Engaged! n other stuff

Ok well first off I ran 3.75 miles this morning after 12 days off due to an acute lower back strain, and maybe a little thing called Auburn: World's Toughest Half Iron Man. No back issues and the legs felt strong and a little springy...we all like springy :-) Ran at an easy 8:47 pace, and had a 19 second negative split. In My last entry I talked about qualifying for Boston, and negative splits are a goal from here on out. Back on the bike yesterday, rode 25 miles and felt pretty good there too. Mostly aero postition at 20-21mph.

Before I talk about the BIG NEWS..I have to say I am having waves of emotion about missing My mom who passed in October of 2004 at 61....Danae Boseant

and My Grandma Earlene who passed in 2002 at 89. 100% Muskogee Creek Nation-Oklahoma raised:

It's funny how we can miss the ones we love the most, and who loved us the most....and then there are times when saying "we miss them" just doesn't seem adequate enough. I guess that's really not that funny...ha, ha..moving on...love you both.

Ok, so on Valentines Day 2009 Amy and I went to San Francisco (80 miles away) to see her favorite play, WICKED!! As she says: "I have seen it twice in NY, twice in SF, and a million times in my head."

This was My first time seeing WICKED, and quite honestly I had to watch The Wizard of Oz for the first time a few weeks prior, for perspective of course. Raised vegatarian and with no TV among other heathen pursuits...ha, ha...still love you mom ;-)

As we sat there watching WICKED I was mesmerized like a child who goes to that place where everything around them is non-existant, and what they are viewing is magical. The reason I was having this out of body experience at the age of 46 was because with each passing song, the lyrics spoke to Me in a way that connected Me to Amy and what we had shared together for the past (almost) 3 years. Phrases were becoming etched into My head, and I knew what I was going to do with it all.....write an Ode to Amy titled: A (non) WICKED Union for our 3rd anniversary which was a few weeks away.

Writing it and editing it down was really quite simple...keeping it to Myself was the challenge, but I did. I bought us simple gold rings to go with the moment. Amy and I had both been married once before, and had expressed a desire to NOT be married again. So the rings were a token of our union, not an offer, or request for marriage. Sushi at Nashiki and the night was emotional..here is the Ode...feel free to click on photo resize n read:

A few weeks later the conversation somehow turned to the "M" word. It was one of those rare awkward conversations; I left it that I may have had a change of heart on the "M" thing, she was still holding onto her non-desire, for various reasons, non of which I was assured had to do with Me. Ouch...a little matzah ball in My soup; I should have stuck to salad.

I really can't describe accurately enough the wonderful relationship that Amy and I have. I divorced 11 years ago, and had committed to not settling just to be in a serious relationship, and so, I had a variety of non-serious relationships for 6 years. In a sense though, I knew I was going to have to cut through the field to find the gold. From the moment I got to know Amy, I knew that she was better than anything I had dreamed of, and I will go to My grave with that thought/reality. She is smart, beautiful, compassionate, the patience of a Saint, a wonderful supporter of anything I chose to do, and best of all...Amy makes Me a better person just by the example she lives.

Fast forward to last night. The "M" word had not come up in years....it was Taco Night, homemade of course, so naturally the feelins right, and life can not get any better. I am sitting up on the bed, probably on Twitter, when Amy says I have a special desert for you, now I'm not a big desert hound, but I had at that very moment been thinking; some ice cream would make this the best night ever! She leaves the bedroom but does not go towards the kitchen/refridgerator so I'm thinking, ok, maybe not the best night ever...then she returns with a miniture cake, and it says this:

Holy crap! or as My smart phone auto-corrected posted on Twitter Holy Cap! I knew right away what that meant, but I could not speak. I did not know whether to laugh at the brilliance of the presentation, or cry because of the joy I felt. I teared up and managed to say something that I'm sure sounded like the Elephant Man speaking with marbles in his mouth. After a hug, a kiss, and a reassurance that: "yes, honey of COURSE I still want to marry you," My world and Taco Night became the Best Night Ever....disclaimer: right behind the day Garrett was born.

Of course in this world of Social Media...there are still some things that have to come first...a call to My son, Garrett

a call to My brother Duch

a call to My Aunt Jeneine and Uncle John

texts to My brother Les, and various other friends and relatives...and then Twitter n Facebook. :-)

Amy came to this decision with the help of her friend Lise a few weeks ago: "Lee would do anything for you, and all he was asking in return was for you to marry him." Ding...light bulb...whatever issues she had built up faded to black. So naturally details like: wedding invitations, wedding cake, location, date, etc have already been thought about....which is great for Me....she is so cute, I love her.

We will marry on Christmas Eve this year, in our home, and the ceremony will be conducted by William the lifepartner of Amy's brother Scott.

Joy to the World....and happiness to you all.

