Spam & Cranberries

It's that time again. The day set aside to give thanks for all we have and then eat all we can before we plunge onto the nearest couch or bed or floor to crash. There is nothing better than a good nap after an overload of tryptophan. Did you know that shrimp, fish, and beef tenderloin have just as much of this amino acid than turkey? The difference is that we actually eat so much turkey on Thanksgiving that the effect of tryptophan is extreme. The average nutritional requirement for the "average" adult is 3-4 oz. of meat per meal. An average person can consume up to 16 ounces, yes ONE POUND of turkey for Thanksgiving! So the turkey-tryptophan-good nap link makes sense. Aside from turkey, there are so many side dishes out there that people prepare. We have tried a few and mainly stick to the traditional foods. At least our traditional foods that we are used to having at our family's meal.

Our family tradition when I was younger was for my Dad to cook the turkey. When he passed away, my sister took on the duty of stuffing and cooking it. Not until just a few years ago was the tradition passed on to me. My sister and brother-in-law's home has been the place that our family flocks to (pun intended) for our feast for many years now. We fill up on cornbread dressing, rice dressing, green bean casserole, candied yams, homemade macaroni, cranberry sauce, and assorted desserts. Of course, we have to include bread and especially an ice cold Coke for my honey.

We've tried to create recipes we've seen on the Food Network or received from family or friends and they don't seem to last on our menu. We've tried homemade cranberry sauce most recently. I have to admit it was OK, but I really, really like the Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce the best. I've tried the whole berry, but there is just something about it that I just love. The funny thing is that my Mom is the one in charge of bringing it. We like it cold so it ends up in the fridge and we forget about it until we are almost done. I think we've had the same sauce for years. Oh well. I'm sure it does not expire! All you have to do is open the can, stab the bottom to cut a slit with a sharp knife, give a slam on your fancy dish, and BA-BAM, cranberry sauce. Slice it up and you're done. If you remember it's in the fridge.

One of our long time traditions is using my grandmother's recipe for Homemade Macaroni and Cheese. The bad thing is no one ever wrote it down. We know the basic ingredients, but never really got it exactly right. One year, which I shouldn't mention, we tried the "new" shredded Velveeta (since cutting it in cubes is hard work). Yikes! It didn't melt right and it wasn't good. But we smiled and ate it cause my Mom cooked it that year. That is the year we starting assigning her bread, drinks, or paper plates. Just to be safe.

I have had my share of disappointing accidents. Like the time I took my sweet potato casserole that I worked hours on out of the oven, placed it on a cold burner on our stove, and POW! The glass dish exploded in pieces!! From now on, it is Bruce's Yams in a can and marshmallows. If you don't like it, don't eat it. There were a few hits and misses that went along with our years of celebration, but above all we were spending time together as a family so it was not a big deal.

Spending time with our family is what it is all about. We miss those who have gone before us so much so we don't take the time we have together for granted. We try and make every gathering a Thanksgiving Day for us, but I think ours is special because we've made our own traditions in our generation that hopefully our children will carry on. We hope that this Thanksgiving holiday is a good one for all of you, but I know it is a difficult time for some. My prayers are with all of you that you try and celebrate Thanksgiving throughout the year.

Random Thanksgiving Fact:

Part of the reason that Swanson started creating T.V. Dinners in 1953 was because they needed to find something to do with 260 tons of frozen turkeys that were left over from Thanksgiving. Poo yie yie that's a lot of turkeys!!

2:05:13

This is me running my heart out. I actually think this is where I was walking on Lafayette's most uneven sidewalks trying not to fall into the street. Anyway, my whole heart was in it. This is also where I first saw Danielle and Annabelle on the side of the road holding signs, cheering me on. It was just the boost I needed. I had been running alone for about 1 1/2 miles so I was happy to see them and quite surprised. I didn't know that they made signs for Katie and me.

After seeing them, my determination and focus really kicked in. It was me, the road, and the music...to the end! I made it through main streets, as well as side neighborhood streets around the city. I saw parts of the city I had never seen even having lived here all my life. I even had the opportunity to see Cajun Field, the Cajundome, and landmarks downtown that I probably never would have noticed driving by them. It was truly more than a race. I took in the scenery while not losing focus of my goal.

At each mile marker, there were people waiting to tell the time it took you to reach that mark. Each mile became a little easier knowing I was near the end. At mile marker 5 I knew I only had one mile left, but it felt like miles. Just when I started to feel the slightest of discouragement,  I would receive a text from family and friends pushing me on my way. When I rounded the corner at about 5 1/2 miles, I noticed my brother and sister-in-law running toward me with signs to encourage me. Then came my niece and then a running friend from church. The next person to meet me was Edie, a runner from Geaux Run, one of the organizers of the Cajun Cup. Everyone followed me until the final stretch. When I turned the corner onto Jefferson Street, I finally saw what I'd been wanting to see since this all began. The finish line.

