Friday, November 19, 2010

Whoa Nelly!!!!!

What is up????

I am so excited. My South Carolina Gamecocks beat the snot out of the Florida Gators Saturday night. I am so pupmed. USC has won their first SEC East division title. Two more games left in the regular season and then the SEC Championship game in the ATL and then a bowl game. What a season.

Today has been a very physical day for me. This morning I did a some bench presses. Mid-afternoon I played a little basketball. After work my wife and I went for a 3.1 mile run. This evening I went and played basketball.

My feet are slightly sore after today. I am very excited I am trying to make a change.

I really need to kick the sweet tea kick I have been on here lately. The school cafeteria provides me with all the free sweet tea I want to drink. And boy do I like to drink it. Gotta cut that junk out for sure.

My run today wasn't great, but it was not terrible either. I walked with my wife a couple of times and then finished out on my own. 37 minutes. 3 miles. Not too shabby. Could have been much better though. But hey, I mean it has been since August since I have done any real running.

Gotta make that turn though.

SHEP

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Monday Basketball

Monday night I played basketball for a decent amount of time. I am feeling it this morning too. My legs/shin splints are killing me today. I have gotten out of basketball shape for sure. January 9th the third season of FCC basketball starts up. I have to get my butt in gear because I do not want to be the worst guy in the league again. If you are not a member of a church already and want to come out and play ball, you can find out more info online at http://www.foothills.cc/.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Quick Update

I have been fairly inactive since May. I am disappointed in myself, but understand it is a long process. I am ging to be getting this back up and running soon I am going to Greenville, SC in a few minutes after the locksmith gets here, to see my wife run a HALF.

I just have to suck it up and move and exercise daily.

Friday, August 27, 2010

steppin' in the right direction.

Wednesday, I went to bed before 7 PM. It was awesome to get enough sleep for once. Not that I am complaining, when I do not get enough sleep it is always my own fault. Thursday AM I got out of bed about 530 or 545. I jumped on the treadmill and slowly pounded out a little over a mile. My goal is to slowly work back up to 3 plus miles. I am going to do it slowly so I am not having to deal with lower leg pains like I did in previous months. I had every intention of running 3 miles Thursday AM, but when my legs started screaming that my 230 plus frame was too much to handle I hit the showers. Well, just the shower.

Thursday night I played basketball like usual. I sweated and ran and ran and sweated. I am disappointed with the percentage of shots that actually went in. Some days are better than others. In all reality I am better off now as a basketball player than I was at this time last year. I have no crazy thoughts of being anything but a pick-up or church league baller. I have a good time playing and hanging out. I look forward to Monday and Thursday's.

SHEP

Monday, August 23, 2010

How Bad Do YOU (SHEP) want it?

I had to take the day off work to drive the 300 miles round trip to Columbia, SC for the Neuro-Psychologist in charge of brain research to tell me I am indeed stricken with ADD. While driving the crazy interstate system of South Carolina I was reflecting on how I would love to coach a sports team. When I get these ideas in my head I often play out scenarios in my head. This particular scenario I was thinking about getting my team prepared for a bigger, stronger, more athletic team to compete against. I could hear myself shouting at them to work hard and asking them "How bad do you want it?"

I then snapped back to reality and considered the things that I want in life.

I want:
To lose a significant amount of weight.
To be a good father.
To be a good husband.
To be a good employee.
To be a better basketball player.
To be a better Christian.

These are all goals that are attainable. I know these are all things I can accomplish. I do not feel like I am putting in enough effort. I can sit on the couch and complain about all the things that I have not accomplished, or I can get up and put forth the effort it will take to reach my goals and aspirations.

I played basketball tonight for about 2 and a half hours. I am very tired and had an awesome workout. However that is all I have been doing as far as exercise goes since May. It is time to get back on the treadmill and start logging some miles.

SHEP

It Has Been A Minute

I have not posted in a while.....

I am still alive and kicking. I am still around 230 lbs. I need to get my crap together and get back on track.

I had a conversation with my father today. He called complaining about how he has nothing and his health sucks because of  his addiction to prescription pain killers. When I told him I had warned him months before that he needed to get help, he tried to explain to me that I do not understand what it is like to be an addict. I do not have any idea what it is like to be addicted to drugs, but food has always been a driving force in my life.

I feel terrible that I am having to explain to my father what he should be doing to get his life together. It sucks that I know not to abuse drugs, but I can't keep my eating habits under control.

At church (http://www.foothills.cc/) the pastor was talking about the verse in the Bible old school folks use to tell people my age we shouldn't have tattoos. You know the one that says your body is a temple. Well, I do not believe tattoos are wrong, but I have not treated my body like it is a temple.

I have some things that I need to take care of for sure.

I have the resources and the support system I need at home to be successful. I need to stop being lazy and get myself back on track.

Today I was humbled beyond words. God showed me no matter what situation is going on, that he is never going to leave me, even when I stray.

I am looking forward to getting squared away. It is going to be a hard, tough battle, but it is a battle worth fighting.

SHEP

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Good News, Bad News

The good news: I am still not drinking cokes and sweet tea. I am still playing basketball two nights a week.

Bad news: I am not running any. I have been snacking at night when I get bored.

The good news: I realize this. I realize I need to make a change. I wrote a plan out on paper. It is an easy to accomplish plan, that I can make more difficult as I go. I am going to run two days a week and play basketball two days a week. I am going to throw a long walk in there as well.

We were out of town last week visiting a friend and went for a hike. It was nice. I would like to do more of this. We have some really nice mountains close by that I could go hiking on.

I still have not been able to find a job. I am getting more and more frustrated about this. I struggled and bumped my way through college and now I cannot put my degree to work. I have made a grand total of $9.15 from this blog. But I will not get a check until I get to $100. I know God has something in store for me, but I am struggling to be at peace with that thought.

I am over halfway to my goal weight. If I could get my head squared away I could exceed my goal weight. I want to get to 210, but I know if I can get my head squared away I can get down to 185.

Summer is coming to a close. What are you going to do to close it out?

SHEP

Friday, July 9, 2010

Thursday night basketball was great. We had just enough to run five on five. I hate having to sub guys in and out. Not only does it increase the likelihood of me having to sit out, but it takes forever for the games to start back because of water breaks and people chatting. I am very impatient. I hate waiting on other people. I went to the physical therapist yesterday about my hip pain from May. She told me I need to stretch more. My wife dropped me off, and instead of waiting for her to come pick me up, I started walking toward where she was. Partially because I hate waiting, because I wanted to walk, and because I couldnt force myself to hang out in the waiting room with all the old people at the VA hospital. We are going to the lake here in a little while and I am eventually going to come home and run at least 33 minutes for my 2nd day of half marathon training. I am looking forward to getting my legs back to running condition.

SHEP

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

back at it

My wife has been on me about running. I finally listened and got on the treadmill today. Man did it feel good to be back at it. I started out at a 6 rpm on the treadmill working up to an 8.2. I couldnt keep it at an 8.2, only because the circuit breaker kept tripping. It was a great run though. I ran for 30 minutes with a little leg pain. Breathing was no problem at all.
I am registered for another 5K in August. As soon as I get paid I am going to register for a half marathon in October. Spinxfest on October 30th will be my first half marathon. There may be a 13.1 sticker/tshirt purchase soon after that. I am not looking forward to the training, but cannot wait until the run.

It felt great running today. Looking forward to getting back to business.

CONGRATS to my Carolina Gamecocks for winning the College World Series National Championship! GO COCKS!

