One day, I took my 325 pound couch potato self to Disneyland for a vacation. It was around Christmas time in 2009 and I wanted to show the family a good time. Then, the unthinkable happened. My world came crashing down as I was kicked off of a ride in front of everyone because I was too big to fit in the seat. It was humiliating, embarrassing and unexpected. But, it changed my life.

I realized that my life needed to change. I also realized that I have missed out on so much in my own life because I never took control of my health. I missed out on serving in the military because I was too big, I missed becoming a police officer because I was too out of shape, and I missed achieving some of the dreams in my life.

Not any more. I threw away the fear of failure and dared to do something impossible. In one year, I lost over 100 pounds and did something that I never thought I could do – I ran a marathon. I achieved the impossible and it was the most amazing thing ever.

The next year, I traveled the country, seeing new cities 26.2 miles at a time on a marathon tour, all while training for the impossible - the title of IRONMAN!

On June 24, 2012, I crossed the Ironman finish line in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, listening to Mike Reilly announce me as an Ironman, after a long day and 140.6 miles.

I am continuing on my journey, getting through the ups and downs of maintaining a new, fit lifestyle. Life is good, and I want to live it to the fullest.

This blog celebrates our ability to achieve things that seem impossible.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

An awkward run

Today was not the greatest.

Last night for dinner I had a really heavy dinner of steak, mashed potatoes, and corn. I didn't sleep too well and am in kind of a funk. I got up this morning and really had to force myself to go out for my run, especially after seeing a 1 pound weight gain on the scale. Nothing was in sync today. Maybe there was some kryptonite lurking around, but I was not feeling like my normal self. I stretched out and took off for the morning run.

The run was very awkward today. I was considerably slower than I have been and ended up running the 5 miles in 48:23 with no rhythm whatsoever. I ached and was glad when the run was over. I still made the scheduled distance and could have gone farther, but I really didn't want to today. Such a clunky run that you think I would be miserable right now.

True, I am not on top of my game today, but I am not feeling sorry for myself or in a bad mood. Why? Well, I completed my run today. It wasn't pretty, but I still did what I had planned to do. Because of how I was feeling, I listened to my body and didn't push myself faster and ended up with a slower time, but still completed the run.

The great thing about coming so far in getting in shape is that even the bad days look good. Gaining a pound doesn't look so bad when I can still say I have lost 87. Looking at the photo of the old me (which I have put up on my bathroom mirror to remind me to not let history repeat itself) I still am proud of where I am now and where I am going. Running 5 miles at about 9:40 a mile is not bad when you consider that I wasn't able to run 1/4 of a mile at the beginning of the year.

Despite the funk I am in, when you look at the whole picture it still can be said that life is good.
Posted by at

1 comment:

  1. I can SOOO appreciate being in a funk, Travis...me too! You continue to be an inspiration to me and I turn to your blog every day, knowing that I will see something to inspire me.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)