Showing posts with label Forest Hills High School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Forest Hills High School. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Happy New Year!

Like the last few years gone by, I have goals for the New Year. Some new, some old, and all for the betterment of me.

I weighed 165 this morning. Yikes! Amazing what happens after spending a few days at my Dad's house!

Goals for 2008:
1) Get down in weight average to 150 Pounds. Get there and stay there. Averaging 150 pounds, means that some days I would be weighing 147, and other days perhaps 153.

2) Get more sleep. More zzzz's mean less food and more repair.
I slept only 6 hours last night. Ugh.

3) Strength training on my hamstrings, and upper body. Another ugh.
My hammys are weak. Always have been. Same goes for my Gonzo-bowling ball-stomach. Some may think it's cute, but it is my downfall. Of course, staying away from bread products would help....Get away from me, Dad!

4) Be more diligent in counting my calories! It is a pain in my royal ass. It's like counting your pennies each day in a tight budget. BUT I MUST DO THIS. Whenever I count my calories, I actually lose weight faster!

5) Only focus on things that are realistic (in no particular order).
1. My job - Very realistic. Will do better this year.
2. My kids = Continue to be a good father. Teach them the value of
money a bit better this year, and to be a bit neater.
3. My health - Go see all my doctors this year. Stick to a strict
running campaign. Get at least 7-8 hours rest per night
average, never eat over my prescribed recommended caloric
intake.
Here is what is not realistic that I should spend ZERO time on:
1- Buying a house. It isn't my money, and I don't have any more time to waste on trying to help someone to find a house, simply because all they ever do is whine about their apartment. My schedule is tight with all my other goals above to waste any more time on this. Put better...Once she buys the house, then I will become 'Mr. Handyman.'
Until then......
2- Waste time on useless hobbies. Playing with my computer having
nothing to do with this blog, my health, or work? Useless.
Exception to the rule: Grand Theft Auto IV for the PC, but that wont be released until next year, so I am fine for now.
3- Useless emotional energy (ie. fighting). I could almost put this in the same category with #1. Useless energy drains me of power and time, two very valuable components in the Blogrunner's credo.

To kick off my new running year, I ran from my father's house across Southgate Blvd. and into Tamarac High School. And while the HS track was gated and locked, the doors had a wide enough gap, enabling me to squeeze through (even at my fat-lard-ass 165 pound frame) and do my lap running. Interestingly, there was a white car, that suspiciously kept parking the car in the all empty lot next to the track, from one spot to another. It looked like there were two people in the car (can't tell, lost my glasses at the disco the other night), and it looked like they were staring at me. It was pretty freaky because I was the only one in the course. I didn't waver and continued running, but decided to run the other half-oval which was not visible from the parking lot. Interestingly, and not long after doing this, the car drove right up to the fence, to try and see me. At this point I actually ran off the oval and decided to run across the outfield grass at the baseball field. After a few minutes, I wandered back onto the oval, and then I noticed that the car was gone. Weird.

I finished my run, noticing another possible run tomorrow near the canal, and did another 5 loops around my Dad's housing complex. All in all, I kept running until I had completed a 10k.

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Inaugural Training Run: Forest Hills Northside "4"

Course: Forest Hills Northside "4"
Towns: Forest Hills, Kew Gardens.
Distance: 4 miles.
Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2007.
Time: 06:20 am.
Weather: 62F, 79% Hum.
Course Path: (left, center)
Elevations: (left, bottom)











A "blast from my past" is probably a better name to give this course.

I ran past the old apartment where I used to live, past Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, and past one of my first jobs, Spanish Heritage Tours.

The weather was cooler than originally expected, and more humid too. I had some added challenges too. There were many puddles on the path along Meadow Lake, thanks to the heavy rain the day before.

Despite the 7.5 hours of sleep the night before (10:20p-5:50a), it still took me awhile to wake up. When I did, I was still running a bit sluggish and all I kept thinking was how I need to lose some weight fast. No dead animals anywhere today (a first) but as I was going west on the GCP S.Service Road, I thought I had spotted a squashed squirrel. Once I got closer, I realized it was someone who had discarded pink Owens-Corning fibreglass insulation...Stupid me.

The run was fairly interesting except there are cars to watch out for. This is also
not a good course to run in during a rain shower the day of, or day before either.

Passing my old apartment on 72-11 110st, was definitely a "moment" for me.
I decided to use it for the exercise of blocking things out to focus on my running.
I think I did a pretty good job. Notice that big yellow building below? That's the Kennedy Building. It stood right across the street from my bedroom window.
That was 30 years ago.

The good thing about this run is that there is a lot to look at and it's not a boring run.
There will be much better runs, but this one is good to have on fairly cool, dry days.

Pictures from the run:

Glass bldg on QnsBlvd S. & Union.......... Descent down Peartree Rd........... The GCP S. Service Road

Passing Jewel Avenue.................Heading down 69th towards the south of Flushing Meadow Park

Unexpected "lakes" across the Meadow Lake path made for a challenging run...1965 World's Fair

No one was out here this morning.......Ran across this field............. to get to this overpass.

Crossing over the GCP................The field at Forest Hills HS and .....Forest Hills High School

Last place I lived with my mom. 72-11 110th street..........................My room was 2nd flr left center.

My grammar school - OLQM................This used to be S.H.Tours..........Finishing up Kew Gardens Rd.


My first race in 2 months is in 7 days. It's a 3.5 miler in Jones Beach State Park. I am
representing my company. If I can lose 5 pounds and get to 155 by next Tuesday,
I should be in great shape. I will probably skip dinner tonight, which should be easy
since Ileana is going for a colonoscopy tomorrow.

The run, plus the remaining kilometer walk, put me back in the 1000Km club lead again.
This one will be a dogfight for sure.