We all RUN? for Ice Cream!

     Coby has been so diligent in posting I felt like a slacker and decided I better get in on the action.  I don't have much new to add, but I do want to catch you up on the Blue Bell Fun Run A. and I participated in the middle of April.  The boys had football games that day and A. and I were heading to Killeen to attend Athena's baby shower so it was a perfect plan!
{For those of you not from this part of the World/States, Blue Bell is a YUMMY ice cream brand found in the south and made (among other places) about a 1 hour drive northwest from Katy.  They sponsor the Fun Run every year to support the local high school sports program.}
     Our good friends the Shurtz family do this every year and I had planned to participate last year, but my brother and his new bride had their wedding shower in Lawton that weekend so it was a bust. 
This year I wasn't going to be deterred!
     Along with the biggest loser competition I started training using the Couch to 5K program.  I loved to run as a younger person, but after years of child rearing and "real life" I had let this love slip.  This was the year!
     I trained from February until the day before the race.  I had lots of motivation...watching Audra compete and make it to the podium at IronMan Galveston was awesome!  Although I don't believe I will ever be to that level, it feels great to go out for a 2-3 mile run and not give in to the cramps and shortness of breath after a 1/2 mile!
     Well, April 14th was the big day.  Our family had gone up to Brenham the day before to tour the Blue Bell Factory (yum!) and pick up race packets.  EARLY Saturday morning A. and I woke up and rendezvoused at the Shurtz home for our caravan to Brenham.  We made it in great time, parked and started to enjoy the festivities!  I was feeling a little sick (nerves and a funky digestive system are NOT a good combo!), but with the music and the anticipation of a good run and, of course, the FREE ICE CREAM BARS - I was ready. 
     A. and her friends were the first to run - a 1 mile kids run started at 8.  She did great and had a blast!  After her run she started off with the frozen treats - enjoying a Bullet first.  After all the kids got back from their run the adults headed up the hill to the Starting Line!  The Shurtz family was joined by a few siblings and their families so it was fun event!
      At 8:45 the horn blew for the 5k to begin.  It was PACKED.  People everywhere.  I stared to run with Jen and her daughter L., but with all the people (and the fact she was pushing a jogging stroller) I soon had to just find my way.  There were people walking, jogging, and running.  I started at a comfy pace, but wanted to get away from the crowd so I soon made it around to a nice pocket and set into my comfy run.  I was doing great...my best time...UNTIL - the hills started.  In Katy we have NO hills.  My runs no matter where I go are all flat.  Brenham is getting into the Texas "hill country" towards Austin and they have hills!  I was doing ok still, relying on Pandora - Erasure channel to keep me moving.  But then as we entered more of a rural part of the course my internet connection went down and the hills increased.  I pushed myself through dreaming of the ice cream I would be eating soon, until I came to the last 1/2 mile.  I turned the last right hand corner and there it was...a MONSTER hill!  My heart sank as I was already wearing down.  I ran until about a 1/8 of a mile before the hill...speed walked and once the hill began I picked up my pace to a jog and slowly made my way up (some speed walkers passed me).  Once I reached the top it was all downhill from there...literally...into the high school parking lot and to the finish line.  The members of the Shurtz family that didn't run or had already finished cheered me on as I ran down the hill and A. joined me for the last 1/8 mile.
     VICTORY...I had finished my first race!  I caught my breath, climbed back up to the Shurtz cheering camp to cheer on the rest of our group and then we made our way to the ICE CREAM!  I was NOT disappointed.  Ice cream bars of all varieties!  I started easy...a fruit bar, but soon hit my stride and made up for every calorie (plus more) I had burned on the run.  WHAT FUN! Next year the whole family plans to attend and Jen has told me she thinks we should run the 10k together...we will have to see about that. :)

Ready for the race!

The whole crew ready for the run!

YUMMY!

A. & E. - best friends and racers!

The RUNNERS!



YUM!!