Still alive and not taking life too serious, because no one makes it out alive.

SHEP

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Things have been crazy for the last month. The sad part is, I have not reacted quite like I should have. I have been hiding my frustrations in my plate. Up until the end of May I had been doing so well with my new healthy living. I cannot allow a tragedy to take away all that I have accomplished. I have not ran since May 22nd. I have got to get my butt in gear or it will be a sad sad day when I do try to get a run in.

I have to get back on this healthy lifestyle train and ride it until I die, regardless of when that is. I have to do everything I can to make myself the most healthy person I can be for my family.

I will have to look at my goals and make some adjustments now that I have been not doing the things that I need to do to reach my goals.

Today's plans:
Haircut
Basketball
Take my trash to the dump
Play with the kids
Search for job

I hope your summer is going the way you want it to go.

SHEP

Monday, June 28, 2010

Ever since my buddy passed away I have not wanted to work out or eat healthy. I am still pissed off that God would allow this friend of mine to needlessly die at such an early age. What does it matter if I work my butt off to get close to my fitness/health goals to only die before I could enjoy my new life??? I am frustrated and pissed off about the whole thing. I hope I can get myself squared away soon.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

This week I have played basketball three different nights. Awesome cardio each night. A bunch of the guys playing last night were commenting on how I just ran and ran and ran. That is about all I was able to do successfully. My shots were not dropping at all. I was very frustrated with my offensive numbers. I really need to find a place I can go and just practice shooting. I want to get my made basket percentage way up for when I start playing in a league.

My legs are extra sore today. I need to stretch more. Isn't that a reoccurring theme here?????

I went and helped a guy move a bunch of junk out of a foreclosed home on Friday. Lots of sweating going on.

I have not been doing so great on the whole weight loss thing here lately. I am not eating quite as healthy as I could. Despite my slackness, I am still at 230 lbs.

I need to get back on track. It is not easy to stay focused, but I have to do it.

Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend and your summer is rocking!

SHEP

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

I got to play basketball last night. It was great to be back out on the court. I ran very well considering the long lay off. I have not done to much here lately. I feel guilty not doing anything, but it has been nice to be able to rest my body a little bit.

I need to get back into an exercise routine regardless. After the games last night I was drenched in sweat as usual.

I need to be checking on a 5K to run in the next few weeks as well.

SHEP

Monday, June 7, 2010

Here it is Monday evening getting close to time where I would normally go play basketball. No basketball tonight, I am on the first of many camping trips this summer. I am disappointed I am going to miss out on an opportunity to play basketball tonight, but I am glad to be on vacation.

Our trip to Indiana was not a fun trip to be making. We went up to Corydon, Indiana for the funeral of one of my close friends. Corey Gilley passed away too early at the age of 30. He was a fun loving guy and a guy who was very sincere and a great friend. I will miss him.

Our family car started acting up while we were in Indiana. The engine started skipping and cruise control went out. We packed up the camper as soon as we got back to head out on our family vacation to Myrtle Beach. On our way down to Myrtle Beach the transmission started acting crazy. We finally made it to the campground, I put the car in reverse and we just sat there. Not only were some of the other gears not working, reverse was not working either. We broke down and traded it in. It was a good car, but it was not going to make it home. We got us a used Toyota Tundra. Very nice truck. I am glad to finally have a truck.

I really should be doing some kind of exercise right now, but I really do not feel like it, so I am going to just chil-lax (chill out and relax). Just relaxing is not easy for me either, so I am going to do my best to just chill.

I hope your summer is off to a better start than mine.

SHEP

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Not too much exercise happening lately. Made it to Indiana for my friends funeral. The family car is now all jacked up. The engine is skipping like a school girl. The transmission will not function in reverse. Not a good thing to happen when you have to back your camper into the camp site. This has been a pretty sorry week all together. I will try to throw together a better post in the next few days.

SHEP

Monday, May 31, 2010

I had a very productive week last week. I had a paying gig everyday except Thurs and Sun. I even started one today but was rained out. This week I can only work on Tues. Wed. we are leaving for Indiana. Not a pleasure trip by any stretch of the imagination. My phone rings Sun. night, the screen showed me it was my good friend calling me. On the other end was a womans voice. My blood turned cold because I knew something bad happened. It was his mom letting me know my buddy had passed away. I was in utter shock. I feel guilty for not being a better friend. I should have called more often. I could have visited. Gilley was an awesome guy and I hate knowing I will never get to talk to him again. We served in Iraq together. He was always there for me, even when guys in my platoon were not. He pushed me to get to the gym. He helped me lose 45 pounds in 2005. He would have stepped in front of a bullet that was meant for any of us. He is going to be missed. I will forever be touched by the generousity of Corey Gilley.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Today was very productive. I had another yard that needed to be cut. This one the client wanted the lawn taken care of with a mower with a bagger attachment. That meant I had to use the push mower. I was in luck, the mower is self propelled, and the lawn was only .4 acres. I worked up a huge sweat while doing it. To give you a visual, the sweat eventually started dripping off the brim of my hat. The lawn looks fantastic when I was through. I left the professional looking lines and every thing. Something I do not do out at the Shepherd Ranch. I mow my lawn using the rabbit method. If something catches my eye, I take off that way. I am all over the place. I got some work done and then hung out with the FAM. Good day today. Tonight I have struggled though. My left shoulder is killing me. I have some fluid built up around my shoulder socket and a tendon impigment that gives me dull pain pretty much all the time, but this pain is kicking it into high gear tonight. Hopefully it goes away soon. I have a busy week ahead of me.

SHEP

Friday, May 28, 2010

It feels like it has been a month since I have posted last.

I have been busy busy busy. This week I have done several odd jobs to make some money since the job out look is kinda grim. I am doing some lawn care/lawn clean up with a friend of mine from school. We have been busy. I have a yard to take care of tomorrow if this rain will hold off. I am searching Craig's List for any potential lead. I am asking friends. I am going to make some fliers and post them around town and see what kind of response I can get.

I have not been able to reduce my carbs much this week. I have been lazy and have not been preparing and planning ahead. I need to kick this lazy shadow that has been following me for the past few weeks. On a positive note, my water in take is up.

No idea what tomorrow holds, but it will be good.

SHEP

Monday, May 24, 2010

Today was a good physical pounding on the body. I helped a friend do a landscaping job for about 5 hours this morning. Lots of hard work. We weeded a flower bed and replaced the million weeds with several loads of mulch. After that, more mulch. And more mulch.

I then went this evening and played basketball. I probably played for an hour and a half straight. I really got in a good work out. I was drenched by the time I left.

Still looking for work. Keep praying I get the last position I interviewed for. We are trying to form a basketball league around Oconee, SC as well. If you have a gym or know someone who could let us use their gym, we would be estatic.

WORE OUT and headed to la la land.

SHEP

Saturday, May 22, 2010

The Foothills 5K was a big success today. The race raised just over ten thousand dollars for the Foothills Pregnancy Center. I am very glad the center will now have an ultrasound machine. This machine will be used to show pregnant women seeking an abortion their unborn baby. 90% of the time once the mother sees the unborn baby they choose life for they baby. I am pumped up about the success of the race.

As far as my running is concerned, I finished. I had a very reachable goal of finishing the race. The lack of training kept me from making any other goals for this race. I did not want to have a certain time goal because I had no idea how well I would have done. I did plan on starting off much stronger than I normally do hoping to improve my time. No such luck. I finished. I ran a 32:16 or so. Overall I am happy, but vow to train harder so I can yet faster.

