After a short break, I'm back!

Hello Readers!

Let me just start by saying WOW it has been a while and for those who enjoy reading this blog let me apologize for my delay. Let me just say life has been very busy for me! In the time that I have been away from blogging, I was laid off from US Central. I knew this was coming, but I don't think I could have anticipated how difficult that day would be when I walked out the doors for the final time. Having to say goodbye to people you had spent every day with for the previous thirteen years was an emotional day. After taking a few weeks off to unwind and enjoy March Madness I started with a new company. My stint with this company was short as a different opportunity came calling. This new opportunity was with the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. I am now starting my sixth week with the Fed and really enjoy what I am doing.

Since I last blogged some other positive and wonderful things have happened in my life. I met and have been seeing a wonderful girl, Kelli Dowd. Kelli is such a positive person and has been with me through the tough times of the carjacking and leaving USC, and we have had so many good times. We spent a fun filled 5 days out in Arizona and will be heading to Colorado for fun next weekend. She was my personal cheerleader in my half marathon and will be there to cheer me on in the Chicago Marathon. In this same time I became and uncle. I know I let everyone know that this would be happening, but I don't think I could have been prepared for how truly exciting this would be. I am a proud Uncle to Scarlett Katherine Kimbrell. Congrats to lucky parents. I didn't realize just how moving it would be to see Scarlett in the hospital the day of the birth and how much fun it is just to hold her in your arms. I am really going to love this being an uncle thing.

After now catching everyone up on what has been happening and why it has taken me soooo long to get back out here and blog, lets get on to the part people always enjoy hearing about my never ending pursuit of fitness. I must say with all the activity and exciting things that happened, I did gain about 15 pounds back, but don't worry it will be off shortly. I have already got about 5 of that off. I remained very active in this time when I didn't blog, but I may have enjoyed a little too much food and Happy Hour cheer. Just to show I did remain active I ran the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon, the Hospital Hill 10K, several long bike rides with the "Y" crew and my brother and lastly the KC Triathlon. I have several other events lined up for the summer season, many of them being triathlons with the culmination being October 7th in Chicago with the marathon. Training for this event has officially kicked off so in the coming weeks along with my normal activity I will be increasing my distance and stretching out the fun.

Until next time I leave you with my theory on life, "Life is Short, Live it Hard"!!

Ryan

Always be aware of your surroundings!

Hello Readers!

Wow what a couple of last few weeks it has been. I have been an interviewing animal right now. With end of February being my last day at US Central I thought I would share with people that I have had interviews with Jack Henry, the Federal Reserve and Multi Service. I feel each went very well and hopefully the prospects of me finding the next stage in my career is getting near an end with a very positive result ahead. (I am knocking on wood right now) I have been watching a ton of Mizzou basketball recently, what a ride this has currently been as well. Mizzou is having one of the best years in it's history and what a year to have it right as they exiting the Big XII. Earlier this week something very serious happens which brings me to my point of always be aware of your surroundings.

I always end my posts with "Life is short, live it hard", this saying means more to me after yesterday. Yesterday when I woke up to go to work I was carjacked in front of my house. I was warming up my car and scraping the ice off when an individual pulled a gun on me and stole my car. Luckily I was not injured or harmed I just had my car taken. This certainly made me thankful for every day that I have. This gives me a renewed rigor of taking each day, making the most of it and living life hard!

This experience also made me think we should all be aware of our surroundings. In this instance I wasn't really aware. I saw the individual approaching but really thought nothing of it. Many people cut through my yard to walk to the bus stop across the street. Had I taken more time to think about it I might have realized that there were no cars around, no other people other than him and I. In the future I will be much more aware. This can be applied to many aspects of our lives including our running and fitness. Many of us, myself included love to run trails. While trails are beautiful and offer no automobile traffic to contend with, trails may be extremely dangerous. Many trails are poorly lit and have few people on them. I implore people to alway be aware. Even though most people choose to run with iPod's or other MP3 players always keep your head on a swivel. A second recommendation when it comes to running trails run with a running partner. Running is always safer with a partner but this holds especially true on trails. Both animals or intruders will be much less inclined to attack if you run with a friends. A second benefit is company on the run. I find it much easier to put in long distance when I have someone to chit chat with.

In one last update I thought I would let everyone know it is official I did get registered for Chicago on October 7th. I will be running this marathon with my good friends Jen and Jeremy. I am also excited as my friends Brad and my brother JJ want to make the journey to Chicago so this trip will be extra special!

Let me finish by saying with even more conviction, LIFE IS SHORT! LIVE IT HARD!

Ryan

2012 Off to a good start

Hello Readers!