Feeling good!

Mom and A. before after the Kids run before the 5k.







Inspiration/Motivation

Over the past several weeks I have been hearing people talk about motivation and inspiration.  We had a meeting at work where our group's outgoing manager asked us..."What motivates you?"  So it got me to thinking about what motivates/inspires me.

After much thought on this I came to the conclusion of being able to make a difference.  Whether it be through my profession and helping people understand the importance of making safety a personal thing.  Spiritually by doing more than the basic primary answers but showing a genuine concern for others and helping them through their trials of life.  Physically by making a difference in my own life and motivating others to do the same.

Because of the change in lifestyle that Codi and I have taken on and doing our best to be more physically fit we have heard several people tell us we are an inspiration to them.  To me this helps keep me motivated in doing so.  Codi helps keep me inspired to not quit and settle for what I have currently achieved, but to keep going.  My sister-in-law Audra helps keep me motivated by her encouraging words and suggestions to help me become a more fit person. Others offering kind words of encouragement.

Last Friday I went in for my yearly physical and my doctor looked at my chart and exclaimed "You get me excited!!!"  Then she proceeded to give me a high five.  My first thoughts were that isn't something you say to a half naked man sitting in front of you but in the context of the situation it was definitely appropriate.  I had taken a step in the right direction to get to a healthier me and she was very stoked about it.  Codi and I joke about it and laugh, but recently her endocrinologist said something similar to her...she was fully dressed however.

To date Codi and I have lost a combined total of 50 lbs and we are almost at 90 days into this transformation.  Life gives us opportunities all the time and it is how we seize those opportunities is how we make a difference.  Take the time to think about what motivates/inspires you and seize that thought and do something with it and you will be amazed at what a difference you can make.

Good Luck to Audra on Saturday who is running the Saint George IronMan (140.6 miles)...that takes motivation.

More from the Biggest Losers

This past weekend was filled with a lot of fun, family and motivation. We had lots of family come into town for a couple different professional events. We had the Shell Houston Open and the Ironman 70.3 in Galveston. The "Men" (Coby, Clint, Cyle and Dad) went to Redstone golf course and took in our first official PGA Tour event. The last big tournament before the Masters in two weeks. We saw a lot of good golf and followed a pairing of Ricky Fowler, Steve Stricker and Lee Westwood. Fowler hit a drive on hole 5 that landed within 10 feet of us and Clint and I stayed to watch him hit it while Dad and Cyle went up a little further. We were right behind him and the cameraman had to squeeze in and accidentally hit Clint in the forehead with his boom mic...too funny. As one of the joys of being a Shell employee we got discounted tickets, parking pass and access to the Shell Employee Skybox on the 18th fairway...great experience to continue for many years to come.

Sunday we went down to Galveston to cheer on our Sister-in-law Audra and her friend/coach Sonja while they competed in the Ironman 70.3 competition. 70.3 = 1.2mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run all in the same day and all one right after the other with little time in between events to catch your breath or much else. Audra got 3rd place in her age group and Sonja got 3rd in hers. Audra beat Sonja's time by a 58 seconds.

It was definitely a motivating event with so many people competing of all shapes and sizes. There were the professionals who ran and the ametuers who were out there do their absolute best. We got to see Lance Armstrong which was kind of cool, but not as impressive as some of the other competitors. We went into the event thinking that there would be all the atheletically built and almost genetically freakish atheletes competing, but when we saw "normal" people coming out of the water after their swim it motivated Codi and I. We thought man if these guys can do it we do it...maybe not the 70.3 but a scaled down version to start.

I think this really was a great motivator...we have been going for almost eight weeks strong at the Biggest Loser Challenge and I was feeling like I was hitting a wall/plateau and starting to get a little discouraged. But very proud of the progress we have made. So far to date Codi and I have lost a total of 33 pounds and are still going strong. We did get hit with a bout of bronchitis so this has slowed our running but we still keep up the walking. We aren't going to let a little breathing problem slow us down.

