Long Beach Marathon Bike Tour – Track Me Live!
2011/10/08 at 7:11 pm | Posted in Discipline, Exercise, Health, Inspiration, lifestyle change, Motivation, weight loss, weight loss blog | Comments OffI will be riding in the Long Beach Marathon Bike Tour tomorrow morning at 6 am PST and this year, you will be able to track my progress live thanks to Endomondo.
If you really want to do this, check my weight loss Twitter feed at @200by40 for a post that says something like, “200by40 Just began a cycling workout using #Endomondo. Follow me live: http://bit.ly/otuxqp”. That link goes to last week’s ride but when you see the one for tomorrow at about 6 am PST, that will be the bike tour.
So go ahead and cheer me on in the manner people seem to do everything from having sex to engaging in political activism these days – online!
See you at the finish line 
Now on Twitter!
2011/09/05 at 8:39 pm | Posted in Blog Stuffs, weight loss, weight loss blog | 2 CommentsTags: diets don’t work, twitter, weight, weight loss, weight loss blog
I don’t know what took me so long to do this, but I decided to make a Twitter account for this blog. While I already have a personal account it tends to be for more personal stuff rather than information related to the content I create here. And since I figure none of my followers of my personal account would care to read my posts related to weight loss, this only seemed logical.
Not only that, since I find myself posting here with less frequency, a Twitter account seemed to make even more sense. It’s a quick way to get the word out about my thoughts on a story I saw online, foods I might be trying at the moment, a workout I just started (courtesy Endomondo), a quick photo, etc. In short, a more immediate way to communicate.
The account also gives you, the reader, a chance to send a quick message to me if you wish since I now have a smartphone and use the TweetCaster app to check for messages. Even more interactivity! I’ve even gone ahead and added a Twitter widget to the sidebar so you can see my most recent tweets. Neat-o.
But before we get started, I have a few rules in place which are listed below. Please read and understand them before proceeding any further.
On Following: I welcome anybody to follow me provided you are a genuine, real-life human being with interesting and topical things to say about weight loss. Whether you’ve met your goal or are just starting, I’d love to hear what you have to say so I can follow you in return. This also means that if you are not and are just using Twitter to spam the whole Twitterverse with links to bogus weight loss products or other half-baked snake oil weight loss schemes, you will be blocked and reported for spam. I will not argue with you; I’ll just block you. Remember that this blog is about how I lost weight the right way and not investing in fishy weight loss products because they simply do not work.
On Direct Messaging: You can also DM me if you wish and I’ll try my best to answer you or just say hello. But the same rule goes for DMs: spam me and I block you. Simple, huh?
With all that said, go ahead and follow @200by40 on Twitter and let the fun begin!
Wet&Wild 5k is Done!
2011/08/27 at 10:03 am | Posted in Discipline, Exercise, Health, Inspiration, lifestyle change, Motivation, Photos, Victory, weight loss, weight loss blog | Comments OffTags: 5k, california, Discipline, Exercise, irvine, weight, weight loss, wet&wild 5k
This was taken before the run and will post a few more taken with an actual camera (not phone) later.
Summary: finished in about 42:00 or so but I’ll post my official time when I get home. Right now I’m relaxing with the family at Wild Rivers where we had to run through a wading pool of sorts.
Had a great time and looking forward to doing it again!
UPDATE 8/28/11: Alright, since I’ve got some time to do it, here are some highlights/memorable events from the run.
The day started at 5am since I had planned on leaving by 6am to get there in plenty of time for the start at 8am. Irvine isn’t exactly a long drive but when you go to events like this, you just never know what the traffic will be like so it’s always best to plan for any unexpected delays.
We did get there in plenty of time so we checked out the few exhibitor booths that were there. I tried a sample of a drink called Body Armour and it wasn’t too bad so I need to look for that the next time I’m shopping. We sat around for about 30 minutes before I had to get in line according to my anticipated finishing time, do some pre-race stretching, listen to some of the rules, etc.
This is a shot of the field from where I was standing, in the “29:00 – ???” group:
After the National Anthem and a prayer (more people seemed attentive to the former than the latter), the horn sounded and we were off. We trudged along through the parking lot of Wild Rivers and out onto the sidewalk the made a u-turn, where the first water station was. It was poorly manned and most of us had to wait for our water to be poured which is not good.
Despite that, I have to admit that I felt pretty good as I started on my way and at about the first mile, I was in my zone as I usually am. The run came back into the parking lot and started to wind through Wild Rivers itself for the first of two laps. During the second lap, we had to run/walk/wade through this (photo was taken after the run):
This was a most welcomed break from the rest of the course which at times was rather narrow and definitely blocked with walkers and people with strollers, who should have been kept at the rear of the field. Not only that, the wait to get into this Lazy River was just ridiculous as some people removed their shoes before entering.
Up until this point, according to my Endomondo app, I was averaging 11:30 per mile but my lap time for the last mile dropped dramatically as I “ran” through the river: 16:40. If not for that, I could have finished in about 34 minutes or so but considering the wait time and the conditions (but especially the wait time), this was not unexpected.
