Rough week

This week has been rough and it is only wednesday morning. I haven't been running all week and I am beginning to feel horrible. I played golf yesterday and I played as though I had never played before. It was disgusting. Right now I am laying in the bed with my head hurting and severe pain in my neck and back- I think it is the way I slept on it but I can barely knowing move.  I took 4 ibuprofen a few minutes ago. I need to do running but if I can barely walk I am not going to push myself to run. I have church tonight so it will be a long day. Wednesday nights tend to be a 4hour ordeal for me since I ride the bus to pick up the kids. Wednesday nights are hard for me because I am not able to eat dinner with everyone at church due to my vegan lifestyle so I end up eating at 9:00 every Wednesday night. I am sorry that this post is so down. I am just struggling this week.  On the plus side I am down to 243 pounds. Only 43 more pounds and I will be at my goal. I can only  imagine what running will be like without all of this extra weight slowing me down. 7 minute mile maybe? Who knows but I have a long way to go. I will post on k y long run this past weekend very soon. I just have to get out of this funk first.

GET A LITTLE PEP IN YO' STEP

Do you ever wake up with a pep in yo' step? This morning was kind of like that. I will have to admit when that alarm went off at 5:00 I did not want to get up and go running!!! (yes that is 3 exclamation marks) But I always know in the back of my mind that I will feel better after my run, So I got up and headed out the door. Today I had 2 miles on the schedule. Since yesterday was a long day, Month end process at work, that was also quarter end. I was there until 5 and then I had class form 5:30 - 8. Mondays are always crazy because of the class thing going on and last night my dinner ended up being a few Pita Chips despite Juliet threatening to beat me. They are totally my favorite thing to eat, but not very good fuel for running the next morning. Those 2 miles this morning were a little difficult. Not too bad but tough.

I am pretty sure that Juliet was having a sugar high after eating her Lucky Charms this morning or else it was the sleep she has been getting since she got her recliner to sleep in. She was dancing and laughing and all kinds of stuff this morning which always makes me happy. I decided that I was going to make today great no matter what the circumstances. It is golf day how can it be a bad day?---- FORE

BABY BROWN

Baby Brown seems to be growing like a weed. I can now see the little kicks and punches being thrown when Juliet lays down. This kid is possibly going to be a Boxer or MMA fighter from the power it has. Juliet said this morning that the baby was dancing around as soon as she woke up and continued to say "I think we are in trouble with this one." I told her we are going to get paid back for all of the things that she did growing up. We wont have much to worry about the things that I did growing up because I was an angel haha. Hey this is my blog I can say what I want and you have to believe it. Like the commercial says "they can't put anything on the internet that isn't true"

NURSEY UPDATE

This past weekend we found a light for the nursery and it has been installed and is working. I also changed the light switch for it. We are getting close.

Things left to do:

• Paint the Ceiling
• Paint the Trim work
• 2nd coat of paint on the walls
• DONE and waiting for furniture

TRAINING UPDATE
Last Saturday I ran in a 10.2K in Warner Robins. It was both harder and easier than I expected. what I mean is my time was better than expected 1:06 for 6 miles. but if you think about it 6 miles does not equal 10.2km. At the end of the race a handful of us took a wrong turn and got the finish line coming the wrong direction. and ending up short or 6 miles. I was mad, mad at myself for not trusting my gut and turning with others when I knew it was too short. So immediately my logical mind kicked in and I got over it. I thought "I am only running in this thing to get my 6 mile training run" the problem was that I was short of my 6 miles. So I told Juliet that the could go to the car because I was going to get my training distance. So I ran through the parking lot until I reached my 6 miles. I was very sore afterwards and I seem to have pain in my hip (much like during my marathon) but it only hurts when I walk. It goes away when I run. Does that mean I should never walk again and maybe just run all the time? that would be weird at Walmart or somewhere. I have 2 miles tomorrow morning, Thursday and Friday and a long 7 mile run on Saturday. I am going to get that 7 miler done early so I can do other stuff the rest of the day.


