The second half of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 have come with a lot of changes for me. My wife and I decided to split up. I moved out of the house I’d lived in for 10 years with my wife and son and got an apartment closer to work. I decided that I was done being miserable in my job and to start making changes to facilitate a change of scenery, first by changing how I approach my job and what job I do there, and eventually (hopefully) changing my job entirely. And, most recently, I decided it was time to start looking after myself better physically as well, which is why I’m here.

First a few facts. I was an all state cross country runner in high school (16:02 5k, 9:58 2m, 4:26 1m) and went to college on a cross scholarship. That was 15 years ago now. Since then I’ve gained 80 lbs, an affinity for beer and good food, and a job who’s hours and demands make any sort of consistent training a nightmare (I work 48 hours a week, 12 hour shifts, from 6pm to 6am, often with mandatory overtime bringing the total up to 60 hours in 5 days). The job as its is now is somewhat physically demanding, lots of lifting and lots of walking on hard concrete floors (I covered 8 miles last night and by the end my feet were killing me. It was an average night). I’ve also recently been diagnosed with gout which adds another wrinkle to the whole situation.

So given these facts and a few others, I’ve settled on a few basic premises.

1. I cannot afford to be completely wrecked from a soreness standpoint when I return to work. I suspect this will become more manageable as I lose more weight and get into a bit better shape.
2. I need to closely monitor my body due to my gout and needing to be employed and not be afraid to take more “rest” days than I would like.
3. I can’t count on running alone to reach my goals. Knees and (especially) feet can’t handle the 90 mile weeks I put in once upon a time. Cross training of various sorts will be essential to losing weight and getting into better shape.
4. I’m never going to be a full time calorie counter. I like my beer and my food too much. But I think there is some utility in tracking my calories for a while, to get a better feel for exactly how bad my diet is and how much I need to make changes.
5. I need to be accountable. I don’t care to post about every workout or meal on the old facebook, and don’t intend to use this blog that way either. I suppose its more about being accountable to myself. If its all right here in black and white, I cant really hide from it (and I don’t expect anyone else to read this anyway).

So, goals.

1. In the short term my number one priority is to lose weight. My intention is to combine exercise, generally being more active, and some dietary changes to get there. I can’t do any of the rest of the things I want at 220 lbs for a 5 ft 7 male.
2. To be able to run again consistently. I tried to run for the first time in years 3 nights ago. It was an unmitigated disaster. Cardiovascular shape, general lack of strength, and especially my weight I think are the most serious factors contributing to the pain that was that 2 mile trot/walk.
3. To feel better about how I look. Dad bod be damned, I want to feel comfortable taking off my tshirt.
4. Bonus stretch goal: to run a marathon somewhere down the line. Can’t think about this one for too long because the distance from where I am to there seems too far. It’s overwhelming.

My intention is to use this blog to track my progress, and maybe share any insights I have along the way. Maybe I’ll be gone by February, but I hope not.

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