Today marks the end of the first year since I laced up a new pair of running shoes and started the C25K running plan. A running plan designed to take a complete couch potato and get them to the stage where they can run 5Km (3.1 miles) at a time.

I had just turned 38 the previous week and after evaluating my weight (230 lbs) and fitness, I had decided I wanted to be in the best shape of my life by the time I turned 40. I wanted to lose at least 50 lbs and I figured 2 years would be a good start. I had tried running in the past and only stuck with for 3-4 weeks. I had tried to lose weight in the past, but would usually stall after losing the first 10-15 lbs and then I would gain it back. I was determine to not repeat the cycle again this time around!

Even now when I think back to those early days, I’m amazed at how far I’ve managed to come. At the start, I could barely run 60 seconds, and now I just did an 18-mile long run this past Sunday. I was able to lose 50 lbs by the end of 2006, and while I haven’t lost any more in the last 6 months, I’ve kept it off.

Here are some of my accomplishments:

The following chart shows my daily runs since finishing the C25K plan:

The following chart shows my weekly mileage since finishing the C25K plan:

When I started running, my only goal was to lose weight. Since starting though, I have managed to set new goals for myself. I initially wanted to run a marathon around now, June 2007, but I realized that I would not be properly prepared and even though the general advice for first-time marathoners is to just finish, I can never be satisfied with that. My goal is run a sub 4-hr marathon. I don’t know if that is even a possibility, but it’s something I need to strive for and work towards.

On my long runs, I actually spend a lot of time thinking about why I’m there running and what motivates me. I think the answer is improvement. There are three ways I can improve:

• Lose weight
• Run further
• Run faster

As long as I see an improvement in one of those areas, I’m motivated to go out running the following week. In the beginning, I would see improvements in all three at the same time….oh how I miss those beginner days. Now I still see improvements, but it tends to come in just one of those areas. Today, it’s running further as I gradually increase my weekly mileage and my long runs.

The other motivating factor I have right now is knowing that every day that passes, I’m one day closer to the Chicago marathon. I can’t say that I enjoy running and as matter of fact, if given a choice between going for a run at 5 am or sleeping an extra 2 hours, I would much rather sleep the extra two hours. I’m too competitive with myself though and I know I wouldn’t be satisfied with my marathon performance unless I gave it my very best attempt.

I haven’t lost any weight recently, but this week, one year after I managed to set goals for myself to lose weight, I’m setting new goals. I really want to lose another 20lbs to get down to 160. I’m going to resume tracking everything I eat and ensure I maintain a calorie deficit so I can lose about 2 lbs a week.

Posted by derek in Training, Weight Loss