THE GREAT REVEAL
This morning I did my running and came in got ready and ate breakfast. Juliet was getting ready so I sat down in the recliner and looked out at the backyard of course it was still dark so I couldn't really see anything. I had a sense of peace. I think this is the first moment I have slowed down in a while. It is strange to think about how I am always on the go. Either work, School, House work, Yard work, Golf, Church, running, Sleeping, etc.... the list goes on and on. So anyway I sat there and stared out into the darkness and began to think about this post. I thought about how God has provided for me. I began to think about where I have been where I am now and where I am headed. I never thought I would be married, owning a house, with a baby on the way. Mainly because 5 years ago I said I didn't want any of that. I decided that I would never get married because "I liked being single" I said buying a house was a waste of money and I had no desire to do it "I would rent forever" and I definitely did not want kids because if "I do my life is over". It is amazing how God changes your heart when you let him, and how things just seem to fall into place if you just get out of the way and let him work. Now I couldn't imagine life being different. This baby isn't even born, yet I find myself thinking about what it will be like. What it's likes and dislikes will be, what will it look like, who it will act like(scary thought knowing my family Wink Wink - pawpaw). Then the big question comes and I begin to feel uneasy. "Will I be a good father?" I don't know why this is on my mind a lot. Juliet seems to think that I will be a great dad and tells me that often, but I guess I just want to make sure. It is a scary thought that another human's life will be in my hands. I guess the fact that I think about this will help to ensure that I am a good father.

I feel like I have begun to ramble so I am going to end this post. MORE COMING SOON.

GET IT TOGETHER MR. BROWN

Today I am filled with mixed emotions. I feel blessed, I will hopeful and mostly I feel ashamed. Ashamed? you might ask. Yes I feel ashamed, I feel ashamed that I have been so busy and focused on other things going on in life that I have not spent time with God. Yes, I still pray at every meal and I pray here and there during the day when I have something or someone on my mind, but since I do not have a 15 minute commute to work anymore I do not have that quiet time of prayer and conversation with God and it seems that God has slowly slipped into the background of my life and this really depresses me. I actually find myself tearing up while writing this post since He has done so much for me and my family. Secondly, I have not spent time reading God's word in a while. It makes me feel ashamed and sad. Since I woke up at 5:00 this morning I have had this on my mind.

It is easy for me to justify it by saying "I just don't have time", "I don't know where to start", "I will do it tomorrow", or even "God will reveal to me when I need to do this" and it makes me wonder how many others are saying these same things. These are not acceptable for me. It is not that I don't have time, it is that I don't make time and God is letting me know that this morning. I sit here with a heavy heart and think about how I am a deacon and I should be a setting an example for others. I think about the mornings that I go running, the golf that I play, the TV I watch, The internet I surf, but I can't spend time with God?!?!? This causes me to feel another emotion of anger. Anger within myself. Am I really this selfish? Am I really this idiotic? I would rather watch TV then spend time with my Father? Unacceptable, Unacceptable in every form and fashion.

So, as most people know I like a plan. Here it is:

Since I go home for lunch everyday, I am going to spend that time praying and reading my Bible instead of watching TV. I am going to start small and work up. I feel like an hour is a pretty good start. The other thing I am going to do is before I go on my morning runs I am going to take a moment and pray before I go run. I think that for all of the things he has done for me I can spare a moment to do this and I really should be praying for a safe run before I go anyways since I am running in Macon in the dark on a road early in the morning (that reflective vest can only take me so far).

I also have a few other exciting things in the works, but I am not going to spill the beans just yet on those projects. More to come very soon.

Sorry for my rant, but if God has something to say I am not going to stand in the way. Maybe you are feeling the same way that I do. Maybe this post was meant to touch someone else.

