The Magnificent 7!

Good grief!! The heat is on people!! Summer time is officially here and this heat is something else!!! Everyday we rise it gives us another opportunity at achieving things that we never thought possible. And as i stated in an earlier post. It gives us a chance to be consistent. I have a friend who started running just a couple of months ago who has achieved some really great things through persistence. I must add that she actually use to joke me about running soo much, and why you gotta run ALL the time??!! LOL! Hahaha! Well the shoe is now on the other foot and im proud to say that Adrienne Hamlyn has come over to the runners circle. She accomplished a great feat earlier this week by running 7 miles!!!! Yay!! 7 miles people! This coming from someone who hated running! Who said i aint doing it! It sucks! LOL! Look! You never get pressure from me on the subject. You know my motto! Keep doing you! Whatever works! But what is interesting to me is how people who observe what you do are curious about what you do. Especially if what you do is producing some sort of result. Well i've been running a little over a year now consistently and i can tell you i feel 110% better. I told yall in the "Mirror Check" post how good it can feel to walk past a mirror and see some different stuff going on with that belly!..lol! It's a good thing! And so im glad for her as well as Ryan Roy who also is pushing his way through mile after mile! God is good!! You know? This just proves to me over and over and over again folks one thing!!! ANYBODY CAN DO THIS!!!! You just have to have the will and the determination to get it done. Get tunnel vision with this thing and never mind the naysayers. You know im not big on all the HATER sayings!..They get on my nerves...lol! But i will say this. If Haters can be your motivators then so be it!..Find your why and keep on truckin!!!!
5 miles done today crew! 46:17!! What??!!!!!!! Run,walk,jump,skip,lift! Whatever it is you do, just do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sodas down,Waters up! Peace and Love!!

Being productive means staying ready.

Happy Sunday everyone! What a beautiful weekend here in the mountains! Sad to say the weekend seems to be over just when it's getting good..lol! Anyway, today I thought about how in the past I've come up with so many excuses for not working out or running. You know we all have them. But I can feel myself beginning to change that mentality into "staying at a ready". For instance. I know I may be a bit over the top here. But I think whenever you have the opportunity to get a workout in if you have some wasted time, then you should take full advantage of it. Today as I was washing clothes I thought to myself..hmmm. While im not doing anything I could get a workout in for an hour or so and come back to finish up my laundry. Soo that's just what I did. It didn't take me out of my schedule, nor did it require me taking time away from something that I had to do. See. Whenever you feel like you don't have time to do something, maybe you should take a closer look at the gaps in your day or schedule and see where you might be able to fit some exercise in? Seriously, if we don't have time to take care of ourselves then we really are TOO BUSY!! I mean don't you deserve to have some time to be active and pursue your own health goals? Not only does this apply to our health, but in all areas of our lives. We should all try to be as productive as we possibly can and stay ready for opportunities that will come our way. Doing our best everyday can be a challenge and sometimes we don't always feel like giving our best. I know I don't. But in the end you never know what path may open up to you by putting away excuses and doing the dang thing!! I think after 43yrs on planet earth I've finally figured out the secret to success in just about anything. CONSISTANTCY!! Oh yeah! See that's a problem with 99.9% of the people on earth! The other .1% are in denial that they don't have this problem...lol! Doing what you know you should do day in and day out can be a trip! Especially when people don't seem to appreciate your efforts or better yet, when you don't see a difference in your life after continually doing what your doing. But here is the thing. You have to keep doing it, because it's working. The scriptures tell us not to be weary in well doing. Why? Because we will reap if we faint not. Deep down inside of you things are changing. Your mind is changing, your body language is changing, your attitude is changing. And as YOU change your life will begin to change. It's long race folks, so pace yourself. What are your goals? What are your dreams? Be productive and stay ready even when you don't want to and watch doors begin to open up for you. I am sure that the best is yet to come for us all if we can master these 2 things! Aight! Ima have a cookie!! What?? You aint know??? Hmmm..ima work in progress!...LMBO! Sodas down! Waters up! Peace and Love!!

It aint over yet!!!