P.S>I'm a lucky Man<

Big Picture Goal Setting-Shifting Sands

Well it's been 8 days since I completed My first HIM (Auburn-World's Toughest Half), and I have spent the last few days re-configuring My goals for the year. So far this year I have run 2 half marathons, figured I should run one (or two) before I did a half iron man. I have also completed (3rd in AG) My first Olympic triathlon. The remainder of My calender had 2 Olympic tris (June/August), a Gran Fondo (October) and My first 26.2 (December). I fugure I should run 26.2 before My first Iron Man next July, Napa VineMan.

In October 2009 I decided (after losing 109lbs in 6 months, and 30 years of inactivity), that I would do an Iron Man before My 50 birthday in October or 2012. Now that I have completed My half iron man, I have decided to scrap My 2 remaining tris this summer, and the Gran Fondo. I am going to focus on My core and weight over the next 9 weeks, and then implement an 18 week marathon training plan which will better postion Me to finish strong at Napa VineMan IM.

 I will resume full time tri training mid-January providing Me with 6 months of lead up to Napa VineMan. Oh, and I have added a new goal to 2013, one that will be the focus of the marathon training the remainder of this year:

Qualify for Boston.

Here's a pic of Me and My brother running My first event: 5k along the Charles River in Boston, November 2009.

Yes, there it is. I said it.....oh and qualifing times are going down for 2013, so I will have to at least run a 3:25:00 this December at the California International Marathon. Did I mention this will be My first marathon? lol. I'm considering the Hanson Brothers training plan, but will decide between now and the end of July.

I am really excited about what has taken place this year, and even more excited about My new goals. I love the control that I have over My life, and love reading about others who are doing the same. Most of all I am eternally grateful to have a wonderful partner in Amy who supports, encourages Me in everything I do. Thanks, honey.

Cheers to you all.....dream big.....then Make It Happen....

Livin the Dream :-)

Auburn Half Iron Man Triathlon - ATTITUDE is everything!

Auburn, CA is dubbed Endurance Capitol of the World and has received International recognition as Most Scenic and hosting the World's Toughest Half Iron Man event. Auburn is situated in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada moutains, 40 miles north of where I live in Sacramento.

I belong to the Sacramento Triathlon Club (STC!); a warmer, and more inviting group of triathletes will not be found on the planet. I was fortunate enough to do some brick work on this course with STC members leading up to Auburn, and knew exactly what I was in for; staring into the eyes of beauty while feeling the pain.

This was my third triathlon: sprint March '10, Olympic April '11 so yes this was a natural progression....NOT! As a brief rewind I was 300lbs 2 years ago.

Last year I voluntered at the STC aid station on the run course, if you call the side of a mountain a "course" but more about that later. I saw the faces of the runners as they descended and ascended the mountain ravine and thought holy crap these people are dedicated to pushing their body beyond the limit, just plain crazy, or both.


A few weeks ago I was describing Auburn to Dave Scott, and he said "I would never do that" when I asked why he responded "because I like to race, and that is an endurance event." Said The Man who won Kona 6 times. So THAT was my approach. I finished 3rd (AG) in my 2 previous triathlons, but this was going to be about: ATTITUDE endurance, and pace.

Leading up to Auburn I had a few issues with my shoulders and right hamstring, but I refused to hyper focus on them, or talk about them, because I did not want to give them "life" outside of me. I went to an accupuncturist the week prior for relief on my shoulders, and it seemed to help. Taper week consisted of daily foam rolling, stretches and yoga poses; most of all it was about mental preperation and controlled positive energy: visualization of: my ATTITUDE, my pace, my "center" and most of all the ability to believe that I would be prepared to handle any situation with a great ATTITUDE and peace of mind.


Amy my wonderful partner, the cornerstone of my support system, and I, went up to Auburn the day before the race, picked up my registration packet, and dropped my run gear off at T2. T1 and T2 are 7 miles apart. We spent the night in a hotel.

Race morning I awoke at 3:30 which is normal for me; I had a routine breakfast of: banana with almond butter, oatmeal with nuts, seeds, dates, sliced pear, and a side of OJ. I brought a coffee filter, and my regular morning coffee grounds so that I could have "my coffee." This was all prepared and eaten in our hotel room 2 1/2 hours prior to the start. The temperature was 55 degrees at the start and reached a high of 75 that day. It was California perfect.

I am pretty anal about my preperation so that I have to do very little thinking on race day. Everything went as planned and oddly enough I was very much at peace, and had no anxiety, or nervousness. Finally as we got closer to the event my heart started to beat a little faster...phew! I'm ALIVE!!

Setting up in T1 was great because as an event sponsor STC has preferred bike racks, which in addition to preferred postioning, it also means all 11 club members racing that day prepared together. There where hugs, high fives, knucks, and all sorts of expressions of love and support. From that moment until my head hit the pillow you could not find a man with a bigger smile, or more joy in his heart. Thanks, STC!

