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| Thomas Kennedy The Trail Jogger |
I scheduled a physical with my doctor. He told me that my blood pressure and cholesterol were high, that I was borderline obese, and that if I didn't change my habits, I was a good candidate for heart disease, diabetes, and a long list of other less than appealing health problems. He recommended that I quit smoking, lose some weight, and start exercising. That sounded like a lot of work to me, much harder than sitting on the couch snacking on potato chips. However, given the alternatives, I decided it was time to take action.
So I set three goals that I will seek to achieve within three years (by the end of 2012).
My Three In Three Challenge
- Quit Smoking. This one is a no brainer. If I want to get healthy I need to start here and get rid of the cigarettes.
- Lose 50 lbs. OK, this one is going to be a little harder, especially if I am trying to quit smoking. I like to eat. And I LOVE to eat junk! But in order to prepare my body for the third goal, I need to learn how to eat healthy and to properly fuel my body.
- Complete an Ultramarathon. Yes, this one is gong to be a stretch. An ultramarathon is a running event that is longer than the traditional marathon distance. Most ultramarathons are held on trails and the shortest distance is typically 50K (about 31 miles). So a 50K trail race is my ultramarathon goal.
So, I plan to use this blog to journal my transition from fat to fit as I train for my first ultramarathon! If you are reading this, I hope you will find something of value in these pages. If you do, please leave me a comment and cheer me on!
Thanks for visiting. Before you leave, please take a moment to check out my latest posts. Enjoy!
Those are some great goals that you have for yourself. There is no doubt in my mind that by the time the 50K comes around you'll be running quite a bit. Good luck with all of it, I look forward to hearing about your progress here.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! Congrats on the quitting smoking thing. That right there is an accomplishment in itself despite your other goals. You will get there. I lost 52 pounds from Jan, 2009. I have noticed that with running, I do not want to even eat junk. My body craves fruits and vegetables and all that other good stuff. You will find that out too as well. The diet and running go hand in hand. I wish you the best and look forward to following your blog here and seeing what you are about. I will make sure that you live up to the challenge.
ReplyDeleteEver since I was a kid, I have LOVED almost all fruits and most vegetables. Now that I've got a wife and kids, I find that I refrain from eating as much fruit, thinking they'll want some too. Usually to my disappointment a lot of the fruit ends up going bad - or just before it goes bad, we put them into a smoothie.
ReplyDeleteI may look into Weight Watchers for the sake of a regimen - I've never followed ANY kind of measurable diet. I have noticed since I decided to quit drinking soda and to start exercising that I've also started cutting back on my portions.
Your end to smoking is enormous and your family will appreciate it forever.
I've started working to therapy my ankles...hopefully they'll be good enough for running soon but probably not until autumn - Ahhhhh cool weather.
Thomas - You can't hear me, but I'm applauding over here! Fantastic goals and congrats and achieving the 1st one. That's huge! How perfect that you took up running as that will help with goal two and get you to goal three. I just finished my first 50K and it was a religious experience, lemme tell ya. I've never been so connected to myself, the earth, fueling my body, pacing, pushing and having a fabulous time. I love your race schedule and have a feeling you're gonna kick ass as you get closer to that ultra. ~Laura
ReplyDeleteI'm so impressed. A lot of people have goals, and they can be kind of generic, but not these, they're HUGE. I've only completed one marathon (not very quickly, but I did it!) and was thinking perhaps it's too premature for me to consider an ultra, but what's stopping me? Reading your story has helped me decide what I'm going to go for, thank you! I look forward to hearing about your stories along the way. Go!
ReplyDeletenice goals you have, good luck...my current goal to run in Bangkok on November is slipping due coming knee operation. Well, in the other hand,it does not sound bad to have pure holiday either:).
