoke & Peakwood mountains!
Crazy ... huh? Well, crazier is that I am contemplating doing the full next year!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Amazing, ain't it?
This photo was taken from the rooftop of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce!
End of an era or just a beginning? Most of us have grown up with space flight and navigation, yet there was a time when it was only a dream.
End of an era or just a beginning? What are your thoughts? Is there hope for America's ever-expanding waistline?
With today's technology, you would think we would have found and answer to conquer obesity. Yet, it seems that all we have done is exacerbate it. Waistlines are increasing while our health is deteriorating.
Although we have had the answer all the time, we would rather find it in a book stressing the need to eat a tasteless diet of cardboard, fat, or other poor nutritional choices spurred on by the promise of quick weight loss, or worse yet weight loss found in bottle! And, yet, we jump at the opportunity to swallow that little yellow or blue pill ... regardless of the possible side effects! SIGH
End of an era or just a beginning? Exercise and healthy eating habits are the future ... just as they were the past and the present.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Yesterday, I wrote on one of my team threads that we have gotten past the point of one-size fits all and moved right into the era of XL, XXL, & XXL.
It is time to get back into the numbers game. But, I am not talking about clothes, because I could care less whether you wear a size 22 or 2.
We walk into restaurants, pay good money for a mountain of food filled with fat and calories that cannot ... I repeat cannot be healthy for someone who is 8'2" let alone 5'6" ... but we eat it until we are so full we are uncomfortable. But, if that same restaurant served a normal size meal ... we would think it skimpy.
We as an obese nation prefer to get a bargain for our money, so we super-size our meals into a one size fits all. And, we are paying the consequence.
That so-called bargain to save $1 is costing us, dearly. It's costing us our health. We may have saved a dollar on that one meal ... but, how much has it cost us in medical bills.
It is time to take a real look at the numbers, it is time to really put an effort into knowing your numbers. And, you don't have to be a size 2 to be healthy. I know some size 16s that are healthier than those size 2s! They are healthy, because they know their numbers ... and they put those size 2, young, 20-somethings who look fit, trim, but cannot walk a mile without gasping for air to shame!
Yes ... it is time to take a look at the numbers!
The numbers I am talking about are calories, eaten and burned. Nutrition levels and what it really takes to be healthy. How much protein, how many carbs, how much fat, sodium, potassium, and iron you need to maintain good health? Etc., Etc. Etc.!
Do you know your blood sugar levels and what it takes to keep them stable?
Do you know your cholesterol levels ... both good and bad?
Do you know your blood pressure levels and what the top and bottom numbers mean?
I could go on and on ...
The issue is that you need to know these things in order to live a happy, healthy, normal life.
Maybe this blog is a wake up call ...
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
This is the first blog I have written in a while ... it's amazing how fast time goes by.
Last year I intended to run the Marine Corps Marathon, but was sidelined not by an injury, but extremely low iron/hemoglobin levels. I was able to defer my MCM until this year.
I have worked hard to get my iron/hemoglobin level back up ... it is a battle to keep them there ... but I am willing to do the nutritional work that keeps the levels satisfactory.
I started having doubts about my ability to run the MCM ... training scared me. Could I do it ... can I do it. Is my body at the ripe old age of 53 up to the challenge? I started to do research on how best to accomplish my goal.
Then it dawned me. Why not walk it? I wondered ...
The biggest hurdle is to get across the 14th street bridge before it is opened back up to traffic. Hmmmmmm ... that's a 14 minute mile, folks.
On May 8th, I walked the St. Patrick's Day 8K(5 miles) ... it was my first hurdle in finding out just how fit I was ... and if it was possible (with little training) to walk a race and not end up dead last. And, better yet, it would tell me just what I would need to train to walk longer events.
Well, folks, I was actually amazed when I saw my official time ... 14.16 minute mile.
That was a month ago ... and I have pushed myself to work on my endurance and my speed. I am walking at an easy 13 minute mile and my endurance is getting better. My new goal for the MCM is to walk it averaging a 12 minute mile. This may change as time goes on.
So what is the plan going forward. Continue walking ... continue pushing myself ... continue listening to my body. I use Marie Caron's marathon training method ... but walk instead of run. Some of my walking sprints are 11 minute miles so I know I am capable of reaching my 12MM goal ... time will tell.
I have also signed up for the following races:
11/21: The Blue Ridge Half Marathon in Roanoke, VA (first 4.7 miles are up Mill Mountain)
5/26: Soldier Field 10-Miler in Chicago, IL (the finish line is through the tunnel on the 50 yard line ... COOL
9/8: The Mid-Atlantic Tough Mudder in MD ... 13 miles ghoulish miles and 25 obstacles
9/22: Clarendon Days 10K in Arlington, VA
10/28: Marine Corps Marathon
And, I have a few other short races that I am looking at to work on my speed and endurance.
I am psyched ... and I hope you will all join me ...
St. Patrick's Day 8K ... Washington DC
(U.S. Capitol behind me)
P.S. Note that I am not dead last ... Yeah ME!
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