Swim: 1.2 miles

The swim at Rattlesnack Bar park on the Folsom Lake was in clean water that began as snow in the high Sierra and flowed into the North Fork of the American River. This portion of the lake has narrow shorelines surrounded by high canyon walls and very calm water. To say it is picturesque is an under statement. The water was 64 degrees, which to me felt like bath water compared to the 53 degree water I competed in last month. A 10 minute warm-up in the water was mandatory for all triathletes. Now I must tell you, I have had some difficulty with pacing myself, and with a consistant breathing pattern in my 2 prior events; the best I could muster was a one stroke breath, one stroke breath. Needless to say, very draining. This time in the warm-up, I went out calm, 4 stokes breath, 4 strokes breath...hey! I was pretty excited. My plan was to conserve on the swim, because, well, you'll see. The course was set up to do 2 laps around that section of the lake. I swam the course relaxed at a steady pace and my heart started to soar. I was smiling, singing, and just as happy as could be. As I exited the water and ran to T1 I noticed 5 other STC members in the area, and felt even better.


Bike: 56 miles 6500ft of elevation climb.


Now the fun begins. Right away I was climbing 1200ft in the first 6 miles. I knew this, so I also knew not to get too excited and start powering up the hills, plus there was another 5300ft waiting to be had. People were lined up along country roads to cheer us on, and there were volunteers a plenty. Most of the ride was spread out through the hills, but we did encounter a few intersections, and freeway on ramps. Each of those were controlled by the local Police, or Highway Patrol; which was nice because we did not even have slow down. At mile 8 there was Amy on the side of the road.

I don't know if I can describe the rush one gets by seeing a loved one when you are doing an event, but if you have experienced that, you know what I mean. The bike course had 2 basic features: up or down. I was either peddling up climbs like: Oh Shit Hill, Cobra, or Lemond Walked, or I was barreling down mountainsides like Bear Creek at 44mph. Here I am riding halfway up Bear Creek, the longest climb of the day:

I stuck to my strategy of pace, and trying to stay out of my lactic release point. Which was impossible on some climbs. On occassion I would chat up another rider or offer words of encouragement to a fellow athlete struggling, or walking up a hill. At no time did I feel I was close to a breaking point, but don't get me wrong...it was BRUTAL! I took time to enjoy the sound of birds singing, the sound of water cascading down off a mountain, or running along a stream, and just could not stop smiling. At mile 40 after just struggling up Cobra a mandatory lactic acid release with thighs burning I started to enter the road leading back to town, oh sweet mother of Jesus, but then....I had to turn right instead of left, and had to do a 5 mile out and back. The back is a nice long downhill speed fest; which of course means the out is more thunder on the thighs. Once I  finished playing that game I rode 2 more miles and there was Lemond Walked. Yes, it is named that because Greg Lemond (Tour de France winner) walked the last big climb of this course. There were 2 people walking as I peddled up the hill. 

I forget how many aid stations I came upon, but each one of them handed out bike bottles of water or cytomax, I took water. I fuel with Hammer Perpetuem in my aero bottle, and had no issues. Each bottle lasts 2 hours so I stopped midway, and re-mixed another batch. As I was passing back through town approaching T2 there were people out cheering, and a few even dressed in animal outfits.

 As I got closer I saw 3 of my fellow tri club members (spectators) and  they yelled out words of encouragement. Entering T2 I saw Amy right there and again, my heart soared. For some reason I decided to hand her a few items, and forgot to do the most important thing, drink my chicken noodle soup. Yes, chicken noodle soup. Mark Poole our fearless leader on Auburn group rides for the past 4 months has done Auburn a number of times he said chicken noodle soup would replenish the salt I would lose on the ride, and help me on the run.


The Run: 13.1 miles 4500ft of elevation climb


As I leave T2 and head towards a steep embankment on the run-up to a trail that traveled along a creek I hear "Go Lee!!" from the group on the bridge. As I climbed my legs began to cramp, bad. I already have a short stride, but now it was shorter. Chicken noodle soup! I had depleted my body of the necessary salt, and now I was paying the price. Soon Rebecca Reichart the STC Queen of the Podium and a great person was running alongside me, but I said not a word about my situation. Hey why spread misery. Before long she was off, and just sharing the time together kept me smiling. As I approached the first aid station I called out for salt tablets and water. It helped a little.

The run course is a 7k loop that I ran 3 times. The first loop was brutal on my legs, and tested my resolve, but never my spirit. I smiled the whole way. The run course took me down, down, down, this moutain road, and then up, up, up this mountain road. The course was closed to cars, and best of all there was an aid station on that road that was loaded with members of STC!! Since we had to run this loop 3 times, and pass the STC aid station twice per loop, this meant Rock Star treatment 6 times!! As I started the second loop I came across a young man (28) David from Santa Monica. He seemed to be struggling a bit, and I was just starting to find my legs again, so for the last 8 miles David and I paced each other to the end. This was his 1st triathlon! We talked almost non-stop to keep our mind off the suffering, and there was plenty of suffering, but we just kept talking and laughing. As we approached the last turn I asked him if he had it in him to "finish strong," he said "let's hit it," and we did....sprinting the last 40 yards to the finish line.....