SHEP

Friday, May 21, 2010

Trevor and I went swimming today. I swam 150 meters. WOW! Swimming is tough. I do not know how people swim laps. I enjoyed it, but cannot do too many laps right now. I hope to change that though. When I eventually get a job I am going to get us a family membership at the gym. I am looking forward to tomorrows race. It is for a great cause. I am hoping to do well. I am going to start toward the front and really push myself. I would love to place in the top 3 in my age group. Overall I am just hoping to run well and enjoy myself.
SHEP
Today has been a pretty good day. I took Trevor to his graduation practice. While he was practicing with his friends I hit up the golden arches for some breakfast burritos. It is hard to not get the standard two steak and cheese biscuits. I am doing well with it for the most part.

I have been snacking and eating later in the evening than I have been in the most recent months of my journey. I really think I am eating later in the evening because I am sleeping in and skipping breakfast. By the time the evening rolls around I am hungry and end up eating more than I intended to.

I met with the dietitian today. He was concerned that my uric acid count was high from the last time I had my blood work done. He told me I needed to be drinking more milk. Seriously? Dude, do you not know milk is gross unless it consists of ice cream or cheese. He also suggested that I switch to a LOW CARB diet. The carb heavy foods turn into insulin and cause you to be hungry again quicker than if you had protein and veggies. I am going to do my best to limit the amount of carbs and sugars I consume, especially after lunch.

I went to play basketball tonight. I had a great time. Not only did I get to hang out with some great people but I got to work out. Awesome cardio night tonight. I am getting better each week. I am looking forward to our season this winter. I am in the process of tracking down a gym that we can use to start a summer league. I am hoping to get this league rolling soon.

I am looking forward to the 5K on Saturday. I am going to try and push myself to see if I cannot break the 30 minute mark this time. Hope to see you there.

Glad I got some exercise in today.

SHEP

Thursday, May 20, 2010

This week I have been a lazy bum. I have not really done any kind of real exercise. After basketball on Monday I did some squats (no weights) while laying around watching TV. I am not exactly happy with myself right now. Last night I grabbed a box of Cheezits and snacked while watching TV. I have gotten out of this habit, but have recently started doing it again. I have no one to blame but myself. I feel defeated. It would be easy to not log back in to Blogger, but I am not going to give up. I think what is messing me up, is my schedule. I stay up late and sleep in. I skip breakfast and get hungry later in the evening. I need to start getting up and have breakfast, as well as go to bed at a decent time if I cannot demonstrate some will power over this late night snacking. This afternoon I am heading to see the dietitian. Tonight is basketball night. Hopefully there will be enough players show up to keep a steady game going.

Slacker of the week,

SHEP

Monday, May 17, 2010

I played basketball tonight. We started out playing 4 on 4. BORING. Half court basketball sucks. We eventually played ONE stinking game of full court basketball. I got in a little cardio but it was not exactly what I would say an adequate work out. I guess I need to get up tomorrow morning and go for a little run on the treadmill or something. I am looking forward to the Foothills 5K this Saturday. I hope the course is nice and flat this time.

SHEP

Saturday, May 15, 2010

I am feeling like a big stupid jerk. I was watching TV thinking about the stupid Strawberry Cake in the fridge. I could not shake the thought. I broke and had a piece. About 45 minutes later, like a big stupid idiot, I went back and finished off the cake. I am pissed off about it. I am mad at myself. I do not have any idea why I would go ahead and do something so stupid and counterproductive to my weight loss journey. I weighed myself this morning and had dropped down to 230 pounds. Where will I be after the stupid gosh darn cake. I am going to have to get back on track. What am I going to do to make sure I do not something like this again? First step, Shep, do not buy stupid cake. I guess it really is not the cakes fault, probably could stop calling the cake names. I am so frustrated with myself. I must make sure I do not do this again.

Frustrated to no end right now.

SHEP

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Our basketball games tonight were very intense. We only had ten people show up to play. We played at least 6 full court games, each game at least 20 minutes each. It was a very good workout. I normally leave with my shirts soaked, but tonight even my jockeys were soaked. I had a great time. To top it all off, the group of people I play with are awesome. They are a great group of Christian guys and girls having fun. Could it be any better? I guess if we were getting paychecks at the end of the night it could. I would venture to guess I sweated about about a gallon of sweat tonight. It was a good night. I shot the ball okay, and played defense well. Each week I am getting better and better. I am looking forward to www.foothills.cc basketball in January. Coaches, listen up, if you draft me you are getting a steal. If you want to improve your chances of having a player foul out, seriously, you need to draft me.

Tired and sore, but loving this active lifestyle.

SHEP
There is so much to do around the house. I need to do a bunch of cleaning on the inside as well as the outside. I feel defeated before the day even gets started. I am about ready to grab some of my eco-friendly garbage bags and start filling them up with stuff to donate to the thrift store. I have not done anything physical since Monday. By the time my wife gets home and dinner is done with I am too tired to go running. I need to go pay a few bills and go eat lunch with my girl at school. By the time this is all said and done it will be noon. I have more laundry piled up than Georgia has redneck Bulldog fans. College football is getting closer. There is so much to do around the house, but I have to realize a clean house is not going to get me to my goal weight. Alright I feel better, time to get this stuff done and out the door so I can get home and get some more work done. Basketball tonight.

Task burdened, but always smiling,
SHEP

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Slow Moving

I have not been posting much these past few days. I have been busy busy working on my yard. Hoping to get it squared away soon. I played basketball Mon. night. Nothing stellar at all. My defense is getting better by the week. My shooting was poor. Some skinny kid was whining about playing full court because we only had enough to run 4 on 4. So I was not running nearly as much as I wanted to. I seriously did not break a sweat the first two games. Oh well.

I need a kick in the pants. I have not been exercising nearly enough since school has gotten out. I have been relying on basketball way too much. I need to get some more exercise in somewhere. I have to get my butt in gear.

Looking forward to what tomorrow holds.

SHEP

Sunday, May 9, 2010

GRADUATION




Frustrated

I have checked the official results page and still have not seen my time. I emailed the race director and he said I finished 34:55 with bib number 922. BUT bib number 496 who finished at 34:41 finished at least 15 people behind me. I am frustrated with the way this race was set up and timed. From start line to finish line I say I finished at 31:50. I do not believe I will run in this race again next year.

Big Weekend

This has been a big weekend for us. I know I talk a lot about weight loss, basketball and running. I want to take a quick second and talk about my wife. Brandi is such an awesome woman. She loves me unconditionally. I am not an easy guy to live with. Brandi deals with my crazy antics day in and day out. Brandi is a great mother to our children. and an incredible teacher. I am a lucky man to have such a great woman as my wife and best friend. Brandi surprised me with a cake for my graduation lunch. Not only did she surprise me with an awesome cake but she arranged for her sister to keep the kids overnight. We went to Greenville and stayed in a very nice hotel. We had an excellent dinner at Ruth's Chris. Not exactly the kind of place we can afford to go to on a monthly or quarterly basis, but it was very nice. Thank you Brandi for such a wonderful weekend.

Friday night was the Swamp Rabbit 5K. I still have no idea what my official time was. I have checked the official results web page a few times and have not been able to find my name. I am looking at the finish line pictures and I will figure out my time. I have emailed the people who did the timing of the event as well to see if they can locate my official time as well.