Ok! Ok! Whether or not you like Lebron James or not,whether you think "the decision" was a bad decision,whether or not you think Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are too experienced to lose to the Heat in Game7 of the finals it doesn't matter!! The fact of the matter is we all at some point in time need to have a fire lit under us. Some people call it motivation or an "AH HA" type moment. I truly believe that's what happened to the Heat the other night. I didn't get to see the game because older people go to  bed early..lol! But when i talked to my kids they told me how the game went down through their eyes.  They said that Lebron and company during the closing minutes of the game saw not only the fans leaving the arena, but through the shadows of the tunnel they cold see the Championship trophy being wheeled down the aisle. Hmmm...yeah the trophy and a Banner that read something like the "Sanantonio Spurs NBA Champions"...Wow! My kids say that scene is what pushed the Heat to mount a come back that pretty much sums up the life of a person who refuses to surrender!!!!! I love it maaaaan!! To me i could care less who wins this game, but it is exciting and i love the messages that it gives to me as a person in everyday life. The message is this!! It aint over yet!! Nawwww!! The Fat lady might be warming up, but she aint singing yet!! Not on my watch! Can i just tell you mam, sir? You don't have time to throw in the towel! We all have ups and downs and that is what makes it a life. Everyday isn't Sunday yet! So while you wait for heaven do your best to push through what others say you can't. One thing im learning about myself is that for every dream there is a dream stealer. You and i have to learn to distance ourselves from the negativity and cling to the positive. Just because somebody else is having a bad day,refuses to be consistent with their workout, has a crazy bad attitude doesn't mean you have to succumb to it. Do you! And then Do you again! Life is Ferris real baby, but it's good if you can maintain your own flow. Ups,Downs, Highs and Lows. It doesn't matter if you win a race it matters that you went down  swinging for the fences!!
If i never win a race it's cool. My biggest challenge is Me and nobody can defeat you but you. Soo that lady in the wings with the big hair and ugly dress..lol!! She might be running through scales and clearing her throat because she sees you about to cave in under the pressure. But tell her to back up off you!! You're about to get up and go ONE MORE ROUND!!!!!!!!!!!! Sodas Down! Waters Up!
Peace and Love!!!!!

Never forget.

Goodmorning all! It's a beautiful day. And in spite of what might have gone wrong this week, there is a lot that is still right. I'm taking a collective deep breath with everybody that has had some challenges this week. Flooding in my area, working with difficult people and all the rest! But i'm still here. Today i got some much needed rest this morning. I've been going pretty hard and decided i needed to listen to my body. On my drive in to work i realised the importance of memories we have, be it good or bad. Sort of like the feeling i got when i first started dropping weight and feeling really awesome about myself. Those kinds of feeling that you never forget help to forge a new attitude within so that you don't derail your progress. Or, the feelings i had before i started losing. You know? Those feelings where you just talk about losing weight,being in shape,cutting down on the sweets and so forth, but you don nothing but talk. LOL! Good grief! Lawwwd have mercy do we like to TALK about what we are going to do?? Over and over and again. So today i'm using all of the memories that i have, including the ones of my parents who are no longer here to help me stay focused on the important things in life. It's not what i drive, where i live, or how much money i make. It's about family,people who love me, God of course and the life i've been given on planet earth for a short moment in time. I found this thing called running that makes me happy and a bit healthier. I will never forget how far ive come by the grace of almighty God who made me. Imperfect,silly, not the sharpest pencil in the box. But im Adolph...yeah im Adolph. It's going to be a great day! Some people in other parts of the world and even in the state would gladly exchange my challenges for theirs. Nawwww im good!! I will never forget!! Sodas down! Waters Up! Peace and Love!

You're worth the risk!

