Random Picture of the Day

**I took the whole day off today to see how it felt. I feel rested, but I'm itching to get back into the swing of things tomorrow***

Picture: Corky, Me, Wong, and Bryan hanging out on Miami Beach.

Body is Tired, but Mind is Focused

7:15am: So I didn't really sleep in all that much, but I did lay in bed a little while and take my time getting out of it. It is certainly harder to get up and get going than it was say one month ago, but sometimes that just happens. My body is sore and tired, but my mind is still focused and sharp. I love the way that all of this hard work is making me feel and I know that it will continue to pay dividends if I keep this up. It's also great to have all of my blogger friends out there holding me accountable and motivating me to keep pushing. I also have one of the greatest support systems in the world through my family and Mandi. They all make comments on how my body shape has changed and my energy level. Stuff like that makes it all worth it. I would never want to leave this world without them knowing that I did everything I could to fight to stay here. It used to be all about me (admittedly), but now I have great motivation to take care of myself to stay around for others.

Anyways, to my walk. I coughed a bit more than usual this morning during my walk and my mucus was pretty thick. It was clear however so I'm happy about that. I coughed though to the point of dry heaving and it forced me to stop a couple of times and regain my composure. My foot was still sore from yesterday's stairmaster so that was certainly annoying. I want to start running again so bad that I can taste it. Mandi has said that she is giving me no choice and that we will go to a "professional" running store this weekend to get proper shoes. If any one has recommendations I would love to hear them.

Total Distance: 2.1 miles Time: 37'47"

1:00pm: I had a really good session at the gym today! I worked out my chest and back with a little bit of abs thrown in. I increased the weight on almost all of my chest lifts so I was happy about that. It's getting around that time to switch up my workout routine again, although because of timing, I may need to do it in about 2 weeks. So the lifting was great, but not the best part. The best part would be the cardio that I did after my workout. Mandi and I decided to do the elliptical to avoid any pressure or pounding on my foot. I felt strong the entire time and felt like I had a pretty quick pace going. I was sweating like a mad man, but wasn't coughing a whole lot, but when I did I was bringing some stuff up. I ended up doing a full 30 minutes and I could have gone longer but I had to get home to get ready for tonight. I may try to push it to 45 minutes or something next time cause 30 almost felt to easy. Never thought I would say that! Current Weight: 184 lbs.

Total Distance: 2.55 miles

Total Distance for Day: 4.65 miles

Stretch, Yawn, Yawn, and then Stretch Again

7:15am: That's right, slept in a little bit this morning and it felt oh so good. It was just what I needed after a day of travel and busy work day yesterday. My body felt sore when I woke up, but after shaking off the cobwebs it started to adjust to the day ahead. I think most of it is the after affects of the hike. I can tell you who else is feeling it, good ol' Jezzabel. Last night she refused to get off of her bed to go to the bathroom. When I finally convinced her to go outside and give it a go, she stretched for about 2 minutes and yawned 6 times. Then she made her way outside, sat down, and stared at me with the "are you happy now?" look and "can I come back in?" stare. After 5 minutes of trying to convince her that she had to pee (with no avail), I let her back in the house and she promptly went back into her bed. Then this morning, she had to stretch out again before our walk. I could tell that she was sore and was doing a lot more wobbling than walking. It was pretty entertaining to watch and definitely had me laughing much of the time.

For me, the walk went well. I was able to cough up quite a bit and most of it was clear. My foot felt much better than yesterday and I might actually be able to try a little run later on! I really thought I'd be running a mile by now, but my "injury" has gotten in the way. And although I know it's not a true injury, I also know that if I push it I can make it one. It just gets to the point where I start limping even with a walk and so far nobody I have talked to has said that's a good thing. Icing my foot and resting it more has certainly helped, but I'm really itching to start running again.

Total Distance: 2.1 miles

3:30pm: So Mandi and I headed off to the gym for some legs/shoulders and cardio. We did the workout routine with absolutely no breaks in it. While I did a set of shoulders, she would be doing legs, and then we would switch. By the second set I was already sweating. What really got me going was some step-ups that we did. Mandi set the platform so high that it would have been difficult for Andre the Giant to step on to it. After 20 reps of those my heart was pounding and the sweat was drippin'! My shoulders held up well throughout the routine and are starting to feel almost 50% back to normal or so. I probably won't do a normal routine though for at least a month or so.

For cardio we did a the stairmaster. Word of advice if you're going to be doing the stairmaster: bring a magazine. The time absolutely flies by! We did it for 20 minutes but it felt like 5. Both of our magazines (and shirts) were soaked with sweat at the end. The stairs get my heart pumping and work up a huge sweat for me, but I don't do the deep breathing like I do on the elliptical or treadmill. I like mixing them all together though just so I'm not getting bored doing the same thing every day. If you're looking to really use your lungs though, it's the treadmill all of the way. Then again, nothing will get them like running on the road will! Current Weight: 184 lbs.

