Tuesday, June 12, 2007
I'm baaaaaaaaack!
What a vacation!
It's been awhile since I've written, but it was worth it. I decided to take a true vacation from everything. Aside from an article I wrote in our condo, the rest was true, quality family time.
I'll share some extra details because I'm often asked how I do what I do. I knew that I would be gone for a solid week and a half. This was a bit long to be away from directing the technology department at our other company, so I did plan a one day trip back to Atlanta. It worked out fine because I flew in the evening, spend a solid, productive day, then flew back the next night. The ladies had a nice day of shopping, relaxing by the pool, and watching T.V. as storms raged outside.
I stayed late one evening writing all of the questions of the day and pre-loading them for the trip. No, I don't write these each and every day, but I do keep a master file of all questions and responses and refer to that. I try to alternate days (i.e. a nutrition question, then a weight training question, etc) so that I can cover all bases.
We set out in the morning and were amazed at the size of the trunk in my new Honda Civic. It fit a lot more than we expected. We were using this vehicle because of the purported 40 miles per gallon on the interstate. In fact, as a new vehicle not even "broken in" it easily succeed to surpass the promise and gave us closer to 42 miles per gallon.
We made great time. Vacation seems to be for many an excuse to hit every roadside restaurant and fast food joint. We like to make good time so we packed a cooler with whole wheat bread, lean meat, whole grain tortilla chips, and water. We also brought along bars, shake powder, and other items as well. We only stopped once at a rest area to have our little "picnic" but poor weather conditions (lots of rain) forced us to enjoy that in the car.
Upon arriving at our condo we signed up for the timeshare demonstration. We always like learning about other opportunities available and of course the gifts are always a benefit. We always weigh what we will receive with the time invested and make sure we're going to profit.
The condo was fantastic - larger than the beach house we rented when we lived on St. Pete Beach. It had a full kitchen so we went shopping and purchased mostly healthy foods. Now we're not total sticks in the mud and do enjoy our vacations so we picked a few days to eat out. Highlights included a Chicago-style pizza at a local Italian joint and mounds of ice cream at the Ghirardelli Chocolate shop at Downtown Disney. We also made a policy of using the stairs instead of the elevator and walking wherever we needed to on the premises for extra exercise.
The large pond next to us held families of ducks. There were even a few mothers swimming around with their little chicks. These are obviously tourist-city ducks because they had no qualms about running straight to us as we walked by and some would even chase us and squawk their demands for food. Large fish in the water would also surface and open their gaping mouths demanding food, and we noticed the squirrels didn't seem to be very fearful, either.
The pool which we hit the first day had a huge section with fountains shooting out of the ground along with a massive waterfall. My daughter and I had a great time running around, playing water tag, swimming back and forth, while my wife enjoyed the sun.
Our itinerary originally included a stop by Sea World, WonderWorks, Universal, and a dinner meeting with lots of online friends from a forum that I visit.
The complex was vast and had seven pools. We quickly found the fitness center where I knocked out a high intensity interval training session and lifted weights. They had dumbbells up to 50 pound increments so I used a slower-than usual tempo and had a great workout (in fact, several days later my chest was aching from DOMS).
We spend one day at Sea World. A fluke caused us to miss out on a ticket discount but another fluke ended up a blessing - it was a buy one day, get one day free. So, we ditched WonderWorks from the schedule and decided to hit Sea World twice.
I can say I have not heard my daughter laugh and scream so much since she was very little. We've taken her to theme parks before but at her age she truly appreciated it. I enjoyed seeing the different wildlife and learning about them. I went on one ride in particular, the Wild Arctic, that was a great combination of fun (a simulator takes you in a helicopter across the arctic landscape with lots of twists and turns) and learning (then you are in a habitat with polar bears, walruses, and Beluga whales). The temperature was nice and cool with dim lighting and I just wanted to stay there!
We also went on several rides, including my daughters first "big" roller-coaster style ride (Journey to Atlantis). When the boat plunged down she screamed so loud I was almost deaf, then she was crying and I thought, "Uh-oh, too much" but it was, "Daddy, that was AWESOME let's do it AGAIN."
Too much to relate, but let's just say it was great. My daughter purchased her first pearl and we stayed late for the show. The second trip was just as fun, we didn't stay as long but hit some shows we missed the first time through. Surprisingly, there is a healthy restaurant right in the middle of Sea World where you can get chicken breast, whole wheat pasta, and other good foods, although I'm not sure if it still counts when afterwards we'd head over to the hospitality building and sample the free Busch beer. I must say I was surprised at how good their dark beer, Bare Knuckle, tasted!