The run was on a difficult course. The first mile was nice and flat, after that though, the hills started kicking some butt. They made an announcement before the race started for all the walkers to move to the back of the formation. THEY DID NOT LISTEN. I passed so many people who started out walking. I moved to toward the back of the formation with the 10+ minute milers. To keep myself from getting behind all the walkers in future races I will just start a little closer to the front.

Riley and Ryann completed their first 5K. Trevor was running the 5K but some how got himself lost. He was supposed to be walking/running with my uncle. My uncle stopped for water and Trevor kept going. Trev said some girls stopped him and asked him if he was lost. Trev told them he was lost, so they called the police and had Trev hang out with them. We finally found him. He was as cool as a cucumber. He told the police officer that we had parked at the baseball field, so they waited there until we tracked him down. I was running all over the place looking for him. I stopped a police officer and asked her if she knew if Trev was with one of their officers. They did tell me he was at the car waiting on us.What a way for Trev to end his last day as a 4 year old.

Graduating was a great thing, but the ceremony was boring. No idea why the university had to talk about their accomplishments and why they are such an awesome university. Really? Oh well. I am done. No more school for now. I am so glad to be done. I never thought I would get to the day I completed my degree. The old Shep would quit something any time it started to getting difficult. I am so glad I am making some big time changes in my life.

I will have some pictures up later on.

SHEP

Friday, May 7, 2010

Swamp Rabbit 5K

Just a quick post about tonights run. I am beat. This run was pretty much flat up to mile number 1. The next 2.1 miles were up hill. I was hoping to beat my time from the last race, but I dont think I did. Official times have not been posted. I did come in under 35 minutes. I am not happy with my time. Only thing I can do to fix that is to train and train more. Basketball is fun and great exercise but it is not helping me with my distance running. I made it through the run, much better than I could have done last year.

Slowly getting to where I need to be.
SHEP

Twisted Ankle

Today has been a fairly productive day. Stephen came and fixed my lawn mower. I can now ride around and cut the grass. I still have not finished cutting the grass. My ADD distracted me and I started on a different task.

I started ripping up part of the drive way. I have become fed up with the water running down the driveway and into the garage every time it rains. I ripped up a 6 foot section of asphalt and started digging a hole so I can install a drain. When I get that completed I am going to plant some nice flowers and maybe even a few tomato and pepper plants.

I went and played basketball tonight. It was a lot of fun and great exercise. My shot was way off tonight. I went 5 for way too many. My defense was looking good though. I got a great cardio work out tonight. By January rolls around my game should be much improved. Looking forward to the basketball league at http://www.foothills.cc/.

My third 5K this year is coming up tomorrow night. I am slightly more nervous now after playing basketball. I twisted my ankle playing strong defense against a ball hog. I have no idea how my ankle got hurt either. I am icing it right now, so hopefully I will be at 100% for the run tomorrow.

Graduation practice is tomorrow morning. I am not happy about having to drive an hour to campus to practice lining up and practicing to sit down in my spot. Put my name on a seat. I know my name and I will walk up there and give you a high five, slap you on the butt and get my degree.

Fired up about tomorrow's run and Saturday.

SHEP

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Today was a semi-productive day. I got a good bit of the yard/lawn cut/mowed. I am from South Carolina and I refer to it as a yard and I say cut. Anyway. We have 2.2 acres of land. About 1.75 acres I try to keep cut. My stupid riding mower is always on the outs. I have a push mower that works wonderfully. I can leave it sitting in the rain for months and it will still start up with little effort. The belt that turns the wheels on the front of the mower broke a while back. I am not very mechanically inclined so it has not been replaced. I pushed this mower around the yard for what seemed like FOREVER today. I started at about 11 this morning and finally knocked off around 1:30. A friend of mine is going to come and give me a hand tomorrow with the riding mower. Hopefully I will get the grass cut before Friday.

Friday is the 3rd 5K this year. We got an email from the race director detailing where, when and that sort of thing. There are about THREE THOUSAND people signed up for this race. I am very worried. I have never run in a race this large. Where will I finish comparatively to 3,000 people?

Just being active is a great accomplishment, but I do not just want to compete. I want to do well and I would love to finish top 3 in my age group. I cannot wait to run regardless of the number of people registered to run. I will have pictures up as soon as I can. This is going to be a busy busy weekend, SO I am not making any promises as to when though.

Run on Friday, graduation on Saturday, and Mother's day on Sunday. I hope you have something awesome planned for this weekend.

SHEP
I was told there would be a group of guys playing basketball tonight. No such luck. Kinda disappointing to not play tonight, but it was great to sit on the couch with my wife and just hang out.

Tomorrow I am going to have to get some form of running accomplished. If I plan on getting down to a sub 30 minute 5K race I have to start working on some distance/endurance training. The sprinting during basketball is great, but I do not think it is enough to get me where I need to be. I hate running on the treadmill and I get bored running around a track. I have to figure something out.

My scale seems to be stuck at 236 pounds. I have to make some type of accommodation in my diet to make up for the plateau. My goal is to be down to 227 pounds by June 1. I know the scale is not broken, I know it is my fault I am stuck here. I am not doing as much as I could be doing to help get me to where I need to be.

If the weather will hold out for me, there will be a little yard work going on at my house tomorrow. Keep Saturday in your prayers for me. If it rains, my graduation will be moved indoors. If it goes indoors I will be given 5 tickets. Considering I have a wife and three children, what on Earth am I supposed to do with one ticket? Who do I invite? How do you decide who gets shafted?

Still looking for a job. I am open to being hired as a motivational speaker. If you need someone to come and speak to a group of people we can work something out.

Sitting outside enjoying the coolness.

SHEP

Monday, May 3, 2010

Hot Humid Gym

Hot and Humid does not even begin to describe the gym tonight. We played for about 2 hours tonight. By the time I was done my shirt was completely soaked. My legs feel great. I still have the hip pain though. I had an X-Ray today and the tech said everything looked OK. I will eventually get to a physical therapist about it.

I am looking forward to this Friday night. We are all running in the Swamp Rabbit 5K. This will be our kids' first 5K. I hope to get my time down to 29 minutes if at all possible.

I am going to start training for a half marathon soon. My wife and I want to run in one in October or November. I hope to just be able to finish it when we enter one.

Hoping for a great week.

SHEP

kick back sunday

i pretty much kicked back and relaxed today. we hit up the most awesome church this am. www.foothills.cc then busted into our local firehouse subs for kids eat free day. hung out and ate with tom. headed back to the house in westminster, aka the middle of no where. i took a nap. went to walmart for some staples for the week. put up the cold stuff and hit the world wide wacked out web. i googled some half marathon training programs. i googled some more mud runs. sept 25 columbia sc is the next mud run. thinking about building a training wall in the yard to help me get ready for the next mud run. got to build up my upper body strength. looking forward to my legs not being so sore. i bet you guys wish i would not blog from my phone???? i will eventually fix this post to make it more readable.

until then....

SHEP

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Mud Run

My wife, two friends from church, and I all ran/jogged/walked/crawled today in the St. Francis Mud Run. I had such a great time. If you are not familiar with a mud run let me break it down for you. 4 mile run with obstacles sprinkled in. Sprinkled = 35 different obstacles. I completed Army Basic Combat Training in 2004. Basic training was a jog in the park on a lazy Sunday afternoon compared to this one run. I have never climbed over (lots of help needed) crawled under, or waded through so much mud in my life. It was a very difficult physical challenge, but it was so much fun. I would do it again in a heart beat.

