I have tried several times to lose weight and get into shape. I have been marginally successful a couple of times but I always end up falling out of the program due to time or injury. I think there are 2 primary problems I have had. First and most obviously is all of the extra weight I have been carrying around for so long. It is very hard to exercise when you are overweight because it just plain hurts. On top of that you are tired and hungry from exercising so you want to eat more, which makes it harder to lose weight.

The second reason is not so obvious. When you are out of shape, and even sometimes when you are in shape, all of those little muscles that support your body and movement are severely atrophied. The general weakness of this "core" muscles causes your larger muscles and your joints to compensate to support your movement. This compensation can cause undue stress and fatigue which leads to injury.

Every time I have embarked on a diet and exercise program I have tried to do it cold turkey. Trying to follow a new diet 100% of the time and jumping right into a 6 day a week multi hour workout. For most people this is impossible and generally leads to failure. So this time around I am going to follow a much more reserved program put forth in Core Performance Essentials by Mark Verstegen.

So in my new beginning I am going to work through his program for the next 12 weeks. During this time I will review the various sections of the book based on what I am working on at the moment and keep detailed logs of my nutrition and workouts in my training log. Additionally I will post a weekly photograph so you can see how I am, or am not, progressing. At the end of this program I hope to be in a place to begin training for a ½ Ironman triathlon next spring.

 This is pretty cool.  It seem that podcasting is beginning to enter the triathlon world.  Podcasting is a media that has major geek appeal but is quickly becoming a must have for any major media outlet.

Link to Triathlon Radio

I am on vacation wiht my family this week in Carolina Beach, NC.  Right now my wife and I are sitting on the balcony of our beach front hotel room while the kids are sleeping.

Today was perfect.  We had a great time playing out in the surf with Katelyn and Zachary.  This is the first time Zachary has been to the beach and he was not sure what to think of it.  He really loves the water but the waves scared him a bit and of course being a 10 month old he had to try and eat the beach.  The expression on his face was priceless when he got a fist full of sand into his mouth.

In trying to keep with my weight loss goals and training I did get in a nice walk along the beach today and plan on going on another one with the kids in the morning.  I was even good at dinner instead of getting the big fried seafood platter I had the grilled tuna appetizer and a salad.

Off to spend some quality time with my wonderful wife.

I just finished reading State of Fear by Michael Crichton. This book follows a group of would be environmentalists, lawyers, scientists, philanthropists and government agents through a long and twisted tail of intrigue and deception. We all "know" that global warming is going to destroy the planet but when we are faced with the true science the data seems to prove each sides point equally well. There are many people who would be quick to say that any scientific journal or paper that goes against the theory of global warming was created by a paid industry stooge. But who pays the bills for the scientists who confirm the theory of global warming. Is the multibillion dollar environmental lobby somehow more benevolent? These are some of the questions Crichton asks in this book and In typical Crichton style the story is riveting and the content is well researched.

I was a competitive swimmer through high school and even though I was not the best on the team I was competitive with sub 5 min 500 free and sub 1 min 100 free times. When I was 17 a doctor found a tumor in my right lung after an extended bout with pneumonia. Following a surgery that removed 2 lobes of my right lung I made an attempt to start swimming again but it was just too hard. Through out the rest of my senior year in high school and into college I continued to let myself go.

2 years ago I was diagnosed with a Clival Chordoma which is a type of brain tumor. Once again the fantastic surgeons at UNC Hospitals were able to take care of me and through excellent care I have an excellent prognosis. At that point I had topped over 300 lbs and I felt like I had to get things back in order and get healthy.

To lose the weight and do something good I signed up to do a triathlon with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I had always been fascinated with triathlon and even during my swimming days I had always wanted to do one. So in November of 2004 I met my coach Vicky Yeignst at the kickoff meeting and started my training program. The training program had us working out 5 – 6 days a week with the goal of doing a sprint triathlon at the beginning of April 2005 and the St. Anthony's Olympic distance triathlon at the end of April 2005.

I will say that I have never met a more dynamic person than Vicky. Her passion for triathlon and what it has done for her as well as what it could do for others is amazing. She kept me going through the tough workouts and the long months of training. But with her help I did complete all of my goals. During 2005 I competed in 3 triathlons and completed them all, lost 30 lbs and met some really cool people.

That is the short version that gets me to today. In October of 2005 my wife and I welcomed our second child Zachary. Between the demands of helping raise 2 children and my job I have slipped back into the sedentary life style. On a positive note I have not gained any weight back, I still hover between 265 and 270 and I occasionally meet up with some of my tri friends for a bike ride. But for the most part I am not active.

So here starts the story of my journey back to triathlon and down to my goal weight of 215 lbs. I will keep track of interesting thing in my life here ranging from family to work to triathlon and you can track my training log over on the right top of the page. I have some significant goals of competing in at least 4 races next season with a ½ Ironman at the end.

Listening to Dave Matthews Band radio at www.pandora.com

Just trying to do some quick configuration of this new blog feature in Word 2007.

Seems to work just fine J