Half of Phil

The summer heat is here with a vengeance lately!!  Last weekend we were in the upper 90s and man it was hot.  The kids wanted to go to the pool so I spent several hours holed up under some shade while they played around in the water.  We did get some work done around the house.  I'm working mortaring in our rock edging around the house.  Hopefully I can get finished this next weekend. We got an invite to do a 5k for free a couple weekends ago and I got a new PR. I'm confident I can make my goal for under 35 min before the end of the year.  This run was tough with the hills and the heat, so if I can keep up the running I'll get there for sure.  I placed 4th in my age group, the boy was 2nd overall and first for his age group. The mergers for our kids sports clubs are evening out and look like they will be fine.  My son ended up on a different team this year, but is very excited about the possibility of a winning season.  I'm excited a...

This weekend we are supposed to be in the mid-90s all weekend which is more typical of May weather than what we've had lately.  We've had a nice spring this year. I've been hitting up 9round more consistently and running a couple times a week.  Weight loss is still stalled for the last several months.  I met with my health coach this week, she said stay the course and not to worry too much. It's been hella stressful at work the last few months and crazy with the kids and schedules.  We are in somewhat sports limbo for both kiddos this year, both of the kids clubs are merging with others in the area.  This of course could merely mean different colors for their competitions or completely different experiences and team assignments.  We don't know and won't until it all shakes down over the next month or so.  It's crazy and frustrating.  At times I want to pull the kids from the programs and not buy into the crazy money scheme that is kids athleti...

Photos help a lot to show progress and keep up the motivation.  When you see yourself in the mirror every morning and generally naked you don't always notice the vast difference a few years makes.  Which I'm sure is why these types of memes are so popular: A few weeks ago scrolling through facebook I came across this photo and thought wow!!!  I've posted the photo below along with one in a similar sized 5x shirt I still have.  Apparently I purged the original one which in and of itself is shocking. I also took another 8th grade basketaball shorts picture.  I'm down about 30 lbs between the 2017 pic and the 2019 one. I'd say I'm down close to 100 from the original in 2016.  Overall my weight loss is stalled around 155 lbs overall loss.  I've been hanging around 275 for quite a while. I have to keep a couple things in mind with the weight loss stall, overall I'm in the best shape of my life.  I walked my 3.3 mile loop this morning i...

I finished our April 5k.  I'd set a goal to 'run', well at least for me, the entire distance and I met that goal.  My pace time by the timer is off from the Cupid 5k in Feb, but I really think I went faster, the distance on my fitbit tracker was 3.25 miles versus just at 3 for the Cupid track. The next race we are signed up for is toward the end of June.  So I've got some time to keep getting better prior to it. We are headed to the beach and DC over the next couple weeks.  Spring Break is next week.  It's almost been 3 years since I began this journey so I'm hoping to do a bigger update for my next entry.  We'll see how work and life in general work for that.  For now I'm just happy to check in that I've kept the course and I'm keeping on even if additional weight isn't coming off. Next committed update 4/30

Spring is in full swing for our family.  2 Soccer seasons in progress, short course swim season winding down and long course starting.  Spring Dance recital is right around the corner. And I've got a big BBQ comp coming up this weekend!  I'm looking forward to the BBQ comp to hopefully have some fun and relax some.  It's been stressful at work, it's layoff season but so far I've been safe and our group has as well.  Will be the theme of this year though apparently so time will tell.  It's a rough weekend for me since it's the anniversary of my friend Dan passing away.  Last weekend another guy I knew through coaching passed away from a heart attack.  Yesterday I went to his visitation and ended up getting a speeding ticket on the way from the funeral home to get the boy from one practice to go to the next. Seems the end of March is a tough time.  Hoping for a fun diversion and distraction. I did vest on the 14th of March though so that is...

I've been running more in the mornings I don't make it to 9round and some on the weekends.  I've been able to run/jog (ok brisk walk for lots of folks) the full 3.3 mile loop.  Most mornings I"m around 14ish min miles.  My hope and plan is that by doing this I can in the long run better my times for 5ks this year since I'll hopefully be able to go at a consistent pace rather than stopping to walk some.  Time will tell.  There's definitely an endorphine high from running.  I don't know that I'll get addicted to it, but you do feel better for a bit until you start to get sore at least.  It is a great sense of accomplishment though.  Weight loss is pretty much stalled, but that is to be expected, still staying the course tracking the food, more good decisions, less bad ones.  Keeping up the exercises and celebrating the weight I've lost and progress I've made.  Can't lose sight of the fact that I'm wearing smaller pants than I did in high ...

 My wife got me tickets to see Tommy Tomlinson's talk for WFAE and the Charlotte Library Foundation.  My trainer and friend from 9Round went with me.  We had a great time.  Got my book signed another brief moment of fame! I am doing the Harrisburg Bar Ba Brew  again this year with some CAD Brethren and soccer friends.  We are looking forward to a fun time.  I got a new smoker last week.  It's a huge gravity feed charcoal unit.  I am hoping to try it out next weekend prior to the competition. I've been running a couple days a week.  Our next 5k is a little over a month away. Weight loss is stalled I put on a few pounds the last few weeks but my clothes are fitting better, I bought some 42" pants from a lady a few months ago.  I started wearing those this week, they are still a little snug but fit pretty well.  Crazy to think about losing 18" in the waist! Next committed update is 3/14