After the run was finally over, it took me about 10 to 15 minutes to finally catch my breath. I was exhausted. Due to some weak upper body strength I did not finish a few of the obstacles. I regret not at least trying to do them. It would have been easier to know I did not do well on the obstacles then to not even try them at all. My shoulders give me a lot of difficulty, but I could have at least gave it a try. I am going to post a few pictures here, but will post all of the pictures on the Fat Funny Guy page on facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fat-Funny-Guy/102249846485790?ref=ts).

If you want to challenge yourself and have a great time doing it, I encourage you to get out and do a mud run. It was so much fun.

So tired.

SHEP

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Spent part of the morning running an errand or two. Trevor and I hit up the local post office to mail some graduation invitations. He wanted to drop the envelopes in the drop box. One envelope at a time. Grinning the entire time he did it.

I cleaned the house a little today. I got distracted by the few rugs we have in the house. I grabbed the resolve and sprayed them down. I guess I could have used the regular old vacuum cleaner we have, but I am a man and I had to use the Shop Vac. It worked out well. The carpets are nice and clean and the house is smelling good.

Tonight was basketball night. We played full court for about 3 hours. I worked up a very good sweat. I played a couple of good games. One game I hit 4 three point shots in a row. I felt great playing tonight. My running up and down the court keeps getting better and better. I hope this helps my Mud Run time on Saturday.

Consider running in the 5K with me on May 22nd. Foothills Pregnancy Center is trying to purchase an ultra-sound machine. 95% of women considering an abortion will decide to back out of the abortion  if they have seen their baby. I am all about saving a baby's life. I love babies. If you cannot make the run, and you can afford to send a donation, would you consider doing that?

Loving life.

SHEP

Get to know the Fat Guy behind the curtain.

To help you, the best readers ever get to know me a little better I am going to make a list of random stuff about me. Mostly likes and dislikes.

1. I really could care less about ketchup.
2. Chicken and ketchup do not go together, ever.
3. I dislike it when people vote straight party on their ballots.
4. I dislike wasteful government spending.
5. If I email you, email me back with at least an "OK".
6. I like being outside. I have not always been like this.
7. I do not like using contractions.Not that I do not sometimes use them.
8. I am asked quite frequently to get things from the top shelf in Walmart.
9. I love to play basketball. I am not very good at it, but love to play.
10. I will procrastinate until the very very very very last minute.
11. Diet Dr. Pepper is better in a can.
12. I really have no idea why people will hang out in parking lots. Seriously? You have nothing better to do?
13. Thirteen is my favorite number. Taylor Swift is much younger than I am, she must have copied me in the whole 13 thing. She should be paying me some royalties, right?

What are some random things about you? Maybe I will make a list of random things I know about my readers?????????

SHEP
I did an easy mile run today just to get some exercise in for the day. I always start off slowly and rough. By the time I have ran half of a mile I am feeling good and get into a rhythm. I need to remember to pick up some gum for me to chew while I run. I can keep my breathing more consistent. I didnt keep running, for two good reasons. My left shin started hurting and we have the 4 miler coming up on Saturday. I am looking foward to it for sure. I need to climb up in the attic in the garage to see if I have some old BDUs from my Army days hanging around so I can run in the mud and not ruin my other pants.

How is this week different from last week? Are you fed up? This is the time to change. If I can, so can you.

Ready for another day.
SHEP

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Not only am I looking better, but my blood work results are looking even better. My cholesterol levels are much improved. My blood pressure, which was OK to begin with, is improved as well. I am not at risk for diabetes either.

I have to call and make an appointment to see the nutritionist. Apparently, I could have called and set this up with out my doctor seeing me.

I have to get an xray of my hip and go see the physical therapist. Hopefully I get this hip squared away.
I also asked about adult ADD. I am going to be screened for that. Maybe I can get this taken care of so I do not spend an extra thirty minutes doing simple tasks.

Overall, my doctor said I was doing great. She was pleased with my lower cholesterol levels and improved BP.

Making good changes!

SHEP

Monday, April 26, 2010

4-26-2010

My first day off from school. WOW. I had to take a package and ship it Fed Ex.  I was at the wrong place and on top of that I had a flat tire. I was about 1/4 of a mile from the tire shop. I was going to try and just limp on over. Nope. It was way too flat to make it out of the parking lot. I pulled off to the side in front of Dollar General. I was blocking 2 or 3 spaces so I could be towed out if needed. I was getting some very nasty looks from some blue haired granny's throwing me some nasty looks. I called road side service since I am paying for it. They were an hour away. No way was I going to sit there for an hour waiting. I put my big boy pants on and changed my tire myself.

After we finally got the tire squared away we headed over to the track at Clemson. Trevor and I tried to run some laps. I ran about 3 good laps before I got sick of running into the 100 mile an hour winds. OK maybe 100 miles an hour is a little over statement. I would get close to Trevor and he would sprint away so I would not pass him. He would walk a little bit and then roll around in the grass. He was so funny.

I cooked dinner tonight. Ground turkey instead of ground beef. I could not tell a difference. It was a great meal and probably a much more healthy alternative.

I went and played basketball tonight. I took Trevor with me. He was so funny running around messing with people. I played about 6 or 7 games. It was a very good night. I bought new basketball shoes. Very nice. I was drenched as usual when I left the gym. Looking forward to the next basketball night.

I go visit my Dr. tomorrow. I hope she has her calendar cleared. I am going to bombard her with all kinds of questions. I also find out about my blood work from like a month ago. I hope I can get an appointment with the nutritionist soon as well.

Enjoying the new me.

SHEP

Sunday, April 25, 2010

4-25-2010

After the Rock Star event last night, I was wore out. I slept in today.

We have pretty just chilled out today. Tomorrow is going to be great. I get to sleep in. Trevor and I are going to go to the track and run some time tomorrow. I hope to get in some distance running early on, and then after a rest do some interval runs.

SHEP

Saturday, April 24, 2010

4-24-2010

The Rock Star party has come and gone. The kids had a blast. I am tired. I showed real self control tonight. I only had 3 pieces of pizza and 2 doughnuts. To a health food nut that amount will sound like a lot. For me, that is a very modest amount. Normally at a party like this, I would have had at least 8 pieces of pizza and 5 doughnuts and probably 6 cokes. I had one diet Dr. Pepper and a bottle of water. I am slowly making my portion sizes smaller and smaller. No way I keep the weight off if I keep eating like a fat guy. I have to retrain myself to eat like a healthy guy.

It is slow going, but I am going.

Wore out and sore! Shep

Friday, April 23, 2010

4-23-2010

What a day!

I finished up student teaching today. The kids were telling me all day how much they were going to miss me and how they wanted me to stay. One little girl in first grade grabbed me around the waist and told me she wanted me to come back next year and be her second grade teacher. I will really miss those crazy kids. However, I can get used to getting a little extra sleep in the mornings.

We had to go to the big city of Anderson, SC to the Sam's club to get some stuff for the big Rock Star party. We had dinner out. I had water, 2 rolls, a baked sweet potato, and fried chicken strips (6 of them. I only ate 3.5).
We went shopping for some costume stuff for my wife. We went to a sporting goods store here I ran into a fellow blogger. Christina is blogging about her training  for a marathon. Check her blog out at www.mission262.blogspot.com. We got out girls some running shoes for under 16 bucks. On the way home I stopped by Belk to see what kind of sale they have going on. I bought a running shirt with a little pocket for my ipod, that is now frozen on the main menu.

