PUNCH LIFE IN THE FACE

I GOT BAD NEWS AND GOOD NEWS. THE BAD NEWS IS THAT THERE IS NO KEY TO HAPPINESS, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT IT ISN’T LOCKED.


I must warn you before you read this article, that the words spoken here come from a person who is far away from being perfect, far away from being full of love, and far away from being a great Christian. This person is full of mistakes, this has been a hypocrite before, but also this person is very thankful for the ability of recognizing his flaws and trying to change them. This person when insulted, or when someone has wrongdoing on him, has also the ability of smiling and forgiving. 
That person is me. 

I come from the country of Costa Rica, voted as the happiest country in the world, where over 71 % of the population is Christian Roman Catholic …including myself. My home is now the United States of America which I also love, because this is where my kids and wife were born, and it opened its doors to me at the age of 18 when I left my country to attend college in South Dakota. Seems like just a day ago when I went to apply for my student visa. ” If I don’t give you the visa, I will be doing you a favor kid….South Dakota is cold” the lady at the USA embassy said. 
I am a firm believer that we are a direct influence of our geography, and family when it comes to a religion, and why not say this, also politics among other things.  Think about it for a second. Do we choose who our parents are ? Do we choose what country we are born ? I am pretty sure that if I was born in India, I would very likely be a Hindu, if I was born in China I would be a Buddhist, and what if I was born in a tribe in the Amazon jungle ? Who knows who I would worship. 
Do I agree with everything with my religion? Absolutely not. I will be the first one to tell you that I would love to see females be included more within the catholic religion, and I would love to see the pope wear rope sandals, and drink out of a wooden chalice. I must also agree that the new pope brings hope to these thoughts in my opinion.  

I have learned through out my life that religion is there to guide us, but more importantly is how we are as a person.
The spiritual part  ( behavior of the person ) is like water, and religions are like Tea as the Dalai Lama says. You can’t have tea without the water. After all the general foundation of all religions is the word LOVE, and they are there to help us become a better person while increasing our faith, or are they there to cause violence, suffering, and wars ?, or are they there to prove to other religions who is right and who is wrong ? September 11, is  just an of example of how religion sometimes gets hijacked for evil purposes.  Makes no sense to me, but once again I don’t want to judge anyone as it would defeat the purpose of this article. 
To me there is no sense on reading the bible and quoting it on social media, if you are cruel to others, or even animals. 
Our actions, our behavior, and our heart are the most important reflection of truly how religious and faithful we are.

My father raised us  with the profound effect of respecting other religions, even those that don’t practice a religion. We had exchange students with buddhist, jewish, catholic, southern baptist backgrounds among others while growing up.
Tolerance of other religions is key in my life.  It makes me happier, and it doesn’t alienate me from learning something from religions that I don’t belong. 

There are a lot of things we can learn from every religion that can make us a better person he said. He also said, that my actions are the most important thing. In my life, I have seen both, and I have been both myself:  1) A person whose actions follow the intent of my religion, and 2) A person whose actions reflect the opposite. As I said, I have been both, the #1 and the #2.

Every religion without a doubt has good and bad people. That being said, I had the opportunity to read a simple magical book a few weeks back. This book is written by a  Buddhist monk by the name of Thich Nhat Hanh, and without a doubt it has become one of my favorite books ever. The book is called: Peace is every Step. Not one moment did it cross my mind not reading a book based on the fact that it was written by a person with a different religion as mine. I said it once before, and will say it again: ” If you don’t want to learn much in life, only talk to those that you agree with “. 
One of my teachers said: “Simple is pretty”.  The way the book is written is so simple, but it points out many of my daily struggles, and aims at the person ultimately feeling happy and full of love, for just the simple reason of…being alive.  So, if I am happier, and more full of love I can definitely practice my religion better. Reading this book has enhanced my Christian faith, but also made me even more tolerant to others that I don’t agree with. The primary lesson it has taught me, is to understand, tolerate and smile even at those who aim to hurt you. It has corrected me in many erroneous ways in which I practice my daily life. It has taught me that releasing your steam as some call it, is actually rehearsing your anger. 

“When we are angry , we are not usually inclined to return to ourselves. We want to think about the person who is making us angry, to think about his hateful aspects- his rudeness, dishonesty, cruelty, maliciousness, and so on. The more we think about him, listen to him, or look at him, the more our anger flares. His dishonesty and hatefulness may be real, imaginary of exaggerated, but, in fact , the root of the problem is the anger itself, and we have to come back and look first of all inside ourselves.  It is best if we do not listen to or look at the person whom we consider to be the cause of our anger. Like a fireman, we have to pour water on the blaze first and not waste time looking for the one who set the house on fire. So we avoid thinking about the other person, and we refrain from doing or saying anything as long as our anger persists. If we put all our mind into observing our anger, we will avoid doing any damage that we may regret later. The primary roots of our anger are in ourselves. Our environment and other people are only secondary. When someone speaks unkindly to us, if we understand the reason and do not take his or her words to heart, we will not feel irritated at all, and no knot will be tied.  Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments. 

