9 Days...

Man oh man...time seemed like it was standing still for so long...but now it is just flying by! It feels odd to me that I am now at the end of my journey...a journey that has lasted roughly seven months.  I have learned a great deal during this time, some of which will, and already has made me a better coach.  I now have a greater understanding of what it takes to dedicate one's self to accomplishing a goal.  As a coach, it is easy for me to lose sight of what is really involved...the sacrifices, the pain, the sweat, and sometimes the tears.  This little journey of mine has certainly increased my awareness of what my athletes go through to get to where they aspire to be.  I am now much more empathetic...as I have experienced many of those same things...especially pain.

I began this journey with transparency, and as I wind down and approach race day, it is time once again to let each of you into my world, through the crystal clear, transparency that lies in pictures.  I did not post pictures of myself at the beginning of this journey for any reason other than accountability.  You see, by posting those pictures, I was laying it all out there for the world to see.  By now, each of you should know me well enough to understand that there was no way I was going to come up short of my goals (or at least not give it my all)...and fail in front of each of you.  So...the question remains, did I achieve my goal(s)?

The down and dirty, quick answer is NO...not completely!  I came up short on my body-fat percentage.  My goal was 10%...but I was only able to achieve (and sustain) 11.6%.  Can I live with this?  Yes...but I will still try to achieve that goal when I get back from my race.  I still believe it is possible, I just need more time.  Below I have listed my final numbers, as well as my numbers from way back when this whole thing started.  The final numbers appear in blue, while my beginning stats appear in red.

Total Body Weight:   186 lbs           194 lbs

Bodyfat Percentage: 11.6%            18.8%

       Fat Weight:          21.57 lbs        36.47 lbs 

     Lean Weight:         164.43 lbs      157.26 lbs

Total Fat Weight Loss:  14.9 lbs

Total Lean Mass Gain: 7.17 lbs

Circumference Measurements (in inches)

Chest:         41 3/4     44

Shoulders: 48           51

    Neck:     12 1/2     12 3/4

Waist:        33 1/4    35

Thigh:       22 1/2    21

Calf:         14           14

Bicep:      14 1/2     14

As you read through the numbers above, you may think that my math is off.  Looking at the total Body weight values, it appears that I lost a total of 8 pounds.  Yet when you look at the Total Fat Weight Loss, it shows that I lost almost 15 pounds.  How is that possible?  The answer lies in the total amount of lean mass I gained over my little journey...7.17 pounds.  This lean mass gain must be figured into the calculations to understand how these numbers could be derived.  When figured correctly, it shows that I lost nearly 15-pounds since the start of my training program, even though my body weight only went down by 8 pounds.  

Now for the real transparency...pictures!

THEN...January 30, 2011

YESTERDAY...August 23, 2011