What's Next?

It has been over a month since I completed the 1/2 marathon.  I have not gained any weight but I am having a hard time getting motived to keep my exercise up.  So I am trying to come up with some new goals.  I am going to register for a 1/2 marathon in the fall for a new goal.  I have found that I need goals for focus and motivation.  I have been looking at the 7 Bridges Marathon or the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon, both in the fall.  I will keep you posted, let me know if you have any other suggestions. 

More Pictures

On April 30th, I ran The Music City Half Marathon in 3 hours and 43 min, that is 17 min to spare before the time limit.  Their were many people younger and older that finished before me, but I am pleased with the results.  It was surpriseing how much I enjoyed the whole experience, I finished it with more energy and enjoyment than I thought it would.  My goal is to do it again next year also.  I find that I work better with goals.  Five months ago I was 45 lbs heavier and the only thing I ran to was a buffet.  I am so exicted at how God has used this catalyst to begin a journey of change with my health and life.  Thank you so much for your kind words, support and prayers.

I decided to do the run for two reasons. My 1st reason was to change my own lifestyle.  Just like the clients that come to us for help change is a difficult process of commitment and consistency.  The second reason was to raise awareness about our counseling center’s mission and to increase our counseling centers ability to help others change their lives.

I wanted ask you agian to please consider helping with your prayers and financial support.  Every gift matters regardless of the financial amount.  Whether it is $10 of $10,000 your gift will make a difference in our ability to help others. Many of you have given and thank you so much.  Your support means so much to me.   

Whether you can give or not please make us a focus of your prayers.  Every week over four hundred (400) individuals and families come into our doors looking for answers and help, your prayers are a vital part of creating the path out of their pain.  If you would like to learn more about the center look at www.lighthouselifeskills.com/

Thanks so much for all of your help and encouragement. 

1/2 Marathon Completed

 Here are some pictures from the run Saturday.  I was able to complete the run in 3 hours and 43 min - I am happy with this time, many people were much faster than I but I was so glad to finish and begin a new journey changing my lifestyle.  I lost about 45 lbs during the training.  About 34,000 people were in the race.  I was  in the last group to leave the start line.  I felt good all through the run and enjoyed the experience.  I hope to do more in the future.

Heading to Nashville

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement and prayers.  I am heading to Nashville for the Music City Marathon and 1/2 Marathon.  I will keep you posted with the race results.

Hat

Debbie thought I could run better this Saturday with a new hat.  I told her that I would be running to fast for it to stay on.  Someone else suggested that they would give more it I ran with it on....What do you think?

Update

 Did you notice the pizza box next to me in the 1st picture, that was the 4th of July.  One Pizza a week was my norm.  I think I have had 3 slices over the last 2 months - hey maybe thats how I have lost 43 lbs thus far. The second picture was this last Friday before my last long run.  I have been following a plan that I got from Runners World.  I have not ran to more than a buffet in 30 years so I know I needed to find a plan that I could follow.  The plan has had me running 25 - 30 miles a week with a long run on Saturday.  These long runs have given me the confidence that I can complete 13 miles in less than 4 hours.  I am surprised at how much better I feel, simple things like tying my shoes are now so much easier with the greater flexibility and energy that I have.    

Thanks so much for your gifts and prayers.  They both mean so much to me and the Center.  You are helping us to encourage and guide families and individuals to greater health and happiness.  If you would like to give but can't remember to put the check in the mail, I am assuming that many of you are like me - I have good intentions but can't remember and I am to busy.  You can call us at 423-499-9335 and one of the secretaries can take your credit card info.  Or you can mail it to the address below.  

Again thank you so much for your help and encouragement

our address is:

The Transformation and Lighthouse Counseling Center

7209 Hamilton Acres Circle

Chattanooga, TN 37421

Weight Loss

I have lost a little over 40 lbs thus far.  I am trying to not focus on the weight loss.  My focus has been a lifestyle change.  The problem with food is that it has so much emotional influence.  Food and the sensation of being full have been a source of comfort.  The process of change has not only been can I exercise and control my diet but, more can I manage stress, exhaustion, boredom and a host of other emotions without food. The first two months I could white knuckle the change and focus on the goal of the run.  As time has gone by the emphasis has been more on managing the day to day emotions and decisions.  The process of change always brings layers of emotions and choices that require an attitude of learning and growth. 
Only a little over a week and I will go to Nashville for the run.  I feel confident that I can do it.  Thanks for your prayers and encouragement. 

