Exercise: Find what you love and DO IT!

I am so excited!  Lindsey and I just got signed up for the Park to Park 1/2 Marathon earlier today!  It is on Sept. 11th in Cedar Falls, and there is a 5k or a 10k for those of you not up to the 13.1 miles that the 1/2 marathon offers.

Many of you have known me for a while now and are wondering what happened to me?  I used to hate running!  Even when I was in high school, I was out for many sports, but never cared for running!  Well things have changed.  My friend Don led me into running in March.  I told him I was inspired by seeing what he had been able to accomplish with his weight loss and his new found love of running.  So I tried it.  The first night I was all excited and took off for the grocery store (5 blocks away).  I didn't make it.  On about block 4 my lungs started burning so bad that I had to stop.  I felt like I was going to die!  Why did it hurt so bad?  I had a lot of questions, but only one answer... running was not for me.

I called Don and told him I tried to run, but it didn't work out.  I explained that I had been working out on an elliptical machine all winter and had lost over 30 pounds.  I could run at a good pace on the elliptical for nearly an hour, but for some reason I couldn't run four blocks on the street.  Don assured me that it would get better.  He told me that it is hard to go from working out on an elliptical to actually letting your feet hit the pavement.  He told me to take it easy to start, but to try some run/walks to get moving in the right direction.  I was too stubborn to give up, so I ran a few more times that week.  The second try I made it all the way to the grocery store... I think everyone wondered why on earth I was so red in the face and sweating profusely, but I made it!  I even was able to jog home carrying a few groceries.

From that point on I was able to run a little farther every time I went out.  Soon I was running a full mile without having a heart attack!  A couple days later Don called.  How far are you able to run, he asked.  I told him that I could go a mile and a half, maybe 2 miles.  Don's response... Great! I just signed you up for your first 5k!  I told him there was no way that I could run 3.1 miles.  He told me I'd do great, and that he would run with me and coach me through it.

So that following Saturday, hardly two full weeks since nearly collapsing while trying to run 5 blocks to the grocery store, Don and I ran the Fools 5k in Cedar Falls!  I didn't break any records, but I was able to finish with minimal walking!  I couldn't believe how good I felt when I crossed the finish line!  What a sense of accomplishment!  If you have never done it, it would be hard to understand, but believe me - you need to experience it!  I felt so motivated that I was able to complete a race!  That was it.  I was hooked!

 Later that day when I got home, my wife was so excited for me!  She asked me how it went, and I told her all about it.  I told her how I felt when I crossed the finish line, and how cool it was to hang out with so many fit and friendly people after the race.  Hundreds of people, and not one of them smoking a cigarette!  That was my kind of crowd!  Lindsey was compelled to run a race with me.  She went out and ran 3 miles the next day!  That was a mistake!  Her knees were in pain for about 2 weeks just from over-doing it that first day.  So then she was convinced to take it a little slower from the start.  We worked up to being able to run 3 miles and signed up for another 5k in Cedar Falls.

The cool thing, not only Lindsey ran with me, but 2 of her sisters decided to give it a shot too!  How cool is that... after running only one race, I was able to inspire 3 great ladies to run with me!  We all ran the 5k and did pretty well.  I think I improved my time a little and didn't really have to walk at all, so it was great!  Next came the Run Like a Mother 4 Mile race!  I didn't think I could handle 4 miles, but we did just fine and once again improved our time a little more!  This time, it was Lindsey, her 2 sisters, and her little sister's boyfriend!  Once again very cool to have so many want to run with us!

Next came a 7 mile race in Cedar Rapids.  Lindsey and I thought there was no way we could handle 7 miles but wanted to give it our best shot!  Guess what?  We were able to run all 7 miles without walking!  I never would have believed that I could run 7 miles!  My wife and her sister were so happy with that race that they worked on me to run a 1/2 Marathon at Sturgis Falls Days in Cedar Falls in late June.  I told them they were crazy, and that I had no business even trying it. 

They got the best of me.  Sturgis Falls 1/2 marathon here I come!  I just couldn't believe what I got myself into!  What were we thinking?  13.1 miles?  How? 