Lets run

On Saturday morning I got up early since I had a 5k race that I signed up for even though I had been sick all week (I am goofy I know). I only did this because I have a half marathon to run in on November 17th and I know that race is not going to care if I was sick or not.

So I got to the race and realized that this was the smallest race I have ever run in. literally only 15 people were involved. That should have been a clue as to how this race would be, but it wasn't. the thing about large races is that you can pace yourself. You don't get mentally psyched out by seeing other people ahead of you because there are also people beside you and behind you. with a race size of 15 everyone is in a clump for most of the race. I ran to fast at the beginning doing about a 9 minute mile as apposed to my normal lately of 11:45 min/mile. Along with the sinus infection mixed with the beginning of bronchitis (as described by a doctor on wed) I was headed for disaster. I went out too fast got winded and worn out early and ended up walking pieces of it. I barely had enough energy left to do my signature run to the finish the moment I can see it. but I finished in 34:14. Not bad but my PR is 30:00 which was 2 years and 15 pounds ago. 

 

After the race a went home and immediately began working on the nursery. A good friend of mine, Ed, was coming over at 12 to help me with the crown molding since all I seem to be able to do is stand there, look at the unfinished pieces and scratch my head. Before Ed got there I was able to get the quarter round put down in the room and get everything set up for doing the crown molding. around 12 Ed got to the house and we knocked the crown molding out and then he left. It to about 2 and a half hours. after he left I got out the caulk and caulked the nail holes and the seams that I had not done previously, I also changed all 8 of the outlets in the room since the previous owners pained them green. Now all I have left to do is figure out what kind of light fixture we want in there and hang it, Paint the ceiling, and put a second coat of paint on the walls. It is starting to come together.

It is hard to believe that I did most of this work myself.

 

 

THE GREAT REVEAL

On Sunday night at church we did not have the usual evening service. We had time to say thank you to someone who has been an inspiration to us, even if they weren't in the room. All I could think about was my grandfather who has been there to be a role model to me since I was young. If you want to know why I am so goofy then hang out with him for 5 minutes. I began to think of the different moments that stood out in my life with him, from the times in pre-k that got me titled by my mom as the "pre-k drop out" my grandfather would take me to school and I would cry and hold his leg until he would put me back in the truck and let me go around with him all day (Mama didn't get told until later) or the fact that I would eat whatever he would eat and I had high cholesterol at 5. I also remember the time that he was getting on to me for something and we were having a conversation and I punched him in the nose. This is when the infamous "jap slapping" occurred, He felt terrible afterwards. Things that come to mind from my older years are the wedding he performed for my wife and I, or the deacon ordination service he did for me. Though I did not go into the details during the service it has been on my mind since then. He has always been a role model for me and has always shown me that God is the way. It is amazing to me how God places people in your life, in your path, or in your "way" to get you to where you are now. I know without my parents, my friends, my family, and my wife I would not be where I am now.

 

UPDATE: I forgot to mention my training run this morning. I only ran one mile but It felt easier than before, It also was much faster that previous weeks. I feel like I am slowly getting back into it and as long as I can stay healthy I will be good to go.
On a side note:

I have made it to 13 pounds lost. Down to 247 lbs.

Rough Week

I am thankful that this week has happened so early in the training process. I have not been able to run all week due to what has been determined to be a "severe sinus infection" along with the beginnings of Bronchitis. I have been put on 10 days of antibiotics and cough syrup. It has been a rough one in the Brown house this week because the wife has the same junk. she got some antibiotics on Tuesday so she is feeling a little better than me. I am running in a 5K on Saturday morning so I hope to feel up to running. Next Saturday I am running in a 10k to help with my training and the long runs. I plan on getting a large amount done in the nursery this weekend. I think I will go ahead and put down the quarter round, and change the sockets out. Tomorrow night (exciting Friday night)... and maybe I can get the crown molding finished on Saturday. I have to get to work because time is flying by and it is only picking up speed. We got our first real baby item last night in the mail. A free car seat canopy. It really made this feel real. I am so excited. It is going to be wonderful to meet this little munchkin in a few months. I think we will be ordering our furniture very soon for the baby's room and it is going to be amazing to see the room come together.