Total Floors Climbed: 55 floors

Total Distance for Day: 2.1 miles Total Floors: 55 floors

Great Post by a Friend of Mine

I would strongly encourage all of you to click the link to the following post. Sara has such strength and determination that it will inspire all of you.

http://oceandesert.blogspot.com/2009/05/that-is-what-happened-today.html

Enjoy! And don't hesitate to drop her a message....

I Threw Up a Banana Waterfall

6:20am: So I hit the old snooze button a couple of times this morning before rolling out of bed. When I first attempted in open my eyes to see what time it was they felt like they had been super glued together. I managed to open them after what seemed like a couple of hours but then I was seeing everything as a triple or quadruple image. When I looked at the clock, I couldn't tell if it was 6:20, 6:28, 6:50, or 6:58. I also didn't know exactly where to look since there were so many images floating around. After blinking my eyes repeatedly for about 30 seconds, I finally saw that it was in fact 6:20. I needed to get the ball rolling so I could get out the door and start the hike while it was still cool out. I decided to bring Jezzabel with me as well since she hasn't had a good long walk for a little while. Before I left, I wolfed down a banana which was incredibly soft and probably near the end of it's shelf life (If you've been reading this blog for a while than you know that I only mention food before walks/hikes because it will come up again in the story...pun intended).

We headed off on the trail which is 1.2 miles to the first outlook point and then another .7 to the peak. Starting out I hadn't decided how long we would go. Anyways, as usual, the first 200 yards or so were pretty tough in terms of locking in to a good breathing pattern and getting my coughs out of the way. I was able to move out a lot of mucus which was either clear or light yellow in color and got my lungs cleared out rather quickly. Problem was I had a slight tickle in my throat that was triggering more coughs than necessary. I tried my best, but eventually that banana I mentioned ended up on the side of the trail. I was able to throw it up right on a rock face though so it kind of looked like a banana waterfall. Hopefully my fellow hikers enjoyed that nice piece of nature that I left them.

After I got that banana out of my stomach the hike got a lot easier. I don't know about you, but when I feel sick to my stomach, I feel like it's harder to breath. I was also coughing a lot before I threw up and after my "great heave" my coughs subsided quite a bit. The rest of the hike went well and I only took about 4 or 5 breaks on the way up to catch my breath. I kept J Bell off of her leash for the whole way up, but then she wouldn't stop barking at these poor guys on the way down, so on the leash she went. She's definitely getting better though, we passed by 3 0r 4 people on the way up and she just walked by them like they weren't there. Maybe she sensed evil in those two dudes or something :)

I'll leave you with this thought: If you live in an area with hiking trails, I REALLY encourage you to take advantage of them. For me, they work better than a treatment in terms of making me cough and getting the mucus out. It also serves as a great set-up for my actual treatments. After hiking, or doing any sort of cardio, I feel more open to receive all of the meds into my lungs. Just a thought, but I a thought that I hope you seriously consider.

Total Distance: 2.4 miles

2:30pm: Headed to the gym with Mandi to work on our guns. We had a day full of Internet problems which certainly slowed work down, but we managed to work through it and crank out some much needed things. It did feel good to step away from the computer today and get to the gym. Although I work really hard in the gym and at times it is painful, it still serves as a sort of "restful" period in my day. I never thought I would view the gym in that way, but I guess that's what I get for being so busy. The workout went well, but my body felt tired overall. I was able to lift all of the same weight, but it definitely felt heavier than it did 3 days ago. I'm thinking I'll sleep in a little bit tomorrow to hopefully be a little more refreshed and energetic. Current Weight: 185 lbs

Total Distance for Day: 2.4 miles

Life Got in the Way

4:00pm: I had another day trip today for business, so the whole routine was thrown off a bit. As you see, I didn't get to the gym until 4, and I wasn't able to fit in a morning cardio session. I really hate it when my routine gets changed cause I feel that I'm short changing myself, but on the other hand, I realize that life sometimes gets in the way. On days like today, I just make sure that I do SOMETHING. I was able to be at the gym for about 90 minutes today and it was definitely a great workout. I was sweating like crazy and increased the weight on many of my lifts. Mandi and I are thinking about doing a hike tomorrow morning to make up for the lack of cardio today. Let's hope I get a good night of sleep so it's feasible. Current Weight: 184 lbs.

9:30pm: I had to sneak in a short little dog walk when I got home from my "trip" cause I always feel guilty if I don't get Jezzabel out of the house. I also figure that she shouldn't be punished for my "busyness". It was a very quick walk, but I know she enjoyed it. I on the other hand was an idiot and just went out in my sandals for the walk. My left foot started to ache about 50 yards into the stroll. Walking in sandals when you have a sore flat foot is never a good idea! This sucker better heal up by tomorrow morning cause it's going to be hitting the ground hiking bright and early!