It has been a few weeks since I have posted. I have been an extremely busy person so far this year. Some of you are probably thinking what's new? I agree with your sentiments, somethings never change. I never really thought about it until now, but I am probably slightly OCD in the way I workout and believe in getting after life. I will let everyone know that my running is still as crazy as it has ever been, I just figure you know that I am running and don't care to hear how much I put in each week. I will let people know I have signed up for the Westport St. Patrick 4 miler. This has always been one of my favorite runs in KC. If you are a beginner to running and want to try a race this is recommended as the course is fun, but the post race party after is top notch. I am always talking about the social benefits to running and this race is a prime example immediately after the run all the bars/restaurants in Westport have specials for those who run. Hopefully I will see some of you out there. I have also signed up for the Rock the Parkway half marathon again. Last year I ran my fastest time ever on this course. Hopefully I can improve upon that time. Only time will tell.

This year I have continued with my try new things attitude. I have been playing sand volleyball for the last couple years, but this year I am on an indoor volleyball team as well. Last night the results were not pretty, but ths has been a great experience as I have met new people and am having a blast. Continuing on the theme of trying new things, I have gotten into hot yoga. For those of you not familiar with this, all I can say is this is the most intense yet therapuetic workout. It is practicing yoga for one and a half hours in a room that is heated to 105 degrees. If this sounds insane, it is! The benefit though is worth the pain and the insantiy. I have noticed in my running and swimming that I have been able to go faster thanks to the better flexibility and better breathing. If you are looking for something to try, I highly recommend it.

Hopefully everyone who set "Goals/Resolutions" for 2012 have been sticking with your goals. This is the pivotal time as most people make it about 4 - 6 weeks into the year before giving up. I urge everyone to stick with it! If you make it past that initial 6 weeks it will become routine and you will see the results you are hoping for.

Have a great week! Life is short, live it hard!
Ryan

2012 New Year, New Hope

Hello Readers!

Welcome to 2012! I don't know about you but I am extremely excited for the upcoming year. I am not a person who really celebrates the new year on New Year's Eve as I don't find it to be a big holiday, but I do get excited with all that a new year brings. I have told many people I believe that 2012 will be the best year. I have a ton to look forward to this year. With the new year comes new hopes and new goals.

If you read my new years post last year you know I don't believe in resolutions. Resolutions are something that we have an excuse to break. If we set goals at the beginning of the year, we may not achieve the goals but we have something to continually work toward. This year I start the year with some lofty goals. The first main goal is running marathon number two. I had been planning all along on Little Rock in March, but this has sold out. My friends Jen, Jeremy and I have now set our sites on Chicago in October. Make no doubt I will get registered on the day this opens so that it doesn't sell out on me. Those who remember last year know that a second goal was for me to do a half ironman. This is a goal that is on my horizon, not sure if I will have the time in my busy schedule this year but I will maintain it as a goal so that I continue to work toward it. I also vow that this year I will maintain my high level of community service as life has been good to me so it is extremely important that I continue to give back.

The second exciting thing about the new year is new hopes. This year new hopes will hold especially true. Many people who read this know that my job situation has been difficult over the past year. The situation will be even more challenging but exciting this year. I do have an official end date at my current position, which is at the end of February. So needless to say I have really been hitting the job market extremely hard to start the year. When I find a new position this will bring incredible excitement with it and hopes for what the future will have in store for me. A second great thing that is bringing excitement for me this year is becoming an Uncle. I haven't talked about this yet in my blog but in April I will become an Uncle. I am so excited for my brother and Jessica!! So as everyone can see there is a great deal of excitement ahead for 2012! Hopefully all you readers are setting your goals and hopes for this upcoming year. May 2012 be the best year yet!

Life is short, live it hard!

Ryan

Ringing out 2011. What a Year!

Hello Readers,

This is my annual year in review post. Looking back 2011 was an incredible year for me both personally and from a fitness perspective. I have had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know some incredible people in the last year, I have reached many of the goals that I set for myself, and I have myself ready to make 2012 another great and successful year!

2011 saw me list as my goals to better myself as a person, continually improve my fitness level, and take more chances. I can honestly say that I achieved all the goals. I think each of us are always looking for ways to better ourselves. One of the ways I have tried to better myself is to see all situations in a positive light. As I move into 2012 this is a goal that will remain with me. There are certainly ways that I can continue to grow as a person and continue to better myself. I look forward to seeing the results in the coming year.

The second goal was to improve my fitness level. This goal seems like it might have been a difficult goal to achieve as 2010 saw me stretch myself to the ultimate limits. Amazingly I was able to reach this goal by finding new limits to test. In 2011 I ran my fastest half marathon ever, I broke 2 hours for the first time and hope to be able to better that time in 2012. I competed in three triathlons in 2011, one of them being an international distance event. This pushed me to that next level, not only was the distance the greatest I have completed, but the day the race was on was one of the hottest days in KC last summer so I was pushed to the maximum mentally as well as physically. With 2012 in sight, I have a couple huge fitness goals in mind and will share them in my upcoming goals post.

