September 2011. Lazy. Tired. Grumpy. Weight 250lbs. Ate like crap, felt like crap. Life was crap. If it didn't come easy I didn't do it. I was a poor example for the most important people in my life; my wife and kids. Something had to change. I did a lot of finger pointing before this day, how other people should be, how they should act, what they should do. One particular day it hit me. I was the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. I had to change. I needed to be the catalyst. My oldest son had decided to start running; seeing that he may need some encouragement I decided to start running too.
I knew that my friend Mike what I should do, how I should do it, what kind of shoes I should wear, etc. etc. He directed me towards websites for running, nutrition, and training. From there I Googled everything and anything about running. I found more than enough information about what to do, how to do it, what I should do before, during, after, in between, while resting, while sleeping...I think you get the point, and if you are reading this you've probably done the same. I followed all sorts of suggestions, rules, and guidelines; many conflicting with one another. I figured out what I was going to do from the plethora of knowledge I had been dealt and applied that knowledge to a running routine signed up for a half-marathon, selected a training program from the runforlife.ca website and got on my way.
My first few months of runs were the hardest. I remember telling myself "just keep moving, don't stop to walk, you can do this". I would come home and lay on the floor huffing and puffing, completely beet red and unable to move after a short run around the block. I didn't know how far I had gone, or for how long. Then I bought my Garmin (I love my Garmin, that's another Blog in itself) I was running 3 and 4k runs at about a 9min/k pace. Day after day I felt stronger, I pushed harder and harder. I was speeding up, short distances were becoming easier to run, I was becoming more confident. My old clothes no longer fit. I had lost 40 lbs. by Christmas. My lovely wife bought running gear for Christmas, I was no longer running in old t-shirts and track pants. I was official looking now.
Let the games begin
I had a run with Mike in December of 2011; he suggested that if I wanted to sign up for a race he would pace me. I decided to sign up for the Mississauga half-marathon. It was time to get serious. In the New Year I began a 16 week beginner half-marathon program. The program had me doing 3 runs per week: one each of speed and tempo runs, and a long run on the weekend. I remember printing the program out and seeing that it wanted me to warm up for 1.5k do intervals or tempo for an amount of time or distance and then a cool down for 1k. I remember poo-pooing the idea altogether for one day. That day was horrible. I felt worse than I had before I'd ever had before I began running. The next day I started the routine.
Mike and I had a practice run a couple of weeks before the race, he told me not to wear my Garmin (I felt totally naked). We ran 18km that day, my final long run before the race. I was pumped! It was taper time...
Race Day
Fast forward to May 6, 2012. I weighed 195lbs. I had completed my training, ate right, and was ready. I had three goals:
- Finish the race
- Finish the race in under 2 hours
- Finish in 1:55
Up to that time my tempo runs had been at about a 6min/k pace. Something I was oblivious to was how fast I would have to run to get my #3 goal. I thought it was impossible, really I did. That was the day I stopped believing what my mind wanted me to believe.
PLACE: 918 TIME:1:57:43.4 CHIP: 1:55:02.7 PACE:5:28
CATEGORY: M40-49 CAT. PLACE: 183/345 GENDER PLACE: 613/1238
I was hooked. This was the new me. Everything had changed, just by putting one foot in front of the other.