Winter Blues and Wake Up Call

Hello Readers!

Hopefully everyone is off to a great start on their New Year's Goals (Resolutions for some). This is the time of year we are all anxious about what we have set out to do in the next year, but many of us live in cities where mother nature quite frankly doesn't care about our goals. I know for me in Kansas City this week we were hit with 8 inches of snow and temperatures not getting out of the teens during the day and below zero at night. This makes exercising tough for many of us. My message is don't let the weather be an excuse, don't let it get you down this is actually an extremely important time to stick with your plans and hit the gym even harder. Winter is tough as most of us would prefer to do our exercise outside, but you can be creative and just as effective with inside workouts. I recommend trying classes at your exercise facility. The trainers are professionally trained and are always working on new and exciting ways to make exercise fun!

I have come out swinging this year. I had a little too much fun over my Christmas holiday, I ate everything in site and over indulged in way too much holiday cheer (beer for those who don't know me) I have been on a personal mission to get back to being me and killing it at the gym. The first two weeks of fthe year I have done two a days every day getting up and putting in either a 4 mile run or spinning every weekday before work, I then follow this up with either my bootcamp classes or swimming and biking at night. On the weekends I try to get a good run in and play some tennis. I do make sure I get one day of rest though otherwise my body yells at me and lets me know I need to slow it down a bit. The great news is no matter how nasty the weather gets the "Y" and probably whatever gym you use stays open. While normally this time of year no equipment is open due to all the resolutions made on days where mother nature takes over if you dare to go to the gym it will be primarily wide open for you. This is how you can avoid the winter blues.

I mentioned in the title of this week "Wake Up Call" this may sound strange but yesterday at work I had my health assessment and needless to say this was a wake up call for me. They measure things like body fat composition, body mass index and other important health tidbits. I went in like the contestants on "The Biggest Loser" do extremely confident. I knew that the last year had been a great year so I was almost cocky as I went in. The results received actually shocked me and provided me with a wake up call. My body fat composition while much improved from last year was still on the upper end of overweight. I had a body fat composition of 23%, compared to last year and 28% this was awesome, but in reality healthy is considered 18% which means my hard work is nowhere near done!!!

Lastly I wanted to say thank you again to all my followers, people on FaceBook who read this and everyone, this marks the one year anniversary of my posts. Last year in early January I started with an inspiration post, the people who provide me inspiration. This list has not changed it has only grown. It is the support received from all of you that continue to push me down the right path and to eventual healthiness!

Life is short, Live it hard!!
Ryan

Happy New Year!! Goals not resolutions for this year!

Hello Readers!!

2011 has been rung in and it is underway. I hope everyone had an incredible Christmas and New Years celebration. I know I enjoyed spending awesome time with my family and friends. Santa and friends were kind to me this year and has prepared me for another incredible year. I have new running shoes and a new watch to take me to the next level. Hopefully he was good to everyone and they are set for what should be another incredible year!!

I wanted to start this year talking about my goals for the year. You notice I said goals, I don't believe in resolutions because no one holds us responsible for resolutions, but if you put goals down people will hold you accountable and you will be forced to go for your goals and ultimately achieve them.

I visited the Doctor last week for my yearly check up, while he was very happy with where I am weight wise, he said that I need to lose another 35 pounds to be the correct size for my height. This is a goal of mine. I want to visit the Doctor this same time next year have him tell me you are now where you need to be. I know many of you wonder why this is so important as I do have my health and do look very good right now, but this is important. I don't know that I have ever been the correct weight for my height since I was about 7 years old. It is a lofty goal but I have made a habit of reaching lofty goals and do not look to fail at this.

Secondly I have a personal goal, I am a person who doesn't take a lot of risks or chances in my life. This year I have the expectations of myself to take more chances. This is not a fitness goal, this is from the standpoint that many times I allow awesome opportunities to pass me by. This year my goal is to act on opportunities. This doesn't sound lofty, but those who know my personality know this will be a challenge for me and one I look forward to taking on. I look forward to sharing results of my progress.

