It's not a sprint....It's a MARATHON!

This is my last blog post before I take on the ultimate running challenge. The marathon has become a metaphorical event for my life. The pain, the struggle, the dedication and commitment, and ultimately the joy, satisfaction, and victory of accomplishment. I CAN do this!

...but first...a look back.

As I blogged many months ago, I have been down this road before. I completed five half marathons between 2001 and 2005. I only trained for the first one, and just walked the other 4. From 2005 through 2009 I let my health take a back seat and ballooned to 310 pounds (picture above 07/2007) when my son was born in November 2007. For the next 2 years, I yo-yoed my way around to 285. (picture below 10/2009). Since I'm so tall, I have always carried this weight well, but I was hiding in 2XL and 3XL clothes.

The first turning point was the completion of the Yorktown YMCA. Upon becoming a charter member, I, along with my wife became regulars at spin class, and as I began to feel stronger, I knew it was time to set a goal.

The goal needed to be HUGE, and it needed to be DISTANT. In my mind, I wanted it to sound impressive, and yet, I wanted to have plenty of time to make it a reality. I searched the internet for days before deciding on the Monumental Marathon.

The date of the Marathon is November 6. As I looked at a calendar to see where that fell, it occurred to me that this was the last day of Daylight Savings Time. The real irony of it all was that the upcoming weekend was the beginning of Daylight Savings Time. ****HERE'S YOUR SIGN!**** It was a voice in my head saying, "it's time for a change! -- we're changing the clocks, you're changing your life!"

...and so it began. We changed the clocks on March 14, and I started to change my life.

While this blog is primarily for me to revisit my progress, I hope it may somehow inspire you. If you're doubting yourself, I believe you can change your life as well. Look at where I started, and study how I progressed. From March 15 to June 20, I did the exact same workout every single week focusing only on my ability to increase my pace and run each distance nonstop.

Monday - rest
Tuesday 3 miles
Wednesday 4 miles
Thursday 4 miles
Friday - rest
Saturday 3 miles
Sunday 6 miles

MARCH - 47 Miles - I ran only inside on the treadmill

First 3 miles = 48:00 (16:00) - that's 3.6 on the treadmill, and that's all I could do!

First 4 miles = 65:00 (16:00) - occasionally I'd bump it to 3.9, but not for long!

First 6 miles = 100:00+ not sure I even walked it all!

APRIL - 84.1 Miles - YTD = 131.1 Miles - I started doing my long runs/walks outside

Best 3 miles = 34:00 (11:18) - first time I ran the whole 3 miles nonstop

Best 4 miles = 46:00 (11:35) - also first time I ran it nonstop

Best 6 miles = 73:00 (12:10) -

HIGHLIGHT - COMPLETED MY FIRST 5K RACE IN 34:15 - (but had to walk a little)

MAY - 77.1 Miles - YTD = 208.2 Miles - I got my Garmin on May 20 - still can't imagine running without it!

Best 3 miles = 31:25 (10:28)

Best 4 miles = 44:57 (11:14)

Best 6 miles = 72:00 (12:00)

HIGHILGHT - COMPLETED ANOTHER 5K RACE IN 31:23 (10:23)

JUNE - 66.72 Miles - YTD = 274.92 Miles - Officially began the 20 week training plan on Father's Day, June 20

Best 3 miles = 29:53 (9:58) - first sub 10 pace run

Best 4 miles = 42:49 (10:41)

Best 6 miles = 69:36 (11:36) - first time I ran it non stop

HIGHLIGHT - COMPLETED ANOTHER 5K RACE IN 30:55 (9:59) - AND A 5 MILE RACE IN 52:58 (10:35)

JULY - 83.1 Miles - YTD = 358.02 Miles - Started adding the longer distances

Best 3 miles = 29:49 (9:56)

Best 5 miles = 53:24 (10:41)

Best 6 miles = 69:07 (11:30)

Best 8 miles = 1:42:00 (12:45)

Best 10 miles = 2:13:22 (13:20)

AUGUST - 54.2 Miles - YTD = 412.22 Miles
Multisport training. - Subbed my 12 and 14 milers for additional training with Swimming and Biking workouts

Best 5 miles = 53:10 (10:37)

Didn't improve any of my measured distances, but got MUCH stronger!

SEPTEMBER - 105 Miles - YTD = 517.22 Miles
Subbed my 16 miler for the Sprint Triathlon On Sept 4

Best 3 miles = 28:36 (9:32)

Best 6 miles = 64:54 (10:49)

Best 8 miles = 1:37:50 (12:13)

Best 10 miles = 1:53:55 (11:23) - nonstop

Best 18 miles = 3:33:29 (11:51)

HIGHLIGHT - COMPLETED MY FIRST SPRINT TRIATHLON
(8:31 SWIM, 50:03 BIKE, 42:00 RUN)
BUT ENDED UP WITH A $1000 HOSPITAL BILL
COMPLETED A 15K RACE IN 1:34:29 (10:13)

OCTOBER -128.4 Miles - YTD = 645.62 Miles
Best 3 miles = 26:32 (8:51)

Best 4 miles = 38:42 (9:40) - first sub 10 pace over 4 miles

Best 5 miles = 49:25 (9:53) - first sub 10 pace over 5 miles

Best 8 miles = 1:24:25 (10:33) - though still not as fast paced as last months 15k

Best 10 miles = 1:47:35 (10:45)

First 20 miler = 3:53:55 (11:41) - ran every step of it!

Best 20 miler = 3:48:32 (11:25) - ran every step of it...FASTER!

HIGHLIGHT - COMPLETED ANOTHER 5K RACE IN 26:26 (8:43)

NOVEMBER -26.2 Miles remaining!!

HIGHLIGHT - FIRST MARATHON = PRICELESS!

I said all along the goal was simply to finish the marathon, but the perks would include weight loss, increased energy, and improved self-confidence. All of the perks have far exceeded my expectations. I will run this marathon at 235 pounds. 75 pounds less than when my son was born, and yet probably still one of the heaviest men in the field...and I'm okay with that!

On my initial blog, I said I wanted to do complete the run in under 6 hours. On my registration, I said I expected to finish in 5:15:00. I still believe I can achieve this, but run, jog, walk or crawl, I WILL FINISH!

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR LOVE, SUPPORT, AND ENCOURAGEMENT!