King of the mountain once again!

 For the last bit I have been getting over a lame back injury. The sad thing is that when I was injured my fitness level was already on the down swing. Between trying to fit more family time in and just overall becoming lazier, I have gained some serious weight back. I have always been blessed with confidence, but confidence can be a 2 edged sword. In my case I became over confident. 

 

You see when most fatties like me come to realize they need to lose weight they are plagued with bad eating habits, poor fitness level, and low self esteem. I on the other hand have always had the not so healthy eating habits, but figured running and other exercises would justify that. I am fortunate that for the most part it did work, but not very fast and when exercise decreased, eating would not.

I figured that since I am in such wonderful shape and can out run most people who weigh even 50 lbs less than me, I will have no problem getting back into the lean mean Gator running machine. So came the moment of truth this past weekend.

I headed out to a regular route that I have done dozens of times and figured that yes I might be a little slower, but overall I am the king and am therefore entitled to no problems, right? 

As I huffed and puffed up and down the steep hills on Saturday I hit my moment of truth. I am an out of shape fatty once again. Now to toot my own horn I was able to run a good chunk of the 9 mile loop and my time was not as horrible as it could have been, and I thank my lucky stars that I still have somewhat of a strong fitness base. However I must confess that as I approached certain parts of the trail I was tempted to call my wife for a ride home. When I felt that way I truly was very tired, but mostly bored. This brings me to what really is the tough part, accumulating a positive mind set again.

Since I have this site already up I figured that I might as well use it to keep others up to date on my progress.

Come back

Alright to be completely honest I thought about not coming back to this site. I don’t know what it is about this place that I have such a love/hate relationship with.
Part of me hates feeling like another blog in cyber space, let alone a preachy know it all blog about exercise. That’s not to discredit my experience or knowledge on the subject. I spend many hours studying exercise and love to talk about it with willing listeners.  That is one of the reasons I keep coming back. Another would be the fact that this is my own site and can really put whatever I want to on it. It’s like a little kid who gets his own clubhouse, might not be much but it’s a place to be you.

Running for me has its likes and dislikes.
But obviously there is more to like that will keep me coming back for more. Right now I am still struggling with a stupid back issue I have and running has slightly changed. While it is frustrating to deal with the loss of muscle and coordination during this time, there is a spark of determination that has been ignited in me.

While out on the trails I will sometimes take the time to glance at the scenery and appreciate the outdoors. However lately, there is a drive inside of me now that was not there before. When I go out to run I do just that, I am there to run. 

Yes it has its frustrations and time commitments that can run a person down. In fact that is why I love it. No matter how hard it gets, you will always get what you put into it. If you want to accomplish an ultra marathon, half marathon, 5k or whatever, it is up to you. You can decide how to react to the sport. You can also decide how to reward those who support you as well. I know it all sounds so simple, right? Well that is up to you. Get movin!

Side note:

For me this upcoming year I am not signed up for any races. I don’t know why but I am really turned off by the marketing of trail runs and road runs alike. I hate it! To me running is sacred in its own way, to treat it like a product gets under my skin. That is not to say I may not end up signing up for some stuff, but we shall see. Needless to say I am very picky about joining organized events.

Checking out

Due to a back injury right now I have not been able to run and do not know when I will be able to get back into full swing. I probably will not be posting for some time. This does not mean that I will stop exercising, only taking a break from this site for a while. Thank you for all of the emails I have been sent and for all of the personal stories that have been shared with me. I have met some great people through this site, and hope to meet more in the future. Until next time, STAY ACTIVE!