ReplyDeleteGreat website and very inspiring. Keep up the great work!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on quitting smoking and picking up trail running. I loved hearing your story and have followed a similar path myself. This holiday season will mark six years since I gave up my pack-a-day habit. Have been running trails too and loving it. Hope to see you out there someday (maybe at the 2012 rocky raccoon if i can make it that far!)
ReplyDeleteGood on you man
ReplyDeleteThanks for the follow in Twitter! I instantly added your blog on my reader, too bad I haven't found it before! I'm on a similar journey myself.
ReplyDeleteI started 10 months ago with just a goal to lose weight and my plan was to do that by running. I've now lost 44 pounds (and I still have about another 40 pounds of extra fat left in my body, so not hard to guess I was in pretty terrible shape!). For the last 6 months I haven't been running to lose weight - I've been losing weight so I could run!
Early this year I fell in love with trail running and changed my goals from finishing another street half marathon this year and two full ones in 2012 to running a 30K trail run this autumn and if everything goes as planed my first full trail marathon and some short ultra next year.
Running has totally changed my life. I stopped smoking and drinking and I'm now a vegetarian. Pretty much everything I do is scheduled around running. And I'm loving it!
So I'll definitely be following your endeavor and hope to see you finishing that first 50K in November!
Great website. I can't wait to hear about the Rockledge Rumble.
ReplyDeleteHey! Trail Jogger,
ReplyDeleteWe got hooked up through Twitter, and you look like a real inspiration for the kind of people I am trying to reach. That is people who need to give up smoking, lose weight, and get fit to get a life. Plus, your blog site is really nicely laid out. Makes me want to run. I have been blogging for about a year, and working to find more traffic, and I wondered if you might be interesting in linking to my blog, as we might just sent traffic both ways.
My site is at http://athletewithstent.com. I have Lake Placid Ironman coming up in a couple of weeks, and it will be my first full Ironman since my aortic stent placement last August. I have put you on my blog roll, and will leave you there whether you like my weird stuff or not.
Happy Trails and WELL DONE!
-k @FitOldDog kevin.t.morgan@earthlink.net
Hey Thomas, i stumbled on your blog while googling Wave Ascend shoe review. First of all, your story is an awesome one. Quitting smoking alone is impressive.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for you...how do you become a shoe tester for Mizuno? I currently run in Ascend 5's but would love to get involved in testing the latest version.
Hi Thomas, I also stumbled on your blog while visiting the Texas Independence Relay, 3/31/12-4/1/12. My daughter(who is a Ironman runner) is participating today along with her boyfriend and a group of friends. Your story is Awesone!!! You are an inspiration to many. Congratulations for set achievable goals. At age 62, I do walk 5/10miles daily, but my Dec.2012 big goal is to be able to run 5K after my June 2012 major surgery. I know I can do it!! I am emailing your site to my niece who is 46 and a marathon runner in the West Coast. I live you with this quote: "I am thinking of Physical Activity as free health insurance against disease and/or disability". A Job Well Done!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found me on Twitter, Thomas. Like you, I was overweight, hypertensive...among other health issues. Have an arthritic knee that has ended me running, but I continue to hit the gym at least 5-days each week for both cardio and strength training. Keep on running!
ReplyDeleteSeveral years ago I learned to trail run but I also became sadly gained a lot of weight and became quite out of shape. I still cycled and hiked but it hurt much more. I moved to Albuquerque in the fall of 2009 because I simply cannot get in shape in the humidity. I have lost over 70 pounds and was a captain of a cycle team. Then, 2 herniated discs and my cycling has just about come to a halt. Luckily, as crazy as it sounds, though sitting on the bike seat kills my back running does not. In fact it helps. I have now run a 5k, Run for the Zoo, and will be running my second 5k, The Alien Chase, next weekend in Roswell. I am training to run a 10k race next June, Run the Calldera, all at elevations over 8,000'. I know where you are. Good luck with the injury recovery. I also understand that, I've had no cartilage in my left knee for over 35 years. You CAN do it!!!
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