The Journey Begins
12/30/07 - Tomorrow marks the beginning of my journey to a healthier physique. What better way to start the New Year with a goal to be in shape by summer of ’08! Going shopping today for my new diet…
12/31/07 - Hit the gym this morning. Stuck to my diet all day. Feeling sluggish and tired.
01/01/08 - Well, last night through me off. I did well sticking to my diet until the New Year’s Eve party at my sister’s place. Food and alcohol being served everywhere, and being that it was my first day back at the gym, I figured what the hell so I indulged.
This morning hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt like shit. I also thought that I was going to be sorer from lifting yesterday. However, as the day wore on, the sorer I felt. I did manage to do cardio and jogged for 2 miles. Now it’s time for bed as I need to get up tomorrow at 5am to lift weights.
01/02/08 - K, today’s workout started out discouraging weighing in a pound more than last week and this circuit training kicked my ass. After I got through the first 2 sets, my legs collapsed on the 8th rep of prisoner squats. I did; however, rested and finished up the rest of the circuit. I am determined to be below 220lbs by next Wednesday.
01/03/08 - Jogged 2 miles. Sore from yesterday’s workout.
01/04/08 - Feeling good!
01/07/08 - Missed doing cardio on Saturday because I was busing moving into my new house. I made up for it this morning by jogging for 30 minutes. Ab work along with supermans to strengthen the lower back.
01/08/08 - Last night I almost poured myself a beer. Instead, I pour a protein shake into my beer mug and that satisfied the urge. Started a new workout routine this morning. I like it so I’m going to run it for 6 weeks then make some adjustments.
01/09/08 - I was not in the mood to workout this morning; especially to do cardio. However, I told myself that I wanted to be less than 220 lbs by today. When I got to the gym, I weighed in at 217 lbs! I dropped 3 lbs in 1 week! Cardio is starting to pick up as I’m not getting winded as much and I’m jogging over 2 miles with an average speed of 5.9.
01/11/08 - I’m sore as hell from yesterday’s workout. However, I managed to get up this morning and jog 2.25 miles. Burned 395 calories. Total of 1205 calories burned doing cardio this week.
01/14/08 - My lower back is really sore. I didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. By the grace of God, I managed to get my ass to the gym, stretched out, and jogged for 2.5 miles burning 444 calories.
01/16/08 - Started taking Nutrex LIPO-6. Almost puked this morning from doing cardio but I completed it burning 424 calories. Doctor says I have a strained lower back muscle which will take about 4 weeks to heal. Still, I manage to do cardio…
01/22/08 - The 3 day weekend messed me up. We had our servers go down on Friday at 5pm sharp leaving me with nothing to do since I usually work until 7p. Anyway, my co-workers invited me to get a beer at the pub which is conveniently located on the same city block where I work downtown. I was tempted and gave in. One beer led to many; and then there were the AFC and NFC NFL playoff games. I felt guilty; however, I did hit the gym on Saturday, yesterday’s holiday, and this morning. Tomorrow is weigh in, but if I’m over, I only have myself to blame.
01/23/08 - Weighed in at 217lbs - didn’t gain; didn’t lose but I’ll take it. Eventually, I will drop the weight because my cardio will increase in time thus burning more calories. Sticking to the diet plan. There is a spinning class at Gold’s I am considering to join. That should burn off the pounds fast!!!
1/28/08 – I slept in this morning so I went to the gym this evening. After getting home from work mentally drained and spending time with my daughter, I was dreading going to the gym to do cardio…especially when I was in “relaxed mode” and knew that I was bumping up the distance a ¼ mile.
I swear the first 2 minutes felt like 2 hours! About halfway, 14 minutes into it, I was over the hurdle. I knew that I could keep my pace of 6.0 and finish the 2.75 miles. 22 minutes into it, I felt like I could jog forever! I bumped up the speed to 6.5 and finished not even winded. Total time: 27 minutes, 23 seconds. 480 calories burned.
The race is 6 months from now: 7/27/08. http://www.wharftowharf.com
1/30/08 - I’m at 215 lbs!!!!
2/01/08 - I’m sick of chicken and broccoli. I’ve been eating like a rabbit all week - nothing but chicken breast salad for lunch while my co-workers munch on in pizza, hamburgers, and pasta. On Sunday, I thought it was a good idea to make enough salad and chicken breast for the whole work week. Monday’s lunch was good, but by the time Friday rolled around, I was procrastinating to eat it. However, I did but I don’t want to see another piece of chicken until Monday. TGIF!
