Meal 1:  1/2 Cup Oats, 1/2 Cup Skim Milk, 1 Banana, 1 Serving Whey protien

Meal 2: Apple, fiber 1 Bar, 1 Serving Whey Protien

Meal 3: Turkey Sandwhich (60 Cal Turkey, 100 Cal Bread, 80 Cal Cheese, 40 Cal Mustard),1 Serving Whey Protien

Pre-Workout: NO-Xplode (50 Cal)

Post-Workout: 2 Serving Whey Protien, 1 Cup Skim Milk

Meal 4: 1/2 Cup Granola, 1 Cup Yogurt

Meal 5: Chicken Breast, 1 Cup Broccoli, 1/2 Cup Oats, 1/2 Cup Skim Milk

Meal 6: Cheerios, 1 Cup Skim Milk

=========================

Chest Workout:

Flat Bench, 3 X 8 @ 235 lbs

Incline Dumbells, 3 X 8 @ 80 lbs

Decline Dumbells, 3 X 8 @ 95 lbs

Cable Flys, 2 X 8 @ 80 lbs

Back Workout:

Bent Over Barbell Rows: 3 X 10 @ 155 lbs

Seated Rows: 3 X 10 @ 150 lbs

Lat Pulls:  3 X 8 @ 180 lbs

Shrugs, Smith Machine: 3 X 12 @ 315 lbs

Shrugs, Dumbell: 3 X 12 @ 120 lbs

~~~ New Stats ~~~

• Weight: 195
• 5k Time: 25:22
• Max Pull Ups: 11
• Bench Press: 290
• Squat: 385
• Bent Over Row: 205

Here we go!

On another note, I weighed today and was at 206.  I’m getting closer and closer to dropping below the 200 lb mark, and I can’t wait to get there!

After a bit of small talk, we followed Ross outside where he led the way.  As we started running, it was apparent that Ross wasn’t playing any games as he quickly ran ahead of the pack.  Around the 2 1/2 mile point, we approached a very large hill along side of LeFlure’s Bluff – the same hill of doom that I went up during the MS Blues Marathon.  My 8:30 pace quickly turned to 9:30 as I struggled up the incline.  The last mile was tough, as I was very tired.  Brandon eventually caught up with me and finished slightly ahead.  My final pace was 8:54 for 4.12 miles  .

All in all it was a good challenging run.  I’ll be looking forward to the next one!

During the week before the race, an Arctic front dipped into the US, causing some of the coldest weather that Jackson, MS has seen in decades – and I got to run in it!

On race day, I woke up at an untypical early time of 4:30.  After a shower, a small breakfast, and a few stretches, I put on my gear and left to pick up my wonderful friend Kristi.  She was kind enough to brave the cold with me and make sure I didn’t lose my mind.  At the start line I met Ross and Mary Catherine Stone, Matthew Manning, as well as a few other friends.

Then the race began.  For the first 5K, I struggled to stay on a good pace.  The herd of runners around me was something I was definitley not used to, but I soon found my pace and started to really enjoy the run.  After about 5 miles, the rolling hills of Belhaven challenged my calves.  After a few mental adjustments, I actually began to speed up a bit at this point, and passed several people.  Around mile 9, the course turned back and I was faced with a good 3/4 mile up hill along LeFluers Bluff state park.  This hill was probably the toughest part of the race, and I was glad to get up it – But as I approached the top, my stomach began to seriously not agree with me.  At mile marker 10, I found a empty port-a-poty and took a necessary 2-3 minute bathroom break.  Afterward, I made the last 5k without issue and finally crossed the finish line.

Final Time: 2:09:56

Mississippi Blues Marathon

All and all, I was pleased to finished in under 10 minute miles.  It was all a lot of fun and I hope to do it again next year, hopefully in temperatures > 18 degrees!

~~~Current~~~~

• Weight: 210
• 5k Time: 27:00
• Max Pull Ups: 6
• Bench Press: 270

~~~ April 1st, 2010 Numbers ~~~

• Weight: 190
• 5k Time: 25:00
• Max Pull Ups: 12
• Bench Press: 280

I don’t anticipate making a ton of strength gains – much of the muscle and strength that I currently have are all left overs from my senior year of College (2005) where I had about a 320 bench and could do almost as many pull ups as I can now (4 or 5).  My weight goal of 190 will be the lightest I’ve been since 8th grade of High School, so that’s a big part of my overall goal.

Good luck to me!

We will see how this goes, as I’m notorious for starting things and never following through.