100 lbs lost

Yesterday, after my run I checked the scales and I was at 259 lbs! 100 lbs lost since last September. I was really excited that I finally hit that mark. Today I weighed in at 258.5, pretty sweet, huh?

Lots of times I get asked what my goal weight is. My goal weight is the healthy weight that my body settles at. I have no idea what it's going to be... I'm guessing 225 will be close, but who knows? I don't think I've ever been this fit before, so I figure my body will know what weight it wants to be.

Triathlon #4

I did another sprint triathlon today. I'm getting to the point that I really enjoy getting in a sprint each week. I figure if I'm doing that, I'm going to be in great shape for an olympic distance in October. Here's the numbers, 6.7 km - 1 hr 15 minutes (REALLY slow), swim 750 m - 21 minutes (I was thrilled!), bike 23 km - 50 minutes. I was really excited about the swim because for the first time in my life I felt like I got in a rhythm in the swim. I was going fast (for me) and swam the 750 m with only short 15 second breaks every 150 meters or so. I felt REALLY strong today. I was also psyched about hitting the 100 lbs lost mark!

98 lbs lost

Well, I dropped one more pound and the countdown to 100 is on! Yesterday, I got in a 20 km cycle and Cindy and I did Tae Bo in the afternoon. Those double workout days always help with dropping the weight. The weather in Chiang Rai has been overcast and a bit chilly, which is wonderful for exercising. Quite a blessing!

I thought when I got close to 100 lbs, I'd do a big push through, but now that I'm here I'm just doing the same as always. Eat well, exercise daily, drink water. I think it's a good sign really that I'm not doing anything different, just consistency.

Cindy's parents come for a month long visit beginning this Friday. We're sure excited to see them, and it's the first time they'll see the weight loss in person. We're already planning out the exercises we can do while on vacation with them. We'll post some pics!

Morning Run

Cindy and I went for a great run (4.5 km) with about another 2 km walk. It's so nice to get and run. Today, several kids ran alongside us for a little bit of the time. I've only got a few pounds to lose until I've hit the 100 lbs lost mark. Mentally, I'm finding it a little hard to motivate for the "push through" 100. Once I'm there, I'm sure I'll look back and think, "What was that all about?"

Cycling with Cindy

Cindy and I really have a wonderful time cycling together. Today I rode to and from the base and then after lunch Cindy and I went for 20 km ride together. My total for the day was 40 km. I thought it was really neat that where Cindy and I cycled this afternoon was an area that we couldn't have attempted a few months ago. It's this wonderful hilly area where the hills are constant but not too big, so when you build up momentum heading downhill you can feed into the momentum all the way up the next hill.

A few months ago we would have been huffing and puffing. Today it was just fun!

Triathlon #3 for the year

Today I did a sprint distance triathlon. I started off with a 20 km cycle (50 minutes) to and from a meeting I had, followed by a 6.7 km run/walk (1:05) with Cindy. We ran about 4.3 of it at a really good pace. Then I swam 750 meters (26 minutes) at a nearby pool. Feeling great but a little tired. I'm guessing that's to be expected.

I don't know if I mentioned the pool before, but it's this really random 50 m Olympic style pool (6 lanes) in the middle of a little village. This guy built it as part of his home, as his children are both competitive swimmers. All the neighborhood kids are there on the weekends and they are teaching swimming lessons to the kids. Some of these kids are growing up with problems in their home like alcohol, drugs, or abuse. It's great to see such a positive outlet for them to develop a skill in.

The owner, Sompap, met the head of Thailand's Triathlon Federation the other day. He had come to see the pool and check it out for the Thailand National Olympic team as a practice facility. Sompap mentioned that he knew a Khun William who was interested in starting a triathlon event in Chiang Rai and now the head of Thailand's Triathlon Federation is planning to have coffee with me next week.

Wouldn't it be cool if we could partner up on developing the event into a real community blessing for the area? I'll keep you posted.

Visit to Chiang Mai

Cindy and I headed to Chiang Mai for a meeting that she had scheduled. The hotel had a nice pool and I did 75 lengths, which I figure was about 750 meters. I was quit thrilled with doing that and I was able to do the "crawl" stroke during the entire swim. I'm learning to relax, slow down, and get comfortable with swimming these distances. The panic feeling of needed to gasp for air is calming down and I'm starting to feel like I can swim better. I also did 30 minutes in the weight room and really enjoyed doing the work with dumbells and free weights. It felt good to get in a good workout "on the road".