All the Zoodles: An Unsolicited Review of the Kitchen Basics Spiral Vegetable Slicer

Posted on April 15, 2014 by theffkid

I guess I should start this post with the statement that I am not a vegetarian (If the moon was made of spare ribs, I would eat it), I am not vegan (diary is delicious bliss in any form…except cottage form), nor am I a paleo (I am not a Flinstone), but I am a guy trying to lose weight who loves to try different kinds of food. That’s why after almost everyone I knew became obsessed with spaghetti squash and zucchini (colloquially known as zoodles) (fun fact: I actually can’t pronounce “colloquially.” It’s really weird.) I had to give them a shot!

A while back, Megan and I made this killer baked spaghetti squash and cheese recipe from SkinnyTaste so we knew that we liked the taste and the texture which wasn’t as big of a jump for your palate as you might expect. Last week, it felt like my Twitter feed was clogged up with zoodle recipes and Tweets about how easy and delicious it was to make. Even the Huffington Post wrote an article about it! So, I took to the interwebs on the hunt to find the right spiral slicer. After reading a few reviews and avoiding the As Seen on TV model, I went with the Kitchen Basics Spiral Vegetable Slicer. It had the best reviews and it was on sale when I bought it.

How do I like it, you ask? WELL KEEP READING, SON!

First of all, it’s essentially a pencil sharpener.
There is a cap that goes on the end of your vegetable of choice, but I found it easier just to grab it and turn. It’s in an hourglass shape so as your turn the veggie, it cores on the other side. You don’t have to apply a lot of pressure either! Even the skin of the veggie is easy to get through. I would also make sure to cut off the ends and cut off any blemishes if needed.
This is all I got from one squash…
and this is what I got from a pretty big zucchini!
This time, we only did two veggies which ended up being more than enough for the two of us. Since most of it was just a giant strand of vegetable deliciousness, I gave it a rough chop to before I put it in the pan.
I had seen a couple of different ways to cook up the veggies if you want them to be like spaghetti. While I think about of people boil them, I just added a little olive oil and sliced garlic into the pan on medium to high heat. Pretty soon, they started to sweat and pretty much saute.
It took them about 4-5 minutes to get soft. A LOT of water came out so it would be smart to drain them before serving.
AND HERE’S THE FINISHED PRODUCT!
When it was cooking, I whipped (opened) up a simple spaghetti sauce for a topping and we dug in.
The result? Delciousness!
Megan said it best though; “pasta” made this way is not really a substitute for your typical grain/carbtastic pasta. It’s really a dish of its own. Now that we have this nifty gadget, I can’t wait to put it to good use! The possibilities are endless…and delicious!

Do you have a veggie slicer?
How do you like it?
Any good recipes to pass along?

Trying to Get it All Aligned

Posted on April 6, 2014 by theffkid

“When the mooooooooooooon is in the seventh house
and Jupiterrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr lines with Mars…“

Wait…that’s not what I mean…

You hear it all the time “get fit in the gym, lose weight in the kitchen.” While I have fought with this notion for a long time, I’ve seen how true it really is through out my weight loss journey. With that, it’s been easy to have one component of that statement down and have the other one completely lopsided.When I lost my first 100 pounds, my eating was at the forefront of this journey. Sure I worked out, but making smart decisions helped peel off the weight. Some time after that, I lost sight of that. I got caught up in the fitness side a little too much and it seemed to throw me off because I didn’t know how to refuel properly with my eating. Then, I started training for my first half marathon which kind of put my weight loss dead in the water because, contrary to popular belief, you don’t always lose weight when you train for long distance races like half marathons. So right now, I’m not training for a specific race. I’ve put on about 15 pounds since December so I want to get that off ASAP to get my weight loss momentum going.

