Success Warrior: The Blog That Embraces ADHD

Today's Lope Was An Actual Run

Holy mother of all that is good and evil!  What have I done to my abs?

My toughest student, Drill Sergeant, dropped the F-bomb this morning.  Her abs hurt worse than mine, or rather, more of her abs hurt and I had her doing a quad exercise that involved the abs to a great deal.  It sounds like her obliques hurt right up to her armpits.  Yes, as a matter of fact, your obliques do go up to your armpits.  I know this because I have done the same thing to myself before.  You know you have worked your obliques hard when your ribs hurt.  Damn.

After working out, I went to the couch with a bag of Cheetohs and some Dr. Pepper to watch American Idle reruns.

Actually, I mixed up some Shakeology and worked on a fitness plan for a friend but it's easy to see how the two could be confused.  Well, except for the fact that I don't eat orange colored styrofoam or drink sugar water and have never seen a single episode of American Idle (and I couldn't even put in something cute there because I can't remember what Idle is - singing contest?).  But, other than those minor technicalities, it's easy to see how the two could have been confused.

After I had Trey off to school, it was time for another experiment with the Fibram Five Finger Bikila.  I went up to Leppy Hills, which is a walking trail here in West Wendover.  There is a 1 mile loop, a 3 mile loop, a 5 mile loop, and lots of hills.  I thought it would be great.  I could head out hoping to get through the 3 mile loop but if it didn't look good, I could cut off for the 1 mile loop.  On the outside chance things were going great, I could hang in there for the 5 mile loop. 

I ended up going around the 5 mile loop and ran the whole way, which I thought was amazing for someone wearing new shoes and being "out of shape".  It was pointed out to me recently by Drill Sergeant during one of my "out of shape" whining sessions (there have been a few over the 5 months of my injury recovery) that while I may be a long way from my peak condition, especially when it comes to strength, my "out of shape" did not actually match the general definition of out of shape.  Only, she didn't caught say it like that.  It went more like this, as I dropped the weights to the mat:

"Sheesh, I'm outta shape."

"Bullshit!"

It's close though, right?

So, I haven't run for several months and setting out on a 5 miler might not be considering breaking back into it easily but there it is.  It felt good too.  Not super fast but that's okay.  As I hit the 2 mile mark, feeling really good, I thought that if I could make the 5 miles in 50 minutes with all the hills, I would be a super hero. 

56 minutes.

I missed super hero status by 6 minutes.  Crap.

I noticed some things on this longer, hillier run than I noticed on my super brief test.  My stride length returned to normal.  It was short in the beginning but as I got back into the rhythm of running, it lengthened out to my normal stride.  I still hit mostly with the ball of my foot.  It was like I would stretch my foot out front and then start the kick before my foot hit the ground.  Coming down the hills put a lot of impact on the balls of my feet.  In fact, I ended up with a blister on the ball of my right foot. 

I sprinted the last hundred yards to see how that felt.  It felt like sprinting.  Don't know what else I can tell you about that.  I didn't feel anything on my heel that was jarring but I wasn't thinking about it much at that point.  I was just see how fast I could sprint after running 5 miles.

I'll have to take some time off from running until the blister goes away.  I saw a place that would be fun to climb but that will have to wait as well.

I also think that a disk golf course would work nicely up in that area.  There are big enough boulders and ravines to keep things interesting.  I'll have to go back and walk the area more slowly.  The city manager has already warned me that the BLM will probably tell me no but I'm going to look anyway.  The disk golf course in Taylorsville goes around with a walking trail so it's something that can be done.  I didn't take my camera with me or even my Droid because I went light.  My VFF Bikilas and my iPod and that was it.  Next time (and there will be a next time because I need to see if I can shave off those 6 minutes to earn my cape), I'll take my camera so you can see the area. 

I found a pic online that kind of shows the "area" but not really the walking trail area specifically.  I'll give you this for today and fix it next time I go.

I was going to talk about dropping water weight in the first couple of week's of a diet change but I think that will have to wait until tomorrow.  Now, it's time to get ready to start the weekend at work.  I've also got to start looking into what I'm going to be doing next week, taking the blister into account.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Today's Lope (With Lots of Pictures)

First off, in my defense, I would like to point out that puking is an excellent ab exercise.

