May 10th, 2012: Sometimes I wondered which would be harder, weekends or weekdays? It turns out, each has its set of challenges. I used to get through the long days at my job by telling myself that after work a fully-stocked pantry and fridge with my favorite sugary foods or fatty foods or beer awaited me. After I started this journey, I no longer had that option of thought (and haven’t had the alcohol option for a few years now).
I used to keep pretty busy on the weekends to mentally offset the amount of food I was stuffing in my face, and in years past, the amount of beers. I figured if I was being constructive (playing lots of offense) I didn’t need to be concerned with what I was eating and drinking (no thought to defense).
The challenges of early January haven’t vanished, but I’ll admit, the actual acute feelings of deprivation have been sanded down considerably. There are some days, though . . . damn, it can be hard to beat back the temptations of the old ways. So so hard some days.
I get through the weekday thought and behavior challenges now by valuing the simple pleasures, and yes, those do include things to consume, though now it’s mass amounts of coffee, and Crystal Light fruit-punch after a cardio workout. I get through the weekend thought-challenges by keeping my eyes on this first prize of a 100 lb. loss and completion of the half-marathon.
Conclusion – it’s always going to be a challenge. I’ll win some and I’ll lose some, but if I put the days in percentages, I just want to win 85% of the time, maybe, and I think I’ll be batting, well, .850, and that would get me a quick ticket to Cooperstown if I kept that shit up for a few seasons.
Oh, and today’s weight is 266 lbs. Still as heavy as quite a few all-pro NFL linemen, but the chains are moving.
May 10th, 2020: As a little kid, and then in the early part of my “resurrected career”, you could describe my style in the ring as entertaining. It may have been entertaining to watch, but shit, the level of aggression and energy I put into a bout would wipe me out for the day. And sometimes I’d have multiple bouts in the same day. I either won or lost spectacularly. This was the style of only one of my boxing idols, Mike Tyson, but I did not possess the speed, power, stamina, and skill of that guy anywhere other than in my mind.
I found a style in my late 30’s/early 40’s that was much more manageable. It’s more stand-up English than the fast-moving, ferocious, and crouched American style, and much of it is based on defense and counter-punching. It worked well for me up until I decided I oughta be done competing, though.
The mc^2 logo is based on Einstein’s mass and energy equivalence. Besides the Holy Grail of moderation that I seek, having sustained energy all day and blast-like bursts when I need them is my whole goal of training. I wanna be able to harness the chemical reactions in my body and pretend they’re nuclear energy – to be used for sustained release or explosively.
Metaphorically speaking, I strive to able to kick ass for 12 rounds in all physical endeavors I find myself. I want to be able to say I could or can at least hang with any average dude in the ring or hiking in the mountains or running a race, no matter his age or mine. Hence the logo.
I am glad you understand the meaning.
