Let’s go… Slaho!

Today marks the one year of anniversary of the first P90X workout I did.  How can I be so sure it was a year ago today?  Am I that kind of freak that remembers such random dates?  Was that first workout THAT memorable?  The answers to the last two questions are yes and no.  Yes, I normally do remember random meaningless dates for no reason, and no the workout was not that memorable, and this particular date did NOT remain in my memory bank.  It just so happened I started at the end of the last school year, and i went back into my archive to see when I had started blogging about my exercising and I noticed it had been a year ago today.  Coincidence?  Not completely.  What was a coincidence is that I received a reply to my blog on “Ink and the NBA”, and it came from a site stating “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days”.  I really hate getting these comments on my blogs from “mass commentors” who are only trying to advertise their products, and send such generic messages such as, “I learned a lot from this entry, I think I’ll come back.”   It’s a good thing I moderate these comments because 9 out of 10 of the comments I get are like this!  Still, I found it interesting that I received one from a weight loss site on the anniversary of my decision to get back in shape. (more…)

OK, OK, a small break from my Mad Rants. I do have a couple more on the way, before I go back to being happy go lucky, fun-loving Wency again. Today, though, I’m here to share my thoughts on my latest endeavor…

A few days ago, I received two pamphlets in the mail. One was addressed to Wency Ortega, the other to Wenceslao Ortega. I figured one was for my dad, and mistakenly sent to my place until I saw what they were for… EXTREME RUNNING. Nope, they were both for me. They must really want me, I thought, so I read the pamphlet. And what I read intrigued me. Oh, did it ever intrigue me!

The pamphlet was an advertisement for a 190 mile run across the state of Florida, from Clearwater to Daytona Beach. This sounds nuts! So, of course I read on. It is a giant relay intended to be done by a team of twelve runners, each doing three legs, for a total of 36 legs, and to be done nonstop until one reaches the final destination. Each leg is between 3 and 10 miles, and each runner will run a total of between 11 and 21 miles depending on their assigned legs. NICE!
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OK, so now I finished all my training and I ran my marathon last week at Disney World. I must say that it was the most rewarding single achievement that I’d ever done on my own. The happiest moments of my life all include my family… my wedding day, the birth of each of my 4 children, my children receiving their sacraments. But all those are family moments. As an individual accomplishing something this is the most satisfying accomplishment by far (and that includes getting both my degrees, graduating 3rd in my high school class, and acquiring and doing my job). All my other accomplishments have required work and dedication, but they all have been done because of an extrinsic need… the need to get a job and make money, and support a family, etc. It’s almost like I had to do those things. This I did because I wanted to. I was already in good shape, so it wasn’t to get me in better shape. I just wanted to do it, I set my mind to it and did it. And after running 26.2 miles, I realized that I can do ANYTHING that I set my mind to. I just need to be patient, and keep working until I see it through. I just have to believe I can do it. Now I have no excuses for not accomplishing something. If I don’t get something done, it’s because I don’t WANT to do it, no matter how much I say otherwise. So now I just have to go out and do the things I need to do in life for me and my family… and choose to do them because I WANT to and not because I HAVE to, and they will all get done.

Now I am going to start blogging again regularly. Obviously I haven’t WANTED to blog for the last few months. I said I did, but did nothing about it. So I didn’t really WANT to do it. Well, I WANT to now. And I will. I’m starting P90X again in the next couple of days. I want to finish what I started and get my washboard abs (which were almost there. And I’m going to continue running. I never felt so good as when I finished that race. Maybe I’m just going to be chasing a feeling that I’ll never feel again, but I know that I’ve become a more complete and a more aware person from running, so I’ll continue to do so. For one, it got me praying a lot more than I’d been praying in a long time. Now, I have to continue doing that. And not because I HAVE to. It’s because I WANT to.

Thinking of making a change in your life. You can. You just have to WANT it. Then you’ll do it. That’s the truth.

I’ll be back tomorrow. I have a novel written in my head, and I’m going to have to write it down. So, I’ll just have to be around here doing my work, won’t I? Ciao, Baby!

So here I am thinking that I am going to finally just do the half marathon, when I van calls and tells me that the half is full and to get in we’d half to raise $500 or more for some charity. I don’t want to seem cold, but I’m not in a position to start raising money for some unknown or yet to be decided charity, and if I don’t raise it I have to make up the difference. Not interested. So he told me that if I was up for the marathon, then he’d do it. So, on a moment’s notice before I had a chance to think about it too much, the two of us registered for the full Disney Marathon. Yes, 26.2 miles. I’m really excited. I’m also about 3 weeks behind schedule if I want to train for the big one. So I did what any normal person would do. I put on my running shoes and I ran 5.5 miles tonight. Yep, I just finished them. And I felt like I could continue but it was 12:30 am and I decided it would be better to simply start there and move ahead from that starting point. My next step is to do 7 miles on Saturday. My plan is to be up at 6:00 am to run. Let’s see how that goes b/c I’m not exactly a morning person. Then again, I better begin preparing because I need to be up by 3:15 am for the Disney run so I better start getting used to this. Honestly, I’m totally psyched. It’s always been a dream of mine to run a marathon, and now I’m finally on the verge of doing. And the best part is that I know I’ll be ready. Mind over body, baby, and this mind is stronger than ever! So bring it on! P90X prepared physically for anything. And I know that with God at my side this won’t be to difficult to conquer. Let’s do this!

