NSV - Wait, I'm fast?

At my worst, I was a 5'10", 225 guy. I was fat. Like rolls on my back, fat. That was in 2006. I've been up and down both physically and emotionally since then, and really only ever got down to 169 because of starving myself or bouts with depression. Also, from 2000 to 2010, I was smoking a pack a day.

While practicing for a charity kickball tourney in the 2010, I could sprint to 1st with the best of 'em. Beyond that, forget it. My friend Matt convinced me to take up running, but I'd always used excuses: bad knees, I hate treadmills, etc. I was fooling myself.

Matt convinced me to try Couch to 5K, so I gave it a shot. On the day I began the program, July 31, 2010, I finished my last cigarette and got started. It was a brutal nightmare. Run for a minute? Like a whole minute? Thank God I could walk for 5 minutes after that!

Since that date, I haven't had a single cigarette, I've taken up yoga, I run around 4 times per week, completed 12 races and just this Saturday, competing in my 3rd Philadelphia Phillies 5K. I finished with a time of 24:54. 8:01/mile! I looked down at my legs and said, "How in the hell did you two just do that?" I could almost cry. That's how I proud I am right now.

I'm bloated today from a few weekend birthdays, but I feel great. I'm looking skinnier every day and I WILL be 160 this year, the right way. And I wouldn't have dreamed of calling myself a runner before, but since January, I've been training for the 10 mile Philadelphia Broad Street Run!

I just wanted to share that for anyone who's afraid they can't do it, whether their "it" is running, eating right or just losing weight. Every one of those goals is just something you haven't done YET. And if you fall down, who cares? Get back up again.

Good luck everyone! And thanks for letting me share.