I jumped on the treadmill. I walked for about 5 minutes to warm up and then started running. I ran for 30 minutes with no problem and a big goofy smile. I am now very tired and ready for some sleep. A good night of sleep is going to be nice. If I could only get the neighbors dog to stop barking at the cows across the street. Not too thrilled about the whole situation. Oh well.

Going to catch some shut eye.

SHEP

Thursday, April 22, 2010

4-22-2010

I was so torn about what to do today. Basketball or Golf or both? None! Chick-fil-a Spirit night for school and then I went off to see some of my students play baseball.

Down to my last day of student teaching. I am going to miss my students and the rest of the faculty and staff. I am glad to be done, but I will miss all the great people I have met over the past year.

However, I am fired up about the extra time I will have to pour into running and working on my blog. Hoping to find a teaching for the next school year. I did apply for a 4K job today. Hoping I know something soon. I am nervous about the whole job situation, but I know God is going to supply me with something.

The weekend is coming up fast. The big rock star party for all three of my children is going down Saturday night. We have a karaoke machine for the kids to rock out with. We are having pizza and my wife and I are going to construct a Krispy Kreme doughnut cake. I will be having some pizza and doughnuts. Guilt free. I have been very good about not eating a bunch of sweets. I will celebrate with my children and party like a rock star with them.

Looking forward to rocking out with the 100 people who are showing up to the party.

SHEP

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

4-21-2010

I spent the evening hanging out with my family and another family from our church at the park. We went for a little walk with the kids and pretty much enjoyed the beautiful weather.

I am torn about what to do about tomorrow evening. I can play basketball, play golf, or go home. I know I need to stay home and rest my hip and legs. I really want to go play golf and then go play basketball. Who knows what the day will bring.

I did stretch my right leg out a decent amount today. Not sure if what I was doing even helped, but I was actually stretching. That doesn't happen often. My annual doctor visit is coming up next week. Boy has my doctor got a lot of questions headed her way. Normally I plop my fat butt in a chair uninterested in anything going on. Oh no, not now. I am now actually concerned about my health and how I can improve my life span. I hope I can get some kind of relief for this hip. I also want to know about these funny little bumps on my lower legs. I am going to make an appointment with the nutritionist too.

These changes are starting to scare me.

SHEP

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

4-20-2010

Giving the current physical discomfort in my right hip I am going to restfully relax today. While I am hanging out on the couch with my wife, she is watching some stupid show recorded from the E channel. It is some reality TV show about some guy and his wife.

How can I say this nicely? I HATE reality shows. Seriously, my life is enough to deal with, why watch other people on TV acting like a bunch of fruit cakes?

I have been working on making my blog background look nice. Finally, I think I have gotten it pretty close to looking good. I have added an upcoming events section of future events I plan on running in. I am debating on putting my results there as well. Let me know what you think about that.

I have spent several minutes through the day stretching my hip. At least I think that is what I was doing. I would pick up my foot and hold my heel relatively close to my butt. I would also lay on the ground and pull my lower leg back stretching the muscle on the top of my thigh. When I do this it helps. Maybe I should take some kind of anatomy class so I can describe these stretches a little better.

Moving forward one day at a time.

SHEP

4-19-2010

Just another typical Monday. Nothing spectacular.

I sent my buddy a text about basketball and he said we were going to take this week off and play next week. He did say he was going to the gym to shoot around. I went too. I need as much practice as possible so when November rolls around and basketball starts at FCC (http://www.foothills.cc/) I will be ready to jump out of the gym. My shot did get a little better. We played a little one on one. For Kaleb's sake we are not going to talk about my win.

My right hip is giving me fits. I have no clue as to why it hurts. I am just guessing here, but it could be that I never stretch. I have to seriously work on getting serious about stretching. Serious stretching would probably be very helpful.

When I took a week off because of the super sunburned knees my hip felt much better. When I only run my hip seems to hold up well. It is playing basketball that give my hip such trouble. I am wondering how much the jumping has to do with the hip pain. When I go to the doctor next week, I am going to see if I can't get a physical therapy appt to get this hip squared away.

The hunt for work is still going on. I have applied for all kinds of positions. I am hoping to find a teaching job, but this budget bonaza has me worried.

Hope you all are having a great week.

SHEP

Monday, April 19, 2010

T-Shirt Ideas


I would like to make my own t-shirt to wear for my future 5K events. I want to get this logo on the front and the back. On the back I want to have a slogan. Here is where you get to help me out. In the comment section leave a slogan for my t-shirt.

My slogan I am throwing out: You may be skinny, but I am faster than you.

4-18-2010

Sunday was a day of relaxing. We woke up and laid around until time to go to church. I was awake for several hours before church started and somehow still managed to be late. FCC (http://www.foothills.cc/) baptized 54 people on ONE Sunday. Amazing what God is doing in our little community.




We had borrowed my aunt's Lincoln Aviator for our vacation a week ago and needed to take it back to her. We met them at a park in Greenville. There were people running and biking all over the park. It is a shame that we do not have some place "safe" like that in Oconee County.
 
I found a 5K that has a mile run event for my children that actually breaks down the award category into age appropriate age levels. So far all the ones we have been to, have lumped all of the kids into one big age group, putting my much younger children at a disadvantage. I told my children about this run. They were excited. I told them just because they were going to have the opportunity to win an award it did not mean they would be the fastest in their age groups. I told them the best way for them to make sure they have a good shot at winning an award, is to train. They all said they wanted to train to be fast and win.




One motivating factor for me to get healthy and active is because of my children. Ryann in particular. I have never really said out loud that my daughter is overweight, but she is. I could give reasons or qualifiers to make it sound better, but I cannot do that. I have to accept the fact that I have failed my daughter up to this point. We are trying to help everyone in our family get healthy and active. I am more concerned about Ryann's future health not so much the weight right now. She will grow taller and this will equal her out. At least I hope so and hope that thought is not some old wise tale.



Hoping to motivate my children to become healthy and active.



SHEP

Saturday, April 17, 2010

This just in!

The official times have been posted. My official time was 31:36. I finished 128 out of 262. 5th in my age bracket. Not sure how many men were in my age bracket though.

Overall, I would have to say that I am very impressed and very happy with the way the race turned out today. My time turned out to be even better than I ever could have imagined.

I am so happy and proud. Thank you God for allowing me to go out today and run so well. It is through you that I was able to keep my little chicken legs churning.

SHEP

Seneca Chick-Fil-A 5K April 17, 2010

Here I am coming across the finish line. The official times have not been posted on the website (http://www.terrytimes.com/) yet, but from the above picture it appears to be a pretty awesome time.

I am so excited. I am looking forward to a little rest later today. The run was so much fun. We started out running around the lake and up this HILL and into a subdivision with some more, you guessed it, hills. It was a great run for me. I really thought I might cry after the run. I improved my time by so much over the last 5K. 38:54 was the last race time. 6 minute difference. Cannot complain about that at all. I am proud of my family for getting out of bed and running on beautiful Saturday. We had such a good time. Loving it.






3rd 5K April 17, 2010

Just a quick note, unofficial time, under 33 minutes!!!!! So excited!!!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

4-15-2010

Today after school my wife called me and asked me if I wanted to grab my running gear and go over to Clemson University and run on the track. I was all for it. I beat her there. When I started driving around to the track there was a guy a distance away blocking the driveway there. He stopped me and asked me if I had a parking pass. Never had to have a parking pass before. I was confused. I asked dude what was happening. The ACC Track and Field Championships. HMMMMMMM. I mean I have come a long way, but I did not really think I was ready to be running for a championship. So we decided to just watch for a while. How can you turn down free OUTDOOR entertainment???? We watched for a little bit and then headed to grab some food.

