"Skinny" Jeans

So a LONG time ago (geez, feels like AGES) I packed up a bunch of clothes in a tote and stored them out in the garage. These were clothes from another John. The skinnier, more confident John. OK, skinny is probably a stretch, but thinner than I have been of late. Teri has been begging me to get the tote down "just to see". In there are a number of XXL shirts (I usually wear XXXL) and some jeans that are smaller than what I'm currently wearing.

Even though I've been pretty faithful to my eating habits this year, working out, losing weight, getting back some of the swagger in my step, I've been hesitant to pull that tote down because "what if they don't fit?".

This morning I said enough is enough as I pulled on my jeans and after they were buttoned up and zipped, still hit the floor. So I pulled down the tote. I thought I had size 38 jeans in there (I currently wear size 42) but there were only 40's. So there I am standing in the garage in my underwear (ha! you'll be stuck with that image all day!) looking through the four or five pairs of jeans in there. I pick out two of the better looking ones and slide the first pair on. The button buttons without much effort and the zipper zips. VICTORY!

OK, so I'm glad there were not 38's in there. That would have ended up differently, but the fact that the 40's WERE there and do fit is a nice feeling.

NOW, the hard part is actually taking all my 42's (and the 44's in dress slacks), putting them in a bag and taking them to Goodwill. It's funny how emotional we get about all this. The thoughts that race through my mind "Is this really the last time you'll need those?" or "Are you REALLY doing it this time?" If you talk to someone that's been thin all their lives, they'll simply tell you to just lose the weight and be done with it. They don't understand the emotional struggle that goes along with losing the weight.

Last night, I met Teri and some friends at the shotgun range. Teri's friend Kate was there and when she saw me she said "Wow! You look GREAT!" as she gave me a hug. Then went on to say "Oh and you smell good too!" and "I really like your hair that way!". Validation. From the most innocent of sources. Not asked for, simply given. Is there any sweeter reward?

Gym tonight, or a bike ride. The TV is turning into just another piece of furniture. Awesome.

I Am WE Are . . . Triathletes

So back in April, I wrote a post titled "Am I a Triathlete?" after my boyz and I had finished our indoor Triathlon. The question was, because we did it indoors and on exercise bicycles, without real transitions, no open water, were we still considered triathletes? Well, the question has been answered with a resounding "YES! We are triathletes!".

This weekend, Teri, Scott and I participated in Trifreak's Big Ocean Shores Weekend sprint distance (1/4 mile swim, 12.4 mile bike and 3.1 mile run) triathlon. And you know what? We all had an absolute blast! I've got to say as life accomplishments go, this was right up there. All the training this year, all the anticipation, the goals, the encouraging one another, everything came together on July 12th, just after 7:30 AM. When we waded into Duck Lake to receive our instructions and then to hear the countdown FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE, GO! we were about to find out if we had what it took.



I'll give you my notes on my first triathlon, so maybe it can help you through yours? First, lets start with the swim. Now, I grew up swimming in Duck Lake. But nothing can prepare you for your open water swim like swimming in open water. Teri, Scott and I all skipped this crucial step prior to this weekend. Our first open water swim was in Duck Lake for the actual tri. We survived, but I know we all wish we had been training in wetsuits and open water the whole time. First off, I hated swimming in a wetsuit. I hated the arms and the neck. I felt like I was really restricted in my stroke and felt like I was being choked all the time. But once I got around the buoy, I knew I was going to be OK.



Coming out of the water, I tried putting my sandals on, but they kept slipping off with the water, so I went barefoot over the briars into T1. Taking off the wetsuit turned out to be easier than I thought. I didn't dry myself nearly enough, so putting my cycling jersey on was a chore. I could have easily shaved 30 seconds off here. I'm getting quick laces for my cycling and running shoes too. AND I found out later, you're not supposed to have iPods either. OOPS! So I could have taken a few more seconds off by not screwing with that. I also learned my Forerunner 305 does not do well acquiring satellites while moving at 20 MPH on the bike. So next time, it will be on while I'm in the water. The extra 15 minutes of battery won't kill me.



Once I was on the bike, the world settled down a bit. Having done multiple rides over 30 miles, the 12.4 was basically a sprint for me. I went out at about 22 - 23MPH and came back at about 18MPH. (I had guesstimated 20 out and 15 back) The wind was at our backs on the way out and in our face on the way back. I passed a few people on the ride and only got passed by one person. Teri and I waved to each other when we crossed on the bike and I shouted to Scott as we crossed. I counted the people coming back that were in front of me and including the one person that passed me, I was 17th off the bike.



Coming into T2, I pulled off my cycling jersey and put on my dri fit shirt with my number on it. Off with the cycling shoes, gloves, helmet and on with a hat and running shoes. T2 was MUCH faster than T1.

Now running is not my forte, so I got passed . . . . a lot . . . on the run. At least a dozen times I think. I crossed the road to high five Teri when I saw her and again when I saw Scott. I kind of ran/walked the run. But I saved enough at the end for a sprint across the finish line!

I waited around for Teri and cheered her on her way into the finish. It was odd, Teri and I were both sobbing after we finished the race. For me, I think it was just an overwhelming feeling to know that YES! I CAN do a tri, AND enjoy it! And the culmination of completing a 20 year old goal. Teri said similar things, but I'll let her explain what she was feeling in her blog. Then we grabbed some food and waited for Scott to finish. Scott's youngest daughter, Jorja, went out to meet him and come into the finish with him. Very cool site to see!