We got to the race and I was still very overwhelmed thinking about it!  I just couldn't fathom running that far!  Well, we took off with all of the other runners and the next thing you know, we were 1/2 way through!  Not so bad!  Granted, there had been a ton of praying and asking God to get me through this race, and boy did we!  Although the race was cut a little short by flood water, we were able to finish at a respectable time (for us)!  Once again, I can't begin to explain the emotions and feelings that sweep over your body when you run through the finish line of a race like this!  I'm not going to lie.  There were a few tears running down my face as I finished that one!  Unbelievable!  I never in a million years thought that I would run a 1/2 marathon!  What a great feeling!

Since the 1/2, Lindsey and I have continued training 3 days per week (or trying to), we have run in a few more 5k's.  One that stands out was the 4th of July!  That was the day my brother Eric ran his first 5k!  I ran it with him, much like Don had done for me, and kept him motivated and we finished it together!  He was so excited!  He, like me, never thought that he would run a 5k!  He is now running with us a couple times per week and really making improvement!  Lindsey and I also ran in the Dike Watermelon Day's Phil Kruger 5k a couple weeks ago.  We were so excited to see how our time had improved after only a few months of training!  My 5k time dropped from 34 minutes in April to 26 minutes in August!  I feel so good!  I can't wait to see how much I can improve by next year! 

That is the thing with running for me.  It is addictive because I always want to do a little better than I did the time before.  I compete against myself constantly.  I love the feeling of getting better.  I love the feeling of getting other people into it and seeing them become addicted to running as well!  It has been a great part of my journey to get fit and get healthy.  My hope is that all of you might find your thing and go with it!  Whether it's running, swimming, biking, whatever it is, if you love it - stick with it and keep after it to help get you to your goals!  You will find that others will be inspired by your love for exercise and be motivated to follow in your footsteps!

Before I finish up, I want to share just a few pointers that my wife and I have learned... many of them the hard way!

1) Make sure you have the right shoes!  If there is gray on the inside of the sole, they offer arch support.  Make sure you need it.  My wife had support shoes unknowingly and didn't need them.  Her knees and legs were MUCH happier once she got the correct "neutral" shoes!  To find out what you need, visit a specialty running store and have them watch or video record you while you run on a treadmill.  The Runner's Flat in Cedar Falls is where we go.

2) Get the right socks!  The performance socks are worth it!  You can even get them at Wal Mart or Target for pretty cheap.  They keep your feet drier and happier while running!

3) Wear a performance shirt and shorts too!  Cotton T-Shirts weigh you down when they are wet from perspiration!  Get a "wicking" performance shirt, once again, you don't have to spend that much money for them... check Target or Wal Mart.

4) Find a running partner, or partners to keep you motivated.  It is much easier to stay with it when there is someone else pushing you along!

5) Start SLOW.  Like my wife, you could end up on the couch for a while if you push too far or too fast before you are ready!

6)  Don't put off signing up for your first race (probably a 5k).  I had thought that I would run one or two 5k's this year.  With my friend's persuasion, I ran in my 1st one before I thought I could.  That made all the difference for me.  I built confidence to get after it and run many more races!  So get off the couch and just run one already!!

7)  Lindsey and I found out that GU was not for us!  It almost made her sick before our 1/2 marathon.  If you don't know what GU is, it is like eating flavored tar.  It has caffeine and other things to help you with energy, but wow, we couldn't handle it.  We now use Advocare's SLAM 2 oz. energy drink, and Advocare's O2 Gold.  SLAM is an energy drink that gets you moving and gives you energy to spare!  O2 Gold is an Herbal Supplement that enhances the body's use of oxygen.  It's nickname is the "third lung".  I can definitely tell a difference during my runs when I use these 2 products.

8)  GET AFTER IT!  Get motivated and set goals!  Pray, don't be afraid to ask for the ambition, strength, and perseverance to make it through a race!  I spend a lot of time clearing my head and praying while running!  I find it really helps keep me moving when I feel like God is with me and helping me to make it to the finish line!

Ok, that's enough.  I don't really know what I'm doing, but I know that I'm doing what I love!  I want all of you to figure out what it is that you love to do, and get busy doing it!  It will help you attain your lifestyle and fitness goals, and you'll have a blast doing it!  Get after it!

Michael