2/11/08 - Taking the week off due to business travel and much needed rest.
2/18/08 - Set backs are a bitch whether it is from an injury, business travel, or being sick, but that’s part of life. This was a good test for me to take a break from the gym and focus on my goals. Sometimes taking a break can throw you off your game and the next thing you know it has been a month or a couple of months since your last workout. It felt good getting back into it this morning doing 3.25 miles burning close to 600 calories. Hell, I thought I would have gained 2-3 pounds but I actually lost a pound and now I’m down to 212lbs. I guess the point I am trying to make here is stay focused no matter what life throws your way. You will get through it…it is just a matter of how much determination you are willing to put into it.
3/25/08 - Right now, my weight is currently at 205 lbs. I have about another 15 weeks to go to drop 20 more lbs; that is a little over a pound a week. Time to change up my diet. I am more interested in doing cardio than strength training at the moment; therefore, I will do a full body workout twice a week. Need to do more abdominal training as running hills is going to play a huge part into getting into the best possible shape for this race; especially if I want to drop to 12% (or less) body fat.
04/05/08 - I am officially entered in the 2008 Santa Cruz Wharf-to-Wharf 6 mile race! Took some time off this week due to my legs being sore from lifting weights and my weight increased 2 lbs. That was to be expected. Got back into hitting the weights today. Legs feel good…sore but good!
04/08/08 - I wanted to notate that most of my cardio will now be performed outdoors to condition my body for the upcoming race. I mention this because my workout tracker will show less workouts (twice a week) but that does not indicate I am slacking. My revised workout schedule will be:
Monday & Thursday – Weight Resistance Training
Tuesday & Friday – Outside Jogging (with my Yellow Labrador)
Wednesday & Saturday – Abs
Sunday – Rest
One of the best reasons for living in the Bay Area is the weather and I plan to take full advantage of it now that it is warming up to be in the 70’s and 80’s towards the end of the week.
There is a 10k race in Pleasanton, CA on Father’s Day that I am considering running with my Dad as a trial run to test myself for the Santa Cruz race. He is the reason why I decided to start this journey as we agreed to run the Santa Cruz race together in memory of my Grandmother (my Dad’s Mom) who passed away 2 days before last Christmas. I know that she is giving me the internal strength to continue my journey…
4/15/08 – Jogged 3 miles around the track. Total time: 28 minutes, 7 seconds. Yeah - the Lab kept up too!
4/18/08 – Jogged 3 miles at 60% of MHR that took 35 minutes and burned 502 calories.
4/22/08 – Jogged 3 miles. Total time: 27 minutes and 49 seconds.
4/23/08 - Started the P90X program with Chest / Back / Abs. Kicked my ass.
4/24/08 - Power 90X - Plyometrics Workout.
4/26/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X Workout. Man, I have been sleeping great since I started P90X!!!
4/28/08 - Power 90X - Kenpo X Workout. I am friggin’ drenched. Burned over 1,000 calories!
4/29/08 - Power 90X - X Stretch Workout. After a week of P90X, this is what my body needed. Week 2 starts tomorrow.
5/1/08 - Power 90X - Plyometrics Workout. If anyone is interested in doing the P90X program, I highly recommend purchasing a heart rate monitor. Last week, I had to pause the Plyometrics Workout 5 times because I was over my target heart rate. Tonight wasn’t so bad as I only paused the program twice to lower my heart down to 67% (from 92%). I am not sure how accurate my watch is but it calculated 1149 calories burned. I did about 60 minutes of cardio and about 20 minutes of stretching. I am wiped out but I feel great.
5/3/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 90 minute workout.
5/5/08 - Power 90X - Kenpo X Workout. Burned 723 calories. Only went outside of my MHR once. (Took it up to 98%!) Cardio endurance is getting better.
5/6/08 - Power 90X - X Stretch Workout. Week 3 starts tomorrow.
5/08/08 - Power 90X - Plyometrics Workout. Started tanning.
5/10/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 90 minute workout.
5/12/08 - Power 90X - Kenpo X Workout.
5/13/08 - Power 90X - X Stretch Workout. Week 4 - recovery week - starts tomorrow.
