Two years ago, I weighed 315 pounds and couldn't even run to my mailbox and back. On Saturday, Oct 3rd, I crossed the finish line of my first Half Marathon!
In January 2008, my wife decided to join weight watchers. I tagged along, not really convinced of the idea at all - because hey, I love to eat. Seriously, I LOVE to eat. It's like a hobby for me. But facts were facts: I was 40 years old and I weighed 315 pounds. I worked out every day, but there is no way of sugar coating the fact that I was way, way overweight.
I decided to give it 90 days. I'd follow the plan 100%, no shortcuts, no cheating for 90 days. On the 91st day, I fully intended to go and get me a giant double cheeseburger and slide back into my old routine - but for 90 days, I'd take it seriously. Well, 90 days came and went, and I found out that by not eating like a pig, I lost weight. 35 pounds - and I looked better and more importantly, I felt better. I had more self confidence, and I wanted to lose more weight. So I kept going.
About the same time - April 2008, I started running. Or maybe I should say, I started "slogging", somewhere between a fast walk and a jog. My goal was to run in my local town's 5K race by that October. I didn't really care what my time was, I just wanted to run the whole 5K without stopping. I made that goal (my time was 34:05), convinced that I could never run a step more than 3.1 miles.
April 2009 rolls around, and I attended a running clinc at my local wellness center put on by a doctor that also happens to be a nationally ranked marathoner. Afterwards, I asked him how to transition from a 5K race to a 10K race...did he think I could do it? His answer: No, don't sign up for the 10K. Sign up for the HALF MARATHON. My jaw dropped, I said "no way". But I got to thinking about it - I mean, he knew my story, and he had confidence in me that I didn't have in myself. I took his advice and signed up for the inaugural Freedoms Run marathon, Oct 3rd in Shepherdstown WV. Between April and October, I put in 230 miles of training, according to my Nike ipod sensor!
Race day (Oct 3rd, yesterday) comes...and I'm nervous beyond belief. The race took place between Shepherd University and the Antietam Battlefield and back - and Antietam has some killer hills. The whole race course is hilly, but Antietam is the worst part. Along about mile 9 I wanted to quit. More than anything in the world, I wanted to stop. But it was too late. I had told everyone I knew that I was running a half marathon. I was going to finish, even if finishing meant that all my friends and family would have to come to the funeral home to congratulate me, lol.
The final result: I had a goal in mind of 3 hours. My actual time was 2hrs, 53 minutes. Afterwards I was dizzy, light headed, my fingertips were numb, and my vision was blurry. I felt a new level of misery that afternoon that I had never experienced. But at the same time, I felt a level of elation I had never experienced either. I mean, a fat guy like me...that used to weigh 315 pounds, running 13 miles? Wow.
It was John F. Kennedy that said that the United States should strive to put a man on the moon, and that we choose to do this not because it is easy, but because it is hard. Running a half marathon is something that an average, everyday person like me (or YOU) can do. There is no special athletic ability required, just the persistence to keep putting one foot in front of the other. The distance is significant enough that one doesn't need to win the race in order to feel a monumental sense of achievement.
I hope perhaps this inspires a person or two that is on the fence, thinking about weight loss or perhaps getting into a program of exercise. If a fat guy like me can do it, then YES - you can too.