Gifts

Thanks so much for all of you that have given thus far.  It is so humbling and exciting to see gifts coming in to help us impact the lives of so many. 
I am having a hard time with the long runs.  I ran 12 miles again yesterday.  My feet just can't understand why I would ask them to carry a fat man this far.  After each long run they spasm for a couple hours and...oh yeah the blisters.  Any suggestion would be wonderful.  Last week I finished the run and did not do well because of dehydration.  So this week I drank over 40 oz.  before and during the run and still was very dehydrated after.  The dehydration was so bad I had cold shivers for a couple hours.  I know this is more detail than you want but change is hard and fraught with many perils.

Choices

Have you noticed that when you try to change there are new challenges that pop up along the way.   This time for me it is blisters and chocolate chip cookie cake.  Saturday was the longest run to date – 12 miles.  I haven’t run that far in over 30 years.  I have been limping because of big blisters on both feet.  Change is always met with resistance. Saturday it was persevering through the pain of a long run the other was a wonderful cookie cake we made for Amanda’s 21^st birthday.  It was a good cookie cake, but I am sure if I don’t control that choice the weight gained for the cookie will cause more blisters.  Both required me to make choices that I struggled with limited success.  I am thankful that each day I can try again.  

Perseverance

I am embarrassed to say how surprised I am at how hard this is.  I have changed so many destructive patterns in my life, but each day that I choose to get out and run I am reminded about how hard it is to change a pattern in my life.  I laughed as I wrote “run”, I am not sure that anyone else would define what I am doing as “running”.  The other day a toddler passed me on the track looking up seeming to say, “Why is this large man breathing so hard”.  35 years ago I ran for about a year with my Dad several times a week. I am regretting all those thoughts I had about why he couldn’t keep up.  Change is hard but I am seeing results daily.  The goal is to not give up and trust the process of change…it will happen.  Thanks for your prayers and support.   

This is the image I want to change.  We want change but resit it at the same time.  My longest run to date has been 7 miles.  Hope to run over 10 miles this weekend.  Thanks for your encouragement and help to change my life and the lives of so many people at the Transformation and Lighthouse Counseling Center.

Transformation Run

On April 30th, I will be running The Music City Half Marathon to raise awareness about our counseling center’s mission. Now before you react to quickly - yes I have been training.  I started running in January, and “running” is a loose term, it is still more like walk a lot and run a little.  I have been working hard with diet and training.  I read online the other day that a 400lb man ran a marathon, so I think I can run a half marathon.  The effort and focus of preparing to run a half marathon has reminded me of the work that many of our clients do each day as they walk out change in their lives.  We have clients doing the hard work of changing addiction patterns.  Men and women who have committed domestic violence that are now creating meaningful relationships.   Children and adults that come in with fear and anxiety that are now experiencing joy and freedom.

I started thinking about this run over Christmas, and the image that kept coming to my mind was family meals.  I grew up in a time where eating out was a special treat we only did once a year or less.  Family meals are a special memory for me.  It was a time we came together and enjoyed each others company.  One of my greatest joys is imagining family meals for our clients that used to be painful, stressful, and chaotic that are now places of hope and connection because of the work that is done at the Transformation and Lighthouse Counseling Center.  

I have two goals with this event.  I want to change my lifestyle and weight.  I want to do more than train for an event I want to change a pattern in my life and become more healthy.  The second item is that I want to increase our counseling centers ability to help others to change their lives. I am writing each of you asking if you would please consider helping with a financial gift. Each year our counseling center donates over $50,000 worth of services to the hurting in our community.  Our ability to serve hurting people is because of help from generous donors like you.  Would you please consider giving to help us meet the needs of more people in our community.  Please consider helping with your prayers and financial support.  Every gift matters regardless of the financial amount.  Whether it is $10 of $10,000 your gift will make a difference in our ability to help others.  

Whether you can give or not please make us a focus of your prayers.  Every week over four hundred individuals and families come into our doors looking for answers and help, your prayers are a vital part of creating the path out of their pain.      

You can follow the progress of my run and the fundraiser at this blog - www.markcarpenter.org . If you would like to give please send the tax deductible donation to:

Transformation and Lighthouse Counseling Center

7209 Hamilton Acres Circle, Chattanooga, TN 37421.