- Thich Nhat Hanh from the book Peace is every step 


Don’t be scared of the unknown; don’t be scared of learning and reading from others who belong to a different train of thought. If you believe that reading a book by a Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim or other will shake your religious foundation, then maybe your foundation is shaky. 
As I said before, I am a Christian but absolutely love the knowledge I can acquire from reading the thoughts of those who see things differently. 
I am a firm believer that humans can change, and in this modern world when the road to the future in my opinion is the road of the past (less video games, less tv, less obsession with sports, playing outside with the kids, eating less processed foods, etc), I can sure extract all the positives I can take from other trains of thought.  The next extract is from another author whose books I have learned to love.  Once again we belong to a different religion, nationality, language , traditions, etc. The Dalai Lama from the book  BEYOND RELIGION

” For example, as a Buddhist , I should strive not to develop excessive attachment toward Buddhism. For to do so would hinder my ability to see the value of other faith traditions. Furthermore, when there is an element of attachment , our affection and concern for others are often dependent on the way those others relate to us. We feel concern for those who care for us and treat us well. But when our affection is dependent on the fulfillment of our own goals and expectations, which we project onto others, it will always be very fragile. So long as the others meet our expectations, everything is fine, but as soon as they do not, our feelings of affection can easily turn to resentment and even hatred”. 
- Dalai Lama 

I think that where there’s tolerance, there’s happiness, where there’s happiness, there’s love, and where there’s love, there’s peace. So before you reject the option of learning from others that you don’t agree with, specially if you are a Christian like myself, ask yourself the following question: What Would Jesus do ? 

I have always said it and will say it again. Childhood determines a lot of your actions as an adult. Childhood determines a lot on how you treat people, how happy you are, how thankful you are, how much you smile, how much you don’t smile, how little things bother you or not, how motivated or unmotivated you are, how successful you are.  It is the root system of the tree called life. We are a reflection of our parents.

I am one that reaches deep into my childhood memories to deal with certain daily challenges. Many times I would ask myself: “ What would my mom or dad do in this situation?

Are you really happy or angry, positive or negative, generous and helpful or envious, and jealous as an adult? …Look back at your childhood years and see what happened, you may be able to find the answer.

We all have been there at one point in life. When faced with negativity even from people that you admire, love, HELP and many other things. We all have been there when we are faced with criticism. We all have been there when we have been backstabbed. So what do we do?  It is only human to want to try to retaliate, it’s only human to try to revenge based on the laws of the TORAH: “Eye for an Eye”…. you spit at me, and then I’ll spit back at you.

My always interesting, hyper, crazy but willing to do anything for her friends mother, loved poetry. As a kid I used to accompany my parents to grown up parties (many times they did not want to take us, but my sister and I would hide in the car), before the party was over people would ask my mom to recite one of her many poems. As a kid it was kind of interesting to see my mom add a specific tone of voice to a specific verse of the poem she was reciting. She would load it up with emotions…sometimes too emotional where you could see tears coming down her eyes. It was amazing, and is still to this day to hear her recite them. Sometimes they were so long, that I wondered how she memorized all of it, or if she was making it up as she went along.

While in elementary school, my mom always encouraged the arts on my sister and I (my brother was not born yet). She signed us up for whatever school contest there was. She was very competitive, and sometimes that got us in trouble. Like Halloween 1982 when she wrapped me up with gauze to mimic a mummy…great idea until I realized she forgot to put any undies on me, and the kids at school started pulling on the gauze.

One year (1981 I believe) she signed me up for a poetry contest at my school St Anthony.  

She selected a short and powerful poem for me to recite. This poem was written by a Cuban poet, essayist, journalist, revolutionary philosopher, translator, professor, publisher, and political theorist named José Julián Martí Pérez (January 28, 1853 – May 19, 1895) Marti was a Cuban national hero and an important figure in Latin American literature.

I have always admired how a small island like Cuba is able to produce amazing athletes, amazing Doctors, and amazing intellectual people like Tres Patines the comedian, and Capablanca the chess player. The Cuban people are very smart, intellectual and athletic. My wife is Cuban and my kids who were born in the U.S.A. are half Cuban and half Costa Rican.

Anyway…. coming back to the poem. My mom selected a poem by Marti, which guided me to take first place on the contest. The poem is called CULTIVO UNA ROSA BLANCA (I have a white Rose to tend). 

I still know it by heart, but of course is very short but yet so wise. More important than knowing the poem, I still try to obey by it. Am I successful every time? Absolutely not. The reason besides the beautiful content of why I won the contest? On the third verse I used an angry tone, creating the idea of revenge, and on the fourth verse I put a smile and used a friendly tone of voice…. I still remember my teacher telling me that. To make a long story short. Here is the poem:

 I HAVE WHITE ROSE TO TEND by José Julián Martí

I have a white rose to tend

In July as in January;

I give it to the true friend

Who offers his frank hand to me.