Since I’ve been working out regularly, usually a combination of running and circuit training classes 3-5 times a week, I feel awesome and actually strong for the first time in close to forever. In the past, I’ve been quick to beat myself up when I want to go work out in the “bro den” (the part of the gym that has free weights, benches, awkward grunting) because I don’t feel like I belong. But how can I make progress if I don’t work out in there? (I’m going to talk about more on that in a post I’m working on. Stay tuned.) Anyway, the point is that good things are happening. After working out regularly like this for the past ten weeks, it would be really hard to stop. I just love it too much!

So now that I’m in such an awesome place with my fitness, I’m really working to change my eating. I’m eating fruits and veggies like they’re going out of style and I’m incredibly intentional about drinking water (#alltheclearpee).

But I’m not perfect…
Can I still pound down a bag of potato chips? Yessir.
Do I hoard candy sometimes like those spoiled brats in Willie Wonka? Sure do.
But…Do I immediately regret it? Now more than ever.

I really hate that feeling of regret after a mini-binge, so I’ve been trying to combat that with just abstaining as much as I can. I tell myself that I won’t miss it in 5 minutes because all they are are just impulses. For example, we walked by a cupcake store in Tallahassee and I thought I really wanted one.

I knew I had two options:
1) Keep walking and go on with my day
or
2) Go in, spend money on a dessert that I’m generally kind of ambivalent towards, and then sulk because I could have spent those Weight Watchers points on bacon.

So, I’m making progress with my eating! I really feel like I’m on the verge of everything lining up for some serious weight loss awesomeness.

Speaking of weight loss…

I lost 2.8 pounds this week! After losing 3 pounds or so two weeks ago, I gained it back last week. (Between kidney stones and traveling, the MacDonalds have been a little cray…) This week, I wasn’t perfect at all. In fact (and if you try to troll me on this, so help me…) I had McDonald’s for the first time since we’ve lived in Tallahassee. I drove to Jacksonville twice this week and I really needed some coffee and breakfast. So, I had an Egg McMuffin and a hash brown. It was 12 points. I counted it and I moved on. I also ate at Hardee’s for breakfast one day and I counted it too. So I wasn’t perfect, but I counted my points and I exercised to bring balance to the Weight Watchers force. This past week was once again proof that when you count regardless and exercise, everything will fall into place.

First Weigh In Post In A While

Posted on March 23, 2014 by theffkid

Soooooooo…

This used to be a thing. Back in the days of yore when I would post daily in a food journal format, I would also post my weigh ins on Sundays. Since I’ve made some changes to the format (call it, FFK 2.0) I have stopped doing that. Why? A healthy cocktail of laziness, poor time management and just being exhausted sometimes. I really liked posting weight (no really) because it gave me some accountability through out the week.

Then…life got cray.

We joined WW in July and after that, I had my weight in my app for internal keeping. I would post it occasionally, but it wasn’t consistent. Then my new job also got cray and my weighing just went on the back burner. Going in to Weight Watchers on Saturday mornings to find out I had gained was like a guiltier version of church. At WW, it felt like I had to care that I was gaining and losing, but I was just too exhausted to care. But that’s all in the past! Now, I’m back to my trusty scale that has seen me through it all. I finally feels like my weight loss is aligning back to how it once was.

So on to this week…

So this week, I was pretty good! I tracked the majority of my points and I exercised a lot. For the first time in almost ever, I was smart with my snacking! I packed low point snacks and was sure to throw in a lot of fruits and veggies too!

I wasn’t sure if it was going to translate on the scale, but I realized that there was no use worrying about it. Regardless of the number, I knew that I has established some great habits that are serving as a foundation towards successful weight loss!

#FFKWIN

So it all paid off!

I was shocked this morning when I got on the scale! I mean, yeah I was good for most of the week, but I also ate a lot of pizza on Monday night and on Friday night we made massive burgers topped with poblano peppers and guacamole (#yum) so it easily could have gone another way. But the rest of my week was in check, giving room to actually use my weekly points for what they are intended to be used for!