.....arms raised as we screamed out in joy. 7 hours and 45 minutes later.

From the moment I crossed the finish line.....

until my head hit the pillow that night Amy heard these words over and over again......what a great f*cking day! And it was.

Cheers!

2 Years Removed from Dead Man Walking

May 15 (2009) will forever be the day I confronted an ugly truth, and decided to take My life back. First off I have to say that I am grateful every moment of every day for having the most wonderful, supportive, and caring partner: Amy.

On May 15, 2009 I went to the Doctor and he delivered news to Me that I already knew: I had dangerously high cholesterol, high blood sugar, and I was type II diabetic. I weighed 299 lbs, orange shirt below.

My 47th birthday was 24 weeks away, and I set out to weigh 190 lbs by that time. No short-cuts, no games, no tricks. Proper eating and exercise within the limits of reality. Mission accomplished, and no longer any health issues.

BeyondTransition.com recently wrote a 2 part blog on My Story. It was very cathartic, and humbling. http://www.beyondtransition.com/blog/2011/04/triathlon-meets-juice-lee/

I have to make conscious decisions every day, just like you. When it comes to doing what I do: swim/bike/run/nutritien it is not about the weight. It is about the lifestyle I have chosen to live. I swim, I bike, I run, I eat healthy, and I love it. The people I interact with on a daily basis, whether it is face to face, or via the internet, bring Me great joy. I love reading about people who have overcome obstacles to take control of their lives. Whether the goal is a 5k or an Iron Man, the Journey is the same.....from within. So if that is you, I applaud you....if it is someone you know, applaud them, and most importantly, share your Journey.....seek strangers to applaud, and THAT is true living.

So far this year I have run 2 half marathons, participated in My first Olympic distance Triathlon (3rd in AG), and I am 7 days away from My first HIM: Auburn World's Toughest Half Iron Man. I have 2 more Oly's, a Gran Fondo, and My first full marathon on this year's calender.

A the end of the day, I am at peace with it all. Eternally grateful for what I have, those I come in contact on a daily basis, and most of all proud to have a son named Garrett. Garrett just completed his freshman year at George Washington Univ/DC School of Engineering Applied Sciences. The world is his oyster, and he is My greatest joy.

Happy Sunday....and please remember....never too high, never too low....it is about the Journey.

Cheers,

Lee

Life is about Connecting

It began innocently enough on April 10 when a Mourning Dove laid what turned out to be 2 eggs in one of our hanging pots on the back porch. 

Our first order of business was to give her a name, and so after a midnight flashback of Gilligan’s Island, she was appropriately named Lovie. The male was named Thurston, of course.

2 weeks later on Easter morning, we woke to the joy of 2 newborn Doves right outside our bedroom window. 

Since Mourning Doves are also called Western Turtle Doves and Rain Doves, we named them: Turtle and Rain. Over the next 2 weeks we watched Lovie and Thurston take turns hovering over them to keep them warm, and feed them. They seemed to grow so fast.

On day 13 we watched as Turtle and Rain received flying lessons, and by day 14 it was time for them to fly away with their parents. We took one last picture as they sat side by side in the crepe myrtle in our back yard, and thought: what a pure joy these 4 weeks have been.

My First Olympic Tri

March of 2010 was my first triathlon, a sprint distance in Central California (3rd in my AG-Male 45-49). A couple of knarly wipe-outs on my bike last June kept me out of Treasure Island-Olympic, so heading into Black Butte was almost like my first event all over again. The weather in Sacramento this winter was pretty wet, so training rides have been limited. I trained for and ran 2 half marathons in the past 2 months to insure some leg strength. Laps in the pool at 24 hour fitness was the extent of my swimming, it has been too cold for open water practice.

I arrived the day before the event and stayed in the "Olive Capitol" Corning, CA. And yes, an olive souvenir is required by law; I bought a jar of Blue Cheese stuffed olives. Since this little town of 7,000 was void of any restaurants that serve paste (I know, right!), I improvised by buying some asian noodles at Safeway, along with some chicken. I used the microwave in my room to create a night before meal that I was satisfied with. I never use an alarm clock and generally am up between 3-4 each morning; naturally I set 3 alarms to insure I was awake by 4:45.