And for the cruel one whose blows

Break the heart by which I live,

Neither thistle nor thorn do I give:

For him, too, I have a white rose.

CULTIVO UNA ROSA BLANCA… (Verso XXXIX)

Cultivo una rosa blanca,

En julio como en enero,

Para el amigo sincero

Que me da su mano franca.

Y para el cruel que me arranca

El corazón con que vivo,

Cardo ni oruga cultivo:

Cultivo la rosa blanca.

Editor notes

In the language of flowers the white rose symbolizes - eternal love; innocence; heaven; secrecy and silence.

So, as life rolls you challenges from friends, family, people who are jealous, people who want the best for you, people that want to see you fail, people that want to see you succeed, people that cheer you, people that boo you…. treat them all the same…hand them a white rose, and move on. And to my mother…..I get it…the first prize on the poetry contest was not your goal….it was teaching me a life lesson on how to treat people.

The title of my next post is “Dimelo Dios quiero saber, dime por qué ?Which translates to: ” Tell me GOD why ? because I want to know.

It is a song by Jose Luis Perales. Happens to be my favorite song ever, and in big part is because my father used to play it on Saturday mornings when I was a kid. Many episodes in life shake our faith, shake our religious foundations, and we look up to God and say why ? So many questions go unanswered, and this next story is no exception. I have to divide this story into two or three sections that I will post on different days this week, as I am not able to type for more than 10 minutes without getting very sentimental and sad.

The picture below is of my cousin Alejandro. Many of us have the luxury of having a cousin of similar age that we grow up next to. Alejandro shared the passion of soccer like me among many other similarities. We liked the same music, he liked to be a goal keeper, and I liked to be a forward. It was perfect, we would go in his back yard, he will put the keeper gloves and I will take shots at him with a mostly deflated soccer ball. Although we were not brothers, his mother and my father are brother and sister. Alejandro grew up about 3 miles from my house, and the school bus used to drop me off at his house for many years. We enjoyed playing soccer every day, but unfortunatly life can punch harder. We both had a great time growing up, we both shared many laughs, like watching our grandpa play guitar, and we both shared many sad moments, like watching our grandpa die fairly young from liver cancer.

Prior to me telling the story of Alejandro, I want you all to look at the video link before and watch it. The following video is of one of my heroes…canadian born Terry Fox.  I first became aware of Terry Fox thanks to my third grade teacher at St Anthony School. One day clas finished early. She played a video of Terry Fox to kill time before we went on lunch break. Not too long after the video started the bell rang and all the kids ran outside. I stayed in and watched the end of the video. I am glad I did. Terry Fox has been a big influence on my life, and later on Alejandro went throught the same path as Terry. He battled the same cancer as Terry…and eventually lost the battle…

Here is the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjgTlCTluPA

To be continued…

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” Mahatma Gandhi 

Sometimes we are capable of doing things that we either don’t know we can, or that we are too scared to try. I am no exception. Sometimes we need a push, and when we get to that FINISH line we will realize that it took some effort, but it was possible and worth it. YES YOU CAN DO IT.

What we do to overcome these fears and try something is up to us. DIfferent people have different ways of doing this.

I started my bike rides in July 2011. For the first month, a ride of 40 miles seemed way too long. Most of the rides were approx 25-35 miles, and I kept getting dropped by people of all ages, gender and cycling experience.

Different situations motivate us to do different things. The night of July 23 my wife and I got in a little argument, and I was dissapointed at her. These are normal things couples go through. As much as we love each other, our relationship is not perfect. I love fish, she hates it. She likes Grey’s Anatomy, I love the movie Jackass. She likes walking holding hands, I like going downhill on my bike at 40 mph +. I like to wake up at 4 am everyday, she likes to sleep in. She likes to dance latino music, I can’t stand it, my fridge has more hip movement than me. Heck…she even puts Ketchup on chinese frice rice. We are so different but that’s why we get along so well. Get along so well ,but not perfect.

The following morning I woke up and I told myself: “Let’s make the best out of the argument we had last night”, so I grabbed my bike and joined a group of experienced riders who were tackling 63 miles. As crazy as it sounds, I found my motivation to be my upset state of mind at her. Having only been riding for just a few weeks I took on the challenge. All I needed was a little push, and that did it.

Now that I look back at it, that ride changed my life forever, and to a point as crazy as it sounds, I am thankful my wife made me mad the previous night ( I type this with a smile on my face). I finished the ride, but it wasn’t easy. All I needed was a push and I got this push in the oddest of ways, but it happened and I am thankful for it.

Part of the group on THE BIG DAMN RIDE July 24, 2011. Don’t let a picture fool you. Every person in that picture kicked my butt on that bike ride…yes…even the little short girl in front of me.

The picture above is from that day.

