37 Days - 347.0 - Santa

Wow - lots to update!

First of all - even with Thanksgiving week - I'm down a pound! Couldn't enter it into WW - as the WW app and site are down as they roll out their new PointsPlus system. Can't wait to see what that's all about. I hear it's about more veggies and fruit and glycemic stuff. More pounds to lose easier and faster? I'm all over it!

Secondly - we are THIRTY SEVEN DAYS away from leaving for WDW. HOLY CATS! When did THAT happen? I have to thank my beautiful wife this morning, however. At 5:20 the alarm went off, and I sat up and groaned. I did not sleep well last night - just couldn't get comfy. And I considered pushing things off until later - and going back to sleep. My wife simply said: "Hun, there's about a month until the race."

Sure enough - five minutes later I was out the door to the gym. Good workout this morning.

On Black Friday, we went and visited my friends at Artis Photography in Maltby - we love Rachelle and Amy and Vicky - and visited SANTA CLAUS. HOLY CATS he was great! Elizabeth did great with him - mostly.

And the image you see above is on the Dichter Family Holiday card 2010. :)

And you all get a preview!

Okay - back tomorrow!

MAIN STREET AWAITS! (and it's approaching faster and faster)

Thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Today I'm thankful for a lot.

I'm thankful for my beautiful daughter and wife.

I'm thankful for my kind caring loving mom (who makes a great gramma).

I'm thankful that the snow wasn't TOO bad this morning - so I got to the gym and did my 5k.

I'm thankful for friends and loved ones to be with tonight for a holiday dinner.

I'm thankful for my teammates and friends online - who are willing to support me.

I'm thankful for my family who worries about me - and tries to help me make the best decisions possible.

I'm thankful for my health - which I will savor - cherish - and protect as we move through 2010 - into 2011 and beyond.

I'm thankful that I still have about 5-6 weeks to prepare for the race.

I'm thankful that I'll be in WDW in only 5-6 weeks!!

And of course - I'm thankful that...

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348.0 - Surviving Thanksgiving

So - I've not lost anything this week - I'm up .1 pounds, but that's nothing to be concerned about. In fact, I'm not even concerned about the no loss. This week was a good week. I stayed within my points - except for Sunday - when Amber and I shared a much needed day out - and I used some of my "weekly" points on movie popcorn and a hot dog.

I'm sure that's why I'm feeling bloated and holding onto some weight.

Now the question is - surviving this week.

Here's the plan I have.

1. Stay within my daily points on every day except Thursday.

2. Have one plate of Thanksgiving dinner ONLY.

3. Hit the gym Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday (5k outside if it's not snowing), Saturday, Sunday.

This is, I think a good plan to get through the holiday without doing damage, and possibly moving forward too!

What are YOUR plans on how to combat Thanksgiving? Are you worried?

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Wrackspurts

Little shiny things that get inside your head and make it go fuzzy.

I'm proud to say that I have NO wrackspurts in my head this morning.

In fact, I can say this has been a good week overall.

And I feel momentum building behind me.

I feel excited about this race - less nervous.

I feel good about Team Voice and Club 8.

I feel great about life and family in general.

And of course - it's my FAVORITE season - the HOLIDAYS!

I just can't wait to see what's coming next!

And I can't wait to see/meet ALL of you in January at the race!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

The Goblet of Fire

Okay - so I'm mixing metaphors - but hey - it's MY blog, so there. :P

I'm just excited about seeing Deathly Hallows on Sunday! So today we'll watch Goblet, tomorrow, Order, and Saturday, Half-Blood Prince.

That all being said - the Goblet of Fire is a lot like what we're all going through right now. And Amanda said it best yesterday.

We have our doubts - and MOST of them are mental. Let's face it - how many of us have completed these races before? I know I have.

And so what do we need to do in order to do our best in January?

Work hard - have faith - and just do that - our best!

Consider how nervous Harry was before those tasks. Sure there was the whole Mad-Eye Moody manipulation thing - but he ended up DOING IT. And he didn't think or know if he could.

He just...did it.

And that's what we need to do.

So despite a long week - and an exhausting trial yesterday - what have I done so far this week? Eaten well - and I just got back from the gym. WW is on track. And I can't wait for Monday to post another loss and get closer to that 25 number. :)

So how's YOUR week? And what's your mental stumbling block? I know mine is the W&D - it's weighing heavily on me. But I just think my way AROUND IT - to the successes I HAVE had. And it gets better.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

347.9 - A Decent Start

First full week on WW and we're down just shy of 3 pounds (the official first week weigh in was 250.8). I'm happy about that progress. Although I'll be honest - I'm starting to worry about January.

Not because of weight or anything tangible.

But I now know what it feels like to give a race 100% and not finish.

And Amber and my mom (who commented that I didn't blog yesterday - weird) will be in the ChEar squad finish line section - and my friend Elaine is counting on me to help her finish - and I'm a little nervous.

What if things don't go as planned again?

But then again - performing under pressure is usually my forte. These folks are COUNTING on me! So it's time to really kick things up a notch. Really push myself to be as ready as I can be - and as healthy as I can be.

I'm still shooting for a PR on this course! It may be unrealistic - but I don't think so.

We shall see.

And I ALREADY know the next goal after January. ;)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

All Ears

I want to thank Deb and Deb at AllEars.net for giving me the opportunity to write an article about our recent trip to WDW with Elizabeth. It was SO much fun. If you missed it - go right now to www.allears.net and sign up for their weekly newsletter so you don't miss future ones. As soon as the article is in the archives, I'll post a link.

