First Running Blog Post

A good first post for a running blog includes a synopsis of the runner's history and goals. I'll get right on with it so you can move on with your life.
I've been interested in fitness in one form or another for most of my life. As a kid I played a lot of basketball and spent a lot of time roaming the town on my bike. As soon as I was able, I joined sports teams and stuck with them for a long time.
But between my sophomore year in high school and two years after I graduated from college, I somehow lost interest. I was more concerned with other things. Sex, drugs, and rock and roll...Money, power respect...That sort of stuff.
One day, my big sister told me I looked really big. At first I was flattered. I was used to being a skinny kid my whole life and hadn't thought about my weight to that point.

(me at 245 lbs. with the sister in question on the very date of my epiphany)


But then I realized what she said. It was shocking. I went home, took my shirt off, and looked at my huge gut in the mirror for about five minutes. She was right! I was really big. I freaked out. At that point I realized that I had to change my lifestyle.
I did so immediately. I bought some fitness books and started a combination of weight lifting, cross training, and running short distances on a treadmill.
More or less, I stuck with that plan until the late fall of 2009, when I was invited to run my first 5k race that December. Since a number of my friends and family agreed, I figured what the hell.
Since then, I have found myself increasingly afflicted by an indulgence in running. After the December 5k, I ran another in May 2010, then a Half at the end of that month, a 10k in October 2010, and most recently another Half last month in Hyannis, Ma.

(47 lbs. lighter at my 3rd Half Marathon- the Hyannis Half Marathon- 3/27/11)


This blog marks the beginning of my next running adventure: the marathon. I hope other runners find it interesting and useful, but to be honest, I would be happiest if it helps me grow as a runner. Training for a marathon is going to take a lot of commitment, and having something like this might provide just the amount of accountability and narcissistic massaging I need to keep motivated over the next 20 weeks.
Goal: Nova Scotia Marathon in Barrington, NS on July 24, 2011