On my lunch breaks I have developed the addiction of going to either the TREK store or to visit my friend Tim over at EPIC BIKES. Sometimes I just need a place to hang out and forget about a stressful morning. I tend to grab some coffee for the guys and head over to Epic or Trek quite often. We are very lucky here in Henry County to have 2 bike shops with excellent people.One of those lunch breaks, I decided to head over to the TREK STORE in McDonough, GA. While I was there I saw a flyer for a bike ride called WILSON 100. I noticed it had options of 13,31,65 and 101.  I told myself the 31 option was cool so I grabbed one of the green forms and headed back to work to sign up. 31 miles on my first official I GET A T SHIRT ride.

As I logged into my computer I checked my facebook, and saw a post of one of my friends regarding a 2 year old local little boy named Ketren fighting for his life with Leukemia. Just a few days earlier I had heard about this little guy via mail. I had received an invitation on the mail regarding a 5K race being planned for him. This little boy’s story struck a nerve on me. Seeing his picture without hair and a smile punched me square in the heart. I have three sons, and nothing touches home more than a kid that age fighting for his life.

As all of us parents know that we rather have something happen to ourselves, than to our kids. Childhood is supposed to be a part of life where there should be no worries, and no pains, nevertheless the risk of loosing your life. Childhood is supposed to be the part of your life where the best memories are made. Childhood is supposed to be the part of your life that based on happy memories will give a stong root system to the tree of life. Little Ketren is a true warrior and I will soon write about him. It tenders my heart to read posts on facebook from his parents regarding the many emergency trips they make to the hospital with him, the Chemotherapy sessions, the amount of fevers this little guy runs, the needles that pierce his skin so often. A total warrior, a total example, and a total motivator for a 38 year old like myself.

As a little kid I remember seeing a cousin of my father cry and cry as he narrated how his 5 year old son got hit by a car and killed. The little kid who was my age at the time, got out of the car and ran after his father who had crossed the street to pick up dinner for his family. A car came flying out of nowhere and hit the child. The little boy died on his mom’s arms on the way to the Hospital. To this day both parents have not recovered from that. Emotionally scared for life. Totally reminds me of the movie RABBIT HOLE.

After reading the story about Ketren, a bright idea came up. I went home that night and messaged the mother of little Ketren (the 2 year old with Leukemia).  She replied very quick and I told her I would donate $1 for every mile I biked on any of the official rides. That prompted me to sign up for the 101 miles of the WIlson, and follow that with the Savannah Century the following week. So basically a little 2 year old fighting for his life made me go from a 31 mile bike ride to a 200 total mile bike ride on back to back Sunday’s. I posted the idea on facebook and one of my friends (Ryan Roark) matched the $1 per mile that I would do. Another friend also joined in and promised some money if I indeed finished the century.

The following are the messages that I exchanged with Ketren’s mother regarding the motivation her son has influenced on many of us. Also a post on facebook promoting the 5K race for the little guy. Those messages date from August 2011.

• 

  August 26, 2011

  Peto Fallas

  • Got a note on the mail regarding a little guy named Ketren Waites. He is 2 years old. Battling Leukemia since April of 2011. Since his diagnosis he carries a port a cath inserted into his cheast. He will receive treatment for the next 3 years.
    
    As a father of 3 boys, this is very touching. Having a son or a daughter is a gift of God, that carries infinite value. Most parents know that. Most of us will give our own life for our kids. Most of us would say: Why him and not me ?.
    
    THis coming Sunday I have signed up for the WIlson 100. In a couple of weeks I will do a two day 150 mile cycling trip as well. I have decided to donate a dollar for each mile I ride on those days to the treatment of this little guy.
    
    Those that will like to also help let me know, and we may go together to present the money to his family All those of us who are blessed with good health, might as well use it to help this little man.
    
    The BEHIND THE GATES 5K is also dedicated to this little guy. If you run that 5K, you can help him as well.

• 

  August 26, 2011

  Tracy L Waites

  • Peto, as the mother of Ketren, I am touched by your message….I am not sure how you heard our story but it’s a blessing that you did. These last few months have been very difficult for our family emotionally as well as financially, I have pretty much had to quit my job to take care of our son, not to mention we have 3 daughters as well as my husband is a cop which is a field we all know doesn’t make a lot of money. I can’t thank you enough for what you are willing to do for our son, I am truly humbled. Please let me know if there is anything I can help you complete your journey, we will definitely be your biggest fans. You can read up to date information on Ketren on his Caring Bridge page which I have listed the link below, you may also email me at tracywaites@gmail.com or find me here on facebook. Thank you again very much and I look forward to talking to you again soon.www.caringbridge.org/visit/ketrenwaites

• 

  August 26, 2011

  Peto Fallas

  • I will do what I can to help you guys take good care of this little guy. I can’t imagine the mental and physical obstacles. I have a few ideas on the works. Will let you know of them soon. Thanks for the reply.

• 

  August 29, 2011

  Peto Fallas

  • Tracy. What day after Labor Day can we present your son with the money ?