So today I was a little over my points. Megan and I made some delicious red beans and rice (check out a delicious NSFWW (Not Safe For Weight Watchers) photo here) that wasn’t entirely WW friendly, but the rest of our week is planned out. No matter what the scale says next week, I’m definitely on the right track!

In other news, my bracket is…

~~broken~~

~~fractured~~

~~busted~~

~~demolished~~

~~shattered~~

~~disintegrated~~

~~mutilated~~

eviscerated.

How about you?

Grief And Eating

Posted on March 19, 2014 by theffkid

During the month of March, I have been doing this awesome photo a day that is put on by blogger Fat Mum Slim. While the posts are generally lighthearted in nature, Day 18 caused me to look back on a very challenging time in my life that exposed a lot of my personal demons with eating and the importance put on it.

In the week of March 18, 2009, Megan and I were the leaders for a spring break mission trip to Boulder, Colorado to help serve the vast homeless population in that area. Our group left Abilene incredibly excited with a fire for service that was stronger than any other trip I had been on. We stopped in Amarillo for the night and when we all got situated in our hotel, I got a call from my Dad. I just figured he had called to talk about the trip. Nothing major. I walked out in to the hallway and answered. He had gotten a call from a family friend regarding two of my closest friends, Travis and Rachel Joiner. My Dad said something had happened to Rachel, but I didn’t quite understand what he was saying. At first, I thought they had just been in a car accident, but nothing serious. Then, what he actually said came through clearly: they had both been murdered by Rachel’s deranged ex-boyfriend. I immediately dropped to the floor and sobbed. I sat in the hallway of that hotel for what felt like hours. Eventually, Megan came out to see what was the matter and we just sat and cried.

“Where do I go from here?” I thought. “How am I going to lead this group after this?”

After a night of anger and mourning, I woke up and we kept driving. The rest of the group knew about what had happened, but we didn’t talk about it. Instead, I tried to keep up the goofy and funny Nathan persona, but inside I was empty.

The first few days of the trip were fine, but then I got a call from my Dad. Travis’ family wanted me to be a pallbearer. I remember my Dad calling me while I was driving and I told him that I couldn’t talk. That was the end of that conversation. I knew that it wasn’t feasible to fly to a town of 1,900 people in the middle of west Texas. I knew that I was a leader of this trip and I needed to guide our group. I knew that if I stayed in Colorado, I wouldn’t have to deal with the grief I was burying inside.

I didn’t really know how to handle my grief at that time in my life. What I quickly realized was that I handled it like I did with everything else in my life: with eating. I tried to eat as much as possible to fill that void in my heart. I did everything I could to just not be sad. For me, that was eating out with the group. When we finally got back from Colorado, the eating didn’t stop. I kept eating to make the hurt just go away. But the more I ate, the worse I felt. It was a vicious cycle that I couldn’t control. I was on the border of completely losing control of my life.

I eventually went down to see Travis and Rachel’s family a little more than a year later. About six weeks before we moved to Tallahassee. It gave me the amount of closure, but I still carry a certain amount of hurt and I really don’t know if it will ever go away.

I can’t really sugarcoat this post or try to tie it up with some inspirational message. Frankly, that’s not the point of this post. I would like to think that through the challenges I endured that year have made me a stronger person. That they somehow have gotten me through, or will get me through, some other dark times in my life. What I do know is that this is something I don’t usually talk about. I obviously don’t go in to detail about this all the time. Really, this was the first time I’ve written out my thoughts about what had happened. Five years later, I really needed that. Thank you for listening and for being such a special community that I can share this with. I love you all.

Some New Ambassadorships and Other Awesomeness

Posted on March 14, 2014 by theffkid

HELLO PEOPLE WHO LIKE TO READ!

I’ve always been weary of saying “it’s been so long since I’ve posted,” but…well…it’s been so long since I’ve posted. So much so that I don’t even know where to begin.

