Running Over Hurdles

 A few weeks before my 36th birthday, I had the opportunity participate in my first Corporate Challenge with the company I work for. As I stood in the infield of the track watching numerous individuals competing in their events, the competitive fire began to burn deep within my core. A sleeping giant was had been awakened from its slumber and was beginning to stir. The giant had been in a longer than expected hibernated sabbatical that made Rip Van-Winkle’s slumber seem like a catnap. There were few, if any remnants visible of the former, collegiate athlete. The once toned physique had become hidden and scared by layers of fat from years of inactivity and stress.

The internal clock that once ticked slowly in my youth had now seemed to be ticking at a less-than-desirable quicker pace. Three summer’s before, I had shed over 30 pounds off my frame through exercise and a more balanced diet and looked more like the runner I once was. Unfortunately, I did not have the motivation or desire to endure in a training program or any kind of physical activity due to the stressful, depressed lifestyle I had unfortunately embraced. Slowly over the next three years, those pounds came back with a personal vendetta against me and any attempt of keeping them away. My nemesis had not only returned to my waistline and frame, but it had returned for battle and this time it had bought in reinforcements.

Through two job losses and other personal drama, the pounds continued to attach themselves to me and refused to play fair. I stepped on the scales the day before my birthday and did not like what I saw. I was well over 255 pounds and had at one time hit 260, a far cry from the days of a starving collegiate athlete who often was considered a heavyweight at a mere 195 pounds. Hampered by nagging IT Band issues over the last 5 years had made a return to competitive running all the less realistic. My mental toughness had succumbed to the pain and excuses. For once in my athletic career I was experiencing a hurdle that I could not jump. My ignorance in research led me to believe there was no true fix for my issue. Instead of spending the time needed to nurse an injury, I committed the unpardonable sin in athletics: I quit. I had decided it would be too much effort to try and train through pain and keep up a rigorous training schedule and would be much more enjoyable to just relax and live life.

With my mother’s diagnosis with cancer a year before and my dad’s diagnosis of adult onset diabetes a few months earlier, I knew it was time to make some changes. I knew that while exercise and a healthier lifestyle was not an insurance policy against sickness, it provided me peace of mind that I was doing something about my situation.  So out onto the streets I ventured that birthday eve with the decision to complete a one-mile run with nothing to lose and everything to gain. As I embarked on my first run in over 3 years my lungs ached and my knees and legs screamed from each time my feet impacted the asphalt. Even through the pain I was experiencing, I felt alive. It was as if each step and breathe I took was instilling life back into soul of this runner and in the end not all hope was lost. My pace had been respectable and the desire to run had been restored.  
 
The next several weeks would definitely be a challenge I was not sure I could handle. Of all the summers I chose to break out of my running sabbatical, I would choose the hottest one on record. As a teenager I could run for what seemed like hours in the hot, grueling Kansas summers. Running and recovery for a cross-country runner is much different than that of an overweight, out-of-shape adult. The body just doesn’t react the same way nor does it recover as quickly. Fortunately, I had enough mental toughness and strength to squeak out a few miles each week before surrendering to the air conditioning and shower.

At the end of June the fitness center at my work announced a Summer Challenge Incentive Program. This challenge was a 6 week program designed to push the participants to improve their overall fitness week over week. It involved doing pushups, curl sit-ups and a 12 minute walk/run. In order to “pass” to the next week, each participant had to improve their initial results by 10% for each week. Several different group classes that ranged from boot camp to elliptical training to free weights were available for those who truly wanted to see results. At the end of the 6 week program, the winner would receive an iPad. The prize was motivation enough to get back into respectable shape and hone my mental toughness. I wanted that iPad and I was going to do everything it took to pass my weekly tests and ultimately finish the challenge.

As of today, I have been training for 13 weeks and have built a core foundation to springboard off of going forward. I successfully completed the challenge aforementioned. At first I did not know if I could finish each weekly test, but through rigorous, daily exercises and training I was able to meet each challenge laid before me. They say you cannot eat an elephant all at once, but must eat it one bite at a time and that is the approach I had to take with this challenge. I quit focusing on the finish line and put my focus on the goal in front of me.

Unfortunately, I did not win the iPad, as there were a total of 7 finalists at the end of the program and the winner was picked from a drawing. It was a bit disheartening to finish and not win the grand prize, but I did not lose. I was still a winner. This challenge program got me back into shape and was the kick in the butt that I needed. My mental toughness has been sharpened and my physical toughness has been tweaked. In the process, my diet has had an overhaul; I have trimmed 3 inches of my waistline and I have shed a total of 20 pounds. I am ready for the challenge(s) that lie in the miles ahead of me and by this time next year, I will be in the best shape of my life at the age of 37. I have decided to embrace a healthier lifestyle and persevere. I will run over the hurdles and go the distance, regardless of how difficult the challenges seem.