After reading my friend Beth's blog and learning she had run 87 miles in October, I went to add up my miles for October. I ran 52 miles last month. Going further back, I calculated that since March, I have run and/or walked a total of 406 miles (June was my highest month at 60 miles). That's about 15-20 hours of exercise a month. I have run 10 races so far in 2011: seven 5Ks, two 10Ks, and one 1-Miler. I finished my first 5K in 41 minutes; my fastest 5K was 30 minutes in October.
Add to that, losing over 110 lbs since May 2010 and going from a size 4XL to XL in that same timeframe. AND, getting my diabetes under control to the point that I don't have to take any medications now. I am pretty pleased with these statistics and accomplishments, especially for a guy who couldn't run up the stairs a year ago.
I am so very grateful for all the family and friends who have been so supportive during this journey. I am also very fortunate to have tough yet encouraging personal trainers who have kept pushing me to test my limits (in a safe manner to avoid injury). And I am thankful to God for giving me the strength to keep going, because that is the only explanation I have for getting this far.
It is good to celebrate your achievements. It is important to have short and long term goals and to set milestones along the way. And you need to recognize and 'high five' when you reach a milestone. They energize and motivate you to keep moving forward -- to push through the tough moments -- towards the next one. Put a mental image of what life will look like when you reach that final goal and hold onto that until it is a reality.
I have good days and bad days. But I will never waiver from my goal. I have more weight to lose, and more races to conquer. And I plan to succeed. Don't know when that day will arrive, but I know the day WILL come! I am still thinking of how I will celebrate it! :)
This Saturday is my next racing milestone -- the Hot Chocolate 15K in Chicago. My main goal is to finish the race strong. Since this is my first 15K, I am not sure what to expect for a finish time, but I am shooting to finish in less than 1 hour, 45 minutes. I will be running it with my buddy Mike which is a big plus! I am really looking forward to this race as it will be my first glimpse of what the WDW Half Marathon will feel like (both in terms of distance and size).
Wish me luck!