Two years running

It’s an anniversary of sorts. Two years ago today I put on a cheap pair of running shoes and stepped out the door on a cold November morning. I made it just over two miles in half an hour, and I felt like I was dying. But I made it. And then I did it again. And again.

Over time I got faster, and I could run longer. I started feeling more like a runner and less like a fat guy trying to run. And while I still have a long ways to go, the progress I have made is awesome.

Two years later I run four or five days a week. An easy run is 3 or 4 miles. I’ve done three 10k races, one actual half marathon and one unofficial half marathon. I can run nine miles at the pace I raced my first 10k and hardly feel tired at the end. I ran 540 miles last year, and I’m on pace for nearly 1,000 this year. I weighed nearly 230 pounds when I started; now I’m at 190.

Progress happens slowly. I don’t notice these changes from one day to the next. But over time, with measurements to reference, I can see clearly just how far I’ve come.

I’m a runner. I’m two years a runner. And I finally feel like one. Happy anniversary.

— Steve

Posted on 28 November 2014