HOW CAN SOMEONE OVERWEIGHT TURN THEIR LIFE AROUND SO MUCH IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME TO BECOME AN IRONMAN?
I ask myself this question all the time. Yet, it is still hard to believe how true it is. Let's talk about how I got here, and how anyone else can do the same thing!First, it should be noted that I am nobody special. I am not an elite athlete, a pro, or even a top finisher in what I do. This is not about me being any better than any other 45 year old man looking to make a difference in his health and fitness...it is only about how I am doing it, and hopefully it can inspire more "ordinary Joes" to have what I have now. I'm just me, a regular guy, with a passion for change!
By definition of "Obesity", I was Obese, although I didn't see myself as obese.
That said, it was only 2 short years ago that I was, I'll take the part of the definition that says "overweight" and forget the "grossly part. At 5'7" and 205 pounds, I was simply an overweight mid-lifer who fell into the trap of being busy working, eating improperly, and thinking "this is what life is, deal with it." When people would ask me about food choices, I used to joke about my weight and say "Look at me, do I look like I miss many meals!" With health issues, none life threatening (although after 2 episodes of Cardiac A-Fib, anything could have been possible), I just woke up one day and said "it doesn't have to be like this for me anymore." People always say "that's not for me though" and they learn to accept life....I say "Why not ME?"Flash forward...after several rounds of P90X, Insanity, Shakeology, and learning how to be more fit, and even a little more about nutrition, I lost the well needed 50-something overweight pounds. Wow, I did it!
But, wait! That just wasn't enough.
Sure, I felt great....although there were the occasional people who asked me if I was sick...really? What was missing? I wanted more? Almost felt a little greedy! My wife even told me "you're too obsessed with this fitness thing!"WAS I OBSESSED, OR JUST LOOKING TO TRI HARDER?
I found myself wanting to learn how to run, and of course as a type-A personality, I wanted to run faster! So, I started running in addition to my at-home Beachbody videos....although I never stopped doing videos, and always incorporate them into my "cross-training". So, I hit a 10-K race. Wow, that was an eye-opener! I did ok, but boy did I feel like I was hit by a truck crossing that finish line...horrible breathing, pain in my legs, and an overall sense of "that sucked!"So, I asked for help. I had a friend with stickers all over his truck with numbers 13.1, 26.2, 70.3, 140.6, and this funny one iM. This guy was obviously a beast, maybe he can help me. I asked for running tips to get faster, so he said "let's go for a run and see how you do!" In 2 short miles, he said "go ahead of me, I don't want to hold you back." When he got back, a few minutes after me on our 6 mile run, he said "I don't need to teach you how to run faster, you already are faster than me!" That was pretty encouraging! He then said "what you should do, is triathlons!" Uh-Oh....what is that? "Isn't that the thing that people do in the Olympics, and shoot guns, run, bike, and stuff like that?" Well, after some time explaining it to me, we drove over to a bike store and I bought a road bike.....my wife nearly killed me for that purchase, but it changed my life as we know it, and she wants to kill me even more now!
Fast forward, I have put in the work. I run 2-3x/week. I eat somewhat better (this is my worst part since i eat so much that I was thinking I can eat anything and it just burns off - HUGE MISTAKE)! That's for another time.
But, to wrap up on how I got here, and where I'm going, I basically found a couple of real good avenues to Tri harder:
1. I did a couple of Olympic Distance Triathlons, each a little faster than the previous ones. I even completed my first Half Iron Distance Triathlon in Montauk, getting a 5:47 time...one that I am completely amazed and proud of, and one that I shared with some amazing people...all on my way to ironMan.2. I got myself through every race thinking "Complete, not Compete." I did a good handful of 5K & 10K runs, breaking PR's basically in every race, even taking the podium a few times...one 1st place finish in my age group and 3rd place overall in a 5K...the big guns did not do this race, obviously, but still I was getting "competitive" because I was putting the work in.
3. I investigated more about, and experimented with, proper nutrition. I'm now going to return to one of the methods I used for Montauk, No Sugar No Grains....this will help me get real lean, and give me long-term release of energy during my longer events....I have bonked, and cramped, one too many times!
4. I started hanging out with similar-minded people...this is turning out to be the best thing that has happened to my multi-sport lifestyle (this for another time) but my Selden Hills Warriors, and especially my Wildwood Warriors, friends have simply changed my life....totally all for the better.
5. I took what I was doing seriously. This is not a hobby, or an obsession! For me, this is my lifestyle.
Well, today is the day I've been looking forward to for a couple of months, during the "off-season" (despite the fact that I have built an incredible foundation during the off-season with great training). Today is New Year's Day. A NEW DAY and a NEW YEAR for me!
TODAY I START MY FINAL LEG OF MY JOURNEY TO IRONMAN
I am doing things very differently. I will be more structured in my training - no more going for back-to-back runs, risking injury, over-training, and random nutrition plans. Now, I will log my nutrition, my training, and have the one major thing I did not have before:ACCOUNTABILITY
As an Independent Beachbody Coach, I was always trying to get other people to do their workouts, drink their shake, post about accomplishments and challenges, and just take responsibility for becomimng better versions (and usually smaller versions) of themselves. I had to also do what I told them to do, so I worked out, psoted, checked in, and encouraged by example. But, I never had anyone to answer to for myself, so I had times that I slacked, yet I still made progress....infatuation and obsession is not needed for results! All I had to do was just "keep pushing play, and keep on TRI-ing harder."The days of not having someone to answer to are gone! Now, I have a real USAT Certified Coach. Danielle Sullivan, a former PRO Triathlete...who knows so much more about this sport than I can ever imagine knowing. She has qualified for ironMan Kona about 6 times, and not only completed but "Competed" at the top level around the world. I am blessed to have her accept me as a candidate to be coached, and feel I am well on my way to an incredible ironMan finish. What I know for sure that I have now, more than yesterday, is someone to answer to. I can't just do it my way anymore, and that excites me immensely.
So, while I am not an ironMan yet....I am on my way, and feel so confident that this will be an amazing year.
I honestly cannot believe where I have come sometimes. But, this journey is one that anyone can do. I firmly believe that the body can achieve far greater things than the mind can conceive. I never stopped doubting that I could do things better than yesterday...and have always suited up thinking "give it a try, go hard, smart, and when you finish, hope you surprised yourself."
The bottom line: this is one of my most amazing journeys. I look forward to documenting it and making it something to be proud of and to share with other "ordinary Joe's" that can possibly latch on to my idealogy and just dig deeper to bring it and git-r-done!
Let's goooooo!
