Bumps, bruises ….. and progress!

The last time I checked in, I talked about goal setting. One of the goals I had set for myself was to participate in a half marathon. Well … gulp … I have started down the path to seeing this goal to completion by registering for a half marathon in Jamestown this summer.

 

Now the one question might be: why? The simple answer is that I want to. Three years ago, heck last year, I would’ve laughed at the notion of me even CONSIDERING running a half marathon. I am not a runner, and I will never claim to be a runner. But I like to push myself, I like to test myself and, lately, I’ve liked to stretch the limits of my comfort zone.

 

A few weeks back, Jen and I went for a run at our “new” bike path near our house. It was my first (and, sadly, only) long run of the spring. We went for 7.5 miles, which was the longest I had ever run at one time. Before that, I had completed a 10K (6.2 miles) a few years back, and have done 5K and 5-mile races. I felt good, well as good as one can feel after running 7.5 miles.

 

I also have been running during my CrossFit class in Medfield, but that always is on an incline hill which, ironically, has helped my flat surface running immensely. I immediately noticed a difference whenever I am on a flat surface that running is much easier because of all those 400-meter runs that Spencer and Luis put the group through.

 

Then, when attending RBF classes in Johnston, I have found the warmup runs much easier. When I first started there, I routinely would be in the back of the pack during these warm-ups; now I am finding myself at the front of the pack, keeping a steady pace throughout, and NOT feeling winded when coming back into the gym to start the actual workout with Robert Foster.

 

Progress.

 

That comfort zone had been getting a little too cozy lately. To try to break out of any lackluster performances, I started doing a strength program at the ReebokCrossFit Medfield box, under the direction of Spencer Hendel. Along with my buddy Jon, we tackled three portions of the program together – strict press and back squat on Mondays; push press and pushups on Tuesdays; and thruster and deadlifts on Wednesdays. We did these on top of our normal WOD that day, usually in the late afternoon.

 

Me (left) and Jon completing a 200-meter walking lunge, uphill, outside Reebok CrossFit Medfield during one of our WODs earlier this week.

We are entering the final stretch of the program, and we’ll be able to re-test for our one rep max on each movement and our max pushups in two minutes, which were the tests at the start of the program. I already know that at least a couple of the weights will have gone up, as I have already added 30 pounds to my back squat and 20 to the deadlift.

 

Progress.

 

But the biggest leap out of that comfort zone is running. I am signed up for a few races this spring and summer, including the Bold R Dash in Westerly and the Harpoon 5-Miler in Boston (both next weekend). I have never liked to run, but have done it as part of conditioning and getting back in shape. I have seen the benefits of adding running to a workout (and not necessarily having it be the entire workout) thanks to both Spencer and Rob, and feel ready to tackle that goal I had set back in the winter.

 

 A half marathon. In the summer. Starting at 6:30am. On a Saturday.

 

Those are four statements that, together or independent of each other, you would not have heard come from my mouth before this journey started. And now July 13 is circled on my calendar as a day to accomplish a goal.

 

Progress indeed.

Goal setting

Through this journey, I have set goals for myself. Some have been very short term, some have been long term. Some I have shared publicly some have been told only to Jen. But one thing I have found out is that setting a goal when it comes to fitness makes the journey that much more special.

Some of the goals that I have set for myself have been to run a 5K (check); run a 10K (check); lose 100 pounds (check); and to just plain feel better (check, check, check).

I was recently at my CrossFit “box” in Medfield when my coach mentioned he was putting up a “goals” and “accomplishments” section of the board in the back of the gym. The idea was for members to write down goals they have (in life and fitness) and the accomplishments they have made. This got me thinking.

What goals did I want to accomplish? I decided to focus mainly on fitness/athletic goals. After figuring out that getting a roster spot with the Patriots would probably be an unattainable goal, I started to narrow my focus.

Since starting CrossFit with Spencer Hendel and Luis Alvarez (www.reebokcrossfitmedfield.com), I have started to realize things I am really good at (just about anything with heavy weights, specifically the deadlift and back squat) and not so good at some of the “muscle up” movements, specifically pull-ups.

