Mission Accomplished!

Well, I can say that I am a marathoner!  I can't believe it but I completed my goal and finished the LA Marathon last month.

I've been waiting to write this post about my run because honestly, it has taken me a while to process what I've done.

Let's start with the basics.  My time was 6:32 minutes.  My goal was to be under 6 hours but that didn't happen.  I ended up waking the last 9 miles because I was feeling pretty nauseous.  Leave it to a dietitian to screw up race-day nutrition!  Regardless of my time, I never felt down, or upset or angry.  I finished and above all things, I kept moving forward. I even put a reminder on my hands to keep me focused on the goal, "Forward is a pace."

The day was filled with emotions.  I was scared and nervous as my wife drove me to the starting line. I could barely eat my pre-race meal because of my nerves.  When I got to the starting line I calmed down and I was so happy to have some friends from work there who I was going to run with.  My father also came to send me off as well.  We were supposed to run together but an injury during training sidelined him for the big day.

As the race started and I waited for my turn to cross the starting line, my first tears of the day began to form.  I was really going to do this.  With all the training and anticipation, I couldn't believe the moment was finally here and in that moment I realized why I was doing this.

Ready for the start.

I was challenging myself because even though I am a totally different person, there is still a part of me that thinks of myself the young man that weighed 300+ pounds that could not walk up a flight of stairs and who shied away from any exercise. That person does not exist anymore, but the memory of that former life is like I'm am still living it.  So crossing the start line I raised my hands up in joy because the courage was to start, and not in the finish.  I started this journey to prove to myself (again) that I am strong. That I am an athlete.  That I am a runner and that I can do anything I put my mind to.

Greeting my kids

During the race there were other moments of joy filled tears.  Tears came twice as I saw the video message that my wife and kids made as it played on the big screen at mile 8 and 21.  There were more tears as I met  my kids at mile 23.  It was a moment I will never forget and I honestly can't think which was more meaningful, the kiss and hugs I got from my kids or finally crossing the finish line. Of course there were even more tears as I finally crossed the finish line and was reunited with my wife!  What I didn't expect, though, were the tears that came in the days after as I began to reflect on what I had done.  Not one tear was from pain, sadness or anguish, but rather joy, pride and awe.

Hugging my wife at the finish line

I ran the marathon alone but I couldn't have done it without so much support from friends and family.  I have to, of course, thank my wife for being my biggest cheerleader and supporter.  Seeing my friends and family along the course was so great so thanks to everyone who came out to cheer me along.  Thanks also should be given to my father who helped me train.  Running with him early weekend mornings was an amazing experience!  I should also thank my un-official coach Juli for helping me plan training runs and listening to me while I worried about each new milestone.  And lastly, I have to thank my friend Dana who was my first running partner.  She was such a great help to me.  Every time I had a bad run or had any self-doubt, she helped me refocus and encouraged me to stay positive. The best thing she did was jumping in at mile 19 and walking the last part of that marathon with me.  Having her alongside me helped me move forward each step.  Thank you to you all!

Overall I have to say my marathon experience was nothing but positive.  Remember, up until just a couple of years ago, I've never been a runner.  So this milestone was huge for me.  If I can go from the couch to 26.2 miles in just a couple of years, so can you.  I'm already thinking of what my next race will be.  Maybe a half marathon, maybe a 10k or maybe another marathon.  Are you inspired by my story?  Want to join me?

I got my medal!

The mass of runners climbing Hill St.

All smiles at mile 24!

Dana greets me at mile 19

Ready for 26.2!?

My apologies for not updating this blog more frequently but life has been busy.

I've written about my fitness bucket list that I created to help motivate myself and others to be more active and so far its been working.  I am getting ready to cross the first thing off my list.  Watch out world, because I will be running the LA Marathon this Sunday, March 17th.

There are so many emotions as I get ready for this Sunday.  I'm excited because the long road of training is finally over.  I'm anxious about my performance.  I'm scared of not being able to finish.  I am proud of how far I have come to date.

My goal is to finish the marathon.  I won't lie, I wish I was faster but I'm not. I wish I could run without walk breaks but I can't.   I wish I could finish in under 5 hours but I won't.  But I have to keep telling myself that it is about progress not perfection.  Three years ago I would have never dreamed of doing a marathon and each long training run has been a new personal record for distance. I look forward to setting a new personal record this Sunday!

My running partner shared a great quote with me today that captures it all, "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." -John Bingham, spokesperson for the slow running movement.

What will you have the courage to start?

Exercise and Find Your Greatness

I just turned 40 this month.  As with any milestone birthday, I have taken some time to reflect and think about life; where I've come from and where I'm heading.  I'm amazed at how my life has changed over the past 10 years, I have a new career, I got married and had two amazing kids.  

I've also had time to think about my health and how that has changed (for the better) over the past 10-15 years.  From weighing 300+ pounds nearly 15 years ago to working on becoming an Intuitive Eater.  I've biked 100 miles in a day and found pleasure in running.  