• 

  August 29, 2011

  Tracy L Waites

  • We will be admitted in to Scottish Rite on Tue, the 6th for his 24-hr chemo treatment and will be there for 3-4 days, would you like to come visit us there? And thank you again SO much, you are a very special person to think of our family and do so much to support us

  • I can message you what room # we will be in when we get there

Little Ketren on one of his many trips to the Hospital.

That was the beggining of A DOLLAR A MILE. What better way to motivate me to keep doing what I am doing doing and at the same time not only improving myself but also helping others. Technically I am helping others while they are helping me. Believe it or not, they are helping me more than I am helping them. Motivation doesn’t have a price. They give me a one way street of motivation. A one way street because once I promise a sick child, or a person in need some money per challenge accomplished, I better deliver.

For 2012 I will apply the same principle. My goal is to do 5000 miles on my bike, with at least 1500-2000 of those miles coming from century rides. On each century I intend to collect $100 and hopefully find someone to match that amount. So basically a one way street of motivation. Either I move forward or I move forward.

This coming Thursday two of my LA VUELTA PUERTO RICO  and myself, will be paying Ketren a visit.

http://punchlifeintheface.tumblr.com/post/16826864648/learn-to-love-the-hardest-things-and-everything-else

One of my intended recipients on my two hardest centuries this year ( Gran Fondo New York, and Blood Sweat Gears) will be my Crossfit coach who I will be writing about in PLF very soon. Shauna Hicks is a big reason of why myself and many others joined crossfit.

This is a picture of Shauna I took with my iphone on an early July morning last year.

While at crossfit Shauna was a top notch motivator, and is responsible to so many people changing their lives around. On a very tragic way Shauna suffered an almost fatal stroke, and was given little chance to survive. I will write more about Shauna soon. On the mean time please check out the following link and help us raise more money for her and her son. A big thanks to everyone at Crossfitpulse.com fro coming together for her.

http://www.crossfitpulse.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/IAmCrossFit3Challenge.pdf

Not enough motivation ?  get out there and find out a very needy family and promise to help them. Whether it is a 5K, a 10 k, a bike ride, a traithlon, doesn’t matter. Don’t have the money out of your pocket to do it ? You will be surprised how many people out there are willing to help. Sign up for something, promise someone some help, and you will have a one way street …no other place to go, except forward. While you are helping others with money, those others are helping you with motivation…a win win situation. 

P U N C H     L I F E    I N    T H E    F A C E.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z29W1IYNus&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0z29W1IYNus&feature=related

CROSSFIT PULSE TEAM

TOUGH MUDER GA 02/11/12

It’s the morning of the Tough Mudder here in Georgia. The single event that will beat you like nothing else for 3,4,5 or how many hours it takes you to complete. Talk about physical and mental toughness needed.

I did the one in Tampa just 2 months prior. It was brutal, the physical punishment between freezing and being shocked by 10 000 Volts still sticks to my mind, so why am I here ? Because “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn ‘t do than by the ones you did do”.  

I wake up at 5 am here in Augusta, GA. My dad who came from Costa Rica to visit is here with me, so my motivation is at the top.

As a father he is always concerned that I will get hurt on these crazy events. When doing the 425 miles in Puerto Rico I got a daily text from him with a question saying: “How many miles tomorrow ? Followed by a reply of: “That’s too many…please stop”.  That being the case I told him we were going to Augusta for a medical meeting. He quickly realized with a smile at 5 am on Saturday morning that I had lied to him. He saw me put on my compression pants, my tennis shoes, and blast my iphone to the soundtrack of WARRIOR…..It’s on dad I told him”.

After he smiled, he took off his gold chain, gave me a hug and told me he loved me. “Keep my gold chain, it’s yours, I am very proud of you” he said. Holding my tears I gave him a hug and my adrenaline went up the roof. My worries about the freezing temperatures dissapeared, and I wanted to go complete this race NOW. 

Growing up in Costa Rica, my dad was always busy. He is one of the most prestigious lawyers down there due to his drive and incredible speech skills. He is feared by other lawyers the moment he gets up to speak…specially in the closing statements. Just like a movie.  The moment he leaves the court room he is the most giving, ethical, and full of integrity person. Those of you that have met him know what I am talking about.  

At the same time, his job prevented him from attending my sporting events when I was growing up, and also my body building victory in 1996 at the University of South Dakota. I only get to see him twice a year since age 17, but I make the best out of it. His absence has also made me stronger. I won’t have him forever, and seeing him age and slow down over time is not easy…but it’s life. Life will win the battle but you won’t go down easy. Life will beat you, if you don’t punch back.

Having him there that morning for the Tough Mudder was a huge moment for me. Having him smile and give me his chain as a pre race present fueled my motivation like nothing else has done. I felt protected, invincible with him there. Those days when you were a 5 year old kid, and you saw your dad as invincible, you saw your dad as your hero were all of a sudden present.

