Been a bit since I last wrote, so catching up is in order. My workouts are getting better by the week, I am up to a 7 minute running / 1 minute walk interval.  I am feeling good during and afterwards, a little sore, but no injures. It is tough not to go faster/longer, I know I would pay the price.  Just need to keep focus on building up my endurance and ability gradually.

I got my birthday present a bit early, a Garmin Forerunner 305. Unfortunately I have not tried it out yet, due to the weather(yeah I know excuses!) I really look forward to moving my running outside and using these neat device to its fullest.  Technology can be a great motivator and tool in training.  Once I get a chance to use it a few times I will post a small review on it.

To further motivate myself into becoming more fit, embrace a healthy lifestyle, and to become a better runner; I have registered for the the Riverbank 5k on May 9.  I cannot think of a better way for myself to achieve my fitness goals than to have a destination that is real.  Not to mention I had to pay entry fees to do this, so there is money on the line.

As further encouragement and a little accountability, my brother Pat is also going to run this also.  Since we have always been somewhat competitive with each other, failure is not an option.  Mostly me, since I have signed up, but I will be egging him on until he signs up.  So for both of us, getting into better shape and keeping up with the other is going to be a driving force.

I was hoping to get some time in this weekend at the gym or at the very least at home.  Saturday turned into a long day at the store and a reload of my home computer.  Sunday was busy also and by the time I started to think I had time to get some exercise in, it was 11:00pm.  So I instead opted for some sleep, which is important also.

I did not do anything crazy eating-wise, I had sensible amounts of food, and fairly healthy stuff too.  I think that is going pretty well, knowing how to control my appetite.  Overall, I have been adding more fruits, veggies, nuts, and lean mean into my meals.  So, no failure there this weekend.

Hopefully this will be a good week at the gym, I am positioning myself more and more into running, so that is going to be the direction and focus over the next few months.  Big reason is the Riverbank 5k coming up in May (88 days). But also after thinking about and read a Runners magazine I think that is a exercise that fits me well and will help me to achieve my health and fitness goals.

Since the end of December, I have been starting to workout and eat healthy on a pretty regular basis.  My goal has been to become healthier and be more active.  I figure that since I am entering my mid-thirties this year, it is a now or never proposition.

I have a few goals for this year, like running the Riverbank 5k,  having a easier time on the annual guys backpacking trip, and just become the fit guy I use to be.  So I am going to make a commitment to journal about my progress and thoughts on this life changing endeavor.

So to bring everyone up to date, I have been going to the gym at lunch and couple of weeks ago started doing some work on the treadmill.  Just walk/jogging cycles, but I have to start somewhere.  Today was not too bad, just a little soreness afterwards, and no shin splits(yeah!) I am currently doing this cycle: 5min warm-up walk, then jog 3minutes/walk 2 minutes for 25 minutes, followed up with a 5 minute cool down period.  I am going to do the same next week on Mon, Wed, Fri.  Tues and Thu I want to hit the strength machines.  Of course I am trying to figure out what to do over the weekend.

Weird thing is that I never really was ever into running. But all of a sudden after my time on the treadmill and reading more about running in general, I have found a liking to it.  That is a good sign, since you have to enjoy something to do it on a regular basis.

Another year has begun, with another round of ‘resolutions’ to be made. I never really was one to make a resolution on the Eve and probably never will.  I think in terms more of ongoing resolutions, what I want to change at the moment instead of waiting for a particular day to make the change. If I really get serious about making a change then I just do it.  Now I do have overall goals that I want to achieve and since I have started working toward those goals many would think I made a resolution on the Eve to do them.  Nope! But if anyone really wants to think that, then that is fine with me.

What I think is the most important is achieving those goals and not letting them fall by the wayside. Why set a goal and never complete them? Then that is simple a fashionable statement to make.  Such as ‘I want to lose weight’ or ‘quit smoking’. There are plenty of statistics one can google up and see that most of these resolution are never followed through.

2008 will be remember for so many life changing events for me and my family.  Myself and Brenda both had surgeries that have impacted our lives. My career in the manufacturing industry came to an abrupt halt when my employer of eight years closed their doors.  My second career in the Information Technology world gained a strong foothold with my new employment as a Network Administrator. This also was a year of change in my education as I start winding down my journey for a bachelors degree. I took more vacation time this year than I had in the previous five combined.  Camping, Hiking, Photography, and Guitars have reentered my life with plans to stay for the rest of my life.

Many events both large and small; came and went and affected my life this year.  I now look toward the new year with intrigue and wonder as many things are changing.  New president, economy faltering, and dreams for the new year await me. It will be interesting to see what I write here this time next year.

Mystery Science Theater 3000…Oh where to begin.  I had completely forgotten about this television show if not for a banner ad on some website out there.  You really have got to have a unique sense of humor to understand or even watch this show.  In case you have never seen it before, you are basically watching a show of a man and two robots watching a cheesy movie and making comments, jokes, and noises about the cheesy movie.  They are silhouetted on the bottom of screen like you are a movie theater.

I can remember seeing this show for the first time in the early nineties.  The cheesy movie they were poking at was called “Danger, Death Ray”.  I ended up rounding up some friends to watch the next episode and soon it became a ritual.  My sense of humor and even how I watch a movie with others can be traced back to this show.  Unfortunately, the show is no longer on, but like many shows a DVD collection is out there.  I am sure someday I will own it, but for now I can catch episodes on YouTube.

I am not saying this was my first time voting, but a sigh of relief from this long and very drawn out campaign. As many will say, it is not who you voted for, but the fact that you DID vote.  There is no other greater thing about being an American than the ability to voice your opinion on matters that will affect your neighborhood, town, state, nation, and world.

So who did I vote for?  I really do not think it matters who I voted for to anyone else.  I voted my concious on the items on the ballot.  I will have victories and defeat as far as who is elected and proposals that are passed or defeated.

Overall I think this election will change many things, from the course our nation is on to how campaigns are run.  We have turned a page and I think even entered a new chapter in our counties history.  As I write this, no one knows who is our next president.  But whoever it is he has great challenges ahead.

I remember back in the spring of 2008 hearing about a professor who was dying doing a series called “The Last Lecture”.  Fast foward several months and I am sitting in a class where the professor shows us a youtube video of this same professor, Randy Pausch, giving a commencement speech.  It was thought provoking and moving to hear him give a short speech to an outgoing class of graduates.

Later that night I decide to lookup some more on Randy Pausch and found the youtube video of the actual “Last Lecture” .  I sat there watching the one hour plus video and was really moved by what I heard.  It made me look at my past and current and god willing future.  I really encourage anyone to watch and listen to what he says, for this could effect you as it did me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

In this dawning of age of bandwidth-conscious ISPs, knowing how much you upload/download is become an issue. I myself really do not know how much bandwidth I do use at home.  Do I really need my current speed? Can I go with a slower connect? Do I really need a faster connection?

This is where this neat little tool comes in: BitMeter from codebox. Basically it monitors and reports back in a little graph on your desktop how much network traffic is coming and going from your PC.  There are also statistics that you can bring up to show daily, weekly, monthly usage.  There are also alerts that can be set for various events.  Overall not to bad for a free, little application.  I am sure there are other and possibly better similar applications out there.  But for now, this is my choice.