So, how did I get here!?! (pt1)

Well, I am now 8 days out from the start of my journey…how did I get here!?! Looking back on it, in some ways I can’t really tell you. While my guess is that many people think of me as being somewhat impulsive that is, for the most part, simply not the case. It is true that when I move it is typically decisively, often times without a lot of warning beyond “let’s go”. I have always been one to study and observe, which often times appears that I am doing little, but the calculator is/was always running: the next project, the next problem, the next hurdle to clear. When I was a one man band with my organization I, on average, was simultaneously managing 60 projects. After negotiating just under 300 deals over my career I have been on for so long I have honestly forgotten what off feels like.

So, enough introspection for the moment, how did I get here!?! My very good friend, Rich Wemstrom, walked the Camino de Santiago, France, almost exactly one year ago and in the process chronicled his trek on Facebook. The trek, while challenging, looked simply fascinating. When Rich made mention that he was thinking about walking the Camino Portuguese this year, I immediately, inadvertently,  and embarrassingly, invited myself along on his journey. Of course that was not my intent, but for some reason the concept of doing this trek resonated with me. A few weeks later after realizing what I had done I reached out and apologized. For a while we were going to try and go together but a Camino ended up not being in the cards for Rich this year. Hopefully next year my friend.

Now those of you who know me know that my typical idea of a trek is a long walk across a parking lot. Don’t hike, don’t camp, exercise, (though to look at me you couldn’t tell it) it was Labor Day and I had just gotten the “fat guy” letter from my doc…you know the one that says “You are ok now big guy, but if you want to stay that way you better consider a low carb low fat diet”. Well as the concept of walking the Camino had just rooted in my mind, I knew that if I had an ice cube’s chance of doing it I was going to have to get in some semblance of shape other than round. So, I cut out all refined sugars and beer. Thankfully, the Lord provides in the form of low carb wine and no carb scotch lol. (to any dietary purists our there first, this was low carb not no carb and 2nd, yes I do know that alcohol is disruptive to the efficiency of any dietary program) and moved into the most effective interval training exercise program that I had been a part of since two-a-day drills in high school football (loved the sport and the contact but had two problems…I was small and slow not a good combination lol)  … Part 2 to come