That's all for now, I am trying to stay awake after taking my cough syrup with hydrocodone (however you spell it) which is really getting to me.

Oh no

Today is a post to inform everyone of the status of training.

Saturday morning I got up at 5:15 and did 3 miles. It was great because I had negative splits each mile and I had a decent time overall, but the big plus was that I felt great afterwards.I even played 18 holes of golf after and shoot the best I ever have.I felt great.

I planned to get up and go do a quick mile this morning before work as my training plan is set up for. It didn't happen when I woke up I was freezing and my throat is killing me. I don't think I have a fever or anything but I do have a killer site throat.I am sitting here in my office at work freezing. I guess all of these changes are catching up with me and my body is mad but it will have to get over it because I am not going to give up. I have class tonight but I am debating not going. I'm thinking about going home after work  taking some Nyquil and getting in the bed. I have to get well because I have many miles to cover before November 17th.

On the bright side I have lost a total of 12 pounds now.I am down to 248. I would really love to be down around 225 before the half marathon but I am not going to kill myself trying to do it.

Nursery update
I have a good friend of mine coming over tomorrow night to help me with the crown molding in the nursery. If I can get that part done I will have a huge load lifted off of me because the rest is easy. We shall see.

I know it is only Monday but I am looking forward to this weekend of staying at home. Going to rockmart like we did last weekend wears me out so much.

I have a 4 mile run planned Saturday morning but I may bump it up to 5 miles because I am running in a 10k the next weekend and I want to be prepared.

Other than that not much is going on. I wasn't feeling well this morning so I didn't get to eat breakfast. I had my coffee thinking it would easy my sore throat. No luck. I also had one of those emergen-c packets to help me feel better.

I will keep you posted

Long Run

I have made it 3 days without my post even though I have been really wanting to report everything. my running is going great. I am so excited about my long run tomorrow even though it is only 3 miles. I find myself thinking about running all of the time, looking forward to the next run and that 5:15 am wake up. It has been a while since I have been that way. I will have to say that I am sleeping better now that I am doing this. My 3 mile run tomorrow will be in Rockmart and I am still trying to decide how I am going to do it because I am going to be getting up early to go since I am playing golf with my grandfather early.

 

THE MUNCHIES

I am at the point now that I do not even really have to think about what I can eat and what I cannot. I don't miss meat, I don't miss dairy. My favorite meal is from Taki, the Vegetable Hibachi. It is delicious. I told Juliet yesterday that I could eat it for every meal. Her response was " I will learn to cook it" I am so lucky to have her in my life.  

BABY BROWN 
It is like clockwork every time Juliet lays down for bed the baby starts having a dance party. It is amazing to watch. The baby is getting big enough now that you can watch the little bumps on the mommy belly. I am more amazed every time. I haven't met this little one yet but I can't wait until I do.  

 

THE BROWN'S NEST

Things have been on hold this week for the house. we had an ant invasion yesterday in the bedroom. I am going to have to really deal with this soon. I have a feeling that this means pulling up all of the baseboards in the house and sealing everything up with caulk or foam. It is going to be a ton of work, but I have to get everything taken care of. This of course is on hold until after the nursery gets completed.

 

THE GREAT REVEAL
 Today I am feeling just how blessed I am to have Juliet in my life. She is going to be a great mother. She is a better wife that I can even explain. She takes care of me. She makes me a better person, and pushes me to succeed in anything I do (even if I don't want to).  She believes in me in times I do not. yesterday I sent her a message advising I knew  what I want for my birthday in January, To run another marathon. Yes I know this is crazy and I am out of my mind, but apparently she didn't think so. She has already told someone I was running it. Haha. I'm glad I was serious and not messing with her. All I know is that God has blessed me and I know I am not worthy.