Well, I guess I’ll start with this: SXSWEDU WAS AWESOME!!! I’m planning on doing a full recap in the near future, but I think the fortune I got while I was driving down to Austin from my parents’ house describes it pretty well. Since I’m kind of a fortune cookie fanatic, I actually had two other additional fortunes that described the trip really well: “A visit to a strange place will bring you a renewed perspective” and “getting together with old friends bring new perspective.” I was a little freaked out how accurate they ended up being.

Anyway, between driving through an ice storm on the way to Austin, having a flat tire outside of Austin, and having Delta randomly cancel my flight, it was quite the adventure. It was also a great time with my family, some close friends, and to come back with some great ideas and concepts to incorporate in to my work at Florida State.

Oh yeah, and I ate a ton of BBQ. But more on that in my recap post.

In other news…

I have two really cool announcements to share with you! I’m an official ambassador for two ridiculously awesome groups!

Back in the fall, I had applied for an ambassadorship for Fitfluential, a worldwide online community of health enthusiasts that works and partners with some of the top fitness brands. I really didn’t know if it was going to happen, but it did! I’m so stoked! I’m excited to hear more about what all the ambassadorship entails.

The other awesome ambassadorship is with this hilarious and cool group called imfitpossible. Their description of what they look for in an ambassador was soooooo me “We are looking for creative, positive, enthusiastic people, who don’t take themselves too seriously and want to join a real, social, fun community.” Well… at least I have the “people who don’t take themselves too seriously” part down pretty well. On the right is what they put on Instagram this evening after it was announced that I was in. It was easily the best introduction anyone has ever given me. (In case you were wondering, the poop reference is graphically explained here. And the whole mustache thing is explained here.)

So with these two ambassadorships I get two things I need/want right now. The first, is an encouragement to write. Both come with the opportunity for product reviews and stuff like that, but I’m Fit Possible requires a writing an original post every 4-6 weeks which is going to be a lot of fun. Second, both communities come with an awesome level of accountability. I came back from Austin with a new desire to exercise and to count my points. I feel like that accountability is going to keep the fitness train going!

So in conclusion: awesomeness is on the horizon. Stay tuned.

What Would Stephen Do?

Posted on February 24, 2014 by theffkid

I’ve never met Stephen Pagano.
I don’t know his whole life story or what his voice sounds like.

Like most of the fitness bloggers and personalities I “know”, I’ve taken bits and pieces from posts, Tweets and Instagram photos to craft what I know about them.

But when it comes to Stephen and his story, the numbers say plenty.

A few years ago, Stephen weighed 600 pounds and was only 5′ 6″. Like a lot of us, he had struggled with his weight for the majority of his life. In a 2013 Huffington Post article about him, he felt that his breaking point was when he started riding an electric cart around the grocery store. That’s when he knew he needed to make a change and then decided to change his approach to food.

Eventually, Stephen decided to join Weight Watchers and this weekend, he hit a pretty epic milestone…After running the Gasparilla 5k in the Tampa area on Saturday in under an hour (a goal of his), he weighed in on Sunday at Weight Watchers and recorded a 5.6 pound loss, which not only put him under 300 pounds, he hit the milestone of losing more than 300 pounds!!! He is officially half the man he used to be! HOW FREAKIN’ AWESOME AND EPIC IS THAT???????

After I saw his post yesterday, I was thrilled, inspired, proud and myriad of other emotions all at once. All I could think about was how much determination it took for him to make such a dramatic change in his life. I also thought about all those little changes he had to make to get to where he is today. All the tracking and all the smart decisions that he might have seemed menial at the time, but they added up to something spectacular.

When I was working out yesterday, I was thinking about doing some cardio even though I was pretty tired.
When I was walking towards my locker, it hit me…what would Stephen do? I thought to myself “Stephen would probably do a little more work.” So I did. And now I have this mantra, this personal reminder, to keep the main goal in focus at all times.

Today, I avoided the candy jar in my bosses’ office (sorry I’ve been eating all of your candy, Antron.)

During my group exercise class after work, I pushed it harder than I have in a long time and I did extra reps each set.