The Tough Mudder is everything they say it is. It is not a race, it’s a challenge. We had a big group from crossfit with great athletes of a wide variety of ages. Two guys that I crossfit at 5 am were doing it. My friend Devin who at the age of 45 is an amazing athlete just like his wife and son. Seeing Devin there was quite inspiring. Younger people than Devin wouldn’t dare trying the Tough Mudder.

As I said, it’s not a race but my natural instinct is to bolt loose. Being around cycling teaches you to try to push yourself up front and hang in there. Cycling is a sport where everybody hammers everybody, and I love it. As I said before, it’s the toughest sport in the world mentally and physically. The first mile or so, the group was packed together, after that it broke into smaller pieces. Up front was a group of three guys and a girl from crossfit. I did not know them, but I tagged along with them. At first, as the experienced Tough Mudder I tried to give them advice on the obstacles, but that quickly went away when my knee started to give me serious pain problems at mile 4. Back in November when I did the Savannah 1/2 Marathon, my IT band started to act up. Same injury that challenged me at the Tough Mudder last December in Tampa. I was in the lead group and wanted to stay there, but at mile 4 with 8 miles of crosscountry running with obstacles to go, it seemed impossible.

Limping most of the time I was able to hang with the four other crossfit guys and finished the Tough Mudderwith them. All of the credit goes to those guys that paced me, and did not allow much of a break at any of the water stations. I did not want to complain about my pain since they had a pretty good pace going on. With my injury and all they pushed me, and I am appreciative of it.

When the race was over, I rushed quickly to find my dad. He was not at the finish line as his language barrier made him not want to get out too far from the car. Took me about 20 minutes to find the car as my brain was frozen like the rest of my body. As soon as I got in the car, I put the gold chain he gave me a few hours prior, and we headed home.

Upon arrival at home and fully exhausted, I was happy to say NO MORE TOUGH MUDDERS. My sons greeted me after the baysitter dropped them off. The two older ones ran upstairs and asked me how my race turned out. I showed them the headband, and each one of them put one on. They wore them around the house for a while. As the baby joined them while watching TV I noticed he wanted to strip my middle son off his headband. That’s when my oldest son said: “Dad, Liam wants one, you have to do one more race”.

So….so much for the retirement from Tough Mudder. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn ‘t do than by the ones you did do”. I got on my computer, created a team called PUNCH LIFE IN THE FACE, and signed up for the Tough Mudder in Tampa, FL. 

As an update on my liver:  The results from the MRI with contrast showed that there is a tumor (believed to be benign), there is also a cyst with the concern of growth (will be monitored with a CAT scan in May). The Doctor believes my liver enzymes are elevated from possibly Fatty Liver. We will be doing a CAT scan in May complemented with blood work. If the liver enzymes are still high or higher, then a liver biopsy will follow. I do not like asking people for prayers, so I won’t do that. Please save those for those who need them more than me. I consider myself very lucky, and will keep punching life in the face. 

It’s Saturday January 28, 2012. The clock says it’s 11:30 pm. I can’t sleep. I am too nervous. My roommate for the trip Kevin is sound asleep here in the Hotel in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, and I am inside the bathroom writing down some of the memories of this trip. I should be resting my legs for the last 130 miles tomorrow, but I can’t sleep. If I tell you I am not scared, I would be lying. I am very scared of tomorrow. I have seen plenty of accidents in the last 3 days, people dehydrated, bleeding, broken arms, quitting, and I am scared. My bike has already suffered a flat tire, a cut on the tire, my pedals wouldn’t unclip, one of my teammates is severely dehydrated, another one has a bad neck, and many more obstacles. One more day of this physical and mental stress, but I honestly have had enough. Prior to the trip I didn’t think it would be this hard, but it’s too late to turn around.

After 295 miles done so far, my body is starting to shut down. Not so much for the distance but for the effort from riding in the 18 mph + group.

At mile 100 on the last day.

I am here in the bathroom of the Hotel room deciding whether to drop to the slower pace group tomorrow, and finish in a much less strenuous and risky way.  Do I drop groups, or do I hammer it one more day with a group that I truly may not belong to?  My bike is falling apart, and truly speaking I am NOT a true cyclist. I practice the sport since July 2011, which really still puts me at a rookie category. I sit here and can’t sleep and think and think. What if I fall off my bike tomorrow? What if I get dropped by the speed of the group and have to ride on my own?  What if those hills for a big chunk of tomorrow’s mileage are too much for this Want to be? But hold on, as I am sitting here trying to decide I remember a message from my friend Donna earlier on: “ Your son scored the only goal for our team today”. I also look at my new ROAD ID and read FOR NOAH, MAX, AND LIAM…. PUNCH LIFE IN THE FACE.

I scroll down my facebook and go to my friend’s profile whose 2-year-old son has been battling cancer. I have promised them to donate some money upon the completion of my cycling event to help cover some of the medical expenses, so this has to be done. Almost the whole month of November they were at the Hospital with their son. I think of my friend Ken Swanson, battling liver cancer, I think of my coach at crossfit Shawna who battled death after a massive stroke last September and has not been able to return to our gym since then, I think of all those people that have inspired me to write about them on my PUNCH LIFE IN THE FACE, I think of the fear that our soldiers must have on the battlefields of war. Do I need more motivation? My decision is made, whether my body can take it or not, I will find strength somehow and get it done.

