And this little 1/2 marathoner went wee ... in the porta-potty

Hello Woggers! I hope everyone is done well and enjoying their autumn.

As the crispness returns to the air (for those in the northern climes yes, we are just now getting crisp air down here on the Gulf Coast) our thoughts turn to college football, pumpkins, the turning of the leaves, and whether or not we should spend money on a personal porta-potty on race day.

What?

That's right. You heard me correctly. Of all the decisions I have had to make in preparing myself for the 1/2 marathon, this may be my most important yet.

One of the things that the San Antonio Rock & Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon offers is a First-Class porta-potty experience. Last year I thought this was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard of. They wanted to charge $100 for you to use a port-potty? Are you kidding me?

That was my attitude, right up until I had the use the the same row of pedestrian outhouses the other 30,000 people were using. then it became like one of those MasterCard commercials: It would have been priceless.

This year, instead of just buying a pass you have to buy like $150 in merchandise. Here is how the race promoters describe it:

Brooks VIP Porta Potty for a Super-Deluxe Start

Brooks' VIP Porta Potty is our way of thanking you for choosing Brooks and Moving Comfort gear, and rewarding you for all your hard work training for your Rock 'n' Roll Marathon or 1/2 Marathon.
To get your race off to the best possible start, we’ll have comfortable, climate-controlled restroom trailers set up at the starting line. Running water, flushing toilets, and some Run Happy® surprises await.
To gain your VIP access, you'll need to head to a participating retailer and purchase either Brooks or Moving Comfort merchandise; or make sure you get to the Health & Fitness Expo before the race and purchase official Rock 'n' Roll Marathon merchandise, Brooks apparel or running shoes, or Moving Comfort apparel.
Either way, you’ll receive a sticker for your race bib. The sticker is your race-day pass to Brooks' VIP Porta Potty, to be expertly staffed by Brooks employees and volunteers from participating local retailers.
Please note: Brooks' VIP Porta Potty will only be available for use before the race. To maximize your enjoyment, total admittance is capped. We strongly recommend arriving early because—trust us, it's worth it!

Yes that's right, you get an attendant and everything. The only reason I am hesitant is because it is only at the start line. To be honest that's not where I needed the nice portable. It was at mile 10. Because it was there I had to take a restroom break (remember as a Wogger I'm at the back of the pack here) and when I got in there all I could think was "Wow, somebody is having a really difficult race today."

And on that thought I wish you all a good night!

One Month More

So the wife and I just came back from a nice Sunday Wog. The weather down here in Houston, boys and girls, is wonderful. It's been what I imagine San Diego is like. The difference is we only get weather like this a few weeks a year, hence the affordable housing here in H-town.

We are one month away from the Rock & Roll San Antonio Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. My wife is a little concerned. As you may have figured out by now, we have not prepared as well as we would have hoped. But as we were Wogging today we realized that we both feel a little better. Perhaps we're not as consistent as we would like, we are however exercising more than we were. I would say most importantly, we have been doing this together and are spending more time together. This may be the best gift we have gotten from me convincing my beautiful bride into doing this with me.

Hopefully this is something we can continue doing and make part of our life together. When we go Wogging together we can plan, talk,hold hands, and be away from life for a little bit. The health benefits are lagniappe as our Louisiana friends might say. Others might call it gravy. I like it when my life is full of gravy.

Sleeping with the Enemy

In terms of health, I did night two of the sleep study. I slept with "the machine" on. For those not in the know, "the machine" would be a C-PAP. Basically you wear a mask while you sleep and it forces pressurized air into your breathing passages and it cures sleep apnea. Once I get used to the mask I should sleep better. This is what the mask is like:

As you can imagine this is not the most comfortable thing I have ever done. Indeed, it reminds me of being in a science fiction movie.

But I actually slept ok. So I can only hope that this is part of then whole "living a better Life" journey I have been on.

Success Story

So I saw an old friend last night and he looked great. I asked him what he had been doing and he said he had been walking and cut his portion sizes in half. This has lead to him losing 37 pounds in 3 months. How encouraging is that.

So if you have been feeling like you can't do it, here's someone who did, and they did it with no bells and whistles. 12 lbs. a month is really a big deal.

Ok Woggers, we will see you on Thursday. I hope I just keep on feeling better and progressing. I'm trying not to focus on what I have not accomplished but on what I have. And most importantly, I've accomplished it with my wife. Yay me!