Marshall Ramsey

Goal Weight: 195 lbs.

Weight: 209 lbs.

“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and I don’t care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard ya hit. It’s about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!”

Rocky to his son Robert in the movie Rocky Balboa

Last night, my sons and I watched the last Rocky movie, Rocky Balboa.  It’s one of my favorites of the six-movie series because it deals with Rocky’s struggle with loss, getting older and his fractured relationship with his son.  But like in all the Rocky movies, he overcomes his challenges through will and hard work.  That’s a great lesson for my sons to learn. (And for me to hear right now.)

I felt fatigued this morning.  We did eight stations and I was just flat worn out. I didn’t want to just go through the motions (a sin in my book) but I was so sluggish. I could’ve easily stayed home and taken a skip day. But I got up and went in. I did the workout and pushed hard.  I kept my head high and finished strong.

Life has hit my family pretty hard over the past year and a half.  My wife and I both agree that we’re worn out. It’s like we’ve been on a non-stop treadmill for over a year now. But as I listened to Rocky telling his son to keep moving forward, I decided that it was my duty to do the same — For my wife. For my sons. For my dreams. Because as Rocky said, “That’s how winning is done.”

Goal Weight: 195 lbs.

Today’s Weight: 207 lbs.

I met two of my old nemeses this morning and kicked their butts. The first I saw immediately when we came in to do our warm-up jog. Yup, the little white towels were folded and lying there in all their glory, waiting to torture us all.  My group got to them halfway through the workout. So by the time it was time for me to push it the length of the court a couple of times, it was dirty and damp.  Imagine pushing an iron plow.  Add to it, apparently someone decided to polish the gym floor with molasses. It was that sticky. But I did it. I pushed it down and then I pushed it back — only stopping one time to refold it after I hit a particularly stubborn spot.  Our group ended up pushing it back to half court and back and started to push it yet again and our session ended.  The one activity I had initially failed at miserably 10 weeks ago, I conquered.

The other nemesis is one that I’ve beaten regularly.  Two stations later (we did bear crawls and inch-worms in between), we got on the treadmill.  Paul told us to set it at least at 6.0 mph.  I set it at 7.0 mph and ran nearly six minutes instead of the usual five.  There was no falling off the treadmill. No holding on. No slowing down.  The difference 10 weeks makes.

My favorite activity today was thrusting a weighted ball down the football field like a shot-put and then chasing after it.  I think I enjoyed it because there was a slight cool breeze (and of course, the ever-delicious bus exhaust).

Injury report: I have a shin splint on my right leg.  Last time I had one of those was 6th grade. Probably a sign my shoes are starting to wear. And that I am punishing my legs.  I’ll ice it tonight. All I can say is, God bless Ibuprofen.

Paul asked my how my energy is holding up.  Honestly, I have a schedule that should be killing me (it had in the past — thus me gaining 43 pounds). Working 60+ hours a week is a marathon.  But I’ll answer his question and let you see the answer, too. If I had not done this. If I did not eat right and get up and push myself, I would NOT have the energy to try to achieve what I’m achieving.  I’m in a career and life transformation.  Working out is a huge part of what I am trying to accomplish.

Banjo the dog report: I am pleased to say that the vet got Banjo’s blood sugar under control (from 600 down to 190 by late afternoon) . There was some problem with his kidneys and he will be retested to make sure there is no permanent damage.  He (and my wife and I) slept soundly through the night. The difference a day makes.

Goal Weight: 195 lbs.

Today’s Weight: 208 lbs.

Our dog Banjo’s diabetes flared out of control last night. His blood sugar spiked, meaning he constantly wanted to drink, pee and vomit. And when I wasn’t dealing with him (we tag teamed), I was awake thinking about my brother-in-law Adam (who is suffering from ALS) and my sister Stephanie.  All and all, my wife and I only slept three hours — and most of it in thirty-minute intervals.  When I did sleep, I had nightmares about my job.  Around 3:30 a.m., she said, “you should skip your run and sleep another hour.”

I told her no.

I had to run this morning. Heck, I already knew I was going to be exhausted. There is no way around it — I have 12 hours of work ahead of me on no sleep.  But I knew that if I didn’t get out there and get the run in, I wouldn’t be able to handle whatever today throws at me.  I had to have the endorphins. My time out pounding pavement in the neighborhood is my Prozac. My Xanax. My Celexa. My Valium. I had to get my 4.5 miles in.  I had to conquer the hills. I had to release my fear, my anger and my frustration. My lungs had to burn. My legs had to ache.

Banjo is going to the vet. I pray they can get his blood sugar under control. He is my best bud and losing him right now would hurt beyond words. I pray work is OK –it’s in God’s hands now.  And I hope I get some sleep eventually. My schedule over the next month involves a lot of travel.  But no matter what, I will keep exercising.  It’s to me what spinach is to Popeye. It gives me strength during impossible situations.

And that’s why I run.