Running Into Danger

On Saturday I ran in the Cowtown Marathon. That's what the people in Fort Worth call their annual event in which participants pay to put themselves through gruelling torchure. Before you start thinking that I must be laid up in a hospital by now let me assure you, I did not run a marathon. If you don't know, a marathon is 26.2 miles. Yes, this is an insane distance to travel by foot. So far, infact, that in the largest cities the only way that this run can be done within city limits is for the run to go in a big circle, or perhaps three or four straight lines that interconnect. Let me put this in perspective: When I give Movies.com a distance of 25 miles to find a particular movie that I want to see it gives me theaters on the other side of Houston from where I am. That would be like running to Houston and then keeping running. Insane.

So, no, I did not, at 5'11", 230 lbs. having never run more than 3 miles without stopping in my life; I, who is out of shape and has really never been in good enough shape to run ten miles, much less 26.2, I did not run a marathon. The Cowtown also features shorter, more acheivable feats such as half marathons and 5 and 10K runs. I ran the 10K which equals out to 6.2 miles. Before you start being all impressed, stop and think. I just said I've never run 3 miles before, so needless to say I did a little walking. I ran about 2.5 miles and walked about a mile before I decided that I really wanted to finish and the best way to do that quickly was to run. So I ran the rest. The next day I was very sore, but it felt good. It felt good to run and to finish and to feel at least a little closer to health.

But, here is my problem. I never stick with excersise or eating right or anything that is very difficult. The most difficult things that I do are usually things that are finished in a matter of weeks or months and so long term commitments are few and far between. Don't get me wrong. Some of these short term accomplishments can be tough. But, I can count on one hand the number of things that I haven't grown tired of and given up on. I've started and stopped work out programs and diets and all sorts of things that I know will make me feel better simply because I get tired of them. I'm not, like many people, a creature of habit. I'm the opposite. I embrace change. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. When it comes to things that are good for me it is obviously a bad thing. (When it comes to obsessing over stupid things, it's a good thing.)

That's where you come in. My faithful readers. I've decided to document on my blog, here, my road to health. I'm choosing not to think of this in terms of getting skinny or looking good. I'm consentrating on health. Likewise, because it is much easier for me to convince myself to excersise than to eat right, I'm going to first change my excersise consistancy instead of worrying too much about what I eat. Afterall, I don't eat all that bad to begin with. Amanda sees to that. Here's my plan with regard to eating:

1. Drink less beer
2. bake instead of fry.
3. No more cookie binges at 10 o'clock at night
4. No food at all after 9 pm, except water
5. Eat breakfast and eat lunch so that I'm not starving and pig out after school (This is sometimes an issue for me.)

That's it. That's not a huge change. Here's the tough part.

1. Run 4 days a week
2. Run 6 miles a week for four weeks straight.
3. After 4 weeks begin running 10 miles a week and increase distance with time.

You're job is going to be to email me or comment here asking how I'm doing. The simple fact that you're here and you know what I'm doing will help. I never thought I'd be able to keep up a blog and yet here I am almost a year later. I truly believe that my dislusion that someone is out there waiting for the next installment is what keeps me here. Hopefully, if I think that I'm accountable to the vast network of bloggers I can at least fool myself into thinking that my health is more important than just me. Which really, it is.