I wake up, get dressed and go eat breakfast by myself. Next to me sits a man with a broken arm. Is one of the guys I saw fall off his bike on the first day. He was next to my team captain Carlos and me when the accident happened 2 days prior. Lucky enough we were not brought down by the fallen cyclists in front of us. After breakfast I go upstairs, and decide to record a video with my phone. On that video I am telling my wife and two of my friends that I love like brothers of my decision to finish up strong. I send the video to them so I can be hold accountable and there is no coming back, and also in case something happens they know I was thinking about them.

That’s all I need, I will not drop groups, and I will give it all. My body says no, but my mind says yes. Mind over matter. Learn to love the hardest things, and everything else in life will be easy. Now go out there and PUNCH LIFE IN THE FACE.

At the finish line in San Juan, PR. All done thanks to my teammates who believed in me, and motivated me before, during and after the event. 

My alarm goes off at 4 am. I get up. Make my PROGENEX shake downstairs while I wait for my Beagle and Welsh Terrier to eat. I log on facebook. While sipping my protein shake, I checked Amanda’s profile and I see a common very repetitive status update on her profile:   “AT GOLD’S GYM RUNNING AND WORKING OUT”.I rub my eyes and tell myself to go get it done at crossfit.  If Amanda is out there improving herself with more obstacles than me, then I have no excuses.  Motivation is everywhere. Let’s do this..

Amanda at 322 lbs. February 2011

Take a good look at that picture, because a week later Amanda started her journey. A journey away from her old self. A journey of never coming back. She left for good a week after that picture and never returned….never returned to her old self. All it took Amanda was a little scare from life, and before LIFE started to pin her against the ropes , she PUNCHED LIFE IN THE FACE.

This is Amanda on Nov 2011. Proudly showing her well deserved 1/2 Marathon medal. Look at the previous picture, and compare it with this one. Just 9 months appart, and over 100 lbs later. All done with effort and dedication. A lot of hard work hours, a lot of early morning work outs. A lot of sacrifice, but her effort has been rewarded, more and more every day. Not once has she said that exercising is not her thing, she knows better. She’s doing this for life.

As I talked to Amanda on the phone I can read her excitement on her tone of voice, I can read how free she feels. I can read how much she wants to share her story with others. Share her story with others that just like her have battled weight issues all their life, and tell them all you need to do is just start and get going, yes it can be done and do it NOW because tomorrow may be too late, because sometimes LIFE doesn’t give you a second chance.

“I struggled since age 11. I tried diets, weight watchers, counting calories, counting points, but it never worked because it has to be a lifestyle change. You can’t count points and calories the rest of your life. This time is different. I changed my lifestyle”.

Amanda mentions clearly how one of the first steps was to remove the neagtive influences on her life, which reminds me of a previous post that I wrote: 

http://punchlifeintheface.tumblr.com/post/15565595139/keep-moving-forward-and-dont-look-to-the-sides

“At the beggining I was so scared of failing, so I didn’t tell people of my goals. If I failed, I didn’t want anyone to know. It is so hard because when you are starting you worry about the perception that others have on you. I wanted a very positive environment, so I removed people from my life that didn’t believe in me. Today I actually like the challenges from others, but there is a big difference between people that challenge me, and people that are just negative”. Amanda said.

When I asked her what has been a key component of her success, Amanda was quick to tell me that signing up for events and letting her closest friends know was extremely important. She mentions how once you have signed up for a 5 K race, or later on bigger and more challenging events forced her to train.

As I talk to her on the phone and ask her which moment in particular brings her the most emotional memories ? She is quick to tell me :  ” When I lost 100 lbs, the kids at the school I teach surprised me with a very emotional celebration. They were wearing crows and had signs celebrating with me my 100 lbs lost”. I can tell Amanda figting those tears as she tells me taht on the phone, and with a very good reason. The road has not been easy, but she has done it.

The following story is by contributor Jason Morrison who is good friends with Amanda. I have met Amanda a couple of times, and her presence at most 5K, 10K, and 1/2 marathons is quite impressive. It is also very motivating to turn my cell phone on and notice her status on facebook on how she is at the gym working out bright and early.

by Jason Morrison:  ( http://ourtimetochange.tumblr.com/ )  regarding Amanda:

Throughout my journey, I have heard countless times “Well, it is easier for guys to lose weight than women.” While I don’t argue that point too much, I also think it is important to point out that if you give it 110%, regardless of gender, you will certainly overcome and achieve.  Even if it seems like the mountain in front of you is too big to climb, it really isn’t.  Such as the example of Amanda, who made the decision last year to punch life in the face.  And man, what a major punch it was.