The main portion of my goals is my fitness goals for the next year. When I completed the marathon I received a plaque from my friends Jeremy and Jen, the plaque has a phrase that is on my facebook homepage now and hangs in the living room of my house, "Ryan, The only way to define your limits is going beyond them". This is my goal for the upcoming year is to not define limits but to truly exceed them. I have lined up some lofty goals and expectations to reach this year. The first is I will be running two half marathons in one month. April of 2011 I have already scheduled the Rock the Parkway run on April 2nd and then the Country Music Half Marathon in Nashville on April 29th. I have scheduled some fun triathlons in my schedule, the first being in Columbia, Missouri the first weekend in May which is a sprint Tri. The second is the Rock and Roll Tri in Seattle Washington on July 17th. This will be an Olympic sized tri. The culmination of my triathlon year will be on September 18th. I have committed with my friend Jen to running the Half Iron Man Triathlon in Branson, Missouri. I may have mentioned before, but the Half Iron Man is a 1.2 mile swim, followed by a 56 mile bike and capped off with a half marathon. This will be the ultimate test of my body and mind. I will complete this and look forward to sharing the stories upon completion of each. I am hoping if the time presents itself this year to throw a marathon in the mix in October or November.

The next year is going to be a special year, what is going to make it so special is that all of the events mentioned above will be competed with so many different friends. My "Y" crew plans to join me in Columbia for the Tri, I plan on running Nashville with my friend Jen's husband Benny, my great work friend Cynthia, and a good college friend Kristi. The Seattle Tri and the Rock the Parkway will be with friends Jeremy and Jen, and the crowning jewel in Branson will be with my friend Jen! This embraces why I got into running is the incredible lifelong friendships I have gained from it and the incredible feeling that come over me each time I finish an event.

Cheers to you Readers and your goals for 2011

Ryan

2010 What a Year!!

Hello Readers!!

Looking back on 2010 all I can say is what a year!!! So many amazing things happened this year for me. In trying to recap the year I want to look at it from three phases; philanthropies, personal accomplishments and my running.

The first part of 2010 that I take the most pride in is related to philanthropies. 2010 was a very important year for me. I had the great pleasure in taking part and helping raise a great deal of money for the American Cancer Society by being on a couple Relay for Life teams. The feeling of helping such an important organization by raising money is great. Not only did I help raise money for this cause but I participated and walked through the night with my team. The experience was truly priceless. The amount of survivors walking and the spirit that everyone celebrates with is aw-inspiring. This was not the only organization that I had the pleasure of participating and helping. I spent a day helping with Special Olympics, another great experience. Watching the children participate and pure joy they experience can't help but make you smile and feel good. I also had the pleasure of working at Harvesters Food Bank with my co-workers on three separate occasions around the holiday season here. Lastly I helped organize and plan two volleyball tournaments, the first for Relay for Life the second for Childrens Hospital of Boston. Both tournaments were extremely successful and everyone had a great time for great causes.

The second phase of 2010 which was very special for me were major life accomplishments. In 2010 I graduated from Boston University with my Masters in Banking and Financial Services Management. This was a huge life goal for me. It is important to better ourselves and continue to educate ourselves as life is always changing. A second huge life accomplishment was purchasing and moving into my first house. For many years I had talked about making this huge decision and having finished my schooling I thought this was the opportune time. I have loved the feeling of being in my own place the satisfaction it brings is hard to describe.

The last phase of 2010 that was so special has been my running. The list of accomplishments in my running is so great this year. The year started with quickly with the "Love to Run" four mile run, I was at a consistent level with my running at that point but had not started to raise it to the next level. In late May or early June my running would begin the phase of reaching a new level. This was the point I decided to devote myself 100% to running and committed to doing the marathon. The marathon itself is a difficult and amazing feat but the preparation and training leading up too it are what allowed me to reach the next level. I completed in several races in preparation and continued to see my times improve. With each new week a new milestone was reached. September came along and competed in the Patriots Run, where I did an 18 mile run. By reaching this mile mark I noticed my times on others distances really coming down. I did the Kansas City half marathon in 2:05 which was a personal best by over 15 minutes. I have now recorded my first official 5K in under 30 minutes when I finished in 28:20. Last but certainly not least saw the completion of the marathon which most of you already know. This is still one of the most defining moments in my life. Most people say I am a different person since, I don't think I am truly different I am just supremely confident now in everything in my life.