Now, on to today's post: 

 
"3 Mile"

The goal for today was to run up the road to the base of the rocky part and then climb to the top.  Simple enough plan.

 
Whoever gave me this definitely knows me

I was probably going to need water and I was going to take quite a bit because I had no idea how long I was going to play around.  I don't have a daypack yet (what the hell is up with that?) so I brought out my trustworthy bag that CV gave to me in 1986.  It's sturdy, that's for sure.  I've used it mainly as a carry-on over the last couple of decades but now . . .

 
A Vibram Ridge peeking out.

It stores disks.  Sometimes it holds all my spare disks but right now it's holding all the disks I took on a recent practice trip to the park.  I emptied them out, put in a big jug of water, and my camera in the pocket, then grabbed my iPod.  It was loping time.

"Shhhh.  Be wary, wary quiet.  We hunting wabbits."

Now, Bailey has shunned running with me.  Ever since her last injury, she will not go running with me.  When I used to get ready for running, she would run to the door and whine.  The last time I got ready, she had no reaction and when I grabbed her leash, she went over to the fireplace and laid down.  *Yawn*

Today, her dog senses picked up that something was different and she was all kinds of excited as I packed things up.  So, Bailey went on a lope with me, which seemed highly appropriate and she even got to chase a rabbit.

 
Vibram Five Fingers Bikila

Here's the running loping footwear of the day.  Giving the VFF Bikilas a try on some tougher terrain, including jumping around on big rocks.

When I started out, my left ankle was a bit resistant to the whole idea.  I would alternate between running 50 feet and walking 50 feet until my ankle was sufficiently "warmed up" to the idea of running the entire time.  It was a really sharp pain on the outside of my ankle but it went away so I'm not sure what was up with that.  It's not like it wasn't already warm.  I had exercised this morning in my class so I didn't just hop out of bed and run up a mountain.

 
Slayer was here?

This was at the end of the road.  From here, it was time to go up steeper.

  
Hmmmm

The top is over that way somewhere.  We didn't actually go straight over these rocks.  In most places, there were antelope trails that weaved their way up between these big rocks.

 
"What do I look like?  A frikkin' mountain goat?

This is Bailey at the top of the road, looking in the opposite direction of the big rocks like she's got the whole, "Not tryin' to see dat," going on. 

Oh, we're goin' girlfrien', we're goin'.

 
"What do I look like?  A frikkin' VFF Trek"

These "running shoes" were definitely up in antelope land now.  We didn't see any though.  We found a place where they probably sleep but there weren't any around at the moment.  Maybe they saw us coming.

"Antelope 8 to Antelope 1, come in." *Crackle*

"Go ahead Antelope 8."

"Yeah, we got us a human with the coolest shoes I have ever seen in my life and a Rottweiler heading this way."

"Roger that 8.  Get a picture of the shoes then come back up here and help us with the camoflage netting."

 
Elko is that way.

Yep, about a hundred miles away or so.

 
Ely is that way.

Yep, about a hundred miles away or so.

 
Salt Lake City is that way.

Yep, about a hundred miles away or so.

"Well, ain't this a geographical oddity, a hundred miles from everywhere."

 
West Wendover NV and Wendover UT

There they are.  That's the Salt Flats in the background where the horizon just cuts off because of the curvature of the earth.  The call it flat but it's not really.  It's circular.  You can't follow the curve of the earth and be "flat".

 
The Hummingbird?

My car is down there parked in front of the last house in the city limits.  "Hi Brent.  That was me and Bailey making your dogs bark this morning."

That's part of the golf course in the foreground.  Isn't the green color striking in this environment?

 
"Couldja smile?"

Here's me on top of the rock and yes, next time I'll try to remember to smile.  There was a lot of glare from the sun so I was really trying hard to see what was in the camera shot.  I never did really see it but it turned out okay - except for the lack of a smile.

 
VFF Air Max?

Here's my Bikilas hanging off the top of the rock as Bailey and I took a short break before heading back down.  She looked over this ledge, said "Hell no!" and went off in another direction.  She was doing some scouting while I took this picture but I would end up messing with her plans of taking the easy way down.

