The obligatory "catching up" post

It truly shocked me to see that I had not blogged since December 2010 (and that wasn't a real entry).  I blame Facebook.

Since my last real post, several things have happened.

Most importantly, my fifth daughter, Claire, was born in December 2010.

For those who followed my posts about marathon training, you should be pleased to learn that I did, indeed, complete the 2010 Dallas White Rock Marathon.  I also completed the 2011 Rock and the 2012 OKC Memorial Marathon.  I am currently training for the 2012 NYC ING Marathon in November.

I lost my job at the Dallas DA's Office at the end of 2010 and spent a few months trying to find a new job before deciding to open my own solo law practice.

My weight loss journey started back up again last fall.  During marathon training in 2010, I had lost 20 pounds.  When I took a few months off before kicking it back up in 2011, I had gained 10 of that back.  I thought I would be able to lose that 10 again just as easily as I had the year before, but it was not to be.  In fact, over the first 3 1/2 months of training last year, I gained 3 pounds to get back up to 250.  In September, I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app for my phone and started tracking my daily caloric intake and burn.  I got down as low as 193 in April.  Right now, I'm back up a little because I haven't been as diligent as I need to be.

So, what inspired my return to this corner of the blogosphere?  I was a Delegate to the 2012 Texas Republican Convention last week.  Although I am not particularly thrilled with who wound up as the GOP Presidential nominee this year (sorry to my Ron Paul supporting friends, it really is a done deal at this point), the convention (as tiring as it was) renewed my enthusiasm for politics.  Thus, you can expect a decidedly political focus going forward.  That's not to say that I won't mention other things, but politics will be the primary subject.

A Few Random Thoughts

Marathon training has been a little rough. It never dawned on me that donating double red blood cells might not be a good idea when one is running about 20 miles a week.

Work has been a little weird because one of our prosecutors has had laryngitis since last Tuesday, so I've been having to go back out to the JP Courts to cover for her.

I'm about to turn 42, and I still get people who don't believe me when I tell them how old I am. Many are skeptical when I tell them how much I weigh, too.

I'm looking forward to our Pastor getting back from vacation this week. I miss his preaching.

We leave for Walt Disney World in 21 days. I anxiously anticipate seeing the looks on my kids' faces when we enter the Magic Kingdom.

Is it really possible that we might have a day with a high less than 100° this week?

Pushing It

Because of the opening of 42nd Street last Friday, I had taken the week off from running, so this morning was my first day back on the pavement since Saturday the 10th. I decided to push my pace a bit just to see if I could handle it. The schedule called for a 50 minute run. Out of that time, I walked about 5 minutes and ran the remaining 45. My pace during the running was between 11:15 & 11:30 minutes/mile, and my overall pace was 11:59 min./mile.

That's the best pace I've ever turned in.

It was pretty humid this morning, but there was an occassional breeze that felt nice.

A Long Week

This week has been pretty tiring as we have been in crunch for tonight's opening of 42nd Street at GSM. I decided that I needed to take a break from my marathon training because of the late nights, but I'll be back on that horse either Sunday or Monday morning.

The oldest three calvinatorettes started Children's Theatre camp at Terrell Actors Playhouse this week as well. They seem to be enjoying it so far. Their camp performance will be in two weeks.

Back Again

It has been a crazy spring moving into summer. As you can see from the posts below, I started running in January in an effort to get in shape and start the preparation for the White Rock Marathon.

As I'm sure anyone who is reading this knows, I appeared on Jeopardy! in June. The shows taped back in February, so that interrupted my training. I started back on the road in March and managed to run my first 5K in May. I even came in under my goal of 40 minutes.

I also was cast in a semi-professional production of 42nd Street at Garland Summer Musicals. I'll be playing Bert Barry, and we open this Friday. If you call the box office for tickets (972-205-2790), if you use my name, you get a four dollar discount per ticket.

A new approach

Okay, I've decided to get more structure for my running. A friend at work suggested Couch to 5K, so I downloaded the podcasts, and I'll be using it to help me avoid burnout and injury.

This Running Thing

I have never liked running. I would prefer to ride a bike, but I know that running is actually a better cardio-vascular workout. Plus, I have that goal of running a marathon. That's not a "bucket list" kind of thing, though. It's just something I've always wanted to do. I don't plan to expend all this effort; run the marathon; and then give up running altogether.

On today's run, about a third of a mile out, I thought, "Why the hell am I doing this?"

Right now, the only only answer I could give was, "Because I want to."

For now, that's enough.

RunKeeper Shared Fitness | Running Activity

Day 2

Ran a mile. Walked the rest. This has to get easier.

My hands were freezing, too.

RunKeeper Shared Fitness | Running Activity

Details of my first run for the dual goals of getting in better shape and Running the Rock.

Ready to Hit the Pavement

I swung over to Luke's Locker after work this evening to get some running shoes. They examined my feet and watched me walk and run to get an idea of what type of running shoe would best suit me. Turns out, I'm a "neutral." I'm still not 100% sure what all the jargon meant, but I trust that they don't want to put me in a shoe that isn't best for me because I'm sure they want me to come back as a repeat customer, and if the shoes don't fell good, I would be less likely to return.

The associate who worked with me recommended that I set a goal of doing the Half-marathon this year and the full next. I understood her point, but I still consider the full my goal for this year. I reserve the right to change my mind on that at any time.

New Shoes

As I mentioned in my last post, I plan to attempt the White Rock Marathon in December. Thus, I shall need some good running shoes. Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments.

I'm going to get started with early training this week.

Long, Strange Trip

I can't explain why I haven't updated here since April. Let's blame it on Facebook.

Life has been through many twists and turns over the past 9 months.

To keep it short:

Work is still work.

I won an acting award for my performance in Suessical: the Musical as Best Actor in a Featured Role at the Awards Gala for Kaufman County Civic Theatre.

I decided to run for District Attorney in my county, and then at the last minute I had to drop out because of a work-related issue.

As a result of my candidacy, I missed an opportunity to appear on "Jeopardy!" I can only hope that now that I'm no longer a candidate, they will give me another shot. This is only the latest installment in this saga. You can read a brief account of my Jeopardy! Tale of Woe.

I've gained a little weight, but not so much that it's depressing.

I don't do New Year's Resolutions, but I have decided to get in shape and prepare to Run the Rock in December 2010.