I woke at 4:00 race morning after a solid 6 hours of sleep. Plain oatmeal topped with fresh cranberries, a side of wheat toast, with some orange juice at Denny's was pretty close to race morning at home. Starbucks opened at 5:30 (I called a few days prior) so I was there when the doors opened. As I was driving through the dark to the event my mind was going through some mental 'controlled enthusiasm process' when I noticed a wrecked car in the ditch out on this 2 lane road, and the face of a woman in the drivers seat. I had to turn around. As I approached the crash site I called 911, and at the same time a tow-truck arrived on the scene. The driver and her male passenger got out of the car, and both said they were ok, although visible shaken. As I got closer the female driver says: "Lee!" Here we were 100 miles from home in the middle of nowhere, and it is a co-worker of mine, who had been camping with her boyfriend, decided to drive home early, fell asleep at the wheel and crashed; luckily they were ok, physically. Once I knew they were ok, I continued on, as you can imagine my thoughts were a little jumbled as I drove to the event site. A little mental re-direction, and I was back on track.

The Course was set in a beautiful rural area 100 miles north of Sacramento, and aptly named Black Butte. We were in a campground area known as Buckhorn, it had spacious camping lots, and an open feel due to the rolling hills, and one of the most scenic lakes in Northern California. The distances were: swim 1.5km, bike 40km, run 10km. A few of my fellow Sacramento Tri Club members were there, and that helped pass the time and helped me stay out of my head.

It had been stressed that we pick up our registration packet before race day, we were not able pick up our race chip until the morning of, which pushed the start time back 15 minutes. The race began at 8:15, the temperature was in the mid-40's, and 54 degree water awaited my arrival. Now I must tell you, this is only the second time I have swam in open water. The first time was in my Sprint last year where I experienced the 'cold water panic' within 2 minutes. I put on my Xterra fullbody wetsuit on and entered the water slowly 15 minutes early, the cold did not overtake me so I swam out and back a few times, and was better prepared.

The 1.5km swim was a counter clockwise circle around the relatively calm lake. It took me a few minutes to find my rythem, but the best I could do was one stroke breath, one stroke breath. My lungs, and arm strength held up, but it took a whole lot more energy than I anticipated. 32:15 minutes later I was out of the water, and never happy to see my bike. However, my fingers were so cold that I had difficulty trying to getting them to cooperate. Nothing major, transition was relatively smooth (1-gu), and away we go.

Plenty of volunteers made exiting the transition area unremarkable and right away I climbed my way out of the transition area and through the campgound. I soon realized I had not caught my breath from the swim, and was breathing really hard. This was a first for me. My confidence was boosted a little bit by the age of the guys passing me as I caught my breath: 29, 33, 32, 30. I wasn't the last one out of the water! I ride a Cannondale Synapse carbon/aluminum, and was trying out my aerobars for the first time in an event. Love the aero's!

The first couple of miles took me out of the campground, down the main highway, and down a side road with plenty of rolling hills. After about 3.75 miles, I hit flat rough highway, and I finally caught my breath. Phew! At about mile 10 (8-sport beans) there was a turn-around so I could see who was in front of me, and who was behind me. Even though I felt pretty good, my legs were more zapped from the swim than I had imagined. I was averaging 21.5 for 6 miles before the turn, but at the turn an unexpected headwind awaited, dropping my speed to 18. As I approached the turn back to the campground, I thought wow, already? No such luck, a pretty wicked 1.5 mile climb awaited us. I finished the bike in 1:22:56, 6 minutes behind what I thought I would do, but I was happy with that.

My transition in T2 went pretty smooth (1-gu) a 25 yard climb awaited me as I began, and right away I realized this was going to be a run like no other. My legs were pretty spent, and usually I push harder up hills than my normal stride, but not this time, it was as if I was in slow motion. Once again, my ability to catch my breath had been compromised, and I was in unchartered territory. The Black Butte area is maintened by the Army Corps of Engineers, and they created a 3 foot wide trail, literally days earlier, that wound through rolling hills and you were either going up or down. Given the opportunity later, I told the engineer who designed the course that he was a "sadistic bastard." Maybe it was the twinkle in my eye, or the smile, but he responded with: "I'll take that as a badge of honor." Needless to say, I quit looking at my watch, decided to enjoy the beautiful scenery, and constantly negotiated with my body to give it everything it had (mile 4=1-gu). After one last climb, we rounded the corner and there was 100 yards across asphalt to the finish line. I heard the cheers, I was shoulder to shoulder with 3 other participants, and knowing there is only one way to finish...I sprinted to the finish line. Freedom!!

