Change is Hard

Please stand by for rambling and a tiny bit of venting:

I have to admit that I've gotten used to this lifestyle that I'm living.

Lazy.

I've been trying to make a real commitment to changing my habits that I've formed over the last year and and half.  Since moving away from my family and out on my own with my son, I've only gotten worse.  I don't know if it's that I had less to maintain for the 6+ months that I lived with them and the co-dependency I picked up from having an instant babysitter anytime I was unable to make dinner or needed to run off to the gym or if it's something else.

All I know, is that I've really tried to live a better lifestyle since returning home from Tough Mudder and it's never seemed so hard.  I've been returning to my health and fitness roots in Mark Sisson and the Primal Blueprint, but so far I have fulfilled very little of what he has asked of his readers.

For instance, on Day 1, he suggested that we have a "pantry purge" where we throw away/donate all of the unhealthy foods in our kitchen.  My pantry isn't the worst, but it still needs a lot of improvement, but I still have yet to actually get up and do it.  It's those kinds of things that are really causing me to struggle.

An excuse that I've made for not purging my foods is my son.  I am fooling myself in thinking that he won't adjust well to not having his comfort foods in the house.  My wife was against me putting him on this diet with me, and so is my immediate family.  The part that gets me is that I know this is a safe and healthy diet for him, and I don't want him to end up like me.

Isn't childhood obesity at an all-time high right now?  So much so that is't being called an epidemic?  Hell, our current First Lady is leaving her mark on the U.S. through her fight to end childhood obesity...

I think writing about this is giving me the motivation to at least get the objectives for Day 1 completed.

In other news, I had to re-stock my multivitamins and used the opportunity to order the Primal Blueprint 90-Day Journal.  I'm hoping that a visual guide like this will give me the daily motivation and insight I need to get myself back on track.  I'll be sure to update on how it's working after in comes in.

Thanks for reading through this with me.

- Andy

Tougher Than Mud

Where I live, there aren't a lot of people that really know anything about what Tough Mudder is.  I showed up to the gym and my classes on Monday and I mostly just got odd looks at my new facial hair and my orange headband.  A couple of people recognized the band or the name written on it and asked me about it, but I couldn't tell whether they actually believed that I did what I said or that I was just crazy.

The ones who did believe that I actually went through the grueling 12.1 mile obstacle course asked me about how hard it was, and the only thing I could tell them was, "It was the hardest thing -physically- that I've ever done in my life."

I've hiked in areas all over the state of Kentucky, ran in a 5k, and put myself through circuits with a personal trainer until I thought I would throw up, but I have never participated in something so exhausting in my life.  

The course was 12.1 miles long.  For a marathon runner, that's no sweat, but what most people don't account for is the hills.  90% of the terrain we went through was either up or downhill.  The obstacles were the only reason you found flat terrain.  As for the obstacles themselves, I only completed 3 of them.  I completed the Kiss of Mud because it was the first obstacle, the Mud Mile was an unavoidable part of the course, and I was too tired to even think about skipping the Electroshock Therapy.  I attempted a few more of the obstacles, but I was unable to finish them.  There were many more that I skipped all-together.

What I loved about it:

• I loved accomplishing what people said I couldn't.
• I loved the people.  Big Mudder told us to help our fellow Mudder's.  I didn't think that people would take it to heart like they did.  As I struggled along the course, I had so many people pass me and ask if I was alright or if I needed help.  Of course, I told them I was fine, but it was awesome all the same.  And I've never had so much encouragement from strangers in my life.  I met people at Tough Mudder that were more supportive of me than some of my best friends and family.  I can't wait to see all of them again next year.
• I loved the challenge.  I may not have completed the obstacles, but I had a great time trying.

What I hated:

• At the event and on the actual course itself, I didn't really hate anything.  It was a great experience.
• I do, however, have a new-found hatred for hills.
• Before the event, I hated that there were so many people that not only said that I couldn't do it, but that I wouldn't.  I didn't like that people thought that I was crazy for even attempting something like this.  I guess that I can sympathize with some of their worries, like from my family, but I knew what I was getting into before I went.
• After the event, I hated that some people told me they didn't believe that I actually did it, and I didn't like that some of them still called me crazy.

What I learned:

• I learned that I've let myself go way too much since Amber died.  I thought (and I know now that I was lying to myself) that I had just gained a little weight back, but I used to be so much better.
• I learned that I'm capable of doing a lot more than what other people or even what I say I can.

Overall, I had one of the best experiences of my life.  I have a lot of training ahead of me and a lot of wrongs that need to be righted in my diet, because there was one last thing I learned at Tough Mudder:

I've got one year to get ready for the next one!

All Hail the Conquering Heroes!

People keep asking me what the Tough Mudder was like. Without trying to be a smartass, it was tough. It was one of the most physically exhausting things I have done in my life. I still can't say it was the toughest thing ever; there's been worse things in my life. And just like the stuff in my life, Tough Mudder was beat into submission as well. So here's a quick rundown of the things I learned, loved, and loathed.

I absolutely hated: Pretty much nothing about the Mudder. Except learning that some people didn't think I could do it and a few people who acted like it was no accomplishment. Guess what, my friends? It was. It's a very special individual who will sign up for a 12 mile obstacle course that involves ice-baths, fire-walking, and electric shocks. It's an even more special person who actually follows through on it.

I loved: The camaraderie. I haven't seen that many places where there was so much caring and concern for your fellow man. I can't count the number of times someone came up to me and smiled while asking if we needed assistance. Also, I loved Jasmine, the friendly quad-riding medic. I don't know where that angel-named-after-my-second-favorite-Disney-princess came from, but she was encouraging us every step of the way that last 6 miles. I'm not sure if she was made to follow us, but she wasn't forced to give us kind words and keep us in the game.

I got edumacated on...

1. I have got to get off my ass more. Run up hills, stretch, jumping jacks, anything. To be fair, most of the movement stuff never really made me lose my breath. But I could have been so much faster.
2. I still really need to work on my arm strength. Toward the end I didn't even try a couple obstacles because of the weakness in my arms. Granted, the cold was getting to them. But I likely wouldn't have been able to do them regardless of when they fit into the race.
3. I'm much more bad-ass than I let myself believe. 
4. Hypothermia. 

We finished last. But we finished last in something that most people wouldn't even try to finish. That's really saying something. It makes me wonder what else we might be missing if we don't try things outside our comfort zone.

Still Alive After Tough Mudder

Hey there everyone,

I know it's been a couple weeks since we posted anything here, and I'm sorry for that.  We've been busy as usual with school and preparations for Tough Mudder.

Harrison and I, along with Steven, our newest Fatnician, all survived the event.  We had a great time (mostly), and we have a lot to tell you about it.

For right now, I'm still very sore and tired.  Give us a few days and you'll see our stories!

Until then, stay happy and healthy.

-Andy