5/14/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 90 minute workout.
5/15/08 - Power 90X - Core Synergistics Workout.
5/16/08 - Power 90X - Kenpo X Workout. My 8-year old daughter came up to me this morning, and as she gave me a hug around my waist, she told me that she can put both arms around me and hold her hands. Best feeling in the world! 30-day progress pictures and updated stats will be taken on 5/22/08.
5/18/08 - Power 90X - Core Synergistics Workout.
5/19/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 90 minute workout.
5/20/08 - Power 90X - X Stretch Workout.
5/21/08 - P90X Phase II begins.
5/22/08 - Power 90X - Plyometrics Workout. 30-day P90X pictures taken.
5/24/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 90 minute workout. Sore from yesterday’s back and bicep workout. Abs are getting stronger.
5/26/08 - Power 90X - Kenpo X Workout. Wasn’t feeling winded afterwards. Good workout!
5/29/08 - Power 90X - Plyometrics Workout. Exhausted but kicked some ass.
5/31/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 90 minute workout.
6/02/08 - Power 90X - Kenpo X Workout.
6/05/08 - Power 90X - Plyometrics Workout. Half-way point is tomorrow.
6/07/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 90 minute workout.
6/09/08 - Power 90X - Kenpo X Workout.
6/11/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 90 minute workout. Phase II recovery week begins.
6/12/08 - Power 90X - Core Synergistics Workout. Felt like puking and passing out at the same time once it was over.
6/13/08 - Power 90X - Kenpo X Workout. I blaze through this workout now and still keep in my MHR zone. Implemented squat jacks instead of jumping jacks before going into X jacks.
6/15/08 - Power 90X - Core Synergistics Workout. Went all the way through without pausing the DVD. Abs are getting stronger.
6/16/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 90 minute workout. Gaining better balance and endurance. Still frustrated at certain positions. Week 9 starts tomorrow.
6/19/08 - Power 90X - Plyometrics Workout. Burned 898 calories.
6/21/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 90 minute workout. P90X classic program is 2/3 of the way done today!
6/23/08 - Power 90X - Kenpo X Workout. 830 calories burned. This particular workout is becoming one of my favorites because the hour goes by so fast and I am sweating like hell when I am done.
6/30/08 - I received my runner’s bib – number 11018. Searching for a good running shoe. I am considering either the Adidas Control 5 or the Nike Air Equalon+ 2. The race is less than a month away…
7/01/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 90 minute workout (made-up for Saturday’s missed workout).
7/03/08 - Power 90X - Plyometrics Workout. 27 minutes into the workout I pulled my friggin left hamstring! I have a little over 3 weeks to get this hamstring back in shape…
7/06/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 45 minute workout (a.m.) Legs (no lunges), back, and abs (p.m.).
7/07/08 - Power 90X - Kenpo X Workout (minus some of the kicks).
7/08/08 - Power 90X - Kenpo X Workout (threw in the kicks). Make-up for previous missed workout. 12th week starts tomorrow…
7/10/08 - Power 90X - Plyometrics Workout. Burned 637 calories. Hamstring is holding up but still feels tight. Didn’t go full extreme but I still got the job done…
7/14/08 - Power 90X - Yoga X 45 minute workout.
7/20/08 - I took last week (Jul 15-19) pretty light as I concentrated more on stretching out my legs and doing more cardio. The race is one week from today and my hamstring still feels tight.
7/21/08 - Power 90X - Core Synergistics Workout. Burned 828 calories.
7/24/05 - 40 minutes of cardio. 569 calories burned.
7/26/08 - This is it. Going to bed early tonight to get a good sleep. I have to be out the door by 6:30a. Race starts at 8:30a. Party afterwards, then a new goal begins. 
7/27/08 - 15,000 people!!! It took me 3 minutes and 22 seconds just to reach the starting line.
Terrain: Paved Running Shoe: Adidas Response
- 1 mile mark - 15:45
- 2 mile mark - 26:14
- 3 mile mark - N/A
- 4 mile mark - 45:48
- 5 mile mark - 57:08
- 6 mile mark / FINISHED - 1 hr, 6 minutes, 53 seconds
GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!!! 
April 14, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I loved reading everything you wrote…you inspire me to not give up in what Im trying to achieve…Always be proud of everything you achieve, you help me everyday!!!!