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Starting Weight: 360
Current weight: 335

lost to date: 25 lbs
lost this week: 6 lbs
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Well, its been a big week for me yet again!!

As far as going back to school, I’m STILL playing phone tag with the people at three rivers. I think I’m just going to take a half-day at work this week and go over there to talk to someone.

Also, on the employment front – there is {crosses fingers} something (hopefully) MASSIVE on deck for me. That is really all that I can say about that – I’ll know some more definitive details by next week, and when I know, I’ll fill everyone in.

OK, on to the “fitness” portion of this update. Today I hit what I can mark as my first “milestone” I weighed in at a loss of 25lbs this morning!!!! (ok, actually it is 25.8lbs, but I’m not being that picky)

I havent weighed this amount for at least the last year and a half, or possibly two years. I had to buy some new clothes this weekend, my fat stuff is too big, and my “not fat” stuff is still way too small.

This past week I discovered the elliptical machine. Apparently, there is a small group of muscles (parts of the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, and the vastus lateralis – collectivley known as the upper portion of the Anterior muscles of the knee) that in my 29 years of existence on this planet, I have NEVER used. The elliptical machine KICKED MY ASS on the first day. Since Monday, I have incorporated 30 minutes of time on the elliptical into my routine. I like it now – it gets my heart rate up to 160-175 and keeps it there.

Also I’ve been getting better on the treadmill – both in distance and speed. I use the Nike+iPod system to track my running/walking and part of that is a “Challenge” system on their forums. I am involved in a challenge to walk / run 180 miles by June 1st – which started on January 1st. This wouldn’t really be that enormous of a feat, except for the fact that I took about two months off, and now I am trying to catch up. One of the people on the challenge has in fact already completed it, but she is not my concern.

My concern is a user on the forums who goes by the name of “Krang”, they had also been lingering and when I stepped up I moved up several places in the position list. I posted about moving up in the list and “Krang” responded by saying “not so fast!!” Well, since then “krang” has been logging TONS of miles, and I have been desperatley tring to catch up.

Yesterday, I thought that I was going to pass them, I was within 4 mines of them – so I set up my treadmill at the house as well and ran my ass off – for a total of 7.75 miles yesterday.

Unbelievably, when I synced my iPod and uploaded my miles – wouldn’t you know it, Krang had also gone for a run and is still four miles ahead of me. It looks like I’m going to be pushing myself to go ten miles today, becasue Krang seems to average about 6miles per day.

Ah, silly competition – at least its helping me get into shape and feel good about myself.

I really would like to thank all of you for reading this, and leaving me comments – it is making this process so much more satisfying for me, and hopefully perhaps it is just a little bit inspirational to read.

Now, I know that I have mentioned a GREAT number of goals here in these blog posts but the thing is, I’m actually making these things happen. There are som many things that I have wanted to do for years, and talked about doing for years. In the last 5 weeks, SO many of these things have become reality!!

What I’ve realized is that it is SO much easier to just face something head on and run through it, wheter you are afraid or not, than it is to talk about how you’d like to someday do something.

All of that being said, I am going to announce another goal.

Now, the timing of this happens to be purely coincedental – I have been thinking about this since I started exercising.

-The Boston Marathon-

Thats right, the boston marathon – I’m going to run in it. I’m hoping for the 2008 marathon, but maybe it’ll be 2009. I may have to go 2009 because I am not aware of what needs to be done really to get into the marathon – like if there is a qualifying number of races you’ve got to be in or something. I’ve NEVER RUN A ROADRACE IN MY LIFE. However, in 5 weeks I’ve been able to quit smoking, start eating right and go from not being able to run at all to being able to go almost ten miles in a day. I think over the course of the next year Ill be able to do the 26.2 miles.

I don’t intend to win, just enter and see it through.

So… anyway thats enough out of me for this week.

/Bill