Hooked

After that first 5K I was hooked. All of those memories from my youth about my love of running came rushing back and it was like reuniting with an old friend. When I crossed that finish line I was overwhelmed with emotions one of which was regret. I regretted all those years that I hadn't taken advantage of the gift that had been given to me when I was young, the gift of running. But like I said, I was HOOKED and when something grabs my attention it is all I can think about. I am not a multi-tasker and during this early stage of my "fitness life" everything else came second. I know that is not a healthy way to live but running was my drug and it came at a turning point in my life where I had to decide who I was going to be. Was I going to be the guy who had been an athlete and found his way back, or was I going to be the guy who eats nachos out of a bowl that rests on his beer belly while he watches 6 hours of sports on the couch all of Saturday. I apologize to my wife and son for those days and I apologize to my neighbors for my yard that would go weeks without being mowed because I was out training. I know my wife and son would say it was all worth it because it turned me into a better and healthier person, my neighbors may not be so forgiving. I began connecting with other running geeks on Facebook and one in particular, Dan Beaver, was instrumental in my transformation. Dan and I had went to high school together but were never friends. The last I had seen Dan he was a pitcher for our school's baseball team. He was a pretty good pitcher but was never in very great condition. Fast forward to when I came across his profile on Facebook and WOW! what a transformation he had gone through. He now was an incredibly fit triathlete and had completed multiple marathons and several Ironman events. That's 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, and a marathon if you were unaware. All of which has to be completed in under 17 hours. I asked Dan a lot of questions in those early days and soaked up everything he shared. Through his sharing one thing became abundantly clear to me....I needed to be an Ironman.

Stay tuned to find out about a pink bike, the student becomes the teacher, and Running for God.