We spend some time by pools and then went to Universal. We had a lot of fun there but I am getting old because I don't get as excited by the simple "rides." I'm more intrigued by learning as I'm being wowed - which is why SeaWorld and Epcot are more my "cup of tea." The important thing is that my daughter had a blast, and this trip was for her.
We figured out early on we would be exhausted and the logistics of driving over to St. Petersburg from Orlando then back and forth again would be a bit much so I canceled the dinner on Saturday night. After Friday's visit to Universal, we decided we didn't want to wait until morning to check out and drive to visit my parents, so we spontaneously checked out that evening and made the drive.
The timing was perfect. As we were packing to leave, I flipped on the television and noticed they were counting down to a shuttle launch. I quickly figured out which direction it would happen in (due East of where we were) and told my daughter. She watched all of the information on the TV until it lifted off, then we headed outside and up a flight of stairs (we were on the next-to-top floor). We had the perfect view and watched the candle of flame spew smoke and climb into the deep blue sky. Then we drove to St. Petersburg and slept in the next day, grateful that we were able to see the launch, check out early, and win "extra time" with my parents.
We had a lazy time there ... I went on a movie date with my wife, then we went on a combined anniversary. My wife and I celebrated our 9th year the end of May while my parents were celebrating their 30th, so we all had a good time out together.
We hit the road early this morning and made great time, coming home in just over 7 hours (the journey usually takes us 8 or 9). We retrieved our animals and are now winding down to relax. I have quite a bit to do this week and wanted to write to my blog before I dive into it all.
I'm still mulling over my options for training. I definitely have awakened a runner inside. I can tell by the tugging inside when I think about runs, when I see trails, when I contemplate my workouts. I even get butterflies of excitement. I also know that part of my struggle and injury were due to a little extra weight I'm carrying. So I believe the strategy is going to be to train with weights and do more HIIT training as I trim down and then shift back to a distance running program in time to hit the runs this year (10K, half in November, full in March of next year) and then target next November (2008) for the ultra. Gives me lots of time but I want to start planning out the program soon. I'll keep you posted.
That's it for now ... going to relax a bit more and then it's going to be a very productive month of June.
I also wanted to thank my readers - not just of this blog, but of the book. I believe the month of May was one of my best month for sales ever, and it's all because of word of mouth and people sharing the information. I appreciate that deeply and look forward to reaching more lives in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
It's been awhile since I've written, but it was worth it. I decided to take a true vacation from everything. Aside from an article I wrote in our condo, the rest was true, quality family time.
I'll share some extra details because I'm often asked how I do what I do. I knew that I would be gone for a solid week and a half. This was a bit long to be away from directing the technology department at our other company, so I did plan a one day trip back to Atlanta. It worked out fine because I flew in the evening, spend a solid, productive day, then flew back the next night. The ladies had a nice day of shopping, relaxing by the pool, and watching T.V. as storms raged outside.
I stayed late one evening writing all of the questions of the day and pre-loading them for the trip. No, I don't write these each and every day, but I do keep a master file of all questions and responses and refer to that. I try to alternate days (i.e. a nutrition question, then a weight training question, etc) so that I can cover all bases.
We set out in the morning and were amazed at the size of the trunk in my new Honda Civic. It fit a lot more than we expected. We were using this vehicle because of the purported 40 miles per gallon on the interstate. In fact, as a new vehicle not even "broken in" it easily succeed to surpass the promise and gave us closer to 42 miles per gallon.
We made great time. Vacation seems to be for many an excuse to hit every roadside restaurant and fast food joint. We like to make good time so we packed a cooler with whole wheat bread, lean meat, whole grain tortilla chips, and water. We also brought along bars, shake powder, and other items as well. We only stopped once at a rest area to have our little "picnic" but poor weather conditions (lots of rain) forced us to enjoy that in the car.
Upon arriving at our condo we signed up for the timeshare demonstration. We always like learning about other opportunities available and of course the gifts are always a benefit. We always weigh what we will receive with the time invested and make sure we're going to profit.
The condo was fantastic - larger than the beach house we rented when we lived on St. Pete Beach. It had a full kitchen so we went shopping and purchased mostly healthy foods. Now we're not total sticks in the mud and do enjoy our vacations so we picked a few days to eat out. Highlights included a Chicago-style pizza at a local Italian joint and mounds of ice cream at the Ghirardelli Chocolate shop at Downtown Disney. We also made a policy of using the stairs instead of the elevator and walking wherever we needed to on the premises for extra exercise.
