Where to start? Ok, let's just start at the beginning... June 2011...
There I sat in the front of a Lululemon, waiting for some friends who could actually fit in these cool, lulelemon clothes. "This sucks." I thought, "They have no clothes for someone like me!"
Yeah... nothing for someone about 25 pounds too heavy and someone who hadn't worked out in ... like forever.
Oh, I had shed a few pounds already in the prior months - my extra winter weight - but I still didn't feel great about myself. Little moments of personal-body disappointment had been nagging at me all spring. My sister-in-law had been running marathons. I wished I could just get off the couch.
A couple nights before the lululemon moment, I had watched a P90X commercial in the late night... wishing for the ripped-ness of the spokesperson, Tony Horton who's 52. As I turned off the TV and the light out, I thought, "... probably some of the P90X infomercial is exaggerated, but even if I could get close... be the best "me" I can be (as Tim Ferris says)... Wouldn't that would be awesome?"
Being 40 and thinking that "It's all downhill from here." just plain sucks.
A couple days later was Father's Day. I studied the calendar... 90 days from here was about September 11th. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could end the summer looking better and feeling great?
I thought of my wife Valerie and our young girls who were all excellent runners.
Wouldn't it be cool if I could actually run the 800M or 1500M with them without dying on the track? Do I really want my hockey-playing son to remember his Dad as always on the sidelines?
So it began.
It wasn't a big announcement. Confetti didn't drop out of the sky. Just a mind shift.
******************************
I have a picture burned in my mind of a tree a couple blocks from our house.
That's about where I felt like my lungs were going to explode out of my mouth the first morning... and second... and third....
MapMyRUN says that's about 200 meters.
I pushed on... "One foot, then next foot."
Soon during runs it was "Ok, I can make it to that car up ahead."
I would cajol myself in between huffs, "I'll run as far as I can... then walk to the end of the block and start again."
I didn't realize at first this was interval training but it seemed to work. Thankfully, an IPhone app called Runtrainer was suggested to me by my sister-in-law, Christa. (Couch-to-5K is also a popular one...) This app allows you to listen to your favourite music and every once in a while, automatically audibly cues you to walk or run. I had the male voice turned on (I named him "Coach Sven"). Thanks Sven.
******************************
Throughout my journey in exercising again, I have been studying Tim Ferris' The Four Hour Body which has given me a somewhat simple nutrition program to follow. I can't say I have followed it to a "T" but I am trying to stick to his slow-carb diet and have enjoyed the chapters that help me understand the mechanics of weight loss and exercise.
I also liked Tim's encouragement to measure. I have grown a passion for analyzing Google Advertising return-on-investment so tracking success was an exciting pleasure.
When I started this adventure, I was 206 lbs. My 90 Day goal was pulled out of the air at 185 lbs. I just figured I could stand to lose 20 lbs and it was somewhat achievable. Along the way I have come to ascribe to Tim's "body recomposition" mantra and know that I want to lose fat and gain muscle. The number I weigh isn't the most important thing.
******************************
Fast forward to October 16th, 2011.
Wow! I can't believe it! I actually ran a 5K without dying!
Running is a ton of fun now. I am down almost 15lbs and feeling great.
I am just now working on planning regular running of doing say 10 - 15 K a week and completing some strength training a couple times a week as well. I would love to do a 10K next spring. Maybe a marathon by 2013!
(Shout out to Angie and Trevor of Marathon Training Academy. Their podcasts are awesome inspiration and good for all levels of runners - from 5K'ers to Ultra-Marathoners. Their MTA facebook community is also a regular source of encouragement for me as you read from so many people changing their lives with running.)
If you are considering getting in shape I have to say if I can do it - you can too!
Now I have a further goal... I really would love to be in better shape at 50 than I was at 40. Watch your back Tony Horton!
Rodney