Good Monday morning everyone! Yeah i know it's Monday, but it's also another day that we haven't seen before. So while we're here we might as well live it. Today I'm proud to say i accomplished what my goal was on yesterday. I ran in a Father's Day 4 miler and i literally whipped the time i did it in on last year! Last year i think i did it in like 47 minutes and this year it was like 38 minutes!!!! Yayyyy me!!! Can i tell you mam, sir? That you are worth the risk? See, when you're getting up earlier, staying up a little later, trying to eat better in the face of your peers who may ridicule you, or think you won't stick with it. You have to tell yourself that you are worth the risk! I mean anytime you do something that some of your friends aren't doing you will always have people who will talk a bunch of smack!Hahaha! It comes with the territory. What iv'e learned to do is embrace all of that talking as a challenge. So yeah! Gohead! Eat your doughnut that's cool. I been there done that and i will have the occassional one. But maaaaaaaan im on a mission! And it doesn't include certain things anymore. My coworkers don't understand, sometimes your family doesn't understand, but you know deep down inside what you're standing for!! A brand new you! A you that's worth the talk behind the back. A you that's worth the, "What the heck is he trying to prove?" "He think he all that cause he running!" LMBO!!! You know what? It aint that i think im all that! It's YOU that thinks im all that! LOL!!!! I'm just doing me and i'm worth the risk. You know you only have One Life to Live as the World turns!!! So keep living your life because you're Bold and Beautiful!! Ok...Ok!..Thats was terrible! Ha! But you get the point right? You can do anything in life you want to do! You just have to be in some cases brave enough to go first!! How do you do that? Just do it! Oh yeah! Stop thinking about it and how it could be and how you don't have time and it's gone hurt and all that mess! Yeah it's gone hurt!!!! That's why don't many people do it! I'll tell you like the commercial sais, "The few, the proud, The Marines!" Not many can go through the training. But the few that do, are an elite group. So please know this mam,sir. You are worth the risk! You already know it's possible. Now you must execute! Take your lumps and keep it moving! As i ran yesterday i couldn't help but encourage some men that were running and had fallen behind. Then as my sons and i were leaving and riding in the car, we saw men who were still going. Some walking and some still running! SMH!!! I thought to myself and i told my kids. These guys probably have more heart than the dudes that finished in 21 minutes man!! Why?? Because they don't care if they're last! They care that they finish!!!! Whewwww!!!! Some people might laugh at them, but you know what? Let's just see if you have the guts and mental toughness to keep going when practically everybody else is done and the police cars are following you so that the flow of traffic can get back to normal!!!!!! Sheeesh! Mmmm Hmmmm! These guys believed that they were worth the risk of being laughed at and talked about. But maaaaaan i celebrate them! Keep pushing fam! The best is yet to come!! Sodas down! Waters up! Peace and Love!

This is new and i don't like it!

Morning crew! It's Friday! Yes! We finally made it! Soo much to be thankful for inspite of what we may have experienced all week. God is good! Today i am a little beside myself because for the first time something is hurting on my body that i have never experienced before. My freeking hip hurts and its not terrible but it's a nagging kind of pain!! Uuuggh! All i did was run like i normally do on Tuesday and at about mile 4 or so i felt like somebody was stabbing me with a Ginsu knife in my hip!!..LOL! Dang!!! Look! I aint got time to be hurtin!!! I have a race on Sunday(Father's Day) and i need to be at my best. This would be the 2nd year that i've run in it. And i would like to beat the time i ran it in last year!! So i've just been taking it easy since then and doing nothing but weights and jump rope. I had no idea how much i'd miss running until i stopped for a couple days. But i think it's best for me right now to just chill and let this thing get all better!! This right here is the epitomy of working through the pain of physical stuff that can weigh on your mental. Yeah yeah yeah!!! I'm trying to take my own advice and get past this mess! Isn't it funny how you can encourage everybody else, but when it comes to you it can be difficult?..lol! Look! Im just sayin. I like to be real. And right now im doing some whining!!! Regardless of this! This too shall pass! I told my body in the gym today. "Ohh you will run! Shut it up!" Hahahaa!!! Like a momma talks to a bad kid! Ima do the dang thing! Yall pray for me and have an awesome day! Fridayyyyyyy! We up in here!....Uggghh! Ouch! Keep on pushin and your results will keep coming! Believe that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sodas down! Waters up! Peace and Love!

Keep the faith.

