Clearing Hurdles
Posted: March 4, 2011 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »About the time I was writing my last post, I reached my first fundraising goal of $750.
It was a great feeling to know that people want to support my efforts and are willing to donate money to such an important cause. Goal accomplished, time to take a break, right? Not quite.
Because cancer never stops, cancer research never stops. And because I’m committed to help raise funds for cancer research, I can’t stop. While I’ve cleared my first hurdle, I still have many more I need to get over.
By raising $750 before March 17, I was able to secure my spot in the San Diego Rock ‘n’ Roll Half-Marathon. But I still need to raise a total of $3,930 to reach my personal fundraising goal. The money I raise will directly support cancer research and help find a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, and myeloma.
Please continue your support and donate today! If you’ve already donated, I thank you and ask that you pass along my information to all your friends and family.
Thanks again. Gotta run!
Eric Bakkum
Unexpected Benefits
Posted: November 12, 2010 Filed under: Blog post | Tags: eating, goals, health, running Leave a comment »It took me a while to realize it, but running has made me more responsible. I’m more likely to follow through with a goal (those on my poster notwithstanding), and I’ve been more motivated to see things through. I can better visualize an endpoint and follow through to its realization.
Best of all, I’m probably in the best shape of my life. At 37! I’m not exaggerating, either. Since January 2008, I’ve lost approximately 15 pounds, my diet has improved dramatically, and I don’t drink as much. I’ve even had to buy new clothes that fit better.
Weight Loss
While I was never obese or even that heavy, I could stand to lose a few pounds. I was a little soft. And I wasn’t very firm. And I wasn’t very lean. Inactivity, deep-fried bar food and hangovers will do that to a person.
Diet
While not I’m not on a “diet,” I’m very conscious of the foods I eat and what I’m putting into my body. I try to eat organic foods whenever I can and I avoid industrial meat altogether. Yes, I still eat a bar burger once a month, but I order grass-fed beef or bison, if possible. At the grocery store, I only buy antibiotic-free chicken, organic beef, or bison.
Drinking
I won’t go into details, but let’s just say that I used to spend more time working on my neon tan than I did at the gym. That’s not to say I’ve become the next Carrie Nation, but things have changed dramatically for me since I met my wife and became a father. There are no more Suicidal Sundays at the Bakkum home. While I still enjoy a good pale ale, I also look forward to a cold beer as reward after setting a new pace or logging more miles than I expected.
Now, all of these factors/components didn’t start at the same time, nor did I start these changes with the same goal in mind. But they do complement each other and factor into running. I weigh less, so I’m able to run farther, faster. The food I eat is healthier and therefore fuels my body more efficiently. And I’m not on hungover on the couch watching Lifetime—I’m out running.
This is what works for me. What works for you?
Running Late
Posted: November 5, 2010 Filed under: Blog post | Tags: biking, goals, running Leave a comment »I’m long overdue for an update and I apologize. Looking back at my goals for the year, I clearly failed on setting up and maintaining a blog. But, part of having goals is learning from our failures.
I also didn’t follow through on the Push-ups or Sit-ups challenges, learn how to sail, outline a book, establish any freelance contacts or climb any mountains. Lesson learned: don’t set as many goals for 2011. Well, at least not so many public goals.
Once a Week
One thing I did accomplish was taking pictures of Lincoln every week. I still haven’t posted them online yet, but I did follow through with taking a picture of him every week with a “Weeks Old” sign in the background. In the next week or so, I hope to have a website set up with the pictures so you can see how Lincoln has grown over the past year.
Biking to Work
This is a goal that didn’t have specific parameters, but I feel like I achieved what I set out to do, and then some. I started this back in April and I’ve continued to keep at it. It’s not always easy and it’s not always convenient, but I feel good about it for a number of reasons. Over the next few weeks I’m going to post more about my biking experiences and what I’ve observed from the road.
Running
I did also become a runner, of sorts. I didn’t accomplish exactly what I set out to do (running 5 miles at a time, five times a week), but I’ve come really close. On average, I run four times a week, four miles a time. I’ve been keeping track of my progress online and now I’m going to share that with everyone. Feel free to check out my running log, with days, times and routes of every time I’ve gone running since April. (Also at right.)
I’ve been singularly devoted to updating this calendar, and it’s helped me with my focus on running (specifically) and maintaining goals (generally). I plan to keep updating both my blog and the running calendar.
Let me know what you think. I’d appreciate any feedback.
Is organic better?
Posted: March 24, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: health, nutrition, organic food Leave a comment »While this article in the Chicago Tribune offers a decent comparison between conventional and organic foods, it fails to mention the impact factory farming has on the environment and neighboring communities.
Carrots
Posted: March 24, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »Carrots, originally uploaded by ericbakkum.
Lincoln ate his first solid food the other day, carrots. I’m not sure why they make him shudder.
Historic, important, and about time!
Posted: March 23, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »
’nuff said.
Natural? Organic? Are you sure?
Posted: March 23, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »I’m not familiar with Dr. Braunstein, but so far I like his agenda. Here’s some clarification for the next time you’re grocery shopping.
Local boy makes. . . bad?
Posted: March 23, 2010 Filed under: Uncategorized Leave a comment »Thanks to the Capital Times for pointing out some, um, flaws in Paul Ryan’s arguments against the recently passed health care reform legislation.
Absolute best of Craigslist
Posted: February 19, 2010 Filed under: Quick post | Tags: funny Leave a comment »This has to be one of the best ads ever posted to Craigslist. Let’s just hope the guy found someone to rent to.
Start a blog?
Posted: February 13, 2010 Filed under: Blog post Leave a comment »As I mentioned in last week’s post, I want to explain the reasoning behind some of my goals for 2010.
You may be wondering why I would put Start A Blog on my list of goals. I’m still wondering why it took me so long to make it a goal.
What do I think I’ll accomplish with a blog? Well, I assure you, my aspirations are purely selfish. My ultimate goal for my blog is self-improvement. I hope my blog makes me a better writer. How?
Currently I’m reading Bill Bryson’s Made In America: A Brief History of American English. In it, there’s a passage discussing the language of the Amish, known officially as Pennsylvanian German. The Amish actually have a word, fedderschei, which “describes the condition of being reluctant to write letters.”
Oh, it’s a condition all right. And I have a chronic case of it. You would think someone who writes for a living would find it easy to dash off an email to a friend or write a letter to a relative. But it’s not. Not for me at least.
I’ve been a professional writer for seven years. (Which is to say that I’ve collected a paycheck for the last seven years by occasionally writing; usually I’m simply editing and re-purposing someone else’s words.) Believe me, catalog copy, technical writing and letters from CEOs have done little to foster my creativity.
It’s also made me ultra-critical of anything I attempt to write for myself. I have a hard enough time writing Thank You cards; you wouldn’t believe how many times I start and stop before finally giving up on something creative.
So, how is a blog going to help remedy this?
For starters, I’m committed to posting at least once a week. That’s a deadline that will keep me writing. (Obviously I’ve already fallen short of my goal, but I hope to improve on this, among other things.)
Another reason I’m writing a blog is to have someone to write to. Having made it a goal to write regularly to an audience, I’m more likely to remain committed to that goal. Being accountable to others is a great motivator.
I’m hoping that writing to an audience every week will help me creatively, organizationally and maybe even altruistically. Who knows? Maybe I’ll pass along a helpful tip, or offer some piece of advice someone finds useful.
If nothing else I hope it cures me of my feddershei.