Teri, Scott, you guys are amazing! You set a goal and you accomplished it! I couldn't be prouder of the two of you! I for one had a blast! Teri talked about doing another sprint this Summer. I'd be down for it. Also, Scott, you and I talked about training for the Olympic distance (.93 mile (1.5 Km) swim, 24.8 mile (40 Km) bike and 6.2 mile (10 Km) run), next year. Still on? :-)

Here are our official times from Athleteslounge.com:

Name	Swim	T1	Bike	T2	Run	Total
John	0:10:20.7	0:03:31.0	0:39:57.2	0:03:28.8	0:37:31.0	1:34.48.7
Teri	0:15:13.5	0:02:44.1	0:49:55.3	0:01:39.5	0:36:58.4	1:46:30.8
Scott	0:22:12.3	0:08:36.5	0:56:00.1	0:01:38.3	1:00:42.4	2:29:09.5

OH and another bonus of doing Triathlon? I was down to 297 today (a new low!) AFTER eating lunch! SWEET! Now, time to get back into the gym and start prepping for the Dam2Dam in September!

P.S. - Thanks Scott for the pics!

Spinning and Lifting

Last night Teri and I headed to the Y. We got there in time for the 4:30 spin class. The class was pretty tough for me last night . . . I think mostly because I'd worked out the previous 5 days in a row and was just plain tired. I did just a little over 12 miles in the class, while Teri said she did 15 . . . but I got started a few minutes late due to some clipless pedal issues and getting the bike adjusted properly. Plus I'm not sure how accurate the "Pilots" are on the LeMond trainers anyway. There was one point where the instructor said "OK, there are 8 of us in the class, but we're racing for the finish line where there are only 7 cups of water, don't be last!" the idea was to crank up your cadence . . . I hit 156 RPM on that little jaunt . . . :-) Maybe a little overkill, but she did notice by saying "I can see one of you that wants that water!" I didn't know my legs could move that fast . . . My shirt was soaked by the time we were done.

I also did my normal lifting routine, but having just propped myself up on the bike for an hour, I had to lighten the load for a couple of the exercises. I won't bore you with details, you can look at Saturday's workout to see the exercises I did.

Also yesterday I went to Kohl's at Southcenter. Today I'm wearing pants that are 4 inches smaller and a belt that is 4 inches smaller as well. Sweeeeeeeeeeet.

4 days to Triathlon!

Chehalis Western Trail

So this morning, Brandon, Chuck and I headed down to Thurston county to try out a new trail. Chuck had ridden it a few times, but it was new to Brandon and I. The trail is the Chehalis Western Trail. It runs from Olympia down to Tenino. We started in Lacey and did 14.5 miles down to highway 507 near Rainier and back for a total of 29 miles. It's a very pretty trail, most of which is covered in a canopy of trees. On the trail you pass golf courses, equestrian centers, farms and residential neighborhoods. We saw people jogging, walking, walking dogs, bicycling and in-line skating. Overall the trail is really nice. It's not as clean as the Foothills trail, but I think that's mostly due to the tree canopy. There are lots of little sticks, leaves, etc. that you've got to watch out for. It's not trashy at all.

At about the 12 mile mark, I could see someone in a bright orange coat up ahead of us on a bicycle. We had been gaining on him pretty steadily for a bit, but I wanted to make sure we caught and passed him before we got to our turn around point. So I turned on the gas and watched my speedometer climb over 20 MPH. I think I saw 23.0 a couple times when I looked down. It took us a few minutes, but we finally caught him with about 1/2 mile to go. He was probably doing 17 or 18 MPH, so I'm sure he was somewhat surprised to hear "On your left" as I went cruising by him. I definitely couldn't keep that pace much longer, but it was fun to reel him in anyway! There were also a couple times going up a grade that Brandon and Chuck got ahead of me, but on the flats or downhill, I poured it on again and caught up with them.

On the way back I wanted to see if we could do a mile in under 3:00. A 3:00 mile is averaging 20.0 MPH. So at mile 21, we turned it on and at mile 22, my lap timer read 2:50! Most all of our miles were in the 3:30 - 3:45 range, so the overall average for the ride was really good, 15.9 MPH moving average I think. Definitely one of my fastest rides so far. At about 25 miles, Brandon and Chuck sensing they were almost done, started to get way ahead of me again. With about 2 miles left, I wanted to see if I could catch them. I didn't, but I only finished about 20 seconds behind them. The ride felt really good and I was able to challenge myself a few times too. I'd like to do the 22 miles to Tenino and back sometime in the near future.

If you're looking for a new trail, this one is really nice. I'd recommend it!

Click on the map below for details about the ride:

Downloading Books - Why Can't We?

So maybe this is the former Adobe employee coming out in me, but I'm really quite ticked that we can't download books. I mean really, all books now days are written on word processors and put through countless edits and re-dos on electronic machines. It's not like anyone uses a typewriter anymore. I know all the concerns about copyright, DRM, etc. etc. blah blah blah . . . but I have a very rapid personality. When I want something, I want it now. So while I'm searching Amazon, there are a number of books I want to buy . . . but I'd really like to download them first and see if I REALLY want them. It could even be a Read-Only deal, no printing. Then credit me the amount of the download purchase toward the real book if I decide to buy. How cool would that be. Their "Search inside" feature is cool, but really for the few pages I get to read, it just doesn't do it for me. And don't even get me started on the Kindle and other electronic readers . . . ick. Just what I need another gadget when my laptop will do just fine. I mean we can already download movies legally on iTunes, so why not books? Steve Jobs, are you listening? You may finally get me to buy an iPod Touch!