Today is the first day of the rest of my life

It's cliche...I get it.

Hi, my name is Allan. (Hi Allan) And I'm AWESOME!

Today, I started getting serious. Well, last night, but today too. I signed up at LA Fitness. I kind of have gotten out of shape. Ok, not really kind of...I have.
It's been going on for a while. I'm 31. I graduated high school 12 and a half years ago. That's when
it started. Five years later, and I was here:

(Hi Ruth!) This was 2001.

Since then I've always had a little extra to carry around. The physical activity dropped off. I started working as a chef and was always around food. So, I gained weight.

I've done some cool shit in my life. I went to St Maarten for a month, I've been to Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, hell, I lived in Belize for a year and a half (not counting the 15 trips before then). I've crossed borders illegally (long story), but, I have a sister, and she did something that not many people could even imagine. She is an IronMan.

That's right, she did the whole thing. 2.4 miles swimming, 112 miles biking, and then a full marathon - 26.2 miles. Holy shit, who can do something like that?? My sister, thank you very much. So, last season, when a dive trip got canceled, she convinced me to do a sprint tri with her. I loved it. It hurt like hell, but I did it. This is pain on my face near the finish. But, I was hooked. Did another one in October and bettered my time on it.

I'm ready for the next challenge. Last semester, we had a guest speaker in one of my classes who was also an IronMan. He said that the best way to reach a goal is to make it public, to tell everyone you meet. It keeps it in your head and holds you accountable.

I'm taking it to the next level. Mo and I have signed up for the St. Anthony's Triathlon in St. Petersburg, FL April 26, 2009. In less than 4 months, I will be swimming .93 miles, biking 24.85 miles, and running 6.2 miles. This is well, a big deal. It's a huge goal for me. And I'm making it public. I'm telling everyone. This is going to kick my ass, and I'm excited to have it kicked.

On this blog, I will post daily (or try) my food consumption for the day, my training completed, and my weight. I'm not going on a diet. I'm going to eat better. I will still eat Chick Fil A occasionally, and sometimes, ice cream. I'm not going to give up good food. I'm a chef, I won't, I can't, and I don't want to. But I'm going to eat better. If I find a great recipe that happens to be good for you, I'll post it. If I slip up, I'll post it. I'm not hiding anything. I am being accountable for everything.

I will achive my goal, I will lose weight, I will have fun doing it, and you will be part of my success. If I don't post, call me out on it.