Total Distance: .5 miles

Total Distance for Day: .5 miles

11.75 Total Miles for the Week of March 18th

Week of March 11th: 17.2 miles
Week of March 4th: 17.7 miles
Week of April 27th: 15.7 miles
Week of April 20th: 22.9 miles
Week of April 13th: 18.75 miles
Week of April 6th: 20.95 miles
Week of March 30th: 31.7 miles
Week of March 23rd: 24.48 miles
Week of March 16th: 34.85 miles
Week of March 9th: 23.6 miles

A Little Bit of Blood

6:45am: So one thing I forgot to mention in yesterday's post is that I coughed up a little bit of blood last night. It happened right before I went to bed. It wasn't pure blood, but it wasn't streaked with mucus either. It was mostly blood, with just a little bit of mucus. Good thing though is I only coughed up about 1/2 tablespoon. In my "coughing up blood" world, that's nothing. I may have dislodged a little mucus plug or something, cause it wasn't a usual episode. It only lasted for about 2 minutes. Anyway, all it did was motivate me to step it up today.

Waking up early on this Memorial Day certainly wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done, but I had more energy than I would have expected. I was up pretty late last night hanging with my brothers and we had an active day in the pool yesterday. I was pleasantly surprised with how wide awake I was. Mandi and I headed for the gym to do legs/shoulders and some cardio. Shoulders were same ol' same ol' with us doing the rehab routine (which Mandi says she likes) and then with legs we changed it up a bit. The LA Fitness near Mandi's house has newer equipment than the one near my house and we took advantage of that. We did various leg exercises that I had never done. Hopefully I'll be able to walk tomorrow unlike the last time I did new leg exercises.

After lifting we headed to the elliptical machines. We both did the fat burner program for 30 minutes. The program is pretty cool cause you start "running" on a flat surface with little resistance, then, out of nowhere, it feels like you're running up a sandy hill on the beach. It got my legs super fatigued and I was sweating like a mad man. Reading the US magazine from March 2008 helped pass the time though (it was the only magazine Mandi had). Towards the end I was coughing quite a bit and getting up some junk. I saved the really deep coughs for the lockeroom though so I could spit out the mucus that would come up. It's been a great start to this holiday!

Total Distance: 2.7 miles

I spent the rest of the day hanging with friends and family. Mandi and I were invited by her brother Josh and his girlfriend Christine to accompany them to the Diamondbacks game so we spent much of the afternoon there. Apparently we didn't stay long enough though. We left in the bottom of the sixth inning with the DBacks up 7-1. We thought the game was over and baseball games are incredibly long anyways. Well, come to find out, the Padres came back and ended up winning in the 10th inning 9-7. We missed quite the comeback. We did however ride the lightrail and eat at The Old Spaghetti Factory, so I have no complaints. We capped off the day by going to my aunt Mary's belated birthday party and hanging out with the fam. Great end to a great day!

Total Distance for Day: 2.7 miles

A Hot Walk

**Sorry for the late post. I had some Internet problems and couldn't get online to post last night**

7:30am: Before taking off for church we wanted to get a quick J Bell walk in. We only went 1 mile cause I slept in a little bit. It's been a couple of absolute gorgeous mornings in a row and it feels soooo good being able to walk in them. I know they won't last long though. The dead of summer is fast approaching and sooner rather than later it will dip down to a LOW of 90. Not looking forward to that so much. The walk felt good and I was able to get some stuff up. It would have been nice to go for longer but we didn't have the time to squeeze it in. We'll have to do some cardio or another walk later.

Total Distance: 1.0 mile

2:30pm: So I'll have to admit, Mandi KIND OF had to twist my arm to get this walk in. I wanted to go to the gym to do cardio, so we could do it out of the sun's long arm. She made a good point though in that the gym was a 30 minute drive round trip and that would be some wasted time. I finally conceded and stopped being a baby about it and we took off. It wasn't as hot as I thought it would be, but I definitely broke a sweat very early on. We had water with us and luckily, our backs were to the sun. We decided to walk up a slight incline that lasted about a mile. I could really feel the burn in my butt and legs! The way back was much easier since it was down hill, so we picked up the pace a bit. I'm glad that Mandi "talked" me into it! Right when we got back we jumped in the nice and cool pool. Ahhhhhhhh....

Total Distance: 2.0 miles

Total Distance for Day: 3.0 miles

Random Picture of the Day

Picture: This is me putting "tile" down on the floor at the Get Goin' Cafe. It's a non-profit coffee shop that I helped establish at a homeless shelter in Phoenix.