 My run time was 1:10:48, and I was happy to take it. My overall time was 3:11:20. At the end of the day, I could not have been happier. I need to incoporate more anaerobic training, more open water swims/experience, and continue with the hill bricks that I have been doing in preperation for my next event: May 22, World's Toughest Half Iron Man Auburn, CA. It was a great day....oh, and I stood on the podium 3rd in my AG. One last lesson learned: when preparing your gatoraide bottles the night before, do not, I repeat do not confuse your powder gatoraide and your epson salt baggy. #surprisinglymoremedicineythansalty :)

My Journey to JuiceLee

I grew up in Southern California in the 60's-70's and was raised vegatarian in a strictly religious environment by a single mother who was brilliant, driven, erratic, and bipolar. Our father was a fairly non-existant alcoholic. I was the middle child of 3 boys spaced 4 years apart each way. We went to church each week, private christian (Seventh Day Adventist) school. I admired my older brother for many reasons, but our love of baseball bonded us. We would turn in 7-up bottles for a nickle to buy baseball cards, listen to Dodger baseball games with our transister radios under our pillows after lights out, and play as many versions of us winning the game in the bottom of the 9th inning as our hearts could imagine. When I tried out for Little League at the age of 10 I realized that I was not like the other kids. None of my church school classmates played, I was more athletically gifted then those trying out, and I belonged to 'something' that did not allow me to play baseball on Saturdays. Half the games were on Saturday. For that reason, and because "Lee" rhymes with many childhood taunts, I quit. That hurt. For the next year all I could think about was playing baseball and how I had to find a way. My mom agreed to let me try out again, use my first name which is Gary (Lee is my middle name), and play...except on Saturdays. Half the games that year (9) were on a non-Saturday, and on each of those days I was the pitcher. I went 8-1. The loss came after 7 games, and I cried. It was easy to have passion when I won, but I was more passionate when I lost. The groundwork was laid for who I was:
*willing to take risks in the face of adversity
*a negotiator with myself and others
*driven to succeed
*someone who quit, but came back stronger
My parents had divorced when I was 8, and my mom did not even have a high school education. In order to provide a better life for us, and herself, she gave us up. Grades 5-7 I lived with a Seventh Day Adventist foster family, so I continued my religious schooling, but in an area 65 miles from where I grew up from. My brothers were farmed out also as our mother got her GED (high school equivalent to diploma) and put herself through college and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. By the time I was 16 I was living on my own and taking care of my younger brother. Thoughout my Academy years (grades 9-12) I excelled in football, baseball, and basketball. I learned once again that I was not like the others. Besides excelling in sports, I was chosen to be: School Sargent at Arms, Class President, Editor of the School newspaper, Student Body President, Who's Who Amoung American High School Students for Leadership, and yet, I did not seek those roles, nor did I believe I was a worthy. I guess you could say I was conflicted because of my 'living/family situation.' I was 6' 155 lbs. As I entered college my mom told me these two things that have always stuck with me, and added to my foundation:
*anyone who says life is fair, is a liar
*if you want anything in life you are going to have to go out and earn it, no one is going to give you anything
By the time I was 23 I was married (1985) had a career and earning over 60K/year. It was Southern California, it was the 80's which meant drugs (marijuana/cocaine) were a part of the culture inside and outside of the office. I was no longer a vegatarian, a church-goer, or living a life of self discipline. By 1990 I was working in the managed care industry in Las Vegas, serving on a Board of Directors for the Underwriters Association, and living the life of Reilly. Travel, sporting events, an unlimited corporate credit card, corporate jet to LA for Raider games with corporate season tickets, travel with the college football team, lobbying at the state and national level, it was a life that was superficial, excessive, selfish, and without boundaries. My goals were all centered on a material lifestyle. I was connected, happy (or so I thought), and I knew how the story would end. My son Garrett was born in 1992 and here was my chance to make up for not having a dad in my life. I dedicated all my efforts into bonding with Garrett, applying all the things I learned at college in child development (psych) class. A father and son could not have been closer for those first 8 years.
The problem was, in an effort to find love I had married a girl at the age of 22, 3 months after we met. Ours was not a contentious relationship, most people assumed we were the 'perfect couple,' but it was a loveless union. Because my dad was an alcoholic, I have never kept alcohol in my home, but I was the first guy to meet you at the bar, and one of those "great guys" to hang out with. I started to sabotage my life, our life together. I made a bad career move, and was laid off when the company pulled out of the state. At the same time I began to experience back pain beyond description, and was only able to take two steps before doubling over in pain. Sitting, walking, standing, it was all horribly painful. The HMO doctor took x-rays, found nothing wrong, but was too happy to prescribe me pain and muscle relaxer medications. Although the HMO doctor insisted that he could find nothing wrong, the pain was unbearable. I began to wonder, was this all in my mind, was this a psychosomatic response to my life? I began to abuse prescription painkillers, and muscle relaxers.