One of the other great things about having a family member and friend participate in the Ironman 70.3 was coming back and stay with us and talking to us about what we need to do to improve on our progress and give us further encouragement. Audra has given me some new exercises to do and changed up my running routine to help me. She wants me to lose another 20 pounds before we get into a bit more serious run training...which means 5Ks and beyond. Codi is going to compete in her first 5K in a couple weeks in Brenham and Aedan is going to go with her and do a 1 mile run.

I have to say I am very proud of the progress we have made and continue to make in order to live a better and healthier lifestyle. You can do it, you just have to change your mindset from "I'll do it tomorrow" to "I'm going to kick this thing in the teeth and get off the couch and make a difference in my life so I can enjoy living."

Tomorrow is always so far away when all you need to do is put one foot in front of the other today.

Who is the biggest loser?

Recently Codi and I started a recommitment to a healthy lifestyle which includes exercise and eating right. We have a side bet between us but we are doing this same challenge with some friends. We are doing it Biggest Loser style...whichever team loses the highest percentage of weight wins a dinner paid for by the losing team. So far we are a week into it and sticking to it...but we have 83 more days to go.

Codi is doing the couch to 5k program and I am doing a calorie counting and cardio program I feel like I have made some good progress so far. One of the things I have also done is cut out all soda diet or otherwise. At times this can be difficult but I know it is for my own good. Codi and I have made a commitment to each other to do this and I have done it for myself as well. In my family heart problems and high cholesterol are a big problem...one leads to another. I don't want to be on meds when I get old to control it. I want to be healthy again. We also have a goal for our summer vacation this year at Lake Tahoe. I believe we can make it.

I have near term goals and long term ones. End goals is to lose about 50ish pounds...near term is to lose 10 pounds at a time and feel like I have accomplished something and can improve upon it. I just can't wait to say I am the biggest loser.

Wish us luck and staying power.

Long time past

It's been a long time since the last post...almost a year and lots of things have happened since then. For starts the kids are another year older and I have changed jobs but we still live in Katy. Codi is now serving as the Boy Scout advancement coordinator a change from primary secretary and I am now the ward clerk. We are all having fun with all that is going on. The boys are both going to be playing flag football this spring and Aedan is doing dance with a recital later in the spring.

As for my job I have been gaining some valuable offshore experience. It is definitely a change what I was doing in the past. Codi is also teaching part time at the kids preschool they all went to and she loves what she is doing.

We have lots planned for the remainder of the year but I wanted to briefly take a minute to give a quick update. More will follow at a better pace than this past year...I promise.

Void

It is coming up on a year since I got that phone call from my younger brother telling me that my dad had died. It was March 13th, a day that I will always remember. It was a Saturday and I had to work which was becoming the norm for the project I was on. We were behind schedule and so this was an attempt to make up some time. During that day I kept getting this feeling that I needed to go to Amarillo and pick up my suits that I had ordered and gotten tailored. I didn't know why but knew that I needed to. So when I got home I told Codi and she was ok with it and off I went tired and worn out from a long week. As I was almost to my destination my phone rang and it was Jonathan..."I have some bad news...dad died."

Those words have stuck with me for a year now and it has been pretty hard to imagine. Growing up my parents divorced when I was 5 and my dad was on the road a lot working construction. After the divorce we didn't get to see him a lot and by the time I was 7 we didn't get to see him at all. It wasn't until my teen years that I was able to find my dad and reconnect. He wasn't the same person I remembered because of some life choices he made, however, he was still my dad and I loved him no matter what.

I can remember the first time I took Codi to meet him and the house he was living in was kind of scary, but when I saw him he knew who I was and embraced me with open arms. I continued to tell me he loved me and how he wished he could have been there more for me. He never spoke ill of my mother and would not allow me to do likewise. Everytime I would see him he would try his hardest to straighten up a little, be a little taller and try not to indulge in the demon that raked his body. But he would have to have a drink, and he would apologize for it.

