So I have decided that I have pretty much squandered the opportunity to workout over the last 6 months of not working. Not so much because I have not wanted to, but more because I really didn't feel like it. The stresses of looking for a job plus adapting to being a stay-at-home dad were really dragging me down. Honestly, I believe I found my stress abatement program to include a lot of food that is highly questionable, chocolate chip cookies being one of them.

Then things began to change. I found a job, and have been enjoying my kids beyond belief. So that pretty much means I can look inwards and focus on myself. This also means a renewed commitment to focusing on my own health. First things first, I needed to feel how out of shape I really was. I "felt" heavy, tight and generally out of shape, but decided that I had to know. For me, the only way to do that is to put myself in measurable situation; Running.

With a background in the Marines that involved running at least 3 times a week, it is the only way I can clearly gauge how bad off I am. Sure I am older, but the feeling is still the same. So at 6:15 this morning, I set off with my Nike+ on a pre-mapped loop route as close to 3 miles as I could get (2.81 mi).

The first mile sucked. Completely sucked. I was feeling the tightness in my legs that was seriously giving me problems and yes, I stopped and walked more than a few times. But in my ears I was always brought back to the reality of my past as I run to my Marine Corps Cadence tracks. I know, I know, I'm a bit off that way, but you know, it motivated me back in the day and it still does today.

In the end I finished the last mile without stopping and I could feel my muscles had finally warmed up a bit. I was feeling good. I rounded the end of the street in stride. Final time was 37 minutes 22 seconds which really sucks considering my average in the Corps was 24 minutes. So there is some definite room for improvement.

I know I need to do it consistently so I need to stay motivated. I also know this is just one part of the overall plan. The other side to this story will involve exercising the pig in me out of my system. That's right, Diet. Not Diet as with a focus on losing weight, but Diet as in focusing on my intake vs. my expenditure on the calorie front. I found a really cool tool for that which I will let you in on later.

When you stop runnin' you die. ~ Pebo Bryson