The Bikilas performed very nicely for the trip up and they were marvelous on the rocks, especially going down.  They had wonderful grip as all the different pads and toes dug in to nooks and crannies to hold me in place on some pretty steep surfaces.  They just formed themselves to the rocks and the rubber gripped so well.

I didn't notice a marked difference between Bikilas and boots as I slid down some gravel toward a ledge.  Perhaps boot heels would have dug in better.  I dunno.  Truth be told, I was distracted.  I was able to get my heels in enough to keep my wife from saying "What the hell were you thinking?" as she looked down at me lying on a hospital bed.

"Testing Bikilas," as an answer probably wouldn't have gotten me out of a smack to the head.  In fact, it might have earned me an extra one. 

Anyway, the Bikilas worked good enough that I brought myself to a halt and chose a different path.  Bailey had chosen a very different path that didn't involved a mountain slide of loose gravel.  I've always said she's a smart dog (but still not my dog).

 
A shortcut down?

"Hey Bailey!  How 'bout we take a shortcut back down?"

"Hey SW!  How 'bout you kiss my tan Rotty ass?"

Such language.

 
The long way

Bailey, the stubborn dog, took the long way down where she was able to walk on rock.

Me?

 
Sinking into gravel on the "shortcut"

Did I tell you that she's a smart dog?

 
Kickin' it.

While I was sliding down the gravel gully, Bailey took the opportunity to have a break.  You can see how steep the hill is that we're heading down.  She's sitting down and her back just about looks like she's standing.  Made for an easy seat for her though as she waited for me to ski to the bottom.  VFF Downhills?

 
Gravel-much?

At the bottom of the shortcut, I decided that I should empty my shoes.  I had planned on taking a similar picture when I got back to the car showing how little gravel got in my shoes on this entire adventure.  My plans changed when I went for my first slide toward the ledge where I emptied my shoes (and shorts?) and then again at the bottom of the shortcut.  As you can see this was going to make for a not-fun run back to the car.  There was so much gravel in my shoes that my heels were unseated and it felt like my feet were coming out of the shoes. 

 
Max Capacity?

So, in case you were wondering how much gravel you can fit into two Bikilas and still have your feet in them, here's the answer.  This isn't the kind of information you'll get in an Amazon review, no sirree.  I've tested the Bikila in ways few have and recorded it with pictures just for you.  I want you to have a full understanding of these shoes.  Who else does that for you?  There are some pretty big damn rocks in that pile.  Yikes!

 
Not VFF Friendly - Do Not Step Here

With my shoes cleaned out, it was back to easy running back to the car.  One thing that I have noticed with this little outing is that I take smaller steps when I run.  Since I don't have a cushion on my heel to absorb the shock, I take smaller steps so that I can land mid or forefoot.  I don't know what that means for my speed and quite frankly, at this point I don't care.

As much as I love my carry-on bag, it's not made for this type of fun-ness so I'm going to be looking into getting a new backpack.  I've got my eye on the Osprey Stratos 24 Daypack and I may have to make a visit to REI when I go in for physical therapy session next week.  I get free shipping from REI so if I go with trusting the reviews, I may just order it so that it's on its way.  I have a much bigger climb in the works, soon.

This was a great little adventure and I can see that I'm going to have to head into areas farther from home.

Tomorrow is disk golf with my brother.  This time, I am going to be sure to take my camera.  I'm putting a post-it on my disks so I don't forget and leave the camera in the charger again.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

Changing Supplements Too

Have I mentioned that my 10 week plan is going to be different than anything that I have done in the last few years.  I mean, I'm even changing my hair style for hell's sake (No CV, not quite as long as the pic on that home page).

So, I thought I would completely change up my supplements too and BodyBuilding.com was running a special on a packaged deal so I picked it up to throw into the mix.

Let me point out one drawback to the "change everything" shotgun approach that I'm taking over the next couple of months.  I won't really know what had the most effect or if it was some combination that helped out.  What if it turns out that I'm like Samson and that growing my hair out is what has the most effect and I attribute any changes to eating protein and lifting heavy weights.  I would be so wrong and I might cut my hair not knowing how detrimental that would be for me. 

On the other hand, the actual goal over the next couple of months is mostly just to shake things up.  I just want to change.  If I come out on the other side, pretty much like I am now (except with longer hair), I will still have done what I wanted to do. 