The large pond next to us held families of ducks. There were even a few mothers swimming around with their little chicks. These are obviously tourist-city ducks because they had no qualms about running straight to us as we walked by and some would even chase us and squawk their demands for food. Large fish in the water would also surface and open their gaping mouths demanding food, and we noticed the squirrels didn't seem to be very fearful, either.
The pool which we hit the first day had a huge section with fountains shooting out of the ground along with a massive waterfall. My daughter and I had a great time running around, playing water tag, swimming back and forth, while my wife enjoyed the sun.
Our itinerary originally included a stop by Sea World, WonderWorks, Universal, and a dinner meeting with lots of online friends from a forum that I visit.
The complex was vast and had seven pools. We quickly found the fitness center where I knocked out a high intensity interval training session and lifted weights. They had dumbbells up to 50 pound increments so I used a slower-than usual tempo and had a great workout (in fact, several days later my chest was aching from DOMS).
We spend one day at Sea World. A fluke caused us to miss out on a ticket discount but another fluke ended up a blessing - it was a buy one day, get one day free. So, we ditched WonderWorks from the schedule and decided to hit Sea World twice.
I can say I have not heard my daughter laugh and scream so much since she was very little. We've taken her to theme parks before but at her age she truly appreciated it. I enjoyed seeing the different wildlife and learning about them. I went on one ride in particular, the Wild Arctic, that was a great combination of fun (a simulator takes you in a helicopter across the arctic landscape with lots of twists and turns) and learning (then you are in a habitat with polar bears, walruses, and Beluga whales). The temperature was nice and cool with dim lighting and I just wanted to stay there!
We also went on several rides, including my daughters first "big" roller-coaster style ride (Journey to Atlantis). When the boat plunged down she screamed so loud I was almost deaf, then she was crying and I thought, "Uh-oh, too much" but it was, "Daddy, that was AWESOME let's do it AGAIN."
Too much to relate, but let's just say it was great. My daughter purchased her first pearl and we stayed late for the show. The second trip was just as fun, we didn't stay as long but hit some shows we missed the first time through. Surprisingly, there is a healthy restaurant right in the middle of Sea World where you can get chicken breast, whole wheat pasta, and other good foods, although I'm not sure if it still counts when afterwards we'd head over to the hospitality building and sample the free Busch beer. I must say I was surprised at how good their dark beer, Bare Knuckle, tasted!
We spend some time by pools and then went to Universal. We had a lot of fun there but I am getting old because I don't get as excited by the simple "rides." I'm more intrigued by learning as I'm being wowed - which is why SeaWorld and Epcot are more my "cup of tea." The important thing is that my daughter had a blast, and this trip was for her.
We figured out early on we would be exhausted and the logistics of driving over to St. Petersburg from Orlando then back and forth again would be a bit much so I canceled the dinner on Saturday night. After Friday's visit to Universal, we decided we didn't want to wait until morning to check out and drive to visit my parents, so we spontaneously checked out that evening and made the drive.
The timing was perfect. As we were packing to leave, I flipped on the television and noticed they were counting down to a shuttle launch. I quickly figured out which direction it would happen in (due East of where we were) and told my daughter. She watched all of the information on the TV until it lifted off, then we headed outside and up a flight of stairs (we were on the next-to-top floor). We had the perfect view and watched the candle of flame spew smoke and climb into the deep blue sky. Then we drove to St. Petersburg and slept in the next day, grateful that we were able to see the launch, check out early, and win "extra time" with my parents.
We had a lazy time there ... I went on a movie date with my wife, then we went on a combined anniversary. My wife and I celebrated our 9th year the end of May while my parents were celebrating their 30th, so we all had a good time out together.
We hit the road early this morning and made great time, coming home in just over 7 hours (the journey usually takes us 8 or 9). We retrieved our animals and are now winding down to relax. I have quite a bit to do this week and wanted to write to my blog before I dive into it all.
I'm still mulling over my options for training. I definitely have awakened a runner inside. I can tell by the tugging inside when I think about runs, when I see trails, when I contemplate my workouts. I even get butterflies of excitement. I also know that part of my struggle and injury were due to a little extra weight I'm carrying. So I believe the strategy is going to be to train with weights and do more HIIT training as I trim down and then shift back to a distance running program in time to hit the runs this year (10K, half in November, full in March of next year) and then target next November (2008) for the ultra. Gives me lots of time but I want to start planning out the program soon. I'll keep you posted.
That's it for now ... going to relax a bit more and then it's going to be a very productive month of June.
I also wanted to thank my readers - not just of this blog, but of the book. I believe the month of May was one of my best month for sales ever, and it's all because of word of mouth and people sharing the information. I appreciate that deeply and look forward to reaching more lives in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Blessed be,
Jeremy Likness
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