-2 degrees plus a wind chill (How cold is that?)

I got up early this morning to run because it was the only time during the day that I would have. Susan has an all day training event for a volunteer charity she is working with so I'll have Anna all day - she can take Paul with her. She'll be home by 3:30 - but MSU plays Illinois in basketball at 4:00. I always make time in my day to watch the Spartans :)

It was cold, windy, and snowing this morning. I ended up running about 2.2 miles. I didn't really have a plan. I knew that I wanted to run at least 1.5 miles but I guess the survival instinct came on and I ran back to my street corner. My eyelids were just about frozen open, and I had icicles hanging from by eyebrows and eyelashes. My fingers were a little cold too - but the rest of my body was comfortable. I didn't see one person or even one car. It's a great feeling to know that you are up and about while others may never get a chance or the will to get about all day.

Added some weight training to the routine this week - that will also help build some muscle and raise the metabolism.

Biggest Loser

I am part of a local "Biggest Loser" contest. It's run through the school and it's for partners - so I signed up with my friend Lisa. She is a runner also and is training for a marathon in March. We both packed on some pounds over the holidays and will use this as motivation to run and get healthy.

As part of my bible readings, I came across the excerpt -

Proverbs 3:7-8 : Don't be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.

It seems appropriate for the changes I am looking to achieve!

Cold As Ice

Wow - it's cold out today. Just finished a mile run followed by a mile walk/cool down. It didn't take long to cool down. The legs felt much better today but it was a little bit difficult catching my breath in the cold air. It's supposed to get colder, may have to find a place to run indoors or get the old treadmill operating.

Shamrock Shuffle

I was just discussing what race I should shoot for to stay motivated - and guess what? Today I received an e-mail about Chicago's Shamrock Shuffle on Sunday, March 29th. It was forwarded to me because of my participation in the Chicago Marathon. It's also sponsored by Bank of America and the 8k course uses parts of the Marathon course. It's $40 and the cost of travel (hotel, gas, parking, etc). I'll have to review my options, but that could be the motivation and reward that I was looking for. I also reviewed the Irish Jig 5k and that race is on Saturday, March 21st- which would be a perfect warm-up for the 8k race!

Weight Watcher

I started using the Weight Watcher program this past Monday. It works great for me and it's easy to use. I ran again today - 2min run, 1min walk for 20 minutes. It was snowing outside and a little slick underneath, but I made it - about two miles total if you count the cool down walk after the 20 minutes. I'm not sure what my goal is yet for a race. I'm sure I won't run the 25k Riverbank Run again - it's a little too late to get into the training for that, but maybe the 10k. I think I'm also going to push for the Irish Jig 5k race in Grand Rapids - that's definitely doable and it's a race that I've wanted to run for some time.

About my yesterdays

I'm sure I won't be the only one starting a new blog about a new year commitment to change - but this will be my first blog ever and hopefully this will keep me accountable. The concept of changing mind, body, and soul only begins by reflecting on the past. First, I'm a 36-year old husband of Susan (8 years) and father of two beautiful children, Anna (2) and Paul (5 months). Those three are the main motivations of change.

I've been running for just over 5 years now. I have run a couple of 25k road races and even ran the 2008 Chicago Marathon (5:36). I have hardly run since - a couple of short runs, a 5k in Wyandotte, Michigan on November 22nd, and my last run was on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Until today - I laced up the shoes and could barely run a mile. Wow, just three months ago I finished the Chicago Marathon and now I can barely run a mile. I've only gained eight pounds since the Marathon, but the clothes are tighter, the fat has come back, and all that muscle has been pretty much lost. Sad. I need to renew my commitment to be healthy. That's the change the "body" part.

I've also been a member of my church since confirmation and attend regularly. I consider myself a Christian and have accepted Christ as my savior. I still falter quite a bit, don't read the bible regularly, and have a yearning to develop a closer relationship with God and his son Jesus Christ. I just picked up a couple of books from Borders - one is a daily worship devotional and the other is a 365 day bible. That's the change the "soul" part.

Last, I've achieved goals in the past (running a marathon, financial discipline, weight loss), but I've never been good at maintaining. I stop working out, eat more, spend money, etc. This blog is my hope to keep me accountable to myself - and I'm also inviting friends here to help. That's the change the "mind" part.

I'll revisit yesterday in future blogs, spend some time on today, and work toward a better tomorrow. Until next time...