I yelled “GET BEHIND ME, SATAN!!!!!” to a Girl Scout trying to sell me cookies.

(Okay, that last one didn’t happen…)

Even my grocery basket looked different when I went shopping! I picked out healthy snacks that are zero points with Weight Watchers like oranges and carrots instead of chips.

In a day, I have had a more positive outlook on my weight loss journey than I’ve had in three months! All because I thought about Stephen Pagano, a person I’ve never met.

I have no clue if Stephen and I will ever meet. But even if me viewing his weigh-in post is the only interaction I have with him, it has made a massive impact on my own journey when I truly needed some inspiration. And that’s what makes this online weight loss community so amazing.

I know this isn’t the end of his journey, but I hope he knows he has another cheerleader rooting for him who he inspires to think about the little things in during his journey.
Thanks for being awesome, Stephen.

Controlling the Foodie Beast Within: The Nathan MacDonald Story

Posted on February 20, 2014 by theffkid

It makes your skin crawl.
Your insides squirm. The hair on your back raises when you hear it calling.
You try to shake the feeling, but you are powerless.
Then you can’t take it anymore.
You yell into the dark night…

“I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE! I… MUST… HAVE… LOCALLY-MADE ARTISAN CHEESES AND GRASS-FED BEEF WITH ROOT VEGETABLES FROM THE FARMERS MARKET!!!!!”

Wait…what?

How many points is burnt cheese from a Lean Cuisine?

You see, my diet, like most Americans who are trying to lose weight, is at times stale and lifeless. During the week, my lunches consist of some nuked-up concoction of sodium and carbs with a few pieces of some chicken-like protein throw in. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to get jazzed about a Lean Cuisine on a Thursday when you’ve eaten the same thing every day. At that point, you’re ready for something different. Something…you might not always count or track…

It’s no secret that I’m kind of a food snob. Ironically, I didn’t hone in my food snobbery or my killer BBQ skills until years into my weight loss journey. (Here’s a photo of a brisket I smoked last month. I carry a photo of it in my wallet like it’s my child.) Probably because pre-weight loss, I would just eat anything and in large quantities. But with this great power, comes the need for greater willpower. How can I control this foodie beast inside that craves rich a delicious food, you ask? Well, for the past few months, I haven’t. It wouldn’t be as much of an issue if I would control my portions, but that’s a whole issue of it’s own that I’m dealing with.

I guess my biggest problem is that when you are on the go for so much of your week (like your average young professional/doctoral student power couple are), it’s easy to lust (yes, lust) after the idea of a meal that took longer than 3 minutes to make in the microwave. But it’s more than the food, it’s having the time to sit down with your significant other and talk and enjoy a meal at a table, not a desk. Since I think of it in that context, it’s hard for me not to want to make the most of those meals and experiences.

What I’m realizing now is that I need balance. I mean, Megan and I still make a TON of delicious and recipes from websites like Skinnytaste, but sometimes a rich cheese and meat plate just sounds better. Thankfully with Weight Watchers, this balance can exist. The flex points are there for those meals where you want to indulge (but not cheat) within reason. However, they are only really there if you actually count. This next week, I’m going to bat for perfection. I’m going to try to count my points as closely as possible. Not so I’ll see a loss on the scale, but for a gain of control on my eating. It’s important for me because the week after, I’m going to my personal food mecca: Austin, where BBQ and Tex-Mex flow freely, for an entire week for SXSWedu. I am well aware of the challenges that delicious trip will bring, but I also know that I have the opportunity to make a healthy choice wherever I go.

I’m treating this approach as an exercise and a test in my self control. I really don’t know what the end result will be. But I feel that it will make myself be even more judicious with my points and the decisions I make.

What do you think about this approach to Weight Watchers? Does this seem feasible?
Am I crazy?
Have you taken this approach? If so, how did it go?

