Present Day

That was a quick trip through the past. Here is what is now. I'm looking forward to my transition out of ADing and into admissions and teaching again. I would be totally happy with only teaching, but I like my salary and I'm pretty sure I need to be an administrator to keep that level of pay. Admissions is a much happier place than athletics and the hours are so much better. I do enjoy showing off the school, it sells itself. I can't wait to get back into the classroom, but still feel the guilt of how that came to pass. I know it isn't my fault, that it was out of my hands to dismiss someone, but how am I supposed to not feel guilty?

I have really enjoyed my running lately - I have found that I can run a good distance without feeling too taxed. Perhaps that means I should push myself more? The plan is still to do a half marathon and then a marathon. I've also been pretty intrigued about riding a century sometime. We'll see... I need those goals to keep me motivated to do more.

Work

Being an Athletic Director is not for me... not sure why I thought I would like it since my good friend hated it and I really am a lot like her. What have I learned from the past 5 years? Parents ruin sports. Their dreams for themselves or their kids gets in the way of letting the kids learn and grow. Playing time, coaching decisions, winning or losing, bring in more athletes, the refs are biased... UGH! It is supposed to be a learning experience, the kids should learn how to deal with disappointment and failure as well as success and victory. I'm out.

Turning 40

So, jump ahead a few months... I run everyday. Well, pretty much. A few days off for injuries and a few for weather, but otherwise I try to get out daily. I met my goal of losing 40 before I turned 40 (45 actually) and had a wonderful birthday celebration. We had a ton of people over for a party and friends from Georgia surprised me by flying out for the weekend celebration. My wife had a huge cake made (in the shape of my guitar case). What a great time!

The anticipation of turning 40 was driving my running and my attitude at work. I had hated my job for a few years... I know, many people do. The difference is that I had always enjoyed what I did before I became an Athletic Director for a school. Long hours and incredibly annoying parents just wore me down and killed my enjoyment of my work. I am good at it, not that there is that much to it, but I hated going to work everyday. Much like my trying to regain control over my weight and health - it was time for me to focus on this aspect of my life and turn it around. Too much of my life was being wasted being unhappy.

Spring Break 09'

At my wife's suggestion, I started the C25K running program in March. I had been a runner before and had enjoyed it, but after years of not running and blowing out my ACL 5 years ago - I just didn't think I could do it. There were many false starts to my attempt to start running again. It was the end of June before I finished the "9 week" program, but in the end I was running again. To my great surprise I could run for 30 minutes daily with little knee pain. Once I started taking glucosamine, even the knee pain went away. This was the start of my new journey and my work to meet the goal of losing 40 pounds before I turned 40 in December.

A little back story.

Almost a year ago I found myself unhappy in my job and with myself. I was drinking and eating more than I should to lift my spirits. Not a drunk, I never got drunk - just a few beers everyday after work to wind down. I was also eating horribly - I have always used food as a reward or a comfort. The results was tipping the scales at 240 and hating the way I felt and looked. I had never been that big before. I was thinking it was inevitable that I would be overweight. I have had some struggles with my weight throughout my life, but this was way beyond for me. I knew that I had to do something about my health and to change the direction my habits were taking me. Spring Break of 09 was the starting point to change things for the better. More tomorrow.

Blogging

So, this is life at 40. It's been more than 3 months since I turned 40, but better late than never. The past year has been full of so many great changes - I'll do a few blogs to get up to date in the next few days. My purpose here? Not sure... I'll let it come to me over time. For now just some markers to lay down on my journey through life...