WW has been going great so far this week - and I feel like we're really making progress!

And speaking of progress - this is just a quick update because I have to head to the gym! So I'll see ya all laters!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Medium

Yesterday was an emotional day.

We started with the Harry Potter exhibit - which WAS fantastic. SEE it. Now. Go ahead - I'll wait.

Welcome back.

Last night I took my mother, at her request, to see a psychic medium. Although I firmly believe in the realm of the paranormal and in parapsychological stuff - I always go into situations like this with a healthy dose of skepticism.

I want to thank Ms. Piel for a WONDERFUL reading for my mother. She was able to help my mother put some fears to rest about my father, and genuinely seemed to want to be helpful and kind and compassionate. I was happy to be there as a witness. So much so that I plan on scheduling my own reading at a later time.

Regardless - it was exhausting being there. And it brought up a lot of emotion for me. Hence the blog updating at 3am. Yup - Jonathan can't sleep tonight.

Regardless. I have a nice day with Elizabeth (Amber gets to go get some office work done today) to look forward to, so I'm going to try to get some more sleep.

I will say, on an aside, that I've read Jeff Galloway's running training guides for the Disney races - and I'm definitely using them for future races. Check www.rundisney.com.

Now - suggestions on how to avoid my stitch coming back? I had a few pangs of pain in that same spot yesterday during our science center tour. Not too bad. But still. A little worrysome.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

350 - New Beginnings

Has anyone else noticed how similar Toothless and Stitch really are? Perhaps it's because BOTH movies were directed by Chris Sanders - and what a wonderful movie "How to Train your Dragon" was. We watched it last night. GREAT movie.

But I digress.

We're officially on the WW plan. 44 points a day. Up a bit, which I predicted. But feeling great this morning - already went to the gym and worked out HARD - harder than normal. Nice cardio workout.

Saw my friend at the desk and told her to expect me DAILY for the next 60 days. Showed her my "I'm in training" shirt.

Speaking of shirts - THANK YOU JUSTIN for helping to design my custom shirt for the WDW 1/2 Marathon - can't wait to see what you come up with so I can post and share it.

And today - we're off! We get to see the Harry Potter exhibit at the Pacific Science Center! WOOHOO!!!

And tonight? My RADIO AD goes live. If you're local - listen to 97.3 KIRO FM tonight from 7pm to 5am - you'll hear us! :)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Bad News and Good News - Partnerships

Okay - so today I have some bad news.

This week started great, but ended rather un-great. A few unplanned days - and a few meals out, and I'm carrying around extra weight. I'm up a few pounds. And feeling sluggish.

That's the bad news.

Here's the good news.

This morning it's all changing. I joined WW Online and already tracked my breakfast (and I ATE breakfast - which is a huge step in the right direction). I get 44 points per day - which seems HUGE. I doubt I'll hit it. But I'll update you guys on what I'm eating pointwise and go from there.

But there's even MORE good news.

You see - studies have shown that it's harder to lose weight and exercise alone in a family.

Which is why I'm happy to say Amber joined today too! And tracked HER breakfast. And we found out that we can use our iPhones and track points together and really help each other out! This is a HUGE step forward in my humble opinion.

60 days. Let's see how much work we can do in 60 days!

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Tools and Apps

It's been a busy week - sorry I haven't updated recently. But yesterday I had a GREAT Daddy-Daughter day! And seriously - could this child BE any cuter?

But - that all being said - how busy this week has been means that things haven't been going quite right. Not badly - but not perfectly.

The problem I think I'm having is a lack of structure in diet. Sure South Beach has rules and recipes, but it just isn't clicking.

So I've made a decision. This weekend I'm signing back up for WW Online. There's an iPhone app and I can use it to keep track of EVERYTHING every day.

I have just over 60 days to make some progress and finish the WDW Half Marathon. And I've already selected my NEXT major goal (for 2011/2012) - so I need to gear myself up for it and find a plan that works for me overall.

And I had good success with WW in the past. So I'll try it again.

Are any of you doing WW? How are you enjoying it? Suggestions? Do you all like this idea?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

348 - Dreams and Losses

Let's start with the weight loss - I'm down 3 pounds since last week - which feels great! And I'm not going to say "and I'm down a half pound from the week before that" - because I'm not going to focus on where I have been - only on where I am. Which is down 3 - so let's celebrate that.

Went to the gym this morning - still having the shin issues on the treadmill - so I did half on that and half on the elliptical. Have to figure that out - wonder if it's treadmill specific...

Had a really upsetting dream last night. Woke me up about 20 minutes before the alarm, and I just kinda sat there. Reeling. It was about Dad. He showed up at the door of my condo looking younger than I'd seen him in years. Mom and Amber were in tow. He smiled. Laughed. Cried. Hugged. I could actually smell his cologne.

And then, he sat down on the floor of our condo, and he died. Again. Just like before.

I was crying so hard in this dream that when I woke up I had to check to see if I was still. And strangely I wasn't.

But it stayed with me as I exercised.

And I realized something about this race in January.

I'm thrilled that Amber and Elizabeth and my Mother will be there to cheer me on.

But that wasn't the original plan.

Dad was coming too. And now he won't be there at the finish line. Which really sucks. And really upsets me.

But then when I stop and think about that dream in more detail...maybe Dad was trying to tell me something. Maybe he was telling me that where he is - he's young, and strong, and happy again. Healthy.

And sure - he won't be there to see the finish - but only because he'll actually be watching the whole race.

And pushing me on when I need it.

Like this morning, I guess.

Thanks Dad. I love you, too.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!