So Far So Good... Part 2

New beginnings...

It was time for something new. I had joined a weight loss challenge! - read about how I got there

I woke up encouraged. I remember putting on my old running shoes. Shoes that had carried me on several, too many to count, sprints and workouts during high school.  As I laced up my shoes, I felt even more encouraged. I was going to make a change. I was going to lose weight. I was going to become a healthier person. I remember thinking I'm a sprinter but I've run distance before, I can do this.  I may not like it, but I can do it. It may have been 5 years since I've run further than from the couch to the refrigerator but this should be no problem. What's more, I'll become a little more like the specimen I was in high school. I remember the morning being cool as I stepped outside. I felt refreshed. A whole life change was in front of me!

My plan was to just run for 20-ish minutes. 10 minutes out, turn around and come back. After a light warm-up I began to jog down my road. At the end I turned right to a paved country road. The trees lined either side and the leaves rustled softly with occasional morning breezes. I continued on. The road began to rise with a slight hill. My breathing quickened. My legs began to feel weaker. I could feel my heart beating hard. The hill continued and continued. My jog slowed, and slowed and slowed and became a walk, no, more of a trudge. I had made it maybe 1/4 mile and I couldn't run anymore.

I remember very few times of feeling more discouraged than I did at that moment. I can't do this. I'll never be what I once was. I'll always be overweight and unhealthy. This discomfort doesn't feel worth it.

With these discouraging thoughts running through my head, I found myself still walking, and, to my surprise, at the top of the hill. I thought about the family I had that were counting on me to be around for them. Even better, I thought about the cash prize for this weight-loss challenge I joined. I thought about my former self, the athlete that would have given up, even when the workout was hard. I went from a walk back to a slow jog.

I walked and jogged my way back home. I still felt down. I remember my wife asking how my run was. It sucked. It was hard. I hated it. I felt like I might die. But I'm glad I finished it.

To be continued...