I became non-functional, and started a financial tailspin that lead to the loss of my home, my car, my wife, and my dignity. As odd as it seems, I knew that I was on a self-destructive path, and that it would lead to my wife leaving me, and I did nothing to stop that. I was relieved when that time came. Our divorce was not a fight, it was almost amicable, I had custody of Garrett 4 days a week. 10 months after our separation, I left Las Vegas for California to seek better treatment.
As it turns out I had a genetic back defect that caused my spine to whittle down and snap, causing the discs in my lower back to compress together pinching my sciatic nerves in both legs. I had been improperly diagnosed for a year and a half. I had a broken back. What a relief! By 2001 I was unemployed, broke, living with my grandmother and having spinal surgery to repair my broken back. The only thing that kept me alive was my son. When we weren't together I called him every night.
After recovering from having rods, screws, and synthetic bone inserted into my lower back, I took one of the most menial jobs imaginable. I was a peddler, going business to business, selling books/toys, and other low end items made in China. I was humbled beyond description, oh and it was in the city next to the town in which I grew up in. I had to walk into businesses of people I grew up with, did I mention I was humbled? The hook was: if you do well, train other people to succeed, we will give you your own business to run. Within 3 months I was managing the company, it may have been humbling, but it allowed me to set goals to achieve success. Over the next 4 years I ran one of these businesses working 90+ hours a week. I went from 200 to 300 lbs. Once again I was chasing material success. I was miserable on the inside, but the shining example of positive mental attitude. They called me JuiceLee because I knew how to bring the "juice" to get people fired up.
From 1990 to 2005 I had gained 40-50 lbs and lost 40-50 lbs 3-4 times. Each time I would do the Slim Fast diet, exercise, and bam! the weight was gone. But I never created a lifestyle that would allow me to keep the weight off. In 2004 my mom died unexpectantly at 63 of a heart attack. My mom created a life that allowed her to live half the year on the coast here in the States, and half the year in Florence, Italy. She was living her dream. I was crushed by her loss. My father had a stroke at 39, and my older brother had a heart attack at 36. I knew those things, but it did not cause me to change.
In 2006 I met the most caring, supportive, intelligent and beautiful woman, Amy. She was 6' red hair in shape, active at the gym, running 5ks, and yet she loved and accepted me at 300 lbs. She has worked for the State of California for over 25 years, and after some prompting from Amy, I became a Training Officer for the State of California at the age of 45. 20 years as a state employee, retire at 65 with a nice pension, and health insurance, ok I can get behind that. All of a sudden I was not chasing material goals, uhhhh, it's not something you do on a state salary. A career and a woman that I love, and that appreciates me, but something was still not right, and I knew what it was; it was my weight. My weight was affecting my ability to live a full life. I would break a sweat just going up one flight of stairs. I would break a sweat just moving chairs around to set up a meeting. I would break a sweat just sitting on the bed watching TV. If I spent a few hours working in the garden, I was done for 2 days. I had nerve damage in both legs from when I had a broken back, and my lower back was always in distress; then the sores that would not heal appeared. I was squeezed into size 48 pants, and the belt had cut into my skin causing sores that would not heal. I tried to hide them, tried to make excusses for them, but the bottom line was...I was scared to go to the doctor. Finally after much prodding from Amy I went to the doctor. He gave me a lab slip and told me to get some blood work done.....3 months later I finally went....the doctor's office called as soon as they received the results.
I met with the doctor on May 15, 2009:
*weighed in at 299 lbs, in January I had weighed in at 313 lbs
*triglycerides were 569,supposed to be <150
*blood sugar was 250, supposed to be 90-100
*hemoglobin A1c measures diabetes, should be <6.0 to be non-diabetic, I was 10.5, and a type II diabetic
The doctor put me on medications, told me to prick my finger to take my blood sugar readings at night and in the morning, and to lose weight. For the first 3 weeks I cut out bread, went for walks on my break at work, but really, I was not committed to any real lifestyle change. My blood sugar showed signs of lowering, but each morining when I woke up my reading would be higher than the night before. What the heck? I wasn't eating between readings. Finally I went to the internet to find out what was going on; fat stores sugar, and when you sleep the fat releases those sugars into your blood stream. I was at a turning point, the more I thought about it, the more pissed off I became.....at myself. I was MAD at me; live the life of a diabetic, and suffer the potential consequences, or lose the weight, it was my choice, I got myself here, and only I could get myself out. I weighed 287 lbs. It was time to set goals and declare my committment to Amy.
Goals:
*at doctors appointment in 13 weeks weigh 225 lbs, lose 62 lbs
*by my 47th birthday in 21 weeks weigh 190 lbs, lose 97 lbs
The Plan:
Together we came up with an eating plan: protein shakes in a blender with fruit and ice creates 36 oz of yummy goodness which became breakfast and dinner. By making my shakes this way, I was satisfied with the variety of flavors, and it was very filling. Without the blended ice, I would have had to fight hunger pangs. A sensible lunch consisting of a meat protein, fruits and vegatables, mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks of fruits and vegatables. High protein, very little carbs, and 12-14 servings of fruits and vegatables was my eating plan. Drink plenty of water, and/or Crystal Light. In 21 weeks, I maybe had hunger pangs 2-3 times, it worked like a charm. I did allow myself one cheat day on the weekend, but grew weary of how that made my body feel.