Looking back 2010 was one of the best years in my life. I have met so many exceptional people in the last year and am proud to have each of these people in my life. To every single person that was in my life this year I thank you. You inspire me onward and I can't wait for what 2011 has to offer. Everyone have an amazing New Year celebrate safely and remember "Life is short live it hard"!!

Ryan

Tis the Season, goodbye 200's and 40's!

Hello Readers!

This week marks the start of the holiday season. This is one of my favorite seasons as it is the season of giving. I am asking for support this week for my friend Jen. I have never fully explained Jen and my history. Two years ago Jen came to me at US Central where I work and told me she wanted to start running. We started running between 3-5 miles three days a week over lunch and developed a great friendship. She has now become one of my best friends. She has been there to support me through tough times, she has been there for me in my finest moments as well. She attended my Aha moment filming, she pushed me to new heights in my running and she willed me to the finish line in my marathon. I am blessed to have her in my life and want to pay it forward and help Jen in an incredible cause.

Jen and another friend of mine Jeremy will be running the Boston Marathon in April. In order to run Boston Jen is raising money for the Children's Hospital of Boston. She will have a specific child that she will be supporting. In the spirit of the holiday season I am going to pledge $50 toward her webpage. I will also donate an extra dollar for each person who reads this blog and donates toward her cause no matter how large or small the amount. Anyone who reads this and donates please let me know so I can follow through on my promise. You can reply to the blog, reply on Facebook, or reach me via email at kimbrell1103@hotmail.com or rkimbrell@uscentral.org. The following is a link to her page http://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/bostonmarathon/php/?ID=Rj0153 this tells her story and about her family.

With the holiday season upon us I want to share some very positive news in my own weight loss quest. I have now gone under the 200 pound mark. I am sitting at a solid 195 pounds. This is the first time since I was a junior in high school I have been at this point. I also bought and comfortably wear size 38 jeans. This quest is not over, 200 pounds was a number I originally had targeted, but I will tell everyone I have more to lose. My next target number is 175 pounds and 36 jeans. I know this next 25 pounds will be the toughest to lose as I don't have nearly as much to shed. This will make me push myself even more. This last week was the first time since the marathon I fully pushed myself physically as I wanted to give my body a slight rest. I swam over 5500 yards and ran about 12 miles. I know it is important to get right back at it as during this season I am sure I will enjoy a bit to much holiday cheer and a little to much amazing food.

In the spirit of the season and paying it forward, people who read this and have a specific goal running, or training wise and need assistance reaching that goal get in touch with me and I will do anything possible to push you to that level. Happy Holidays! In my next blog I will review year 2010 an incredible year for me personally.

Ryan

Pride, Accomplishment, and Relief what's next?

Hello Readers!

It has been two weeks since I completed my marathon. I have had a lot of people ask me to try and put into words the emotions felt during and upon completion of the marathon. After reflecting and remembering that moment, I can tell you the PRIDE is the first emotion that went through my mind. This was a moment I had been preparing for, for over six months of my life. So much effort went into getting to the finish line that my sense of pride was at an all time high. To know that mentally when I set my mind to doing something and being able to deliver brings an amazing sense of pride. I remember immediately after crossing the line my friend Jen hugged me and said she was so proud of me. At that moment it truly hit me that others felt the same sense of pride in me that I did.

