Des Moines Iowa Police Officers' Selfless Fiery Rescue

DES MOINES POLICE OFFICERS RISK THEIR LIVES TO SAVE THOSE OF OTHERS FROM CAR FIRE: (raw dash-cam vid) On August 28 at approx, 0300 hrs., a vehicle driven by Michael Lomax, 21, blew through a traffic light and collided with another vehicle driven by Jennifer Garcia,17. The impact caused the teen's vehicle to roll. Sadly, Miss Garcia was killed instantly. She had three passengers, Alexandra Cordova, 18, Irania Cordova, 14, and Alejandro Garcia, 20, in her SUV. One was ejected and the SUV burst into flames, trapping the remaining two survivors.

Des Moines (Iowa) Police Officers responded and without no hesitation nor reservation nor concern for their own safety, jumped right into action. DMPD Officers Aaron Cawthorne, Colin Boone, Jeremy Sprague, Robin Swank along with Reserve Police Officer John Carter, worked feverishly together to save the trapped and injured vehicle occupants. 

While some were trying to pry the door open, others climbed right on top of the burning vehicle, while others attempted to douse the flames. While they were doing this, Des Moines Police Sergeant Michael Taggart was behind the vehicle trying to get to one of the girls who was trapped. 

As you will see in this raw dash-cam video, while the intense flames, heat and smoke were engulfing these Heroes, they were so determined to save these lives even knowing all the while this car could explode at any moment. The Fire Department Heroes arrived and were able to help with the rescue. These Super Heroes, Red, White and Blue, were able to get the job done and three injured passengers, along with Lomax and his passenger, Feliciano White, 22, were transported to the hospital ... ALIVE. Though Jennifer's passengers have a long painful road to recovery, it is due to the selflessness of these Warriors that they even have a chance. Our thoughts are with Garcia family in their time of grief along with the victims and their families.

All of you were amazing and truly represented what Law Enforcement is about ... Saving, Serving and Protecting the People. We thank you all. JOB WELL DONE EVERYONE!!

~written by Nessie for Law Enforcement Today~
http://www.facebook.com/law.enforcement.today

Police Cruiser dash cam video of rescue:

courtesy of Des Moines (Iowa) Police Department:
http://www.dmgov.org/departments/police/Pages/default.aspx

Michael Lomax has been charged with vehicular homicide w/ recklessness.

Playing Catch-up

I'm soooo sorry! I haven't blogged my progress since day 1, I am horrible! Rest assured, I have been very busy with training and business stuff.

Here's the update:

4.12.11

Rest Day on the TurboFire Schedule, was going to do a C25K run, but the temps were in the 40's. Too cold.

4.13.11

TurboFire Tone 30 Class.. OMG.. bands are no joke. No run today due to rain, and lots of it.

4.14.11

TurboFire Fire 45EZ (nothing EZ about that!!!!) & Stretch 10

Great workout, i was drenched. There were a couple of times when my body just pittered out, but I pushed through it. Stretch 10 is like the cherry on top.. sweet!

4.15.11

TurboFire Core 20 and C25K run. 

Core 20 = no joke. Different from the usual floor abs exercises and you will feel it the next day for sure!

C25K run was great. ran 1.11 miles in 14:23. not bad! I definitely like the Nike+ GPS app for my iPhone. It's fun and affective! and if you sync it to Facebook, when you start your run it posts to your profile and every time a person likes your post or comments on it you get your own cheering squad cheering you on! I was laughing so hard at one point! lol because i didn't know why that was happening! Made the run fun though, that's for sure!

4.16.11

TurboFire Stretch 40

No C25K run due to cold temps and rain

Couch to 5K - Day 1

Had a great day 2!

Yesterday was Day 1 of the Couch to 5k. I downloaded the Nike+GPS app for my iPhone prior to my run so i can map out a course in my neighborhood. That APP ROCKS!!! It made my run that much more enjoyable!

I was amazed at my running ability too. I am not a runner, at all, but i tackled it and i felt great afterward! Then cooled down to TurboFire Stretch 40 (Day 2 on the TF schedule). Perfect end-of-run stretch as I'm not at all sore today. I feel great!

The C25K training is 3 days per week. It's going to rain today and tomorrow, but looks like it is going to be nice from Thursday on. 

Day is a rest day on the TurboFire schedule so i am going to be starting my 5x5 method weight training. I will be putting my plan together today.

Finally, on my way

My game plan changed. I'm now doing the TurboFire prep schedule instead of the Chalean/TurboFire hybrid.

After reviewing the program, it was simply to easy, and it focused more on Chalean than TurboFire. I need TurboFire to increase my cardio endurance since the Spartan is now less than 2 months away.

Last night i started TurboFire, the day 1 schedule is Fire 30 and stretch 10. It wasn't easy, but i didn't feel light-headed and want to pass out either. There were a couple of times that i had to bring my intensity down just a tad, but it was short-lived and i hopped right back on the train with them.

