My First Top 5: Top 5 of going from nothing to something.

4 months ago I was not a writer and certainly not a runner…but as of today, it appears as though I am doing both.  

Like many people I know in their late 20’s and early 30’s, it seems as though we are all trying to do things as we were in college.  A normal weekend in college would generally involve me going to the movies for the 10:30pm show, followed by dinner, then caffeinated coffee, a game of Frisbee golf and in bed no earlier than 4am.   On special occasions you could find my friends and I jumping on freight trains, shooting guns at propane tanks (true story…its cheap fun), driving to NYC on a whim, riding motorcycles, skydiving or bungee jumping.  Oh the things we came up with whilst residing on a dry campus. During those times I never thought about my cholesterol or my ability to endure hours of physical activity.  

Now, a normal weekend includes watching Saturday morning cartoons, with a large cup of coffee to ward off taking a nap, then grocery shopping with the wife and kids (which generally turns into simply wrangling children),  cleaning the house, more wrangling of the children, an evening watching DVR’d shows with the wife and in bed no later than 10pm. I certainly would like to think that I could still stay up until 4am…but several recent attempts have proven a horrible idea by the 9am next day. Don’t get me wrong, I adore my wife and children and love the time I get to spend with them.  The point is that the things I did in college, generally involved some form of physical activity (example: running to jump on a train, or running to avoid the campus police). And now, I need to come up with reasons to get out from behind the computer, off the couch and into the outdoors.  As of late I have felt especially compelled to find those reasons.

So why now?   Well, pretty much because a doctor told me.  It was a wake up call when a recent medical checkup revealed that due to high cholesterol running in my family and the fact that I have had an artery bypass surgery; either I need to start getting into shape or start taking Lipitor…at the age of 29, how sad.

So since that time, I had several attempts at diet plans…low carbs, no carbs, Atkins, Weight Watchers, low calorie, high protein, 7 small meals a day and yes even a colon cleansing adventure. Sure some of these worked temporarily but at the sacrifice of one of my fondest activities…eating GOOD food.  As one of my good friends, Dr. Brumback puts it; I needed a life-style change, not a diet. So I went in search of a methodology that allowed me to eat what I wanted, when I wanted it while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Hence the running began. 

Let me make something perfectly clear, I have not EVER been a runner, nor did I think I ever would become one. I have always been the slightly overweight kid that has not played an organized active sport in my life.   If you added up all the miles I have actually ran in the past 6 years, it would probably not even equal a half marathon.

So where do you start?  Well… like most things in life, I just gave it a shot. One bright spring morning, I got out my 6 yr old “running” shoes, the only pair of athletic shorts I own and one of the 30+ ExactTarget t-shirts in my closet and walked out the front door.  About 8 minutes and a half mile later I was gasping for breath, clenching my side and wondering how in the world I was going to make it back that half mile to my house. At that point I was faced with two decisions; acknowledging that my 185lb, 5’ 6” frame was not meant for running, or find the motivation and drive to keep going. I chose the latter.   

I have never been one to start doing something without the end in mind. When doing art work, you have to have sketches of what you want to create. In sales you have a quota that you need to hit. And in running, I told myself, you need a goal to reach for. So with that half mile under my belt, I signed up for the Indianapolis Mini Marathon.  BTW, I didn’t realize you have to PAY money to run in these things and those who know me, know that I tend to be a bit thrifty. So shelling out $50+ to run 13.1 miles was hard, but also gives me another reason to hit that goal…not wasting $50.

A lot has happened in the last several months, and I am proud of the progress that I have made.  I went from not being able to make it that half mile to hitting small goals of running an entire mile without stopping, running two miles without stopping, to running three. Two weeks ago I completed in my first ever 5k race at a respectable 8:37pace. And this past weekend, my long run was 10mi, which I surprisingly did with ease. As an added benefit to hitting these goals, I’ve also seen some fairly nice results on the side. I have lost 35+ lbs, I sleep better, have more energy during the day, and all the while not compromising my love of good food!

Its like p90-X , without actually spending the money! (results may vary)

So for this first blog entry, I thought I would share the top 5 things that I (as a complete novice) have learned in trying to go from a nothing: a non-runner, to something: a half-marathon finisher, in 6 months.

5.   You DON’T need anything special to run. Not having good shoes or shorts or a watch are not excuses for not getting out there. You just need to do it, take those first couple steps…and that is by FAR the hardest part.   

4.  It is possible for nipples to chafe so badly that they can, and do, bleed. (Note to self: get some body glide)

3.  Let your body tell you when to stop or take it easy. If a part of you is in pain, take it as a sign that you should take it easy for a day or two.  Having a completely reconstructed knee, it told me early on that I needed ease in to this running thing.

2.  Set a long term goal, either a race or arbitrary. (ex. Run ‘x’ miles, or lose ‘x’ lbs.) Then find someone to help you setup a plan to get you to that goal.  Here is the one I will be looking at next: http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/novices.html

1.  Find the Motivation: It’s great to have the motivation from people who want you to succeed.  I found a lot of motivation from proving the people who didn’t think I could do it wrong. But in the end, as a wise person taught me:  You ALWAYS have to do it for yourself.   Running is an individual sport, and only you can make it across the finish line.