I've also been watching a lot of coverage of the London Olympics.  I guess I'm like many others out there but the athletes have really amazed and inspired me.  So I guess I have exercise on the brain!


Coincidentally, there has been some news about the benefits of exercise.  This article from the New York Times highlights a couple of studies that look at which is more effective in helping people lose weight.  Each study showed that exercise did not have the same overall benefit on weight loss as did healthier low calorie diets. 

What does this mean for you?  In my experience as a dietitian (and as a person trying to lose weight and get healthy), most people exercise for one reason: to burn calories.  They join boot camps, push their bodies and go to the gym for the purpose of sweating off the pounds or burning last night's dinner.  But like the article points out, "People stick with low-calorie diet more readily than they continue with exercise to drop pounds."

There in lies the rub. You shouldn't do anything just to "drop pounds"  When you focus on weight you forget the simple goal of improved health.  By just focusing on how many calories you burn on the treadmill, you lose sight of the fact that you might not enjoy running on the treadmill and you'd get much more pleasure from walking outside.  Some people actually gain weight when they start to exercise.  Read this woman's journey with a half-marathon and her weight here. 

What do I recommend? I recommend finding an activity that you love.  Get inspired to try something new.  Our bodies are capable of so much.  Just watch what the Olympic athletes are doing in London.

Need more inspiration that just watching the Olympics? Take a look at these new Nike ads, "Find Your Greatness"







"Greatness is not some rare DNA strand.  It is not some precious thing.  Greatness is no more unique to us than breathing.  We're all capable of it.  All of us."  Greatness is within all of us, we just need to find it.  So go out and find your greatness, that is what I plan to do.

So in a grand gesture worthy of a 40th birthday, I'm committing to finding my greatness.  Not to burn calories or to lose inches, but because I know I have it in me, and you do too.  Huffington Post had a great article this week about an exercise bucket list and I thought that was a great idea.  Here is my exercise bucket list.  What is yours?

1. Run the 2013 LA Marathon
2. Ride up Alpe d'Huez
3. Complete the Aids Lifecycle
4. Kayak with dolphins
5. Embrace the mindfulness of yoga
6. Complete a triathlon (no matter how short/long) 

Becoming an Intuitive Runner

At the finish of my 2nd 10K.  Notice the smile
on my face!

Since the start of 2011, I've found that I really enjoy running! I never EVER thought I would say that but it's true. All this coming from someone who swore they would never run again after Jr. High PE.

Why do I like running? First off, I feel really good about myself after a run.  I get this amazing feeling like I can do anything.  Secondly, I find that after a run, I'm more centered, my stress level is down and I feel better throughout the day.

Just like all things exercise in my past, I hit a bit of a drop in my running over the past few months.  Lack of motivation and less free time to run with my great running partner have really had an affect on my workouts. Even though I missed running, for some reason I couldn't get out and do it...even though rationally I knew I would feel better after. 

But after using some of my Intuitive Eating (IE) principles, I think I might have found the answer to my running.  I am pleased to say that I am on my way to becoming an intuitive runner! 

What is intuitive running? For me it starts with this foundation: tune into what my body is telling me before, during and after a run.

Here are some of my self-created principles for intuitive running:

1) Run just to run no matter how fast or how slow.  When I started running, I enjoyed the challenge.  I signed up for a 10K and completed it.  But a funny thing happened when I was running my race. I got really frustrated that I wasn't faster and that people were passing me.  I finished my race and looked at my time and saw that I was in the bottom 2/3rd of all finishers.  I asked myself, "Why can't I run faster?" and instead of enjoying the experience, I was beating myself up for something that was not realistic. From now on I'm taking the advice from my running partner and just running to run.  To let go of the inner dialogue and listen to what my body is telling me.

2) Who says I can't take a break?  I've changed how I run to running for 5-6 minutes and then walking for 1 minute.  It's a modified Jeff Galloway method of running and so far I love it.  I am more energized after each run and I notice that I can go further distances without more effort.  The funny thing is that when I told my wife about this she asked how this could be intuitive running with such a strict structure to your run (My wife is brilliant by the way). It made me think about it and I realized that it is intuitive running because by taking a break I can listen to my body, see how I feel and continue to run without the negative self-talk like, "Why aren't you running faster?"

3) Take a pause to listen to your body.  I've notice that during my runs in the past, I would be so focused on the time and distance that I never enjoying the journey of running.  I especially noticed this during my 10K races.  But when I ran with my running partner, we'd chat about family, food and running and the time would fly by.  It was these runs that helped me enjoy the journey.   I have seen that since I started to take a 1 minute break every five to six minutes, I can focus on how I feel, notice my surroundings and enjoy the experience of running.

Just like Intuitive Eating, my running is a process and just how I counsel clients to embrace the process of becoming an Intuitive Eater, I too am embracing the process of becoming an intuitive runner.  I  am embracing it so much that I am seriously considering doing the 2013 LA Marathon so stay tuned!

As always, I welcome your comments.