I then headed out to play basketball. You would think as much as I have been playing I would improve my shooting skills. NOPE no improvement seen.However, I did sweat several gallons of sweat. I think all together I played about an hour and a half tonight. I was ready to keep playing but we had lost a few guys so we did not have enough to keep playing.

Tomorrow I am going to just chill and relax my legs for Saturday's race. I am so excited and ready to run some more.

Keep the comments coming. I love hearing from you guys.

Loving the changes I have seen over this journey.

SHEP

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

4-14-2010

I went today and picked up our race packets for Saturday's race. I am excited. Nervous about the race route. The route from my best guess take us through some pretty hilly residential neghiborhoods. I am nervous about how well my shins will hold up on hills.

I have switched the shoes I play basketball in. I am now playing in my running shoes. Not really happy about that, but at least my shins are holding up well.

I did not make it to the track today. But I did go running. I hit the treadmill at home. Last time I was on the treadmill I struggled. I was in terrible pain. Not tonight Ladies and Gentlemen! My legs and knees and shins were good. I ran non stop for 2.5 miles in 25 minutes. Not too shabby. I was pretty much smiling the whole run. I was pretty excited that I was able to actually put together a decent run WITH OUT stopping and NO PAIN. I hope this feeling sticks. I am a big fan of not having pain when I run. I am looking forward to Saturday's race ( You may have read about this somewhere before today). I hope to get below 36 minutes. Primary goal is to finish and my secondary goals have not changed. Do not throw up and beat Brandi. Even though I do like running behind her for unspoken reasons.

I am hoping they have the mile run prize categories set up by age appropriate categories. The last mile run my kids ran in the category was 1-12, so there was no hope for my little guys to win anything. I looked back at the times and if they would have had a prize category for 1-5 My son would have finished first in that age category. I want him to continue to run and him to want to do well. He is only 4. If they have the age groups set up in different categories I think he will place. He is going to run well regardless of a prize though. I am very, very, very proud of my children. They really do enjoy being active once they get out there and start doing it. Trying to convince them they are going to enjoy it is a different story all together.

I am down to 7 school days. It is so bittersweet. I am so excited about graduation, but I am going to miss my students so much. They are such a fun group of kids to be around. I hope and pray I will be able to get a job there next year, but with the budget the way it is no one knows anything at all. I am very nervous.

Heading in the right direction.

HOLD UP, before I close, I put on some slacks this AM from back when I was selling life insurance, and they are just a little too big for me. The waist size is 42. After school I went to the local Belk and tried on some different slacks. Yep, I am down to a size 36. I did not buy any because I did not like the way the pockets looked, but I did buy a MUCH needed new belt for $3.89 (a savings of $23).

SHEP

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Quick Share

Here is an e-mail I recieved the other day. I normally don't forward stuff because I know people are already getting enough stuff. This I had to share.

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States.

Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course their freshman year, regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was
studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him.

"How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time"

"Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it."

Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday.. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone
was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

"Sure!" Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship..

When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own
push-ups?"

Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Dr... Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"

With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups.

Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!"

Dr.. Christianson said, "Look! This is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to
slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr.. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

Sternly, Jenny said, "No."

Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"

Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, "No!" and there were all these uneaten
donuts on the desks..

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row.. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that
ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your push-ups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to
come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?"

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut."

Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"

Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, "give me a donut."

"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room..

The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda.

Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"

Dr Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone; I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not.. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is
the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes."

"Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'Into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With
the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten. "

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.

"Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding, "Not all sermons are preached in words."

Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not His Only Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price
has been paid."

"Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"

Share this with someone. It's bound to touch their heart and demonstrate Salvation in a very special way.
Psalms 138:8


Finish what you started in me, God. Your love is eternal - don't quit on me now.


I wish I were not such a selfish person. I am so thankful God was willing to sacrifice for me.

Loving life and making it longer.

SHEP

Monday, April 12, 2010

4-12-2010

What a great day. It was a long day, but still a great day. I had a great day st school today. All of my students were happy to be back and to see everyone.

I told my class about the 5K I am running in on Saturday and told them they would recieve some school money if they same and ran with me. I am not sure if anyone will come out, but the offer was made.

At recess I played basketball with a lot of the students. They really have a good time playing. They have no idea they are exercising in the process of having fun.

After school I had to go to a meeting at the big university. It was supposed to be over at 5:15, nope it ran over. I was going to go to the track and run after my meeting before I headed to the gym to play basketball. I did not have enough time to do both, so I picked the one I wanted to do the most.

The old Shep would have just said "I can make it up tomorrow". Nope! I was going to get in some exercise one way or the other.

I played for about 2 hours tonight. I really got a great work out in tonight. I am going to do some work out at the track the next couple of days to help get me ready for the race on Saturday.

I am looking forward to setting a new personal record and eventually extending my mileage so I can work up to a half marathon and a full marathon.

I am slowly getting to where I need to be and I love it. I have gotten so many compliments about how good I am looking now that the weight is coming off. I feel good about myself for the first time in a very long time.

Looking forward to getting back out in this beautiful weather.

SHEP

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Back to school tomorrow

I am back to school tomorrow. SPRING BREAK WAS GREAT! We had such a relaxing time down on the island. Tomorrow we are back at the grind. I have two weeks left before I am done with my undergrad career. I will miss my students, but I am throughly looking forward to graduation. It has been a long time coming.

Tomorrow night I am playing some basketball. Cannot wait. I am looking forward to playing.

I know Phil Mickleson doesnt read my blog, but CONGRATS Phil.

My next 5K is coming up this Saturday. I cannot wait. I am so ready. My legs feel great. My shins havent been bothering me here lately. I hope they stay cool during the run and I can get down to 36 minutes or so. Would love to get under 30, but I have not been training enough to drop that kind of time.

If you dont have anything going on Saturday come and run with us. Join our little family running Saturday.

SHEP

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Vacation has come to an END.

I am sad to say that my vacation is over. It was a great vacation. Monday we traveled down to Edisto, SC. We set up our little pop-up camper and went down to the beach.

On Tuesday morning I went for a nice little run down a dirt road that ran beside the marsh. It was very cool running under the live oak trees with the moss hanging down.

Tuesday afternoon we sat out on the beach reading and relaxing for about 4 hours. WOW! I sure did get some sun. My knees were so sun burnt it hurt to walk, so no running for me.

We went into Charleston and walked around for a little while. We asked a young lady selling Italian ice where the Battery was. She told us to keep going straight and we would run right into it. NOPE, she was dead wrong. If we would have kept walking straight we would have ended up in Columbia. All we had to do was walk about 3 blocks to the left and we would have been there. Nope, we walked about 10 blocks in the wrong direction and then the 5 blocks to the left correcting the mistake. I sure did get plenty of exercise this day.

The rest of the week we pretty much sat around enjoying some good books. I cannot wait for the next vacation.

Looking like a red faced raccoon.

SHEP

Monday, April 5, 2010

spring break 2010 day 1

We made it to Edisto Beach State Park about 5 PM today. We got our camp site set up and hit the beach. We looked around to see what we could get into tomorrow.

I did not do any running or any thing today, but plan on it tomorrow for sure. I hope to run down to the beach and back. Its not a long trip, but its not short either.

We are sitting out by the camp fire now. Trevor is kind of like me, he has to be talking if he is awake. I love to sit around the campfire and just relax. This activity my son has yet to find the joy in. Pray that I dont string this child up by his toes. LOL. I told him I was blogging about him, his response, your blog is missing? Where did it go Dad?