Faced with health issues, Amanda decided she had enough and that she absolutely had to make a change to save her life.  She knew several things had to change in order to make all of this happen.  First, she needed to change what she was eating.  Second, she knew that she also had to exercise.  Lastly, and arguably most important, she needed accountability.  Lining all three of those up, the planets seemed to have aligned for Amanda, as she has seen some amazing results and finished her 2011 doing things she never thought would have been possible before. 

It is often times easy to look at a before and after photo, pat someone on the back, congratulate them on doing so well, but at the same often overlooking the obvious: “the middle”.  The middle is the toughest and where the road gets rocky.  That is where the change happens.  That is where you have to decide that no matter how hard life punches, you will keep punching back.  Here is how Amanda did that in her own words.

Last December, I got a bad case of bronchitis and went to the doctor. They checked my blood pressure and it was sky high….which led to chest x-rays and an EKG—which scared me half-to-death. The EKG showed everything was fine, but they wanted me to monitor my blood pressure for 2 weeks and come back the beginning of January. So, every day at school—the nurse checked my blood pressure. It was elevated once and normal the rest of the time. So—I cancelled the January appointment. Originally, the scare made me want to get out and exercise and work on my eating habits, but when my blood pressure was normal- I put it off. Putting it off is the WORSE thing you can do. So, fast forward to February 20th—I got on the scale and weighed a whopping 322.6 pounds! I had a long chat with myself (yes—I talk to myself) and decided that I was going to do something. I downloaded the My Fitness Pal app on my phone, put in my information and it told me how many calories I could have in one day—to lose 2-3 pounds a week. February 21st I jumped in with both feet—literally. I used that day off from school (President’s Day) to get myself together. I decided I would walk every day for an hour. I would simply HAVE to make the time. I texted Blake Fox, told him my decision and asked him to hold me accountable. Best decision I ever made. If you do not tell anyone, you are much more likely to give up. :)

It has not been easy, but I have the most supportive friends and family that a person can possibly have. I continued the calorie-counting and walking through the month of March. In April, the Fox family and I started Biggest Loser 30 Day Jump Start. It is an eating plan/workout schedule, complete with recipes. This is absolutely a great way to start healthy eating, if you need something structured to start you off. It tells you exactly what to eat for the 30 days. During the first week of the eating plan, I lost 11.8 pounds! On April 3, I started the Couch to 5k plan—and signed up for my first 5k on June 4. If you do the Couch to 5k plan, I strongly recommend signing up for a 5k at the beginning so you have a goal. So many people begin the plan and never finish it. After finishing the 30 day plan, it was tough. I felt like I was learning to ride a bike with no training wheels. So, basically, I picked out my favorite meals from the plan and continued to eat the way it taught us. It is still how I eat today, most of the time. I follow the guidelines and add in some of my own recipes.

Amanda with two of her biggest fans and motivators: Blake and Sabrina Fox.

On June 4, 2011, I ran my first 5k. Sabrina Fox ran it with me, at my pace. I told her to not let me walk—at all. I finished in 43:52. It was a very emotional (inwardly) experience for me. For someone who has been overweight her whole life, never been athletic, never ran before April—it was an unbelievable experience. Immediately after, I wondered what my next goal should be. I’ve always been very goal-oriented…just never for self-improvement. (Always career-related, but never physical goals for myself.) A month later, I ran in the Peachtree Road Race. At the Peachtree Expo, I signed up for my first half-marathon-Rock and Roll Half-Marathon in Savannah (November 5, 2011). I thought I had lost my mind. I had second, third and fourth thoughts about it.

From July-November, I completed Hal Higdon’s training plan for half-marathon (novice version). I LOVED having an exact plan of what to do every day, checking it off the list one day at a time. During this time, I bought my first house and was able to begin running in a new “hood.” I reached the point where I was addicted to running. If it rained on my running days, I ran in the rain—until I heard thunder or saw lightning. I completed the Savannah half-marathon in 2:38:56. My original goal was 2:45—although I really had no idea how I’d do. It was hands-down one of the best experiences of my life. Currently, I am training again—the Red Nose Half-Marathon in Columbus, GA is on Jan. 7th. My hope is to survive the cold….and then begin training for the Atlanta Publix Half on March 18th—and CONQUER THE HILLS!!

I have lost 109.6 pounds, and my journey is nowhere near over. 2011 has been, without a doubt, the best year of my life SO FAR. I cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store for me! So, take it from someone who never believed in herself (as far as health goes), you can absolutely accomplish anything you set your mind to! Share with your friends and family. Ask your support system to hold you accountable. Care about yourself enough to make a change. You will never regret it! If you have someone in your life that could stand to make some changes, just be there for them. It’s all about timing. I did things like Weight Watchers and would lose and gain back the weight. I was not ready for the work it has taken me until February 21, 2011. Just be supportive and ready for the day they come to you, ready to make the necessary changes to become healthy.

The best part about her story is that it is not over.  In 2011 she decided she had enough and was going to punch life in the face.  Be ready 2012, because she is punching even harder this year.