ACCOMPLISHMENT is the second emotion that I immediately felt. This was a huge goal in my life, I had always told my friends, family and other very important people in my life that I really wanted to do a marathon in my lifetime. This is something that is a huge accomplishment for anyone to complete in their lifetimes. In the actual moment and as I was coming to the finish line a tingling feeling came over my body, I was probably a bit overwhelmed at the actual moment because of the mental anguish experience when it is you, the road and your thoughts for five straight hours. I mentioned earlier that Jen hugged me and said she was so proud, this actually caused me to break down for a minute. My brother and Jessica both called about 10 minutes after to congratulate me and say how proud they were this also again the overwhelming feeling of the moment caused me to break down.

The last emotion that I felt was RELIEF. This may sound silly but those who know me best know the amount of pressure I always put on myself to be successful. I had let so many people know that I was doing this that when the moment arrived I didn't want to disappoint everyone or myself. When I reached mile 25 relief kicked in as I knew at that point there was absolutely no way that I would not be finishing that race. That is when all the feelings started to take over and when I actually started feeling all of the emotions mentioned above.

My trainers and friends have all asked what is next, what will I strive to push myself to next. I did mention that I will do another marathon. I think trying to complete one a year is a legitimate goal, this will allow me to stay in very good physical and mental shape. The thing is I am always looking for something new and bigger to achieve. I have said that next year I am going to get into triathlons as I am a good swimmer as well. My next goal will be to do an Olympic sized triathlon. This is around a mile swim, 30 mile bike ride and 10K run (6.2 miles). If things go well with training and performance maybe a half iron man could be in the future. It is my belief that one must always set high goals to get the most out of their life.

This is Thanksgiving week, I hope everyone had an incredible holiday but it is important for me to thank everyone for all the congrats received in the past two weeks. To achieve these lofty goals one has to have a strong support team backing them. You as readers continually keep me motivated and on my toes. If you are reading this on Facebook take a look at the pictures titled before and after. You can see what the hard work and effort put forth really do. There is a picture of me at my best friend Jay's wedding and then me on Thanksgiving doing a 5K with him and his daughter. It is very possible you may not recognize the person in the before photo. It still shocks the heck out of me. Thank you all for pushing me and making me the best I can be.

Life is short, live it hard!

Ryan

Destination Marathon Achieved!

Hello Readers!

This weeks blog brings me great pride. On Sunday I completed my first marathon in San Antonio, Texas. The day was a perfect day for running, the temperature was about 55 degrees and cloudy. There was an anxious crowd on hand of approximately 30,000 runners. With this many runners they start you in stables of 1,000 runners. My stable was 24, each stable starts approximately 2 minutes apart. That meant it took me roughly 45 minutes to make it to the starting line, which meant my anticipation continually built. Finally the moment came and it was my opportunity to start. I took off like I was shot out of a cannon which was probably not the best way to begin a 26 mile journey but I couldn't be contained. People had told me the key is to run the first two miles the slowest and get into the race, but in my excitement I completely ignored all advice and forged ahead. The race took me all over San Antonio, I briefly saw the Alamo, I saw several historic Spanish missions but I was focused in on the destination so many of the sites were missed.

Everyone hears stories about people hitting the wall in marathons this is definitely true. About 17 miles in I was mentally prepared for GU packets which are basically pure energy packets and didn't receive them at that mile mark, the course took me on a long one mile uphill which beat me up mentally and physically. The key is to remain strong in your belief, I did walk for about half a mile in this stretch before giving myself a tongue lashing and forging on. At mile 23 I began cramping up a bit which was a new experience for me, I had been taking an average of two waters and two cytomax (gatorade substance) at every station after 8 miles into the race, but it apparently wasn't enough. So at the last three stations I took on three of each which carried me through.