Do you ever get like that? 

I'm not abandoning anything important to me but just changing my approach.  It's like standing on the desk in The Dead Poet's Society.  I just want a different look at what and how I am doing things.  My results are secondary to that.  I don't want to downplay the results too much.  I was injured in April and have been going light for 5 months now.  I fully expect that training hard for 2 months is going make a big change in my strength level and hopefully move me close to where I was before the injury.  I'm also hoping that my new found hobby of VFF loping helps me stay or become leaner. 

I expect results but when I think about my before picture, I know that it's going to be very possible for me to get stronger and not change that much.  I trained for and ran an incredibly tough half marathon 13 years ago (Race for the Angel - for those of you that are familiar with this bit of hell).  Before starting my training, I weighed 220 pounds.  After 6 months of running 3 to 7 miles a day, I weighed 220 pounds.  Do not even ask me how I did that? 

Back to the supplements for the next couple of months. 

Initially, I was just thinking about adding glutamine to what I was taking and calling it good.  Then, right on cue, Bodybuilding.com sent me an offer that caught my eye and struck my "change everything" nerve.  This stack has glutamine in it so what I wanted is there in addition to creatine.  Two things that I think just about anyone can benefit from, especially when combined with some resistance training. 

This stack has something for pre-workout, post-workout, protein, and something for joint health.  It's something that I would create for myself, in fact, or else I wouldn't be taking it.  I actually drink my post-workout/recovery drink during exercise and just start getting it in.  I have other things to do when I'm done exercising (you know, like shower - ewwww) so I just sip on it like I would with water during the workout.

Obviously, at this point, I can't attest to the effects of taking this stack although I have already started taking it.  I want the creatine and glutamine already in my body when I start the attack next week.  So, even though I can't say these particular products work, I do know that the stuff that's in these products work so I can recommend this package deal if someone is completely confused by all the products out there.  The work has been done for you on this one.  Easy peasy lemon squeezey.

Combos Action Star Stack, 4 Bottle Combo, Cookies N Creme / Raspberry Lemonade / Grape 

If you're changing everything or starting out and want a boost, this will help you out, no doubt.  I'm starting to sound like Dr. Seuss.

No more rhymes, I mean it.

Anyone want a peanut.

Enough of that, let's look ahead to what's coming up for the week.

Tomorrow is my lope to the top of a hill.  A steep hill.  A hill that overlooks the whole town.  I'm going to take my camera with me.  I was just going to take my Droid but I don't think that will do the view justice so I'm going to take my camera with me.  I'll take pictures on the way up and from the top (if I make it that far).  My wife has walked in the area and said there are lots of ruts and loose sand.  Pshaw!  Nothing that my new Bikilas can't handle.  Now, my ankles and legs, that might be a different story but my shoes, I'm sure, are up to the challenge.

Thursday is disk golf.  We'll probably play 3 rounds at our favorite course.  I just read an article on what an excellent activity disk golf is because of the low entry cost, zero ongoing fees, and the fact that anyone from 6 to 96 can play it.  Well, I happen to agree.  You can buy one versatile disk for $15 and go play at a free park.  Anyone can.  I highly recommend it.  I just need to move where it isn't so dang cold for so long so that I can play more.  The article said that you can even play in the snow.  I had to give that part a "oh hell no" but the rest of it, I agreed too.  They were comparing it to golf though and with disk golf, it would certainly be possible to play in the snow but I have yet to do that.  Maybe this year, I'll be out there in my VFF Flows, putting barefoot footprints in the snow, chucking a frozen piece of plastic around.  I could just see dinging the post that holds up the basket and cracking my disk. 

Friday is probably going to be a much shorter lope, or easier.  I'm going to go to the walking trails and give them a try.  I've walked the 1 mile trail.  They also have a 3 and 5 mile trail.  We had Trey with us so we took the short path.  He'll be in school so I'll just play it by ear and I'm not promising to stay on the trail.