I love it.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Happy Easter

I just want to wish you a happy Easter. I hope you get to enjoy spending time with your loved ones. I appreciate every one who reads my blog and follows my journey. I am going to pray for whatever it is that is going on in your life. I am going to ask God to bless, protect, and heal you.

I have been posting for almost 3 months now and I have 900 visits. I am so excited about my progress.

I have gotten a bunch of messages from people encourgaing me along and messages from people telling me I am an inspiration. Keep the messages rolling in, I love them.

HAPPY EASTER

SHEP

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Not Sick

Today was a wonderful day. I felt great, the sun was shining, and SPRING BREAK began at the end of the school day. We had career day for the first half of the day. Not only did our students get to go around and learn about different careers, but I also learned that Chick-fil-a will begin selling spicy chicken sandwiches on June 7th.

At recess several I play basketball with the kids. Several of the kids wanted to race me across the playground. Of course I am a playful kinda soul so I raced them. I am doing as much as I can to help them understand they need to become healthy. I encourage them to run and be active.

When I got home today I wanted to go for a little run. Several weeks ago I paced of a half mile from my drive way using my odometer. I ran to the .5 mile spot and back. This is the way I got myself into running shape when I decided to join the Army back in the day. My time today was 9:59. Not great, but by no means my worst time posted. I am going to continue doing this until my time drops. This strategy helped me eventually get down to a 7 minute mile. I think with my determination I am going to get down to a six minute mile. Especially when I go from running these few little hills to flat ground.

While running today I did not have any shin pain. I am so glad I was able to run relatively pain free today.

Cannot wait to be running on the beach on Monday.

SHEP

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Finally Feeling Better

About 1300 hours on Wed. I started feeling MUCH MUCH better. Two and a half days of feeling like crap is not a good two and a half days. I would rather spend 2.5 days well in Iraq than 2.5 days sick here.

I had a headache, a SORE neck and a stomach that felt like it was at a Walt Disnet theme park. Being sick is not something that I handle well at all.

Now that I am feeling better it is time to get back to moving. I am going to play basketball tomorrow for sure. I have to start keeping some athletic wear in my trunk for after school. So when I start going to run the nice cushy track at Clemson I don't have to go all the way home to get something to wear.

I am running in another 5K in a few short weeks. I want to start running more distances to get prepared for this next run so I can try to get down to the 37 minute bracket. Each 5K I run I want to take time off from the last race.

I cannot wait to get my mile time back down to the mid 7's. My fastest 2 mile time was a 14:36 back in March 2006.

Let's get back to running like I did in the past.

SHEP

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Quick 2 Day Summary

On Monday I had a stomach virus. My day was a mixture of restless sleep and vomitting. Luckily I did make it to the bathroom and avoided any vomit in the bed. I had a terrible headache all day.

The headache continued into Tuesday as well. I was very nauseous all day. It probably would have been okay, except I was on a field trip with 46 third graders. Our field trip wasn't just a short little jaunt to the local college, but a 3 and a half hour bus ride to Columbia, SC. We toured the State Museum and the State House. Pretty much felt like I was dying all day long.

The good news out of all this, I did manage to drop 5 pounds in the process. I would gladly take it back to feel back to normal though. I hate being sick.

Feeling like death warmed over.

SHEP

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Pictures from the 5K


    
The family after the run

  
Riley at the one mile finish
 
Ryann at the one mile finish

Brandi (left at beginning) Me (right) at the finish.

                                       Here is Trevor running like a mad man. Nice form buddy.
Me at the beginning

Brandi at the finish
Me at the Finish

Official Times

The official times have been posted. I am going to post this years times and last years times for the kids mile runs.

Trevor: 2009 mile 15:39
            2010 mile 11:10

Riley 2009: did not run. Playground injury

Ryann  2009 mile 14:28
           2010 mile 14:15

5K time
Shep 38:54
Brandi 37:48

I am proud of my family. We have turned our lives around from an unhealthy lifestyle to a more healthy lifestyle. We are slowly getting to where we need to be. This is going to be a great spring. What are you going to do to promote a healthy lifestyle change around your house this spring?

SHEP

Added due to popular demand!

At the very beginning of the 5K yesterday, our friend Jeff McCall cruised out onto the running route and tossed a banana peel in my path. It was to say the least funny. I told him that was what caused me to do poorly during the run.

Jeff is a good guy. His wife is my daughter's first grade teacher. She is great. Mr. Hanvey, if you stumble upon this blog, make sure you retain Mrs. McCall's services. Nothing against the rest of the first grade teachers, but I want my other daughter to have Mrs. McCall too.

Brandi and Jeff, I hope you guys are delighted now that the banana peel story has made the Fat Funny Guy's soon to be famous blog.

SHEP

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Race Day!!!!!

Today was the big day. My second ever 5K race. Walhalla Elementary does an annual Family Run to raise money for various family activities. You absolutely have to love a place that gets families together to do fun things. My family participated in today's events. My wife and I ran in the 5K and our three children ran in the Mile Fun Run.

Before the 5K they have the Mile Fun Run. Let me just say, this morning I had three little people bouncing all over the house complaining about the "stupid run". They were ADAMANT about not wanting to run anywhere. When we got to the school they saw all of their friends lining up to run and they completely forgot about not wanting to run. They lined up and ran.

This morning I told them who ever finished first would get $5, second would get $4, and third would get $3. I told them if anyone quit, they would not be getting any cash.

My little guy, Trevor 4, finished first. I could see him coming down the hill, and he was moving. He finished in 11 minutes. We don't have the official times yet. I got a little teary eyed seeing him running so hard. He was determined to finish and finish fast.

Riley my 7 year old daughter finished 2nd in 12 minutes. Ryann my 6 year old daughter finished in 13 minutes. When the official times are posted on the website I will look at last years times and break them down. If my memory serves me correctly, no one should ever rely on that, they all improved their times from last years run.

Now the 5K. I started out with a very nice steady pace. Down the hill was going well. I was passing people and I was looking good. You all know what is at the bottom of a hill right? Yep, I had to go up a hill. By the time I made it to the top of said hill my shins were not just on fire, but they were cramping up. I had to stop running and walk. I walked until my legs were calmed down enough for me to run again. I did this off and on for the whole 3.1 miles. I was very disappointed in my performance. It was not my best athletic showing in my life.

But to every sad story, there is a silver lining. The old Shep would have been fine with a DNF beside his name on the official times sheet. Not this time buddy. I was determined not to be the loser from the past. I was going to finish if it took me all day to walk and crawl back. I finished in 38 minutes and 40-59 seconds. Not sure yet. I did improve somewhat from my last 5K. If my legs would have been good to go what could I have done? My cardio was fine. I had no problem making the run as far as breathing was concerned, it was the leg pain that slowed me down.

My goals were:
1. Finish CHECK
2. Finish before my wife NO
3. Do not throw up CHECK
4. Run with pride CHECK

3 out of 4 goals completed isn't a bad day in my opinion.

April 17th  we will be competing in another 5K. The kids will be running in another mile event. We are looking forward to it. Lots of races on our calendar.

May 1, May 7th. May 8th is graduation day, so no running that day. I believe a piece of cake will be eaten that day as well. I well deserved piece of cake. Cash is always a welcome graduation gift. LOL.

Loving the fact that my family is doing healthy stuff together.

SHEP

Followers