Because of my inability, right now, to do a pull-up, Spencer has come up with scaling options for me (as he does with all other CrossFit members), which have included banded pull-ups, box pull-ups and jumping pull-ups. These have all helped me through many of the strenuous workouts both Spencer and Luis put the group through, but it doesn’t change the fact that I can’t do a straight pull-up. So goal #1 was now set.

With Spencer Hendel (left) and Luis Alvarez (right)
at Reebok CrossFit Medfield.

When I was thinking of another goal, my wife Jen started talking about doing a three-pack series of half-marathons in Rhode Island. Now she is the runner of the couple, make no bones about it. But she is the one who has gotten me to do multiple races – 5K, 10K and 5-miler. But the longest race I have done in my life was the 10K (6.2-miles), and the only reason to even attempt that was the finish line was at the 50-yard line of Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. So attempting to more than DOUBLE that has me equal parts scared shitless and intrigued.

So when I put that on the board at Medfield CrossFit that I also wanted to run a half marathon, Spencer looked at me, smiled, and said “Let’s do it.” One thing about Spencer is he loves to incorporate running into as many workouts as possible. Basically, if it is 40+ outside, I can expect some sort of run to be part of the day’s activities. The not-so-fun part (besides, you know, running) is that a majority of the distance is UPHILL because of where the gym is situated.

This week alone, we did one workout with three rounds of 400-meter runs (on top of whatever else was in the workout) and another that had five rounds of 400-meter runs (again, with other activities included).

But the support from fellow CrossFitters has been tremendous, and one of the reasons I have really taken to these workouts is that community feel. On Friday, one member, Amanda, who I have had her children in camps and classes since I started working in Medfield, offered to be my pace during the half marathon I choose. Others have offered encouraging words and ask me about my goals, and Spencer has looked into getting groups together to compete in some races.

In order to attain that larger goal of competing in and finishing a half marathon, I have to work on a smaller goal, which is to shed about 25 pounds to get to a weight that is comfortable to run 13.1 miles in. Since I started a CrossFit diet, I am down about 8 pounds in less than 2 weeks, so I am on my way.

On Saturday, during an outdoor adventure race training class with Robert Foster (www.kickboxingisforme.com), I ran my first sustainable distances since last summer. And, oddly enough, it felt good. It felt as though those brutal 400-meter runs uphill were actually meaning something.

With some races and runs coming up, including the Bold R Dash in Westerly, the Harpoon 5-Miler in Boston and the Tough Mudder in NH, it will soon be time to narrow that focus again and pick a 13.1-mile race in which to attempt to conquer. I am looking forward to the journey towards accomplishing that major goal.

Culmination of Hard Work

It’s been a while since I last wrote in my blog, as I was waiting for something to really write about. I didn’t want to give drab commentary of all the workouts I’ve been doing, although it might become a more regular addition to the blog.

But then something happened two weeks ago, which was more a culmination of hard work and long days/nights at the gym. As my body has gone through this transformation of losing weight, gaining muscle and just plain feeling awesome, a side effect of that was felt recently.

As Jen and I were getting ready for our trip to New Orleans for her birthday, we did some shopping the day before we left. I was looking for a pair or two of shorts to wear in the warm weather. As we shopped, I didn’t really find anything I liked. Until we went to Old Navy.

Jen and I at her Fabulous Birthday Party, January 2013.

I have never been a big shopper at Old Navy, more because, when I was bigger, there was nothing for me to even try on. It was a waste of my time. So, with that still in the back of my mind, I went with Jen to check it out. Much to my surprise, I found some shorts and jeans worth trying on. But when I took the first trip to the changing room, and as I started trying on the Old Navy shorts and jeans, there was one problem.

THEY. WERE. TOO. BIG.

The size I thought I would need, based on what I had been wearing, was too big. The smile on my face, teamed with the smile on Jen’s face, could’ve light up Fenway Park. Jen happily went back to the shorts and jeans section to get smaller sizes for me to try on.

After dropping a couple hundred on some jeans and shorts to wear in NOLA, I was left thinking one thing: the damn jeans I had worn there were WAY TOO BIG for me now. And they were officially added to the donation pile, along with about 5 other pairs of jeans, that are just too big for me to wear any more.