That was the best part of my trip to Craters of the Moon with CV.  If you're confused by this sudden jump in topics, you haven't read recent comments.  Anyway, trail schmail.  We looked for the "Do not go beyond this point" signs and went right by them figuring that there was probably something good not too much past them.  We were right too.  There are caves all over the place out there.  The lava cooled and left huge pockets in the ground.  Some of them have openings and some of them connect to each other, although we had to belly crawl in some places with the rock scraping our backs to get from one to the next.  Incredibly fun.  We did some climbing inside them too.  Climbing was easy but coming down was really hard.  The person on the ground that was holding the flashlight had to call out foot and hand holds.  We spent the entire day out there spelunking.  Absolutely amazing.

There are caves around here too.  I'll have to see if there is a website with a map or something.  I may have to lope up into the hills and have a bit of a check around.

Saturday and Sunday will be back to the reality of work.  Bummer but I'm going to have a great time between now and then and I will, as always, keep you updated.

Stay tuned.

***

Follow me on Twitter to get updates on when new posts show up on this blog (plus get random thoughts on the life of Success Warrior) and feel free to "friend" me on Facebook.

Success Warrior is an Independent BeachBody Coach for BeachBody.com, a company that offers fitness programs, supplements, and equipment that have absolutely changed my life. 

Have you heard of P90X?  That's BeachBody.  They also have Insanity, Turbo Jam, TurboFire, RevAbs, Brazil Butt Lift, and many more.  They have some of the best exercise programs on the market.  These aren't just DVDs but are complete programs to transform your body.  They also have the hugely popular, and what they call "the most important meal of the day", Shakeology.  Go HERE to learn the most inexpensive way to get Shakeology.

They have equipment and supplements in addition to Shakeology and popular exercise programs.  Visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Shop" link to see everything they offer. 

There is also a business side to all this fitness that you can take advantage of.  Whether you're looking to just make a couple hundred extra dollars in fun money or are looking to take complete financial control of your life, BeachBody can help you get there.  If you have a desire to be more fit and would love to help other people do the same while making some money at it, visit BeachBody.com and click on the "Coach" link.  Team up with me and I'll help you reach your goals, in fitness and finance.

My First VFF Bikila Lope

I took the Bikilas into the desert yesterday for a super short test run, quite literally.  It was a very different kind of run than what I have done over the last couple of decades. 

First, I picked the softest terrain that I could find.  I didn't do this because I was wearing VFFS.  I did it so that I could run a very different run on purpose.  We have a lot of places out here that are just like running in the soft sand of a beach.  Where that was possible, I ran in that soft sand.  It takes quite a bit more effort than running on the hard trail or the road.  I was huffing and puffing in short order.

I haven't run in quite a long time and my workouts haven't been as intense so I guess this was to be expected but I was a little surprised by how fast I was sucking for air.  Try running on soft sand sometime if you want a workout.

That was the secondary point of this run though.  The first was to see how the shoes would do in this terrain, mostly concerned with whether or not the rocks would get into them.  The second was to work my heart and lungs.  This doesn't mean that you have to run a long way or run real fast.  Running in soft sand did the job very nicely.

At what I was using as the halfway point for the day is a small pile of rocks.  A rabbit ran under the rocks.  I ran over to them laughing.  How primal is that?  Running in my VFFs, chasing a rabbit.  I walked over the rocks, jumping from one to the next where necessary seeing if I could catch another glimpse of the rabbit but he had hunkered down somewhere.  He was probably late, for a very important date, and went into a hole.  So, I jumped around on the rocks for a few minutes and then I balanced on one feet on one that had a sharpish edge.  It was easy on my right ankle so I did it with my left foot, which has nerve damage.  I had a chiropractor tell me that if I forced the left ankle to work on balance, the nerves might repair themselves.  I had hoped yoga would help in that but no such luck yet.  Maybe balancing on rocks will do it.

I had a clear look at where I want to go for my next lope from this rock pile.  It's much taller than I had pictured in my memory.  I'll take pictures when I go this week.  I'll take some good pictures from my car with my camera and then take pictures with my Droid on my climb to the top and from the top.  You'll get to see all of Wendover and the Salt Flats from up there.

After goofing around on the rocks, I started for home.  I cut across an area with no path and had to zig-zag a bit to watch out for sharper, larger rocks.  Once across that area, I was onto another path for the lope home.  This one was all solid pack from years of four wheelers riding on it.