Without further ado… the pics after the 90 days… Then before and after side by side for select photos. The difference is pretty significant, at least for me anyways. You can be your own judge. Now to maintain… or IMPROVE! Let’s see what happens…

And here they are.

And here are two other poses I did just to get a different angle. The third picture is the next day with me not sweaty and shaven, and in different light…

And now before and after…

So there you have it. Hopefully I can write again in 90 or so days and show off a full six pack (that is my true dream), but I’m definitely happy with the results I got. Now whoever reads this and doesn’t like the way they feel physically, get off your butts and get going. If I did it SO CAN YOU. I’ll be more than happy to be your support team. God bless you.

Today I’m going to hit the hay now, and tomorrow I’m going jogging early. Tomorrow I will begin X-ing again for another 90 days. I figured I can tone a bit more (no I’m not planning on losing more weight!). And I’m going to start blogging daily again. Enough is enough. I can’t let myself go. AND I CAN’T LET FACEBOOK GET ME OFF TRACK. Man, that thing is addicting!!

90 days have come and gone (and a couple of extra to be exact) and I can officially say that I graduated from the P90X program. I am very proud of myself for sticking with the program all the way until the end. I am also very happy with the results which I hope you will see in the next couple of days. This has been a great experience for me, and hopefully it’s one that will see me continuing to work on staying physically fit. Along the way I have also been blogging fairly consistently too. I plan on continuing to work on my spiritual life, and yes I have been reading regularly too, so it’s safe to say that I have improved myself in all aspects of my life. Oh but there is so much more work to do, and I am very aware that it is not something I could do alone. So with the help of my God, my wife, my family and my friends I will move forward.
One thing I definitely have to do is begin doing my Math project again. I stopped doing it for a number of reasons, but now I must press on. This is not something just for me but for my family, so I need to remind myself that failure here is not an option. I WILL get this thing done. Just as I completed my P90X.
Hopefully I can inspire others to do the same. Hopefully more of you will read this and see how with a little work we can all be better and more well-rounded individuals. We can work to become more like the person that God created us to be. So let’s journey and do this together.
As I said I’m going to be posting the result pics soon. They are the end of this chapter. But hopefully they will also be the beginning to the next one. STAY TUNED…

I skipped my workout today for stupid reasons…
I just need to do my core workout tomorrow and yoga Wednesday and I’m done. I’ve chosen to get a full night of sleep tonight.
Tomorrow I am planning to jog in the morning to get a head start after a slow day today (did I mention I had a big AND LATE dinner… ugh)
It’s amazing how when you change your eating habits, one heavy meal can make you feel like crap…
Anyways, 2 more days and I’ll take my after pics. Let’s see how it all turns out. P90X became P93X… close enough.

That’s right… 80 days down… just 10 to go. Four more days of workouts, then six days of recovery work and cardio and I will have finished. Exciting isn’t it. And the best part is that I get to sleep in just one more time today, thanks to being given the day off tomorrow. I love my job! Now I just have to find the time, now that I’m working again, to blog regularly and NOT at this late late late hour. I’m going to kill myself if I try to keep this up. No matter for the moment. The weekend is here, and I have but one full week to go and I’ll be done… but not really, because there is no way that I’m going to stop before I go on that little Disney cruise that my wife booked for the family. You KNOW I gotta look good. Minnie Mouse may be watching! I’d be worried if I were you Mickey. It’s a good thing I’m faithful to my wife, you oversized rodent, or you’d be in trou-ubble. I’ll write more tomorrow… I do have the day off after all.

(10 more days… YAY)

The last of the challenges (potentially) that I’m going to have to face before I finish my workout plan begins tomorrow. I go back to work. I now have only 2 weeks left before I finish my cycle. 77 days have come and gone. I will be done in 13 days (maybe 14 because of that extra day of rest while I was away). But now I have to worry about actually going to bed at a decent time. That means I have to work out a little earlier. That’s tough. But I’ve gotten through everything else. Let’s see, what were these obstacles again?

1. Getting started… always the biggest obstacle.
2. Summer school… small distraction, but not too difficult to deal with.
3. The injury… slicing my toe and the possibility of stitches. THAT was a true obstacle.
4. A week alone with the kids while my wife was on a workshop… who thought I’d have the energy?
5. One week in Sarasota… who wants to workout while on vacation?
6. Back to school… let’s see how this plays out.
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