That led into the second big thing to happen to me, no pun intended. Some of you may remember the blog post that started this journey, about how big I saw myself in DC on a summer trip there with Jen and some friends. I was sweating, couldn’t keep up with the walking, etc. One other thing that happened on that trip was on the plane from Providence to Baltimore via Southwest: I needed a seat belt extender.

There is no worse feeling as you are boarding a plane and getting into your seat then having the stewardess walk up with the seat belt extender. It really was embarrassing.

That embarrassment stayed with me as Jen and I boarded the plane last week to go to New Orleans. I sat in my seat, gleefully grabbed the seat belt and, *CLICK*, fastened the seat belt. Best part? No extender needed. Second best part? Tightening said seat belt because it was too loose.



Deadlifting 355 pounds at Reebok CrossFit Medfield, January 2013.

Two happy moments I wanted to share in this blog. The journey has been amazing, and the road continues for me. I have been training with Robert Foster at RBF Fitness in Johnston since October, going 2-3 nights per week with Jen. Additionally, I have started doing CrossFit classes with Spencer Hendel and Luis Alvarez at Reebok CrossFit in Medfield on my lunch break from the Recreation Department. Both have been amazing, and the communities I am now a proud member of at both places is awesome. I don’t dread any of these workouts ever, I am happy and excited to go to each one, and look forward to the challenge each coach has for me on any given day.

My hope is to blog about these experiences more often. Thanks for reading as always!

Disappointing news being used as motivation

For the past eight months or so, I have been taking a weekly boxing class in Medfield with Todd Sawyer at Fitness Advantage. It has both helped me with my fitness level, with my getting in shape and adding a different aspect to my normal gym workouts. Right after I started, I overheard others talking about this event they were training for and immediately became intrigued and interested.

The event is Haymakers for Hope and I contemplated giving it a shot this coming year. I talked it over with Todd, my trainer, and with my wife, Jen. It was going to be a commitment, multiple nights per week of intense training and sparring with an opponent. Todd warned that I would get bloodied and bruised, and to make sure Jen would be OK with a potential altered version of my face during this time (she was!). I talked it over with my parents and some friends, and was genuinely excited about the prospect of stepping into the ring for this great cause, where all proceeds go to The Jimmy Fund.

My reasoning for taking part in this is because of how my life has been affected in recent years. As many of you know, I have lost two of my best friends over the past couple of years and felt this was an opportunity to do something in their honor, to help raise money to continue this never-ending battle with cancer. I think about both of them (Don and Jay) often, sometimes multiple times a day. During some boxing classes, Todd will use this to get my ass in gear, continually asking me “Why are you doing this? Who is this for?” Having talked to Todd about these difficult loses in my life, he knows how I feel about both Don and Jay and how I was looking forward to honoring their memory.

Haymakers for Hope (www.haymakersforhope.org) raised nearly $200K for Dana Farber and the Jimmy Fund with last year’s event. I was looking forward to adding my contribution to this year’s tally, both through fundraising and donations, having already lined up a fundraising event at Whiskey Republic in Providence.

Then came the news. I had braced for it, but didn’t fully expect it to happen. As I walked into boxing class last night and was getting ready to wrap my hands, Todd delivered the news.

Haymakers couldn’t find a fight for me.

An email from Andrew, the “Chief Haymaker,” later on Tuesday night confirmed what Todd told me. Because of my age (38 in May) and my size, there wasn’t a fair fight for me to be involved in. This hit me like a ton of bricks last night, and I kind of went through the motions during class as I tried to digest the news.

On the way home, about a 40 minute drive, I did a lot of thinking, which I often do on my Tuesday night ride home from class, often getting lost in a train of thought for the entire ride. At first, I felt like I let someone down, that someone being Don and Jay, by not being able to get a fight. I felt that if I had just lost a few more pounds, if I had just tried a little harder, there would be a fight for me. Then I felt a little embarrassed at not being within the range to get a fight, thinking maybe if I didn’t have pizza this one night, or that one last beer while watching football, or if I hadn’t been off course since Thanksgiving with my eating and lack of exercise, maybe I would’ve gotten different news.

But then I started down another line of thinking, and this is the one that will get me through this and make me a better person, a stronger person. I am going to use this news, this not being able to fight, as motivation. I am going to try a little harder, make better choices, do what is necessary so that, come this time next year, Haymakers for Hope has TOO many people that are matched up to me.