This is when I got the idea to call all my VFF runs "lopes" instead.  Running creates the wrong image for what I'm doing.  I am moving at a very easy pace, running on the balls of my feet, stopping when I want, jumping around on rocks, and I'll very likely be walking in places when I go up 3-Mile (the name of the hill I'm going to climb on Wednesday).  It's not stereotypical "running".  It's a lope.  It's fitting considering how much I talk about wolves.  It's halfway between running and walking and I could be doing either one in the next instant.  I could take off after a rabbit or I could just walk to take a break.  No rules other than having fun, working my heart and lungs, and enjoying the moment.  No plan.  This is perfect for my "Something Shiny" brain.  I could veer off course to go investigate something that catches my eye but with no stress because there is no such thing as "off course".

By the way, I didn't get any rocks in my VFFs worth noting.  I took them off and examined what I did bring home from the desert just to see.  As you can imagine, running on the beach, some of that sand is going to end up in your shoes.  My concern was that normally there would be socks between my feet and the inside of the shoes to protect my feet from the sand and now there wouldn't.  The sand that I did bring home was small enough that I never felt it.  On a longer lope, I will probably stop every once in a while and dump it out anyway.  No sense bringing home a sand box in my shoes.

So, my computer is still down and the gods willing, it will be up and running later tonight unless something has been completely fried.  It's the weekend so I don't have much time free anyway but my wife, who is down recovery from hernia repair, was watching so house makeover program.  It's something that she wouldn't normally watch because we don't have time available for that stuff.  She's between college semesters and stuck on the couch so she was watching this show.  I wandered through, stopped, and since I wasn't able to sleep for some reason, I sat down and watched this thing.  There were two things that amazed me about this show.

First was the fact that they create a complete house in 7 to 10 days.  They have tricks they use to work around cement that is setting up and everyone trying to do their jobs at the same time.  I've watched houses go up and it normally takes a couple of months from start to end.  They were doing it all, starting from demolishing the old house and ending with furnishing it in about a week.  "Makeover" is the wrong term for the show though because they just come in and completely demolish the old house and haul it off to a landfill.  They don't makeover anything.  They build a completely new house.

The second thing that amazed me is that I haven't changed my hairstyle in 20 years.  Try to keep up here people as my mind can jump tracks quite a bit.  My wife is a woman so she still asks "What are you thinking?" but she has quit being surprised by my answers.  There is often no connection between my thoughts and my current surroundings.

Anyway, a hair style on one of the "designers" on this show caught my eye and it got me thinking about my own hair (See?  There is a connection.) and I was a little surprised by how much time had gone by.  I cut my hair super short in 1991 so that it could never be used against me in a fight and it has been super short ever since.  In all my time in a position where I'm likely to be in a fight, I have actually been in very few fights and none where an opponent would have had an opportunity to use my hair against me.  I have won every encounter within a few seconds.  There have been no extended grappling matches.  All of my encounters have gone to the ground but with me in some kind of control position or hold and a couple of plain old tackles.  You have to realize that I weighed 20 pounds more as a cop and wore a uniform that weighed about 20 more pounds.  When I hit people at full speed, that was the end of the fight.

Here's a scary thought.  As a cop, at my heaviest, I weighed 40 pounds more than I do now.  Then a 20 pound uniform on top of that.  Yikes!  I can't believe that I weighed 40 pounds more.  Incredible.  I'm 40 pounds lighter now and stronger.  What a change.  I can honestly say that I am a very different person now.

Back to the hair (keep up people!).  The thought wouldn't leave me and so I went to a member of my sounding board to see if I should listen to the voices in my head or ignore them . . . again.  I have a few people that I use for sounding boards depending on the topic (Hello CV, Chili, and Fade) but for this one I went to my wife.

"What do you think about me letting my hair grow?"

"I would like it.  I would love to run my hands through your hair."

SOLD!

So now on top of everything else that's going on in the next 11 weeks (1 more week in Recovery Month and then my 10 Week program), I'm going to let my hair grow out.  I don't know if it will get to where I want it to be in 3 months but I can say that it is probably going to look very different.  Different from the last 19 years. 

In three months, I will be loping around in my Bikilas with the hair blowing through my hair.

Now, let's hope that my computer can be brought back to life.

Stay tuned.