Doing this for my kids and my health

When I was a 20-something, I ran frequently in road races but rarely gave much thought to training or preparation. I was active in other sports and saw running as a tool of conditioning to stay in shape for other things. I ran countless 5k’s and 10k’s and even a couple of marathons. I couldn’t possibly tell you what my times were in any of the races, I simply ran them to have fun and to stay in shape.

I continued to run through the years, recreationally but after an injury just before my 30th birthday a few years ago, I had to quit running all together while I healed. To put it simply, laziness set in! At 6’4” tall, I woke up on my 33rd birthday in July of 2010 at 270 lbs. and didn’t recognize the man looking at me in the mirror. I had known for at least two years that I wasn’t the same guy, physically, that I used to be. The injury had long been recovered from but the mental state of “I can’t do what I used to do” was firmly set in place. We had a small celebration that day and pictures were taken, I had avoided having my picture taken for quite a few months. Later that evening I looked at the pictures and was disgusted. I had a long, hard talk with myself and decided that I didn’t want my sons to have a fat, inactive dad who couldn’t play sports with them and set a bad example for them.

July 2010 - 270lbs

The next day, I decided, would be the first day of the rest of my life. Skipping ahead 1 year to July of 2011, I weighed in on my birthday at 187 lbs.. That’s right- I shed over 80 pounds in a year and for the first time in years, was proud of the way I looked.

July 2011 - 187lbs

How did I do it? I went back to my roots, and dedicated myself to running, for purpose this time. I completely changed my outlook on health and fitness, I have not eaten fast food in a year and a half now and neither has my wife or children. After building up a little endurance and doing a little run/walking for the first few weeks, I literally ran a minimum of three miles every single day for almost a year.

My first road race in my second life was the May 2011 Carlsbad 5000 in Southern California which I ran in just over an 8min pace. A month later, my 9 year old son ran his first road race with me.

And now, I’m preparing for the 2012 Georgia Marathon, this time with a training program and a goal in mind. But most importantly, this time around- I’m doing this to be a good dad! I want my sons to live a healthy, active lifestyle and the example I set will hopefully set them on that path.

Crossing the finish line with my oldest son in his first race, one of the proudest moments of my life