The third goal of 2011 was to take more chances. I do feel that I succeeded in this goal as there were times last year I stepped out of my comfort zone. Chances are something that for me are difficult. As many crazy things as it sounds like I do, my personality is one that is actually very conservative. Running and fitness have afforded me the opportunity to gain much self confidence in my life which allows me to take more chances. Taking chances will be something that will remain on my personal lists of goals every year, as I do believe the more chances I take whether fitness chances or personal chances the happier I will continue to be.

As I look forward to the challenges that will be 2012, I look back and think I can only hope that it brings me the happiness and greatness achieved in 2011. To my loyal readers, let me know what your goals are for 2012, if there is anyway that I can help you achieve them don't be afraid to reach out to me. As much as I love succeeding in my own life I absolutely love being able to help others reach their dreams and goals. Happy New Year to ALL!

Life is short, live it hard!

Ryan

Seasons Greetings!!

Hello Readers,

Seasons Greetings to all! Hopefully everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with friends and families, I know I did. If many of you are like me you over-consumed both food and beverage. Honestly that is what Thanksgiving is for! That weekend was especially fun for me as I saw several great people and friends. On a personal and fun note, the weekend was also significant as Mizzou played their final border war game with Kansas. This game brings back some amazing memories for me. The great news is Mizzou finished the series properly by putting the Hawks and Turner Gill down for the count. Go Tigers!

I don't know about you, but for me this is a crazy busy season. It seems I have something going on constantly for the next three weeks, it is extremely important that during this busy time we don't forget or neglect to finish the year strong toward completing our goals and maintain a strong exercise ethic. For me this hasn't been a problem, I was out of town last week but still managed to put in my longest run so far of training by doing 13 miles. I have found that for me, the key during this busy time is finding hidden time in your day. For instance, instead of going out for lunch or sitting in the break room for lunch, I use my lunch time to get in my daily training run. I then eat my lunch at my desk. I understand this may not work for everyone, it is just one idea. The real point is that we are all busy, but we can find a way to make some time in the day to find and remain healthy.

This week I was watching the biggest loser on TV, this was their marathon week. I am not sure how many of you watch this show but it the marathon episode is one of my favorites each year as you get to see each of the contestants reach the pinnacle of their own personal journies to become healthy and lose weight. You can see when you watch this episode the true emotion felt by each contestant and the pride and self confidence they have by completing this. I can speak from experience and someone who has gone through the battles the contestants do that the show is the closest to reality of any reality show I have seen. I know after watching I am inspired and ready to do battle with my next marathon course in Little Rock.

I want to say to everyone enjoy the next few weeks, enjoy what the holiday season is all about, cherishing time with families and friends and lastly be safe.

Life is short, live it hard!
Ryan

Remembering Others and the Building Phase

Hello Readers!

Wow, has this year flown by or what? We find ourselves one week before Thanksgiving. I wanted to remind everyone what this time of year is all about. As the holiday season comes upon us we need to remember others. In one week I will be running a 5K with my best friends and their families. While running a 5K is not out of the ordinary the point of the race is to raise money for a great organization. The event will benefit Harvesters. This is one of my favorite charitable organizations in Kansas City, they are the largest food bank in the area. They will be collecting cans that day, they also collected cans at the Girls on the Run 5K I completed last weekend. This time of year we need to remember that everyone wants to celebrate the holidays with their families but not everyone has the means to do this. I urge all my readers to compete in some sort of event or do something for a charitable organization that they might not normally do. This is the season of sharing after all and we have the ability to make the season incredible for all families.

Ok, off of my soap box and back to training. Exactly one year ago this week I was in San Antonio finishing my first marathon. As I continue preparing for Little Rock in March, I was thinking back on last year and how I am going to improve my time. My goal is to take 20 minutes off my time from 4:49 to 4:30. This is a lofty goal, but I have developed a strategy to achieve this. I completely tuckered out last year on the race, I took it out in a very quick pace and didn't have the gusto to finish strongly. I am going to stress pacing this year. Currently I am in the building phase, my miles are ramping up. I have been working on not necessarily worrying about how quick I am but maintaining a solid pace. This has been a difficult concept for me as I always want to do everything at 100% but I know this will benefit me in the end. Something else I am really incorporating into my training this time which should prevent me from tiring out is lifting. I have been hitting the weights three days a week. Don't get me wrong I am not bulking up, but rather I am cardio lifting which should really show results come March.

In closing this week, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Have fun celebrating with your friends and family. Be safe in celebration!

Life is short, live it hard!

Ryan