It's been 4 years, here's my story.

It's been 4 years since I've started my journey. I thought I would share it here. Maybe someone can find some inspiration, useful information, and if for nothing else it's always good to recap on the successes that you have made. It will be a long post, and I will talk a lot about running. I honestly feel that running has saved my life - in so many ways.

Rewind to late February of 2012. I was roughly 240lbs, and a pack a day smoker. I was just about to turn 26 on March 1st (It's my birthday). I was unhappy; I was always a bigger guy, both in size and frame. In my teens and 20-21 I was pretty active, I had labor intensive jobs that kept my weight down. Sure I was still overweight but I was also 'built tough' for a lack of a better description.

I then went to the University, where I started working laboratory jobs, drinking and eating more. I was smoking more as well. I first started smoking when I was 16. It escalated to a pack a day habit probably around the age of 22.

Over the next few years the weight started to add up, until I reached a point of approximately 240lbs+ (I don't really know my exact starting point. I was too embarrassed).

It was February 27th, 2012 just a few days before my 26th birthday that I decided to make some changes. I was turning 26. I'm no spring chicken anymore but I'm also not old by any means. I came to the realization that If I don't make these changes today, that the years will tick by, and my health and happiness will continue in a downward spiral down the drain of self-loathing and pity, a place in which no one should find themselves.

It was a mild night in North Central Wisconsin for that time of year. There was a light snow falling (#noexcuses), but the winds were calm and the pavement was calling me.

I went for my first run. I've never really ran in the past, sure for gym class or as a kid but never really just ran.

It was pathetic. I could only run a block or two and I was winded, those almost 10 years of smoking were catching up. After a few blocks of walking I ran another few blocks. I couldn't even make it 1 minute of running. Ouch. I knew It was bad, but not this bad.

I made it home, and you know what I did to celebrate? As ludicrous as it sounds today, I had a cigarette. Yes, I just completed my first physical activity in months and I celebrated by inhaling toxic fumes. Whatever.

I thought I was going to fail.

Or you could say I was going to quit. I've done it before. Most of us have. We dream up these grand plans and visions for what we want to accomplish. When we dream of these visions we are looking out from the summit, down. We are too afraid to look up. It's a long way up, and it's scary.

Laying the foundations for success isn't easy. In fact it's a messy ordeal. You’re going to slip and slide, tumble and fall. Just like a baby you need to crawl before you walk and walk before you run.

When you’re building the foundations for your success you need to dig, dig deep into yourself and find the root problems of your shortcomings, find them, address them, and conquer them. The tallest building in the world will soon crumble without a solid foundation. The view may be good at first, but a small upheaval will bring it toppling down. You are not only left where you started from but with remains of what it looked like from the top all around you.

Life is a journey, not a moment.

We need to be strong and to be strong we need to be honest with ourselves. I asked myself what I wanted. Who I wanted to become, what I wanted to do, what would make me happy. I'm not going to go into the details of what I wanted because they aren't important for this discussion. We each have our own dreams, our own aspirations, or own vision of our future. That is what is great, we are all individuals, but that doesn't mean we can't lend a hand to another to reach their dreams, their vision for themselves.

It's now April 2, 2012. I smoked my last cigarette on this day. I realized that to build my foundation, this habit had to go. I also realized that I needed help. I went to the doctor and got a prescription to Chantix. It worked. I also accepted the help, accepting help is not a sign of weakness; it can be a sign of strength. You are trying to better yourself, but are admitting that you can't on your own, but you want to get there. With the tools I needed to help me, I successfully quit, and haven't had a puff of a cigarette since.

It was also around this time that a coworker recommended a triathlon in town. A triathlon? Really? I figured what the heck what do I have to lose? It's a lofty goal if nothing else. I started training for it, I dusted off my old road bike, went for a swim, and continued to run. The race was in July, and I still had such a long way to go.

Race day came. I was nervous as could be. But I was feeling on top of the world. I have come a long way. I had dropped weight, I was running, I was swimming, I was biking. I was starting to be happy with myself.

I finished last in my age group

It was hard to swallow, at first. But I finished. I finished. I did it. I set a goal and accomplished it. It was my goal, and I fished. I was proud of myself, for the first time in a long time.

Over the next to years I did a few more triathlons, biked a lot more, I even managed to not drown while swimming. I found my true calling, running. I love to run, it's my meditation. It's time when I can reflect on myself and search my soul for the questions that are on my mind. We all need to find this, It is essential for our mental well-being. When I run my mind is clear, but focused. I love nothing more than hearing my own breathing, my heart beating, and the sound of my footsteps.

For me to succeed I realized that I needed to set more goals. Each time adding a story on my solid foundation.

I ran a 10K, half marathon, then a marathon. Each time building on the successes of the previous goal. I did it, I worked for it, I realized it's what I wanted. If it's what I wanted I realized I would have to go get it. No one else would be able to do it for me, and why should they? These are my goals, not theirs.

There have been times I fell along the way, tripped and tumbled. There is a quote that I have come to love;

When life knocks you down, try to land on your back. Because if you can look up, you can get up. Let your reason get you back up.

We all will fall down in our lives, what matters is how you pick your self back up. I learned something each time that I feel down. Each time I got back up I was stronger because of it. I've learned that it's okay to have a bad day, a bad week, even a bad month. With a solid structure beneath us, supporting us, it is easier.

My journey is not finished; I have more goals, run a 50 mile race, 100 mile race, 50 marathons in 50 states. Sure my goals include physical activity, but by no means does everyone's have to. Any goal that improves upon who you were from the previous day is a lofty goal.

The day we stop setting goals, is the day we stop growing.

More importantly, life is a long journey, enjoy it.