Goal #1 - The first few steps

Today I went to the university rec center to run for the first time in months. Over the spring and summer I had taken up the Couch to 5K program with my friend Pete. We had made a lot of progress on it and I had been feeling really good. Since the start of the school year I had not been running - at all. And with my lower back issues, the thought of running just didn't seem appealing.

So now that my lower back is under control, I made the effort to get to Lied (the rec center) and run. I decided to get back to basics and run C25K Day 1 and I'm glad I did. I could really tell it had been a while since I had run with any effort. After 30 minutes, I had conquered Day 1 and it felt good. Well, not good in the "OMG I just ran a feel freakin fabulous" way, but in the "hey, I just ran again and I'm not dead" way. :-)

My next scheduled day to run is on Wednesday, but I am planning to get to Lied on Monday to do some work on the eliptical machine. Every journey begins with a first step and this first day of running were the first steps on my journey.

Gameday Saturday

Today Matt and I had the pleasure of joining friends for tailgating and Iowa State football. The weather could not have been any better - cool temps, low winds, and lots of sunshine. In fact, so much sunshine that my face is now sunburned. Iowa State defeated Kansas by a score of 28-16. We had great seats for the game which allowed us a "nice" view of the Iowa State players from behind. teehee!

As much as I love tailgating, I always regret the food hangover from the day. I swear if someone puts out food I just start eating it. The food was amazingly good. I just have that problem of not having that little voice inside of me saying, "STOP!" It's just mindless eating. Any thoughts on how I might be able to not do that?

Next week is the game against Nebraska which Iowa State will more than likely lose (although I would love to be wrong about that). Of course we'll go tailgating and eat well. Perhaps we should park as far away from the stadium as possible so we have to walk a long ways to get to the party.

Why does my Airport Hate Me?

No, not the Des Moines airport, my Apple Airport Express. For some reason my laptop and the airport don't like one another and there will be periods where the signal will just vanish. Now keep in mind that the main computer in the office does not have this problem and my laptop never loses signal at school with the wireless there. But for some unknown reason, the wireless and laptop just lose touch with one another. Let me tell you how much fun it is to be working on something and then have the wireless go out. Yay!

The 40 by 40 - Goal #3

Goal #3 - Write a blog entry at least 75% of the year.

So by my count that should be around 274 blog entries. This is one of those things that I want to be meaningful. I want my blog to feature my thoughts and observations and to actually go deeper than just the surface.

Of course I also need to be mindful of what I am putting out there on the internet. As a teacher, I am aware that a student, parent or supervisor could find my blog and read it. I have to be careful to not post anything that I could get into trouble for. I will NEVER post anything about my work, students or coworkers that could be construed as a breach of trust.

That being said, I also don't plan on holding back about issues that I feel strongly about. They after all are my opinions, and as long as I am not espousing violence or law-breaking, then I should be okay. :-)

The 40 by 40 - Goal #2

Goal # 2 - Read and FINISH the book, "Numbered Account" by Christopher Reich.

This is the one book that I have never been able to get through. The funny thing is that it should be one that I FLY through. I love a good conspiracy novel and I've read quite a few. But for some reason, each time I start "Numbered Account" I get sidetracked.

Now this may seem like an easy goal to achieve and I would have to agree. But in my eyes, every list of goals needs to have some easily accomplished ones. That way you see progress being made on the list and it boosts one's self confidence.

The 40 by 40 - Goal #1

So to meet my goal of blogging at least 75% of the year, I thought I'd write about each of my goals and why they made the list.

Goal #1 - Lose 40 by 40

There's a reason this is my first goal - I've been overweight for so long that I don't know what it's like not to be overweight. Over the spring and summer I had taken up running, the Couch to 5K program, and saw some success and will resume that in the next couple of weeks.

I haven't been able to work out recently because I've had some lower back issues that I finally saw my doctor about today. She discovered that I have a muscle spasm about the size of a fist in my lower back. So I'm hoping the medicine that she put me on will help release it and allow it to heal.

My plan is to do an official weigh in every three months on the 22nd of January, April, July and then ... October. Look for a photo of myself in the next couple of days to serve as a baseline. As opposed to my other goals, this one will definitely be a long term goal.

So that's goal #1. Look for some mini-goals to fall under this goal. I am such an "outliner" teehee.

The 40 by 40 list....

1. Lose 40 pounds of blubber.

2. Read and FINISH the book, "Numbered Account" by Christopher Reich.

3. Write a blog entry at least 75% of the year.

4. Enter a cookie recipe at the Iowa State Fair.

5. Have a balance of at least $2000 in my savings account.

6. Continue to abstain from drinking soda.

7. Write to my nephews once a month.

8. Go skinny dipping.

9. Grow something.

10. Take more photos of family and friends.

11. Go see a Broadway Theater show.

12. Get a full body professional massage.

13. Surprise someone.

14. Go camping and sleep under the stars.

15. Try a foreign food.

16. Cook dinner at home at least once a week.

17. Build a snowman.

18. Visit a museum.

19. Take time to smell the roses.

20. Fly a kite.

21. Have a picnic in the park.

22. Get a passport.

23. Learn my blood type.

24. Run a 5K race.

25. Visit a psychic.

26. Ride a bike around Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.

27. Stop snoring.

28. Take an art class.

29. Look good in a white shirt and blue jeans.

30. Go canoeing.

31. Go ice skating.

32. Write a story.

33 - 40 yet to be determined, but this is a good start. :-)

My 40 by 40

So I turned 39 on October 22nd and it got me to thinking about my next birthday - the Big 4-0! I've decided to set 40 goals that I would like to achieve before my 40th birthday. Some of them will be easy to accomplish and others will take time. I'll use this blog to keep updated on how I am doing.

I'm presently working on the list of goals. I should have them posted in the next few days.