Getting Back in the Game

I took it easy the last week and a half or so, but it was a good thing. I think my body needed time to recoup. My legs felt like goo all day, every day, and my knees hurt constantly; I just needed a break. I still worked out, but not as much, and I didn't run. My body was thanking me, and I lost 4 pounds.

I'm back on track now, though. Did a short run this morning to get back in the swing of things and I'm going to do Level 2 of 30-Day Shred today.

Reading: I'm about halfway through Miracle at Belleau Wood. It's interesting to see the lead-up to the battle. It was really quite the cluster before the Marines got there. As intriguing as history is, I can't figure out why I hated it so much in high school.

Miracle at Belleau Wood: First Impressions

I'm not very far into it, but there is one thing that stands out. It's very good, but Marines is rarely capitalized. It's a book about Marines, and they don't capitalize. If there's one thing I've learned in my short pursuit of the title, it's that Marines is always capitalized!!

It's still a really great book, though. The back story of WWI is so interesting, it makes me wonder why I haven't learned more about it before now.

Sore but Good

I played paintball Sunday with my company and the company next door. We ended up tied for the second time in a row. I had a blast, but my legs are a bit sore still. I got peppered up my right side, so there are some nice bruises on that leg. We had less people than last time, but it was more fun. We had to use better strategy with only 4 of us on a team.

I look forward to my run tomorrow morning. I haven't been since last Wednesday, so it'll be good. I'm down to 176, too.

I also have my next trip home planned for the end of May, which makes me happy. I haven't seen my family since early December. My sister will be in Michigan, so I won't see her, but I'll get to see Mom, Grama, and Uncle Joe. I miss them a lot.

Reading: I just started Miracle at Belleau Wood today. So far, it's well written and descriptive. I hope to have it finished by Sunday night. I'll let you know who wins!

Grace is Gone

I just watched this movie. It's an independent film, starring John Cusack. He's ex-military and his wife is in the Army. She's killed in Iraq and he has to figure out how to tell his daughters. He takes them on a trip and you get to see what he goes through trying to find a way to break the news. It was a bit slow to begin with, but the end really got to me.

0481

I was reading some of the threads on Leatherneck.com and a current Poolee mentioned he was looking at a couple MOSes. One of them was in Logistics. I've avoided this MOS because, well, Logistics sounds boring. But after looking at the MOS a Marine suggested (0481), it actually seems pretty interesting.

• The landing support specialist performs various duties that support the establishment, maintenance and control of transportation throughput systems on beaches, landing zones, ports (air and sea), and terminals (rail, truck, and container) used in support of MAGTF operations and deployments.

It's definitely been thrown in my list of possibilities.

My 3-mile run is still sitting right around 39, 40 minutes. I'm going to try a different interval program. I can do 50 sit-ups in two minutes, and that will improve. This week, I'm going to find a place to time my flexed-arm hang, as well.

Current weight: 178

Grouper Burgers

So, I had a craving for something different, preferably a burger. I was wandering around Publix and found Grouper Burgers. They were pretty good. I ate them on Arnold Sandwich Thins with mustard.

I did another three miles today. It took me 40 minutes again, even though I felt like I was pushing harder. I'm doing intervals tomorrow and Saturday, so hopefully those will help.

I'm also on book two of the Sookie Stackhouse novels. The first one only took me a couple days and I wasn't reading nonstop. I like that Alan Ball took some creative license with the HBO series. While the book is enjoyable, those changes made it more TV-friendly.

Taking Chance

I finally watched it and it broke my heart. What an amazing movie. I had tears in my eyes within the first few minutes and they lasted til the end. There are a couple things that really touched me.

First, it's a side of the military you don't really see. Death is a common occurrence in war, but each Marine (and I assume it's the same in every branch) is treated like they was the most important.

Second, there are still good people out there. The reactions by those Lt. Colonel Strobl encountered were refreshing. It raised my faith in humanity a bit.

Also, Kevin Bacon did a great job. I haven't liked a lot of his recent stuff, but he redeemed himself.

On a personal note, I did another three miles today. I added a minute to my time, but I think that was because I waited until it was ungodly hot to go. I'm going to try to go earlier in the morning on the weekend.

Quick Update

I ran another 3 miles today and managed to shave 3 minutes off my time. Another 3 and I'm at max PFT time. Next I need to work on my flexed arm hang and situps. I've slacked off on push-ups and crunches, so I'm picking back up with those this weekend.

Once I finish Shooter, I'm going to start the Sookie Stackhouse series. True Blood was quite enjoyable and I think a break from war novels will do me good.

3 Miles Done!

I ran three miles straight. It took 42 minutes, but today was about distance, not time. Thanks for the motivation to push through go to Cpl Chumley from Leatherneck.com. I earned three miles for getting a history question correct. Initially I was going to break it up, but decided to try for it all. Now that I know I can do the full distance, I need to work on getting my time down.