‘Biggest Loser’ Winner Rachel Frederickson Admits She May Have Gone Too Far

Posted on February 12, 2014 by theffkid

Interesting update to Rachelgate2014. At least she admitted that she might have taken her regimen a little too far. Hopefully she truly believes that and is not just saying it to save face. Thoughts?

(You can check out my original response to the Biggest Loser finale here.)

Weigh In And My Rough Patch

Posted on February 11, 2014 by theffkid

A week ago, my blog post about Rachel Frederickson and the Biggest Loser went viral like a boss. I ended up with 5,177 views, which blew my puny 90 views the day before out of the water. Well that was pretty cool :).

After the Tallahassee Half, my weight was up. Really up. So it wasn’t really the best time to weigh in. I was up to 251.6. Yikes. Haven’t seen a five in a long time. I knew that number was going to come down, but truth be told, I was terrified that it wasn’t going to go back down.

So instead of tucking my head in the sand like I have been, I was proactive about my eating habits, specifically at night which is when my eating is at it’s worst. I started off with a good breakfast and a sensible lunch with free snacks like carrots in between. For dinner: a simple protein like chicken or steak (yes, steak) and as many veggies as possible. One night, we made this delicious beef and broccoli stir fry recipe from Cooking Light (check it out here!). I would finish my dinner with some chamomile tea for desert.

Simple enough of a day right? Sure, at least for the first day. The second day was a struggle and the third day was ended with shoveling down pepperoni pizza. My habits and will power feel like they are back to square one sometimes and that’s frustrating for how long/how far I’ve come along in this journey. (Don’t worry, I’m getting to the happier part…)

So after struggling those days with a few wins thrown in here and there, I was on my way to Disney to see my family! Hooray family! As most of us know, eating on vacation can be tricky. You have to go in with a pretty strict mindset if you want to keep your head above water. That’s exactly what I did. I picked grilled chicken over burgers, I drank a lot of water and coffee, I was conscious of what I was eating when we went to Ohana’s (Google and marvel at the deliciousness) and I ordered a fruit plate instead of ordering my favorite artery-clogging three meat breakfast platter at one of my favorite breakfast places. Oh, and I walked a bazillion miles! (You burn calories from screaming on roller coasters right?) I left Orlando with a feeling of a win under my belt. It was a good feeling knowing that I didn’t completely undo the work I had put in during the week. So on Monday, I weighed in at 245.8 which was a 5.8 pound loss. I’m happy and relieved with that number, but I know that there is a lot more to go. I’m sick of seeing a four instead of a three or a two. It’s hard to feel like I’m losing control which makes every meal harder and every decision a little tougher. All I can think about is eating and deciding what to eat. Then when I go to eat, I order nachos (head thump). It takes a lot of my energy which just sucks. I know I’m over-thinking this whole process because at the bottom line the process is simple: eat less, drink water, exercise, be patient.

That’s where I am. I know I’m in a bit of a rough patch, but I’m ready to just move on from here.

Have you been in a rough patch like what I’m talking about? How did you break through that funk? Advice is welcome and encouraged.

Meeting Bart Yasso and Tallahassee Half Marathon Recap

Posted on February 3, 2014 by theffkid

Hello!

Can you believe that it’s already February? It really puts in to perspective that time flies ~~when you’re having fun~~ whether you like it or not. January had a lot of high points, along with a lot of low points. But I’m not going to get in to that right now. The important thing is that I’m back on the upswing and I’m making slow progress on a lot of levels.

And with that, let’s talk about this epic weekend.

The last time I had ran before the Half on Sunday was Jan. 4th. Almost 30 days. I had done a lot of cross training, but not a solid run. So needless to say I was pretty nervous about this race because I knew I could have easily A) injured myself B) not finish or C) Both…because I had spontaneously combusted. I had every intention of running, but I didn’t make the time for it like I should have.

MEETING BART YASSO

Bart talking about a crazy race where he was tied to a donkey. Yes, that’s a thing apparently.

