Personal Success

So here is a little story about me and some friends. So a few years back, I used to be on the heavier side, as in I weighed 253 lbs and was like a fat tick that had been sucking on the hind side of a cow for 3 days. I loved to smoke, drink, and eat unhealthy foods like a pirate enjoys rum. The only problem was that by leading a lifestyle like this was what led me to be so over weight. So one day I stepped on a scale and decided to change it all. I wanted to eat better, exercise and loose weight. The way I went about doing this was to begin by eating 3 meals a day and raising my heart rate for a minimum of 30 minutes per day at least 5 days a week. The main exercise that I would do was running. I would get on a treadmill and run for 30minutes everyday no matter what. As I began this process, the weight began to drop from my bones like the rain from the sky. At first it was hard then it became easy and enjoyable.

I guess I have better will power or self-control and some people just can’t do it, but loosing weight is simple. Don’t eat shit and exercise. Also works out to this simple equation:

Calories Burned Per Day > Calories Consumed Per Day = Weight Loss

It’s that simple people. Anyways through this process I lost a bunch of weight and I am now down to 178lbs. Thru this whole process it wasn’t the big losses that impacted my life the most it was all of the big gains. What I mean by that is I gained something that has truly had an impact in my life in some many ways. I gained a love for running, and eventually swimming and biking. This new found love an appreciation for an active lifestyle have not only impacted my outlook on life but I feel have had an impact on others lives as well. This was most apparent this past weekend in Madison, Wisconsin.

Back in November 2007 a long time friend Laura approached me about running a half marathon. I gave her a run down on everything I knew about running and all of my lessons learned. I told her that day that if she signed up for a half marathon, I would come and run it with her and support her the entire 13.1 miles. Well come February of this year she signed up for her first Half Marathon in Madison, Wisconsin on Memorial Day Weekend. It also turns out that my sister lives in Madison. So I planned on visiting with them and hanging with my friends for the long weekend. While all of this was happening my sister has become a triathlete and set her sights on a sprint distance triathlon. I was so happy to hear that she has also found the sport that I love.

On Saturday morning I went with my sister for her first open water swim in Madison. I could tell she was a bit nervous but I knew all along she would do just fine. We got into the water and swam for about 25 minutes. It was a good swim and the she came out of the water saying all the same things that people who have never swam in open water say the first time they swim. I gave her a few pointers here and there but she did great, and I was really happy to be there for support.

Endurance sports are an enigma in the sense that while you are racing you have no team to support you but you can rely on others for encouragement and support while racing. Its perplexing but every race I have ever done people will also be there to encourage you and help push you forward. To complete an endurance event requires that one put time and effort into training for it. Most of this training is many times done solo, with just yourself and no one else. It can be mentally taxing at times but rewarding. In fact it is one of the reasons I like the sport because, my training time is my time and no one else’s time. So with all of that being said, I wanted to be there for my sister and for Laura as their team.

I am glad to know that I can help support others in their effort and search for endurance sport achievements. I am appreciative of the fact that I was able to run with Laura for 13.1 miles and encourage her along the way. It also was extremely nice of her to say that she enjoyed my presence along the course and express her gratitude for the encouragement I provided her. That was one of the best feelings in the world to hear her say those words.

With this story now being told I want to bring it full circle and comment on how my losses (weight) turned into gains (love of running), which in my heart has made me who I am today. I also feel like this transformation that I have undergone has had an impact on others lives as well. I can think of numerous people who are close friends or family that gone and since done similar endurance type events to what I have completed. I have since day 1 always encouraged everyone and anyone who expresses interest in running in a race or something to do it. I am always glad to offer anything I can do to help them along the way as well. I hope that I can eventually reach out to many other people to set a goal and achieve it.

There is no better way to describe how you feel after completing an endurance event; that is “PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENT”. I feel that the reasons for this are numerous and plentiful as the sea is deep. One of the major reasons this feeling encompasses your body when you finish an endurance event is that “YOU” and no one else but you ran that 13.1 miles or swam, biked, and ran 140.6 miles. All of this you did and no one can ever take that away from you no matter what. I am glad to see others achieving personal success and allowing me to be a part of it, for that I am grateful.

Have a good day!