I am 35, 6'5" and last August I was about 225lbs. Before last August, I hadn't ran, biked, swam or seriously worked out for about 7 years. Even then, the workouts 7 years previous only lasted for about three months, and then I lost the weight and stopped working out. At that point, I had hit my lifetime max of 235lbs, and that brief stint of working out and running got me down to 205lbs. The runs were never more than a mile.
Back to August. My wife and I had bought a treadmill the previous winter so that she could get in some walking while being pregnant during the winter months. I teach, and my one goal for my four week summer break was to get in at least one run. Even though it was summer, I had no intention of running outside and opening myself up to the possibility of public failure and ridicule. Again, a bit melodramatic, I know. I'm sure no one in the city or neighborhood would have cared or noticed if I had ran outside, but in my mind running outside was a terrifying prospect that was never going to happen. Of course, it got to be the last Sunday of my break and I still hadn't been for a run on the treadmill.
I decided to suck it up and give it a try. I put a photo of my boys in front of the tread mill, put on my one and only pair of athletic shorts (which I wore the day I left home and moved to college) and started off on my treadmill run. I HATED EVERY MINUTE OF IT. I ran with no incline and tried for a mile at 5mph. After about 45 seconds I had to hold on the side rails, but after 12 minutes of huffing and puffing like a water buffalo I did finally made it to the 1 mile mark.
I dream about running. I have for years. I dream about running with no end in sight. I dream of running with unlimited stamina and unequaled grace. In my dreams I run on grass, beaches and hardtops, and I’m jumping over curbs, puddles, and out of the way of the occasional dog. I dream of running with friends and alone. I dream of being happy while I run. Running with a smile, that’s how my dreams go. I don’t know where these dreams come from, but my running dreams are my favorite.
Anyhoo, this time I didn't give up on the running right away. That side rail aided mile gradually turned into a non-aided mile, then 2 miles and then a 5k. I always thought 5k sounded so much cooler than 3 miles and change. I still think it’s a kick to say it. After I got up to 3.1 miles, I started over at 6mph, and again gradually worked my way up to a 5k. Finally, I started over one more time and made my way up to a 5k at 6mph with a 2% incline (one of only two setting on our treadmill). That sequence took about six months. After about 2 months I was back down to 205lbs. My running was almost always at night. Sometimes it was after we got the kids into bed (around 8:30pm), and other times it was after my night class in the fall which usually got me home around 9:00pm. At the start, I was shooting for (and getting in) three runs per week, and after a few months that average started to dip to about two runs a week. For most of October and November I average about six miles of running per week.
By the time that January of this year came around, I was usually running once, maybe twice a week (two to three miles, 6mph, 2% incline). I knew where this was going, I still hadn't ran outside (lots of snow this winter) and it looked like I was going to stop out before spring came. I felt and looked better, I didn't tire out while playing with the kids and I was more confident in my health. But, I was running on a dead end street.
I'm not a believer in signs and things of the like, but a couple fun coincidences popped up and I went with it. On February 17th, I happened upon the website for a sprint triathlon that would take place on August 17, 2014. I had originally started running on August 19, 2013. The event was going to take place just about ten miles from my home. After some more kicking around, I also found a 10k fun run that was similarly taking place just a few miles from my house, and that event was going to take place on May 17th. So, I signed up for both. I had exactly three months until the 10k and exactly 6 months until the sprint triathlon which is going to be a 0.25mile swim, 17.3mile bike and a 5k run.
There is a folder somewhere in my basement storage room that has a bucket list that I wrote in college. I don't remember everything that is on it, but I know number one says “Finish a Race”. Hopefully I’ll get to check that off this year.
Today is February 24; I'm one week in to training. Last week I did 7.2 miles in three runs and I started a workout to improve my core strength.
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