That leads us into Saturday, the day of the race expo. Even though I had been to the race expo last year, I felt incredibly insecure like I didn’t belong. Fun fact: sometimes fit people terrify me. Since I’ve gained this extra weight, I have felt incredibly uneasy at times and it’s been frustrating. All I knew was that one of my running heroes, Runner’s World’s Bart Yasso, was going to speak at the expo. A while back, I read his book My Life on the Run and it was incredibly inspiring to see the life-changing impact the sport of running had made on his life. It was oddly relatable to me because even before I started trying to lose weight, I loved running. My true journey really began on the treadmill at Anytime Fitness in Abilene, Texas. I remember going for an hour on it at a solid 3.5 mph while watching the Texas Rangers on the TV. It was hard, but I kept at it. Soon, I started running outside and then eventually, my first 5k. You see, your transformation doesn’t always start when you think it does. Sure I got my eating in order on 9/18/10, but I had already started to build a foundation of fitness about a year prior. For Bart, it was the transition from being addicted to drugs and alcohol to becoming a runner whose new drug was marathons and evangelizing for the sport of running across the globe.
Anyway, Bart got up and started his talk with three consistencies of the successful runners he knows/works with. They slow down on their long runs, go easy (surprisingly easy) on their easy runs, and they avoid injury at all costs (which I know some a unavoidable like tripping and running into parked cars, but you get the idea) which really all of those make a lot of sense. He went on to talk about some of the crazy races he’s ran like a marathon in Antarctica, a naked run in Spokane, Washington, and even the insanly baller Badwater Ultra in Death Valley that actually finishes on the top of Mt. Whitney, the tallest mountain in the Lower 48. He finished his talk with “never limit where running can take you” which is absolutely true. It was amazing just to hear him talk while staying incredibly humble about it all. It was truly inspiring. After his talk, I went up to him, asked him to sign my book, and took a photo with him. Pretty awesome guy. He actually ran the Half too and I shook his hand again after the race. Pretty awesome guy.

HALF MARATHON RECAP

Brian and I at the starting line. Too excited for our own good.

So like I said earlier, I was pretty worried about this race. My game plan was to just go out there, set a reasonable pace, and let instincts do the rest. I knew that a PR was lofty so I was going to just enjoy the run.
The morning was foggy, but cool. In Florida, foggy usually means an incredibly humid day, which meant this race could really suck. Luckily, my buddy Brian was also running the race so we ran together. I’ve kind of been a lone wolf when it comes to running, so it was nice to have some company! The race started promptly at 7:30 am and we were off. Last year, I started off waaaaaay too fast. My first mile last year was a blitzing 8:39. This year: 10:03…and it definitely played in to my favor. We kept a really solid pace for the first 4 miles together. We kind of did our own thing from then on. I saw a lot of work friends and friends from church along the course which was really encouraging. Around mile 10, I felt awesome, but I did the math in my head and figured that I probably wasn’t going to PR. So, I just enjoyed the last couple of miles. It turned out to be a beautiful morning on one of my favorite trails. That all came to a halt in the last half mile around campus. My legs started to feel like lead and each step was harder than the last. I finally reached the last .1 that went around the track where the finish line was. That is when my calves started to cramp up a little, which was awesome because last year they started cramping around mile 9.
I finished at 2:20:59 which is still a pretty awesome time. I felt waaaaaay better at the finish line compared to last year. I actually enjoyed this half. Why, because I paced myself a lot better this time. I kept thinking about that scene in Home Improvement when Tim and Bob Vila raced their muscle cars. Tim had the opportunity to beat Bob if he had pushed his car a little harder, but he know that if he did, the car that he had been working on for years would blow up. Instead, he held off to race another day. I thought a lot about how I essentially stopped running until October last year after burning myself out on such a brutal half. After a much needed rest day today, I could definitely run a few miles tomorrow and be okay. I’ve learned a lot from this half and I’m ready to start training for another one soon!

Here are a few more photos from the weekend. Enjoy!