Disney World!!!!!

Wheels up in 3 hours for Disney!

This is our second time to visit the most magical place in the world! We went last January and it was a blast! But since I was in the peak of my training for RR50, I felt guilty for rating terrible the whole time. 

This time around, I'm already in fat ass mode. So it's no biggie! 

Once we get back from Disney we (me, my perfect wifey, and my awesome mother in law) have all decided to get back on the Makers Diet bandwagon and get back into shape. So starting 2 Mondays from now I will be waking up at 4 every morning and knocking out a few miles. Then in the evening I will either run a few more miles, or go swimming or weight lifting at the YMCA. And when I feel confident with it, I will start running to and from work a few days per week. That's a 14 mile day if I just run there and back. Not bad! 

So I'm looking at a good increase in my MPW (Miles Per Week), and the change in diet for the better. I should be able to whip my sorry ass back into good running shape in a good month or 2. 

BUT.... For now I'm going to go enjoy my family at Disney World! I'll post pictures of all the great food after were done!

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It was a nice brisk 72 degrees this morning when I started up my little car, though if you had asked me I probably would have guessed it to have been in the 60's. 

Its funny how people, or at least me, perceive temperature. After months upon months of sweltering 100+ temps day after day, 70's are suddenly freezing. I debated coming back inside to grab a light jacket or sweat shirt or something. 

Since I started my new job last Thursday I now have a pretty set schedule. The time I get off in the evenings seems to fluctuate from day to day, but I know I have to be there at 6 every morning. So as a result I woke up at 4:30 this morning and ran a little over 2 miles. I wanted to run more, but I figured that I should give myself enough time to get ready for work with enough cushion for things to go wrong since I wasn't fully sure of how things were going to work out. 

But man did those 2 little miles around the high school track (took me 3 minutes to drive there!) feel good! 

And yes, I did drive there. Since I'm basically just now starting back, I'm using the Maffetone method 100% so I'm running by heart rate. To get to the track I'm required I climb 3 smaller hills and 1 massive hill that goes for a good 1/3rd of a mile and is steep enough for my little Mini Cooper to start at the top going 40 in neutral, and hit 46 by the top I reach the bottom. Keeping my HR down while climbing that beast won't be easy, I even feasible! 

My goal for tomorrow is to wake up at 4:00 so that I can get a little longer run in. 

Brick

I did my first brick style training session yesterday afternoon. It was different, that's for sure!

A brick is a triathlon training term for combining 2 different events into one work out. So for example, I rode my bike for about 8.5 miles, then ran 3 miles immediately after getting off the bike. 

It's very strange going from cycling to running. Your legs don't seem to want to move like they're supposed to. Instead they sort of mimic the same cycling motion. 

My legs were very tired afterwards, although I wouldn't say that either workout was particularly "hard", although I must say that hill climbs suck on a bike! And since there not a flat piece of land anywhere near the house, I was doing a lot of climbing.... I would rather run up a very steep mountain than bike over a small hill. 

I also picked up a new accessory for the bike. It's something I have been wanting for some time, just didn't feel like dropping the cash on it. 

Clip in shoes! Hells yeah!!!

And they really do make a difference! Your not just using your quads to force the pedal down to propel you forward, your also using your hamstrings to now pull the pedals back up since your foot is attached to the pedals. 

I was a little worried about busting my ass due to not being able to remove my feet from the clipped in position, but that never seemed to pose a problem!

So my next purchase for the bike will be a proper fitting, and a tri suit so that I don't have to change clothes to go running after I get of the bike. 

Oh! More great news, today is my last day with Metco, and I start my new job with Energy Alloys tomorrow! So my work hours will follow a pretty set schedule, and I'll be at the same place everyday. So ill be able to get into a workout routine, and start eating right for all my meals throughout the day instead of just 1 or 2. Very excited!

The Excitement is Mounting....!

I turned in my notice to my current job on  Tuesday. My boss told me to just write up my notice with my last day on it and he would let me work out the rest of my tenure, so I put my last day as next Wednesday. It was more like a 1 weeks notice than a 2 weeks... Oh well!

I will start my new job this coming Thursday. The company that makes their automated scanning machine I coming in on that Thursday and Friday to do some extensive training on their equipment, so I sort of figured that would be a great time to start. Seeing as how I will be training guys on how to use the equipment, I figured it would be a great if I knew how to use it myself. 

I'm not sure what my schedule will be these first 2 days due to the training, but after this week I will be on a set schedule.... For a week. Then we go back to Disney World!!! 

YAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!

After Disney, things should settle down, I will be back in a normal routine, and I will start running again and resume my training!

At first ill just start running around the neighborhood before work, and maybe grab a few miles in the evenings when schedule allows.  Since were members of the local YMCA, i have access to a 25 meter lap pool, so i will also start incorporating some swimming into my workouts! Then start getting my long runs in on the weekends after I've worked back up to it. 

On top of that, I will be able to start eating right again!

When I'm comfortable with it, I will start making my daily commute to and from work via my new bike. Then eventually I will start making the commute on foot! It's 7.17 miles away (yes, I've actually used my GPS and measured it...) so I figure a little over an hour to run there, and a little over an hour to run back. But if I could get to where I'm running to work 3 or 4 days a week, that's an additional 42 to 56 miles a week ONTOP of my weekend long runs! 14 miles a day if I ran both ways! 

PERFECT!!!!!!

Needless to say, I'm very VERY VERY excited about the opportunities that are about to open up in my life!

But I think the best thing about this jobs is the fact that I will be able to make it to all of my kids extracurricular activities! 

It's been awhile

Life has been busy. 

After the move to Conroe I remained unemployed for a few weeks, and during that time I got a few runs in, but nothing spectacular. Between trying to finish working on a house that was 2 hours away so that we could sell it, adjusting to the move, watching the kids, and becoming fat again I just didn't have the time to get many good runs in. 

Then I got a job.

Don't get me wrong, I actually love working. It's strange, and I think its genetic because both my father and his father were workaholics (as well as alcoholics...) that seemed to work 7 days a week, an usually 12~16 hours a day. 

That's not me though. I like my 40 hour weeks and a pretty set schedule. I like to know where I'm going everyday and how long I should expect to be there. 

My current job is the complete opposite of that. I'm performing call out work for a company where the office is anywhere from a 45 minute to an almost 3 hour drive, dependent upon traffic, from the house. I don't know where I'm going until about 4:00 the evening before, and I never know how long I'll be there. 

There is no schedule.... At all. Sometimes I get to wake up at 6:00 AM, other times I have to get up at 2:45 AM, and all times between. So getting into a running routine is, well... Impossible. 

On top of that, I don't work out of an office, so I can't really bring a lunch. Instead its usually a run through either a fast food joint, or a sit down lunch. Depends on the job. 

So no real running, poor dieting, and excessive levels of stress. 

But that should change soon! 

I interviewed with a company here in town earlier this week. It went good. Real good! I should get an official offer from them Monday or Tuesday. And it should be good! Real good! 

Best of all.... Ill have a set schedule at 40 hour a week, with a spot of overtime here and there. 

Even better?

THE SHOP IS 6.5 miles from the house!!!!!

I can run there and back everyday if I want! It's borderline perfect! 

Or, if I don't want to run, I can take my new toy!

I love it!

So hopefully, here in about 2~3 weeks, things will change and I will be able to get some damn good training in again!