Mile 25 finally rolled through and I knew I was almost done, the last mile was lined with tons of people cheering you on which was very important to helping complete the course. At mile 26 the course took a turn at the Alamodome and went straight up a giant hill. My friend Jen who had run the half earlier came back to the end to watch me finish. This is when the greatest and funniest part of my marathon experience began. Jen saw me turning for home and getting ready to climb this final mountain. She jumped the fence, ran toward me and started yelling at me to get up that hill, not to quit on the race at that point. She yelled "you make this hill turn for home and have 100 yard left, smile damn it!! This is your marathon this is your finish" I had my own Jillian Michaels on the course motivating me to drag my tired woosy legs across the finish line. There it was, it was over just like that. I was so excited and so overcome with emotion that I didn't want to take my finisher medal. I told Jen that is not my medal, mine is Red like my race bib. She just laughed and said "No that is your medal, as she forced me to take it and look at it. After taking some water I realized she was correct and it clearly said Marathon Finisher on it. Thanks friend!

Next week I will talk about the emotions and the feelings that one experiences when running 26.2 miles, it is truly an amazing feeling. I wanted to send a special thanks to Jen, Jeremy and Troy for making the journey down and being a part of the experience. I wanted to thank all my friends and family who have been a part of my marathon journey, who received the text updates on how I was doing, who have continually pushed me to stretch my goals in life. You are all so special to me and this glorious moment in my life would not have been possible without all of you. I leave you this week with my favorite quote, life is short live it hard. Take each day and truly make the most of it.

Ryan

Anticipation is almost over!

Hello Readers!

It has been a few weeks since my last update. Marathon week is finally upon me! There has been a lot of build up for this moment. I leave for San Antonio on Saturday morning at 7:55 and get there around 1:30 in the afternoon thanks to a relatively long layover in Denver, Colorado. This is a week I wasn't sure would come soon enough. The training has been very long and very grueling, but well worth it from a fitness standpoint. I have had to tighten the belt another notch as again I am starting a trophy to showcase where the journey started. My new pants bought back in March now are too big and sagging on me, and I feel like a million dollars right now. This week I have been in full taper so as not to drain my legs, I still exercised well with boot camp on Monday, a 5 mile run on Tuesday, a 4-5 mile walk of the dog and Bosu/Weights class Thursday at the "Y". This may sound like a lot but this was a light week for me. I don't want anyone to think that I am slacking, as I give myself no real rest I am signed up for a 5K the following Sunday in KC and then another 5K on Thanksgiving with my best friend Jay.

As exciting and as much as I am ready for the moment to arrive, the moment where I test my endurance, my mental fortitude and just about everything I have in me. I am just as excited about the trip. I have never been to San Antonio and Jen, Jeremy, Troy and I all have a very exciting weekend lined up. When we arrive we are going to the expo to pick up our packets in final preparation for the race, but then we are going to experience some of the great history and fun that San Antonio has to offer. We plan on hitting up one of the boat cruises through the famed river walk area, we plan making the most of the day. We have a dinner lined up that night a highly recommended Italian place to complete the carb loading for the next day. Once the race is complete we have plans to paint the town red that day by catching the Chiefs/Broncos game somewhere and indulging in some Margarita's on the river walk at Casa Rio. I don't want everyone to worry, I certainly plan on rehydrating before partaking in the adult beverage section.

In a random switch, I wanted to pass along that I am finally in my new place. The move went very well thanks to JJ, Jessica, Jay, Brad, Uncle Tony and my mom. I got moved in last Saturday and have enjoyed everything so far. When people get the opportunity to see the place I am very proud of my stadium (living room) I call it the stadium as it my personal version. I have a a picture of Farout Field (Mizzou Football Stadium) that was painted hanging above my big screen, along with my autographed picture of Sean Witherspoon and Tony Gonzalez so it feels like a total man cave. I still need to add my George Brett Autographed Jersey to this room but people will love the sports stadium feel. No worries, I will have a room at some point that has a little less bachelor pad feel, that just takes a little time. I am very excited to host people at any point so don't be afraid to let me know if you are in town and need a place to crash. My addresss is 4200 Booth Street, Kansas City, KS 66103. I live in an awesome area of Kansas City approximately half a mile from KU Med Center, one mile from Westport and one mile from the Plaza.

Have a great weekend all, I will update you with race results early next week and try to describe all the feelings and emotions of completing this part of my journey known as life.

Life is short, Live it Hard!
Ryan