Nicole and Deb being tailed by Leesburg Policeman.

Nicole and Deb being tailed by Leesburg Policeman., originally uploaded by Don Campbell Models.

Leesburg Va. Police Department – Todays picture shows me taking a picture of Deb and Nicole strolling along main street of Leesburg. At that moment I couldn’t help noticing a policeman spying on us from a round the corner a few stores back. Then he was gone and as I took a couple more pictures I saw him peeking around the corner and he was in more of the pictures. I played it cool and quietly told Deb and Nicole to keep walking normal we are being followed by Leesburg law enforcement. We then all ducted in to a store front and waited patiently to confront the officer. Sure enough we surprised him and started questioning him !! He laughed and said we looked a little suspicious , then he said he was trying to avoid being in our vacation photos and everytime he thought we were done he would pop back out and I snapped the next picture, ha,ha. So it was pretty funny. We talked for a while with him and found out all his family was from Michigan and growing up he had many fun memories in Michigan . We also talked about the Detroit Lions winning streak , ha,ha. He is a Field Operations Division Officer for the Leesburg Police Department. His name was Matthew Bennett. Very nice policeman and he even gave us a card with his name on it.
That told us we must have been the nicest three tourists he had ever met, ha,ha,ha.
Another 3 mile run this morning and feeling great. This weekend there is a 8K Fall color Mackinaw Bridge Run but I am not sure I could or should try 2 miles more yet with the first two and a half miles uphill. I don’t want to hurt my knees.
Have a great Tues.

Gaylord resident and daughter Nicole running along the Potomac River.

Gaylord resident and daughter Nicole running along the Potomac River., originally uploaded by Don Campbell Models.

Here is a picture of Nicole and I running together in the park along the river. This is the first time just the two of us have run together and it was very fun.
I sure am getting hooked on running, I absolutley love it. And i love the fact this could be the answer to my years of struggling with my weight . It really doesn’t seem like boring exercise , it is actually very relaxing and enjoyable. I still know I have a long ways to go to lose a lot more weight but this shows me if i can do this and enjoy it so much at this heavy weight , it will really be fun when I knock off 20 or 30 more lbs.
No resturaunt food – This is our first vacation where we have not looked forward everyday to trying out a new resturaunt . Instead we are spending a lot of time at Wegmans Grocery Store, ha,ha. Buying fresh meat and veggies really is still fun and much healthier.
And we always love going to the Cheesecake Factory, but not this time (:>).
We could actually lose 5 lbs. before we get home instead of gaining 5 lbs. ha,ha.
Nothing tastes better than thin feels ? Nicole disagreed , ha,ha.
Have a great Monday !!

Gaylord man finishes his first 5K in second place.

Gaylord man finishes his first 5K in second place., originally uploaded by Don Campbell Models.

Bill and Don – Todays picture shows Bill and I warming up for running the 5K yesterday . Bill was surprised how well I did for a old guy, ha,ha.
Race results show I finished in my age bracket in a whopping second place !! Also I ended up beating 240 other people younger than me. So I was very happy with those numbers after wondering for the last 25 years about my old running days.
Today I am moving a little slow and so is Deb. I am getting ready to head out and walk and run a little down to the Potomac River to see if my body funtions still work properly, ha,ha. Deb said she thinks she will wait til tomorrow to see if her body works or not, ha,ha. As I hobbled out the door this morning she couldn’t make it to the window to wave goodbye, ha,ha. Just kidding. I wasn’t really hobbling .
Now a day later I have had time to evaluate things a little. As we lined up and waited for the starting signal , I glanced around at the hundreds of people all sizes , ages and sizes. My first short term goal was to beat the fellow in front of me. He didn’t have a ounce of fat on him, but something told me I might be able to pass him. I mentioned it to Bill and he told me it could be done as he was only 8 years old, ha,ha. It really did take me the first mile before I passed him? Then my second goal was to pass the 85 year old guy in front of me, later I found out he really was 85 ! really. At the 1.5 mile point I passed him and I now was getting confidence. Next on my hit list was a little old lady pushing a shopping cart but Bill told me she was not in the race, ha,ha. At the two mile marker I was really feeling relaxed and loose. A really good song came on the headphones and I decidedit was time to show these folks what a good training program could really do. I cranked up the music and told Bill I would see him at the finish line (:>). As I looked back and saw Bill fading in the distance I felt bad , but this was no time to be a slacker for Bill. Then before I knew it, Bill had caught up with me and and looked at me and said , DAD, IT’S GO TIME !!! It was like I was bonding with the son I never had (:>). As we proceded to pass dozens and dozens of slower runners, I got more and more energy. As we turned around and headed the uphill part of the course Bill said to me he couldn’t run any faster. That was a very proud moment for me. I wanted Bill to be proud of me and I think he really was.
Deb’s Race Results- Deb finished a whopping third place in her age bracket !! I am so proud of her !! Nicole stayed next to her the whole race and was a excellent coach. Great Job DEB !!
We will remember this day for many years.
Have a Great Sunday with the ones you love
Each day Deb and I thank God for just one more day together.
We will try to enjoy today and not take it for granted.

Check out Nicole’s Account of the Day and Photos

Don and Nicole prepare for the Clarendon 5K run.

Don and Nicole prepare for the Clarendon 5K run., originally uploaded by Don Campbell Models.

First ever race for Don Campbell – Less than 9 weeks ago I was thinking about how i would never be able to lose weight again . After trying several times over the last few years I just felt I could never do it again. But Nicole changed all my plans for failure, ha,ha.
Today I ran my first official 5K race in 28 minutes and 17 seconds. So I was very pleased with my time for a old guy.
To keep going I will plan on my next 5K race in Northern Michigan in another month .
It really was a good feeling to think I could do this and feel comfortable and actually get a decent time for the first race of my whole life. I think I am hooked as I love running now.
I am excited to lose 15 more lbs. and then i can really get into this running .
I was also very proud of Deb and Nicole and after I finished i walked down the hill and finished again with them the last few blocks but stopped before they crossed the finish line.
Bill said he was very surprised how strong my legs were in such a short time of training. He said he would not have been able to run the race much faster than that if he would have run by himself so that was pretty cool.
After the race was done we procedded to walk back up the hill 1.5 miles to the car. So it was a good morning workout for sure but great fun knowing we were all doing this as a family for the first time.
We will relax this afternoon but I am fired up wanting to run tomorrow along the Potomac River again. My long range goal is to get to 100 lbs, LOL
Have a great Sat.