Until you've trained for even a 5K or a mile run, I cannot explain in words the feeling I had as a small crowd gathered to cheer me to the end. There my family, friends, and people I didn't know were waiting for me. I felt so supported. And loved. The cheers and all the people were so overwhelming to me. As a person that was ridiculed all my life by classmates and co-workers for being overweight seemed to all go away right at that moment. All of that did not matter at all. I was so proud of myself. I had finally set a goal. And completed it.

2:05:13

Thanks to my wife, Danielle, who believed that I could complete the training in just nine weeks. When I put limit on myself, she would remind me of the purpose behind the running. My daughter, Annabelle, who ran with me when I couldn't run anymore. She also provided much needed support along the 10K course. Thanks to my niece, Katie, who got me into this running thing. I still think it's a crazy idea! Thanks so much to my family for supporting me along the way and being there for me when I finished.

Thanks to the Saturday running group at Crossroads Church who patted me on the back and gave me words of encouragement even when I thought I was at my worst. A big thank you to Preston Blair, who started this Couch to 10K small group at church. His words of support and emails helped me get there and hopefully will keep me going.

Thanks above all to God who makes all things possible in my life. I  give Him all the praise for making this happen. And for keeping my feet moving!!



Race Day

While we may look ready in the picture, this is really our best nervous face. Besides it being cold, I was shivering becasue of the competitive people I saw that morning. When we arrived on site, I thought I was going to start running up and down the street, burst into tears, and start hurdling the parked cars. There are few times in my life that I felt so much "nervous energy". That is not me. I am pretty laid back, but that day I was not myself.

As people arrived and we started to become a crowd, I somehow felt more at ease. My confidence began to build. I knew that I could whoop 6 miles, but I didn't want to be left behind. Or fall in the street. Or even worse, get hit by a car. Tragedy. OK, snap out of it. A real fear of mine throughout training has been that all of the people would leave, the finish line would be removed and I'd be running with the moon. My wife promised me that she would make sure they would not remove anything until I crossed the finish line.

The moments just before the race were very surreal. I have never been certain at what point an experience becomes surreal, but this felt very close to it. While I only prepared for this race for 9 weeks, it seemed like I'd been preparing my whole life. My niece's encouragement began all of this, Danielle and Annabelle's endless support, my family, my friends at work. All of the help I received makes this hard to put into words.

As we lined up for the start, my confidence began to gain momentum. It was now or never. And I had no choice but to do my best. Lining up was probably the most exciting up to that point because it became very real. Here I was in a sea of runners, yes runners, trying to reach a goal we had all set for ourselves. Some set a 6-10 minute mile, some set a goal of reaching the end in a certain number of minutes, but I had set a goal far in advance just to finish. We all had different calculations, but our goal was the same. Cross. That. Line.

As the gun fired to begin, I went with the crowd. I seriously felt like an athlete. But my feet and legs became so tense I guess because of the nervousness, the pressure of the crowd, and just being cold. I thought, "Not now..." With everyone surrounding me and all of the pressure I was already putting on myself, I decided to just walk and warm up. I knew if I gave it my all at this point, I would never finish. I tried to just begin to take everything in. Just when I started to get that hint of discouragement, I passed Annabelle and Danielle on the sidelines holding signs they had created to cheer me on. I knew I had to keep going.

The first mile was a killer! I found my stride, but I found myself all alone. So I turned up the music and kept moving. I was not going to give up! All of the crowd left, including the police picking up the cones to open the blocked traffic lanes. I started to feel when I first started training. Alone. But I was not going to stop. Not 9 weeks into it! I turned up the music even louder so all I could hear were words. "Good things come to those who wait......the hard lessons make the difference." The race was on!

13 Hours & 9 Minutes

If any of you are ever in need of 9 weeks to pass quickly, sign up for a race. Especially a 10K. Just 9 very short weeks ago, I thought I was crazy starting all of this running stuff. I still think I'm crazy, but with a little more confidence. I can't tell you that I'm totally prepared, but I definitely feel like I'll be able to finish tomorrow. Yes, it is in less than 13 hours as of right now. It seems hard to believe.

There are things I would have done different, of course. Like push myself harder to run more often. There are times, though, that I would push myself so that counts right? I walked/ran a total now of 96 miles! My goal was 50. I aim in the middle if it is something I'm not  quite sure I can achieve. In this case, I am very proud of myself. I overcame a few obstacles and what's great is that after the race, I can keep going! I plan on keeping up with my training for another race. I feel so good that I've come this far that I cannot possibly let myself down and quit. I have met so many people that have encouraged me and in turn I've had the opportunity to encourage others to exercise. This is an opportunity that I never thought possible for someone with a nature to be lazy.

I guess I am still in the process of knocking down those giants in my life, but I know for one thing that my confidence and endurance in staring them down is getting stronger. I feel now more than ever that my exercise goals are achievable because I am not looking at a big picture here. I am just taking one step at a time.

