A Prize, a Goal and a Birthday Guy

In celebration of my wonderful husband's birthday I want to share a little something that makes me a very proud wife.

Like me, after we lost significant weight two years ago, he managed to put it all back on. He was super discouraged. However, several months ago, something clicked in him again. He made a commitment and he took it off again. I think there was a little bit of The Force involved. I will let him explain.

He lost about 60 pounds to get to his Sandcrawler goal of getting under 200 pounds!!  He was crazy focused.  Since then he has lost another 15 pounds.

Seriously, I think he ran straight from the scale to the box. Out of the box comes his big prize. Bag after bag of teeny tiny LEGOs.

 I love how methodical he is. Each bag is sorted by color and shape before he begins assembling.

I believe the Sandcrawler is his new favorite LEGO set. He hasn't told me which one he has his sights on next, but no doubt there will be another....

For awhile he has been toying with the idea of running a marathon. Now that has to negotiate the maintenance side of weight loss he has made the decision to stop toying with the idea of a marathon and instead make it happen. Focusing on marathon training is giving him a new perspective on fueling his body and maintaining his weight. He looks fantastic and feels better than he has in a long time.

For several months he has run up to 5 miles a day 6 days a week. Three weeks ago he ran his first official "long run" of his marathon training. We dropped him off 10 miles down the river road and met him back near town. I was a little nervous about the fog.

By the time we got to the drop off point the sun was coming out and the fog was lifting.

Off he goes. He later admitted about 2 miles in he started to wonder what he got himself into.

The Piasa Bird is a Native American dragon depicted in one of two murals painted by Native Americans on bluffs above the Mississippi River. The original is long gone and this is a 20th century reproduction. 

I know this is a post about my husband, but I can't help but continue sharing my obsession with all things road related - man hole covers, locate markings and now drains. Have seen manhole covers from this foundry before. I love that this tells you right where the drain leads.

More quickly than I expected he comes around the bend. The blue ribbons on the pole are in honor of a local police officer killed in the line of duty. This road was part of the funeral procession a few days before this run.

As he clears the final obstacle of his 10 mile run we are there to cheer him to the finish.

Training is going well. The next Saturday he completed a 13.1 mile run - an unofficial half marathon - in just under two hours.

For my husband's birthday, we picked out some cold weather running gear. Although it has been an unseasonable warm fall, winter is coming. Wardrobe is going to be a bit tricky since he will be training in considerably colder weather. There is so much to consider in addition to just being able to run the distance.

Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out for me to go with him since the first run. I love this picture he took before his 15 mile (yes, 15 miles - I can't believe it!) run this Saturday. The happiness and pride I see on his face is priceless.

So when will this marathon take place? Ten weeks from today...January 15. He is officially signed up for the Louisiana Marathon in Baton Rouge. We booked our hotel on Priceline, so there is no turning back :)  I am super excited to just be taking a little trip with him. We have been together almost 7 years and this will be our first trip alone together. Here is to a speedy race and a speedy race recovery!! We plan to stay in the area for a couple days to sight-see, sample authentic Cajun cuisine, and visit friends. I can't wait to spend some time with a couple of my Lovely Ladies.

Happy Birthday to the Love Of My Life! I am so proud of you and can't wait to cheer you on :)