Chasin' Mason

At 4:30 a.m. this morning, my alarm sounded.  Unlike most days when it is time to get up, I did not fight it. It was like the first day of school.  I had my clothes out and ready for wearing and the excitement was almost too much. I showered, dressed and kissed my wife goodbye and I was off to the Turtle Krawl 5k Run/Walk . I picked up one of my running mates and we headed to the race location, chatting about movies, music and life. When we arrived, we walked to the starting line.  It was there that I made a very embarrassing discovery. I was complaining a bit about the fact that I didn't wear gym shorts with pockets on the outside.  I was under the impression, at that point, I was going to have to run this 5k with my phone in hand.  I told my friend I was sure I chose a pair of shorts with the pockets on the outside. Indeed I did.  I had put my shorts on inside out.  This was going to be great race day. And it was.  But it was also ...

So, the day is here. Well, technically the day is here tomorrow (Saturday, September 13, 2014). I'm talking about the day I participate in my first 5k. Quick recap for the readers keeping track at home, a few months ago I signed up for my first 5k:  The Turtle Krawl 5k Run/Walk .  Nervousness and concern took over and suddenly I was a bit worried about my decision.  I downloaded the Couch-to-5k app for my iPhone in an attempt to train and prepare. That should bring you up-to-date. For the last eight weeks, I've continued to follow the app's directions concerning the workouts.  Each week, those workouts increased in intensity.  Sometimes, they increased daily. I won't lie.  There are days I considered quitting.  Not because the workout was difficult necessarily, but because of my own personal feelings about the situation... my own personal shortcomings. Back in the day... when I was 400 pounds... I couldn't understand why people chose to ...

When I first started this journey, I never really considered where it might take me.  That was only one of several unknowns. I assumed that if I were to have any success, I would lose some weight and that might be where things ended.  What I didn't consider are the things I might accomplish. At this point, as you well know dear reader, I've lost nearly 120 pounds.  I've walked, jogged, ran and biked all over the place.  But at the same time, I really wasn't going anywhere.  Sure, my location changed, but outside of losing weight and getting healthy, I had no other goals. Then, I "fell off the wagon" as it were.  I needed some way to jump back on board. First, as previously mentioned, I have to recommit myself. Check. Get back into a routine. Check. Then I needed a new goal in addition to others already stated.  Something to strive toward.  What to do? A 5k. So my search began.  It didn't take long for me to find the Turtle...

Well dear reader... where do I begin? A common question for anyone telling a story I guess.  It's one that I ask myself multiple times an hour for eight hours every day.  Most every time... I have an answer.  And I usually change it a couple of times. Speaking of questions and answers, it seems appropriate to answer one I am sure you've had at least once in recent months. "Where is Mason and why hasn't he updated his blog?" The answer is, quite simply, busy. Well, that's partially true.  While I've been busy, I've also managed to fall off the scale if you will.  And because of it, I've been rather ashamed wishing more than ever to stay away from this blog and admit my lapse in judgement. But, I'm an honest chap and can admit when I'm wrong. I've encountered some bumps along my weight loss journey. Now to you, those bumps are small.  To me, they're craters of epic proportions mentally speaking. Here are the factors....

A lot has changed since my last post (August 27). Firstly, dear reader… my apologies.  I can only hope that once you read this latest entry, you'll understand the reasoning for the distance between this post and my last. To save a lot of explanation, life happened.  Just a short time after my last entry, I uprooted my family from Western Kentucky and moved them to Central Florida.  The reason?  I received a job offer that I couldn't pass up. In the time leading up to the move, I continued to diet and exercise.  However, once we landed in Florida, I fell off the bandwagon. I began to eat more than I should and basically stopped exercising.  I would get in some activity here and there, but nothing compared to my previous workouts.  My schedules, both work and home, were off and it was simply easier to grab the quickest thing I could and run.  I struggled to get back on track.  It was easy to let it happen too.  I was still losing w...

"I'm not much for dressing up.  I'm more of a comfort guy." Honestly, that is a false statement... at least in part.  I really don't like to dress up.  When I say I am more of a "comfort guy," that really means I choose clothes that hide my bulbous features well. Quite recently, I was in a situation which required a suit.  I have two.  So, I went to my closet, pulled them out and tried them on. Uh oh!  Catastrophe!   (A quick note here.  If you don't have children who watch Disney Junior, you probably didn't catch that reference.  It's a tip of the hat to Gaspard and Lisa . Oh parenthood.) Neither fit.  The newest edition wrapped around me like a mummy. The second, the oldest of the two, was a bit smaller, but not by much.  I sent it to the dry cleaners for processing. In the end, it turned out alright.  I personally don't think it turned out well, but it did the job. With my continuing weight lo...

NOTE:  Again, I must apologize.  My blog has suffered from lack of attention.  As a result, dear reader, so have you.  I will endeavour to do better.  With that out of the way, Allons-y! We've all seen those movies.  You know, the one where any given character stands and suddenly the room begins to spin without warning.  Often, the dizziness is the result of some drug use or medical condition. In my case, it's both. Now, I must explain that the drugs I am referring to are, of course, the prescribed medications designed to combat my high blood pressure and cholesterol.  The medical condition is, well my obesity and heart. Recently, I began to notice a sharp increase in dizziness and nausea.  I would be getting out of bed or just standing around and suddenly, the room would start to spin like a ballerina... only I am not equipped with their seemingly graceful super powers or pink tutu.   (I hope you enjoy that mental image ;...