Blubber To Runner

A few weeks ago, I put this out there:  Ask me anything, and I’ll answer your questions as best as I can… WITHIN REASON.  So, I’ve received a bunch and wanted to address a few of them as promised.  It’s no secret that I am a very straight-forward person, and some of these questions definitely came from people that are well aware of this fact.  So enjoy…  here we go!

Yes, this is actually MY freezer…

‘You look great… what are you doing to lose the weight so quickly?!?!’ – I’m doing a combination of a few things:  Weight Watchers, P90X and running predominately.  I’m also trying to be a little more specific in my diet as well… I’ve basically eliminated soda (which was an 8-10 can/ day habit before I started) as well as energy drinks (while many people would drink coffee, I was downing 2 AMP Energy Drinks a morning… I’m now a coffee guy), and I stock up on portioned items which, for me personally, help me manage the out-of-control eating – some people can eat 12 potato chips out of a bag and then put the bag away… me?  Not so much.  Weight Watchers, as with ALL weight loss programs, is going to work on a person-to-person basis.  For me, it is a great program because it allows me to eat anything if I choose and also teaches me portion control.  I still have a ways to go on the latter… but I’m working on it!

‘Do you really think people care so much that you need to blog about what you’re doing?’ – I personally LOVED this question.  The answer is ‘yes’ – and ‘no’.  The majority of the people that care about this the most live very far away from me, and this is a great way to let all of them know at one time how things are going.   Plus when I do have the opportunity to get some 1-on-1 time with them, it gives them the ability to understand what’s going on, and even help out when they can!  So, in that sense?  It’s a resounding ‘YES’.

Now, are there a bunch of people that think this is pompous?  Maybe… I don’t know.  But, as I’ve stated before, this is the tool that I use to hold myself accountable to anyone that cares about me.  I’m all alone in this… and all alone in VA.  That’s not a ‘woe is me’ statement, it’s just reality – a reality I created for certain reasons (which will certainly be discussed in a future post) and a reality I’ve chosen to continue.  So in order to keep myself honest I communicate this way to my family and friends since most of them, as I stated, are hundreds of miles away.  Therefore with THESE people – the people I only hear from when they need advice, a shoulder to cry on, a Friends and Family form, a ride, etc. –  ‘NO’, I don’t think they care… and, to be honest, this blog ain’t for them!

‘Boxers or Briefs?’ – Boxer Briefs… and I just bought my 1st pair of compression pants.  YOWZA!

‘Why the Mudder?’ – This one’s pretty easy… a few months before I started this, I was on one of my usual ‘time to get healthy!’ kicks and my buddy Will posts up on his FB page about this psycho endurance thingy he wants to do.  It immediately grabbed my attention… I was fascinated by it.  I was also grabbed by soda, Doritos, pizza and a myriad of other things so there was no way I’d ever actually DO it, but it sure looked cool.  Then, as things started to happen for me, I realized a) I needed some type of goal, and b) it needed to be a long-term goal… something I wouldn’t be done and over with in 2-3 months.  It all made sense to me right then.  I’ve been told that I need to notice signs more – to see what’s being given to me and pay attention to it.  THIS is why the Mudder was brought into my life… THIS is why it’s far enough away that I will have time to prepare for it in a healthy manner… and THIS is why I chose to do the Mudder.

‘When/ where do you run?’ – During the week, I run on the W&OD trail near my house.  Weekends I drive into DC and hit the National Mall just to change it up a bit.  I’m an early riser, so normally for me I’m done no later than 7:30a, weekday or weekend.  Sometimes I’ll change it up to an early evening run but, for the most part, it’s a morning run.

‘Aren’t you going a bit overboard with all of this?’ – Hmmm… this one’s kinda tough for me to answer.  Part of me thinks that maybe I am… but, on the other hand, if I were a finely tuned athlete going from running marathons to triathlon training instead of a morbidly obese man going from running to McDonald’s to running the Mudder would the feeling be different?  See – for just about everyone in my life right now, I am a completely different person.  So much so that I get blown off when I start talking about running a race, or I see eyes rolling when the next question about my Weight Watchers points comes up.  They’re tired of hearing it!  But – this is someone that everyone is gonna have to get used to if they want me around, because this isn’t a fad… this isn’t going away – EVER.  I’m done being the guy I became when I moved down here… it’s time to grow up, take responsibility for my life and my health and be happy and proud of what I’m doing.  I’m still working on finding the happy, but I’m damn proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish thus far.

‘When are you running a race again?’ – As of this posting I am committed to running a 5K Turkey Trot in Princeton and a Hangover 5K in Westfield on New Years Day.  After that, I have tentative trips planned to the Outer Banks for a St. Patrick’s Day 8K, back to DC in April for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler (or the 5K if we don’t get accepted into the 10-miler), a 100-mile bike ride from Union County to LBI in June as well as The Spartan Race (think Tough Mudder Light) also in June.  Definitely lofty goals.  But, for me, I’m just trying to keep my plate as full as possible… small goals keep my motivation constantly on high as opposed to thinking ‘Pfft… the Mudder’s next October… I can take this week off.’

OK – I’m gonna stop here for now.  I did receive a few more that I didn’t touch on because I am debating whether they should either be answered in short form like these were, given an entire blog to address, or not even touched on at all.  Nonetheless, I appreciate so many people sending me inquiries and taking an interest.  If anyone has anything else they would like to know… send it my way and I’ll continue to answer what I can.

Thanks again!