I have been on an incredible journey for a couple of years now, and I am looking forward to this new track of the journey. I have switched gyms and look forward to adding some different types of classes to my workouts (spin class tonight!). I am exploring other options for workouts, and contemplating adding an extra day of boxing/fitness class with Todd.

During this journey, whenever I have felt like stopping or giving up, I have thought about two people that often guide me through that last bit of a tough workout. It will be those two that I will think about as I continue towards my goal of participating in Haymakers for Hope in 2013. This isn’t a journey I am ready to abort and one I am very determined to see to the end. I know I have the right people in my corner to help me get to my goal.

Boxing and trying to get back into a rhythm

I haven’t posted anything in a while, with work and just life keeping me busy, it feels like I haven’t had a real opportunity to dedicate to a solid entry.

I’ve been taking boxing classes for a few months know with Todd, a former Golden Gloves finalist. Now, this isn’t the in-the-ring throwing punches at each other type. This is what I would call “workout boxing,” and it is a workout. Everything is in three-minute rounds, just like boxing, and it fluctuates, depending on the class, the day and, well quite frankly, Todd’s mindset.

We’ve done everything from multiple rounds of throwing punches at a bag, to throwing punches at him to actually sparring with him. We’ve done core work, arm work, rope work and even cardio stuff. If Todd is especially ticked off, there will be a circuit thrown at us, which I am guaranteed to struggle with at the present. I’ve left there after an hour workout unable to fully walk, or having my arms feel like absolute mush.

But it has been the kick start I needed at the time. Todd has whipped my butt on many of a Tuesday (and sometimes Thursday) night. He helped me in training for the 5-mile race I completed on May 22, going as far to say there was no way I was coming in slower than the last finisher a year ago (which was 70 minutes); and I didn’t, finishing in 54 minutes and change, beating my goal of 60 minutes.



Team Big Love Ale from the Harpoon 5-Miler in Boston.



Todd also has helped with my diet, putting me on a meal plan that has helped me incorporate fruits, vegetables and fish into a diet that all too often saw pizza, buffalo chicken and fried foods as a staple. And it has been a blessing, as I am discovering some foods that I never even tried in the past, and I am actually enjoying them.

In fact, I went out to breakfast with Jen and friends KC and Eric last Sunday. I ordered a white egg omlet with peppers, spinach mushrooms and tomatoes, and both KC and Eric wanted to know where Kevin was, as it was slightly different than my typical breakfast orders in the past.

But I talked with Todd this past week after class and expressed my frustration. Similar to when I first started with him, I feel like I am at a crossroads again, at a plateau. The scale isn’t showing much improvement lately, and I feel like I need something to shake it up. I’ve been running/jogging regularly, trying to do at least one 5-miler each week. And Jen got my bike fixed for my birthday and, after we get her a bike this weekend, there will be plenty of bike adventures this summer.

Todd shook his head in agreement and vowed to come up with a plan to help me out of this rut. A new diet plan and (hopefully) exercise plan to kick me back into a rhythm. The current meal plan I am on calls for me to eat 7 meals a day – all of varying portion sizes and meal sizes – and this new one he promises will be eating less frequently, which I am fine with.

As I was on my run through Medfield yesterday, I was thinking about this journey I have been on. About what I have lost (yeah me!) and what there still is to lose. I am roughly 65% to my goal of what I want to accomplish to be in that healthy range for a guy of my height and size. It may not be what the medical experts say, but it is what I think my body can handle. I’ll never be as skinny as a stick, which I am fine with, but I never want to go back to where I was before this journey started.

So I am looking forward to that new plan to kick start me again. I am looking forward to my summer bike adventures with Jen and the new active lifestyle we are planning for this summer. But I am most looking forward to the new and improved me this summer and being able to keep up with everyone without breaking a sweat after walking a city block.

When a number takes on more meaning

Often times a number is just that, a number. It has no real meaning or significance to people. But then suddenly one little event happens and that number is linked to that moment forever.

This was the case for me last Thursday night. It was my first training session since before Thanksgiving and one where I knew I would get my behind kicked. I had still been going to the gym regularly, but it had been a couple of weeks since I had worked out with my trainer.

