Monday, July 1, 2013

10 years of running - 47,120 miles later

Ten years ago I was 300+ pounds.  I was an active fat guy , but I was tired of being fat.  I was a family man, with a wonderful wife and a two year old daughter.  I was tired of struggling with weight, tired of the yo-yo weight loss ... weight gain.

Ten years later, I still struggle with weight, but now the range is not 200-300+ pounds, but 195-235.  Running always brings me ... sooner or later.

It has been a wonderful road of self discovery, new friends, new experiences and exploring many places.  There have been sacrifices I wish I had not made ~ I have lost contact with many friends, I have given up or limited many activities that I enjoy.  It is hard to find the energy for other things that I love to do.

Ten years and 47,120 miles later I am at a turning point in my life.  After running > 6,000 miles in 2012, I decided to run a lot less in 2013.  To run another 10 years, I will need to find more balance.  My wife never complains and encourages everything I do, but she deserves more time.  My daughters are now 12 and 8 and there activities are ever increasing.   I need to reconnect with old friends and make new ones.  I need to have the joys of other sports.

I also need to figure out how to train while running 2/3 the mileage I have become accustom to run.  I need to figure out how to eat for 80 mile weeks instead of 120 mile weeks.  How do you effectively use a scalpel when all you know how to use is a sledgehammer?

It is time to re-balance the spiritual, mental, physical and social in this big experiment called life.

Good running to all!

2 comments:

  1. Congrats from the guy who's never had a 6000 mile year, but has 85000 miles lifetime.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You are a smart guy Mike. No doubt you will figure it out. Less is more they say. I think it has taken me 3 years to get to 6,000 :).

    You have a great family. Running will always be one part of your life, but they will be everything to you.

    See you on the trail.
    PS: Ran another 50 Miler in Ohio on Saturday. 8:15:30 / 3rd Over All. Now to recovery.

    ReplyDelete