Morning everyone! Today has been brought to us by God and i am glad to be in it. When i think about how that life throws us all soo many curve balls it's important to remember to keep the faith. Any time you and i set out to do anything that is out of the norm it will come with a challenge. I mean you already have things that just come up out of the blue, but then there are challenges in keeping yourself on track when you dare to venture outside of your comfort zone. Oh yeah!! You know the comfort zone right?? You have your routine everyday. It's where you know right about the exact time you will do this or that. And you do it everyday with a vengence. Then when you attempt and set out to do something different life says," What the heck are you doing?" "You know we don't like change!"..LOL! "Whatcha changing for?" Well! Here it is. Nothing ever gets accomplished by doing the same thing over and over again. When i was in the gym today i thought about how when i first got started i had to fight my own flesh super hard to "keep the faith" when i wanted to quit! OMG! Did i want to quit??!! Yeah! Im like screw this crap! It aint workin. Look! I said, "Just face it you'll just be a big guy the rest of your life and its all good!..Hmmm..But the reality was i hated it!!!!! Maaaaaaaan i hated it like hell!!!! I wanted to be different! I wanted to be healthier! I wanted to look different! See! When you give yourself a pep down talk it's really a cop out for not wanting to do the work. Well atleast it was for me. So!!!!!!! I said enough with the excuses...I told myself, "Just keep the faith". It'll work if you work it! Keep the faith! Today is a good day..it really is. In spite of all the challenges,headaches,setbacks and losses in one form or the other. It's a good day. Keep the faith fam and DO NOT QUIT!! In due time you and i will reap if we faint not! Sodas down!! Waters up! Peace and Love!!!!

Everybody's got a little light under the sun...under the sun..under the sun!

Heyyyyyyyyyyy! Wassup everybody?? Today is good day! I declare it to be so. I am super excited for my oldest son Joseph Young who will be graduating on tomorrow June 8th. I am soo proud of this kid and the young man he is becoming!  I'd like to also give a big shout out to myself for running 4 miles in 37:31 today!!! Woop Woop!!! I am training hard for the Father's Day 4miler and i just want to do better than i did last year when i started running. I think that time was around 47minutes. Not bad, but i'd like to get it down a little more. Anyway, yesterday as i was talking with some friends about how far we've come since we started running. We've had some ups and downs and so forth, but its all good. Today i'd like to share the importance of embracing your own flow. There are going to be people who are faster than you, more athletic than you, and more disciplined than you. I can remember when i ran this 4 miler last year. Im just trudging along when out of nowhere this guy that's in his 60's comes roaring by me!!...LOL! He was rolling and we ended up in a dogfight till the end!
I did beat him but that's not the point..lol! There have been other races though where people have passed me and i never see them again until the end of the freeking race!..haha! Oh yeah! Their on their 2nd banana and im still sucking wind on the race route. I think the races should be called personal races because really thats what they are! Aaaaand!! Everybody has somebody thats a little better than them. All it means is you have a higher bar to reach. I must admit though. When somebody passes you pushing somebody in a wheelchair it sucks!!!! I mean dang!! Am i that slow??? Oh well! Keep working and you'll get there! You want proof that everybody has a nemesis??
Here goes! Usain Bolt got beat!! Yeah Mr. Jamaica! Mr. One finger raised diagonally towards the heaven after every victory got beat! By who?? Who? Some dude named Justin Gatlin i believe from Pensacola,Florida. See! It doesn't matter who you are, we all have to keep grinding and we all have a person who on one random day is a little bit better than us. So listen up!! Everybody's got a little light under the sun! Find your light and bask in it! Move forward not backwards and enjoy your weekend!
Sodas down! Waters up! Peace and Love!!!!!!

Focus on the good.

Good morning gang! Today is yet another opportunity to say hello to another day. With soo much going on in the world that's bad, i thought it would be good to think about the good. Check that! Not just think about it, but focus on it. You see, it's soo very easy to have a pity party in your car or when you are alone and start rehearsing all the things in your life that aren't right! You know what i mean. You don't look the way you want. Why can't i have this? Why can't i have that? I'm trying to lose this mushroom top and i can't seem to get it done fast enough. The list goes on and on and on!! But wait just a cotton pickin minute! You mean to tell me that with all that God has done for you, you have the audacity to not focus on the good instead of the bad??? It's soooo easy to think about the negative, because we are surrounded by it. A dear friend of mine told me this morning of a shooting that occurred minutes after she left the location. Now that is something to be thankful for!! Focusing on the good is a challenge that we all face everyday! Especially when you are working and sometimes living around negative people!! Ohh you know these people right?? Aint nothing ever right! This hurts that hurts! Always complaining and not doing anything about it! Please!!! Get away from me! You're disturbing my vibe! I aint got time for drama! Save that for your momma!! Im tryna enjoy the life that God has given me by focusing on the good! See these legs??? Yeah! They were made for running! And this just what im gonna do! Ima run away from your negativity because God has given me life! And that more abundantly!(Excuse the rap)..lol! But what im saying is this people. Practice today to eat the meat and kick out the bones. Focus on the pieces of your life that are still in tact and learn from the broken ones. Run,skip,zumba,lift weights, walk or whatever you do!!!! Focus on the GOOD!!!! Sodas down! Waters up! Peace and Love!!!