I am kind of disappointed that the day 2 schedule is just stretch 40. I might sub it for another fire 30 and use stretch 40 as my rest-day workout (tomorrow)

I will also be starting my C25K training today. My plan, once I finish with my business work, is to drive around the neighborhood to mark out 1 mile. 

I am also going to incorporate weight training 3 days per week, with the hubby, using the 5x5 method. Being that the spartan is less than 2 months away, i need a proven system to build strength, and the 5x5 will do that for me in the minimal amount of time i have to work with.

Diet is going to be a crucial part of the equation. With all of the cardio/running and weight training I'm going to need a large amount of calories. The biggest obstacle i have, personally with the diets, is variety. I get tired of eating the same things over and over, chicken is great, but i can only handle so much of it!! I can eat endless salads forever, but they do not provide enough calories and protein to sustain me to my next snack or meal.

Insanity

Today marked day 1 of Insanity (not the mental condition silly, the workout program with Shaun T!).

Day 1 is the Fit Test. There are 8 moves that you do and count and log on your fit test sheet.

Out of 8 I made it to #4 (Power Jumps) for a total of 17, and that is as far as I made it before I literally passed out.

Now I'm not saying this to scare you or to have a pity party. I'm just sharing with you my experience with the program.

There were/are many factors that i am considering as the culprit, and being a trainer i should know better. However, I am human, and humans make mistakes too especially when gauging their own physical capabilities.

#1 The fact that I ate too close to workout. Though, it wasn't solid food, it was a smoothie, i still think the blood was directed to digestion, because my brain wasn't getting it.

#2. The change in workout time. I'm a night person. i love working out at night more-so in the AM because I have more energy and I'm more motivated, my body was still half asleep when i started.

#3. I started another meds ween 2 days ago, and that in-and-of-itself taxes the brain and body like you wouldn't believe... not to mention the headaches!

Those are the main 3 that keep coming to mind. I was making extra sure i was breathing properly, and not OVER exerting myself. After-all it is just a fit test meant to gauge progress, not performance. This is training for my Spartan and Tough Mudder races, I'm not trying to win the Miss America Pageant.

While my hubby was trying to help me come back from the blackness (thankfully, he was home AND EMT certified), I couldn't help but be thrusted back to 2 incidents in my life where this same thing happened, and the result.

The first time was at the gym. I used to frequent Gold's Gym in my mid 20's for morning workouts on my way to work. Loved that place so much, loved the environment, the feeling, the energy. Then one morning i was doing lunges with weights.. Now you have to remember, in my mid 20's i was in peak shape, my body fat was nearly non-existent, and i was shredded and ripped, working out was my drug of choice and i worked it hard, and it showed. That fateful morning, while doing lunges, i passed out. Went down like an over-loaded barbell. I was brought to, checked by medics and i refused to be sent to the hospital, cleaned up and headed to work.

I never went back.

I was so embarrassed at what had happened that i couldn't show my face in that gym ever again. In fact, that pretty much ended my gym time all-together for quite a while.

The second incident didn't even involve the gym, or training. I was accompanying my boyfriend at the time on a business trip to South Carolina. We were on day 2, had eaten breakfast together and he went off to his meeting and I to the pool. It was a hot day, but nothing i wasn't used to, nice breeze, kids playing and splashing around, i had a great book what could be better? 

That's what i thought too.. then i didn't feel to good.. I started feeling 'funny', so i calmly packed up my stuff and headed to my room on the 7th floor at the end of the hallway. Before i was even able to hit the elevator button in the lobby the blackness started. 'Stay calm' i kept saying to myself. I made it to the 7th floor, and just like a horror movie when the hallway seems to lengthen for miles, i started making that trek to my room. Cleaning ladies where staring at me as i was nearly crawling to my room (i know, i know.. why not help me right?). Once inside, i got sick, I'll spare you the details, and passed out on the bed.

When he came back from his meeting, (6 hours later), I was still passed out on the bed. He woke me up. Scary to think that i could have died, and my last visual was the cleaning lady staring at me while i was trying to get to safety lol.

When events like these happen, they change your life, well they changed mine anyway.
I never felt comfortable in a gym environment ever again; i was always afraid that it would happen again. People staring at me when i work out also makes me feel very uncomfortable because it brings me back to what i saw when i opened my eyes when the medics brought me to. I know the saying 'When you get smacked down, just jump back on the horse', but for me that horse just kept bucking me off. So i found working out at home to be a better substitute, even though i didn't have the equipment that the gym had. 

Then, in my mid 30's Beachbody and P90X came into my life and the rest is history. I don't need a gym now! Though, it does not help the blacking out situation. So I'm going to have to monitor that and keep you abreast of what happens.