So we meet at 6pm last Thursday. After some small talk and a warmup exercise or two, she lets me know the first brutal mission for me during this session: pyramid pushups.

Now, when I first started training with Amy back in the spring, she was feeling me out, seeing what I could and couldn’t do. One of the things she had me do was pushups. Nothing fancy, nothing crazy, just regular pushups.

It didn’t take long for her to see where I was at. I could barely get through two pushups before my arms would give out.

So it’s something we’ve worked on, little by little, and something I’ve done on my own. There is no way I should only be able to struggle through two pushups.

The pyramid pushups are doing sets of 10, then 9, then 8 all the way to one, then reverse back from one to 10. You do take breaks after each set (or at least I do), and she added a wrinkle where on the solo pushup, I had to hold it when I went down before coming up.

It is about as fun as it sounds.

But it was a milestone for me, a personal achievement, and one I was and am very proud of. And it led to a number having more meaning to me than it ever did before.

89.

That was how many I was able to do before my arms were like jell-o. I completed all the sets from 10-1, then from 1-7. As I went to do the set of eight, I got to number six before crashing to the floor.

It made me feel unbelievable. Amy was very proud.

It was a long way from two. And 89 will always have a different, more meaningful place with me.

One of the pitfalls

So when I started on this journey of mine, one of the hopeful outcomes was losing some weight and getting healthier. And I am on my way to that achievement.

But with any journey, there are pitfalls. There are bad ones, like when the scale is being stupid and telling you that your weight is up for the week when you really did nothing to necessitate that. But there are good ones, too.

Example of the Patriots jersey I can no longer wear!

The best pitfall is that everything is bigger now. The obvious first thing is clothes, and I find myself not being able to wear that favorite sweatshirt or Patriots jerseys because, well, it looks ridiculous now because it hangs on me like a dress. But boy is that a good feeling. There was nothing better than when I was getting ready to head out to watch a Pats game earlier this season, pulled out the old #12 Brady authentic jersey, put it on and … POW … saw the thing fall to my knees. And this was a jersey that, at times, may have been snug. Now, it hangs in the closet, waiting for a good washing before it goes up on eBay, because the hope here is that I won’t ever have to wear a jersey that big again. (And that goes with just about every other sport-type article I own. There will be a lot of activity in the coming weeks of me selling stuff that is way too big. Hopefully the proceeds help negate the cost of some replacements!)

Another item was a pair of Reebok Zigs that I bought this spring at the Reebok store in

Patriots Place

. And these things weren’t cheap, like $100-for-the-pair not cheap. Now, they are way too big for my feet. Did I lose weight in my feet? Guess so, because I can’t walk around with these sneakers on anymore without my feet falling out of them. Literally. And, again, these sneakers were probably a tad tight at purchase time.



The Reebok Zigs I can no longer wear.



The one good thing, and KC and Jen were witnesses (whether they were paying attention and/or remember is a different story) is that the Reebok people told me that there is some sort of “lifetime guarantee” on the Zigs and they would take them back for an exchange at any time. It might be time to test that theory and see if I can’t get a new pair of sneakers!

But one of the more satisfying pitfalls was my wedding ring. When Jen and I got married, the ring I got had to be extended to basically the biggest size they had. It was a size 14, and I remember the jeweler saying that there was no way this ring could be extended to be bigger. As I started to lose some weight, the ring started to get looser. And looser. And looser, until one day I was in the office talking with my co-worker Brian and made a motion with my hand. The next sound we heard was my ring bouncing off the wall. It flew clear off my hand. So I stopped wearing the ring for the week for fear of losing it because it just fell off my hand.

A couple of weeks back, Jen and I went to Kay Jewelers to have her rings cleaned and fixed and mine resized. The woman was going through the key chain with all the different sizes for a few minutes until one actually fit.

Size 11.5.

We just got the message last night that the rings are back in and ready to be picked up. While the prospect of dealing with Christmas crowds at Emerald Square Mall is very unappealing, being able to pick up my wedding ring and being able to wear it again is something I very much look forward to.

For the past two weeks, Jen and I have joked that it is like we are engaged again, since both our wedding bands had to be sent out to get fixed. It has been very strange not having my wedding ring on, I must say. But I will soon have it snugly on my finger, and what a good feeling that will be!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!