Just RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good morning! Today is National Running Day!! It seems like everday is something special in somebodies eyes. Well today is it for me. I've finally found something that i love to do and i have been blessed with the opportunity to inspire many people. What's crazy is i never set out to be a voice, but never the less i guess this is what God has given me. Can i holla at all the people who have been putting in work? Yall are killin it! I'm encouraged by sooo many people who never say never! These are people who are a whole lot smarter than me,faster than me, but some of the best people to learn from. On this day im grateful for the life i have. Although it's a little hectic right now. I thank God for the air i breath, the sun that shines and the rain that falls on me. Me? Running? Who would've thunk it?? LOL! But it's mine babyyyyyy alllllll mine!! I do this for the love it, for the thrill of it, for the destressing of it, for the fun of it. Losing weight has just been a biproduct of it. So today i celebrate all runners!!!! Those just starting out and those that have been running for years. Keep the faith,have fun and whatever you do! KEEP RUNNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is no better time than the present if you'd really like to start. Baby steps i always say. Don't look around, look at you! Do you! Don't matter how slow you are. It only matters that you start! So what are you waiting for? Get fitted for some decent running shoes,get some dry  fit clothes and hit the road! You got this man! You got this girl!! Oh Yeah!!!  It's on!!!! Sodas down!! Waters up!! Peace and Love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wayyy Up!! and Wayyy Down! Stay balanced..Stay humble.

Hey crew!! What a wonderful weekend! It was crazy busy for me, but nevertheless I enjoyed it and I had an excellent 10 mile run on yesterday! The breeze was cool and the mountains were awesome. Anyway, I thought today how life is filled with soo many ups and downs. It's like you get through one thing and here comes something else. Ever been there? Then you have a great big ol' victory in one area of your life and then an epic fail the next day!! SMH! A good example of this seems to be Tiger Woods. I mean the dude went through some serious issues personally, and it definitely affected his game. To the point where he hadn't won a major event in years. Then finally he starts to get that swagger back and he wins  the Players Championship! Wow! Soo long a wait and he finally did it!!!
But then, don't celebrate too soon. Today we learned he's played THE WORSE 9 holes of his professional career in the Memorial tournament??? Wait a minute. Is this the same guy? We thought he was back, this can't be true! Uhh, but  Oh yeah...it is.  This kind of reality check should serve us well in realizing the importance of not getting the BIG HEAD. You know the BIG HEAD don't you?
Yeah..see that's where you think you're all that and then some, just because you've had some victories in your life. The reality is this. Life has a way of humbling the proud and shutting up the loud and overbearing. Now I don't really know about you? But I can remember how that before Tiger's scandal broke he wasn't nearly as humble. Some reporters and commentators said that the Wood's before the scandal would hardly give an autograph, much less an honest interview. Funny how life can make you be real with yourself and others. I am soo very grateful for the person I am becoming and the gift that running has afforded me. I've had some really good experiences in meeting soo many people who have found their own Why for running. It's amazing to me and I am humbled by it. Truth is though there are days that I get the big head and think, "i'm doing the dang thing!" When actually i'm the same guy that's susceptible to giving up and throwing in the towel everyday. I have my days that I feel on top of the world and others that I feel like a slob!!..lol! The key here is to stay as balanced as much as possible. Spend more time listening than talking, and appreciate and thank God for everything and everyday! No matter how high we get, gravity sais, "what goes up must come down."
Enjoy your victories crew and embrace them, but for the love of life. DO NOT think it's all about you! Cause it aint! Shout out to Bethany Jones Rose for pushing me to start this blog! She ran her first 5K in D.C.!!!  Sodas down! Waters Up! Peace and Love!!