I crossed the finish line at 42:29 with an average pace of 13:14 according to my chip results. And in case you’re wondering what 5k looks like, here’s the course as recorded by Endomondo:
That seems like a good distance but once you’re up and running, it’s really not. Here’s the portion of the course known as the Lazy River, as noted by the dark blue line:
And although I didn’t finish anywhere near the Top 3 in my age group, that didn’t stop me from pretending I did:
So despite the event’s flaws, I had a good time participating as well as hanging out at Wild Rivers afterward. Next event: the Long Beach Marathon Bike Tour on October 9, 2011. I started my preparation by buying new tires today so I’m ready for that one.
Oh, and those Asics running shoes I’m wearing? I bought them at Savers a few months back for a mere $3.50. They were practically new and half price on the day we were shopping, so that saved me some money for sure
By the way, part of the run is a challenge to “Beat the Cow” or someone running in a cow costume since the Chick-Fil-A is a huge sponsor. And if you do beat the cow, you get a free meal.
Did I beat the cow?
No, I didn’t. I got beat by a dude in a cow costume. But at least I wasn’t a sore loser about it:
I told the bovine I was disappointed for not beating them but there’s no shame in that. The cow consoled me with a friendly pat on the back. We’re cool.
I’m done for the night. My legs are starting to feel the effects of the run and I need to relax!
Like this:
Upcoming Events
2011/07/28 at 9:38 pm | Posted in Exercise, Health, Life, lifestyle change, weight loss, weight loss blog | Comments OffTags: 5k, active.com, cycling, diets don’t work, weight, weight loss, weight loss blog
First, I want to say that I’m posting this as a way to take my mind off of a recent personal event. My cat Ozzie was euthanized yesterday and I’m still trying to move on from the shock of it all since we had him from the time he was a kitten and his illness truck him rather quickly. He was a great cat and the family will miss him.
As far as my weight goes, I’m still hovering around 205 with the chances of reaching my goal weight of 190 by September not looking very promising. I’ll try but honestly, I’m getting comfortable with where I’m at, even if it’s a little over the 200 lb. mark. Again, I’ll try but won’t be terribly disappointed if I don’t make it since I’m still happy to have reached the point I’m at now.
But regardless of what I weigh, whether I’m running or cycling or whatever, I’m staying busy and loving it. And just last Sunday, I did something different to shake up the routine instead of the regular ride to the beach and back (about 20 miles): I rode to the local park and ran 5k on the track and let me tell you, it felt great. I once rode there and walked 5k but never ran so this was definitely a challenge but in the end, it was fantastic and something I need to do again.
Speaking of staying busy, I’ve added a new column on the right side entitled Upcoming Events. It’s just a simple schedule of events that I have registered for and will be partaking in and includes links to the event’s site and registration page via Active.com.
So far, here’s what I’ll be doing:
- August 27, 2011: Wet-N-Wild 5k, Irvine, CA. Register via Active.com
- October 9, 2011: Long Beach Marathon 26.2-Mile Bike Tour, Long Beach, CA. Register via Active.com
- October 15, 2011: Del Mar Mud Run 5k, San Diego, CA. Register via Active.com
- November 2011: Run Like It’s Recess 5k, a local fundraising event for my son’s school.
Awaiting Registration/Considering:
- January 27, 2012: Never Land Family Fun Run, Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, CA. Register via Active.com
I will keep adding to these and once the events are done, I will post comments and pictures if I have any. It should be a lot of fun and a way to remind readers that even though I’m active now, it doesn’t mean I always was.
Need some proof? How about this picture?
Some scouring turned up this photo from 2001. Yeah, uh, that’s me in my Big Mac/3-item combo Chinese food days. Strangely I didn’t think there was anything wrong with my personal appearance or health and could very well still be this big – had I chosen to be.
But I didn’t. Here’s a more recent picture with my boy, enjoying the day at Disneyland:
I’d say there was a slight difference, no?
Remember, folks, it’s possible. You just have to want it bad enough and work hard to get it.
I may have a post for tomorrow as well so hang in there. Thanks again for reading and I hope you get motivated into doing some active events of your own
Limited Time: Free FinishSafe Finish Tags
2011/04/15 at 10:14 pm | Posted in Exercise, Health, Product Review, weight loss, weight loss blog | Comments OffTags: cycling, finish tags, finishsafe, free, joggin, lifepin, running, weight, weight loss, weight loss blog
A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about my Road ID, my Christmas present from last year. I even included some $1 off coupon codes in case anybody was compelled to order one.
Today on Facebook, however, I came across something that is similar to the Road ID product but is sans the stylish band.
They are called FinishSafe Finish Tags and are designed to conveniently attach to your person so that, much like Road ID, you no longer have to worry about carrying your wallet or legal ID while you are out running, cycling, or participating in any kind of activity.
What makes this product different is that all of the information your provide is stored online and should you ever need medical attention, it is easily accessed by emergency personnel. By either calling an 800 number, texting, or entering your LifePin on the FinishSafe Web site, they will see everything they need to get you immediate and proper medical attention.
The cost to store and update your information online is free. By comparison, Road ID is free for the first year and then charges $9.99 every year thereafter for their Interactive service.
Perhaps the best thing of all is that, until April 30, 2011, you can get your very own set of FinishSafe Finish Tags for absolutely free (a $9 value). The offer is limited to the first million people who sign up before April 30th so if you want to get in on this deal, I’d suggest you do it now.
More pictures and information is on their Facebook page and should you order one after reading about it here, Like them and mention you saw it on 200by40.com so we can both benefit from the exposure we both so truly deserve
Free is always good so what are you waiting for? Those things won’t order themselves. Get busy!
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