My dad loved me so much and when he was admitted to the hospital the first time in late September of '09 and we didn't know if he would make it he knew who I was when I walked into that ICU room. He was being detoxed and experiencing the worst tremors anyone could imagine. I was told by the nurse that he didn't recognize people and would become violent. When he saw me and I said Hey dad, how are you feeling...he said Coby I love you and am sorry you have to see me like this. He would come in and out of sleep for the rest of the night but when he would be awake we would talk. He wanted to hear about his grandkids and how he hoped he would ge to see them. That week was a trying week as he was moved to a VA hospital and detoxed some more, but I also had to set up the medical power of attorney and start making arrangements for when he would eventually pass away. The doctor told me he would likely have 6 months to 3 years to live. Not something you would like to hear but knowing the battle he was facing it was reality.

I was able to take the family back to Moberly and see him one final time at Thanksgiving. My kids got to meet and see their Grandpa Ray. They still talk about that time at his house and I hope they never forget him. He was so happy to see his grandkids and Codi and I as we were happy to see him again. I later found out that on the following Monday he was admitted to the hospital again for about a week. Things were starting to not look good, but I held out hope.

On March 13th my dad passed away quitely in his home with his friends around him. He always seemed to have friends around, many people loved him and he would love them back. He was a very caring and compassionate man. Unfortunately on March 17th we buried him with a proper military funeral. The following six weeks were difficult for me as I was in a haze and couldn't quite get out of it. Eventually real life kept creeping in and took over my thoughts and I was getting better. But these last two to three weeks have been a very difficult one for me. I feel a big void in my life. I am not able to sleep and I want to scream out, cry and be angry all at the same time. I have never felt this way before and it really bothers me. I don't know what I can do to fix this pain I feel inside. I have recently resorted to sleeping pills to help me, but I don't know if they we help much.

There is a void that I carry with me and love that I am missing in my life right now. A love that a father has for his son, one that I know very well as I have that love for my boys. I truly miss my dad and know that he is looking out over me as I can feel his love, but it hurts inside knowing he is gone.

My he rest in peace...Charles Raymond Long March 13th, 2010. I love you dad!

Love at Home

It has been several months since our blog has been updated and some may think we have fallen off the earth after our move back to Katy. Let this be proof we are still alive and kickin'.

This past week Codi has been at her mom's helping her with a quilt show that her guild has been putting on for several years. This gave me the opportunity to stay home and take care of our kids while she was away. I don't get the chance to be home as much as we would like due to my new position, but when I am home I cherish the moments.

Wednesday Codi flew out and I took off work early to ensure that someone was home when the kids got off the bus and to pick Gavin up from a neighbor's house. Everything went really well and smooth. Codi made it safely and everyone was still alive the next morning...Yeah me, I can be trusted with the kids :D

As this week/weekend has gone on there has been an underlying them I keep thinking of and that is "Love at Home." Why...when we all got home on Wednesday Codi had left all of us a treat with notes on them and they showed us she loved us. As I made Gavin's lunch on Thursday I remembered how Codi would write little notes in our lunchs to show us she was thinking of us and how much she loved us.

Each night as we would kneel for family prayers whoever was praying would always pray for Codi and her safety. As I would tuck the kids in and give them hugs and kisses each one would seem to hug me a little tighter or give me a more meaningful kiss on the cheek. I don't know if this is because Codi is gone or because I am home, either way it warmed my heart. I love my family very much and appreciate all Codi does for us to keep this house running as such a well oiled machine. I can't quite fill her shoes but there is one thing I know while she is gone is her love for us is always here.

There is such a feeling of love in our home and I hope friends and family notice it when they are visiting. We may not always get along with each other, but at the end of the day we always love each other. Whether it be by saying it, hugging tighter or showing it in other ways...there is always Love at Home.