We had an elliptical machine in the spare bedroom that was a great clothes rack. My first time on the machine I went for 12 minutes and then collapsed in exhaustion. I knew moving arms and legs would burn more calories, trim the arms and legs, and allow me to achieve my goal. I knew I had to listen to my body, and make decisions based on how my body reacted. At first I exercised every other morning, first thing, for 10 minutes. Then I progressed to 10 minutes every morning. I listened to my body, and before too long, I was exercising morning and evening. My evening exercise was always 2 hours after dinner, so that I would burn the calories I just ate, and my body would burn fat while I slept. I always exercised when I first woke up, in order to burn more stored fat. I also went for a brisk 20 minute walk mid-morning and mid-afternoon. At the height of my exercise regiment, I was using the ellipitical machine for 40 minutes in the morning, and 40 minutes at night.
Early on Amy commented that she was happy that I was getting healthy so that she would not have to "worry about me." She meant it as a compliment, and as words of encouragement, however, that hit a nerve in me that drove me everytime I felt like backing off. The realization that the woman I love had to worry about me, essentially whether or not I was going to die on her, was something that drove me to succeed.
Sticking to the exercise portion of my plan was the biggest challenge. My lower back would hurt more often than not, and I would have pain shooting down the sciatic nerves in both legs. Many times I would complete my exercise, and immediately lay flat on my back to alleviate the shooting pain. But I never missed a workout session. In 6 months I only took 2 days off, and it was 76 days before I took my first day off. I would not be detered, I was on a mission.
I only weighed myself once a week, period. I weighed myself first thing each Friday morning. However, I did not live and die based on what the scale said. If I did not lose the same amount of weight as the week before, I was not worried, because I knew that if I followed my plan, the results would even out, and they did.
Return visit to the doctor August 21, 16 weeks later:
*weight 222 lbs, 77 lbs lost
*triglycerides went from 569 to 85
*blood sugar went from 250 to 95
*Hemoglobin A1c went from 10.5 to 5.5
I no longer had high cholesterol, high blood sugar, nor was I type II diabetic. No need for medications, and no need to monitor my blood sugar...the best part! Pricking your finger is not fun. My doctor could not have been happier.
8 weeks until my birthday, and I was on track. The weight continued to come off at the rate I needed it to to hit my goal. A funny thing happened; one day I woke up and realized that I had not suffered from back pain for a number of days. Once I got below 215 lbs, my chronic back pain went away, no more pinched nerves, and I have not had an issue with my back since.
One day I was talking to a childhood friend and he told me had become a runner, triathlete, and had even competed in Kona. I thought that was insane, but congratulated him, as I thought, not me brother. The seed was planted.
The day before my 47th birthday I weighed 190 lbs, I was overwhelmed. 109 lbs lost in 24 weeks.
Amy brought me home a pair of skinny jeans, I looked at the tag, and they said 34, I thought no way, but tried them on anyway....they fit perfectly....my eyes leaked a little bit.
Because of my previous weight loss, and failure to keep it off, I knew I had to create an active lifestyle. I decided to find a gym that had a basketball court. I was a total (basketball) gym rat growing up. I joined 24 Hour Fitness. Exercising on the ellipitical and running, were worlds apart on the body. I remember how our coaches had us do sprint drills and run laps around the basketball court to get in playing shape, and so I started slow, and built from there. My younger brother had been a marathoner, stepped away for 10 years, and now he was running again. I thought what better way to celebrate our efforts than to run a 5k together in November. 4 weeks after my birthday, I flew to New England, where my brother lives, and we ran a 5k together along The Charles River in Boston. It was the perfect way to start a new chapter in my life.
Amy and I have been big fans of the TV show Biggest Loser. The funny thing is, when I used to watch it, I would view it and lie to myself about how I wasn't as bad as though people, but I was. One night in the fall of 2009 we were watching a Where are They Now version of the show focusing on past 'Losers.' This night the show did a feature on Matt. Matt had been a show winner, and had gained a lot of the weight back. On the show Matt competed in a triathlon, Kona Iron Man. As I watched the show the seed began to grow, and I knew what I had to do to create an active lifestyle for myself, and how to save my life. I had to become a triathlete. As they showed Matt (250 lbs) crossing the finish line at Kona, I turned to Amy and I said: "I'm going to do an Iron Man before I'm 50." I had 35 months to achieve this goal.
　
　
Side notes:
*I competed in my first triathlon a sprint, March Triathlon Series in March of 2010, and placed 3rd in my AG.
*In March of 2010 bought my first bike in 33 years, and 2 months later entered a local May is Bike Month competition where you see how many miles you can ride in the month of May. Out of over 7100 local entrants I finished 4th with 1801 miles.
*I rode 5187 miles from March-December 2010
*2 violent crashes on my bike in June kept me out of my first Olympic tri, Treasure Island July 2010
*Posted 1:56 and 1:51 run times in half marathons Feb/March 2011
*Completed my first Olympic tri April 2011
*Garrett just completed his freshman year at George Washington University in Washington, DC - Amy and I have been together for 5+ years