Well, I ended up buying running shoes, but I bought at Academy because it's what was in my budget. And they make my feet feel great when I run. I am getting stronger every day and I intend to keep this up. Why stop now? Tomorrow is my first 10K. I am nervous. Very nervous. But excited. I think mixed emotions would better describe it. There's a lot going on in my mind, but I know for sure my body feels in shape to do this! If you guessed that my next post will be a picture of me crossing the finish line, you guessed right. I can't wait to cross the line....and keep on going.

Ready, set........

"Focus on your giants, you tumble;

Focus on God, your giants will fall."

---Max Lucado



Just Do It

Before starting my run, each time I stretch a little then say a prayer for continued good health, strength and focus. I am a person who overanalyzes everthing. I mean everything. And I was was not going to overanalyze this running thing. I decided that I would just go for it. No diet. No weight loss goal. No plan. Just do it. I didn't study running on the internet. I didn't even purchase running shoes. I just used what I had and decided to get out there. So khaki shorts and my Saints T-shirt was my choice. Who dat?

After the first week, I can't say it got easier. It is not impossible, but it's not easy for me to run before work so I chose to run after work. On rough days at work it was hard to get off the couch so I would have my shoes and clothes ready for when I got home. Annabelle would run with me when I needed motivation. I never  thought it was important to live a healthy life for Annabelle to learn. Even though we eat candy and chips at times, most of the time we choose healthier foods and this running has incorporated exercise. On other days we get outside and do something or play our Wii. My niece, Katie, who is also a runner, was a big factor in my start and helping keep going. Encouragement from my wife, friends, and family was the boost I needed.

Another motivation for me is feeling better at 40. Not only by blood test results, but physically feeling good, as well as mentally. It's always been on my mind to "do something" but it took turning 40 for it to remind me how my body is not young anymore. I need to trick it to feel younger. And the only way was to get off the couch. I guess I'm analyzing again, right? Whatever it took I was determined to get started and keep going! Enough excuses already.

When I run, I sweat. A LOT. I think of that sweat pouring out as a detox of all the negativity I have felt about myself for many years. At first glance, I convince others that I am very confident, but on the inside I don't always feel that way. When it comes to my health, I feel terrible, but now it's getting better since I'm doing something about it. It's up to ME! Sometimes there are tears and I'm not ashamed of that either. There hasn't been blood, but I'm not hoping for that. Sweat and tears is enough. I've been through 91 miles of a rough road these past weeks and I truly can't believe it. With only SIX days left of training I am feeling some doubt, but I have to work through that this week and just do it!

"Never limit yourself."

---Me

7 Days

One day after I began this journey, I decided to join Lafayette's Cajun Cup 10K Run. I felt so motivated by so many people that first day, I knew I had to do it. It was one of those things where you feel so motivated, excited, nervous, anxious all in one. Then you just commit to do it. Then when you're all alone riding home you have second thoughts, but you know you could never back out of it. Well, that's kind of how I felt. I put myself out there as fearless, but I was full of fear on the inside.

I went home and download the Couch to 10K app on my iPhone. This was just a start. I studied the app (ironically as I sat on the couch) and it became clear that I could never run for 5 minutes and walk for 5 minutes 13 times?! In one day? I resisted temptation to see how rough it would be in Week 12 when I'd be supposedly "ready" for the race. So I stuck to looking at Week 1 and no further. To be honest, I didn't think I'd make it to Week 12 so why look anyway?

My very first walk outside of my comfort zone (the church parking lot where the "nice", supportive people are) was in our neighborhood. I was afraid. Very afraid. Why? I'm not sure. I didn't want people to judge me and say, "Wow, what is he doing? He's going to have a heart attack running like that. Is that even running? Bless his heart." I just put my mind to it, turned up my music and started walking. If I'd pass a house with it's door closed I'd start to run. If a house would have a door open or if a car would come down my road, I'd walk. I can't explain why it felt so awkward. I guess it was pride.

Very early in my walk, I encountered every mail delivery person and runner's nightmare. A big dog. I am not afraid of dogs, but this one was intimidating. When I noticed his owner I was relieved until his owner turned his back and Satan (my name for the dog) started to come toward me. As my app spoke to me it said, "Run Now." I chose not to since I knew I couldn't outrun Satan. His mouth came toward my ankles like a lion and I was the innocent rhino. I've seen Animal Planet and knew this wouldn't end well so I just kept walking slowly. Finally out of his sight I decided to run. I tried to start to ignore everything around me or I would never even complete a mile. I was ridiculously anxious I know. I knew I had to focus and not let anything distract me. The dog, the passing cars, the open doors....all Satan's (the real deal, not the dog) tactics to try and put obstacles in my way.

I listened to my music and one verse after another in each song spoke to me. From facing my fears, letting go, and giving God control of it all. Really letting go. I knew that was the only way that I could do this. To keep doing this. To continue on this journey.

During Week 1, I walked & ran 16 miles and never once was bitten by Satan! He actually doesn't even come by me anymore. I still don't believe that I actually finished Week 1. Was it easy? NO! It was hard. VERY hard to keep going. But it's not by my strength that I run this race.

"When you are on a rough path,

God always provides the right shoes."

---Corrie Ten Boom