Day 365
One year ago today I got up early and went for my first run. Just around the block, that was all I could do. But by the end of that first week I was confident running had become a real part of my life. At the time I was classified as obese, being 5′ 5″ and weighing 186. Because of that I had chronic headaches, was lethargic, and any physical activity left me hurting for days – especially the knees. So I took it slow. Nice and easy. I changed the way I eat by limiting calories, cutting back on junk, and avoiding evening snacking. I increased my mileage as I was able increasing from quarter mile runs in the morning up to eight mile runs. Everything was working perfectly. No pains, no injuries; good, gradual results and I loved running. Then winter hit.
I refused to run on a treadmill, so I toughed it out in the cold and snow as long as I could, but eventually the running stopped. My running logs have little activity in Jan, Feb and March. I gained four pounds back and was discouraged. But once spring hit I was back at it, and vowed to never let winter slow me down again. I’ll use whatever I need to – treadmill, indoor track, whatever.
I now consistently run 4 to 5 days a week with my short runs at 3.1 miles and my long runs at 7, or 8 miles (though I am going for 10 miles this weekend). My first race is this August, a half marathon in our community. That is leaving me nervous and excited at the same time. I have moved out of the obese category, out of the overweight category, and for the first time in over 10 years I am in the “normal” range of weight. There are 9 lbs hanging around that I still need to lose to hit my goal weight, but I don’t really focus on that. The weight will come off soon enough. My focus is running. I just want to run: as far as I can, as best as I can. I love it.
I received a lot of encouragement and guidance from Tom and Amy at the Runner’s Lounge, my best friend Steve McCoy, and too many others to list – but if they’re on my blogroll, then they are a part of my success. Of course, my godly, super-hot wife was most instrumental in supporting and encouraging her fat husband to take care of the body and life God gave him. Thanks everyone!
Tags: diet, runner, running, transformation, weight loss
This entry was posted on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 at 1:58 pm and is filed under Uncategorized, personal. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Congrats on your first year – what will the next year bring? I am sure much of the same success – keep it up!
May 29th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
That’s awesome and inspiring. I used to run many years ago and stopped. I have an office job so I sit around all day and do pretty much nothing. Last week I decided I had had enough, so I pulled out the shoes and started. It’s tough, but I know it’s worth it and looking at those two pictures convinces me even more.
Thanks for posting.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Dimly Lit » Running says:[...] Thorn just posted about this,his 365th day of running. I plan to have my own post up like that in about a [...]
May 29th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Dimly Lit » Running says:[...] Thorn just posted about this,his 365th day of running. I plan to have my own post up like that in about a [...]
May 29th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Congrats on one year, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how your first race goes! You’ve come a long way, and just think … this is only the beginning of a great thing the rest of your life!
May 29th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Congrats! That is a great … disciplined year. You have created a lifestyle that will be hard to loose at this point.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
Dude! I can’t believe it’s been a year. You look amazing. They need to make a female Ricky Bobby movie, so that Jen can go around calling you her hot hot husband. Dude, I’m so proud of you. Good luck in your 1/2-marathon.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:27 pm
Thanks guys. It’s been an awesome year, and I am really looking forward to what 08 has in store for me.
May 29th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Way to go Joe! You are inspirational and I really look forward to reading your half marathon race report.
May 29th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
A good long run | Andrew is getting fit says:[...] from Learning to Run has hit day 365 of his running journey. Head on over and see his great progress [...]
May 30th, 2008 at 7:36 am
Friday Photos |Pastor Joe Thorn says:[...] May 29th, marked one year of running for me. Honestly, when I started running my wife didn’t think I’d stick with it. She [...]
May 30th, 2008 at 11:34 am
alright! this is my first time visiting here. thanks for the inspiration you provide though this space.
do you do any other physical training other than run?
May 30th, 2008 at 11:54 am
No. I haven’t done any cross training at all, but that is going to change. I will begin core strengthening this summer.
May 30th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Well done Joe – the “before” and “after” pic show how much you have done. Thanks for all the posts which have been encouraging others (like me) to run and get fit.
May 31st, 2008 at 8:17 am
Socialist Sushi » Blog Archive » Year 32 says:[...] Funnily enough, he 1 year anniversary of running was May 29… 1 day after I turned 32. His post on that, especially the picture at the end, is helping me [...]
June 19th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Day 73 - Plans for the Weekend says:[...] is great. I can’t believe I have kept this up for 73 days so far. That in itself is due to Joe Thorne’s Blog where he has been running for a year and if I can repeat that, I’ll be a more than happy man, [...]