Last night at volleyball I ran into my cousin Jeff. It was so random to see him there having a beer with his coworkers at the bar. I have been playing at Sports Oasis for about 5 years now and apparently he works right across the street. Jeff is the perfect person to run into when you are trying to push yourself to your physical limits. I wish I had thought of talking to him earlier. He is the type of guy who will wake up early in the morning and climb Long’s Peak just to get a little exercise before he starts his day. Very inspiring to anyone trying to get in shape. Also it reminded me that climbing Long’s Peak again is another resolution I make every year but don’t ever do. I guess that means this is the year.

One of the requirements for the before and after photo competition is that the “after” photos are taken professionally. It is more of a recommendation than a requirement but if you look through photos of past winners they have all been taken in a studio. So yesterday I booked an appointment with a photographer. Ugh. I hate getting my picture taken. I know hate is a strong word. But yeah, I really hate it. That lens staring at you from across the room. I am dreading it. At the same time, having booked the appointment and knowing it is coming up in one short month should motivate me to work even harder. I can do this.

In February I backslid a couple times on the diet. I wanted to quit more than once. The triumph is that I didn’t. Reading about those Olympians who sacrificed so much for what they wanted made me feel silly for wanting to quit because I miss cookies. Less than 5 weeks to go for Round 1 and I really have my work cut out for me. March should be a good month. Here are my stats for February:

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Pull-Ups Goal: 10 Dead Hang 
Starting: 2
End of January: 3
Current: 5  
Best ever: 8

Push-Ups goal: 25 Military 
Starting: 8
End of January: 13
Current: 20 
Best ever before today: 15

Run 5k goal: 7:30/mile 
Starting: 8:50/mile
End of January: 8:30/mile
Current: 8:20/mile 
Best ever: 7:46/mile*

February Totals 
# of pull-ups: 670 ** 
# of push-ups: 761
# of sit-ups: 1230
# of miles run: 28 
# of total lbs lifted: 35,056

January Totals
# of pull-ups: 275 ** 
# of push-ups: 475 ***
# of sit-ups: 830
# of miles run: 18
# of total lbs lifted: 10,500

Total Totals
# of pull-ups: 945 ** 
# of push-ups: 1236
# of sit-ups: 2060
# of miles run: 46
# of total lbs lifted at CrossFit: 45,556

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WEEKLY WEIGH-IN:
February Start: 147
Today: 145
Goal: 137

* ‘At altitude’. I ran 7:36/m by the beach in CA – way less than my time here.
** Workouts include assisted, negative, and kipping pull-ups. Goal is 1500 total. 
*** Did girl push-ups the first two weeks. Goal is 2000 total.
**** Situps goal is 3000 total.

Larissa Latynina (1934 – present) – gymnast

Larissa Latynina holds the record for the most number of total medals in the history of the Olympics with nine gold, five silver, and four bronze for a total of 18. The Russian-Ukrainian gymnast won a medal in every Olympic event she competed in during three Olympic Games except one. On the balance beam in 1956 she came in fourth. She is the only woman with nine Olympic gold medals, a record that ties Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, and Paavo Nurmi, second only to Michael Phelps. (Phelps has 16 total medals: 14 gold and 2 bronze). Latynina is now 75 years old and lives in her estate near the town Semenovskoye, Moscow region.

Jesse Owens (1913-1980) – runner

Jesse Owens tied the world record in the 100-yard dash during a track meet in high school. In college, as an African-American, he travelled with his team but was required eat in black-only restaurants and sleep in black-only hotels. Despite winning a record of eight individual NCAA championships in 2 years that still stands, he was never awarded a scholarship and had to work part-time to pay for school. During the Big Ten meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Owens set three world records and tied a fourth, a feat named by NBC announcer Bob Costas as the best athletic achievement since 1850. In 1936 Owens competed for the US in the Summer Olympics in Berlin. Adolf Hitler had used the games to  show the world a resurgent Nazi Germany. By allowing only members of the Aryan race to compete for Germany, Hitler hoped to demonstrate racial superiority. During those games, Owens won four gold medals, a performance unequalled for almost 50 years until Carl Lewis won medals in the same events in 1984.

The Olympic Games throughout history is a wealth of amazing stories of people who dedicate their lives to a single goal and overcome the odds to realize their dreams. This week I will feature athletes from different sports in different generations. If you think of someone who should be mentioned in such a tribute please feel free to let me know. I wish I could include them all.

Today’s feature is speed skater Apolo Ohno.

http://blog.changemyselfchangetheworld.com/?page_id=1446

Well, I took last night off from healthy eating. Grandma did not disappoint. Last night it was Chicken Cacciatore over delicious pasta with yummy garlic bread. Mmmmm. I took that picture with a cell phone. It does not do it justice. The chicken recipe itself will be a great addition to the health food diet. It was the garlic bread that did me in. But it was sooo good. I was right, too. She did have M&Ms in the cabinet. I managed not to go near those. I also resisted the toffee in the refrigerator. Butter infused sugar covered in chocolate, my favorite. Not just any toffee either. It was Enstrom’s, the Lexus of toffee. I didn’t touch it. However, despite my best efforts, I just cannot say no to Grandma’s chocolate chip cookies. I caved. It was so worth it. No guilt. Today is another day.

The setback last week definitely cost me but I am back on track this week with the fitness goals. Today I am half way through the first 12 weeks. There is still a lot left to do so I really need to make every day count.

WEEKLY WEIGH-IN:
Last week: 149
This week: 146
Goal: 137

My neighbor’s adorable daughter delivered Girl Scout Cookies to us last night. Funny timing. If those cookies had arrived last week they would all be in my tummy by now along with the heart candies and cake I ate. But no. I got myself back on track and despite the torture of sending my Samoas and Tagalongs to work with Todd without even a taste, I did the right thing. It was a painful goodbye. Out of site, out of mind – eventually. But my inability to say “no cookies, thank you” to the innocent eyes of my neighbors’ daughters means we have more coming…

Major setback in the diet and exercise department this week. I had a junk food relapse and gained 2 pounds back. Usually this is about the time when I start to realize that life is a lot easier and more fun if I just forget about my New Year’s Resolutions. Thus begins the cycle. Start, get bored, give up, get disappointed for giving up, start over. Well, I set out to achieve something, not to be perfect. No need to dwell on it. I just need to get going again much sooner than normal. Like now. Last night after work I turned my refrigerator into a giant salad bar. Back on track this week.

WEEKLY WEIGH-IN:
Last week: 147
This week: 149
Goal: 137