Looking Forward & Being Inspired

I have been contemplating this week since round 4 started about what I want to achieve and how I am going to get there.  Many thoughts have come and gone but the obvious one is my weight loss goal.   Yes I want to get to my goal weight and I would love to be back in the running for the top 20 which would mean I have lost a considerable amount of weight, but is this all I want out of this round and this journey.  I started to write another blog post yesterday and never got to publish it due to work commitments, but I am glad now that I didn’t.  After getting in early this morning and reading a couple of other posts and then having something sent to me at work, I was moved by something that I know others will have seen already, but it really struck a chord with me, which we will get to shortly.

Our first weigh in was on Wednesday, yes only 2 days after the start of the round.  Bit weird I hear all the newbies say, but who am I to question the guru. I jumped on the scales to find that in 2 days I had dropped 2.9kgs.  How on earth did that happen?  I don’t know and to be honest I don’t care, I am just over the moon that it has happened and what a start to the new round.  So off to a cracking start and with a 2.5% weight loss I am on the right track for what I want.  But what do I really want? 

Long term I have so many dreams, goals and aspirations that I don’t know when or how I am going to fit them in, if they are in fact possible.  What I do know is that I want to be fit, healthy and happy.  Well happier than I have been in the past.  I have a wonderful wife and 4 amazing children, so how could I not be happy.  Well I suppose it comes down to being happy with yourself as I am sure many of us on this journey can relate to.  I want to be able to walk into a room every time and not wonder if anyone is looking at me because of my weight or making snide remarks when you walk out.  This is changing but it will take time.

Some of my goals that I have been putting together may not be happening in the near future, but these are my big goals. I will list them below but my short term goals are achievable if I put myself out there.  Obviously I am hoping to get to my goal weight of 90kgs or less within the next 3 months. If it doesn’t happen, it will soon after, so no pressure.  I also want to start swimming as part of my training.  This is something that will certainly take me out of my comfort zone.  I can swim, but I am far from being a strong swimmer.  I want to continue my running and finally crack the 10km non-stop barrier.  This will happen this round I assure you.  The most I have run at present is 8.54km so not far off, but I aim to take part in a fun run in March so this will be happening.  After that I have some long term goals, which I have been fortunate enough to convince some fellow 12wbter’s to take part in some to some degree.

In October 2013 I will be riding in the Sydney Ride to Conquer Cancer (2 days, 200kms) then myself and a friend will jump on our bikes and ride from Sydney to Melbourne down the east coast which will be approx. 1200kms and to finish this off we will be joining our team mates (some of them 12WBTers, Julie Leitch, Dayna Manser, Mel Morris, Cass Dixon, Julie Hovenga, Casey Mason) to take part in the Melbourne Ride to Conquer Cancer.  This will have me completing over 1600k’s in 16 days to raise money for Peter Mac Cancer Hospital.  Anyone else interested in taking part let me know.

My goal after that is to compete in a 70.3 half ironman in Feb 2014.  Hey, nothing like putting it out there.  I suppose the reason I have divulged this on my blog was due to a link my wife sent me this morning which she had seen on CoCo Girl’s blog.  How did I miss it?  Please see the video below if you have not watched it.  I had goose bumps watching it and even a little teary I will admit.  This has inspired me to achieve my goals and I hope it helps others.  If Ben can do it, the rest of us have no excuse either and it just proves that the sky is the limit.