My tummy hurts!!!

OK.  So, I'm still kind of new to this whole "working out" thing and today I did something completely moronic.  I was visiting Camp Phoenix to drop off some mail, pick up some mail, get gas, etc. when I decided that I couldn't pass up a chance at a Snickers Blizzard - something I can't get at my home FOB, Camp Dubs. 

I should have known that God was trying to tell me something when the ice cream machine was at least five minutes from being ready but I didn't listen.  SO, I consumed my wonderfully-yummy small Blizzard and went on my merry way.

I have been working out every other day for a little over three weeks now and I wasn't going to miss it today.  I also try to do so prior to dinner so I can use that as an incentive. 

Anyway, near the end of my crunches (after already doing 90 situps and 40 inclined situps at various other points during my routine) I started getting a slight cramp.  Right now it feels like my entire gut is going to cave in and I've missed the dinner hours completely.  Ugh.

I guess it's another night of dinner a-la-sandwich bar for me.

Que cera, cera.

I am back in Afghanistan

And I have been for almost two weeks.

The last 130 days are slowly ticking away and I am starting to finally get back into the "post-leave swing". I've started several projects lately and I have a few more left to start in the hopes of getting most of the concrete work done before winter sets in.

I am not travelling as far as I was before the break but I am travelling about as often. The air is getting a little clearer as the cold sets in, but it is still a drastic difference in air quality from the North Georgia mountains or the Gold Coast of Florida.

I have been exercising more lately, running almost every other day. I also use the stationary bike and occasionally workout on the rowing machine. In general though, I still feel like I need to lose a few pounds.

Every day I am comforted by my Creator and my life is made perfect by His grace. It is a hard concept, grace; but it gains importance in my life daily. I am constantly reminded that I am saved by grace alone and that anything good that comes from me, actually comes from Him - driven by His grace.

In Him,
David

El update on El Guapo

Woohoo! Last week I took my annual AF Fitness test and although my run time was almost half a minute slower than my last test, my sit-ups were the highest since college! I pushed out 45 situps in one minute vs. the 33 I got the last time I attempted in a test environment. Praise the Lord! I was doubly blessed to get the test done before a class that I am currently enrolled in that would make testing now very very difficult.


See, I am taking a one-week combatives course that is basicall beating the snot out of me! For your viewing displeasure, I've attached some disturbing images of what this class can do to the unconditioned body. Boys and girls - don't try this at home!

My El Guapo

"In a way, all of us have an El Guapo to face someday. For some, shyness might be their El Guapo. For others, a lack of education might be their El Guapo. For us... El Guapo is a big dangerous guy who wants to kill us. But as sure as my name is Lucky Day... the people of Santa Poco... can conquer their own personal El Guapo... who also happens to bethe actual El Guapo." - Steve Martin, The Three Amigos

My El Guapo is situps. I can run at the drop of a hat and max out my pushups without a problem. Yet, situps have always plagued me. I have recently gained some resolve to overcome my El Guapo and max out my situps before my next AF Fitness test in March. It sounds silly and trivial, but it will mean a lot if you'd pray for me as I take on this challenge. I still have a ways to go and the "Rocky" music seems to fade everytime I get down to practice more. Thanks!

My first trophy!

I'm two weeks away from graduating another class of anxious and ready students. They are excited and it always gives me a great feeling to see them continue on into the next phase of their lives. Almost as noteworthy were the events of this morning. I've never competed athletically (yes, I was on the JV golf team my 9th grade year, but I was far from competitive in that!) and I've run a few 5Ks or fun runs just, . . .for fun. Anyway, yesterday I found out that one of my coworkers and several of my students were going to run a 5K near my home, so I decided last minute to join the fold to get a nice run in on a Saturday morning while raising money for the Red Cross. Lo and behold, a thin crowd and my over-zealous spirit was enough to walk away with the 1st place trophy for my age group! You have to understand, this was truly my first sports trophy ever. I never did the little league thing like my brothers or take up any sports very seriously through high school or college, so I was pretty pleased. Anyway, it's interesting that a few songs came to mind as I took on the ups and downs of a local neighborhood for 22 minutes and 51 seconds (official time): Consuming Fire by Third Day and The Finish Line by Steve Taylor. The latter, I sang to myself twice and I am positive that the notion and visage of Christ rising to His feet as I stretched towards the finish line of life was a very motivating notion. It was fun, too, to stretch myself and do something different. That, too, is what Mediocre, Alaska is about - waking up to a new ambition and taking it on, head on. I'm thankful to my coworkers and students who came up with the idea and I've been encouraged to try it again sometime.
I think I need to archive some of this.

Introducing: Comments

I have been running through the woods for eight hours a day, the last two days and I'm tired. (They'll never find me!) No, it was work related, all legit. Anyway, in my restless tire, I've decided to add some content to the site. Reviews and Comments. Wow! That's pretty ingenious! I know, I get it from my wife.

Regardless of the origin of my humble ingenuity, I hope you enjoy these additions to the growing phenom that is actually just mediocre.