Why Running?

You know, I have asked myself that question a few times already. An old friend of mine, Kevin Fedyk, summed it up best on my Facebook account...

"Chris what is up with all the running? That never seemed to be your cup of tea before!!!"

Well, to know why I got to where I am today, you have to see where I got myself to. I know, I just confused a lot of folks, but please, allow me to explain.

See, Kevin knew me when I was a younger guy (21ish) at Mountain Home, Idaho. I was a typical young military member, in to drinking & the party scene. I had no real care about my fitness. That finally caught up with me. I left for Korea in March of 2008. I was tipping the scale at 316 pounds. I knew something had to change, yet I wasn't doing anything about it.

After my month at home and realizing I couldn't keep up with my then 3 year old daughter, I knew I had to take action. I went on a pretty poor diet that consisted of:

Breakfast - 1 Apple or 1 Banana

Lunch - a large (4-5 cup) salad with lite or no dressing at all

Dinner - a Lean Cuisine and a low fat/low calorie canned vegetable

There were occasional treats in there, but for the most part, they were kept to a minimum. In combination with this diet, I was hitting the gym 6 days a week... having the luxury of a 24 hour a day gym was fantastic, as it didn't matter what I had to work, the gym was ALWAYS open.

I started modestly, running on the elliptical for anywhere from 20-30 minutes. I progressed to where by the end of my tour to Korea, I was running 3 miles on the indoor track, a blessing from God as Korean winters are no joke, and finishing up on the elliptical machine to round out an hour & 5 minutes of total run time. I wasn't overly concerned about time on my 3 mile run, just that I was getting it done. Overall, across the course of my year in Korea, I dropped from 316 pounds to 245 pounds. Literally, my clothes were falling off of me.

Here are some photos of my weight loss while I was in Korea. WARNING - These photos are not safe for children who are prone to nightmares, people with conditions that cause frequent vomiting, or those who don't believe in hard work!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Right now, I weigh in at 241 pounds, and I am no longer on the diet I was on while in Korea. I have kick started my metabolism again by eating my 3 basic meals and having small snacks (as healthy as possible) between them.

One of my life goals was to run a marathon before I turned 40. I always doubted I could do it, especially after gaining so much weight. Now, I am motivated to keep the weight off and to help me with that, I am working towards one of my life goals. The goal of running a marathon.

So, Kevin, and I hope the rest of ya'll get it now, that this is why I am running so much. I REFUSE to let myself get back into that condition. My year in Korea, truely was a lifestyle change... one for the better!